"Why is the city under lockdown today?"
The women who hadn't received any customers chatted casually with each other.
Gu Zhong, who was passing by, pricked up his ears and paid special attention.
"I heard they're hunting down a vicious fugitive—"
"How terrifying! Are there really such horrific things happening in the royal city?"
"Haven't you heard about what happened at Qingxi Taoist Temple? Let me tell you..."
The two turned the corner and walked up the sandalwood steps, their conversation gradually fading away behind them.
—The entire royal city was sealed off.
This means that this is an order from the royal palace.
The current king has undoubtedly become a puppet of the Imperial Advisor's household.
No one, whether human or demon, can leave the royal city now.
In other words, if they don't find a way to break the deadlock, they can only hide and wait to be found and surrounded.
"Ah! What are you doing?"
At that moment, a commotion arose from the doorway, accompanied by a woman's exclamation.
"The Imperial Preceptor's Mansion has been ordered to investigate demons, and we ask for the cooperation of all the ladies."
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Author's Note:
Gu Paopao Super Run
Chapter 132 Swordsman and Exorcist (18)
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The exorcists, dressed in black uniforms, filed in, causing even greater panic.
"Demon...demon?"
"How could there be demons? How could demons get into the building?"
Some people panicked, while others scoffed.
"Everyone here, stand still!"
The drunken guests stood up in protest, only to be thrown to the ground in an instant. The music on stage was forced to stop, and the girls who had been fleeing throughout the brothel's lobby were now frozen in place, terrified.
The others who were watching from upstairs, seeing such a scene, all returned to their rooms and locked their doors.
"The people must not be disturbed excessively!"
A man gave a stern rebuke, and the scene gradually calmed down.
"Search separately, one team on the second floor, the other team on the third floor."
Under the coordination, the search was carried out in an orderly manner.
A young-looking female exorcist kicked open a door on the third floor without any hesitation.
As soon as she entered, she heard lewd sounds coming from the inner room.
The people inside were completely unaware of the changes taking place in the building, and continued to enjoy their intimate moments without a care in the world.
The sound of the door being flung open seemed to rouse them from their blissful state—the humiliating noise paused for a moment before resuming.
The girl had never seen or heard of such a scene before, and her fair face turned bright red.
But with a mission at hand, she dared not be careless or negligent. While reciting some Heart Sutra she had heard from some Buddhist temple, she steeled herself and walked toward the inner room.
Red candles dimly illuminate the silk curtains, and mandarin ducks perch on the pillow.
The dim light barely illuminated the room, and the evening breeze blowing in from the window rustled through the light gauze curtains, revealing a woman's graceful shoulders and back.
Her back, as white as jade, was largely bare, with a pair of beautiful butterflies on it that seemed about to take flight.
There was another person beneath her, with one hand wrapped around her waist, gently caressing her.
The person lying on their side had half their face showing, and they appeared to be an extremely handsome man.
Hearing the commotion, the woman turned to look at her, her eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment, while a charming smile played on her lips.
"Hmm? Little sister, you shouldn't trespass into a woman's private quarters..."
"Excuse me... I apologize for disturbing you! The Imperial Preceptor's residence is searching for demons tonight; I apologize for any offense! I'll be leaving now!"
The fire on the girl's cheeks burned even more intensely.
She stammered for a moment, then explained at an unprecedentedly fast pace, before turning around and fleeing the room as if escaping, closing the door behind her.
Even after the girl left, the panting continued in the room, sounding even more intense.
Until the footsteps of the explorers gradually faded away, leaving the third floor, leaving the lobby, leaving this flower-filled building.
As soon as the people from the Imperial Preceptor's residence left, the stagnant time began to roll forward again, and the interrupted music resumed, filling the entire night with a cacophony of vulgarities.
The pleasure in that room came to an abrupt end.
After listening intently for a moment and confirming that it was truly safe, Lingyan turned her gaze to Gu Zhong beneath her and was taken aback.
Gu Zhong's burning gaze was fixed on her, containing emotions she couldn't understand, and filled with naked aggression.
In that instant, she felt the hands on her waist were so hot and unsettling.
Lingyan tumbled off the bed and onto the floor in a panic, gathered up her long hair that had fallen across her chest, pulled up her shirt that had slipped down to her waist, and glared fiercely at the person on the bed.
"What a terrible idea you came up with!"
Her complaining words carried a hint of coquettishness.
"Ah Yan, if the actors in the Peking Opera world saw your acting skills, they would all have to admit defeat."
The person on the bed slowly sat up and burst into laughter.
"Next time—next time you'll be on top!"
After the crisis subsided, Lingyan felt ashamed when she recalled what she had just done. She immediately yelled angrily at Gu Zhong, as if she could find some balance by making Gu Zhong act as well.
"OK!"
The response was crisp and efficient. Gu Zhong's eyes narrowed with a smile, and it seemed as if a large, fluffy tail was happily wagging behind him.
Some time later, Lingyan deeply regretted saying those words.
——
In the days that followed, the entire royal city remained under martial law, with the city gates filled with soldiers and disciples of the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion conducting checks, allowing entry but not exit.
The somber atmosphere made people uneasy, and the usual lively scene of singing and dancing was not as enthusiastic as before.
As a result, the business of brothels also suffered a significant decline.
Gu Zhong and Ling Yan did not change their positions. With the help of disguise and makeup, they successfully blended into this brothel.
Most women who sell their smiles in the brothel are like rootless duckweed, unknown to anyone.
Every day, women come and go in the building; some have redeemed themselves, some have sold themselves, some have contracted diseases and gone there, and some are just trying to make a living.
So many people are wandering, and not all the people in the same brothel know each other.
The more chaotic a place is, the safer it is.
All they can do now is wait patiently, waiting for those people to relax for a moment, or for an excellent opportunity to counterattack.
After waiting for a long time without finding a real and effective opportunity, Lingyan became somewhat restless.
She kept clamoring that it would be better to take advantage of the lax defenses at the Imperial Preceptor's residence and have her assassinate Ling Ying to end the matter once and for all.
Gu Zhong could only offer helpless reassurance – because this was something that was destined to fail.
Ling Ying is dead, so who will be next?
"Why do I feel like there are far fewer girls on this street lately?"
One day at noon, when Gu Zhong went out to fetch food, he overheard two maids serving the young ladies in the building chatting.
"Could it be that they were redeemed—or that they ran away?"
"I don't think so. We haven't seen Miss Yun in the building for a long time. Miss Yu is still here. She shouldn't have redeemed herself or run away, right? I heard Miss Yu went mad..."
"That does sound a little strange."
"Could there really be demons on this street?"
The maid who spoke touched her arm, looking somewhat fearful.
"Pah! Pah! You jinx! What nonsense are you spouting? Didn't you find nothing when you came to the Imperial Preceptor's residence that day?"
The other person immediately spat, categorically denying her guess.
There are fewer and fewer girls.
Unless you've spent a long time in this red-light district, you'd hardly notice such changes.
They were just a few girls, and not many people cared whether they lived or died.
Gu Zhong didn't care much either; she didn't have much time to concern herself with other people's affairs.
Whether it was the work of demons or not, as long as this chaotic world ends, everyone can live a peaceful life.
Even if human greed is boundless and war is endless, the future will surely be much better than the present—that's what she was convinced of.
However, even if people don't seek out trouble, trouble will inevitably seek them out.
That evening, there was a rapid knocking on their door.
Have you seen Ayun?
As soon as Lingyan opened the door, she was startled by a disheveled woman standing in front of her.
Her face, obscured by disheveled hair, was pale and gaunt, though traces of her former beauty remained. Those once bright and captivating eyes, like withered flowers, had lost their vitality and appeared lifeless.