Chapter Sixty-Four: Visiting the Brothel

“Young master, when will you leave? Can’t you stay a little longer?” the middle-aged cultivator asked.

Gou Yuer woke from her reverie and answered softly, “You know the rules.”

The middle-aged cultivator looked helpless. “Once you return to the Upper Realm, Tian’er will surely be upset again!”

“Tian’er has good talent and potential. If properly nurtured, perhaps…”

“Really?” The middle-aged cultivator asked excitedly.

Gou Yuer nodded. “The Gou family’s business spans every corner, both in the Upper Realm and here. One could say we’re as wealthy as a nation. But such prosperity also breeds envy from all sides. We truly need great strength to support it!”

The Upper Realm!

So Gou Yuer was from the Upper Realm!

If Su Yizhao were here, he would surely have been shocked once more.

But at that moment, he was sitting comfortably in a brothel, sipping wine at leisure.

It was clearly a restaurant, so why call it a brothel? Such deception!

Still, the building was truly painted blue.

Chi Xiangdong was thoroughly enjoying himself. Every gesture betrayed his familiarity with the games and tricks of this place. Could it be he was once a scion of a wealthy family too?

“Order whatever you like, it’s on me!” Gou Haitian said with an air of practiced sophistication.

“Senior brother, you’re so generous!” Chi Xiangdong played along, sizing him up with a keen glint in his eyes.

Gou Haitian, pleased with the banter, said even louder, “While I can’t speak for the entire Huanglong Commandery, in Kaoshan City there’s nothing my Gou family can’t buy!”

Chi Xiangdong downed his wine in one gulp and immediately offered lavish praise, causing Gou Haitian’s excitement to grow.

Their performance—one leading, the other following—was a spectacle.

Three scantily clad, beautiful female cultivators accompanied them with forced smiles, the rouge on their cheeks slowly fading. Limited by their aptitudes, all three had only reached the Second Profound Realm. To improve their lives, they worked here hoping to catch the eye of a generous, higher-level cultivator who might offer a helping hand—a blessing for their entire family.

Su Yizhao listened to the two men’s pointless chatter, chuckling out of boredom.

Suddenly, his expression changed as he fixed his gaze on a cultivator out on the street.

If he wasn’t mistaken, that cultivator had passed by here for the third time.

Kaoshan City wasn’t exactly huge, but it still covered an area of a hundred li. No one, no matter how much they wandered, could pass the same spot three times within the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn.

“Something’s off!” He grew wary, uncertain whether the person was after him or Gou Haitian.

But anyone with half a brain would know Gou Haitian’s identity; ordinary cultivators wouldn’t dare target him.

Precisely because of that, anyone who did must be far from ordinary.

“Come, let’s drink!”

“Yes, another round!”

Under Chi Xiangdong’s subtle guidance, Gou Haitian grew even more spirited, and the three beautiful female cultivators began to relax.

Su Yizhao kept a smile on his face, but his eyes radiated a clear “stranger, keep away” warning, making the three women too intimidated to approach him.

Down below, a black-clad cultivator once again strolled slowly from the left side of the street.

Black-robed cultivators were not uncommon, but this one was different.

He was short, about the same height as Gou Haitian.

Su Yizhao didn’t dare lock onto him with his spiritual sense; instead, he watched warily from the corner of his eye as the man drew closer.

The cultivator walked slowly.

Ten paces. Five paces. He was almost beneath the window.

To intervene or not? Su Yizhao was still weighing the decision.

Suddenly, the black-clad cultivator vanished from sight.

If he was coming, it would be earth-shattering.

Su Yizhao’s mind flicked—instantly, a golden ray shot toward Gou Haitian.

At such close range, the golden light arrived in a flash.

The two men and three women, lost in their revelry, had no time to react, still raising their cups for a toast.

The golden ray shot straight for Gou Haitian’s throat.

In an instant, blood could have drenched the blue pavilion.

But at that moment, a shadow leapt in front of Gou Haitian, reaching for him.

Gou Haitian swallowed his wine, suddenly realizing he couldn’t move a muscle.

The golden ray struck the back of the shadow’s head.

Startled, the shadow’s right hand missed its grip on Gou Haitian and could only flick its fingers backward.

A burst of force met the golden light, producing a sharp “ding!”

The jarring sound finally snapped everyone to attention.

Su Yizhao’s heart sank. He dared not hold back—his figure flickered and vanished.

The perfected Leaping Technique burst forth in an instant.

Within the span of two breaths, the shadow dissipated, revealing a twisted old face.

A dwarf’s body, with a grotesque, grinning visage.

The three women screamed. Chi Xiangdong recoiled, smashing through the chair behind him.

The dwarf flicked away the golden ray and reached for Gou Haitian, who was within arm’s reach.

But his right hand grasped only empty air!

Gou Haitian had vanished as if by teleportation.

The dwarf’s short arm remained frozen in the air, fingers still curled.

Impossible!

His aged face twisted in shock.

Su Yizhao now stood in the corner, Gou Haitian behind him, watching the dwarf intently.

Flicking a flying sword away in midair—though he’d only used thirty percent of his profound energy, it was no small feat.

That flying sword was a divine weapon!

And a top-grade one at that!

From the moment the dwarf attacked to now, only five breaths had passed—five breaths in which life and death had already danced.

The dwarf stood before them, eyes locked on Su Yizhao.

To the right, Chi Xiangdong sat stiffly by the window, his aura explosive and alert.

Gou Haitian was silent, standing behind him.

“Courting death!” the dwarf snarled, turning his clawed hand into a fist. Silver light shimmered around it.

A pair of gauntlets!

Divine-weapon-level gauntlets!

Su Yizhao narrowed his eyes. In his dantian, the perfect hexagonal pool of profound energy began to boil.

The dwarf lunged, his silver fist flashing as it struck.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...!”

With a thought, Su Yizhao sent a hundred golden rays shooting precisely at the incoming fist.

“Clang, clang, clang, clang...!”

Sparks flew, the air vibrating where the fists struck.

Su Yizhao’s eyes snapped wide.

The golden light faded, but the silver fist remained unscathed.

“Chi, my friend!” he called urgently, instantly activating the perfected Ice Shield Technique.

Chi Xiangdong remained motionless, maintaining his seated posture, his aura fierce and unwavering.

The Golden Body Realm!

This dwarf’s body refinement had definitely reached the sixth realm, the Golden Body.

Within his Purple Palace, Su Yizhao’s soul avatar swiftly formed hand seals, sending out tangible soul spikes.

The silver fist shattered ice shield after ice shield as it advanced.

Su Yizhao grabbed Gou Haitian and vanished.

A thunderous boom erupted as the fist struck a shadow left behind, obliterating the wall completely.

Thousands of cultivators on the street reacted instantly, taking to the air and watching from afar.

“Chi, my friend!” Su Yizhao called.

He reappeared, standing against the wall, facing Chi Xiangdong, Gou Haitian silent behind him.

Twice thwarted, the dwarf’s rage soared. Without another word, he launched himself at them.

The soul spikes seemed to have no effect on him at all.

Su Yizhao stared at Chi Xiangdong, his gaze sharp as a blade.

But Chi Xiangdong remained vigilant, seated and unmoving.

Su Yizhao had no choice. He formed a hand seal, sending nine flying swords hovering before him.

The Heavenly Sword Art erupted—