Chapter 102 A Series of Poisonous Schemes

Chen Mu's figure was like lightning as he sped through the corridor, pushing his Divine Void Step to the limit, reaching the second floor in just a few breaths.

Just as he reached the top of the stairs, a wave of clamor erupted from deep within the corridor.

Outside a private room, a crowd of over a dozen people had gathered.

There were other guests of the Peony Pavilion, prying Xianggu, and even a few brothel attendants holding food and drinks, watching the spectacle.

Each wore a strange expression; some were full of excitement, pointing and gesturing, while others covered their mouths to stifle laughter, whispering among themselves.

There were even a few lavishly dressed guests craning their necks to look inside, their eyes flashing with perverse amusement, their lips curled into smiles that showed they loved watching chaos unfold.

"Oh, this gentleman is quite spirited."

"Heh heh, why act so upright after coming to the Peony Pavilion? Isn't this exactly what you like?"

"Look, four or five sturdy young men are holding him down, and half his clothes are already torn open."

Filthy language mixed with jeers echoed through the corridor for a long time.

Chen Mu's heart sank. He quickened his pace, pushed through the onlookers, and looked inside, his pupils suddenly constricting.

The private room was a mess, with food and wine overturned all over the floor.

Qi Huan was pinned to a soft couch by four or five burly, scantily clad men. His clothes had been torn open, revealing his white undergarments. His hair was disheveled, and his face was a mask of shock and fury as he struggled desperately.

However, those men clearly possessed martial arts skills and coordinated perfectly; one held his hands, another pinned his legs, and two others were tearing at his remaining clothes.

What chilled Chen Mu even more was that although the men's actions were crude, they were quite methodical.

They deliberately positioned Qi Huan in a humiliating pose, facing the door to ensure that everyone outside could clearly see his face.

And Qi Huan was still shouting curses.

"You scoundrels! Let me go! I am a Banner Officer of the Prefecture Demon Suppression Division! This is treason, a crime punishable by the extermination of your entire clan!"

The man holding him down grinned upon hearing this and deliberately raised his voice so everyone outside could hear.

"A Banner Officer? Oh, what impressive official authority you have!"

"But no matter how high your rank, you still need to be reasonable, don't you? You came to our Peony Pavilion in the middle of the night, requested us brothers, and now you want to welch on the bill halfway through? Where in the world is there such logic?"

A burst of laughter erupted outside the door.

"Exactly, if you can't afford to play, don't play!"

"I couldn't tell, so officials from the Prefecture like this kind of thing too?"

"Heh, he looked like such an upright person, who would have thought..."

The gossip outside was relentless, and every word felt like a steel needle piercing Qi Huan's heart.

He was trembling with rage, his eyes almost spitting fire, yet he was completely unable to move.

Chen Mu stood at the doorway, thoughts racing through his mind.

Something was wrong. This was wrong.

Although the Peony Pavilion was a place of pleasure, it had rules. If a guest was unwilling, they would never force him, let alone allow so many people to watch.

Moreover, all of this was too coincidental.

They had just caught a glimpse of a secret at the City God Temple, and upon turning to come to the Peony Pavilion, they ran into this.

Although Qi Huan was not good at handling such places of pleasure, he was, after all, a Banner Officer of the Prefecture with decent cultivation. How could he be subdued so easily by a few thugs?

Just then, Chen Mu caught sight of an artist in the corner of the room, holding a brush and quickly sketching the scene before him on rice paper, chuckling as he drew.

"Qi Huan, Banner Officer of the Prefecture, entered the Peony Pavilion at night, seeking pleasure with several burly men, clothes disheveled, posture lewd..."

As Chen Mu listened to him muttering, a series of images flashed through his mind.

That was it.

Xu Changze had long anticipated that they would go to examine the corpse, so he prepared that unrecognizable body double. He anticipated they would follow the living soul to the City God Temple, so he arranged for Zhao Qinghe to put on that performance.

He even anticipated they would investigate the Peony Pavilion, so he set this trap here.

And this Peony Pavilion was the true killing blow.

It wasn't to take their lives, but to destroy Qi Huan's reputation, ruin him, and make it impossible for him to investigate in Yunmeng City as a Banner Officer of the Prefecture ever again.

What authority could a Banner Officer have if he were publicly exposed for having a penchant for the same sex, fooling around in a male brothel, and then welching on the bill? Even if the Prefecture didn't immediately dismiss him, he would become a laughingstock, unable to intervene in Yunmeng affairs again.

What a brilliant chain of schemes!

As for himself...

Chen Mu's eyes hardened, and alarm bells rang in his heart.

If he rushed in to save Qi Huan now, he would fall right into their trap, and Chen Mu would not be able to clear his name either.

Two officials from the Demon Suppression Division fighting over a lover in a male brothel in the middle of the night—by tomorrow, this news would spread throughout the city. Xu Changze could easily bind them together and nail them firmly to the pillar of shame!

More importantly, he faintly sensed that an even greater danger was hidden within this Peony Pavilion.

That Shen Qingyin, those guards with extraordinary skills—everything indicated that this place was far from simple.

Realizing all this, cold sweat broke out on Chen Mu's back.

Looking back into the room, Qi Huan's struggles were growing weaker. The men began to make even more unbearable gestures, and the crowd outside roared with laughter; some guests even took out money to bet on how much longer Qi Huan could hold out.

He couldn't save him, at least not like this.

Chen Mu's thoughts raced, and in an instant, he made his decision. He took one last look at Qi Huan's face, twisted with anger and shame, gritted his teeth, and turned to leave.

It wasn't fleeing, but a temporary retreat.

He needed to replan and find a way to break the situation.

Forcing his way in would only lead both of them into a situation of eternal damnation.

But the moment Chen Mu turned, Qi Huan, who was pressed onto the couch, struggled to lift his head, and caught a glimpse of Chen Mu's figure out of the corner of his eye.

"Chen Mu!"

Qi Huan roared with all his might, his voice filled with despair and fury.

"I saw you! You bastard, get back here!"

"Are you even human? Watching me die without helping! If I lose my virtue today, I will be your sworn enemy forever, and even as a ghost, I will haunt you!"

"Did you hear me? Get back here!"

With this shout, all eyes inside and outside the room turned toward the doorway.

The onlookers also saw Chen Mu and immediately began whispering.

"Oh, there's an accomplice?"

"He's just going to watch him die? How heartless..."

"They're fighting amongst themselves! Look, look, the kid is leaving!"

Chen Mu couldn't even be bothered to look back; he had only one thought in his heart: leave!

This Peony Pavilion was a trap meticulously laid by Xu Changze; every extra moment he stayed increased the danger.

Qi Huan's predicament certainly needed to be resolved, but not now, and certainly not in this way.

He turned and dashed toward the stairs, activating his Divine Void Step, his figure moving like a ghost.

In the second-floor corridor, several guards who had rushed over upon hearing the news were charging up. Seeing Chen Mu coming aggressively, they instinctively drew their blades to block him.

Chen Mu pushed his Divine Void Step to the limit, his figure suddenly turning into several afterimages. He slipped through the gaps between them, tapping each of them under the armpit, causing them to collapse to the ground.

He was about to reach the first-floor hall; as long as he could blend into the crowd, he could escape in the chaos.

Just as he stepped onto the last few stairs, a black shadow appeared silently at the entrance of the hall.

Chen Mu's pupils constricted.

The person who arrived was a master.