Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Encounter
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After waiting for so many long years, the fact that the 'Warrior of Prophecy' had finally appeared filled So-ha with immense encouragement.
It made all the endurance worthwhile.
'First things first, I need to look into that young master.'
It was fortunate that she had found him right here in Hefei, where the branch was located.
With the branch's intelligence network, she could uncover his background by the end of the day.
"What an unpleasant trip this was turning out to be, but to think it would bring such an unexpected joy."
Her footsteps were as light as could be, mirroring her uplifted mood.
But that lasted only a moment.
The closer she got to her destination, the heavier her steps became, and her expression darkened.
Before long, the three women arrived at their original goal.
[Flower Moon Pavilion]
The Flower Moon Pavilion, reputed as Hefei's finest pleasure house.
This was So-ha's true destination.
And as her coldly hardened expression made clear, she wasn't here for anything pleasant.
"...Let's go up."
"Yes."
At So-ha's chilled voice, Cheong and Hong straightened their postures and nodded.
The three women strode into the pleasure house without hesitation.
-Wahaha-!
-Kyarr-!
The interior was filled with boisterous male laughter and the coquettish giggles of courtesans.
True to its reputation as Hefei's top pleasure house, the Flower Moon Pavilion was packed with patrons even in broad daylight.
"Oh my, it's rare for such lovely young ladies to visit. What brings you here?"
A middle-aged woman approached them with a smiling face.
She appeared to be a retired courtesan, her face still hinting at the beauty of her youth.
Hong stepped forward, her voice startlingly subdued compared to earlier.
"We've come regarding the Poison Flower Butterfly."
"...!"
The middle-aged woman's face changed at Hong's response.
Her smile vanished as she glanced around, then muttered in a low voice.
"The Pavilion Master is waiting for you. Please follow me."
The middle-aged woman promptly led the three to the top floor of the Flower Moon Pavilion.
Arriving at the door to the Pavilion Master's room, she announced their presence to the guest waiting inside.
"Pavilion Master, the ones who received the Poison Flower Butterfly have arrived."
-Crash!-
At her words, the room grew chaotic for a moment before the door swung wide open.
"You've arrived. Please, come in."
The middle-aged man in scholar's robes who had opened the door himself welcomed them warmly.
The Pavilion Master of the Flower Moon Pavilion even yielded the seat of honor to So-ha, bowing politely.
"Sect Leader."
"Branch Head Seong."
So-ha accepted the courtesy from the Pavilion Master—who looked twice her age—as if it were only natural, then spoke.
"We came right away after receiving the Poison Flower Butterfly."
The Poison Flower Butterfly.
It was a type of emergency contact method used within their sect.
When a branch faced a situation beyond their own power to handle, they would send a carrier pigeon bearing the Poison Flower Butterfly to the sect's headquarters to request aid.
Specifically, the aid of the sect's experts capable of wielding force.
"I never imagined the Sect Leader herself would come."
"It just so happened the others were away. Thinking back now, it was truly fortunate."
"Pardon?"
So-ha murmured to herself, briefly reflecting in her mind on Ja-seong.
The Pavilion Master, unaware of the details, tilted his head in confusion.
She quickly dismissed Ja-seong from her thoughts and returned to the matter at hand.
"It's nothing. Now, please explain what happened."
"Ah, yes."
The Pavilion Master's face hardened as he began his explanation.
"Are you aware that Tyrant Heaven Fortress warriors have recently entered Hefei?"
"Yes. Surprisingly, they've even been personally inspecting those coming into the city."
Inspecting travelers in Hefei was originally the duty of the magistrate's constables or the Nangong family's warriors.
Maintaining order in Ye Province, especially Hefei, was an obligation bestowed upon the Nangong family by the Great Ming Emperor.
Yet Tyrant Heaven Fortress warriors were doing it.
This indirectly revealed the current state of the Nangong family.
'I knew their situation wasn't good, but it's worse than I thought.'
As she pondered that the fall of a great clan might be imminent, So-ha continued to listen intently to the Pavilion Master.
"On top of that, they're handling all the patrols as well. They're brazenly demanding bribes, squeezing the already struggling merchants dry."
The Pavilion Master's account of the Tyrant Heaven Fortress continued.
So-ha sensed the faint undercurrents of anger and resentment in his voice and spoke up.
"From how you keep talking about the Tyrant Heaven Fortress, it seems this involves their warriors."
The Pavilion Master nodded gravely at So-ha's words.
"...Yes. They come here almost daily, causing havoc. The Flower Moon Pavilion is a proper high-class house flying the blue lantern, yet they've gone beyond drunkenly harassing the courtesans—they even try to rape them, and there are far too many such incidents."
A high-class house meant one where courtesans sold their arts but not their bodies.
Unable to tolerate the Tyrant Heaven Fortress warriors treating them like common prostitutes from a red-light brothel, the Pavilion Master had sent the Poison Flower Butterfly.
So-ha, understanding the situation, nodded and asked again.
"Has the branch done everything it can?"
"...Yes. We tried spreading rumors to turn public opinion against the Tyrant Heaven Fortress. But with Hefei's situation deteriorating endlessly, it had little effect."
People, by nature, have no time to look around when they're struggling to survive themselves.
With ongoing failures in shipments blocking trade, Hefei's economy had been paralyzed for half a year already.
No one worried about the plight of courtesans—who earned vast sums entertaining officials and nobles—when they were focused on their own survival.
"I see. We might have to resort to the final measure."
So-ha murmured coldly.
The final measure she referred to was the use of force.
As mentioned earlier, the arrival of the Poison Flower Butterfly signaled a request for martial support.
However, those who came in response rarely actually resorted to force.
They were the ones at the very bottom of the martial world.
Wielding force recklessly could bring harm to countless comrades and sect members.
Knowing this, the Pavilion Master's expression naturally grew heavier.
He needed force to protect the courtesans under his care.
But using force could endanger other sect members.
Seeming to sense his dilemma, So-ha offered gentle reassurance.
"Don't worry too much. I'll handle it well."
"...Yes. I leave it to you, Sect Leader."
So-ha nodded at the Pavilion Master's desperate plea.
It was right then that the door burst open violently.
"P-Pavilion Master-!"
The middle-aged woman who had guided the three earlier flung the door open as if to break it.
The Pavilion Master, about to reprimand her rudeness, widened his eyes at the urgency on her face.
"No way... right now?"
At his words, the woman nodded frantically.
"A T-Tyrant Heaven Fortress warrior has forcibly dragged So-hye to his room...!"
Hearing the middle-aged woman's words, So-ha, Cheong, and Hong's faces hardened.
"Lead the way."
So-ha rose immediately and followed the woman down to the lower floor.
-Kyaaak!
Sure enough, as soon as they descended, a woman's desperate scream echoed from afar.
But people who heard the commotion had crowded the hallway, blocking their path.
"P-Please make way...!"
Even as the middle-aged woman floundered, the screams continued.
Realizing they couldn't afford to waste time, So-ha pushed past her and dashed forward.
"Huh...?"
The middle-aged woman gasped in admiration as So-ha nimbly weaved through the hallway packed with people like a ghost.
Leaving the exclamation behind, So-ha raced toward the source of the screams.
Finally arriving at the room in question, what she saw was a scene utterly beyond her expectations.
'...What in the world is this?'
*
I followed Go Heung, who had finished preparing to head out, to the place where he said he'd left Zhao Yunqi.
After walking for a while, we reached our destination.
Upon confirming what it was, I was at a loss for words.
[Flower Moon Pavilion]
"...A pleasure house? And it looks like an incredibly high-class one at that?"
"Exactly. This Flower Moon Pavilion has no equal in Hefei—no, in all of Ye Province."
"You're saying you hid Jo... that guy here?"
I started to say Zhao Yunqi's name but spotted a Tyrant Heaven Fortress warrior brushing past us into the Flower Moon Pavilion.
Lowering my voice, I asked.
"With Tyrant Heaven Fortress warriors coming and going like this, isn't it too dangerous?"
"That's why they say the darkest place is under the lamp."
So it's safe precisely because it's a place like this?
Amazed by Go Heung's boldness, I followed him as he strode inside.
"But seriously, what connection do you have here to leave him in a place like this?"
"The Pavilion Master here and I go way back. We help each other out, you could say. She owed me a favor from before and gladly took him in."
A common caravan leader and the master of a high-class pleasure house helping each other out?
What exactly were they helping with?
Unable to guess, I tilted my head when someone approached us.