Guide sur le vent et la fumée

Chapitre 20

Lou Lou glanced at Qian Jun seemingly casually, then smiled and explained to the crowd, "This isn't the Thousand Gold Palace, but there are people from the Thousand Gold Palace here. If you want to inquire about the Demonic Sect, it's best to find them. What do you think, Brother Shen?"

Shen Yao, however, felt uneasy: "Qianjin Palace acts strangely, sometimes righteous and sometimes evil. Although they are well-informed, they may not help us."

Qianjun suddenly nodded: "I've also heard that Qianjin Palace and Moge have a close relationship, and they might even be on the side of the Demonic Sect. If we just go there like this, we might be walking into a trap. I think we should think of another way."

Lou Lou chuckled: "I didn't know that Qianjin Palace had such a close relationship with Moge. May I ask how Miss Qianjun knew this?"

He choked on his words.

Yun Chan, her eyes darting around, immediately came up with a bad idea: "Since we don't have any other clues right now, it's still worth the risk of asking them. How about this, Lou Guyan and I will go in and investigate, while Qianjun and Young Master Shen stay outside, in case anything happens..."

"It's nothing, you guys can come and help again."

Shen Yao frowned: "I'd rather go with Master Lou." It's not proper for a young lady to go to a brothel alone...

Yun Chan was determined to leave Shen Yao and Qian Jun alone, so she wouldn't allow him to object. Besides, it wasn't her first time in a brothel, so what difference would it make if she went in again?

She immediately shoved Shen Yao aside and said harshly, "You and Lou Guyan are the only two people here with high martial arts skills. If you two go in and get caught, do you expect two weak women like Qianjun and me to rescue you? Don't you understand tactics or strategy?!" She then...

Guan Shenyao offered a weak protest, pulled Lou Lou over and walked inside, but after taking two steps, he turned back and said, "You're not allowed to come along, stay with Qianjun!"

Shen Yao had actually had very few female companions in his life. The one he usually interacted with the most was his gentle and elegant junior sister, Tan Shiyao, who was like a fairy. So he really had a headache dealing with the hot-tempered Miss Yun, and couldn't help but feel sorry for Master Xia.

Qianjun, who was standing to the side, seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Seeing the two of them go inside, she pulled Shen Yao over with a smile and said, "Don't just stand here. Let's go wait in the restaurant across the street."

Shen Yao's body trembled, and he pulled his hand away as if he had been burned. He said seriously, "Miss Qianjun, men and women should not touch each other."

Qianjun was speechless. It's just a simple arm-pulling; how outdated are you?

"That ugly girl was also holding Lou Guyan's arm just now. Is it something shameful?"

"That's not what I meant. I just think it's best for men and women to observe some proper etiquette..."

"It's not like I'm going to eat you up. Lust is lustful. Do you have something to hide, and your mind is only on matters of men and women?"

Why are all the women outside so sharp-tongued?

Not far away, the teasing voices of women came from the Wan Hua Lou again, as if mocking him. Shen Yao's face turned even redder, and he became somewhat angry: "Miss Qianjun, please have some self-respect."

Qianjun was also annoyed with this stubborn blockhead: "Then you can just stand there, I'm leaving."

Seeing her leave so decisively, Shen Yao was stunned for a moment, but still chased after her and handed her a token.

Qianjun stopped and glanced at him, asking, "What do you mean?"

Shen Yao carefully considered his words before answering: "I was fortunate enough to be rescued by Miss Qianjun the other day. I know that you have always wanted the Hero's Token, so..."

"So you're repaying me with this?" Qianjun laughed. "Didn't you think before that this was a sorceress's ruse to trick me into giving you the Hero's Token?"

Shen Yao glanced at Qian Jun's injured left shoulder, his eyes filled with apology: "I was being petty."

Qianjun no longer held back, snatched the Hero's Token and said, "I will command all the heroes in the world to slash your little junior sister's face."

Shen Yao's expression changed, and he immediately shouted angrily, "You..." He stopped mid-sentence, but then noticed a section of her disheveled hair that was cut short. He forced the word "witch" to stay in his throat and said, trying his best to control himself, "The Hero's Decree can only command the heroes of the world to do one thing that is not against..."

"An act contrary to chivalry."

Qianjun nodded, smiling charmingly: "Then, would asking you to marry me be considered a violation of chivalry?"

Even knowing that this vixen was known for her eccentric behavior, Shen Yao still looked like he'd been struck by lightning upon hearing this, his righteous aura almost crumbling: "This...this..."

Qianjun, however, persisted, staring intently into his eyes: "Does it count?"

Shen Yao desperately wished he could turn back time. Knowing full well that she was a vixen of dubious origin, he had still handed her the Hero's Token, only to have it drive him to his death. But a true man must never break his word; as a member of the martial arts world, he must obey the Hero's Token.

Commands are a consensus that all factions in the martial arts alliance must consciously abide by.

After a long silence, he finally said with difficulty, "If Miss Qianjun insists..."

Qianjun had already taken in his struggling and troubled expression, and waved his hand to interrupt him: "No, thank you."

Shen Yao was overjoyed and was about to thank her when she added, "Then I'll use this command to make you change how you address me, okay?"

Shen Yao was taken aback: "What should I call you?"

"Don't call me 'Qianjun Girl' anymore. My master calls me Jun'er."

Jun, Jun'er? How can you address a woman by her given name when you're not related by blood? Shen Yao blushed, realizing that this request was no less difficult than the previous one.

"Then Xiao Jun, or you can just call me Qian Jun, just don't call me Miss Qian Jun."

Shen Yao couldn't understand it at all: "The Hero's Token can command heroes across the land to do things. Doesn't Miss Qianjun think it's a waste to use it like this?"

"I'm happy. Won't you call me by my name directly? Or do you want to marry me?"

Shen Yao felt like banging his head against a wall. To use the Hero's Token, one needed to go to the Number One Manor in the World and gather all the heroes for a notarized hearing. Since it could only be used once, the Hero's Token would be taken back by Xia Ming Manor once the order was publicly issued.

Is this vixen going to order me to call her by her maiden name in front of all the martial arts heroes? No way, that's too absurd.

"Qianjun." Upon uttering these two words, Shen Yao's face flushed crimson to his ears. "If you wish to address me as Qianjun, then I will. There's no need for the Hero's Token to command you. This Hero's Token can only be used once; please keep it safe and do not use it recklessly."

"Just use it up. Now that the Demonic Cult is stirring, wouldn't it be much better to keep this order to unite the martial arts world?"

"What does the disunity of the martial arts community have to do with me?" Qianjun couldn't help but roll her eyes at him. However, since she had achieved her goal, she didn't want to argue with him anymore about how to best use the Hero's Token, so she nodded and put the token into her pocket.

Shen Yao wiped his sweat, finally letting out a sigh of relief.

The two didn't notice that two figures flashed past in the shadows not far away—

"Go and inform Master that Senior Sister has arrived!"

Three times

Lou Lou and Yun Chan didn't disguise themselves this time, so when the girls stepped into the Wan Hua Lou, they were all stunned to see the man in white. But after glancing at Yun Chan behind him, they began to point and whisper, their expressions a mixture of disappointment, jealousy, and disdain.

And so it exists.

Huh, why is there still disdain? Just as Miss Yun was about to get angry, Lou Lou generously pulled her to the madam and smiled, "We need a room, the second one in the west courtyard."

The madam, fanning herself with a round fan and sporting her signature smile, said, "The second room on the left in the west courtyard is Xianglan Pavilion, and the second room on the right is Mudan Pavilion. Which room would you like, sir?"

"A single peony is worth a thousand pieces of gold, so naturally we must go to the Peony Pavilion."

The madam smiled broadly: "As expected of distinguished guests, please follow me."

Contrary to expectations of mystery, the long corridor led directly to the west courtyard. From the outside, it looked no different from the rest of the place, except the scent of perfume was much less pronounced. The madam neither entered the second room on the right nor the second room on the left, but instead led them into…

He retreated after looking behind an inconspicuous little hut in the corner.

There was no one inside; it seemed she had to wait. Yun Chan looked around and saw jade peonies carved on the windowsill. The jade was crystal clear, and instead of displaying the peonies' luxuriousness, it had a unique allure.

Yun Chan tugged at the man's sleeve: "Hey, does the Thousand Gold Palace have any connections with your Mo Pavilion?"

“Not before.” Lou Lou tilted his head and thought for a moment, then smiled. “When Yu Jinzhi betrayed us and seized the Ink Pavilion, he somehow managed to win over the Thousand Gold Palace. After I took back the Ink Pavilion, I thought it was pretty good, so I took over this network of connections as well.”

Yun Chan remained silent for a moment, then cautiously probed, "By helping the Yuanqing Sect investigate the Qingtu Sect, aren't you making an enemy of the Qingtu Sect?"

"So what?" Lou Lou stared at Yun Chan for a while with his bright, lake-like eyes, his expression somewhat indifferent. "You don't trust me."

Unable to hide it from him, Yun Chan simply spoke frankly: "You two used to be from the same clan."

Seeing her composure, Lou Lou smiled again, with a rather meaningful tone: "That was in the past. The Qingtu of today may not be the Qingtu of the past."

Yun Chan asked, puzzled, "What do you mean? Didn't you say you had the Hundred Beasts Totem and Red Dew? Could it be a fake?"

"We'll find out if we keep investigating." Lou Lou avoided answering and shifted his gaze to the outer room.

The tinkling of jade pendants came from outside, and the beautiful beaded curtain was lifted, then a woman entered.

The woman appeared to be in her thirties, with a graceful and elegant demeanor. She wore no makeup, and her every gesture exuded natural charm. Upon seeing Lou Lou, who was lazily leaning back in his chair, the woman raised an eyebrow: "I didn't expect it would be the Pavilion Master himself..."

They've arrived.

She knew the henchman's identity? Yun Chan turned to look at him, but he just smiled and said, "I didn't expect that Lady Guiyue would come in person this time."

"My unworthy disciple has run away, so as his master, I have no choice but to come out and catch him myself." The woman called Lady Guiyue smiled brightly, her gaze sweeping lightly over Yun Chan without much curiosity. When she turned to Lou Lou, her tone was quite polite: "Does the Pavilion Master want..."

What do you want to know?

"Lady Guiyue can't guess?"

Lady Guiyue walked slowly to the bed, her steps adorned with flowers, and sat down. However, she crossed one leg in a very unladylike manner and said with her red lips slightly parted, "The Qingtu Sect has been making quite a stir in the martial arts world recently, as if they no longer want to remain hidden."

Don't want to stay hidden any longer?

Yun Chan interrupted in surprise, "What do you mean? Didn't the Qingtu Sect only recently reappear in the martial arts world?"

"Recently?" Guiyue chuckled, her beautiful eyes turning to Yunchan. "Twenty years ago, the entire Mu family of Xijiang was wiped out, by the legendary Qingtu Sect, which supposedly disappeared fifty years ago. Other sects in the martial world don't know about this, but Xia Mingshan..."

"Does Master Xia not know that Miss Yun was told?"

How did this person know I was from Feiyun Fortress? Yun Chan was increasingly surprised: "Are you saying that the Qingtu Sect was resurrected twenty years ago?"

Lady Guiyue looked at her with great interest: "Perhaps it never perished at all."

"The Mu family of Xijiang..." Yun Chan tried to search her memory, but she and Xia Yi weren't even born twenty years ago, so how could she know these things?

Lou Lou suddenly spoke, his voice somewhat deep: "Where is the Qingtu Sect now?"

Seeing that it was him who spoke, Madam Guiyue's expression became much more serious: "The Pavilion Master has overestimated our Qianjin Palace. The Qingtu Sect has been resurrected; how could we possibly know where they are hiding?"

"There's nothing that Qianjin Palace can't find out." Lou Lou smiled faintly. "If Qingtu Sect wants to deal with you, those prestigious sects will never help you. The only thing you can rely on now is Moge."

Threatening me? Guiyue spat inwardly. This brat really thinks we're clinging to your protection! If it weren't for my precious disciple, who would even acknowledge you?

“Yanshan.” Madam Guiyue uttered these two words coolly, and after thinking for a moment, she kindly added, “But we got this news too easily, I’m afraid they’re deliberately trying to lure someone there.”

Yun Chan became uneasy upon hearing the last sentence. Just as she was about to ask more questions, Lou Lou lifted her up.

Tears. If I keep being dragged around like this, I'll lose all face in the martial arts world.

"Thank you." Unlike his usual gentle demeanor, Lou Lou bid farewell briefly and turned to leave with Yun Chan.

Lady Guiyue, standing behind him, didn't seem to care much about his rudeness. She just stared at the two of them, her brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

---

As Yun Chan emerged from the brothel, she was still somewhat dazed. It seemed as if she had heard a lot of news, yet she was also completely confused about everything.

After meeting up with Shen Yaoqianjun at the inn, Lou Lou was responsible for telling them the information he had gathered, while Yun Chan was responsible for going back to her room to sleep.

Still not used to the constant travel, Miss Yun fell asleep almost as soon as she hit the bed, only to wake up in a truly tragic way.

She clearly remembered sleeping in an inn, but when she opened her eyes, she found herself back in the Peony Pavilion of the Wan Hua Lou. Yun Chan stared blankly at the jade-carved peonies on the windowsill.

—Has this girl been robbed again?

The moonlight was perfect; it seemed I hadn't slept long, and the night wasn't over yet.