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The next morning, at the Lin'an Inn.
Sunlight streamed into the room through the window lattice. Gu Liufeng stretched, his bones crackling like popping beans.
He opened his room door and happened to run into "Brother Huang," who was about to go downstairs for breakfast. Huang Rong was holding a folding fan, ready to greet this "block of wood," but when her gaze fell upon Gu Liufeng, her entire body instantly stiffened.
"You…"
Huang Rong's eyes widened, as if she had seen a ghost. She circled Gu Liufeng three times, her intelligent eyes filled with disbelief.
Yesterday, this man's aura, though long and sustained, was merely at the peak of the Xiantian (Innate) realm, vastly inferior to her father, who, despite his eccentric temper, possessed martial arts that surpassed all others.
Yet, only one night had passed!
Gu Liufeng, standing before her now, had his essence, qi, and spirit completely restrained. His temples were prominently bulging, and every subtle movement exuded a faint, oppressive aura that seemed to merge with his surroundings.
This was a sign of True Qi solidifying into liquid, an early indication of comprehending martial intent!
"You… you broke through?"
Huang Rong swallowed, her voice changing pitch. "And not just breaking through the Xiantian realm, but… but Grandmaster peak?! How is this possible!"
Her father, Huang Yaoshi, known as the Eastern Heretic, was a prodigy of immense talent, yet he only touched the threshold of the Grandmaster realm at the age of thirty! This guy, after just one night's sleep, had crossed an insurmountable chasm that countless people couldn't cross in their entire lives, directly leaping from Xiantian peak to Grandmaster peak?
Could there truly be an immortal reincarnated in this world?
Huang Rong looked at Gu Liufeng, her eyes filled not only with shock but also a deeper sense of reverence and curiosity.
Faced with the little girl's gaze, which seemed intent on dissecting and studying him, Gu Liufeng merely smiled calmly, appearing profound and unfathomable. "Brother, you speak incorrectly. This is the meaning of 'accumulating greatly to burst forth.' Last night, I had a sudden insight, and unexpectedly, I fortunately broke through several realms consecutively."
"Fortunately?" Huang Rong's mouth twitched. You call this fortunate? Then all martial artists in the world might as well go bash their heads against tofu and die!
Night, as deep as ink.
"Come on, I'm taking you to a good place."
After dinner, Gu Liufeng took Huang Rong and left the inn.
"Where are we going? Leifeng Pagoda? Or Lingyin Temple?" Huang Rong asked curiously.
"Those places are too plain." Gu Liufeng stopped before a magnificent pavilion, resplendent with gold and jade, where the sounds of music floated. He pointed to the gilded signboard that read "Zuiyue Tower": "When you come to Hangzhou, how can you not visit this land of gentle delights, the pleasure quarter, to listen to music?"
"A… a brothel?!"
Huang Rong's small face instantly flushed crimson. Although she was dressed in men's clothing, she was still a woman. She had only read about such places of fleeting pleasures in books; how could she actually dare to enter?
"Gu Liufeng! You… you're lewd!" Huang Rong turned to run.
"Ah, my brother, you don't understand." Gu Liufeng wrapped an arm around her shoulder, forcefully leading her inside, spouting nonsense with a serious expression. "This is called observing the people's customs and, incidentally, cultivating one's character. Besides, what's a big man like you afraid of? Don't you want to see what the legendary courtesan queen actually looks like?"
Hearing the words "courtesan queen," Huang Rong's competitive spirit suddenly flared. Hmph! I'd like to see what kind of common, vulgar woman could captivate this pervert so much! Can she compare to me in women's clothing?
"I'll go in! Who's afraid of who!" Huang Rong puffed out her chest, flicked open her folding fan, and strode into Zuiyue Tower.
Tonight, Zuiyue Tower was packed with wealthy patrons.
It was said that the courtesan queen, Miss Jing Ni, who had never revealed her true face, would perform an "Alluring Dance" she had never danced before. The first-floor hall was already overflowing with people, and in the "Heavenly Tier" private room on the second floor, which offered the best view, Gu Liufeng was comfortably reclining on a soft couch, playfully swirling an exquisite white jade wine cup in his hand.
Across from him, Huang Rong looked heartbroken, staring at the stub of a one-thousand tael silver note that had just been spent on the table.
"Big Brother Gu, are you crazy?" Huang Rong whispered, tapping the table with her folding fan in a display of exasperation. "One thousand taels! Just to watch a woman dance? If this silver were used to buy beggar's chicken, it could be spread all the way from here to Lin'an City!"
Gu Liufeng glanced at her, chuckling softly. "My brother, this is your vulgarity. The dance of a beauty is priceless art. Especially the kind that… dances on the tip of a blade, that is truly rare in the world."
"Dancing on the tip of a blade? What does that mean?" Huang Rong asked, puzzled.
Gu Liufeng did not explain, merely gazing deeply at the dimly lit stage downstairs.
Initially, when he came to Zuiyue Tower, Gu Liufeng only harbored a desire to experience it. As a modern man, he still held a certain curiosity about pleasure quarters and listening to music.
However, the moment he stepped into the brothel, he received a system prompt:
[Detected Qin's Net of Heaven "Heavenly Rank One" Assassin, Jing Ni, currently operating under the alias "Jing Ni'er," hiding in Zuiyue Tower]
[System Evaluation: Peerless Beauty, Difficult to Conquer]
When Jing Ni appeared, Gu Liufeng's gaze pierced through layers of red gauze, locking onto the red-clad woman on the stage.
[Ding! Peerless Beauty detected!]
[Name: Jing Ni (初代) (First Generation)]
[Identity: Former Qin "Net of Heaven" Heavenly Rank One Assassin, currently a defector.]
[Cultivation: Early-stage Heavenly Human Harmony!]
[Special Status: Afflicted with "Heart-Devouring Gu Poison," the poison has permeated her bone marrow. Without an antidote, she will surely die within three months.]
[Current Situation: Enlightened by Wuming, developed good intentions, and defected from the Net of Heaven. Hiding her identity in a Hangzhou brothel, firstly to conceal her tracks, and secondly to seek a contemporary divine physician who can cure this poison, escape the Net of Heaven's control, and regain her freedom.]
[Purity: Primordial Yin intact (has not met Wei Wuji, has not been pregnant).]
"Early-stage Heavenly Human…" Gu Liufeng's pupils constricted slightly. This woman was significantly stronger than him at present! If she were in her peak condition, killing the current Gu Liufeng would probably only take three moves. Fortunately, the "Heart-Devouring Gu Poison" suppressed at least fifty percent of her strength, and each time she used her internal energy, the poison would deepen.
"This is not just a courtesan queen; she's clearly a wounded, beautiful viper in urgent need of rescue."
Gu Liufeng's lips curved into a confident smirk.
If it were before last night, encountering an assassin of this caliber, he might have chosen to temporarily avoid confrontation.
But now?
Armed with [Grandmaster-level Medical Skills] and the [Myriad Medicine Compendium], let alone the Heart-Devouring Gu, he could even alter the King of Hell's Book of Life and Death with a few strokes!