Chapter 4-4

By the time the sun had set, darkness had descended, and the moon shone brightly over the entire world, Bai Shixuan and Huang Zaizhen had reached the village where the Flower Fragrance Pavilion was located.

“I wanted to sleep, but I couldn’t even do that…….”

Huang Zaizhen grumbled. Bai Shixuan glanced at her once before turning his head forward again and continuing to walk. Huang Zaizhen glared at Bai Shixuan’s retreating back as he walked without even responding, then straightened herself and followed behind him.

“Huh?”

After walking for quite some time, Bai Shixuan stopped. When he did, Huang Zaizhen approached his side. She glanced at Bai Shixuan and saw bewilderment on his face.

“Brother Bai, what is it?”

“It’s gone.”

“What is? Ah, the Flower Fragrance Pavilion…….”

The place where Bai Shixuan stood was precisely where the entrance to the Flower Fragrance Pavilion had once been. Yet it was gone. The entire building had disappeared. Looking at the unfamiliar manor that now stood where the Flower Fragrance Pavilion had been, Bai Shixuan felt a headache coming on.

“Who are you?”

When Bai Shixuan approached the entrance to the manor, the martial artists guarding it blocked his path.

“I have something I would like to ask. What happened to the Flower Fragrance Pavilion that used to be here?”

“The Flower Fragrance Pavilion? I think it disappeared three years ago.”

“Hmm. Lord Gong moved in three years ago, so that was probably when it happened.”

The martial artists looked at each other as they spoke. Three years. It had disappeared one year after Bai Shixuan left. Why? He did not know. The Flower Fragrance Pavilion had clearly been thriving. It had made plenty of money. Yet it had suddenly closed?

“Where are you going?”

“Hao Sect.”

Huang Zaizhen’s expression stiffened at the mention of Hao Sect. Hao Sect was an organization formed by people living at the bottom of society, such as courtesans and gamblers. No one knew where its headquarters was located, but there was nowhere in the Central Plains where Hao Sect could not be found.

“Are you really that desperate for a woman? To even go as far as Hao Sect…….”

Huang Zaizhen finally lost her patience and shouted. Since the Flower Fragrance Pavilion was gone, she assumed Bai Shixuan was heading to Hao Sect in search of one of its courtesans. Bai Shixuan looked at her and spoke.

“I need to find someone.”

“Someone?”

“Yes. When it comes to finding people, the Beggars’ Gang and Hao Sect are the best. But I have no connection with the Beggars’ Gang, so I cannot ask them for help. Hao Sect, on the other hand, will find someone as long as you pay them.”

At Bai Shixuan’s explanation that he was looking for someone, Huang Zaizhen finally fell silent. She had thought he was so desperate for a woman that he was going in search of a courtesan, but apparently that was not the case. Along with the Beggars’ Gang, Hao Sect possessed one of the largest information networks in the Central Plains.

“Do you know where Hao Sect is?”

“Yeah.”

Bai Shixuan nodded at Huang Zaizhen’s question. He had lived in this village for six years, after all. Naturally, he knew the gambling house where Hao Sect’s local branch was located. He had also heard that it had once been a pleasure house, but had been converted into a gambling house after the Flower Fragrance Pavilion opened.

Turning through several alleys, Bai Shixuan found a shabby house and knocked on the door. A rectangular slot in the door quietly slid open, revealing a person’s eye.

“What business do you have?”

“Gambling money.”

When Bai Shixuan gave the password—gambling and money—the man stared at him for a moment before opening the door. Once it opened, Bai Shixuan and Huang Zaizhen walked past the man and entered. They immediately headed underground.

“How do you know about a place like this?”

“By chance.”

In truth, he had once come here while following Zhang Hong. It was fortunate that the password had not changed. Unlike the shabby house above, the underground area was quite luxurious. Despite the late hour, many people could be seen gambling.

“I want to meet the Branch Chief.”

Bai Shixuan stopped one of the workers and spoke. The man stared at him with an expression that plainly said, ‘What are you talking about?’ Bai Shixuan immediately placed some money in his hand, and the man nodded as soon as he accepted it.

“Follow me.”

The man began leading Bai Shixuan and Huang Zaizhen through the establishment. After walking a short distance, he stopped before an ornate door.

“This is the place.”

After speaking to the two of them, the man immediately turned and left. Once he was gone, Bai Shixuan opened the door.

“Welcome.”

A middle-aged woman greeted them as they entered. Bai Shixuan nodded to her and sat in the place she indicated. Once Bai Shixuan and Huang Zaizhen had taken their seats, a maid approached and served tea to them both.

“What brings you here, Young Master?”

“I want to find someone.”

“Someone, you say. Who is it? Are they a martial artist?”

At the woman’s question, Bai Shixuan thought briefly of Choryeong. Was she a martial artist? He did not know. He had thought Xuelan was an ordinary woman as well, yet she possessed formidable martial arts. He could not conclude with certainty that Choryeong was not a martial artist either.

“I don’t know.”

“Then what else can you tell me?”

“Her name is Choryeong. I don’t know her age. She was a woman who worked at the Flower Fragrance Pavilion.”

The woman nodded at Bai Shixuan’s words and wrote down Choryeong’s name and the fact that she had been a courtesan at the Flower Fragrance Pavilion. Then she looked at Bai Shixuan again.

“Anything else?”

“No. That’s everything I know.”

The woman nodded and stared at what she had written. Naturally, she knew of the Flower Fragrance Pavilion. She had served as the Branch Chief here for more than fifteen years, after all. But that establishment had employed far more than one or two courtesans. It would probably be possible to uncover the information without too much difficulty, but it would take a considerable amount of time.

“It isn’t dangerous work, so I can’t offer an especially large payment.”

Bai Shixuan took money from his purse and placed it on the table. It was more than the woman had expected. There was no gold, but most of the coins were silver. This man must have been in quite a hurry.

‘It feels like I could take advantage of him…….’

Seeing how readily he brought out the money, the thought crossed the woman’s mind that she might be able to exploit him. As she considered how she could use this man to squeeze out even more money, Bai Shixuan’s voice reached her ears.

“Don’t get any strange ideas. If you find her and then claim you couldn’t, I’ll take your head.”

The woman, who had lowered her head while thinking, flinched at Bai Shixuan’s chilling voice. She tried to raise her head slightly to look at him, but for some reason, she felt that she should not meet his gaze at that moment. Bai Shixuan watched her, then rose from his seat.

“Contact me immediately once you find her. My name is Bai Shixuan.”

“Understood.”

Bai Shixuan watched the woman answer, then turned and left.