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Qing Xuanling wrinkled her nose. Though the Fragrant Lotus House's scent wasn't unpleasant, it was intensely potent. With her senses heightened from reaching the second layer of body refinement, she felt its effects especially strongly.
Most notably—a strange warmth surged through her body upon inhaling the aroma.
She frowned immediately.
'An aphrodisiac.'
Though faint, Qing Xuanling recognized it. She could even discern which herbs composed it. Sister Wangu's training of Xuan Dan had not been in vain.
She leaned toward the others and whispered, "There's an aphrodisiac in the air. It's weak and doesn't heavily impair clarity—but it might push someone already excited into reckless actions. Stay cautious…"
The others' expressions hardened. Though they'd felt strange, they'd assumed it was merely the Fragrant Lotus House's atmosphere—filled with sensual voices and occasional moans.
Indeed, the interior matched Qing Xuanling's expectations: dimly lit by red paper lanterns, sofas occupied equally by men and women. Some men were fed by beautiful women; others—women with rugged features typical of those who'd seen the world's harshness—were fed by handsome, youthful men of varied styles.
A few received sustenance from people of their own gender.
This was merely the first floor. Above, semi-nude women entered rooms. Strangely, once inside, not a single sound escaped. Clearly, the rooms employed sound-canceling arrays. As for what occurred within… that was obvious.
"Should we stay on the first floor?" Qing Wentian asked hesitantly. "The upper floors don't seem… appropriate for us, so to speak."
Qing Tanwei's face tightened. "Obviously we won't go upstairs! We're here to overhear gossip—not for that!"
"Relax, relax~" Qing Huayan soothed with a calm smile. She was the most composed of all—indeed, brimming with curiosity about the surroundings. "What if we split up? Each on our own. We'd gather more diverse information that way."
Qing Xuanling considered it seriously before nodding. The others agreed. With that decided, each headed toward their zone of interest.
Qing Tanwei and Qing Huayan went where shirtless handsome men gathered; Qing Hanlin and Qing Wentian headed toward scantily clad women.
As for Qing Xuanling…
She hesitated briefly—then, to Qing Tanwei and Qing Huayan's surprise, walked toward the scantily clad women's section. She ignored their astonishment and approached a small group of women clustered around several rugged-looking women.
Qing Xuanling hardened her expression, sat at the table, and dropped fifty spirit stones onto it. Her smile was confident as she gently regarded one woman who appeared to work at the brothel.
"Bring a round of your finest drinks to this table."
The three other women at the table—who had initially glared fiercely at Qing Xuanling—immediately relaxed upon hearing her words. They even burst into laughter.
"Seems the little princess knows how to please her elders!"
"Hey, you ovary-less idiot—how dare you call our dear sister that?! What'll you do if she stops buying us drinks for that foul mouth of yours?!"
"You blockheads—don't you see you're scaring her?! I swear I'll kill you and piss on your corpses if I don't get my free drink!"
"You…!"
The three rogue cultivator women began bickering under Qing Xuanling's stunned gaze. Though she'd heard low-level rogue cultivators were foul-mouthed and temperamental, she never expected this much…
Her smile wavered as she struggled to think of a response—until a Fragrant Lotus House worker arrived with several bottles of high-grade liquor. Her delicate hand discreetly scooped up Qing Xuanling's spirit stones.
The three rogue cultivators immediately stopped fighting and poured themselves drinks.
"Hah! Gods—this is the best!" The woman opposite Qing Xuanling—scar stretching from left ear to mouth—smiled contentedly and regarded Qing Xuanling curiously. "Brat—I'll be kind since you treated us well. What do you want to know? If I know it, I won't mind telling you… for a few more drinks~"
The rogue cultivator to the left added, "It's been ages since a pampered little miss came here buying us drinks. We'll be especially honest if you're generous enough!"
Qing Xuanling subtly frowned, mustering all willpower to ignore semi-nude women attempting to attract her attention.
"…How did you know I seek information?"
The rogue cultivator on the right—who had been focused on drinking—scoffed. "Girl—even if it's obvious you like women, it's more obvious you've no Red District experience with that blushing face."
"The only pampered girls like you who come here are two types: those seeking heavenly experiences, or those gathering information on others' advice. And given how you reject the workers' advances—it's clear you're not the first."
Qing Xuanling's expression went blank for a moment. She'd never imagined her shyness would be her giveaway…
Though even if she'd known, she wouldn't have acted differently. She still considered herself a person of integrity. She wouldn't engage in such acts merely to gather information.
She simply smiled resignedly. "Elder Sisters are wise."
The three rogue cultivators burst into thunderous laughter.
The middle one slapped own thigh hard. "Good, good—I like how you talk! Tell me—what do you want to know? I may not know much, but I'm up-to-date on all major rumors for rogue cultivators!"
Qing Xuanling's gaze sharpened. She lowered her voice. "I heard a clandestine auction will soon be held. I don't expect the location outright—but I'd appreciate knowing where to obtain that information."
The rogue cultivators' smiles dimmed slightly—but they continued drinking calmly.
The one on the right tapped the table with her finger, regarding Qing Xuanling coldly. "Girl—take this warning from your Elder Sister: don't casually ask such things again. You were lucky to approach us first. Otherwise, your head might be rolling on the ground right now."
A heavy sensation settled in Qing Xuanling's chest. "…What do you mean?"
The rogue cultivator on the left replied casually after taking a sip.
"What she said—literally. Though you may not believe it, these clandestine auctions attract many predators wanting to devour it: like the Mortal Protection Alliance seeking to destroy those involved, or other forces aiming to plunder the auction."
"So auction information is highly confidential. Anyone asking carelessly risks drawing the Ink Sword Sect's enforcers' attention. Those pesky bugs are everywhere now. So remember—don't casually ask such things again~"
She took another forceful sip—unaware of Qing Xuanling's darkening expression, or perhaps simply ignoring it.
'…I was careless.'
Qing Xuanling sighed and asked with a faint smile. "Thank you for the warning. But since you've told me all this—I assume there is a safe place to obtain the auction information…"
The middle rogue cultivator smiled.
Qing Xuanling nodded, withdrew two hundred spirit stones, and dropped them on the table.
"Hehe—I enjoy working with smart people~" The rogue cultivator grinned happily while ordering another round. "Go to the building on xxx Street. Knock six times and say this code…"
Qing Xuanling listened intently, memorizing the code before rising—thanking the rogue cultivators.
"It was a pleasure spending time with you. I hope fate reunites us another day."
The rogue cultivators paid no mind to Qing Xuanling's polite words, merely waving her off.
She didn't mind their casual dismissal and simply left—summoning her companions. The others approached with confused expressions.
"What's wrong? You look like you heard bad news…" Qing Tanwei regarded Qing Xuanling's dark expression with concern.
"I've found where we can get the information we need—but…" Qing Xuanling sighed. "I also discovered Third Brother's team might be in danger."
She quickly explained what she'd learned. The others' expressions darkened immediately.
"This is bad. Though Third Brother isn't foolish, I see little chance he'd evade this situation…" Qing Huayan frowned. "We should hurry. Perhaps we can arrive before they fall into danger."
Qing Tanwei nodded solemnly and led everyone out of the Fragrant Lotus House under the attentive gazes of patrons and workers.
"Do you know where they are?" Qing Xuanling asked, watching Qing Tanwei's determined stride.
"I asked an elder from my family branch to lend me an artifact set that lets me sense the general location of whoever holds the other half." Qing Tanwei sighed. "I requested it as a precaution—but who knew it'd prove useful so soon…"
She inwardly rebuked herself. She'd suggested splitting into teams. Had she not been impatient—if they'd stayed together, trusting Qing Xuanling's limited but vital street experience—no one would be in danger.
Her lips pressed into a thin line. She was genuinely upset by her mistake.
In heavy spirits, the team moved through several streets and alleys under the surprised gazes of pedestrians—mostly haggard-looking cultivators or vagrants.
Fortunately, they encountered no temperamental souls eager to fight them for walking quickly or their youthful appearance.
Without interruption, they swiftly reached where Qing Tanwei sensed Qing Muyu's location. But her expression wasn't joyful.
Intense battle sounds echoed from afar.
Qing Xuanling and the others' eyes sharpened instantly. Without exchanging words, all accelerated—rushing toward the commotion, bodies primed to mobilize Qi.
They navigated a narrow, hidden alley—advancing with difficulty due to poor maintenance. But upon reaching the end, they found an empty lot where a fierce battle raged.
Fourteen men surrounded Qing Muyu and the others, unleashing lethal, rapid sword techniques.
But Qing Xuanling's companions weren't ordinary. They were the Qing Clan's current greatest geniuses—each possessing combat power far above average. Numerical advantage wouldn't overwhelm them immediately.
The empty lot was divided into small battlefields—each member of Qing Muyu's five-person team facing a set number of enemies.
The most intense battle was Qing Muyu's. He faced three opponents simultaneously. Terrifying golden flames wreathed him—burning any attack nearing his body and encircling his fists as he struck.
His enemies warily retreated whenever he advanced, using only ranged attacks to contain him. Qing Muyu couldn't close in either—he had to focus on neutralizing ranged strikes arriving every few seconds. A stalemate for now.
The battle next most intense was the twins' battle. Surprisingly, they faced five enemies at once. Their combined palm and fist strikes were astonishing—overwhelming their foes. They likely would've won easily against four enemies—but five proved challenging. The fifth was especially skilled, disrupting the twins' battle rhythm.
Meanwhile, Qing Rannuan faced two enemies with slight difficulty. One-meter-long water serpents coiled around her—defending and occasionally striking foes. Yet she showed little interest in attacking. Instead, she remained defensive—conserving as much Qi as possible.
All three battles were incredible and impressive—but if Qing Xuanling had to choose the one that stunned her most…
Her gaze slowly turned toward where Qing Xunwei simultaneously faced four enemies—overwhelming them with surprising ease.