Compendio de hombres apuestos en el mundo de las artes marciales

Capítulo 75

The girl walked between Duan Chen and Zhan Yun, knelt down, and pressed herself against Zhan Yun, resting her head on his arm. With her eyes half-closed, she said sweetly, "Please be gentle, young master. I will make sure you two have your fill."

Zhan Yun was slightly taken aback and reached out to push the person away, but then suddenly realized that the man was still watching from the side. So he continued his previous action and pushed the girl away a little. He flicked his folding fan from his sleeve, gently lifted the girl's chin, and pretended to frown, saying, "Open your eyes and let me see clearly."

Zhan Yun quickly folded her fan into her sleeve, smiled faintly at the man, but her crescent-shaped eyes were somewhat cold: "This is quite interesting." Seeing that it was all settled, the man said a few more words of flattery, then bowed and withdrew.

The girl poured herself a glass of wine, but drank it directly, then leaned closer to Zhan Yun, supporting her on the shoulder. Zhan Yun snapped open his folding fan and placed it between them, his voice cool: "No need."

The girl knelt there, stunned, swallowing the wine on her own. After regaining her senses, she turned to the woman in red with pleading eyes. The woman smiled sweetly and gently nudged Zhou Yufei's shoulder: "Young master, look at your friend, he's scared our Qing'er."

Zhou Yufei grasped the woman's hand with a forced smile, as if he had known this all along: "Your sister was too impatient. My friend here isn't used to anyone getting close to her except for that person."

Qing'er had already heard the man's instructions and knew that the relationship between the two people in front of her was extraordinary. Upon hearing this, she quickly said softly, "It was Qing'er who was presumptuous." As she spoke, she poured another cup of wine and handed it to Duan Chen. Her voice was sweet and delicate, with a slight tremor, making her sound particularly pitiful: "Brother, it was Qing'er who was presumptuous just now. Please help me persuade the young master not to upset Qing'er anymore."

Duan Chen hadn't yet understood what the crowd meant, only vaguely sensing something strange. Upon hearing this, he immediately realized that everyone was treating him as Zhan Yun's pet! His phoenix eyes flashed with anger, and his lips tightened. Duan Chen's mind raced, and he swept the wine cup aside with his hand. At the same time, he glanced sideways with his phoenix eyes and said coldly, "You're lying to me again. There's no woman here that you're talking about!"

Zhan Yun felt a surge of excitement at Duan Chen's glance, but she knew it was all an act. She quickly stepped forward and gently put her arm around Duan Chen's waist, then glanced at Zhou Yufei with feigned displeasure: "Didn't you say you brought us here to broaden our horizons? Why are you looking for these people? You've upset Chen'er!"

Zhao Ting glared coldly at Zhan Yun's arm that had reached out to him, which startled the little girl next to him, who quickly moved back. Zhao Ting's heart warmed, and he knelt down in front of Duan Chen, leaning close to Duan Chen's ear and saying softly, "Chen'er, don't be angry. We can always go to another place later."

Zhou Yufei's temples throbbed from the antics of these three. He forced a smile and explained to the woman beside him, "The three of them..."

The woman in red, with an expression that said "I understand, I understand," nestled obediently in Zhou Yufei's arms and asked, "What kind of girl are you three gentlemen looking for? I've been here quite a while, so tell me, and maybe I can find someone suitable for you right away."

With Zhan Yun's arm gently around Duan Chen's back and Zhao Ting's breath softly caressing his neck, Duan Chen's face remained taut and cold, but his heart was filled with intense unease. He thought to himself, "One would have been enough! Why are two of them crowding in? Don't they think they're already being misunderstood enough?"

The two, on the other hand, seemed to dote on Duan Chen as if afraid others wouldn't understand. Although Zhan Yun's arms weren't tightly wrapped around him, her expression was very gentle as she whispered sweet nothings in Duan Chen's ear. On the other side, Zhao Ting didn't dare to make any sudden moves that would offend the beauty, but he gently placed one hand on Duan Chen's shoulder while pouring him a glass of wine and bringing it to his lips.

The three huddled together. Duan Chen sat with one hand on his knee, his phoenix eyes half-closed and his expression aloof. Zhan Yun sat cross-legged with his arm around someone, while Zhao Ting knelt on one knee on the other side. One was cold and aloof, the other clear and bright, but their expressions were both gentle and doting, making the other two girls blush with shyness.

Seeing the two men's spineless state, Zhou Yufei cursed under his breath, knowing he could only rely on himself. He drank a cup of wine from the woman's hand, his alluring eyes fixed on hers, and asked in a low voice, "I heard that a high-ranking official came here to drink, making merry with a young lady, and in the end..." He chuckled twice, a wicked smile playing on his lips, "...he actually died of a stroke..."

The woman seemed quite surprised, exchanged a glance with the other two girls, and then asked, "Who told you this, young master?"

Zhou Yufei frowned, looking quite displeased: "I just wanted to see if that woman was exceptionally beautiful, otherwise why would she have made that man die so easily? What, are you unwilling to tell me?" As he spoke, he was about to push the woman away and reached out to the girl in the orange dress.

The woman in red quickly patted Zhou Yufei's hand and said with a smile, "What are you saying, sir? If I knew, how could I keep it from you?" She then glanced at Qing'er and hesitated before continuing, "However, as far as I know, we don't have any customers in our shop... Someone did die a few days ago, but..."

Zhou Yufei seemed a little impatient: "But what?"

Qing'er replied softly, "Replying to your question, sir, that person was killed by having his throat cut. It has nothing to do with our young lady."

Duan Chen and his two companions pretended not to care, continuing their whispered conversation. Zhou Yufei, however, feigned disbelief: "How could that be? Aren't you the ones who accompany all the guests here?" Then, he feigned sudden realization, patted the woman in red's cheek, and teased, "Or did you go too far with one of your games and end up losing your life?"

Upon hearing this, the woman became genuinely anxious and hurriedly retorted, "How could that be! If we had done such a thing, the boss would have kicked us out long ago, without even needing the authorities. That man... that man brought his own people; he didn't invite any of our girls..."

Qing'er, standing beside him, nodded repeatedly and replied, "It's true, young master. I was supposed to accompany him that day, but as soon as I stepped into the room, that official kicked me out, saying that I didn't need anyone to serve me, just to hand in the wine pot."

Zhou Yufei raised an eyebrow, sized up the three women one by one, and slowly said, "Oh? That woman is more beautiful than any of you?"

The woman in red also turned her gaze to Qing'er, who shook her head: "I didn't see that person's face, but..." Qing'er bit her lip and answered softly: "Although the customers who come to our shop sometimes bring their own people, they rarely bring women. Usually..." As she spoke, she glanced cautiously at the three people again.

The group understood. Duan Chen snorted coldly, got up, and left the room. Zhao Ting and Zhan Yun hurriedly followed, pretending to coax him. Zhou Yufei placed some silver on the table.

The Third Chapter An Hotel: A Fake Encounter...

The four of them quickly left the temple one after another.

Author's Note: There will be an update tomorrow at 9 AM.

70

Chapter Four: The One-Degree Tower • The Mysterious Pill...

The four of them left the inn and all breathed a sigh of relief. Zhou Yufei nudged Zhao Ting's arm with his elbow and chuckled softly, "What, you can't control yourself anymore? Look at Ren Xingzhi, learn from him..."

After all that commotion, Zhao Ting, though he dared not do anything outrageous, couldn't help but feel his heart flutter and his body tense up as he saw the beauty so close and caught a faint, delicate fragrance. So, as soon as he left the inn, he hurried a few steps to calm himself down, which Zhou Yufei noticed, and he was inevitably teased by her.

Following Zhou Yufei's gaze, Zhao Ting saw Zhan Yun walking beside Duan Chen, whispering something. Duan Chen nodded slightly, his expression softening. Just as Zhao Ting reached them, Duan Chen looked up at him and said softly, "If you have something to do, you can leave first."

Zhao Ting calmly denied it: "It's nothing, I was just checking which route is the shortest."

Zhou Yufei shook his head, suppressing a laugh as he said seriously, "Now is the perfect time to go to that mansion. We can visit both places tonight, and it's okay if we get up a little late tomorrow morning. We can continue our investigation this afternoon."

Duan Chen seemed to have thought of something and nodded: "Alright."

The four of them headed east of the city as they talked. Zhou Yufei sighed from the side, "The people from Kaifeng Prefecture also went to that nunnery and inn to investigate before, but the owner didn't tell the truth. He said he didn't notice how that person got into the back room at all, and he didn't know how he died there."

Zhao Ting sneered, his expression somewhat sarcastic: "Anyone who goes to those kinds of places to buy pleasure is obviously not a decent person!"

Zhan Yun fanned himself with his folding fan, pondered for a moment, and then spoke: "So, the murderer and the victim knew each other. If that's the case, it will be easier to investigate."

Zhou Yufei shook his head: "That's the problem! Before the incident, no one knew that the gentleman who died at the Nunnery Hotel had this kind of taste. It is said that he had a virtuous wife and filial children, and he himself rarely went out. He was quite a rigid person. When people who knew him learned that he died in such a place, they all said it was impossible."

Zhao Ting and Zhan Yun were both somewhat surprised and turned their gazes to Duan Chen, wanting to hear her thoughts. Duan Chen pondered for a moment before speaking: "We don't need to be too hasty. Since these four people all had smiles on their faces when they died, there must be some connection. If we check all the places where these people were last seen before they died and sort out all the clues, we should find something."

One building.

It was nearly midnight. The four entered the building, and a middle-aged man quickly came to greet them. The man wore a light beige long robe with a matching headband. Although he wasn't exceptionally handsome, his every move exuded a refined charm. He wore a pleasant smile, but it was just the right amount to avoid offending anyone.

Upon seeing the four people, he gracefully bowed and smiled, saying, "You all look unfamiliar. Is this your first time here? This way, please."

Duan Chen looked around discreetly. He saw that the building was two stories high, brightly lit, and sparsely furnished. Unlike typical brothels with their sheer curtains and beaded drapes, the interior was decorated mainly with delicate fresh flowers. After a short while, he heard no sounds of lewd laughter. The atmosphere and style were unlike those of a typical nobleman's mansion; it was more like a respectable family-run teahouse.

Seeing that the four of them were somewhat surprised, the man covered his mouth and chuckled, “Gentlemen, this is the third-ranked mansion in the capital. Since it is ranked third, how could it be as vulgar and unbearable as an ordinary small restaurant? Please rest assured, most of the people who come here are refined gentlemen. Many of them come here just to drink tea and listen to music, and they don’t necessarily have to do *that* kind of thing.”