Back at the brothel, Hua Chongyang's head started to ache as soon as he thought of Bai Lu before he even entered. Sure enough, as soon as he reached the third floor, he heard a series of crackling sounds. Turning a corner, he saw a pile of broken porcelain shards on the floor in front of Bai Lu's door. Chu San was standing in the doorway, his face ashen.
Where are they?
Hua Chongyang walked over and looked at the mess on the ground, then looked up and asked Chu San. Chu San snorted:
"He smashed all the porcelain in the house and ran away."
"Where did you go?"
"They said Yao ran away from home to live in the opera troupe. I sent someone to follow her."
Huang San immediately curled his lip:
"Third Brother Chu, it's all your fault for spoiling her! If it weren't for Chongyang stopping her, Lan Wuxie would have ended her life with a single palm strike!"
Bai Lu was inherently stubborn, even more so than Hua Chongyang was when he was young—and at only fifteen, the poisoning incident only exacerbated her already troubled state of mind. Ye Qinghua hadn't paid much attention to her growing up, and Chu San, who had no children of his own and was about the same age as Ye Qinghua, raised her himself. Chu San had a good temper, which only made Bai Lu more spoiled.
Chu San was also feeling frustrated at this moment:
"It's my fault."
Hua Chongyang shook his head:
"It has nothing to do with you, Sister Chu. I was too harsh. You guys rest, I'll go look for her with Lao Qi."
So Hua Chongyang brought Ye Laoqi to the pear orchard again.
Pear Garden was an inn managed by Chu San. Although not as grand as Anzhi Tinglan, it was still a well-known place in Hangzhou. The innkeeper recognized Hua Chongyang and immediately pointed upstairs. Hua Chongyang then led Ye Laoqi directly to the second floor, to the VIP room. Even before they reached the door, they could hear Bai Lu's drunken voice inside:
"You're Lan Wuxie's lackey, what right do you have to tell me what to do?"
Hua Chongyang stopped in his tracks, and then heard a familiar voice from inside:
"Five years have passed, and you still look like you're ten years old. Yan Bailu, I think your IQ will stay this low for the rest of your life."
"Get out!"
With a "crack," probably a wine glass, it was smashed into pieces again.
Upon hearing this, Hua Chongyang pushed open the door and went inside. He saw Lancao standing by the window and Bailu leaning against the table. Lancao was taken aback when she saw Hua Chongyang, then stood up and nodded.
Bai Lu snorted coldly and rolled her eyes.
Hua Chongyang ignored her completely and looked at the orchids instead.
"What are you doing here? Did you come here specifically to see her?"
"No," Lan Cao smiled. "The Pavilion Master sent me out to inquire about Yanzu Valley, and I happened to run into this girl causing trouble at the shop entrance, reeking of alcohol, so I dragged her here."
"Yanzu Valley?" Hua Chongyang frowned. "What, did it offend Lanying Palace?"
Lan Cao shook her head: "I don't understand the Pavilion Master's intentions either."
"What did you find out?"
"No way!" Lan Cao rolled her eyes at Bai Lu. "I just followed Cheng Sheng and the others into the inn and saw this girl. If I'd known you were coming, I wouldn't have bothered with her. She's really delaying our business. How am I supposed to explain this to the Pavilion Master when we get back?"
"You mean, Cheng Sheng and the others are also at the opera troupe?"
"They must be here for a meal."
Hua Chongyang pondered for a moment, then, disregarding the white dew, beckoned Lancao to go outside:
"Seventh Brother, keep an eye on Bailu and make sure she doesn't wander off. Lancao, come with me."
The two went directly to the backyard to meet the head manager, and after finding out Cheng Sheng and the others' location, Hua Chongyang took Lan Cao to the next room. Closing the door revealed a secret passage.
Hua Chongyang raised an eyebrow at the orchid:
"Go in."
Lan Cao stared in astonishment:
"So the Pear Garden was originally the territory of brothels?"
A cold snort came from outside: "So many questions!"
The two turned around and saw Bai Lu. Ye Laoqi followed behind her, looking at Hua Chongyang with a bitter expression.
"We couldn't stop them; they insisted on coming to see for themselves."
Bai Lu looked away and snorted coldly. Without even glancing at Hua Chongyang, she went straight into the secret passage, followed closely by Lan Cao, then Hua Chongyang and Ye Laoqi.
Separated by a thin wall, the four people pressed themselves silently against the wall of the secret passage. They could vaguely hear people talking inside. First came a slightly shrill voice, clearly Qing Ling, who sounded very dissatisfied:
"Cheng Sheng, what's wrong with you today? We were counting on you to stand up for Yanzu Valley, but you were defeated by Hua Chongyang in one move!"
Then came Cheng Sheng's low, nonchalant voice:
"How could I have imagined that Hua Chongyang would suddenly jump out?"
"Didn't expect that? I bet you didn't expect her to be so beautiful, did you?"
"Alright, alright, Qingling, don't be so pushy. Chengsheng has done his best."
The last voice was soft and alluring, unmistakably Xing Yanshui's. The three remained silent for a moment, waiting for the dishes to be served, when they heard Qing Ling's annoyed voice again:
"What bad luck to have fallen into the clutches of a brothel today! Bai Lu, that pretty boy, who knew she was so skilled in martial arts!"
Cheng Sheng and Xing Yanshui ignored her for a while before Cheng Sheng's low voice was heard:
"That Bai Lu, is that the male concubine that Hua Chongyang kept?"
"Exactly! Just one look at that androgynous face, and you know he's no decent person!"
Cheng Sheng paused for a moment, then said:
"However, seeing the flowers on Double Ninth Festival is not quite what I expected."
What do you think she's like?
"I thought she was a frivolous and promiscuous woman. She seems completely different."
Qing Ling sneered:
"Looking at her? That's a far cry from reality! Back then, she didn't even care about the Martial Arts Alliance if she wanted to elope with Lan Wuxie! Just like her mother! She forgets everything when she sees a man! And what happened? In the end, she still got dumped by Lan Wuxie!"
Cheng Sheng paused again:
"It's strange, really. She's with Lan Wuxie, yet she still likes Bai Lu's childish temper."
"What can we do? Hmph!" Qingling laughed shrilly and coldly. "It's because Bailu is so naive that she's easy to fool. A woman like Hua Chongyang has been played with so many times, what other man would want her!"
Upon hearing this, Hua Chongyang couldn't help but hold his breath.
Suddenly, there was a loud "thump".
I don't know if it's the White Dew solar term or if the orchid just bumped into the wall.
Xing Yanshui, who had been silent until now, spoke up alertly:
What was that sound?
Footsteps could be heard coming from inside the room, moving closer to the wall.
The passage was pitch black, and even through the orchids, Hua Chongyang could hear Bai Lu's heavy breathing. She slowly reached through the orchids, found Bai Lu's hand, and grabbed it, giving it a firm, warning squeeze. After a long while, she finally heard Qing Ling's impatient voice:
"What are you looking at? Are there ghosts in broad daylight? It's probably just rats from upstairs. Hurry up and eat, then get back to what you were doing!"
The footsteps stopped, then turned back. The clatter of bowls and chopsticks resumed, and this time it was Cheng Sheng who spoke again:
"Qingling, what did you just say about Hua Chongyang being—didn't she only have Lan Wuxie as her man?"
"What's the big deal if I heard something?" Qingling laughed charmingly. "I also heard that Bo Jiang is a virgin! Does that mean Bo Feng and Bo Qing are both eunuchs? What's true in hearsay?"
Cheng Sheng paused for a moment, then inquired further:
"Judging from Lan Wuxie's expression, he doesn't seem like the type to tolerate someone else touching his person."
"There's nothing we can do about it," Qing Ling said with a forced smile. "You've probably heard about that poor wretch who had his hands and feet chopped off by Lan Wuxie and was hung by West Lake a year ago, haven't you?"
"Who in the entire martial arts world doesn't know about this?"
Hua Chongyang couldn't help but feel a chill in her hands and feet, and she held her breath again.
Qingling lowered her voice, but she couldn't change her naturally high-pitched voice:
"Everyone's saying that fat guy offended Lan Wuxie. Do you know why?"
"What?"
"Hmph, what else? It must have been him who forced himself on Hua Chongyang. There were a few others too. I wonder which men took turns with Hua Chongyang that day."
There was a moment of silence in the room before Cheng Sheng's voice could be heard:
How did you know?
Qingling smiled smugly:
"Never mind how I know. Now you see clearly, even Hua Chongyang, with his haughty demeanor, has been played by countless men—"
"Qingling, if you keep quiet, no one will think you're mute." Xing Yanshui, who had been silent until now, suddenly interrupted Qingling. "Eat quickly, we have important business to attend to later."
"Hmph, so you think you know everything? You've clearly mastered all sorts of seductive arts, yet you act like a Shaolin monk!"
After Qingling muttered those words, there was no more sound in the room. A little while later, the three of them finished their meal and left the room.
After Qingling and the other two left, Hua Chongyang and the others followed the secret passage out.
Hua Chongyang expressionlessly dusted himself off, while Bai Lu, her face ashen, glared and rushed out.
"I'm going to kill that bitch surnamed Qing right now!"
Lan Cao pulled her back:
"You're a madman!"
"Who told her to spew such nonsense! How dare she say that Hua Chongyang was—was!"
Bai Lu's temper flared up again, and she struggled fiercely in the embrace of the orchid.
Hua Chongyang glanced at her, then slowly sat down at the table in the room. He poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and then looked at Bai Lu:
"What she said is half true."
Bai Lu stopped what she was doing and turned to look at Hua Chongyang.
Hua Chongyang took another sip of tea: