Chapter 54, Brothel Search

Translator: StarReader

 

Su Chen sneaked along the dark corners of the streets, sprinting back to Gusu County City. He avoided the guards by slipping through the rear entrance, then scaled up to the third floor of Mist Terrace and back into Young Miss Ah Nu’s bedroom.

 

The room was as it always was. Young Miss Ah Nu lay asleep on the zither, still under the influence of the drug, showing no signs of waking up. The only movement came from the faint smoke curling from the incense burner, where a single burning incense filled the air with its scent.

 

Su Chen removed his black veil and tossed the remaining incense into the heating brazier, leaving no trace behind. He then opened the window to let in fresh air, diluting the odor of the drug.

 

From the cabinet, he retrieved another sandalwood incense stick, snapped it in half, and lit it on the incense stand. He also placed two burned-out incense remnants among the others. Knowing that one incense stick burned for a quarter of an hour, he estimated that roughly half an hour had passed based on the remaining incense.

 

As the scent of sandalwood grew stronger, it masked the lingering drug. Only then did Su Chen close the window.

 

Having finished all this, Su Chen double-checked to ensure there were no missing details. He touched the cold jade slip in his chest and glanced out the window at the distant street with a hint of concern.

 

On the street below, constables already carried torches, illuminating the previously quiet road in an eerie crimson glow. Their loud shouts echoed through the night:

 

“Great Han Mountain Daoist Temple has been robbed! A precious manuscript is missing! Emergency curfew imposed in Gusu City!

 

“By order of the county magistrate, all city gates are to be closed immediately. Capture the thief!”

 

The constables, led by their team leaders, surged forth in groups, patrolling the streets and alleys, searching houses, and setting up checkpoints to apprehend suspicious individuals.

 

Su Chen watched from his window as the constables, torches in hand, ran down the street. His brows furrowed deeply.

 

Only a short while had passed since he had stolen the jade slip and fled to Mist Terrace, yet Gusu County City was already thrown into chaos.

 

The Daoists from Han Mountain Daoist Temple could mobilize the constable forces to search the city, showcasing their immense influence. This unexpected display of power left Su Chen deeply shaken. He realized that he had gotten himself into a far bigger predicament than he initially feared.

 

The mysterious jade slip text must be of great significance, stirring such a massive response from the Han Mountain Daoist Temple. Fortunately, Su Chen had been cautious enough beforehand to set up a hiding spot for both the jade slip and the gold ingots above the rafters at Mist Terrace.

 

Given how expansive Gusu County City was—with its population exceeding ten thousand households—it would take time for even a large contingent of constables to thoroughly search every area. If they had already begun their hunt, Su Chen would be in a dire situation, forced to constantly evade and dodge within the city limits, which could quickly spiral into disaster.

 

Su Chen was sitting on a mat inside the room, finding stillness uncomfortable. He retrieved a volume of leisure reading from a bookshelf in one corner of the chamber, pretending to be engrossed in its pages.

 

The incense on the table was sending up faint spirals of smoke.

 

Ah Nu stirred awake. Her clear gaze swept around, discovering she had fallen asleep while playing the zither. Su Chen remained seated across the curtain, and she couldn’t help but apologize.

 

“Ah, Mr. Su, I’m sorry. I intended to play a zither song for you, but I ended up falling asleep. How long was I out?”

 

Su Chen coughed lightly, flipping through his book with an affected air. “It wasn’t long, just about half an hour. I know a little about medicine, and your complexion looked pale, suggesting poor energy flow—I deduced that Young Miss Ah Nu had been overexerting herself practicing the zither, leading to exhaustion and sleep. Since you seemed tired, I didn’t disturb you but instead read some leisure material.”

 

He didn’t worry about being found out; the jade slip and gold ingots were safely hidden away—there was no evidence against him.

 

Through the thin gauze curtain separating them, Ah Nu glanced at the incense burner. The sandalwood stick had burned halfway, with two more stubs inside, indicating it had been burning for over half an hour.

 

She was a bit drowsy and couldn’t quite figure out why she had slept for so long. Then, there was a loud knocking sound. “Open up! By order of the county magistrate, we are searching for a notorious thief!”

 

Constables barged into Mist Terrace. The guards at the entrance were taken aback when they saw the constables storming in with such ferocity. These constables were regulars at Mist Terrace, usually on good terms with both the Caravan Guards and the establishment. It was uncommon for them to barge in so aggressively unless backed by a powerful figure. Given that Mist Terrace was under the protection of one of the five major martial groups—Caravan Guards—and without backing from a high authority, these low-ranking constables wouldn’t provoke the place. The girls were terrified, their faces pale with fear.

 

Matron Li led the guards to block that pack of wolf-like constables, recognizing their leader. She said resolutely, “Second Master Zhang, our Mist Terrace is under Caravan Guards territory; you can’t just barge in!”

 

“Matron Li, I’m sorry, but this time no one can help you! Han Mountain Daoist Temple has lost a precious scripture. The magistrate has issued a death order and placed a huge reward for the capture of this bandit across the entire Gusu County City. All the city gates are sealed, and they’re searching every house. Your Mist Terrace is known to be a mix of good and bad elements; it’s the main target for our search. If you dare to obstruct us… Caravan Guards may be a large organization, but do they dare offend Immortal Master Han Shan and the magistrate? In Gusu County City, even if someone is a big shot, they’ll have to comply with my constables!”

 

Team Leader Zhang was quite pleased. Usually, as a team leader, he had to be humble in front of higher-ranking martial artists. But now, the magistrate and Han Mountain Daoist Temple backed him up, and he could finally flaunt his clout over Mist Terrace.

 

One of the Caravan Guards’ senior overseers rushed in from outside. “Matron Li, stand down; no need to block them. Our boss has agreed to cooperate with the county constables to capture this thief. Second Master Zhang can search freely!”

 

With that, Second Master Zhang arrogantly pushed aside Matron Li and her guards, leading his pack of constables up the stairs and storming into each room, kicking open doors.

 

“Come out, all of you! The constables are checking everyone!”

 

“Report any leads on the wanted thief or the scripture, and the constables will offer a substantial reward!”

 

There was chaos inside Mist Terrace. The girls, rich young men, and martial artists in the rooms were all driven out. The scene was noisy, and the insults were heard one after another.

 

…

 

In a room on the third floor, Ah Nu collected her thoughts and was about to play another song for Su Chen.

 

Suddenly, she heard a commotion outside. She couldn’t help but feel puzzled. She recalled that she had just fallen asleep for half an hour for no reason. During this time, she vaguely felt that something was wrong.

 

She guessed that Su Chen had left the room before. But she saw that Su Chen was holding a book in his hand, with a calm expression, as if he had been reading in the room. Therefore, she could not see any clues.

 

Ah Nu couldn’t help but feel a little worried. She didn’t understand what had happened to cause a city-wide search; even the constables were dispatched, and even places like Mist Terrace were affected. She thought to herself that this matter was definitely not a trivial matter.

 

Su Chen remained calm, his mind as cautious as ever—even in this secluded chamber, he had left no trace of a flaw. The incense burned low, just a small portion remaining after breaking. Two extinguished stubs lay nearby, perfectly aligned with the timing.

 

“Bam—!”

 

Second Master Zhang and several constables forced their way in.

 

The men surged into the chamber, only to find a young man and a young woman sitting across from each other behind a gauzy curtain, playing and listening to the zither.

 

“Ah, what brings you gentlemen here?”

 

Su Chen was absorbed in listening to the zither and glanced up at the constables and their team leader who had barged in, clearly startled, his expression one of surprise.

 

Second Master Zhang appeared arrogantly dismissive, casting a disdainful glance at Su Chen.

 

Su Chen wore the blue-clad attire of the Medicine King Group, his status unmistakably clear—as a junior executive in the Errand Hall, he was part of the lowest rung of disciples within the clan.

 

Second Master Zhang was immediately disappointed.

 

This Medicine King Group errand disciple was nothing but small fry in the martial world. With just a few coppers on him, he dared to come flaunting into a brothel—how utterly pathetic!

 

Clearly, this was no affair of a major figure like a river thief.

 

Li Shiyuan also instructed that constables should focus their investigation and interrogation on those classified as first-rate experts in the martial world, especially those with criminal records as thieves. Such individuals might have the nerve to steal the precious text from Han Mountain Daoist Temple right under the watchful eye of Daoist Qinghe.

 

“Boy, you’re nothing but a lackey with two coppers in your pocket, yet here you are parading into a whorehouse like you’re someone. Did you know that Han Mountain Daoist Temple was robbed?” The constable said, shaking his head. “A precious text went missing! By order of the county magistrate, I’m on the hunt for a river thief and questioning anyone suspicious. Have you left the city at all tonight?”

 

Second Master Zhang couldn’t help but mock him coldly. Even though he knew the chances were slim, he proceeded with the interrogation.

 

“I’ve been at Mist Terrace since evening,” Su Chen said, “listening to Ah Nu’s zither playing this whole time… What’s this ruckus about the Daoist Temple?”

 

“Sirs, this young man has been staying in my chamber since the evening and has never left this room. I am afraid that you have misunderstood!” Young Miss Ah Nu also stood up and bowed, testifying.

 

Second Master Zhang glanced around the room and did not find anything suspicious. He knew that it would be a waste of time to ask further questions, so he left.

 

He called over Matron Li and asked about when the Medicine King Group lackey had entered Mist Terrace.

 

Matron Li immediately lit up, waving her handkerchief and saying, “Second Master Zhang, you’ve come to the right person! This young man arrived here in the evening; it was I who personally let him in, with all these girls and guards around. We’re not blind!”

 

The other courtesans nodded one after another.

 

Since there were eyewitnesses confirming Su Chen’s story, Second Master Zhang concluded he was above suspicion and quickly left to search other rooms.

 

“Second Master Zhang, Mist Terrace has been open for business all evening—there’s no suspect here! This is our esteemed guest, sir; you’d better look elsewhere!”

 

Matron Li stood in front of the door, earnestly pleading.

 

“You speak too much! Search every room!” Second Master Zhang barked, leading the constables to storm into the room.

 

As soon as the team leader stepped inside, there was a sharp slap followed by an enraged shout.

 

“What are you doing here, you blind fool? How dare you search my quarters!”

 

The once arrogant team leader, now cringing and shielding his stinging cheek, stumbled out sheepishly without uttering a word. From within the room, sobs of frightened girls could be heard, along with soothing words trying to comfort them.

 

The constables, who had followed behind, were all in shock and dared not barge in.

 

Who was in there? Who would dare to act so brazenly and attack the team leader?

 

Second Master Zhang clutched his swollen cheek, tears welling up inside but unable to spill forth. His frustration and anger were bottled deep within, leaving him utterly miserable.

 

Inside the room stood Old Master Wang’s eldest son, Wang Fuhao, who was enjoying a lavish feast with several ladies from Mist Terrace in one of their private chambers. The atmosphere had been lively until Second Master Zhang crashed the party and ruined the mood. What rotten luck!

 

If he had known it was Wang Fuhao, he never would have barged in so recklessly, only to suffer this unjust beating.

 

Matron Li giggled nearby, her eyebrows nearly meeting at the bridge of her nose. She had warned him earlier that there were important guests inside and that was strictly forbidden. And now, look at him. He did it to himself.

 

This time, Second Master Zhang had learned his lesson. He knew better than to kick down doors in Mist Terrace, where people of high authority and influence were everywhere. Instead, he led the constables and knocked politely on each door, conducting a thorough search through the hundreds of rooms in Mist Terrace.

 

But finding this elusive thief was proving to be no easy task.

 

This Mist Terrace was a den of iniquity, packed with people from all walks of life—aristocratic gentlemen, martial experts, and merchants who had roamed the country, all looking suspicious enough to warrant closer inspection. Yet upon closer scrutiny, none could be proven guilty, and not one did he dare to lay a hand on.

 

The constables, led by Team Leader Zhang, conducted a thorough search but turned up nothing. Clutching his swollen cheek, he led his team of constables away, dejected and defeated.

 

“Second Master Zhang, do come again! The girls are thinking about you—please don’t storm in here like some hoodlum again; you’re scaring us half to death!”

 

Matron Li waved as she saw them off, her tone playful yet laced with sincerity. Inside Mist Terrace, the women erupted into laughter, barely able to contain their amusement.

 

…

 

Meanwhile, Su Chen remained upstairs in Ah Nu’s chambers, waiting out the commotion below. Once the constables had finally left, he breathed a sigh of relief. This troublesome first wave of searches was over at last. Evading this initial sweep would make handling the situation easier moving forward. For only the constables had the authority to conduct a thorough search of a household. Other martial group disciples were not permitted such actions; they could only set up checkpoints and question passersby on the street.

 

From what the constables had mentioned, all four gates of Gusu County City had been sealed, preventing anyone from leaving the city.

 

Su Chen could only stay at Mist Terrace for now, waiting for the lockdown to lift.

 

It seemed that he couldn’t act recklessly for the time being; he’d have to bide his time, let these few days of chaos pass, and then return to Medicine King Estate with that mysterious artifact hidden away.

 

He figured that upon returning, he’d probably need to stay low-key at the estate for a while, avoiding any unwanted attention. But in the meantime, this could be an opportunity to study it.