Chapter 9

"Madman?" Tian Bo was slightly taken aback, speaking in a low voice, "Madman has been dead for nearly three years."

"Dead for nearly three years?" Qin Yun’s expression changed.

When he first entered the West Mountain Sword Garden, he was the son of an ordinary bailiff, only ten years old.

Tian Bo, the son of a small merchant, was only nine years old.

Xie Lei’s family ran a security escort service, and he was only eleven years old.

Xie Lei was very competitive, with a fiery temper, and was nicknamed 'Madman.' 'Tian Bo,' due to his delicate and weak appearance and shyness, was teasingly called 'Little Bao Bao.'

Strictly speaking, Tian Bo was like a little follower, while Qin Yun and Xie Madman 'Xie Lei' were the two with extremely high sword skills in the West Mountain Sword Garden, often sparring and practicing together. Xie Lei’s sister, 'Xie Shuang,' was treated by Qin Yun like a younger sister, as he had a sister who died when he was eight. Xie Shuang looked very much like his sister and even had a similar spoiled temperament.

Qin Yun and Xie Lei had a very close relationship in private, and he couldn’t believe that Xie Madman, who was both highly skilled and powerful, would die like this.

"What exactly happened? How did he die?" Qin Yun felt a pain in his heart, scenes from his youth floating in his mind, his eyes turning red.

"I originally planned to talk to you privately after today’s gathering," Tian Bo lowered his voice, "You know, Madman’s father had been in poor health for a long time, bedridden with a serious illness. Just half a year after you left your hometown, Madman’s father finally passed away! However, Madman, with his strength and skills, still held the position of head of the security escort service. He even arranged a marriage, to a secondary daughter of the Hong family, the first family in our Guangling Prefecture, thus gaining the Hong family as a powerful backer. But who would have thought, before he could get married, something happened."

"What happened?" Qin Yun asked.

"The Xie family took on a large escort job," Tian Bo said, "Madman personally went to escort it. Who would have thought that just as they were about to reach their destination, they encountered monsters. The battle was said to be very fierce; hundreds of people survived only three, and two of the monsters died. Madman died with a sword piercing through the monster’s mouth into its head, but the monster also clawed through his heart."

Qin Yun fell silent.

Monsters...

When security escort services encounter monsters, they usually offer treasures, and sometimes the monsters let them go. Without sufficient confidence, even a powerful security escort service can only take down one or two small monsters.

"These monsters," Qin Yun gritted his teeth. Monsters generally have lower intelligence than humans, some are even stupid! If luck is bad, offering treasures won’t help, and they can only rely on their weapons.

"What about Xie Shuang?" Qin Yun asked.

With Xie Madman dead, the Xie family was left with only a young girl.

"That was a large escort job. The failure of the escort meant the Xie family had to pay compensation. With so many deaths, the Xie family had to pay even more. Xie Shuang, being righteous, disbanded the security escort service and used all their wealth to compensate the families of the deceased men. Later, they didn’t have enough money to pay the compensation for the escort, so she was forced to sell herself to the Yan Feng Lou to gather the funds."

"Sell herself to the Yan Feng Lou?" Qin Yun’s face turned pale.

Madman died, and Xie Shuang sold herself to the Yan Feng Lou?

Fortunately.

Fortunately, the Yan Feng Lou is the most famous brothel in Guangling Prefecture, and the courtesans there only sell their art, not their bodies. Only ordinary brothels sell their bodies.

Selling one’s body is looked down upon, and a typical transaction might cost only half a tael of silver. But true courtesans are different; wealthy guests flock to them, and it costs dozens of taels of silver just to have a cup of tea and a chat, and it depends on whether the courtesan is willing. Some famous courtesans, known throughout the land, might cost a thousand taels of silver just for a glimpse, and even then, it might not be possible!

Of course, some courtesans do offer themselves voluntarily, but it is rare.

"Xie Shuang, being the only daughter of the Xie family, skilled in sword dance and playing the lute, and with a beautiful appearance, was sold for a high price," Tian Bo shook his head. "I wanted to help financially, but Xie Shuang needed nearly 20,000 taels of silver. My family would have to sell nearly half of our assets to gather the money, and selling in a hurry would mean a lower price. My father wouldn’t agree to it."

"Nearly 20,000 taels?" Qin Yun nodded. Having 10,000 taels of silver is considered wealthy, and 20,000 taels for selling oneself is a significant amount. The Yan Feng Lou was willing to bear this cost, which is quite rare.

"Tonight we will go to the Yan Feng Lou," Qin Yun said.

"Alright, I’ll go with you," Tian Bo nodded.

...

Although he was eager to see Xie Shuang, the Yan Feng Lou only opens in the evening. Xie Shuang has been there for more than two years, so there was no rush. Qin Yun patiently stayed with his old friends.

Sitting by the railing, drinking wine, and watching his friends practice sword skills by the green mountains and clear waters.

"Brother Qin Yun, why don’t you come and give us some pointers?"

"Right, come on, don’t just drink."

His friends called out.

"No need," Qin Yun forced a smile. He really wasn’t in the mood, thinking about Xie Shuang selling herself to the Yan Feng Lou and the dead Xie Madman, he felt a heavy heart.

"Brother Qin Yun," a handsome young man with a casual and free-spirited demeanor walked over and sat next to Qin Yun. This young man was the 'Bladeless Young Master' who had founded the West Mountain Sword Garden. The Bladeless Young Master smiled, "When you were thirteen, you had already reached the ninth level of Qi cultivation. At fifteen, you traveled alone, and now you must have found a path to immortality and entered the immortal realm, right?"

"Endured much hardship, but finally entered the immortal realm," Qin Yun said.

The Bladeless Young Master couldn’t help but sigh, "Admirable, you are the only one among the young generation of Guangling Prefecture to enter the immortal realm. Do you know what I admire most about you?"

Qin Yun was puzzled.

"Your courage," the Bladeless Young Master said, "With your talent, joining a cultivation sect near Guangling Prefecture would have been easy, and entering the immortal realm wouldn’t have been difficult. But you clearly looked down on ordinary cultivation sects and preferred to travel the world to seek opportunities, joining a true top-tier sect. Perhaps the path of cultivation requires such a resolve."

Qin Yun was taken aback, shaking his head, "Don’t flatter me. On the journey away from home, I faced wind and rain, and often death. At first, I gritted my teeth and endured. Later, I really wanted to go home, but found myself thousands of miles away, and the return journey was equally dangerous. So, I went all the way."

"Being able to endure being thousands of miles away is already impressive," the Bladeless Young Master raised his bamboo wine flask, "I respect you."

Qin Yun also raised his wine flask.

They clinked their flasks together.

The Bladeless Young Master, after drinking, said, "You are different from us now. Your lifespan is different. Entering the immortal realm means you can live over a hundred years. If you reach the innate realm, the Void Core realm, you can live for two hundred years! The legendary Golden Core realm even allows for five hundred years, truly becoming an immortal. When we, your childhood friends, are just a pile of dust, you might still be young."

Qin Yun was slightly taken aback, saying nothing, just watching his friends practicing sword skills on the lake, drinking silently.

******

In the evening.

Qin Yun declined the invitation to the evening gathering and left with Tian Bo.

"We are going to the Yan Feng Lou."

The two rode their horses back.

The Yan Feng Lou is the most famous brothel in Guangling Prefecture, frequented by officials, celebrities, and wealthy guests. Entering to drink the cheapest cup of tea costs one tael of silver! One tael of silver is enough for a typical family of three to live for two to three months.

At this moment, the Yan Feng Lou had already opened its doors to guests, red lanterns hanging, and a group of beautiful attendants warmly welcoming guests at the entrance.