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Chapter 26: Black Market Part 2
"Why are we in this indecent place?!" Bai Lan exclaimed, distancing himself from the scantily clad women attempting to draw near.
Lan Yang just rolled his eyes. "What's got you so uptight? Relax and enjoy the company of these ladies," he retorted, leisurely enjoying his drink as a group of women gathered around him.
Bai Lan's expression soured. "Remember our purpose. This isn't right, and I want no part in it!" he protested loudly, making to leave the room, only to halt at Lan Yang's taunting question, "Or is it that you prefer men?"
The remark sent Bai Lan seething. He struggled to maintain his composure as Lan Yang continued to goad him, suggesting a visit to the neighboring brothel for male company. That was the last straw. A surge of silver spiritual energy burst forth from Bai Lan's blade. Lan Yang reacted just in time, drawing his sword to parry the attack, though some of the energy still sliced through, nicking his skin.
"Easy there! Remember Master Zhan Baiwon's words about keeping a low profile?" Lan Yang reminded him, fending off Bai Lan's continued assault.
Taking a moment to breathe, Bai Lan sheathed his sword and turned a cold gaze towards the women cowering in fear. "You didn't see anything," he stated flatly.
One woman sobbed quietly, another nodded vigorously, and a third looked close to passing out. Confident they would remain silent, Bai Lan strode towards the door with a mix of composure and annoyance. Lan Yang gave a nonchalant look back at the women before following after Bai Lan.
On the expansive jade stage, Shan Ling swayed her hips and flashed a seductive smile as she danced like a delicate blossom before the audience. She cast a glance at Chen Yi, her expression pleading for praise with a look that said, "Chen Yi jiejie, praise me!" Yet Chen Yi remained composed, seated calmly in the corner with her eyes closed, subtly surveying the area through the surplus spiritual qi she released in secret. Shan Ling, with a pout, redirected her focus to captivate the onlookers, moving with elegance on the stage and emitting her enchantment qi to mesmerize the surrounding crowd.
"Lady! Come with me back to my manor; this brother will take care of you!"
"No, you should come with me! I have mountains of treasure in my palace!"
"Beautiful lady, don't listen to them! They just want to bed you! You should come with me!"
"Tch! Isn't your intention the same as ours?!"
"That's right! How dare you pretend to be clean!"
"What did you say?! I won't just bed her; I'll also marry her after! Isn't my intention pure?!"
"Bastard! You must've dropped your brain somewhere! Go home and fuck some hole in your house!"
"You go and fuck some holes! Your dick is not really that big!"
"Say what?! Have you seen it?! Did you suck dicks before, huh?"
"It's obvious by looking at you! Fat men have dicks smaller than their thumbs! You won't satisfy that beautiful lady!"
"This bastard! You have the guts to disgrace me?!"
"Yeah, so what! My status is higher than yours! Just do some closed-door cultivation to enlarge your dick!"
"You enlarge your dick! Go see some alchemists and request that they make you a penis enlargement pill!"
"Geh! Even though my dick is not that big, it's not worse than your tiny ass dick!"
"You fucker, come here, let's fight!"
"What? You feel mocked!? I'm afraid my punch will just bounce in your fat body!"
"You bastard—"
"Fat ugly man—"
Liu Xiao let out a heavy sigh and massaged his temples. Earlier, he had crafted tiny plum blossom petals using his spiritual qi to create a device for effective surveillance. However, the only things he heard and saw were utterly absurd.
"Haaa, one was discussing gay stuff, while another was fixated on discussing dick sizes. What on earth is this? Can we truly complete this mission?" Liu Xiao murmured to himself, his mind in disarray.
Annoyed, he grabbed a small biscuit from the table and bit into it furiously. They had been in the brothel for far too long, and Shi Xuan had yet to return. Shi Xuan had arranged a room and food for him before leaving to handle some matters, but two hours had passed without any sign of him.
Liu Xiao sighed, took a sip of tea, and was about to employ his surveillance technique again when he suddenly felt an overwhelming demonic qi permeating the brothel.
This time, it wasn't just a trace of demonic qi; it felt as though someone was deliberately releasing it. Liu Xiao stood up, convinced that Shi Xuan must be engaged in battle with the demonic cultivator, and dashed out of the brothel. As he ran, he released four papers into the air and infused them with his qi, shouting, "HEY GUYS, HEAD TO THE LARGE BROTHEL WITH RED LIGHTS IMMEDIATELY! I'VE DETECTED DEMONIC QI! I BELIEVE SHI XUAN IS IN A FIGHT! HURRY!"
The papers soared into the sky; two headed towards Bai Lan and La Yang, while the other two sought out Shan Ling and Chen Yi. Minutes later, all four arrived at the brothel, where Liu Xiao was waiting. Their weapons drawn and breaths heavy with anticipation, they looked to Liu Xiao, who declared, "Listen up, we're done investigating; prepare for battle."
Suddenly, the individuals in the black market began screaming and fleeing. Shadowy figures appeared in the sky; their wings resembled those of a dragonfly, faceless, with bodies cloaked in black, emanating black and red demonic energy. Liu Xiao was on the verge of unleashing his orange spiritual energy, but upon sighting the figure, he involuntarily exclaimed. "Oh shi—guys look! They don't have dicks! Oh my god!" Liu Xiao yelled and gasped in shock.
The four were taken by surprise. Chen Yi, perched on the roof, let out a loud sigh and called down to him amidst the fray. "Tsk! Brother Liu, can't you ever behave normally? They're insect-like demons disguised as humans!" Liu Xiao paused, gave an awkward laugh, and scratched his head. Then he readied his sword and began to levitate. His once-white, pink spiritual energy transformed into a vivid orange glow that encased him, making him appear as if he were on fire.
They were up against hundreds of swarming insect demons. The demons' faces split open, emitting a piercing demonic screech before darting towards them in a blur. Liu Xiao stepped forward and shouted, "STAY BACK!" He closed his eyes, channeling a vast amount of spiritual energy into his sword's blade, and swung it horizontally multiple times with tremendous force. Ten expansive waves of orange spiritual energy emerged, decimating the approaching demon insects. Liu Xiao exhaled in relief and cried out, "ATTACK NOW!!!"
The four on the roof leaped into the sky and began their assault on the screeching demon insects. Lan Yang fought fiercely like a wild gorilla, crushing several small insects with his massive two-handed sword. Shan Ling wielded his whip, ensnaring a demon insect's body, while Chen Yi swiftly severed its wings and head with a single stroke of her blade. Meanwhile, Bai Lan simply walked up to the demon insects and, with minimal movement of his sword, sliced them effortlessly as if they were tofu.
As they continued their one-sided slaughter of the insects, more swarmed in from seemingly nowhere to attack in groups. A thought struck Liu Xiao; he surveyed the area and then looked at the four. "BUY ME SOME TIME! I'LL FIND SHI XUAN AND THE DEMON CULTIVATOR! YOU GUYS GO AND DESTROY THE UNDERWORLD GATE WHEREVER IT'S HIDDEN!" With that, Liu Xiao leapt onto his sword and soared into the sky at an incredible speed.
As he pursued the potent demonic qi lingering in the air, the ambiance abruptly shifted to one of sinister foreboding. Liu Xiao feared that Shi Xuan must have sustained injuries, given the formidable presence of the demon cult. With increased urgency, he hastened his pace and arrived at a gambling den that dwarfed their previous haunt. Swallowing hard, Liu Xiao approached one of the expansive red wall's openings. He glimpsed a towering figure, and as he was about to turn towards it, Liu Xiao stumbled over an errant branch, landing face-first on the ground.
Damn it, why do I always trip when making an entrance? This is embarrassing! Liu Xiao thought, yearning to vanish into the marble beneath him. Yet, concern for Shi Xuan propelled him to his feet. He swiftly rose, cleared his throat, and brushed the dust from his robe as if nothing had transpired. The towering figure had disappeared, and in its place was Shi Xuan, advancing towards him with an expression of concern.
Liu Xiao blinks twice before giving a slow nod. Who was that man? It feels like I've seen that figure before. He shook his head and thought that maybe he was hallucinating. He went to crouch, then focused on examining Shi Xuan's body.
"Shi Xiao, are you injured? Do you have any wounds? Where is the demon cult?" Liu Xiao inquired, checking Shi Xuan's pulse urgently. After confirming Shi Xuan was unharmed, he released Shi Xuan's wrist and rose to his feet. "She escaped," Shi Xuan stated succinctly.
She? Liu Xiao's eyes widened, and his mouth parted slightly. Overcome with remorse, he offered an apology to Shi Xuan. "Ah, sorry, I must have distracted you, allowing the female demon cultist to flee," Liu Xiao admitted, his expression downcast and remorseful. Shi Xuan merely shook his head and responded, "It's not your fault, Gege. I allowed her to go."
"SEE?! THAT BOY IS DEFINITELY FROM THE DEMON CULT! HE'S A SPY WHO DECIDED TO JOIN US AND SABOTAGE OUR MISSION!" Bai Lan accused loudly from behind. Liu Xiao turned and noticed the four companions behind him, furrowing his brow as he recalled his earlier orders. "What's going on? Why are you here?" he asked, perplexed.
"The demon insects withdrew suddenly, and the underworld gate shrank before vanishing. That's why we followed your trail here," Chen Yi explained plainly. "Pfftt—Brother Liu, you were so clumsy earlier. You stumbled! Fufufu!"
Shan Ling teased from behind her hand, trying to stifle her laughter. Recalling his earlier mishap, Liu Xiao chose to disregard their comments and redirected his attention to Shi Xuan. "Why would Shi Xuan let the demon cultist escape?" he pondered aloud.
"She will undoubtedly report back to the demon cult leader and rush here to ravage the black market soon," Shi Xuan conjectured. Liu Xiao nodded in agreement, casting a glance at Bai Lan that conveyed a message of vindication: 'See? He's not a shady kid!' Surveying the deserted black market and the surrounding devastation, he scratched his head and exhaled deeply before declaring, "For now, let's return to report and then request immediate reinforcement here."
The four concurred and drew their weapons. They retraced their steps along the ominous stone path and approached the carriage, still waiting there.
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