Hearing this, Pang Chengqiu found it rather hard to believe. He immediately turned to look at the three men who had just been beaten and were now being dragged away, shouting, “Did you say that?”
Steward Huang, who could barely stand and needed someone to support him, was bleeding from his nose and mouth. Hearing this, he screamed, “Lord Pang, no, absolutely not. How would I dare to make up stories about Lord Qing? He is talking nonsense.”
Pang Chengqiu immediately turned his head and glared fiercely at Yu Qing. The three martial brothers almost simultaneously raised their heads and puffed out their chests, showing no sign of weakness.
In fact, Nan Zhu was already cursing inwardly, scolding the young man for being so impulsive in handling matters. He had never expected Yu Qing to start fighting the moment he walked in. Did this look like someone who wanted to go in and have fun?
Yu Qing also pointed at Steward Huang. “Then tell me, did I say I wanted to go in and spend money to find some pleasure?”
Instinctively feeling there was a trap in the words, Steward Huang hesitated for a moment.
Yu Qing pressed on immediately. “Did you stop me? Are you sure you didn’t bring out Qing Ya’s name to stop me?”
More and more onlookers were gathering outside the door, surprised at who this person was, daring to call Qing Ya by name so openly.
Seeing the crowd of onlookers grow larger, Nan Zhu and Mu Aotie straightened their backs even more, looking like they feared no power.
Pang Chengqiu’s trust in his own men wavered. His gaze fixed on the other two gatekeepers, his meaning of seeking verification obvious. If it was truly as this Tanhua Lang said, that they dared to use Lord Qing’s name to make trouble, then they really needed to be taught a lesson.
Steward Huang hurriedly explained, “Lord Pang, I didn’t bring out Lord Qing’s name to stop him. I merely mistook him for someone coming to look for Lord Qing again and said he wasn’t here, that’s all.”
Yu Qing immediately pointed at the other two. “Come here, you two witnesses. Give your Lord Pang a detailed account of the entire conversation from beginning to end after we arrived just now. If you dare to lie, I am not made of clay either. Even if blood splashes three feet, I will fight for my dignity!”
After speaking, with a swish, he drew his sword and held it pointed diagonally at the ground.
Drawing weapons? Nan and Mu were somewhat startled by him, already feeling some hesitation in their hearts, but they still drew their swords along with him.
Regardless of who was right or wrong in this matter, the act of drawing swords somewhat enraged Pang Chengqiu. He pointed at the swords in the three men’s hands. “What do you mean by this? Are you deliberately looking for trouble?”
Yu Qing pointed behind him. “So many people outside are watching. If you insist on falsely accusing us of looking for trouble, then we have no choice. Just treat us as if we are looking for trouble. If you want to fight, come at us. If we take one step back, we are bastards.”
These words immediately made Pang Chengqiu furious with embarrassment. However, he was someone who knew a bit of the inside story. When truly pushed to this point, he himself realised that he really did not dare to wave his hand and order the people of Jinghong Hall to beat these three fellows without clear cause. If something else were to happen again, he wouldn’t be able to cover it up.
Yu Qing watched coldly from the sidelines, growing more and more certain as he looked. It was as expected.
Just when Pang Chengqiu was somewhat unable to back down, Gu Qingzhao, who had rushed over upon hearing the news and then hidden to one side to observe quietly, finally appeared. “A crowd of people blocking the door and stopping guests from coming and going. What is all this noise about?”
The row of people blocking the inside hurriedly made way. Pang Chengqiu also stepped aside. While cupping his hands in salute, he could also be said to have breathed a sigh of relief. Otherwise, he really wouldn’t have known how to end this. The problem was that Qing Ya had not spoken, so he didn’t dare to touch Yu Qing and his companions.
Although he didn’t know what was going on, having followed Qing Ya for so long, he could sense some things. It seemed Lord Qing had some scheme regarding these few people.
“So it was you. Oh, what is going on? Why are you waving swords and blades around?”
Gu Qingzhao put on a look of feigned surprise.
Seeing one of the main figures had come out, the provocative sword tip in Yu Qing’s hand dropped and was planted on the ground. “Madam proprietress, your Jinghong Hall really isn’t easy to enter. I wanted to go in and spend silver generously. It’s one thing for you to stop me from entering, but you actually wanted to bully us with your power. What do you mean by this? Do you think our money stinks, or are you afraid we can’t afford to spend? Do you think we are easy to bully?”
Gu Qingzhao immediately giggled. “How could we possibly refuse guests? It must be a misunderstanding. Although Jinghong Hall truly isn’t somewhere just anyone can enter, Brother Yu is naturally an exception. Don’t all stand at the door. If you have something to say, come in and find a place to sit down and talk slowly.”
She didn’t want to be gawked at by so many people blocking the door. Matters between her and Yu Qing were also not suitable for discussion in public. She would lure the three martial brothers inside first and talk later.
As for the matter of her subordinates being beaten, she pretended not to see.
In their line of work, it was common to turn a blind eye. Sometimes guests would take liberties with her, or when unhappy would slap one of the girls here, or if the servants did something that displeased the guest and got beaten by the guest, they would endure it as much as possible to let things pass peacefully. As long as it wasn’t too excessive, they basically wouldn’t be too serious with the guests. This was a place for finding joy, after all.
What was important was that most guests who came here were of unusual status.
The gatekeepers at the door were replaced, and several more guards were added to start dispersing the crowd blocking the entrance.
Pang Chengqiu fixed his gaze on the three beaten men and said to the people beside him, “No one is to fool me. Take the three of them away separately for questioning. Find out exactly what happened just now.”
He was clearly not giving the three beaten men a chance to collude. Since things had turned out like this, he also needed to find out clearly so he could report back to Qing Ya.
Accompanying the three martial brothers whose swords had been sheathed as they walked through the gorgeous night scenery with its shifting lights and shadows, Gu Qingzhao thought of Yu Qing’s true identity and couldn’t help but snicker. “Tanhua Lang was rather lacking in refinement just now.”
Yu Qing: “Madam proprietress, you can say I did wrong, but saying I lacked refinement is a bit of a stretch. Is this a place for playing at refinement?”
Gu Qingzhao covered her mouth with a round fan and smiled, her smile somewhat embarrassed.
Even more unrefined behaviour was yet to come. Entering a luxurious and elegant private room, the moment the few of them sat down, a servant came over as usual to ask if they wanted girls to serve them.
Yu Qing immediately turned back to ask his two martial brothers, “How many per person would be appropriate?”
Nan Zhu, who had been putting on a serious face, immediately showed a crack, grinning and saying, “Two per person would be enough.”
Mu Aotie showed an expression of disdain, that arrogant air he often emitted surfacing again.
Yu Qing, however, made a fuss. “How can two per person be enough? Go, bring us ten each. We want the most beautiful girls in your Jinghong Hall.”
Hearing this, Nan Zhu started grinning again beside him, not saying a word and not objecting either.
Gu Qingzhao now completely saw that they truly weren’t here to play. Then she couldn’t just sit by and watch. Otherwise, even if she called all the girls over, even if they served them like emperors with all their might, this side would still find excuses to make trouble.
She raised her round fan at the servant and gave a sideways glance and a meaningful look. The servant understood and immediately called out the people who were pouring tea and water along with him.
The room immediately became quiet.
Only now did Gu Qingzhao speak properly. “Tanhua Lang, if you have something to say, just say it straight.”
Yu Qing pretended not to understand. “What matter? What matter could there be in coming to have fun?”
Gu Qingzhao: “You have come to find Qing Ya again and again. You must have some matter. Qing Ya isn’t here. Telling me is the same.”
Yu Qing asked in a seemingly casual manner, “Can you make decisions for Qing Ya?”
Gu Qingzhao: “Depends on what it is. Perhaps it doesn’t need to go through Qing Ya. Looking at the face of the world’s greatest talent, perhaps I can handle it for you. At the very least, if you say it, I can help pass it on to Qing Ya, can’t I?”
Having reached this point, since she was being frank, Yu Qing stopped pretending. “I want to ask Lord Qing to help me investigate a person.”
…
Up in the pavilion, Qing Ya, with one leg immobilised, was still lying on a recliner, listening to Pang Chengqiu report on what had happened earlier.
After hearing it, Qing Ya gave a cold laugh. “At the end of the day, he still wants to find some way to see me.”
The tone of his words carried a sense of “I simply won’t see him.”
Pang Chengqiu: “Lord Qing, I almost lost my temper with him. Too arrogant. Does he really think his Tanhua Lang status lets him run rampant? I really want to deal with him.”
Qing Ya: “He has been arrogant all the way. He threw away his official hat in the capital and dared to not give the old emperor face. He entered Xiaoyun Realm together with Qianliu Mountain, the Daye Department, and Sinan Mansion. He even dared to kill Sea Clan mermaids. He smashed Zhu Xuan’s shop. Wang Xueting is a relative of the Earth Mother, and he killed him without hesitation. Is there anything this dog Tanhua doesn’t dare to do? That dog Tanhua often plays recklessly, treating his life like burning paper. It would be strange if he took the door of Jinghong Hall seriously.”
After finishing this litany of complaints, he himself was surprised to discover that he had actually breathed out the long-stifled breath in his chest. He realised he had actually talked himself into feeling better.
After hearing this, Pang Chengqiu thought about it and realised that compared to what that Tanhua Lang had done and the people he had experienced, he himself really was nothing. He immediately felt relieved, but still couldn’t help sighing. “What kind of Tanhua Lang is this? He is clearly a ruffian.”
Qing Ya peeled a peanut and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly. “Didn’t he already declare he was abandoning literature for martial arts? Looking at this shameless behaviour, he can indeed survive in the jianghu…”
Then, as if remembering something, he instructed, “Don’t just stand here. Go and pay attention to what is happening between the madam proprietress and those three silly birds.”
“Alright, I will go right now.”
“Also, have a carriage prepared downstairs. Once we discover those three silly birds have come, we will move immediately.”
Pang Chengqiu was speechless, even shocked and suspicious. If he didn’t want to see them, he didn’t see them. Was it really necessary to hide so sneakily?
Puzzled in his heart, he still agreed verbally. He turned to go execute the order, but just as he reached downstairs, he encountered Gu Qingzhao who had come. After a brief exchange, Gu Qingzhao went upstairs.
The moment she saw Qing Ya, Gu Qingzhao couldn’t help laughing. “They have been sent away. No need to worry… You actually had a carriage prepared. Is it really necessary? Meeting them once won’t kill you.”
“See his grandfather!” Qing Ya spat, pointing at his broken leg. “The murderer has recovered and is hopping around fit and well, while I, a mere bystander, ended up like this. What would people think? What would people say? I am at least somewhat of a figure in Haishi. Don’t I care about face?”
“Heh heh…”
Gu Qingzhao immediately burst into peals of laughter, shaking with mirth. Only after a while did she stop her fit of laughter at his furious and embarrassed reaction, waving her hand and saying, “But it really is true. The three people’s injuries should really be healed. That Tanhua Lang’s meridians actually recovered within just two or three days. The medical skills of Ming Temple truly exceeded our imagination.”
This, Qing Ya already knew from Pang Chengqiu’s mouth. Even if he envied it, it was useless. Ming Temple would not give face to this local snake like him. Forget seeking treatment, he probably couldn’t even enter the door. He would rather recover slowly than go and invite humiliation.
What he mainly cared about now was the purpose of the visit. “What exactly does that dog Tanhua want?”
Gu Qingzhao slowly put away her smile and pondered. “He wants you to help find a person, or rather, investigate a person.”
Qing Ya asked doubtfully, “That younger sister on the missing person notice?”
Gu Qingzhao shook her head. “No. There is a shop called ‘Lingxi Zhai’ that sells pill ingredients. He wants to know if there is a boss behind this shop. He wants to know this boss’s situation and find him.”
“Lingxi Zhai?” Qing Ya was stunned.
Based on her understanding of him, Gu Qingzhao heard the underlying meaning. “What, could it be that you know?”
Qing Ya nodded slightly, puzzled. “An inconspicuous shop in a remote corner. What does he want with the boss of this shop?”
Gu Qingzhao sensed something was wrong. “There are countless shops in Haishi. An inconspicuous shop in a remote corner, how would you remember it? Is there something unusual about it?”
Qing Ya: “This shop, although inconspicuous, is not that simple. It is one of the few shops in Haishi that has lasted a thousand years.”