“Heh heh~ So that’s how it is. Kid, judging by how clean you’re dressed, you must be some rich young master from a prominent family, right?”
“What’s the matter? Want to come in and take a look, but it’s your first time and you don’t dare take the first step?”
He wore a sleazy grin, constantly signaling to the young man with his eyes, looking as though he understood everything, just like a seasoned tout.
In response, He Qiu merely twitched the corner of his mouth, slightly releasing his oppressive aura before sneering with disdain.
“Open your eyes and look carefully. Does this Young Master look like someone who would be interested in a brothel?”
Of course, this was a lie.
He Qiu was indeed curious, but he could not admit it, especially when the man was looking down on him as though he were inexperienced. He absolutely could not back down.
Either way, he was not planning to go in, so why not put on an air of nobility?
On the other side, the tout really did tremble inwardly.
“……?”
Suddenly berated by the young man, the tout hesitated for a moment. When he looked again, he abruptly realized that the young man before him was dressed in white robes, with an elegant bearing and cold, resolute eyes that gave him the impression of an unfathomable, proud swordsman.
This kid certainly had impressive looks. Setting aside his identity, just that handsome face alone would surely attract plenty of attention. Why would he even spare a glance for an ordinary brothel?
He really did not seem like someone who would care about a place like this.
That made things strange.
If he was not interested in the brothel, why had he been pacing back and forth outside it as though waiting for someone?
Wait!
Suddenly, the tout’s eyes widened as he remembered something important.
He had heard from above that the Demon Sect’s new Young Master was holding a gathering in Tianxin City. On the guest list were villainous figures who appeared righteous and respectable on the surface, like this young man, but were actually dangerous people.
Could this person be their Young Master’s “esteemed guest”?
Thinking of this, the tout immediately lowered his posture. Unsure of He Qiu’s true identity, he leaned closer and quietly tested the code phrase.
“King of Heaven covers the earth tiger!”
“……?”
He Qiu hesitated for a moment, looking at the man who had suddenly become inexplicably nervous, his eyes filled with confusion.
‘What is wrong with this guy? Why did he suddenly start acting strangely?’
Wait. The first half he had said—could he be expecting He Qiu to respond with the second half of a code phrase?
Could this be some kind of Demon Sect code?
But this code seemed far too common.
‘Or rather, has the story of Greedy Mountain Eagle not spread in this world?’
After thinking it over, He Qiu still felt somewhat uncertain. He straightened his collar, slightly lowered his head, and calmly replied.
“Pagoda suppresses river demons.”
He held his breath, his mind tense. If the code was wrong, he was prepared to flee at any moment.
However, the tout’s eyes widened slightly.
“!!!”
The man’s face turned pale. The young man had actually matched the Demon Sect’s internal high-level code phrase!
Without a doubt, this white-robed young man was an important guest at the Young Master’s gathering. His pacing outside the brothel just now had undoubtedly been because he was waiting for the tout to escort him inside.
Moreover, he had heard that those attending the Demon Sect’s new Young Master’s gathering were all ruthless figures with bounties of at least ten thousand on their heads.
The painful part was that such an important guest had been kept waiting by the tout for so long. To make matters worse, he had immediately looked down on him, provoking the young man’s displeased glare.
The tout had practically stepped on every possible landmine.
He was truly dancing in a minefield.
‘Damn it, what rotten luck. I didn’t even provoke him on purpose.’
‘I’m finished. I neglected such an important guest and nearly lost my life!’
“L-Lord… please calm your anger. This little brother will lead the way for you right away!”
He Qiu: ?
‘No, wait. Lead me where?’
‘To a brothel?’
Unbeknownst to him, He Qiu’s mission had already changed from “investigation” to “infiltration,” almost like an investigator from an island nation secretly entering the enemy’s ranks.
‘Oh no. Saying it like that makes it sound strange again.’
In any case, He Qiu was now following the tout, who led him deeper into the brothel.
Along the way, several women dressed in elaborate clothing noticed the young man’s handsome appearance and approached him to attract his attention, but the tout invariably blocked them before they could get close.
“Get lost!”
“How dare you bother our Young Master? Are you all blind?”
He scolded them harshly, shooing them away like flies.
After all, the young man behind him was an esteemed guest of the Demon Sect’s new Young Master. How could he possibly be interested in ordinary women?
A figure of this level surely had much higher standards.
Besides, when the tout had earlier suggested bringing He Qiu inside, He Qiu had stared at him with such disdain that the man was genuinely afraid of angering this esteemed guest again.
He had been nervous the entire way.
Of course, the tout was overthinking things.
For one, He Qiu had no particular interest in the things the tout was imagining, and for another…