It doesn't matter what the lord is.

"Ah, I guessed what you said a long time ago, right? It's hard for me to help you with this little information."

Su Yu raised her voice several degrees and said loudly:

"Wait, let me finish! The letter was written in a hurry, and there was some red ink on the corner of the letter paper. I recognize that kind of ink, it is only the direct descendants of the Lord of Yunhai are qualified to use! There is a big shot in Yunhai who has been watching you, if you want to investigate, go find them... In addition, my father is Su Xi, the third adjutant of Yunhai Guards, and the crime I committed is not punishable by death, you can't do this to me-"

Lid dusted off his hands and said to Alayya:

"Knock these two people unconscious, find a box to put them in, and send them wherever they should be. Send the lackey to Bai Zheng, and send this young master to the Lord's Mansion. Just do everything according to Bai Huang's wishes."

Alaiya grabbed Su Yu's collar, pulled him out of the pit, and without saying a word, chopped him unconscious with a knife. The patrol captain also failed to escape the bad luck and lost consciousness at a faster speed.

Reed didn't bother to look at them again. He gently twisted his bangs with his index finger and thumb, and fell into a long thought.

27. Now that you are here, make the most of it

After seeing the two men off, Reed took Alayya to Yunhai's tea shop and brothel to inquire about the news.

The women in Yunhai's brothels have high professional qualities. There are so many businessmen who travel all over the country. The customs in different places are different. Some people have a strong desire to conquer, while others prefer to be passive. The girls have seen so much that they gradually get used to all kinds of play. But even so, they still can't understand why someone would come in and order eight girls to accompany him at once, and then chat with eight girls at the same time in a small pink room while holding his maid.

They were chatting about the new Oiran of Yunhai.

Lid, who was a classic eight-thread, looked very calm. He knew that it was impossible to ask ordinary passers-by about the selection of the oiran. Even wealthy merchants could only participate in the preliminary rounds. The finals were judged by the wealthy merchants, nobles and other lords of Yunhai. The details of the whole process would basically not be disclosed to the public.

But brothels are different. They are often the most sensitive to this kind of news, and they also have channels to hear some specific information from the mouths of dignitaries. After all, women understand women best. Who doesn't want to take the opportunity to find out the aesthetic preferences of those upper-class dignitaries?

Su Yu said that the person who wrote the letter might be the direct descendant of Lord Yunhai. In Lid's opinion, there are only two possibilities: one is that the person who wrote the letter is Bai Ye, so letting Bai Huang contact Irene was Bai Ye's intention, and perhaps they could find Bai Ye by following this clue; the other possibility is that other direct descendants of Yunhai intend to take advantage of the chaos in Yunhai to cause trouble, and intend to involve Bai Huang and Lid as well. Then, according to Lid's style of doing things, he would go over and break the other's legs first.

No matter what the situation is, since Bai Ye is unwilling to show up, investigating Irene becomes the best solution at the moment.

"This year's Yunhai Oiran... I have heard a little about her."

A mature and beautiful woman in her thirties sat down next to Lid, ignoring Alayya in Lid's arms. She gently stroked Lid's back with one hand, peeled an orange and put it into Lid's mouth with the other hand, and continued:

"It is said that the girl sings very well. She played and sang a song on the day of the finals. I am also good at singing, but I don't think I can compare with that girl... I heard that it was a ballad describing the sea. The nobles present seemed to be immersed in the scene. Their thoughts suddenly became extremely peaceful and open. No matter how the contestants behind them showed off their charm, their hearts were no longer sad or happy."

After saying that, the woman took the initiative to hug Lid's arm and said with a smile:

"Sir, would you like to hear me sing? Although I am not as good as that courtesan, I think my singing style may be what you like."

She deliberately rubbed Reed's arm with the softness of her chest, but Reed, who was holding Alayya in his arms, acted very gentlemanly. He took the orange from the woman's hand, peeled a slice for her, and then fed the rest to Alayya:

"It's quite sweet, try it."

A girl about fifteen or sixteen years old sat on a chair, rocking it back and forth, and said to Lid:

"I heard that the new courtesan of Yunhai is not very old, about the same age as me. That's great~ It would be great if I could become a courtesan at such a young age, with no shortage of food, clothing, or daily necessities, and countless people praising me."

The girl next to him smiled and said:

"You, dress up well first, and try to pass the rematch next time."

The girl immediately said dissatisfiedly:

"Didn't you fail the semi-finals too? How dare you say that to me? I still have room for improvement and I still have several years to participate, humph!"

There was another round of fun.

Alaiya would occasionally glance at them, but most of the time she wouldn't say anything. The last time Lid participated in the Yunhai Oiran election, he didn't bring Alaiya with him, and Alaiya herself wasn't particularly interested in this kind of beauty pageant. If they were talking about the world's number one martial arts tournament, Alaiya would probably prick up her ears and listen carefully, because she had to keep getting stronger to protect her young master, but becoming stronger obviously didn't depend on her looks.

"Speaking of which, does anyone know where that courtesan was born? The last one was from Xiqin, the one before that was from Yunyang, and the one before that was from Lingwu. I wonder which territory the girl from will win the crown this time."

Lid smiled and brought the topic back, but this time all the people in the room fell silent. After a moment, the elder sister who was still leaning against Lid spoke again:

"Sir, this question really stumped us. I was also very curious, but after asking around, I still don't know the origin of that courtesan. I heard that she has an extraordinary temperament, and her gestures are naturally noble, and she seems a bit naive. Maybe she is a daughter from a big family."

Reed compared what she said with what Irene said in his mind, and always felt that they were similar but not quite the same.

There probably wouldn't be a girl whose biggest wish after getting the oiran is for an unlimited supply of bread and milk.

Rich people never lack that kind of thing, only poor people do. But to say that Irene is like a girl from an ordinary family doesn't seem quite right. Her carefree temperament doesn't seem to be cultivated by a family that is forced by life.

Reed chatted for a few more minutes, completely draining the information from the girls present, and then decided to get up and leave.

Before leaving, he smiled and stuffed some expensive rouge into the hands of the girls present, and paid double the tip from each of them. The girls immediately surrounded him, the brave ones stood on tiptoe to secretly kiss his cheek, while the timid ones held his sleeve tightly and refused to let go, saying frankly, "Young Master, come often when you are free, and our door will always be open for you."

Reed said there was no need to leave the door open, just pay more attention to any intelligence you get.

The girls in the brothel smiled and agreed.

The most important thing to do here is to know the rules and how to act. There must be a limit to being coquettish and seeking favor. Although they didn't know what Lid wanted to do, Lid held Alaiya the whole time and asked them about other women. They knew very well that their looks were not enough to catch the eyes of this young master.

When they came out of the brothel, it was already afternoon. Lid took Alayya to a nearby restaurant for a meal and listened to the gossip around them. After all, this was a city that never sleeps, and there were still many people talking about the dispute over the prince. Unfortunately, there was no new information for Lid in this regard. After all, passers-by did not know as much about this kind of thing as Bai Huang himself.

After eating, Lid and Alayya returned to Jiangcheng Inn and found that Bai Huang had booked a room and was sleeping soundly on the bed. Irene lay with her. After just half a day of getting along, the young Yunhai Courtesan seemed to be very confident in Bai Huang. She also slept soundly with her head resting on her belly. Fortunately, Heji was guarding the door, so there was no need to worry about anything happening.

Hearing the sound of the door, Bai Huang and Irene both sat up straight, rubbed their eyes in unison, and looked towards the door.

Lid put the packed lunch box on the bedside table and said to Bai Huang with a smile:

"Did you get enough sleep? Do you feel more energetic?"

Bai Huang yawned loudly, rubbed his messy hair, and gave a rare lazy and gentle smile:

"Look at what you said... When I lie with a pretty girl, I am always full of energy."

28. Be like the sea

Taking advantage of the opportunity to eat, Reed looked at Irene calmly.

This little girl is a natural beauty from the outside, and she looks very different from the little princess Lana. Lana's cuteness is temporary. When you see her, you can clearly feel that she will slowly grow into a beautiful girl. Although this may take another three to five years, it is not difficult for people who have seen her to imagine her graceful appearance in the future. Irene is different. Her cuteness gives people the feeling that she will never grow up, as if she will always be fixed in this appearance, forever young and carefree.

But at the same time, the strange feeling that Irene gave Lid never disappeared. It was difficult for Lid to describe this feeling, but he always felt something was wrong when he saw her.

Bai Huang gave the food boxes on the table to Irene, and Irene's big eyes suddenly became sparkling. She first ate a food box with Dongpo pork and three fresh vegetables in a flash, then licked the rice grains on the corners of her mouth, opened another food box, and immediately pushed it in front of Bai Huang with a bitter face.

Bai Huang was stuffing a shrimp dumpling into his mouth and asked curiously:

"Why don't you eat anymore? Are you full?"

Irene shook her head.

"I don't like fish..."

In the second food box was a pickled saury. Bai Huang picked up the chopsticks and put it in her bowl. Irene immediately showed a happy expression and ate the remaining chicken feet and corn cakes with relish. She was originally short, and after eating two food boxes, her stomach was bulging. She first lay back on the bed, then stood up again and thanked Lid:

"Thank you for the hospitality, big brother... Hehe, big brother is really nice."

Lid smiled and said you're welcome, then asked Irene:

"I remember you said you were a traveler. But you look quite young. Are your parents willing to let you go out on an adventure alone?"

Irene's small body shrank noticeably, and then she answered with her eyes wandering:

"Don't worry. They also told me that the world is so big and asked me to go out and see more."

Irene lay down on the bed with a guilty conscience, so that Bai Huang, who was sitting, could block her head and she could not see Lid. However, her exposed hands were tightly clenched into fists, revealing that she was a little nervous. Bai Huang, who was eating, did not notice this and said to Lid:

"What's the big deal? I started wandering around when I was seven or eight years old. At that time, all the thieves and gangsters in Yunhai had to give me face and run away when they saw me."

Lide tried hard not to laugh. When he thought of the tiny Bai Huang waving her fists and going out to beat someone up, Lide felt that the scene was very funny. As for the thieves giving her face, it was mostly because those people were too lazy to care about her. Most of the so-called desperate criminals came out to cheat and deceive because they couldn't make a living. No one wanted to make a deadly enemy with the lord of a large territory for no reason.

But Irene didn't think so at all. She said with sparkling eyes:

"Sister is awesome~"

Bai Huang puffed out his chest and said proudly:

"of course."

After saying this, Bai Huang remembered that there had been no progress since returning to Yunhai this time, and couldn't help but become a little timid again, and said:

"But there are things my sister can't do."

Irene got up from the bed, skipped to the chair, and picked up the three-stringed lute. She was wearing a pair of fluffy shorts, and her bare legs seemed a little cold. After getting the three-stringed lute, she ran back to the bed and huddled under the quilt. Then she pulled Bai Huang's sleeve with her little hand and said with a smile:

"Don't be sad, big sister. Irene can sing a song for you. You will feel better after listening to the song. My father used to tell me that a person's heart should be as broad as the sea. There will be many storms, but any storm will pass, and the sea will always be the sea."

Irene gently plucked the strings with a pick and hummed an ancient ballad quietly.

This time, there were no clear lyrics in her singing, only some pronunciations that even Lid had never heard. But when these melodies came together, they sounded very nice, with a kind of distant soothing power. However, not long after listening, Lid felt a burning pain in his arm, and the complex tattoo where the little ghost lived gradually turned from white to red. Lid frowned, and immediately found an excuse to retreat from the room and went to the end of the empty corridor.

The figure of the little ghost appeared in front of Lid, and he asked with tears in his eyes:

"Finally, will I also face the day of being abandoned after being seduced? As expected, I am not good-looking and cannot be used. Is my fate from the beginning to be purified? [(Ｔ▽Ｔ)]"

Lid scratched his head:

"how you said that?"

The little ghost pointed the sign in his hand towards the house and said to Lid:

"Didn't you find the pink-haired dwarf who came to purify me? [[?_??]]"

Lid shook his head and said:

"If I don't want you anymore, why bother just to cut off your magic power? But is there anything in this world that you are afraid of? When she was singing just now, I didn't feel anything strange. Instead, I felt very calm."

The little ghost relaxed a little and replied:

"Woo woo... I'm not omnipotent. I used to be Shen, essentially a monster wandering the world, and in a way I was indeed invincible. But now I am attached to you in the form of a living organ, drawing magic power from your body to replenish my own strength. To you, I am no longer an independent individual, but have been degraded to a curse-like existence, so I will be restrained by something with a purifying effect. Do you remember? Before going to Nanchu, I reminded you to try not to come into contact with the saint there. [(?O?O?)]"

Lid glanced at the room where Irene and Bai Huang were, frowned and asked:

"You mean...she is a saint?"

The little ghost shook his head and replied:

"No. The Saint is a girl chosen by the Old Gods. Even if I don't sing, I should be able to feel that holy power. Moreover, the Saint's power of purification can only purify evil things. What is evil is defined by the Old Gods. They shouldn't define me as an evil species...right? After all, I am handsome, cute, elegant, and stylish. [∠( °ω°)／]"

The little ghost lowered his head in Lid's contemptuous gaze and continued:

"But the song that girl sang just now gave me a feeling of indiscriminate purification. It will temporarily suppress all the curses, seals, grievances, negative emotions and the like imposed on you, although it cannot completely remove them. So you will feel very relaxed, but, have you ever thought about my feelings? No, you only care about yourself. Woohoo... If you want to listen to the song, she can obviously sing it. Is it true that domestic flowers are not as fragrant as wild flowers? [ (*｀皿?*)ノ]"

The puffy little ghost circled around Lid, sometimes singing some unpleasant songs, and sometimes muttering to himself "Ghost-chan big failure", looking very energetic.

Reed looked at the scenery outside and fell into deep thought.

Purification... Is there anyone among Yunhai's direct descendants who needs this kind of power?

29. Those who seek longevity will not live forever

Lid was still trying to figure out the relationship between Irene and Lord Yunhai's family, and the intention of the person behind the scenes to let him contact Irene. At the same time, the final battle of Zhaochen Territory finally started: Zhaochen's ninth son Fang Yuan's troops were at the gates of the city, forcing Lord Zhaochen to use the last resort - to lead the army in person to fight against this son whom he had never looked at in more than 20 years.

The result is predictable.

The alchemist army that Lord Zhaochen had put together collapsed at the first blow in front of Fangyuan's army formation, which also awakened Lord Zhaochen's decades-long dream of immortality. That day, the skinny Lord Zhaochen sat in a sedan chair wearing a loose Taoist robe, staring with wide eyes, watching the unstoppable and barbaric enemy army trample on his own formation, his eyes full of fear and disbelief.

Before he could use his remaining spiritual awakening to arrange a further counterattack, a dagger pierced his chest. Lord Zhaochen looked to the side with disbelief, and the woman he had been favoring for all these years had a twisted smile on her face.

She thrust the dagger into Lord Zhaochen's hand and shouted in a shrill voice:

“Oh no! The lord committed suicide!”

Lord Zhaochen felt the pain and looked around. None of the seemingly loyal soldiers and ministers who followed him came out to seek justice for him. Every pair of eyes saw that it was that woman who killed him, but every mouth chose to remain silent.

Lord Zhaochen spat out several mouthfuls of blood and said weakly:

"You, the dogs that you can't tame..."

He slowly closed his eyes, and the last scene he saw before he fell was the hateful look of Fang Yuan on the white horse and silver spear. Lord Zhaochen thought that he should be more generous, smiled at him, and congratulated him on taking down Zhaochen, whom he had been thinking about. But when he saw Fang Yuan, who was fat and bumping on the horse, he couldn't help but reveal a mocking look. This son really didn't inherit any of his heroic spirit. This stupid pig-like appearance was annoying.

Lord Zhaochen fell on the sedan chair, and the people carrying the sedan chair scattered. Zhaochen's generals and ministers all knelt down and shouted to Fang Yuan on his horse:

"Zhaochen cannot be without a master for a day, please ask Lord Fang Yuan to take the throne!"

"Please ask Lord Fang Yuan to take the throne—"

Fang Yuan got off his horse with the help of Xi Que. His chubby body stood on the cold ground. He looked at the people who had bruised their knees and bumped their heads, and laughed. He raised his hand and said to the guards on the city gate:

"Open the city gate!"

The sturdy door immediately rumbled open.

Fang Yuan stopped looking at the people kneeling on the ground, and stood up and walked into the city step by step. The cold winter wind blew on his body, freezing his face pale. Fang Yuan's army followed their master into the city, and then dispersed, sniffing the smell to rob the rich people in the city. Countless young ladies from aristocratic families dressed in silk and satin were as lowly as prostitutes in brothels at this moment.

Fang Yuan took the magpie to the lord's mansion, and the magnificent mansion immediately opened its doors to welcome its new owner.

Fang Yuan walked in, his eyes were a little confused for a moment, and then became filled with emotion.

He walked into the central hall of the manor and sat on the luxurious chair. Although it was far inferior to the dragon throne that the king sat on in terms of magnificence, it was also the symbol of Zhaochen's supreme power. He had been thinking about this position for too long. He had lived like a pig or a dog for so many years just to be able to be above everyone else one day.

For this, he first suffered contempt and bullying at home, and then traveled around to do business and make money. However, most of the family property he saved had to be offered to Lord Zhaochen as a tribute. No one knew how he had survived all these years. At the moment when his dream really came true, Fang Yuan grabbed his hair and tears fell on his body.