18 Red-light district

Despite Xie Qing losing the gift of speech due to such blatant flattery, all he could do was shake his head and eavesdrop. During their conversation, filtering out foolish assumptions and the like, the only thing he learned was that there were far more beasts than usual. Although it might not be related to devilish cultivators, it may be caused by some external factor.

"Beasts are attracted to impure Qi, which is usually found in spiritual stones that appear in places polluted with blood and other impurities. They call it the Evil Spiritual Stone," thought Xie Qing, narrowing his eyes.

Even knowing this, he couldn't say if it was indeed the truth. Either way, his job was to complete tasks as quickly as possible and buy cultivation techniques... although, who is he fooling? Settling into his room, he surveyed it and nodded, deciding to cultivate until evening. Time passed very quickly.

After five hours, it was already night outside; it was around one in the morning. While in ordinary cities, it would be dark at this time, like the anus of a Devil Beast, for the city of Xinjiang, the night was the most active stage.

"It's time," thought Xie Qing with a determined look. He appeared like a warrior about to engage in a deadly battle against a horde of enraged enemies. He stood up and left the inn, which was still filled with people.

At the exit, he encountered someone. Wrapped in a thick cloak, the person's face was concealed in darkness.

"The hydrangea flowers bloom," began Xie Qing.

"...and their beauty illuminates the world," the other person added.

It seemed that after this exchange, they understood each other and quietly started walking to a secluded area. They traversed secret passages and corners, finally reaching a steel door.

Knock-knock. The person in the cloak knocked on the door, and suddenly a small window opened, revealing someone in a mask.

"Password?"

"The red rose shines brightly in the moonlit night," confidently answered the cloaked person.

"Wrong. You have two more attempts."

"Huh?"

The person in the cloak was stunned, then began to mentally go through codes, finally saying:

"Only a person of culture can appreciate the greatness of dragon caves."

"Correct. Come in."

"Hehehe..."

The person in the cloak chuckled and turned to Xie Qing, who looked as if he had swallowed a fat fly.

"Let's go inside... why are you looking at me so strangely?"

"Nothing, let's go..."

Xie Qing shook his head and entered, ignoring the surprised look of the cloaked person. After they entered, the steel door was tightly closed, and a formation activated, turning the door into an ordinary wall.

Inside, Xie Qing took a breath and immediately sensed a variety of perfume scents blending into a smoothie.

"Disgusting," he thought, curling his lips.

The smell was as if he was sitting in a minibus, and next to him sat an elderly lady who had sprayed herself with ten different types of strong-smelling perfumes. It was a nuclear mix!

However, very soon, Xie Qing ignored the smell and focused his gaze on the bright lanterns and tall buildings.

"The Red-light district! I'm finally here!"

...there were indeed other methods of entry, but Xie Qing wanted to avoid having his identity deciphered. So, he had changed his clothes beforehand.

Finally, when they arrived, the masked person bid farewell to Xie Qing and left on his own.

***

The Red-light district. All cultured individuals know what this place represents. It's a treasure trove of various entertainments, and people visit these places every day.

Prostitution, as such, was prohibited in the Dynasty, so the Red-light district was exclusively for entertainment. Various girls only used their dancing and singing skills to entertain the public. But, as the saying goes, if the worker falls in love with the client, the law doesn't consider it prostitution.

Although the question remained whether a person could truly seduce,... we're talking about the handsome Xie Qing, whom even the elders desire.

So, he had no problems with that.

"So... this is the Pavilion of a Thousand Fairies," thought Xie Qing.

Before him stood a tall pavilion brightly lit with red lights. This place exclusively offered high-class services, and many girls here were talented in various arts.

Xie Qing had only heard about this place from his second brother, who ended up here by chance. He praised the quality of services here for a long time, but when Xie Qing asked about whether he succeeded in "that," he was promptly kicked out of the room.

Approaching the entrance, where a crowd had already gathered, he joined the queue. Despite Xie Qing not trying to dress too conspicuously, his face alone attracted too much attention.

As a result, he was even allowed to move to the middle of the queue.

"Thank you," Xie Qing said with a smile.

Ahead of him was a group of five people. Four of them were unremarkable, and only one deserved attention.

"This pressure is the same as Xie Hai's," thought Xie Qing, and then concluded, "Core Formation cultivator."

He immediately became alert, though he understood that trouble was unlikely. His gaze fell on their attire, and Xie Qing's expression became strange.

"Disciples of the Resting Eagle Sect? Um..."

Xie Qing was speechless. In his imagination, disciples of such sects should avoid places like this to maintain their reputation.

...It seems he forgets that he is a disciple of one of the four great sects.

Anyway, the people in front had already started entering when suddenly the Core Formation cultivator turned to Xie Qing, making eye contact.

"Hm?" the cultivator made a snorting sound, raising an eyebrow.

When this person turned around, Xie Qing could see his appearance – short black hair and yellow eyes. His body was slender, and he looked fragile, although Xie Qing was sure that he was very strong.

After analyzing his appearance, Xie Qing suddenly realized the identity of this person and lost his speech.

"Huang Jing... the heir of the Resting Eagle Sect," Xie Qing remembered, then nodded at the man, thinking, "Well, if it's him, then maybe it's normal for him to go to such places."

The thing was, this person's reputation was extremely... peculiar. Everyone knew him as a libertine who, instead of training, liked to spend time with women.

Although he wasn't as handsome as Xie Qing, his talent and strength attracted many women. This was the influence that the strongest wielded.

Moreover, his status as an heir was very influential, so most intelligent families funded them.

"As far as I know, Xie Hai also wanted to fund him, but he was refused... well, not surprising, my family doesn't have that much money after my father started using funds to increase our power," thought Xie Qing.

The only reason he was sent to the Sect of Heavenly Sword was because Xie Hai wanted to create an impressive background for all his children and then use it for his purposes.

And he was somewhat successful in that. The eldest son, Xie Xui, was indeed in the Resting Eagle Sect, while the second and fourth sons were in the Sect of Nine Pills. 

While Xie Qing was lost in his thoughts, someone suddenly addressed him.

"Hey, brotha, want to have some fun with us?"

Lifting his head, Xie Qing saw him... Huang Jing, who was smiling cheerfully.

"Hm?"