"..."
Looking up into the distance, the moonlight stretches for miles, the mountains lie still, and the golden light remains silent.
No, never.
.
The next morning, Jin Huanlai set off for the capital.
Over the next three months, things progressed at a moderate pace. Although the palace was heavily guarded, Jin Huanlai was no ordinary man. He quickly and successfully entered the palace, retrieved a pearl from the jade belt, left a note, and signed his name on the plaque. Just as Jin Yue had said, as long as the imperial guards were not alerted, the emperor did not pursue the matter too much. However, the news of the new leader of the Thousand Hands Sect stealing treasure from the palace spread rapidly, and Jin Huanlai's name became widely known in the martial arts world and among the common people.
The capital city was bustling and prosperous, a place of debauchery and extravagance. Having completed his mission, Jin decided to linger longer, frequenting brothels and spending money like water. He quickly became the patron of the most famous courtesan in the capital. He only set off to return home after his three-month term was up, leaving the beauty a priceless purple-gold flute as a parting gift.
During his absence, nothing major happened in the sect. The four protectors and the four altar masters and branch masters had already heard the news of the sect leader's great achievements, and they were all excited and came up to congratulate him, holding a banquet to welcome him back. The festivities lasted for two days.
However, Jin Huanlai discovered that his "little friend" had disappeared.
He waited by the stream for two whole nights, the fifteenth and the sixteenth, but still didn't see Qiu Lingling. He was a little disappointed and a little worried. Could it be that her family found out she had come out at night? Or did she remember the date wrong? Or perhaps she had already moved?
In the end, she was still just a little girl. After so long apart, she might have already forgotten about him, her "big friend."
There was a vague feeling of being abandoned. Jin also knew where the "little friend" lived, but he didn't go to look for him.
Ah, it's better to forget about it.
The young girl was willing to be close to him because she was naive and uneducated. She only knew him as a pitiful, "worst" thief, but she didn't understand the deeper meaning of the word "thief." Although the Thousand Hands Sect was renowned and revered throughout the martial arts world, holding a very important position, in the eyes of these ordinary people, all talk of light-footed skills and hidden weapons was just nonsense made up by storytellers; they were simply a group of skilled "thieves."
Two worlds, two different lives, worlds apart. She could never stay with him like this forever. She would grow up eventually, get married and have children. What's scary is that she would eventually learn the word "thief," and her "big friend" would be a kingpin of thieves.
Jin also didn't want to see that day.
So, let her forget about it.
A reunion is worth more than a thousand pieces of gold
“I have already said that you are not allowed to interfere in the affairs of the Jiang family anymore,” Jin Huanlai sat down in the chair, looked at Master Fu kneeling on the ground, and asked with a smile, “What’s going on now?”
The four guardians remained silent.
He turned to Protector Qian, Yin Fei: "Protector Yin?"
Yin Fei was in a bit of a dilemma. In fact, sending people to monitor the Jiang family was not just Master Fu's idea. The support of the four protectors was also involved. He originally wanted to act first and report later to find out the whereabouts of the treasure, but he did not expect that the sect leader would find out when he returned.
After carefully weighing the matter in his mind, he forced a smile and replied, "Master, please calm down. In fact, Master Fu is also thinking of our sect. The Jiang family's 'Daytime Startling Wind Sword Manual' and that treasure are indeed of great importance. Rather than falling into the hands of others, it would be better for our Thousand Hands Sect to..."
Jin interrupted him with a smile: "According to you, he did a good job and deserves credit?"
Having said that, even if Yin Fei was oblivious to the situation, he knew the sect leader was very displeased, so he dared not nod: "Sect Leader Fu acted on his own, this... naturally... this..."
Jin interrupted him again: "Since he is guilty, what should be his punishment?"
Yin Fei remained calm and bowed his head: "This subordinate dares not act rashly, please make the decision, Master."
Jin patted the armrest and said lazily, "Everyone treats my words like farts, how can we make a decision?"
Everyone fell silent.
He looked at Yin Fei and smiled: "I said before that if anyone dares to interfere in the Jiang family's affairs again, they will be dealt with by Protector Yin. Does Protector Yin not remember that now?"
Yin Fei dared not answer.
Jin thought for a moment, then sat up straight: "If we arbitrarily convict you, I doubt you'll accept it. Let's follow the rules." He turned to the Wealthy Protector Yue Yiping: "What is the punishment for disobeying the leader's orders?"
Yue Yiping stammered, "This..." Seeing him raise an eyebrow, he immediately replied, "A capital offense."
The altar master on the ground hurriedly kowtowed, begging for mercy.
His voice was mournful but not fearful. "Do you think I'm just playing with you again?" Jin sighed inwardly but smiled outwardly. "Is that so? Considering that Master Fu is usually cautious in his actions, I will spare your life."
Master Fu hurriedly kowtowed to express his gratitude and stood up.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled inwardly. This cult leader usually used "punishment" as a catchphrase, saying it a lot but actually punishing people little. Sure enough, he was still the same.
Jin glanced at the crowd a few times, then said calmly, "Although Master Fu has made merits that offset his mistakes and can be spared the death penalty, he cannot escape punishment. Otherwise, if we set this precedent, it will be difficult to convince the public in the future. What does Protector Yin think?"
Yin Fei nodded in agreement.
Jin then turned to the other three protectors.
The crowd exclaimed in unison, "Our leader is wise!"
"That's good." Jin nodded and flicked his finger.
Master Fu, who had just stood up, suddenly fell to the ground, rolling around and screaming in pain, looking utterly pathetic.
.
They had initially thought he was just trying to fool them since his repeated threats of "punishment" had yielded no results, but they never expected him to take it seriously now. The crowd trembled with fear and knelt down in unison, crying out, "Master!"
Jin Huanlai smiled and raised his hand: "What are you doing? Master Fu disobeyed the leader's order. I merely imposed a small punishment on you. It has nothing to do with you. Get up, get up."
Everyone lay prostrate on the ground, none daring to rise.
Jin sighed, "You want to plead for him? There's no need."
He turned to look at Master Fu on the ground beside him. In the short time it took to say those few words, Master Fu had curled up into a ball, rolling around and screaming incessantly. His shirt was torn into strips, and his hands were clawing wildly at his chest, leaving several bloody marks. His face was ashen, his eyes were bloodshot, and his nose and mouth were all squeezed together, twisted and deformed, making him look extremely terrifying.
"I know you two have always been on good terms, so I'm just giving him a little lesson. Don't worry, he won't die or faint," Jin reassured him.
Everyone's faces turned pale. Not letting her faint at a time like this was clearly a deliberate act of torture.
Silver Protector Zheng Jiaojiao looked up and said in a trembling voice, "Master, please calm down. In fact, this matter was not solely the idea of Altar Master Fu. There were also..." Looking at the struggling Altar Master Fu, she gritted her teeth and continued, "There were also our instructions involved. We only beg the Master for mercy."
"What the hell are you talking about? You want to die but you have to drag us down with you!" Protector Yue Yiping cursed inwardly, but on the surface he had to put on a show: "This matter is truly our fault. Please punish us as well, Master."
"Please, Master, have mercy!"
Jin Huanlai stood up and said calmly, "Are you saying that I made a mistake in punishing you?"
Everyone was terrified: "We wouldn't dare."
Jin then smiled: "I know you care about your subordinates, but this time he disobeyed orders, so you don't need to take the blame." After saying that, he turned and left as if nothing had happened: "Since you are so concerned, come back in half an hour to collect the antidote, otherwise he will really die."
The group looked at each other, hesitant to get up.
.
Countless large red lanterns hung outside the railings, their crimson lights illuminating a corner of the night. Below stood a magnificent building, where red and green jewels adorned the scene, and singing and dancing filled the air. It was the city's largest entertainment venue. Guests entered one after another, their faces glowing. Acquaintances greeted each other frequently, their faces filled with ambiguous and knowing smiles.
Having been in this line of work for a long time, the madam had long since lost all shame. With a beaming smile, she auctioned off the girl's virginity: "She's only been here a few days, sixteen years old, and hasn't been touched by anyone yet. This is her first time serving a customer! And her looks... oh! She's a celestial being! I'm not exaggerating, you'll only know once you go in and see for yourself. You definitely won't regret it!"
Untouched virgins are extremely rare, and according to custom, they are not allowed to show themselves. Moreover, people who can enter such famous brothels are usually there for pleasure and are not too stingy with their money. Therefore, as soon as she mentioned it, someone immediately made an offer.
"Two hundred taels!"
"Two hundred and fifty taels!"
Three hundred taels!
"Three hundred and twenty taels!"
"..."
The madam nodded with a smile, her old eyes slightly narrowed, occasionally glancing at the other customers with an inquiring look, searching for higher prices.
"The master offers four hundred and eighty taels; who dares to challenge him now!"
"One thousand taels."
The hall fell silent abruptly as everyone turned to look for the source of the sound.
The person who offered this exorbitant price was a young man in black. He was handsome, with slanted eyebrows that looked smug, and his eyes were bright and piercing. His smile carried a roguish air.
Since there were quite a few customers dressed in black, the madam only noticed him then, and was overjoyed—another lucky charm! She immediately asked the crowd symbolically, "One thousand taels, surely there isn't anything higher?"
As expected, no one responded.
A thousand taels is no small sum. In short, that amount of money could basically be used to open a small brothel. No matter how beautiful or stunning a woman is, spending a thousand taels for one night is simply too much.
The madam hurriedly greeted him with a smile: "Young master, you are so kind as to pick these fresh melons. May I ask your name?"
The man in black didn't answer, but pulled out a few silver notes and tossed them to her: "Where is he?"
Young people are always impatient, and the madam, being quite perceptive, immediately turned around, greeted the disappointed crowd with a smile, and then personally led him upstairs.
.
Jin has always preferred experienced women who know how to serve, but this time he made an exception because he was still bothered by what happened that night. He found it hard to accept that he could actually react to a young girl, and he felt like he was a worthless person. No, he had to find someone to try it out. Could it be that this cult leader really likes to eat young grass? That's terrifying!
Fourteen or sixteen years old, that's about right, let's try this one.
The madam led him to the room door, smiling obsequiously, "This is Miss Ling's room. This girl has a very good temperament, but it's her first time serving customers, so she might be a little inexperienced. Please forgive any oversights and teach her a thing or two. Don't hold it against her..."
Women who come to such places are usually not there willingly. It's inevitable that they will cry, make a fuss, and resist when they are serving customers for the first time. So when a new girl serves a customer, the madam will usually give her some symbolic instructions. Experienced customers know this, and some even think that this is what makes it "more interesting". They generally don't care. After the night, most of the conquered women are in tears and obediently serve customers.
Jin Huanlai naturally understood the reason and nodded.
The madam smiled and handed her another small paper packet, whispering, "If you find it troublesome, young master, just feed her a cup of wine."
Without even looking, Jin Huanlai already knew what it was. He had a bit of a headache. What woman couldn't a dignified leader like him have? To force a young girl like this was too outrageous! It was beneath his dignity!
Seeing the strange look on his face, the madam hurriedly said, "Young master probably won't need this. I'm just following the rules." They were all experienced women, and it was easier for them to accept a handsome and wealthy young master than for those old men. Not every girl had such luck.
She wisely withdrew.
Looking at the door in front of him, Jin sighed. "Tch, if I don't make a move, it'll be someone else's sooner or later. Never mind, I'll go in and take a look first. This leader might not really like this kind of tender girl. If she comes along crying and whining, I'll just leave."
He raised his hand, pushed open the door, and stepped inside.
.
The room was clean and tidy, with embroidered curtains, elegant bed curtains, and exquisite candlesticks. There was a faint scent of perfume in the air.
A tiny person sat by the window.
Wearing a snow-white shirt and with her hair piled high, she quietly leaned against the windowsill, seemingly lost in thought, unaware that anyone had come in.
Judging from her figure, the girl was clearly not that old. Jin wasn't surprised; in places like this, there were often girls as young as fourteen or fifteen who were already working. The madam would occasionally hide her real age to avoid customers thinking she was too "young." Anyway, it was hard to tell if someone was a year or two younger if they were well-developed. What startled him was that the figure seemed strangely familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere before...
Impossible, how could she be in a place like this? Girls her age all look pretty much the same.
Jin felt a sense of relief and slowly approached.
Outside the window, the night was deep, and a cool breeze rustled the hem of her white shirt, revealing a section of her forearm. Bathed in candlelight, it was slender, smooth, and delicate, as beautiful as snow, and it was enough to make one's heart flutter.