In her previous life, Jiang Jiaran had seen black markets after social order had completely collapsed. That was true chaos, a place that barely resembled the human world.
Compared to the streets she had wandered through earlier, this area simply had more drunkards, beggars, and people from all walks of life. In reality, it was still fairly orderly.
After all, this was still the capital.
The city beneath the Son of Heaven’s feet.
As she walked along, she spotted the inn the scholar had mentioned earlier down one of the side streets. Its signboard looked old and carelessly hung. Nearby were street stalls, shops, gambling houses, and taverns.
The laughter and playful calls of the women here rose one after another. Their voices carried easily across the street.
It was fine for a brief rest.
For studying and preparing for examinations, however, the environment was somewhat lacking.
Not everyone was a saint who could remain completely unaffected by the distractions around them.
As Jiang Jiaran passed the entrance of a brothel, one of the welcoming madams sized her up and immediately approached with a smile. Grabbing her arm, she repeatedly invited her inside.
A thick cloud of powder and perfume instantly rushed into Jiang Jiaran’s face, leaving her somewhat dumbfounded.
Had this woman really failed to notice she was disguised as a man?
Wasn’t it obvious enough that she was female?
Surely not.
Even Yan Feii and Xu Yuanzheng had been able to tell.
Unable to free herself from the woman’s grip, Jiang Jiaran pointed at herself and said, “I’m a woman.”
“Oh, I know.” The madam covered her mouth and laughed.
A woman dressing as a man and visiting a brothel for fun was hardly unheard of. Such guests usually disliked having their disguises exposed, so naturally the establishment played along.
So she knew.
Jiang Jiaran glanced up at the plaque. Apparently this sort of thing was not uncommon.
“Of course.” The madam waved her silk fan. Women also enjoyed being surrounded by sweet, fragrant girls. They tended to spend generously as well.
Seeing that the woman had no intention of letting her go, Jiang Jiaran smiled and blinked.
Rolling up her sleeves slightly, she patted her waist and said regretfully, “But I don’t have any money.”
The madam’s smile instantly vanished. She rolled her eyes at her.
No money, yet wandering around the entrance?
What a waste of effort.
She immediately turned and went to greet another customer.
Speechless, Jiang Jiaran pulled out her folding fan and fanned away the overpowering scent clinging to her clothes before continuing on her way.
After she left, a man in a green robe slowly approached the entrance. He swept his gaze across the surroundings and was promptly welcomed inside by the smiling madam.
Some time later, a faint breeze suddenly stirred in front of the brothel.
The wind was so light that even the fallen leaves on the ground merely trembled slightly.
No one noticed it.
Inside one of the private rooms, a hard featured man sat alone.
He had already been there for half an hour.
He simply sat there without summoning any girls.
Places like brothels were not only for pleasure and music. They had long served as convenient locations for private discussions and secret transactions.
The women working there were already accustomed to such things. After collecting their payment, they obediently and cheerfully left.
Years of habit had left his expression somewhat numb.
Yet the slight furrow of his brow, his occasionally wandering gaze, and his clenched fingertips still revealed his nervousness, hesitation, uncertainty, and unease.
At last, someone knocked on the door.
The door opened and a man in green robes entered.
Upon seeing him, the hard featured man seemed to make up his mind. His expression steadied.
The tightly shut door blocked all sound.
A short while later, a tiny insect slowly crawled into the room from elsewhere.
If it could understand human speech, it would have heard them discussing the following:
“The lord said… wait until the proper opportunity before acting. We must ensure absolute success.”
“Ying Zhaolou is no longer a threat… Shi Feng and Mu Feng are the most troublesome. There’s no possibility of turning them. Can you guarantee…”
“…The lord will make arrangements himself. Just do what you’re supposed to do.”
“Everything will proceed according to plan. As long as the Wing Guard is destroyed, the lord will not treat you unfairly.”
After speaking, the man in green robes rose and departed without lingering.
The hard featured man shut the door and took a deep breath, as though trying to calm the turmoil in his heart.
Then he turned around.
And saw an additional person in the room.
The newcomer lounged lazily by the window.
A faint smile hung on his lips as he looked at him.
Then he let out a nearly inaudible sigh.
“No longer a threat, huh…”
The man’s breath instantly caught in his throat.
His vision darkened.
A numb chill surged from head to toe.
Ying Zhaolou’s complexion showed no signs of illness, nor did he appear crippled and unable to walk.
He must have been present the entire time.
Yet neither of them had noticed.
The man instantly understood everything.
His face turned pale as sweat poured from him.
He collapsed heavily to his knees, all strength drained from his body.
“Gate Master…”
Ying Zhaolou narrowed his eyes, as though recalling the past, though his face remained cold and emotionless.
His voice was equally calm and detached.
“You called me Gate Master for many years.”
“Get up. Whatever they planned to do, continue doing it.”
The man knew that those who betrayed the Wing Guard never survived.
The fact that the Gate Master’s legs had never been crippled was an absolute secret.
Since Ying Zhaolou did not mind him knowing, it meant he believed the secret could no longer be leaked.
Overwhelming regret filled the man’s heart.
Bowing deeply, he said, “This subordinate will obey the Gate Master’s orders.”
After walking farther away, Jiang Jiaran made a point of avoiding other brothels as well, lest she encounter more overly enthusiastic greeters.
She wandered around for another half hour.
Aside from seeing a few drunken thugs brawling and a brief dispute outside a gambling house over a few taels of silver, she did not witness anything else noteworthy.
The men’s clothing she wore had been purchased casually by Yu’er.
The material was not particularly cheap, but it certainly was not expensive either.
Thieves and swindlers clearly had no interest in her.
Jiang Jiaran had walked quite a bit that night and was beginning to feel hungry. She bought half a roasted meat flatbread from a stall tucked away in a corner.
It carried that familiar street food flavor she remembered from the past.
Dirty, yet delicious.
While nibbling on the flatbread, she browsed through the system.
Sure enough, she had gained a little from coming here.
Her effort to squeeze into the front row to watch fights had not been wasted.
Just as she was about to close it, she noticed the numbers suddenly begin rising rapidly.
She froze in surprise, forgetting even to take another bite.
Looking ahead, she realized she had unknowingly wandered behind a brothel.
Unlike the brightly lit and lively front entrance, this area felt cold and dim.
It was as though the silk dresses and enchanting music had been pulled aside, revealing the bleak chill hidden underneath.
Jiang Jiaran took a few steps toward the direction where the values were fluctuating.
Vaguely, she could make out figures there.
She also heard the sound of wheels rolling.
A short while later, two burly men pushed a flat cart out through the back door.
The cart carried several dark, indistinct shapes piled upon it.
They pushed it toward the outskirts of the city.
“Nothing worth looking at. Just corpses.”
A voice suddenly spoke beside her.
Startled, Jiang Jiaran turned around.
Only then did she notice a peddler squatting in the corner.
Carefully studying him for a moment and confirming that he was indeed just a vendor, she asked, “Do people often die in brothels?”
The peddler glanced at her without answering.
Only after Jiang Jiaran bought two of his items did he finally speak.
“Not that often. Usually they die from illness.”
Girls working there could earn money by serving customers.
Brothels had no reason to take lives for no cause.
Most deaths were the result of disease.
Such places were crowded and prone to outbreaks. When people fell ill, many could not afford good physicians.
And even when they could, treatment did not always succeed.
After hearing this, Jiang Jiaran’s mood inevitably grew heavier.
Watching the system, she noticed that as the cart moved farther away, the numbers gradually stopped increasing.
The dead.
Naturally they were surrounded by lingering turbid energy and yin energy that persisted for a long time.
After pondering for a moment, she adopted a timid expression and asked the peddler, “Where are they taken?”
“To the mass grave.”
“There’s actually a mass grave near the capital? Where is it? If I ever pass by, I’ll need to avoid it. I’d be scared to death just seeing it.”
The peddler had already noticed she was a woman.
Dressing as a man did not change the fact that she was still a timid little woman.
With a look of disdain, he said, “Of course it’s not inside the city. It’s outside the city. Head west… up into the mountains…”
“I see.”
As she spoke, Jiang Jiaran finished the last bite of her flatbread and quietly committed the location to memory.