10.Visit a Brothel

After half a day of running, Xu Shan was slightly out of breath and had already reached the outside of Litao Town. Outer sect disciples hadn't learned any spells, let alone the art of sword flight. They could only move forward on their own two legs. It wasn't that they couldn't get a horse, but the horse couldn't run as fast as he could.

A cultivator at the Great Perfection of the Qi Refining stage was definitely an unremarkable existence in any cultivation sect. But he was already worlds apart from ordinary mortals.

Looking at the huge signboard on the city wall, Xu Shan felt a sense of relief. People really are compared to others. He had little presence in the sect, but as soon as he came to the mortal world, he suddenly felt more confident!

After taking a few deep breaths to calm down, Xu Shan strolled into the town. It was already afternoon, and the weather wasn't too hot anymore. The town was bustling with people, and there were quite a few street vendors shouting their wares.

The original owner of his body had been selected into the Xinglan Sect since childhood and had lived in the outer sect for twenty years. He had gone down the mountain only a few times. However, some outer sect disciples weren't as reserved as he was. They would always find an opportunity to come out and enjoy themselves, doing all sorts of things like eating, drinking, visiting brothels, and gambling.

After all, once you embark on this cultivation path, you'll find that going to school or work in your previous life is almost no different from cultivation in terms of the experience.

Xu Shan looked around with curiosity in his eyes. He just wandered around the street like this until it was getting dark. After asking around, Xu Shan walked in front of the most luxurious building in the town and looked up.

The three big characters "Haitang Tower" came into view, and a strong smell of rouge filled his nostrils. There were also several women on the balcony of the second floor, waving and flirting with Xu Shan.

Xu Shan looked up and immediately felt his appetite disappear. This was the most famous brothel in the area? The pungent smell of rouge, the large pores, and the clearly visible boogers were really disgusting. It seemed that the enhanced senses caused by cultivation weren't all good things.

But he still had to go in. He had received a task from Elder Cao. Although the elder said verbally that it didn't matter, he still had to try his best to complete it. The outer sect elder had great influence and power in his eyes. Originally, the elder had a good impression of him. It would be really stupid to mess around and affect the elder's favor.

Secondly, there was a kitchen in this brothel, and he could borrow it. After thinking for a while, Xu Shan stepped inside.

As soon as he entered the door, a pimp came up to him. Seeing that he was simply dressed but had an extraordinary aura, the pimp said cautiously, "Sir, is this your first time at Haitang Tower? Do you have a familiar girl?"

"Find me a private room. You come up with me, and I don't want anyone else."

"Ah, me... All right then."

.... When they reached the private room on the second floor, Xu Shan casually opened the window and fanned it a couple of times, trying to get rid of the cheap and pungent smell of rouge in the room.

The pimp stood at the door, looking hesitant.

"Um... Er..."

"What are you fidgeting for! Sit down. I have something to ask you."

"Ah? Asking questions... All right then." The pimp sat down uneasily.

Xu Shan asked, "I heard that there's been a haunting in the town recently, and it's killed quite a few people. Do you know about this?"

"I know. It happened not long ago. Why are you asking this? Do you want to..."

"You don't need to worry about that. Just tell me what happened."

The pimp recalled, "It caused quite a stir at that time. There hadn't been so many deaths like this for a long time. Those people didn't die in the town. They were originally scholars who went on an outing to the southern suburbs of the town. Later, they were found dead outside the town, as if they were scared to death."

"I heard it was at the Chiyun Temple in the south of the town. It's been abandoned for decades, but I'm not sure."

"Abandoned temple haunted by ghosts is such a cliché. Think carefully. Where else could it be?"

The pimp shrank his head and said in a low voice, "I haven't heard of anything happening anywhere else. Really, the only place where there could be a haunting is that deserted temple in the wild. It was even overcast for no reason a few days ago."

"You don't know. Our Haitang Tower is famous for its good service. Every year, there are one or two guests with special preferences who take our girls to the wilderness for excitement.

"Especially that Chiyun Temple... They all like to go there. They risk their lives for excitement. Now, no one wants to go there even if they're asked to."

Xu Shan took a deep breath. Did the customers in Litao Town really play so wildly? The local customs were really tough...

The pimp continued, "Two months ago, someone hanged themselves in Chiyun Temple and was seen by a customer who reported it to the authorities. It was said to be a servant of some family who couldn't stand being ordered around by the master and committed suicide... Alas, there are always such people. I think it's normal for him to come back as a ghost and seek revenge on the rich and the officials."

Xu Shan stroked his chin and thought. This seemed much more likely. Anyway, there were no other clues now. It might be a good idea to go to Chiyun Temple and check it out. It wouldn't take much time. He could just try his luck, and if it didn't work, he could ask around again.

But before going there, it would be nice to try using the kitchen of this brothel.

"By the way, with such a big brothel, how many kitchens do you have?" Xu Shan asked.

"Kitchen..." The pimp was very confused. "Just two. One is for the guests, and the other is for our own use. Why are you asking this, sir?"

"Is no one using the one you use yourselves now?"

"No one. What do you want to do?"

"Come on!" Xu Shan stood up and walked towards the door. "Take me to your kitchen. I want to borrow it."

"Sir, we don't allow outsiders in the back. Besides, it's dirty there..." The pimp quickly stood up, but he swallowed the rest of his words halfway.

Xu Shan held a silver ingot in his hand and stretched it in front of the pimp.

Outer sect disciples sometimes received some silver from the Xinglan Sect when they had to go out for purchases. Outer sect disciples usually had some silver, as the sect would distribute a certain amount to the disciples on time, although they didn't have many expenses. This was also a thoughtful measure of the sect. Some disciples might be expelled from the sect, and their families might have already passed away. Without any silver in hand and unable to find a way out immediately, this little bit of silver could be used for emergencies.

Now, this silver ingot was all of Xu Shan's savings.

Seeing that Xu Shan was so generous, the pimp stared at the shiny silver ingot, and his tone became much calmer. "Sir, I really can't take you into our back kitchen. It doesn't conform to the rules..."

He had seen the world. Although the silver was tempting, he also had to consider the consequences. Taking a stranger into the back kitchen of a brothel, who knew what might happen? What if this guy came to poison the food?

Seeing that the silver didn't work, Xu Shan's outstretched right hand grasped the silver ingot and suddenly exerted force.

"Ah, this!" The pimp was stunned for a moment.

The silver ingot was like mud in Xu Shan's hand. Under the strong squeeze, the silver oozed out from between his fingers.

"Master Immortal! I'm blind! Master Immortal." The pimp knelt down on his knees with a thud and kept shouting.

"Get up, get up. Can you take me there now?" Xu Shan asked, looking down.

The pimp quickly got up, took the initiative to open the door, and showed a flattering smile. "Yes, please follow me!"

Xu Shan nodded in satisfaction, pinched off a small piece of silver from between his fingers and slapped it into the other person's hand, then strode out.

...