182: Chapter 182: Extraordinary Temperament

Before the Wan Hua Pavilion at the Sword Qi Great Wall.

Li Changsheng and Su Qinghan stood at the entrance, looking up at this nine-story pavilion.

With carved beams and painted rafters, it was magnificent and resplendent, with red lanterns illuminating the entire street in a crimson glow.

The foot traffic here was constant, even in broad daylight.

This was not only thanks to the reputation Wan Hua Pavilion had built over hundreds of years, but more importantly, because of a name.

Li Bai.

The only mysterious person in hundreds of years at Wan Hua Pavilion to win the favor of three top courtesans simultaneously.

Cultivators coming here these past few days all wanted to catch a glimpse of his style.

“Is it here?”

Su Qinghan asked.

It was her first time visiting a brothel like this; it didn't seem as unsavory as the legends suggested!

Li Changsheng nodded.

“That's right, this is the largest brothel on the Sword Qi Great Wall. It doesn't just deal in the flesh trade; it's also an intelligence hub.”

“If we want to find out some rumors, this is the fastest place.”

Su Qinghan said nothing more and stepped inside.

Li Changsheng followed behind, but in his mind, he sent a message to Xiao Ran via their Soul link.

“Good brother, guess where we are?”

Xiao Ran: “Where?”

“Wan Hua Pavilion!”

Xiao Ran, who was waiting for news from Steward Qian Tong at the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce, felt his hand tremble upon hearing this.

“What are you doing at Wan Hua Pavilion?”

“Gathering intelligence, and incidentally... listening to your masterpiece.”

Xiao Ran's face froze: “What masterpiece?”

“High Mountains and Flowing Water. Right now, the whole Sword Qi Great Wall is saying that a talented man named Li Bai stunned the top courtesans with a single song.”

After saying that, Li Changsheng cut off the link and followed Su Qinghan into Wan Hua Pavilion.

The first-floor lobby was a cacophony of voices.

Several dancers were performing on stage, and the sounds of flutes and strings were constant.

Cultivators sat at tea tables all around, gathered in groups of three or five, discussing animatedly.

Su Qinghan looked around, her brow furrowing slightly.

She wasn't used to such places, but to gather information, she could only continue further inside.

The two found a corner seat and sat down.

A waiter quickly ran over: “What would you two guests like to drink?”

Li Changsheng said: “A pot of clear tea.”

“Right away!”

The waiter turned and left.

Su Qinghan sat there, her gaze sweeping through the crowd.

The discussions from the neighboring table reached her ears.

“Have you all heard? That Li Bai is famous again!”

“Li Bai? The one who won over three top courtesans at the Wanhua Assembly?”

“Didn't he just become famous?”

“Yes, that's him. I heard he's not only proficient in the four arts, but he also wrote a poem while staying overnight at Wan Hua Pavilion called... ‘Song of the Peach Blossom Hermitage’.”

“It's spread across the entire Sword Qi Great Wall now!”

“Song of the Peach Blossom Hermitage? What are the lyrics?”

“‘Others laugh at my madness, I laugh at their blindness. One sees no tombs of heroes from the Five Mounds, for without flowers or wine, they are but fields to be tilled.’ How about that? Isn't it brilliant?”

“Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Just what is this Li Bai's background?”

“No idea. So far, there's no word on which Family or School he belongs to.”

“Maybe he's an Extraterrestrial Demon!”

“A mysterious figure indeed...”

Listening to these discussions, Li Changsheng's lips twitched.

‘Others laugh at my madness, I laugh at their blindness’?

Isn't this Tang Bohu's poem?

That shameless Xiao Ran actually stole the wisdom of predecessors again to show off.

Last time in the Soul link, he said he used Li Bai's name and the score for High Mountains and Flowing Water to act cool.

He didn't expect Xiao Ran to have another trick up his sleeve.

He actually used Tang Bohu's poetry as well.

It seemed he had taken all the credit for the carefree, invisible-flexing persona.

Li Changsheng was very displeased and was about to jump on the link to vent.

In fact, Xiao Ran was also a bit dazed by this.

This poem was something he had spontaneously chanted when he was drinking with the three courtesans and felt deeply moved.

He didn't expect the three courtesans to remember it and for it to spread, causing the name Li Bai to go viral once more.

Su Qinghan also heard those discussions, her brow furrowing slightly.

Li Bai... she had never heard this name before.

But listening to their description of his appearance... young, handsome, Soul Transformation Stage, with an ethereal temperament.

When these descriptors were piled together, a person's figure suddenly flashed through her mind.

Xiao Ran.

He perfectly fit every trait, including the carefree personality.

The images were already flashing through Su Qinghan's mind.

Suddenly, she shook her head vigorously.

Impossible.

How could it be such a coincidence?

Xiao Ran was in the Eternal Night Demon Sect; how could he have run all the way to the Far North Land?

Moreover, the Concept and charm of that poem—how could someone from a Demon Sect write such a thing?

“My Heart Demon must have grown stronger again; I'm starting to have hallucinations.”

Su Qinghan shook her head, trying to drive the Heart Demon away.

“Second Senior Sister?”

Seeing her expression was off, Li Changsheng called out softly.

Su Qinghan snapped back to her senses and said in a low voice.

“It's nothing. Call someone over to ask questions.”

Li Changsheng nodded and raised his hand to beckon the waiter: “Call your manager over.”

The waiter looked up at the two of them; the woman was stunningly beautiful with a transcendent aura, and the man was handsome and carefree, with an equally extraordinary temperament.

Moreover, he could faintly sense the subtle aura of powerful experts emanating from them.

They looked like geniuses that could only be cultivated by Disciples of a great Sect.

The waiter immediately gave a flattering smile.

“Right away, I'll go get our manager.”

The waiter didn't dare to delay and hurried to invite them.

A moment later.

A middle-aged woman who still retained her charm walked over quickly; it was Aunt Hong, the madam of Wan Hua Pavilion.

As soon as she appeared, she saw with a single glance that Li Changsheng and his companion were extraordinary.

Her face immediately broke into a wide smile.

“Dear guests, what are your orders?”

Li Changsheng took out a Spirit Pith and placed it on the table: “I want to ask about something.”

Spirit Pith was a cultivation resource even more pure than Spirit Stones, and it was incredibly precious.

Ordinary Cultivators had never even heard of it, let alone seen it.

Only Disciples of great Sects possessed this kind of cultivation resource.

Thus, Aunt Hong's eyes immediately lit up, and she hurried to sit down.

“Please ask, guest.”

Su Qinghan spoke straightforwardly: “When will there be an operation against the Yao Race at the Sword Qi Great Wall?”

Aunt Hong was taken aback: “Fairy wants to participate in the Yao hunt?”

Su Qinghan nodded.

She was now desperate to suppress her Heart Demon by hunting the Yao Race.

Aunt Hong immediately lowered her voice and said.

“On the fifteenth of every month, the Sword Qi Great Wall organizes a large-scale purge.”

“At that time, Cultivators in the city can volunteer to sign up and go out of the city to hunt the Yao Race.”

“Slaying the Yao Race earns contribution points, which can be exchanged for resources in the city.”

Su Qinghan asked again: “When is the next time?”

Aunt Hong thought for a moment: “In three days, on the fifteenth.”

Su Qinghan nodded and said no more.

She had finished asking what she wanted.

Only then did Li Changsheng speak up: “There's one more thing; I want to ask about a person.”

Aunt Hong asked: “Who?”

Li Changsheng took out a Jade Slip from his robe and handed it to Aunt Hong.

“A Loose Cultivator named Blood-Handed Butcher Liu Heizi.”

“He committed the atrocity of slaughtering a city in the Northern Territory and fled to the Far North Land. I need to know his whereabouts.”

Aunt Hong took the Jade Slip and scanned it with her Divine Sense; her expression changed slightly.

“This person... I've heard of him.”

“He seems to have appeared in the Sword Sect's territory before vanishing. I'm not sure exactly where he is now.”

“However, I can help you look into it and notify you once there's news.”

Li Changsheng nodded: “Then I'll trouble you.”

Aunt Hong smiled: “No trouble at all. Leave an address, guest, and I'll send word when I have news.”

Li Changsheng left the address of their stronghold, and Aunt Hong rose to take her leave.