Chapter 88: The Leopard Palace
Seeing Zhao Wencheng’s panicked reaction, they thought he either hadn’t been to the Leopard Palace and was being wrongly accused, or he was simply afraid of his wife.
Shi Hao said to Zhao Wencheng, “Tell me where the Leopard Palace is.”
Yue Ya’er and Xu Xiaoyan looked at him.
Shi Hao lowered his voice, “Perhaps we can find some useful clues there.”
Zhao Wencheng told him the location, adding, “But ordinary people, even if they’re wealthy, can’t enter. You need to be introduced by a regular customer, and the Leopard Palace’s clientele are all prominent figures from wealthy families, the government, or the gangs.”
Shi Hao looked at Xu Xiaoyan.
Xu Xiaoyan stepped back, crossing her arms, “You want me to go to a place like that?”
Yue Ya’er’s eyes flickered, and she suddenly said, “Since only prominent figures can enter, how about I go?”
Everyone stared at her… Don’t be ridiculous!
Was that a place for a young lady of her status?
Yue Ya’er, hands on her hips, smiled, “I’ll just mobilize troops and tell them I’m conducting an investigation. With the backing of the Ancestral Altar and the Yue Ke Tai family, they wouldn’t dare to stop me. How dare they send assassins after me! Do they really think I’m so easy to bully?”
Xu Xiaoyan said, “That won’t work. A powerful gang like the Leopard Gate can’t be suppressed by the government, even temporarily. And sending troops in won’t accomplish anything. They have their ways.”
Zhao Wencheng and Li Jingya nodded in agreement… Although the government was powerful, they could only suppress gangs, not eradicate them.
Every government wished to eliminate gangs and control everything, but no dynasty had ever truly achieved that.
And the current barbarian court, despite its military strength, was losing control of the lower levels of society.
The Leopard Palace, through its connections with the wealthy and powerful, had considerable influence. Even with Yue Ya’er’s backing, shutting them down, even temporarily, would be difficult.
Of course, if Yue Ya’er did lead an official investigation, the Leopard Gate would have to tolerate it, at least superficially.
After all, their connections were hidden. Publicly, the court was the court, and a gang was a gang.
Shi Hao said, “Let’s see if we can infiltrate and find some clues. If that doesn’t work, we’ll think of something else. Dealing with a gang connected to the demonic sects requires more than just brute force.”
Yue Ya’er crossed her arms, “If you need troops, come to the Jade Flower Courtyard and let me know.”
She gritted her teeth, “If it weren’t for Shi Hao, I would be dead! I won’t forget this!”
Seeing her fury, Shi Hao and Xu Xiaoyan knew the Leopard Gate, and the Ghost Extreme Sect, were in serious trouble.
Of course, the Ghost Extreme Sect was simply unlucky. Normally, with Blood Shadow Undying Child hiding in Yue Ya’er’s room, and the Thunderclap Eighteen Riders guarding outside, her death might have gone unnoticed.
Since he had been able to sneak in, he could also sneak out. They would only know Yue Ya’er was dead, not who was responsible.
And even if they found the assassin, they would just think it was strange that a child had killed her.
Only someone like Xu Xiaoyan, with her deep knowledge of the demonic sects, could identify him as “Blood Shadow Undying Child” based on his appearance, weapon, and techniques.
Most people in the martial world had never even heard of him.
If Yue Ya’er hadn’t brought Shi Hao to her room, she would be dead.
That night, Shi Hao and Xu Xiaoyan slipped into the streets of Dàxīng City.
They were disguised again, using the Evil Shadow Disguise Technique, dressed in martial attire, and Shi Hao carried the Heroic Deeds Blade.
Instead of going directly to the Leopard Palace, they first passed through a red-light district.
They noticed several gang members watching them. Two followed them discreetly, while the others quickly left.
They quickened their pace, lost their tails, and then hid on a nearby rooftop.
They saw a large group of men searching the area where they had disappeared.
Shi Hao whispered, “As expected, the Ghost Extreme Sect is behind the Leopard Gate.”
Those gang members were from the Leopard Gate. Clearly, wanting the Emerald Beauty, the Ghost Extreme Sect had distributed their descriptions and ordered the Leopard Gate to keep an eye out for them.
As one of the three gangs and six societies of Dàxīng City, if the Leopard Gate hadn’t been informed, they would have been surrounded without even knowing why.
And Huan Tingting, the Black Heart Enchantress, had actually been warning them.
The three Evil Lotus factions wanted the Emerald Beauty but were also afraid of it falling into the hands of the Ghost Extreme Sect.
Shi Hao pulled Xu Xiaoyan along, “Let’s go!”
They moved through the dark alleys, occasionally scaling walls to avoid the main streets.
Dàxīng City wasn’t as quiet at night as they had expected. They encountered other figures lurking in the shadows, each wary of the other, avoiding contact.
In a secluded alley, two groups clashed, blades flashing, bodies falling.
The areas near the red-light district were the most bustling, a stark contrast to the quieter residential areas.
They reached the outskirts of the Leopard Palace, an area filled with brothels. Behind the brothels was a circular mountain, where the Leopard Palace was located.
Without prior knowledge, no one would suspect such a place existed within the mountain.
They used their movement skills to avoid the guards patrolling the brothels.
The moonlight was faint, but the area was brightly lit by lanterns, a vibrant and bustling scene.
Lanterns of various designs hung from the buildings and lined the streets, a dazzling display.
Carriages and people filled the streets, wealthy merchants, elegantly dressed scholars, and young martial artists with swords at their waists.
A large, ornate building stood before them, its golden sign proclaiming it as the “Drunken Spring Breeze.”
This was the largest brothel in the area, and the entrance to the Leopard Palace was through it.
For most, the “Drunken Spring Breeze” offered more than enough pleasure. Only the truly wealthy and influential knew that this lavish brothel was merely a stepping stone to even greater indulgences.
Shi Hao and Xu Xiaoyan exchanged glances.
Xu Xiaoyan bit her lip and looked at him, her face slightly crooked… You really want me to go to a place like this?
Shi Hao whispered, “If we don’t take down the Leopard Gate, we can’t stay in Dàxīng City.”
Xu Xiaoyan sighed softly. The underlying message was that she had to stay in Dàxīng City with him.
But she was the one who had brought him here in the first place.
She took out the Night Wanderer Talisman and activated it.
Hand in hand, they were enveloped in a black mist and floated upwards, disappearing into the night.
They drifted through the bustling brothel, the sounds of music, laughter, and clinking glasses filling the air.
Xu Xiaoyan even thought she heard sounds that a respectable, unmarried girl shouldn’t hear.
Although the Night Wanderer Talisman could only be used at night, its ability to let them float above the crowds, “wandering” through the night, was a significant advantage.
They passed through buildings and courtyards, reaching the back garden, a much quieter area with palanquins coming and going.
Trees, watchtowers, and cliff faces lined a passage that seemed to lead into the mountain itself.
Anyone attempting to enter uninvited would be met with a barrage of arrows and hidden weapons, an inescapable trap.
They passed through this area and emerged into a hidden valley.
Elegant buildings lined the circular cliffs within the mountain, strings of lanterns hanging down like a starry sky, a dazzling sight.
Beautiful women and girls, dressed in revealing attire, moved gracefully through the various areas, the sounds of music and laughter mingling, creating a sensual paradise.
“Where are we going?” Shi Hao asked, overwhelmed by the sights and sounds.
He was surrounded by beautiful women, their attire leaving little to the imagination.
He looked at Xu Xiaoyan, her disguised face plain and unremarkable, a strange contrast to the surrounding beauties.
She was like a gnarled tree in a field of flowers.
Xu Xiaoyan, experienced in such matters, whispered, “Look for the darkest, most secluded area, the one with the tightest security. That’s where the true master of the Leopard Palace will be.”
She took his hand, and they floated upwards.
Using the talisman’s power, they surveyed the area from above.
Under normal circumstances, they would have to infiltrate stealthily, searching blindly, room by room, a time-consuming and risky process.
But with the Night Wanderer Talisman, they had a bird’s-eye view. And Xu Xiaoyan, skilled in feng shui and divination, quickly identified their target based on the lighting, the layout of the buildings, and the movement of people.
“There!” she pointed, and they floated towards it.
Hand in hand, they drifted over the beautiful, palace-like structures.
They passed through a curtain of lanterns and arrived at a relatively secluded area, much darker and quieter than the rest of the Leopard Palace, but with numerous hidden guards…
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