Chapter 56 - Listening to Music at the Brothel

The man wore a dark blue long robe, with the faint, coppery scent of blood still clinging to him. His expression was cold and resolute, his brows sharp and his eyes bright. A long scar ran down the left side of his forehead. His bloodshot eyes still carried a killing intent that had yet to dissipate.

He looked about the same age as Li Guanqi, but his hands told a different story—rough with calluses, crisscrossed with old scars. Sensing Li Guanqi’s gaze, the young man turned slightly. He gave a faint, fleeting smile before raising his cup and downing his wine in one gulp.

Li Guanqi was mildly surprised. He hadn’t expected the other man to notice his gaze. He quickly lifted his own cup, stood, and drained it in silent apology. Though he caught a flicker of doubt in the man’s eyes, he didn’t think much of it.

At that moment, a woman in a pink dress with a light veil over her face gracefully stepped onto the elevated platform in the hall. A guqin[1] lay before her. As her jade-like fingers brushed across the strings, melodious music resonated through the restaurant, amplified by a Sound Amplification Array.

The once rowdy hall fell quiet, save for a few hushed whispers. Listening to the music, Li Guanqi felt like he had entered paradise.

The gentle trickle of a spring, the soft chirping of birds and beasts, a lush green meadow, and the breeze caressing his face. The final note faded, and the lingering echoes left everyone yearning for more.

Li Guanqi chuckled softly and fished out a silver ingot. “Give this to the young lady. Call it a token of appreciation for the tea.”

The woman beside him accepted the silver with a smile, then gracefully descended the stairs. Before long, the guqin player from earlier reappeared, this time accompanied by Qing He, walking straight toward Li Guanqi’s table. Before they reached him, Li Guanqi caught the scent of osmanthus in the air.

The woman in pink walked over with graceful steps and offered a slight bow. Her voice was clear and sweet. “Thank you for your generosity, young master. My name is Xiang Yue. If you’d allow it, I can play a piece for you alone.”

Li Guanqi smiled faintly. “Then I shall thank you, Miss Xiang Yue.”

At that moment, a waiter brought her guqin to the table. As she turned around, Xiang Yue finally noticed the young man sitting beside Li Guanqi. She froze for a beat before hurriedly bowing deeply to him.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

“Do what you came to do. Don’t mind me,” the young man said, his voice low and flat

Li Guanqi took all of this in. He quietly extended his divine consciousness toward the young man but found nothing unusual. However, judging by his blood and energy, he was certainly a formidable figure in the martial world, even if he wasn't a cultivator.

Just as Xiang Yue began playing, a sharp whistling suddenly tore through the air.

Bang!

Li Guanqi sprang to his feet, drew his sword, and deflected a flying dagger. The dagger shattered with a loud crack, but its sharp fragments embedded themselves deep into the guqin’s surface. The strings snapped, and a thin line of blood appeared on Xiang Yue’s face.

A sharp, mocking voice rang out from the second floor. “Ha! I was wondering what kind of bigshot it was. To think you’d refuse our young master’s invitation just to come here and play the guqin for some random man!

”Seems like this Drunken Flower Brothel doesn’t want to stay in business, huh? Even a lowly brothel girl dares to defy our young master’s orders now?”

Li Guanqi’s expression darkened. A cultivator at the seventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm attacking a defenseless woman? If he hadn’t intercepted that strike just now, Xiang Yue would have died on the spot.

Li Guanqi sheathed his sword and sneered coldly. “That’s funny. When did lapdogs start thinking of themselves as bigshots? I’ve really broadened my horizons today.”

The man upstairs was barely six and a half feet tall, with a long face and triangular eyes—the kind of sleazy appearance that made people uncomfortable at a glance. Yet he wore a white brocade robe, an elegant getup that only made him look more ridiculous.

The second floor of the Drunken Flower Brothel instantly fell silent. Those who could afford to dine on the second floor were typically people of some status, well-traveled and well-informed.

Many had been eager to watch the drama unfold, but when they saw the figure descending from the third floor, their faces paled, and they quickly lowered their heads.

A murderous glint flickered in the man’s eyes. He licked his lips and scanned the surroundings coldly. “The hell are you all looking at? Keep staring, and I’ll gouge your eyes out!”

Then, he squinted slightly and turned his gaze toward Li Guanqi, “

Tsk,

even blind men are coming to brothels these days? Here just to listen to some music?

Hahaha!

You’ve got some guts. You don’t recognize me, do you? I’m Shu San!”

Two more men had appeared at his side as he spoke. Li Guanqi sneered, too lazy to even respond.

Three mere Qi Refinement Realm cultivators acting like they own the place? Could they be from a family of cultivators?

Li Guanqi thought.

One of the men frowned. “Shu San, why are you dawdling? The young master is still waiting!”

At the mention of their young master, Xiang Yue’s slender frame visibly trembled, as though the name alone had struck terror into her heart.

Li Guanqi sneered as he looked at the three lackeys. He leaned back and propped his foot on the table. Turning to Xiang Yue, he asked, “Do you have spare guqin strings?”

Still flustered, Xiang Yue quickly nodded and took out a set from her sleeve, handing them to him.

Li Guanqi chuckled. “Why give them to me? I don’t know how to play. Replace them and keep playing.”

The three men smirked coldly at his indifference and drew their blades. “Kid, you’re clearly not from around here. Let me give you some advice—don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

Li Guanqi snorted. “Oh, so now I’m the one picking a fight? You’re the ones barging in to snatch people away.”

He sighed, rising to his feet with sword in hand. “Honestly, why even waste time arguing with you?”

At that moment, the brothel's madam rushed forward, trying to mediate. “Esteemed guests, please, let’s not resort to violence.”

She turned to Li Guanqi. “Sir, why not take a step back? I’ll have our finest girls accompany you.”

Then, turned to the men from the third floor and pleaded, “My lords, I’ll send Xiang Yue over to play for Young Master Zhang, along with Xizi, Luhua, and Tianxiang. Please, have mercy on my humble establishment.”

Smack!

Shu San struck her across the face, sending her sprawling to the floor.

He spat on her and sneered viciously. “Mercy? Who the hell do you think you are?

“Brothers! Cripple that blind fool for me!”

Twang! Twang!

A chilling melody erupted from the guqin.

The three men lunged at Li Guanqi. But as they passed the young man beside him, he suddenly rose. Murderous intent flashed in his eyes, and his blade swung out like lightning, slicing straight for Shu San.

Even Li Guanqi hadn’t expected it. The other two men still lunged at him, but in mere seconds, blood from their limbs sprayed in all directions.

“Ahhhh!”

A shriek of agony echoed behind Li Guanqi. In just two breaths, the young man had severed the tendons of the two lackeys.

Li Guanqi stood calmly and looked at the young man. His surprise attack had failed, and he was now caught in a perilous situation.

“Need help?”

The young man hesitated for a heartbeat, then nodded.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The three flashes of cold light left Shu San's limbs completely crippled. Li Guanqi grabbed him by the hair, lifting him off the ground with one hand.

Shu San finally realized they’d provoked someone they shouldn’t have, but he still glared at Li Guanqi with a vicious expression. “You’re dead! Do you know who I work for? I am—”

Crack!

Li Guanqi’s left hand sliced like a blade, driving straight into Shu San’s throat.

Shu San’s eyes widened in disbelief. Even in death, he couldn’t believe that his opponent had actually killed him. Wasn’t he supposed to wait for him to reveal his backer at least?

Li Guanqi casually tossed the corpse aside and muttered, “How can he be even blinder than me? He couldn’t see what was happening at all.”

1. A plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument ☜