Chapter 33: A Fight Over a Debt (3)

After meeting Yang Jinpo, I immediately went to find Wei Jiyan.

'I can take a few days off from training.'

I had to let Wei Jiyan know in advance. Otherwise, she might wait for me unnecessarily. When I knocked on the door, Wei Jiyan, dressed in something rather light, came out. She greeted me warmly.

"You're a bit late today?"

"I had some matters to attend to, so I'm a bit late."

"I see. Then I'll get ready too. Please wait a moment."

I entered the room and stopped Wei Jiyan, who was about to gather her training tools.

"Wait a moment."

"Yes?"

"There are some matters today."

"What kind of matters?"

"I have to go to Donghualou today because I have some business."

Wei Jiyan's face turned red.

"Do you mean a brothel?"

I realized I had made a mistake and was flustered. I had thought Donghualou was a restaurant.

'Damn, why did I think it was a Chinese restaurant?'

In the martial world, a brothel is like a combination of a bar and a karaoke lounge. Friends without money drink at the lower floor, while those with money go upstairs to drink with courtesans.

There are also rooms and gambling places, so the men of this era visit brothels as often as they eat. However, just like in modern times, they don't have a good reputation.

No wonder Wei Jiyan was shocked. It was as if a student had announced to their private tutor, "I have to go to a karaoke lounge today, so I'll skip the tutoring."

As Wei Jiyan's eyes narrowed, I hurried to defuse the situation.

"That's not it."

"Then what is it?"

"By 'business,' I don't mean that kind of thing."

Damn, how do I explain this?

I had no choice but to explain the whole situation from the beginning.

"It's just that someone I know has been stiffed on a debt..."

Fortunately, after about ten minutes of desperate explanation, Wei Jiyan understood. She nodded after a while and said,

"I understand the situation."

"I'm relieved."

I don't know what I'm relieved about, but at least I'm relieved.

"Anyway, due to these circumstances, I probably won't be able to train until tomorrow."

I might have to fight, so it would be difficult until tomorrow. Of course, I'm not really worried about the fight. It's not like Gae-sung has some secret martial arts.

They say some unknown men were seen when I fled, but with my solid training under Wei Jiyan, I'm not really afraid. They're probably just local thugs.

After hearing my explanation, Wei Jiyan nodded.

Then, without any warning, she dropped a bomb.

"Can I go with you?"

"Excuse me?"

Why would you want to come there?

"Just out of curiosity."

"It's not a very interesting matter."

"I'm just bored staying here."

"There might be a fight, so it could be dangerous."

"I'm fine with that."

Well, you do fight better than me.

With nothing left to say, I decided to use a preemptive strike.

"Besides, I have to go into the brothel, so it wouldn't be appropriate to go with Miss Wei."

Of course, there are men who bring women to brothels, but usually, they bring other courtesans from outside. It's rare to bring a regular woman.

"I can go in disguise, so it's fine."

"Disguise?"

"Yes. When I traveled with Pang Gui, I often disguised myself as a man. Although I was quickly found out."

I thought of Pang Gui's small stature. Indeed, with such a small stature, it would be easy to tell.

I realized Wei Jiyan's determination was stronger than I thought and eventually gave up.

"Alright... I understand. Then let's get ready."

Wei Jiyan smiled brightly and replied,

"I'm very excited."

***

Donghualou

The only first-class brothel in Mayang County, it was so splendid that it didn't seem to fit in this rural area.

I looked at the countless red lanterns hanging from Donghualou and said to Wei Jiyan,

"We're going in now."

"Yes."

Wei Jiyan's disguise as a man was quite good. At first glance, she looked like a slender, handsome young man. Her usually long, tied-up hair was nowhere to be seen, a remarkable transformation.

Her slender build made the disguise work well, better than I expected.

'But if you look closely, you can tell.'

Usually, she covers her eyes with her bangs, but Wei Jiyan has a beauty that rivals Bai Linghua. Even in disguise, it was hard to completely hide her beauty.

"I'm a bit nervous about going in."

"Are you?"

Wei Jiyan asked with a calm expression, as if she wasn't nervous at all. For me, entering Donghualou required a lot of courage.

I had never been to a karaoke lounge or anything like that in modern times. Who would go to such a place at my age? I'm not a third-generation tycoon or anything.

To come to a brothel in the martial world was more bewildering and frightening than impressive.

"Let's go."

"Yes."

But there's always a first time for everything. I shook off my fear and took a step forward. It was a small step for the brothel but a giant leap for me.

"Welcome. Would you like to be seated?"

As we entered, a manager greeted us warmly. I replied, "Sure," trying to act calm. A graceful lady then came to guide us.

'She's not a waiter.'

This is where a brothel is clearly different from an inn. It was a bit disappointing.

If a waiter had come, I could have shown Wei Jiyan my skilled waiter talk and acted cool.

Following the lady, we entered a spacious hall different from an inn. We were seated at a suitable table.

"Is there anything you'd like to order?"

The lady bowed politely and asked. We ordered some simple appetizers and started to look around.

"Do you see a man in red?"

"I don't see him."

"Then he hasn't arrived yet."

We had about an hour left before the meeting. We decided to wait while observing the atmosphere.

The atmosphere around us... to be honest, it was a bit embarrassing. The first floor of Donghualou was a bar, but not everyone was there just to drink.

Many beautifully dressed courtesans were wandering around, enticing customers.

And I could see men being led upstairs by these courtesans, their mouths agape and holding the courtesans' hands.

'No wonder the food prices are so cheap.'

The first floor was a bait, and the second floor was the main business area. The courtesans kept trying to lure customers upstairs, and the drunkards who fell for them and the courtesans who flirted with them created a chaotic scene.

"Oh, what a handsome customer~ Would you like to go upstairs with me?"

"I do look good, but I have no business, so just go."

"What do you mean, 'look good'? I'm talking about you."

A few courtesans approached Wei Jiyan and tried to seduce her, but I kept cutting them off, so they stopped coming.

I pretended to eat the late-arriving appetizers and drinks while briefing the plan.

"Let me explain the plan."

"Yes."

"When the target enters Donghualou, stand up and wait outside. I'll meet him and try to get him to reveal his hideout. When I come out with him, Miss Wei, you should follow from behind, hiding yourself."

"Understood."

"But are you skilled in stealth techniques?"

Stealth techniques are more of a trick than a martial art. They are mainly learned by thieves or spies, not by respectable martial artists. Wei Jiyan might not know them.

Hearing my worried question, Wei Jiyan nodded and suppressed her qi. Suddenly, her presence became hard to feel, even though she was right in front of me.

It was like those quiet friends in the classroom who are hard to notice.

"This is..."

"I'm suppressing my qi. I don't know much about stealth techniques, but by suppressing my qi, it's hard for others to notice me. Unless they have very good qi sensing, they won't detect my tailing."

"Indeed, Miss Wei."

According to Wei Jiyan's additional explanation, all living beings naturally emit a subtle qi. And they can instinctively sense the qi of other living beings.

For example, when you secretly use a computer at night, you can feel your mother approaching even without any sound. This is an example of that.

Skilled in qi cultivation, one can completely suppress this subtle qi, making it almost impossible for ordinary people to sense their presence.

"If this is the case, there shouldn't be a big problem."

"Yes... Oh, there."

Wei Jiyan pointed to the entrance. Looking in that direction, I saw a man in a red robe entering. Wei Jiyan, watching the man closely, whispered,

"From the looks of it, we don't need to worry much. He doesn't seem to know martial arts."

"I can see that too."

After observing him for a bit, I understood. A person trained in martial arts has a distinct gait. This guy clearly didn't know martial arts.

"Then I'll approach him. You go out first."

Wei Jiyan quietly stood up and left the place. I watched her for a moment and then, when the timing seemed right, I stood up and approached the man's table.

The man looked uneasy, constantly rolling his eyes. I calmly sat down at his table, and he asked, flustered,

"Who, who are you?"

"Who do you think? I'm from Jiejian Sect."

"Oh, then... you're different from last time..."

"My senior brother sent me. Let's skip the formalities and get to the point."

I replied curtly, and the man asked cautiously,

"Have you changed your mind?"

"Not really... but it depends on how desperate you are."

"What do you mean?"

"You're a bit slow, aren't you? The terms last time were too poor, that's what I mean."

I said this with a sly tone, and the man started rolling his eyes even more.

I leaned forward and whispered in a voice only he could hear,

"Be honest. It's a bit risky, isn't it?"

"Risky...?"

"It's stolen goods. Do you think I'm a fool?"

The man clamped his mouth shut.

I gently coaxed him.

"I mean, add a bit of risk pay. Don't keep it all to yourself."

"That's not possible. A hundred taels of silver is enough. How much more do you want?"

A hundred taels of silver? These Jiejian Sect guys were making that much from this deal?

I was taken aback by the unexpected amount but managed to keep my composure.

"Then try to get it from somewhere else."

"Hmm..."

I knew that was impossible. A hundred taels of silver is about 20 kg of silver, which would be hard to gather even with a few laborers.

You'd need many more people or a cart, which would make it hard to avoid detection.

"Just add fifty more taels. I need something to persuade my senior brothers."

"That's... "

Given his situation, where he wanted to go to Anhui Province as soon as possible, he couldn't refuse an additional fifty taels of silver.

After a short but long deliberation, the man nodded with difficulty.

"Alright. I'll add fifty more taels."

"Hehe. I understand."

I successfully reeled him in.

Maybe my path is in negotiation after all.