Walking out of Zhu Zhao's courtyard, she saw her Fourth Junior Brother's residence.
Song Yao remembered that of all the personal disciples, Fourth Junior Brother was the most obedient, gentle, and kind child.
He spoke softly and loved to follow behind her, calling her “Third Senior Sister” over and over again.
Every time she bullied him, he would never complain. Instead, he would shield her behind him to protect her.
Even at the very end, when she tried to poison him to boost his blackening value, he drank it without a word. He stood before her, his eyes bright and glistening as he asked, “Third Senior Sister, is this what you want?”
“Third Senior Sister, do you want my life?”
In the end, completely out of options, she had to dig up his parents from their graves.
If there were a list for the beacon of the righteous path, her Fourth Junior Brother would surely be on it.
Unfortunately, his blackening value was now at a hundred percent. She had no idea when the male lead would finally be able to purify him.
Song Yao felt quite nostalgic for her soft, adorable Fourth Junior Brother. After wallowing in self-pity for a moment, she held her bundle and headed down the mountain to sell the sword.
Down the mountain lay Sichun City, the largest city-state in the Tianshu Realm, governed by the Nine Saints Hall.
Although night had fallen, the city was lit up as bright as day, with pedestrians bustling to and fro in a lively atmosphere.
Navigating the alleys with practiced ease, Song Yao gradually moved away from the city center and stopped in front of a brothel.
The old locust tree by the entrance was still the same, growing crookedly. Red lanterns hung in front of the building, and the words “Zuixian Pavilion” were written on the lintel.
The rich aroma of alcohol and the pungent scent of rouge and powder filled the air, as the sounds of music and laughter drifted out from the wide-open doors.
Song Yao stepped inside.
Just as she stepped onto the stairs, a heavily made-up woman greeted her, sizing her up with a smile. “Oh, is this the little Daoist's first time here?”
She leaned in close to Song Yao, her face half-hidden behind a round fan, her voice meltingly sweet. “Do you have an acquaintance? Are you looking for a lady or a young master to keep you company?”
“I'm looking for your manager.”
Song Yao opened her bundle, revealing a corner of the long sword. “To do some business.”
The woman glanced down at the sword, her warm enthusiasm cooling by a fraction. “Come with me, little Daoist.”
She turned and led the way, bypassing the bustling crowd in the front hall, and pushed open a side door to enter a private room.
In her past life, Song Yao had been here a few times. On the surface, it was a brothel, but in secret, it dealt in all kinds of illicit trades.
The super-potent aphrodisiac she had given her Eldest Senior Brother in her past life had been purchased here.
It had been extremely potent.
But this time, the moment the door was pushed open, she sensed that something was off.
Next to the manager...
Why was her Fourth Junior Brother standing there?
And why was he holding a sword to the manager's neck?
No, wait.
Why were there so many fellow disciples here as well?
And what was with all these people squatting with their hands over their heads?
In a situation like this, Song Yao felt she should turn right around and walk away, pretending nothing had happened.
Unfortunately, a disciple beside her Fourth Junior Brother spoke coldly, “Halt! Nine Saints Hall inspection! Squat down and put your hands over your head!”
Song Yao: “...”
Why did she feel the guilty conscience of a john getting caught in a raid?
She opened her mouth, but before she could explain, another person nearby said in surprise, “Isn't this the Seventh Elder's new disciple? Fourth Senior Brother, she's the one you brought back!”
As if grasping at a lifesaver, Song Yao nodded.
One of us, we're all on the same side.
The person asked in confusion, “What are you doing here?”
His gaze swept over the item in her bag, and his expression suddenly turned serious. “Don't tell me you're here to do business with evil cultivators?! We've been searching for over half a year to find this nest of evil cultivators and wipe them out! Could it be that you also...”
From the shadows, Fourth Junior Brother looked at her, his eyes cold and flat. “A disciple of the hall colluding with evil cultivators shall receive one hundred strikes of the discipline whip.”
Song Yao: “...”
How did Fourth Junior Brother's sweet mouth become so cruel?
After a hundred strikes of the discipline whip, would she even still look human?
Her face scrunched up, and she hesitated to speak. Only after a long while did she manage to say with great difficulty, “If I say I wandered in by mistake, would you believe me?”
A cold laugh shattered her illusions.
Xie Zhou said expressionlessly, “Refusing to confess only doubles the crime. Take her away.”
Song Yao: “!!!”
Seeing two senior sisters walking toward her, she took half a step back and threw caution to the wind. “I'll talk! Is the truth not enough?!”
The others paused.
Then they heard Song Yao say with a look of death-defying resolve, “I'm here to have fun. I'm here to solicit. I'm a customer.”
“...”
The room fell dead silent.
Several disciples' mouths fell slightly open, thoroughly shocked.
Hiss—
Although there were indeed occasionally rowdy disciples from the hall who would sneak into brothels to seek pleasure, but...
At her age...
She was the very first.
This was highly unusual.
In the end, it was Xie Zhou who spoke up: “Take the others away first and report back.”
“Yes.”
The moment he spoke, the disciples immediately escorted the cultivators on the ground, along with the manager and the madam, out through the back door.
Only the two of them remained in the private room.
Song Yao wanted to explain, but she closed her mouth again.
In her past life, she had been exactly this kind of scoundrel in Fourth Junior Brother's eyes anyway.
If he ended up loathing her for this in this life, it actually seemed like a pretty good outcome.
She held out her hands, clenching them into fists before him, and said lazily, “Is Fourth Senior Brother going to take me to the Discipline Hall? I accept my punishment.”
In the next second, Xie Zhou grabbed her wrists. With his other hand, he pulled out a jade token from his sleeve and crushed it. “Pass down the order: the sale or purchase of the Bishui Sword is strictly forbidden within Sichun City. Violators will face severe punishment.”
Song Yao: “?”
What did he mean by that?
Cutting off someone's livelihood was a crime worthy of being struck by lightning!
Her face fell completely. Yet with her wrists held tight, she couldn't budge at all, forced to follow behind Xie Zhou as he walked out of the private room.
At the end of the corridor, a middle-aged man covered in sweat saw Xie Zhou. His legs turned to jelly, and he fell to his knees with a thud.
“Daoist, Daoist!”
He scrambled over to Xie Zhou's feet, shaking like a leaf. “I really didn't know the manager was an evil cultivator doing those things in secret! Although I'm the second manager, I'm only in charge of Zuixian Pavilion's accounts and daily operations. Those matters really have absolutely nothing to do with me! Please be merciful, Daoist!”
Xie Zhou looked down from above, not giving him a second glance. “Prepare a private room.”
The kneeling second manager froze, then suddenly registered the words. “Yes, yes! This lowly one will go right away! Right away!”
Only when Song Yao was brought into a private room on the third floor did she realize something was wrong.
Her righteous Fourth Junior Brother was actually using his authority for personal gain in a brothel!
When she saw the crowd of girls and young masters pouring into the room, she came to a sudden realization.
He had grown up.
Fourth Junior Brother had truly grown up.
But still, bringing her to this kind of place was a bit inappropriate, wasn't it?
This time, she successfully wriggled free from Xie Zhou's grip. Raising two fingers, she swore, “Fourth Senior Brother, I definitely won't say a word about you coming to a brothel. Can I please leave first?”
Xie Zhou raised his hand, and the door slammed shut on its own.
He glanced at her and said flatly, “Didn't you say you were here to have fun, here to solicit, and that you were a customer? Have fun then.”
Song Yao: “...”
Fourth Junior Brother, you've become such a stranger to me.
She watched the crowd of beautiful girls and handsome young masters, all of them eager to please.
In her past life, she had frequented places like this to drown her sorrows in drink.
But now that she was supposed to be an honest, law-abiding, ordinary pill cultivator, this was truly inappropriate.
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