Chapter 626: The Brothel in the Capital City
Chapter 626: The Brothel in the Capital City
The man in white dispatched a few of his subordinates to move the gold, pearls, and jade from the camel to the desert boat. Then, he threw a large, dazzling gem into Jin Banhua’s hand.
"Here’s the Star of Bliss, now go away!"
The man in white coldly said this, then waved his hand. The mountain vulture on the deck took off, pulling the desert boat away at high speed.
...
Hu Tiehua, who had swallowed a few mouthfuls of sand, couldn’t help but sigh in relief, feeling a bit incredulous. "Stone Guanyin didn’t actually kill us?"
Jin Banhua looked at Hu Tiehua, "Do you mean that woman was Stone Guanyin?"
"Of course, it was Stone Guanyin," Hu Tiehua said. "Who else could be so mysterious? Who else would have that desert boat?"
Hu Tiehua sighed, "Stone Guanyin has tried to kill me and Chu Liuxiang several times but never succeeded. This time, I was knocked out by a drug, so why didn’t she make her move?"
Hearing Hu Tiehua’s words, Princess Pipa also sighed in relief. Though she trusted Jin Banhua, it was always better not to have to face a mysterious expert like Stone Guanyin.
"Whether Stone Guanyin wants to kill you, I don’t know, but that woman just now definitely wasn’t Stone Guanyin," Jin Banhua said.
Princess Pipa and Hu Tiehua both looked up.
"How do you know she wasn’t Stone Guanyin?" Princess Pipa asked.
"Because she’s younger than Stone Guanyin!" Jin Banhua said matter-of-factly. "Stone Guanyin has been in the desert for over a decade, but that woman in white is probably only in her early twenties."
"Could Stone Guanyin have been a top expert in the desert, ruling the Central Plains, and unbeatable by anyone, all by the age of ten or so?"
"Are you saying that woman is in her early twenties?" Hu Tiehua asked in surprise. "How do you know that?"
"Tch!" Jin Banhua said disdainfully. "You can doubt my martial arts, but you can’t doubt my understanding of women. That woman in white, though her voice was cold, it carried a youthful vibe and definitely wasn’t over twenty-two!"
Hu Tiehua, "…"
Princess Pipa, "…"
Hu Tiehua was suddenly inspired, "If that wasn’t Stone Guanyin, where is she then?"
Princess Pipa thought for a moment, "Could it be that she was held back by Chu Liuxiang and Ji Bingyan?"
"It’s possible!" Hu Tiehua nodded repeatedly, his eyes gleaming. "I knew that stinky old bug wouldn’t let us down!"
"It’s also possible that they were captured by Stone Guanyin, and she’s personally watching over them, so she sent her disciple to show up," Jin Banhua said.
Hu Tiehua glared at him, "Can’t you say something good for once?"
Jin Banhua pointed to the departing desert boat, "When that desert boat stopped, didn’t you notice anything?"
Princess Pipa asked, "Notice what?"
"An incredibly rare sight of a desert boat, you didn’t take a good look?" Jin Banhua asked in surprise.
Hu Tiehua was speechless, "What exactly are you trying to say?"
Jin Banhua said, "I’m saying that when the desert boat stopped, I took a closer look and saw two familiar pairs of eyes through the window curtains of the boat cabin."
Hu Tiehua was taken aback, his voice trembling, "Who did you see?"
"Chu Liuxiang and Ji Bingyan!" Jin Banhua said frankly.
Hu Tiehua almost jumped up from the sand but only managed to rise an inch before falling back with a thud. He stammered, "You really saw that stinky old bug and the dead rooster?"
Jin Banhua stroked his chin. "I don't really know them that well, and they're not women, but the way they look at you is quite concerned, almost like they care."
Hu Tiefeng was stunned. "Could they really have been captured by Shiguanyin? How is that even possible?"
"If they were trying to infiltrate Shiguanyin's lair by disguising themselves, they would need to act naturally and relaxed. If she saw through their act, it would be normal for her to ambush and capture them," Jin Banhua reasoned with a serious tone.
Hu Tiefeng gaped. "Then why didn't Shiguanyin kill them?"
"How should I know?"
"Why didn't that white-clad figure just capture us too?" Hu Tiefeng continued.
"How should I know?"
"But doesn't that mean Lao Chouchong and the others are in danger?" Hu Tiefeng realized.
"How should I know?"
"Then what do you know?" Hu Tiefeng demanded angrily.
"I know you should thank me," Jin Banhua said calmly.
Hu Tiefeng stared at him. "Why should I thank you?"
Jin Banhua pulled a wooden bottle from his robe, uncorked it, and a faint scent of safflower wafted out. "What do you think this is?"
"This is the bottle we found earlier. It contains the flower powder that Lao Chouchong personally blended. He's such a dandy, always spritzing himself with floral scents that linger for days," Hu Tiefeng said.
Jin Banhua explained, "I sprinkled some of that flower powder on the pearl-encrusted wall."
Princess Pipa's eyes lit up, and she couldn't help but sniff the air. "So we can track the scent of the flower powder to find Shiguanyin's hideout?"
"Exactly!" Jin Banhua snapped his fingers. "When Chu Liuxiang and the others were subdued, we couldn't act rashly. But if we follow the scent trail, we might be able to rescue them when they least expect it."
Jin Banhua turned to Hu Tiefeng. "So, shouldn't you thank me?"
Hu Tiefeng was both surprised and delighted. "I'm so grateful to you! You're like a reincarnation of Zhang Liang and Zhuge Liang! Once we save Lao Chouchong and Dead Rooster, I'll drink with you for three days and three nights!"
"One drink is enough. I'm not interested in drinking with you for three days," Jin Banhua waved him off.
"Then let's hurry and follow the trail!" Hu Tiefeng urged anxiously.
Jin Banhua looked at Hu Tiefeng, who was still sprawled on the sand. "The question is, can you get up?"
Hu Tiefeng tried again but could only manage a sheepish grin. "It seems I'm still a bit short."
Jin Banhua smiled and, as the sky grew darker, called for Liao Gang and Ye Jin to gather the horses and camels in a circle. He then lit a campfire and helped Hu Tiefeng sit up.
"Don't worry. We'll wait until you're fully recovered before we follow the trail," Jin Banhua said calmly.
But Hu Tiefeng was worried. "What if the flower scent fades?"
"It won't. I checked, and that scent is quite persistent," Jin Banhua pointed to his nose. "You have to trust my skills honed in the capital. I can identify a woman by the scent of her rouge, even with my eyes closed, among a dozen of them!"
While Jin Banhua didn't have the skills of Hu Manlou, he could certainly track a trail of safflower scent.
But Hu Tiefeng was speechless. "I never thought the brothels in the capital could be so good at training people..."
(End of Chapter)
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