Chapter 125: Brother Chu, I Will Be Your Lifetime Friend

In the western part of the city, there was the Street of Wind and Moon.

The Street of Wind and Moon in Taotie City was very famous. This was because it was challenging to hire female cultivators across the vast land to be entertainers in the brothels elsewhere. However, on this street, most of the larger brothels had female cultivators managing them. Of course, the literati qualified to enjoy themselves here were also cultivators and wouldn't tarnish the value of the young ladies.

The long street was adorned with colorful flowers, and in the middle of the street, elegant celestial maidens gracefully danced. Their movements resembled the gentle rise and fall of colorful butterflies fluttering around. At intervals, there were new stages and performances, featuring young ladies from the brothels on both sides attracting customers.

It felt as if one had stepped into an immortal realm of dance and music.

Chu Liang walked on the street covered in soft petals and slowly moved forward. As a broke cultivator who had transcended lowly pleasures, received advanced education, and upheld noble spiritual principles, he naturally wouldn't seek enjoyment in a place like this.

He walked to a tall building named Moon Embracing Pavilion and leaped up. Since the literati who frequented this place were also cultivators, Moon Embracing Pavilion lacked a main entrance facing the street. Instead, a pure white light screen hung high above the building. Chu Liang's figure flickered within it, and in the next moment, he arrived in a different world behind the door.

"Another ascent of an immortal! Welcome to Heaven!"

Upon entering, Chu Liang was welcomed by two rows of celestial maidens in long skirts, twirling gracefully with misty clouds beneath their feet and a gentle breeze surrounding them. Their attire wasn't as revealing as that of ordinary young ladies but rather ethereal, revealing only their fair skin on their shoulders and a portion of their waist and legs.

No wonder it was called the Moon Embracing Pavilion; the design of the suspended door, coupled with celestial maidens welcoming guests, truly gave the feeling of having ascended to the ninth heaven and embraced the moon.

Truly professional.

Chu Liang couldn't help but comment internally.

He then waved his hand and said, "I am here to see someone. Is Brother Wenren of the Sea King Sect here?"

Indeed. The purpose of his visit here today was to see Wenren Mo.

Even though they had never exchanged terms of address, Wenren Mo, a core disciple in a sect ranked in the Terrestrial Ten, was high-profile and generous. Tracing his whereabouts was not difficult. Chu Liang had asked Xu Sui for help with the investigation, and that was how he discovered that Wenren Mo was staying in the Moon Embracing Pavilion, renting a private room for an extended period.

This dude was treating the brothel as his house.

"So you are here to visit Immortal Wenren. He lives in the Yellow Court Palace." The leading "fairy" spoke elegantly.

"Zhi Yun, convey the message," the leading fairy instructed, prompting one of the fairies to deliver the information. Shortly after, Zhi Yun returned and spoke softly, "Immortal Wenren has extended an invitation for this Daoist friend to visit him."

"Alright, lead our Daoist friend there," the leading fairy instructed, raising her hand.

"Thank you," Chu Liang expressed his gratitude as he followed Zhi Yun. They walked along the misty road surrounded by pavilions and towers, eventually arriving at a building constructed in two colors of gold and jade.

A suspended plaque with elegant strokes read "Yellow Court Palace."

Oh, they were really putting in effort...

Chu Liang was mind blown. He pushed open the door, and finally saw "Immortal" Wenren.

This guy was currently refining pills in the room, staring intently at a furnace of reddish-gold divine fire. Upon seeing Chu Liang, he smiled and greeted, "Brother Chu."

"Brother Wenren," Chu Liang greeted and shook his head as he said with a sigh, "You are playing this Immortal character too professionally. You even gave yourself the scene of an immortal refining pills?"

"What do you mean..." Wenren Mo waved his hand, "I am indeed refining pills. I plan to refine a batch of Youth-Retaining Beauty-Preserving Pills as a gift for Miss Xu."

"This item is my trump card. All girls, regardless of whether they are mortals or cultivators, would desire this. Originally, I intended it as a token of affection for her, but things haven't gone well from the start, so I can only bring it out ahead of time," Wenren Mo explained.

Chu Liang looked at his serious expression and curiously asked, "How unfavorable is the situation? Brother Wenren, how far have you and Miss Xu progressed?"

"If this batch of pills pleases her, maybe we can progress to the stage of exchanging a few words," Wenren Mo confidently declared.

"..."

So you haven't even spoken a word with her.

Chu Liang thought to himself.

As Chu Liang pondered, he realized that it was normal. Xu Hongqiu was undoubtedly a determined and decisive heroine, far from an ordinary girl. Even considering the possibility of her desiring a romantic relationship, she wouldn't easily be deceived by a man with ill intentions like Wenren Mo.

With such a target, it would be impossible for Wenren Mo to harbor any hope, even if a hundred years had passed.

Of course, if Wenren Mo had even a glimmer of hope, Chu Liang wouldn't be here today. He came because he was sure that Miss Xu Hongqiu would never be interested in Wenren Mo, allowing him to confidently execute today's plan.

"I have something here that can allow you to save the pill for later use. It would at least ensure that you complete the first step of talking to Miss Xu," Chu Liang said with a smile.

"

Oh?

" Wenren Mo became interested and asked, "What is it?"

"Miss Xu came to Taotie City to investigate the affairs of the Hall of Ten Thousand Beasts. The recent turmoil in the Hall of Ten Thousand Beasts is also related to this. However, I know she hasn't made much progress yet." Chu Liang said, "But I have substantial evidence in my hands that can directly solve the case of the Hall of Ten Thousand Beasts and ensure that she achieves success."

"What is it?" Wenren Mo became slightly excited. Naturally, he had heard about the case of the Hall of Ten Thousand Beasts, as he had been following Xu Hongqiu from the south to the north.

However, he was surprised that Chu Liang had substantial evidence.

"It's a ledger documenting the collaboration of internal members of the Hall of Ten Thousand Beasts in selling mythical beasts to outsiders," Chu Liang explained.

"How did you get your hands on such an item?" Wenren Mo grabbed Chu Liang's hand and begged, "If Miss Xu gets hold of this, she will definitely be pleased. Brother Chu, if you give me this, I will be your lifetime friend!"

"I naturally came here to give this to Brother Wenren." Chu Liang smiled.

"Brother Chu, you must have paid a considerable price to get your hands on such an item. I mustn't let you suffer losses for nothing. What can I offer in return?" Wenren Mo immediately began to contemplate before he asked, "What can I give you?"

Brother Wenren, a man who knows exactly what is the right thing to do.

Chu Liang silently nodded internally. It was certainly comfortable doing business with someone who had high emotional intelligence. Individuals with high emotional intelligence wouldn't wait for you to ask for a price before considering what to offer. Being fellow participants in the same business, this kind of communication gave him a sense of ease.

"Brother Weren, we have a good rapport. It would be too vulgar to talk about money." Chu Liang laughed.

This statement was also a hint, implying that Wenren Mo shouldn't offer spirit stones.

When they went to cause trouble at the Hall of Ten Thousand Beasts earlier, Chu Liang had requested a demonic beast instead of money to cover the cost of medicine. The first reason was that if he had asked for spirit stones, the amount he could obtain might not be sufficient to purchase a demonic creature at the fifth realm of cultivation. Another reason was that if he had received spirit stones, the ending would have been easily guessed...

With his teacher's involvement in this, any profits might end up being split 97-3 in the end—a painful memory that still lingered in Chu Liang's mind!

And so, he requested for spirit beasts or treasures instead. These items were neither valued nor needed by Di Nufeng and they would ultimately end up in his own hands?

When Wenren Mo heard this, he naturally understood what Chu Liang was trying to imply.

He knew that Chu Liang didn't want money.

However, devising a suitable compensation became more challenging as he was left with a lot of room to maneuver. What could he offer that wouldn't be a loss and would satisfy Chu Liang? That was indeed a problem.

After a while, he took out a fist-sized, bright red precious bead that shone with divine light as he held it in his hand.

"This Crimson Lotus Bead is something I found the other day. While it is extremely valuable, it doesn't quite align with the cultivation method I practice. I was planning to sell it. If it can be used as compensation for Brother Chu, that would be perfect," he explained.

He handed the Crimson Lotus Bead to Chu Liang.

"This item can emit divine light that penetrates the darkness, illuminating a thousand miles in the black of night. It can also generate Lotus Divine Fire that is able to counter evil spirits and malevolent entities. If this is of use to Brother Chu, please accept it," he offered.

"Well, okay," Chu Liang reluctantly accepted it.

After inspecting the Crimson Lotus Bead in his hand, Chu Liang found that Wenren Mo's words were true. This item was considered an object of supreme yang. When infused with foundational qi, it could emit divine light or divine fire, with its power increasing with higher cultivation. It was a long-lasting treasure.

He then handed the evidence he obtained from the three young thugs to Wenren Mo and said, "Brother Wenren, please give this evidence to Miss Xu."

With the matter concluded, he bid farewell and stood up.

Before Chu left, Wenren Mo enthusiastically extended an invitation.

"Since Brother Chu is here, why not choose a fairy and experience the feeling of ascending the heavens?" He said with a laugh.

"No, no." Chu Liang quickly waved his hand in refusal, "I will ascend the heavens another time."