Kai Tai County City was a prosperous city ranking among the top five in the Kingdom of Lu.
The city was fortified with high and thick walls, at least three stories tall. Within its confines, tall buildings were abundant, with structures of three, four, or even four to five stories readily visible.
The streets teemed with people, wide enough for two to three carriages to pass abreast, measuring at least three to four meters in width. Even the beggars huddled in corners displayed a faint sheen of oil on their faces.
All these details spoke volumes of the city's prosperity.
This scene was an eye-opener for Huang Feifei, a young lady from the countryside, who found everything novel and fascinating.
Xiao Fei, on the other hand, felt little impression. He had seen buildings over a hundred stories tall; these four or five-story old, dilapidated dwellings no longer caught his eye.
After inquiring from passersby about the location of Chunman Tower, he first settled Huang Feifei into an inn and then headed directly for Chunman Tower.
He needed to enter the pleasure house, and it was inconvenient to have a woman by his side.
It was akin to bringing your own wine to a grand restaurant; it would invariably attract many odd glances.
Outside Chunman Tower, various luxurious carriages were parked. Well-dressed men emerged from these vehicles, their ages ranging from thirteen to seventy-three. Regardless of their appearance, pimps stepped forward to greet them enthusiastically.
Xiao Fei even saw an elder with a head full of white hair being carried inside by several servants.
Judging by their attire and accoutrements, the patrons were all wealthy and influential. Xiao Fei patted the silver in his embrace, unsure if it would be enough.
Xiao Fei, clad in a simple grey coarse cloth robe and having arrived on foot, received a far less distinguished treatment.
A pimp merely curled his lips at him and gestured towards a row of seats in the corner.
"Find your own seat over there!"
Xiao Fei found a spot in the corner. Several people were already seated there, none of whom appeared to be wealthy.
Beside Xiao Fei sat a young man dressed as a constable, who ordered a pot of wine and drank it alone, nodding his head to the music being played on stage.
"May I ask your honorable surname, Officer?"
Xiao Fei took the initiative to strike up a conversation, casually refilling the constable's wine.
"My surname is Xu. I have no business today and came to this establishment to listen to music. It seems you are a fellow enthusiast, my friend!"
The constable, surnamed Xu, was amiable and seemed easy to talk to.
"Brother Xu appears to be quite familiar with Chunman Tower."
"Reasonably so. I often come here to listen to music and have become acquainted with the madam, the pimps, and the girls."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Fei eagerly poured another cup of wine for him.
"To be frank, I am here today to find someone. May I ask if Brother Xu has heard of a girl named Xiao Lan?"
"Heh heh! It seems you don't frequent pleasure houses often, my friend."
The constable surnamed Xu chuckled.
"The girls in pleasure houses all conceal their real names and use only courtesan names.
Chunman Tower has over a hundred girls. Unless you intend to search through every single one, which would be quite costly, you might be able to find her by directly approaching the madam."
"Thank you for the information, Brother Xu."
Xiao Fei expressed his gratitude to the constable surnamed Xu and also offered a pot of wine as a token of his appreciation.
The cost of consumption at Chunman Tower was indeed high; a small pot of bland, tasteless wine cost 200 copper coins, enough to buy over ten jin of grain.
Xiao Fei sat in the corner for a long time, his eyes constantly following the girls entering and exiting, hoping to spot his second sister. However, he was disappointed and found nothing.
Yet, he did notice a detail: a small door from the main hall led to the back courtyard, and the girls entered and exited through this door. This area behind the door was likely their living and resting quarters.
Xiao Fei found an opportunity and quietly slipped through this door. Beyond it was a large courtyard, from which the voices of many women could be heard.
Just as Xiao Fei was tiptoeing towards the small courtyard, footsteps sounded from behind.
"Halt!"
The plump madam had already positioned herself in front of him, hands on her hips.
"I've been watching you for a long time, sneaking around, staring at the girls, yet unwilling to spend money. You've only spent a tael of silver in half a day."
"Apologies, I am here to find someone. May I ask if you have..."
Seeing it was the madam, Xiao Fei quickly seized the opportunity to inquire.
"Which young master or esteemed official who enters Chunman Tower isn't here to find a girl?"
The madam blocked Xiao Fei's path, and several pimps had already arrived upon hearing the commotion.
"I am truly here to find someone. I am looking for Xiao Lan, and I wish to buy her freedom! The price is negotiable!"
Xiao Fei quickly stated his purpose, but the madam had no intention of wasting her breath on him.
"I have no such person here!"
"With your shabby appearance, I advise you not to harbor any intentions towards the girls of Chunman Tower!"
The madam, unwilling to waste words on a pauper like Xiao Fei, immediately ordered the pimps to drive him away.
Over a dozen pimps surrounded him, wielding clubs. Among them, several had clearly practiced martial arts.
Even with his lightness technique, Xiao Fei still received two blows on his back, which stung fiercely.
In a brothel, the madam held the highest status; everything in the establishment belonged to her.
Typically, madams had powerful patrons backing them, making them formidable figures.
Pimps served as attendants to the outside world but acted as the madam's claws and enforcers within, using various cruel methods to subdue disobedient prostitutes.
Despite their outwardly glamorous appearance, prostitutes were at the very bottom, exploited by the madam and pimps, merely tools for earning money.
Especially for those who contracted illnesses or grew old and lost their looks, their fate was even more tragic. Most were eventually wrapped in straw mats and discarded in mass graves.
Xiao Fei was driven out of Chunman Tower by a group of pimps wielding clubs, drawing the mockery of many patrons.
After leaving Chunman Tower, Xiao Fei temporarily returned to the inn where Huang Feifei was staying.
Seeing that several places on Xiao Fei's robe were torn, Huang Feifei quickly found needle and thread and quietly began to mend it for him.
Throughout their journey, Huang Feifei had indeed acted like a maid, as Dr. Huang had said, proactively doing chores like serving tea and water.
Xiao Fei often felt uneasy about this but could not dissuade her.
Xiao Fei ate a meal with Huang Feifei at the inn and rested for a while. At the fifth watch, Xiao Fei left the inn again and headed towards Chunman Tower.
This time, he did not use the main entrance but scaled the wall directly.
In other places, the fifth watch marked the early morning, when many people would be waking up to start their day.
However, at Chunman Tower, the night life was just ending, and everyone was fast asleep.
Xiao Fei, having gained some understanding of the layout during the day, grabbed a night-shift pimp by the restroom and inquired about the madam's residence.
He then intended to knock the pimp unconscious. However, his technique might have been flawed, as the pimp's head bled without him losing consciousness. Instead, the pimp became more alert and energetic.
With no other choice, he had to tie the pimp up with his belt and stuff his mouth with a smelly sock.
The madam, suffering from neurasthenia due to prolonged late nights, had poor sleep quality and woke easily. Therefore, she resided in the most secluded room.
When Xiao Fei stealthily entered the madam's room, the old woman was wide awake, counting sheep.
"Ah—"
A startled cry was cut short as Xiao Fei quickly moved forward to cover her mouth, drawing his black saber and holding it against the madam's neck.
"Mama Zhang! Is something wrong?"
The half-uttered cry had alerted the night-shift pimp outside.
Xiao Fei did not want to alert the pimp and cause a major disturbance at Chunman Tower, which would attract all the constables in Kai Tai County.
Hearing the approaching footsteps outside, Xiao Fei, in his haste, slapped the madam's exposed thigh.
"Slap!"
"Slap, slap, slap..."
The sounds, one after another, were rhythmic and pleasing to the ear, capable of dispelling fatigue and easing pain.
"You old hag, you're really something!"
"Keep shouting for me!"
Xiao Fei continued to slap the madam's thigh with one hand, bruising her leg, while the saber in his other hand remained pressed against her neck.
"Keep shouting for me!"
"Ah, ah, ah..."
The madam was a professional in this regard, her voice shifting from high-pitched to deep and suppressed, and then to a torrent.
After listening for a while, several pimps exchanged chuckles and left.
Now, Xiao Fei no longer feared making even more noise.
"Let me ask you again, do you have a woman named Xiao Lan here?"
The madam shook her head.
"Slap!"
Xiao Fei gave her another firm slap.
"Ah—"
"Think carefully again."
"Slap, slap, slap~"
"Two years ago, a trafficker named Mao Shixian brought her over. She was fifteen or sixteen at the time."
"Ah~"
"I remember now. Two years ago, I did indeed take in a girl named Xiao Lan."
Prompted by Xiao Fei, the madam indeed recalled such a person.
"However, she is not here. She left a year ago."
"Slap!"
Xiao Fei delivered another crisp slap. Some people only spoke under duress.
"Ah~"
"Young master, please stop!"
The madam cried out in pain, sweat breaking out on her forehead.
"Where did she go? Why did she leave here?"
Xiao Fei asked with a hint of urgency, finally having news of his second sister, which made him somewhat nervous, fearing any unforeseen circumstances.
"She was bought by a distinguished patron!"
"Who? Where does he live?"
"I don't know. It was the son of the wealthiest family in this city, the Lin family, who accompanied the buyer."
"Slap, slap, slap!"
Xiao Fei then interrogated her for more specific information before leaving Chunman Tower as dawn was still a ways off.
The madam was left in the room with a dazed expression, her sweat soaking half the bed from the pain.
Xiao Fei returned to the inn to rest for a day. The following night, he infiltrated the Lin mansion again.
He now understood that when conversing with people of status, unless you possess equal standing, they would not pay you any mind and would dismiss you in a few words.
The madam of Chunman Tower was a prime example.
Therefore, this time, he did not expect to formally meet the Lin family's son. He simply slipped in and held a saber to the man's neck, allowing the conversation to proceed in an orderly fashion.
However, after a conversation, Xiao Fei learned that his second sister had been resold again.
And this time, the buyer was a Celestial Master.
Young Master Lin only knew that in the northern part of the Kingdom of Lu, there was a Celestial City inhabited by a large number of cultivators.
His second sister had been resold at a high price to this Celestial City.