Gentlemen, it's time to enter the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

Chapter 192 There is another black hand
Not long ago, the dozen or so strange pillars of fire that shot straight into the sky deep in the northern border region truly terrified the people of Luoyan Town for quite some time.

However, compared to the more "down-to-earth" major events happening in their own town, disasters far away are ultimately a layer apart.

The town's richest man, Master Zheng, and his entire family were wiped out; the military commander, Qiu Chengye, died under mysterious circumstances; and the alluring brothel madam, Qiu Shuixian, disappeared without a trace.

The lives of the people in northern Xinjiang are of little concern to them, but the three "big shots" in this town do have a real impact on their daily lives.

The assassination of the commander naturally alarmed the imperial court.

The government dispatched an imperial envoy who conducted a serious investigation. In the end, they randomly arrested a few unlucky death row inmates and, under severe torture, "discovered" the truth: it was Master Zheng who had conspired with the sorceress Qiu Shuixian to plot a rebellion! The poor Commander Qiu died as a result of their conspiracy.

As a result, Master Zheng's property was confiscated and his entire family was wiped out; Qiu Shuixian was put on the wanted list by the government and became a wanted criminal; the brothel that had caused the trouble was also shut down as a matter of course.

The townspeople all knew perfectly well that the government had simply found two scapegoats to hastily close the case. But everyone tacitly agreed that since the authorities had given their "explanation," the matter was considered closed.

Therefore, when the brothel that had been shut down quietly reopened after a period of silence, under the new name "Wangyue Tower," the people of Luoyan Town were somewhat surprised, but didn't find anything particularly strange. However, they were surprised to hear that this newly opened Wangyue Tower was different from others, as it was filled with courtesans who performed but did not sell their bodies—a truly unheard-of novelty.

There are always some curious and nosy people who want to join in the fun, and once they go, they can't stop. Every guest who has been to Wangyue Tower praises it highly, saying that the music there is so enchanting that it is simply a masterpiece of nature.

Over time, "Listening to Music at Wangyue Tower" truly became a major attraction of Luoyan Town, even drawing many passing merchants to linger and become captivated by the music, wishing they could stay there forever.

As a result, the entrance to Wangyue Tower was bustling with activity, and guests came in an endless stream. The girls inside sang and played instruments almost day and night until their voices were hoarse, while silver coins poured into Wangyue Tower's accounting office like snowflakes.

It's unclear how much silver the new owners of Wangyue Tower have earned, but strangely enough, they've never been seen sending a single penny of "tribute" to the town's government or the newly arrived military officers.

The newly appointed military commander was naturally dissatisfied: "You expect us to protect your den of iniquity without any benefits? That's wishful thinking!"
Not long ago, this new commander personally led a squad of burly, fierce-looking soldiers to the door in a menacing manner. He had made up his mind to give the owner of Wangyue Tower two choices: either obediently offer up real gold and silver, or "pay tribute" to a few pretty courtesans to serve these hardworking and meritorious military officers.

Many people in the town were secretly worried, fearing that the newly opened Wangyue Tower might be ruined by this group of fierce soldiers. But to their surprise, late that night, the group of soldiers who had stormed in all looked satisfied.

He neither received any money nor abducted any girls. It is said that he simply listened to music quietly inside for one night and then willingly gave up. He even became a regular at Wangyue Tower, often coming here to "pretend to be cultured."

As a result, the Moon Gazing Pavilion became even more famous, becoming an entertainment that the men of Luoyan Town couldn't miss every day.

When Chen Ye and the monk Bu Mei arrived in Luoyan Town, the lanterns were just coming on and the night was getting dark.

The two stood in a secluded spot, gazing at the Moon Gazing Tower from afar. Inside, the tower was brightly lit and bustling with activity. So many guests that they were almost breaking down the threshold. Even the stone steps at the entrance were filled with people craning their necks and looking inside, each with an almost fanatical anticipation on their face.

“Master, what you say is true.” Chen Ye frowned slightly as he looked at the unusually lively scene before him. “There must be something wrong with this Moon Gazing Tower.”

“Amitabha.” Monk Bumei said solemnly, “What Benefactor Chen said is absolutely right. No matter how beautiful and melodious the tune is, it is impossible to achieve such a bewitching effect.”

Ordinary, decadent music could never attract so many people to such a frenzy, to the point of madness.

Chen Ye blinked, and a faint golden light quietly appeared in his pupils.

He activated his spiritual eyes and looked towards the Moon Gazing Tower again. However, as far as his eyes could see, the flow of spiritual energy in the world was normal. Although the sounds of string and wind instruments filled the Moon Gazing Tower, they seemed to be just ordinary music, and he did not detect any trace of magic.

"This is strange..."

Chen Ye withdrew his gaze, his doubts growing: "How could mere mundane songs be so captivating?"

He turned to the monk Bumei and asked in a low voice, "Master, if there's nothing wrong with the music itself, could it be that the tea or food in the restaurant has been tampered with? For example, perhaps some kind of drug has been added to it?"

Chen Ye also knew about some of the sleeping potions that were circulating in the world. Although they were not very effective for cultivators, they often had miraculous effects on ordinary people.

If it were added to food, it could indeed create a scene like this, with everyone flocking to the streets in a frenzy. However, the toxicity of the drug cannot be directly detected by spiritual eyes; it requires close inspection to discern its effects.

The monk Bu Mei clasped his hands together and pondered, "What you say is indeed possible. However, given my status, it is really inconvenient for me to enter such places of pleasure. I'm afraid I can only trouble Benefactor Chen with the task of investigating."

"No, no, no." Chen Ye quickly waved his hand to refuse, "It would be even more inappropriate for me to go."

Monk Bumei asked in surprise, "Oh? Why do you say that, benefactor? Does the Yellow Springs Sect also have strict rules and regulations that prohibit its disciples from setting foot in this place?"

"That's not what I meant," Chen Ye explained with a wry smile. "It's just that in my current state, if I were to rush in, it would probably cause an even bigger commotion."

This was not an excuse. Even though he had passed the stage of overflowing spiritual light and divine manifestation when he first achieved cultivation, after being thoroughly refined by the innate wood spirit energy of the ginseng fruit, his physical body had been transformed, and his temperament was even closer to that of a primordial being.

This kind of perfection, which originates from the very source of life, is astonishing to mortals.

Such good looks are extremely attractive to cultivators, but most cultivators are determined and would not be so easily captivated by Chen Ye.

If he were to appear directly among mortals, it would immediately cause a disturbance.

After completing his body tempering, Chen Ye only met Qi Qi Gesang once. The tall and strong girl was so stunned that she couldn't even speak clearly.

Chen Ye no longer appears directly in front of the residents of Fengdu City, to avoid causing trouble.

I must seek out Bai Yueguang to learn illusion magic in the future, otherwise traveling will be really inconvenient.

However, gathering information does not necessarily require going there in person.

“Master Bumei, I have a supernatural ability to detect the truth, but it is easy to alert the enemy. If we alarm that demon, he will either be driven to desperation or flee in a sorry state. Please be prepared, Master.”

Monk Bumei nodded and said, "Don't worry, Benefactor Chen. I asked my master for a talisman, which is more than enough to suppress this demon and will not give her a chance to harm the innocent."

"That's good."

Chen Ye thought to himself, "The monks of Cixin Temple are indeed experts at slaying demons and monsters. Now I can go ahead and do it."

Chen Ye looked towards the bustling high-rise building, where a thin, red snake appeared on the doorplate.

As Chen Ye's cultivation level increased, his control over the fire snake became more and more refined.

The flames on the snake's body completely suppressed the small, red-banded snake, making it appear utterly inconspicuous. Chen Ye then manipulated the red-banded snake to climb onto the second floor, ascending the wooden pillars and beams, and searching throughout the Moon Gazing Pavilion.

The red-banded snake snaked its way up the carved wooden pillar, passing through the shadows of the second-floor corridor, taking in the entire view of the building.

The lobby on the first floor was bustling with activity, packed with guests listening to the music. Some sat, some stood, their eyes fixed on the central stage with rapt attention. On stage, several courtesans gently stroked the strings of their instruments, their lips slightly parted, their voices melodious and sweet as nightingales.

After listening for a while, Chen Ye felt that the speaker did have some remarkable qualities, but not enough to make one infatuated.

Using the eyes of the red-banded snake to examine the courtesans playing the zither and singing, I couldn't discern any supernatural abilities; they were just ordinary courtesans, at most a bit prettier.

However, the guests around them had strange expressions, as if they were completely intoxicated, as if their souls had been stolen away.

The red-banded snake continued forward and arrived at the private room on the second floor.

Behind the half-closed screen, several wealthy merchants dressed in fine clothes leaned back on a soft couch, holding teacups and looking dazed.

Chen Ye manipulated the red-banded snake to approach the wealthy merchants and secretly bit them, using the venom to knock them unconscious. Then, he controlled the snake to climb onto the table and carefully examined the tea and wine in their cups.

Strangely, there seemed to be nothing wrong with the dishes on the table, and Chen Ye did not notice any traces of drugs being added.

"That's strange," Chen Ye said, full of doubt.

It wasn't the music or the tea, so why were these guests acting like they'd lost their souls?

Seemingly sensing Chen Ye's doubts, the monk Bu Mei asked, "What have you discovered, Benefactor Chen?"

Chen Ye shook his head and said, "It's precisely because we didn't notice that we felt something was wrong. Does Qiu Shuixian really have this kind of ability, to bewitch people without them even realizing it?"

Monk Bumei categorically denied it: "It shouldn't be. Although this fiend is skilled in illusion and seduction, her methods are mostly superficial and require the help of drugs or direct contact to achieve their maximum effect. If she really had such a bizarre and unpredictable ability to bewitch groups, we probably would have noticed something amiss when we first arrived in Luoyan Town."

“That would be troublesome.” Chen Ye’s face darkened. He said to Monk Bu Mei, “Master, it seems that if the mastermind behind this Moon Gazing Tower is not Qiu Shui Xian herself, then it is probably an even more powerful demon.”

(End of this chapter)