Madam, please listen to my explanation.

Chapter 134 Taking You to a Great Place (6K Two-in-One)

A moment later, the main hall of the inn was quiet, with only the occasional crackling sound of the bonfire in the center.

The room was freezing cold, but it didn't bother Xiao Han, a sixth-grade martial artist.

He kept the 'Severing Mountain' right beside him. For many years, even when he slept, he was inseparable from this giant sword.

'The road to Youzhou seems to be more difficult than I imagined.'

The boy tossed and turned on the couch.

Those who were drenched in snake blood
No, they are long dead and probably can no longer be called human.

The blood of a seventh-grade demon contains extraordinary power.

There were at least tens of thousands of garrison troops in Youzhou City, and even they were helpless and could only drive them away.
Can my group really make it to Youzhou City?
It's unclear whether that ancient serpent was truly no match for the sword immortal's abilities, or if it did so intentionally.
If it's the latter, this trip is likely to end badly.
Thinking about how Junruo had been taken advantage of by Chen Xinghe today, Xiao Han was so angry that his teeth itched.

However, it must be admitted that without the other party's guidance, let alone Youzhou, it is unknown how many more detours they would have had to take to reach Nanliang.

How annoying!
Interpersonal relationships are such a hassle.

He ran his hand back and forth along the back of Duan Yue's blade.

'Practicing with a sword is easier.'

Am I really that stupid?

Perhaps.
As Junruo said, the only thing he could be proud of was the knife in his hand.

If he wanted to save the other from suffering, he could only rely on the knife in his hand!

Before even reaching adulthood, he reached the peak of the sixth rank and successfully manifested the extraordinary phenomenon of the sea of ​​consciousness.

Furthermore, Lin Que, the Heavenly Blade Master, personally acknowledged that he was the most talented disciple he had ever taken in!
As long as I can reach the vicinity of Youzhou, even if it's just to catch a glimpse of it.
Just a glance!
With his natural talent, he will surely be able to glean some insights from the battle between the sword immortal and the great demon.
No. A little understanding is not enough.

Even the strongest sixth-rank general cannot compare to a seasoned veteran.

The only way to reverse the current situation is to break through to the highest level!

If you are strong enough, why would Junruo keep chasing after that fat bastard Chu Yunlu?
Even if I'm a stupid and clumsy fool, it's still better than that black-faced, black-hearted fatso, Chu Yunlu, right?
Ultimately, Jun Ruo was still hoping that one day the other party would be able to defeat that scum Zhou Lushan.
In that case, the mother and daughter would no longer have to endure such humiliation.
That damned Zhou Lushan!

If he hadn't happened to witness it that day, he would never have imagined that this seemingly dignified general was actually so despicable behind the scenes.
If the Great Zhou could gain another supreme master, Jun Ruo wouldn't have to sacrifice herself to marry that Xu Jinhuan.
hum-

The precious sword beside him emitted a slight hum, as if it were in agreement with its master's thoughts.

Xiao Han grinned and rolled over.

Sleep! Recharge your energy for tomorrow; there's still a long road ahead!

Just as I closed my eyes, a strange movement suddenly came from my mind.

If you...?

He suddenly stood up, put on his clothes, and with a wave of his hand, the precious sword flew into his palm.

With her other hand, she pushed open the door and saw Junruo, dressed neatly, already standing in front of the inn.

"Young Master Yu, it's so late, where are you going?"

The young master Yu, dressed in pristine white, turned around.

Under the clear moonlight, Li Junruo's long, flowing hair was tied up high with a jade hairpin. Her eyebrows and eyes were slightly adorned and disguised, making her look less lively and more rugged.

Anyone who sees him would have to say, "What a handsome young man!"

"shush"

She held up a finger, put it to her lips, and nodded towards Chen Xinghe's room.

She gently beckoned to Xiao Han, and after he came closer, she whispered:

"Since Chu Nan hasn't slept either, I'll take pity on you and take you to a good place."
Don't make a sound, lest you disturb Brother Chen's rest!

"Where am I? Ouch!"

Xiao Han was suspicious, and then he was hit hard on the head again by a folding fan.

Everyone told you not to make a fuss.

"It's naturally the kind of place that can make men happy!"

Li Junruo chuckled, raising her four eyebrows back and forth, which sent chills down Xiao Han's spine.

Before he could react, the other person had already strode out of the yard.

"A place that makes men happy? Could it be...? Young Master Yu, wait for me!"

As soon as the two left, Xu Jinhuan stretched and walked out of the room.

He leaned against the door and chuckled, "Tsk tsk tsk, just a moment ago they were calling each other brothers, and in the blink of an eye they're sneaking off to have some fun. People from Zhou are all so unethical when they do things."

You didn't even include me in this good thing? You're not a true brother!
-
"Ah Yu, where are you going?!"

"Fool, aren't there only a few things that can make a man happy? With your intelligence, passing the imperial examination is out of the question. I, this young master, will personally take you to a brothel where you can consummate your marriage!"

Ah! Just as I thought!

Li Junruo walked briskly with her hands behind her back, a folding fan tucked into her waistband, and a bright smile on her face.

Xiao Han was completely at a loss. He wanted to stop her, but he knew that after knowing her for so many years, it was none of his business to interfere with what she was doing.
"But...but I! You."

"What do you mean, 'what do you mean, 'what do you mean'? Look at you!"

Seeing the other person's embarrassed look, Li Junruo couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Xiao Han froze on the spot, momentarily forgetting what absurd thing the two of them were about to do.

Subconsciously, he blurted out:

"Junruo, you...you look so beautiful when you smile."

In my confusion and bewilderment, I even forgot to change how I addressed people.

Li Junruo blushed slightly at the unexpected confession.

"What? It's not like they never laugh."

This idiot, whose head is filled with sword manuals, suddenly seems to have had a breakthrough today. He's even learned to speak eloquently!
"No, it's different. The old you, although you smiled, it seemed more like a deliberate pretense to please someone."
I've never laughed so genuinely before.
By the way, Junruo, you...you went to the brothel.

Upon hearing this, Li Junruo suddenly realized what was going on.

That silly boy was right. For some reason, after leaving the Great Zhou Kingdom that kept her up at night, she seemed to feel much lighter.

Xiao Han stammered, unable to speak.

Could it be that Junruo has been pretending for so long that he's actually starting to see himself as a man?
He lowered his head, his voice barely audible:
"Junruo, we're different. Anyway, we'll get caught!"

Upon hearing this, Li Junruo could no longer contain herself and burst into laughter, hands on her hips.

She laughed until tears streamed down her face.

Why? His first reaction was actually worrying about whether he would be exposed.
This idiot, if he really likes me that much, he should be blushing and standing up for me with righteous indignation!
"Don't worry! Young Master Xiao is ignorant. Don't you know that brothels not only have female prostitutes, but also male prostitutes?"

"Ah! Absolutely not!"

Xiao Hanhu's eyes widened in shock, instantly turning red and warm again.

Seeing this, Li Junruo finally stopped teasing the other party and said with a smile:
"Alright, alright. It's not what you imagine."
As expected, someone like you, who is single-mindedly focused on cultivation, has no idea what you're talking about.
In the Yan state today, the term "brothel" has long since transcended its original meaning.
"Let's go, let me take you to broaden your horizons!"

But even if you try to embellish it, it's still a brothel, isn't it?

What worthwhile business could you possibly have in a place like that?
Xiao Han was suspicious, but he could only bite the bullet and follow behind the other party.
Even if what you say is true, that the land is so frozen and snowy, and the people are already struggling to survive, would anyone really go there to seek pleasure?

"According to reliable sources."

Night had fallen, and the city of Nanliang was quiet everywhere.

Li Junruo felt a chill for no reason. She stopped her playful smile and earnestly explained to the boy beside her:
"Nowadays, within the territory of Great Yan, no matter which prefecture you are in, as long as you go to the largest and most magnificent brothel in the area, you can buy almost any information you want to know."

Whether it's finding someone, hiring a hitman, or gathering intelligence, from the deepest secrets of the imperial palace to the private life of the neighbor next door, as long as you can afford the price, you can even find out where the Empress of Great Yan went during the period before she ascended the throne!

"Is it really that amazing?"

"Why don't you go and see for yourself?"

Li Junruo spread his hands and said:

There are probably many people with the same name as Chen Xinghe.

But surely the Southwest Branch Master of Hidden Sword Manor has no other branches, right? Suddenly appearing in the middle of the road, just happened to be picked up by you and me. And coincidentally, we're both heading to Youzhou! Can such a coincidence really exist? Aren't you worried that bastard is up to something?"

Hearing this, Xiao Han was already seven or eight parts convinced.

Just as I thought, if even Brother Hegu could notice the anomaly, how could Junruo not have noticed it at all?

Thinking of this, the silly boy couldn't help but feel a little smug, even happier than when he was praised!
As the two walked, they suddenly heard voices coming from ahead, which seemed quite noisy.

As I turned the corner, my eyes were suddenly opened!
It was a rather magnificent three-story building, with green tiles and red eaves, and carved beams and painted rafters.

Even at this hour, the interior remains brightly lit, as bright as day.

It stood out starkly against the dark and gloomy street.

Without a doubt, the commotion they had heard earlier was coming from this place. Outside the door, a fair-skinned young man draped in a fur coat was smiling at them.

Above his head, the three large characters "Qinghualou" were written in a vigorous and flowing style, clearly the work of a master calligrapher.

The young man bowed slightly to the two of them and extended his hand:
"Gentlemen, it's freezing outside. Why don't you come in and warm yourselves up?"

Li Junruo lightly tapped her palm with the folding fan in her hand and took the lead in walking forward:
"Right on my mind!"

"Alright, sir, please come in!"

When the fine sandalwood door opened to both sides, a surge of heat rushed out.

Xiao Han stared dumbfounded at the elderly man with a ruddy complexion and two arms around each other by the window, and blurted out:

"Liu Liu Da!"

"Brother Liu, what a coincidence, you're here too!"

bang-

The door was slammed shut to prevent the heat from escaping.

Fan Yu pinched Xiao Chunan's waist hard with one hand, and also greeted the old man who had been sitting opposite him not long ago, with a worried look on his face.

Fool, this hall is packed with people, are you the only one who knows the city lord?
When you're out and about, who would address someone by their official title!
They don't even understand this simple principle.
"Young friend Fan Fan, young friend Xiao!"

Lord Liu released the women on either side of him, laughed loudly as he stood up, his slightly weathered face flushed, whether from drunkenness or something else was unclear.
"Hurry inside, innkeeper! Bring out the best wine, this is a distinguished guest!"

The two went inside as instructed, and for a moment they looked at each other in bewilderment.

There was no other reason than that this brothel was simply too warm.

Compared to the freezing cold outside, it was like two completely different worlds.

"The ground beneath our feet seems to be constantly radiating warmth. This is the 'earth dragon' that is only found in many grand mansions in Kyoto!"

"Oh?! Young Master Fan, as expected of someone from a prestigious family, you certainly have good taste!"

Liu Shu boasted appropriately.

Although he did not know the background of this group of people, the furs and other items they brought were not products that the Great Yan produced in abundance. Most of them had to be purchased from the Zhou Kingdom, and were already priceless. The fact that they could take out so much money to help him at once was certainly not something that a small family could do.

As for the details, having received such a great favor for nothing, why would I ask if they wouldn't tell me?

Seeing that Young Master Xiao looked completely bewildered, he quickly explained:

"The so-called 'earth dragon' refers to the practice of wealthy families in Kyoto and further north laying fire channels in advance in order to ensure that their houses are warm as spring during winter. These fire channels have openings on the outside, and when a fire is lit at the opening, the heat can spread throughout the house along the fire channels."
Normally, places like Nanliang and Youzhou, which are hot all year round, wouldn't need such a thing. Who would have thought that the owner behind this Love Flower Pavilion, whether out of sheer wealth and extravagance or true foresight, would have such a treasure the only place in the entire city of Nanliang to possess it.
I'm old and thick-skinned, so every few days I bring my whole family over to warm up.
"My ladies, these are the young masters Fan and Xiao that I mentioned earlier! By the way, where is young master Chen?"

At the same time, Xu Jinhuan, who deliberately lagged behind the other two, also arrived at the entrance of the Love Flower Pavilion.

Just as the doorman was about to greet him, he saw the other person turn towards him and show off the shiny black ring on his finger.

A flash of black light appeared, and a lifelike phantom of a raven vanished in an instant.

The doorman's smile vanished immediately, and he solemnly cupped his hands towards Xu Jinhuan, saying, "Greetings, Young Master!"

Xu Jinhuan nodded silently.

Although he has never acknowledged the status of Master Wu as his "adopted son" over the years, he has long since stopped bothering to correct the way everyone in Hidden Sword Manor calls him "Young Master".
Ever since he used the other party's extensive brothel industry to establish an intelligence network, Master Wu has tasted the benefits. More and more elite disciples have been sent to various places to be responsible for intelligence collection and screening.

Although the results are still far from what I expected, they have indeed begun to show promise.

"Did a young couple just come by?"

The doorman glanced cautiously to the left and right, then whispered:

"That's right. This isn't the place to talk. Please come with me, young master."

As the gatekeeper led them to the backyard, the two went up a winding staircase to the third floor.

The noise downstairs gradually subsided. Xu Jinhuan had just stepped down the stairs when, in the middle of the corridor, there was already a person wearing a raven-head mask waiting for him.

"Shangguan Qi of Nanliang City greets the young master!"

Thinking of the two people downstairs, Xu Jinhuan's eyes lit up, and a playful thought arose:

"Can I borrow your mask?"
-
Inside the main hall, the two realized they had misunderstood Lord Liu, and were momentarily embarrassed.

Fortunately, the other party didn't seem to mind and just laughed it off.

After several rounds of drinks, the guests, including Lord Liu, actually began to fall asleep in twos and threes in the main hall.

The girls remained silent and got up to leave one after another.

Soon, the hall, which had just been filled with laughter and joy, was left with only the two of them who were sober.

"So, the reason they came here to drown their sorrows in the freezing cold wasn't for any romantic escapades."

"Yes, there are more people here, and it's not comfortable to sleep, but it's still better than being frozen to death at home."

Looking at the people slumped over in the room, their snores rising, Li Junruo and Xiao Han exchanged a glance and sighed softly.

Fortunately, Youzhou is there as a barrier to protect them; otherwise, if the demons were to cause chaos, how could the Great Zhou Dynasty remain unscathed?

It is said that there are three ancient demons outside Youzhou City.

I wonder if even our master could have stopped it.
The two were lost in thought for a moment, and couldn't help but think about how difficult it must have been for humans to be raised and enslaved by demons.
Mountains
If one day, the demon race were to make a comeback...
It’s unimaginable!
"Young masters? Two young masters?"

When Li Junru came to her senses, she turned her head and saw that it was the doorman she had seen outside earlier.

"It's getting late. Would you two like some more drinks, or perhaps a girl to serve you?" He scratched his head as he spoke. "If not, please make yourselves at home. I'll just take a short rest at the counter. Let me know if you need anything."

"Young man." Li Junruo then remembered the purpose of their visit, but being new to the place, he didn't know how to start. So he tentatively asked, "To be honest, young man, we didn't come here for drinks. We heard that you sell other things here?"

As he spoke, he began to wink and make faces at the other person.

Looking at the two of them, Xiao Han felt a strange sense of anticipation rising in his heart.

He found it hard to imagine how such a small brothel could possibly hold such a huge secret.
Moreover, even if that were the case, judging from how frail the doorman looks, how would he protect himself if someone unreasonable came to rob him?
"Oh, you jest, sir. This is a brothel, so besides drinks, we naturally have girls too. You two don't need to worry about the main hall being crowded or noisy; there are private rooms upstairs."

Li Junruo's eye twitched, unsure how to continue, when Xiao Han lightly slammed his hand on the table, his aura instantly surging forth:

"Stop playing dumb. Don't you brothels claim you can buy any kind of information these days? My brother and I are here to buy intelligence. Get the manager out here and say something!"

Xiao Han wanted to verify his suspicions, so he gave a reprimand. Although his voice was not loud, his manner was quite imposing.

He had made up his mind that if the other party continued to make excuses, he would test his skills and see just how good this supposedly miraculous 'brothel' really was.

Li Junruo, unusually, did not speak up to stop her.

This silly Xiao actually showed a rare moment of wit!
Xiao Han deliberately kept a straight face and released a bit of his aura, but the doorman was still smiling and showed no sign of panic.

It felt like punching cotton.

Just then, a voice that had clearly been processed through multiple layers of audio drifted directly into their ears:

"You two don't need to go to such lengths. If you want to buy information, just remember to use the back door next time."

The doorman ignored the two and went to the counter to rest.

Xiao Han looked at Li Junruo with a blank expression, only to see the other woman looking embarrassed and lowering her head, saying:

"Look at me, I already said it was just to broaden my horizons. This is my first time here too!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the back door of the lobby suddenly opened by itself.

The two exchanged a glance and went inside together. As soon as they stepped over the threshold, the heavy wooden door closed itself again.

A look of seriousness flashed in Xiao Han's eyes.

Whether it was the telepathic communication just now or this remote control of the gate, both clearly showed the two that the person whose location was unknown had already mastered the art of controlling power to an unparalleled degree.

Xiao Han asked himself, even though his swordsmanship was unparalleled and his strength was incomparable, if he used his full power, he could probably shatter mountains and split rocks without a doubt.

The opponent's move, however, was more like wielding a giant sword to cut down fallen leaves floating in the water.
It remains to be seen who is stronger or weaker, but they are definitely not characters that either of them can underestimate.

I went straight up the steps to the third floor and stood in front of the only room.

Just as Xiao Han raised his arm to knock on the door, the same voice rang out again from inside:
"Please come in, both of you."

The candlelight cast a dim, yellowish glow, making the mask on the man sitting behind the square table appear to shift and change.

The long, narrow beak has sharp edges; it is unknown what material it is made of.

Beneath the mask, those eyes seemed to have seen right through the two of them, inside and out.

The moment Li Junruo saw the mask, he understood why the 'brothel' dared to sell information so openly without anyone provoking them.
"No wonder, they claim that as long as you can afford it, you can buy any information you want in the brothel. So it turns out that behind the so-called brothel is the mysterious and unpredictable Raven Master on Qin Lu. I am truly sorry."

Li Junruo cupped her hands in greeting to the man.

"Please, young lady, there's no need for such formality. Please have a seat."

The moment the word "girl" was uttered, the room fell into an eerie silence.

Li Junruo's back was instantly soaked with cold sweat!
More than the fact that the other party has discovered that she is a woman disguised as a man, she is worried about how much the other party actually knows.

Xiao Han was on high alert, his hand already resting on the Broken Mountain at his waist.

Li Junruo quickly stopped the other party: "Brother Xiao, don't be rude!"

(End of this chapter)