The Villainous Demon Lord’s Handbook for Success: Rebirth - Chapter 21.1

“Master, this,” Qiu Yi hurriedly leaned down to pick them up, but Chu Qingqiu reached out a hand to stop her, saying it was no matter.

Then, Chu Qingqiu spread her palm, and the beast stones hovered once more, returning to her hand. However, when she put them back into the pouch this time, her movements were not as gentle as before.

After a while, Chu Qingqiu suddenly placed the pouch heavily on the table and asked in a low voice, “Qiu Yi, where is this Ruyan Pavilion?”

While there were undercurrents surging over there, a storm was brewing on this side. Rong Jin had already agreed to listen to the woman’s story and pulled her out of the inn. Still, the woman did not stop wailing; she cried all the way down the street, causing passersby to turn their heads and stare.

Finally, Ning Fuyi could endure it no longer. She snatched a knife from a roadside butcher and slammed it into the ground, burying half the blade. This finally choked off the woman’s cries.

The woman covered her mouth in fear, though tears continued to flow.

“Fuyi!” Rong Jin, being kind-hearted, could not bear to see this. He quickly spoke to Ning Fuyi reproachfully, then pulled out the bright blade and handed it back with a forced smile.

“If you truly want to save your daughter, be quiet and explain the sequence of events clearly. This constant wailing will only make your daughter die faster!” Ning Fuyi said irritably, wiping away the grease she had gotten on her palm.

Seeing that Ning Fuyi had frightened the woman, Liu Wenzhu quickly turned to block her friend’s murderous gaze. She soothed the woman with a gentle smile: “Auntie, look, we are almost at Ruyan Pavilion. If you don’t explain clearly and only say you want us to save someone, let us help you.”

After being comforted by Liu Wenzhu’s soft voice, the woman’s emotions finally settled. She took two deep breaths and began to stammer through her story.

It turned out the woman was a commoner of this town. Her husband had died young, leaving only her and her daughter to make a living selling tea. Her daughter had been born pretty and was often harassed by local hoodlums, but fortunately, the girl was clever and escaped every time.

The woman was old and had developed chronic back pain in her youth, making it difficult for her to carry the shoulder pole. Her daughter had proactively taken over her work, carrying the pole to the street every morning to sell tea and returning home at dusk.

“But, but yesterday,” the woman looked as though she was about to cry again, but she didn’t dare. She only covered her nose and sobbed a few times. “I waited from day until night, and from night until dawn, yet I never saw her. Finally, in my desperation, I went out to ask around. I asked all along the main street, and finally, someone told me she had been kidnapped by those people from Ruyan Pavilion.”

“In broad daylight! Is there no law left!” Rong Jin’s face turned red to the neck with anger. “I will go and rescue your daughter right now!”

As soon as he spoke, Ning Fuyi nimbly intercepted him and said in a low voice, “Senior Brother, wait. Putting aside whether her words are true, if this Ruyan Pavilion truly has the audacity to snatch someone off the street, it proves their background is certainly not small. If we rush in blindly, we will not only alert them but might even get hurt if we are no match for them.”

“But,” Rong Jin turned back.

“This lowly one is a mere mortal and can only beg you Immortals. Every word I have said is the truth! Please save my daughter. For your great kindness, I am willing to repay you with my life!” Seeing the woman about to kneel again, Rong Jin quickly grabbed her arm and looked at Ning Fuyi imploringly.

“This is a serious matter. I suggest we find Elder Yuanming first before making a decision.” Ning Fuyi had developed a heart of stone in her previous life; looking at the woman now, she only found her noisy. She made to walk back.

“But after Elder Yuanming treated you, he went to Tongchuan early this morning to search for yesterday’s demonic beast. By the time we find the Elder, who knows where she will have died,” Liu Wenzhu said troubledly. Like Rong Jin, she was soft-hearted and found it difficult to stand by when the common people were in trouble.

But Ning Fuyi was different. Her heart was very hard.

“Then let’s go find Chu,” she stopped mid-sentence. Aside from the fact that Chu Qingqiu was injured yesterday, even if she were unharmed, Ning Fuyi didn’t want to lower herself to ask for her help.

Seeing that she wouldn’t agree, the woman began to cry as if her heart were breaking. She no longer begged them but sat on the ground and wailed toward the sky.

“Man’er, your mother is useless; I cannot save you. A child is a mother’s life. If you die now, I will surely join you so you won’t be lonely!” With that, she moved to bash her head against a nearby pillar.

“Enough!” Ning Fuyi snapped, unable to take any more. She felt as if a thorn had been pricked into her heart, causing a vague ache.

It wasn’t anything else; it was the woman’s words about a mother that suddenly made her think of Ning Changfeng, making her heart feel heavy. Additionally, she knew the personalities of Rong Jin and Liu Wenzhu; no matter how strongly she opposed it, neither of them would be able to harden their hearts.

She took a deep breath and turned around. “What does your daughter look like? Do you have a portrait?”

“No, we don’t. How could a poor family like ours have a portrait?” The woman wiped her tears. “I only know she is fair-looking and has a birthmark on her forehead, a birthmark shaped like a flower.”

A flower-shaped birthmark? A strange sensation crossed Ning Fuyi’s mind, but she didn’t dwell on it. Instead, she spoke: “Senior Brother, Wenzhu, let’s find a quiet place to discuss this first.”

The so-called Ruyan Pavilion was located at the far east end of town. The location wasn’t particularly good, and very few people entered. If it weren’t for the name of today’s top courtesan posted on the front door, Ning Fuyi would have thought it was an empty building.

Its appearance was also very peculiar, a seven-story octagonal building with red walls and black tiles, standing straight toward the sky. It was completely out of place with the town’s simple atmosphere, looking as if someone had forcibly planted it in the middle of the road.

“I asked around just now. This used to be an empty lot, and Ruyan Pavilion only appeared last year. It appeared silently; no one knows who the owner is or who is in charge. Some people rumor it is a ghost building. Ordinary townspeople don’t dare come here; only travelers passing through occasionally enter,” Liu Wenzhu said softly back in their private room, her face pale with fear.

“We are cultivators; we study the cycle of the Six Realms. Why should we fear ghosts?” Rong Jin poured her a cup of hot tea and comforted her. “Right, Fuyi?”

Ning Fuyi gave a hum. Her gaze went through the window toward the octagonal building opposite. Standing under the blue sky and white clouds, it did indeed look eerie; it was no wonder Liu Wenzhu felt afraid.

“Then what should we do?” Liu Wenzhu asked.

Before Rong Jin could answer, Ning Fuyi spoke: “Senior Brother, you stay here and watch over the woman. Then, use your sound-transmission jade to contact Elder Yuanming as soon as possible. Wenzhu and I will sneak in to investigate.”

“How can that be allowed!” Rong Jin immediately protested. “Your cultivation levels are not high, and you are both young girls. How can you enter a place like that?”

“It is precisely because our cultivation is not high that you must stay outside. If something happens to us, you can act as backup. If you go in and we stay out, and an accident occurs, we wouldn’t even have the strength to fly to get help.” Ning Fuyi tapped the table with her hand.

Rong Jin was temporarily speechless. He and Liu Wenzhu exchanged a look.

This girl Ning Fuyi is clearly just a teenager, so why does she speak like a composed elder?

“Alright.” Rong Jin reluctantly compromised, then repeatedly urged, “You must keep your sound-transmission jades on you. Notify me at the slightest sign of trouble. Also, if there is no news from you by the hour of You, I will come to rescue you immediately.”

“Don’t worry,” Ning Fuyi said. She rose and cast an illusion spell, transforming herself into a young man.

Her features didn’t change much, but her brow bone became higher and the proportions of her face shifted. Combined with her mischievous phoenix eyes, she looked exactly like a young master from a noble family out for experience.

Liu Wenzhu followed suit. Her male form looked much more delicate, like a pale-faced scholar traveling for his exams.

The two bid farewell to Rong Jin and, pretending to be visiting Furong Town for the first time, walked toward Ruyan Pavilion chatting and laughing.

The closer they got to the towering octagonal building, the stronger the eerie feeling became. Ning Fuyi looked up at the windows; not a single one was open. It didn’t look like a place of pleasure; it looked more like a tomb.

She suppressed the feeling rising in her heart and stepped onto the stairs as usual. Suddenly, footsteps came from behind. She turned warily, and upon seeing the person’s features, she was stunned.

“Chu,” Ning Fuyi stopped mid-sentence and swallowed hard with difficulty.

How could Chu Qingqiu appear here? She was also dressed in men’s clothing and had transformed her appearance. She wore a plain white silk robe with jade ornaments clinking at her waist and an exquisitely carved jade crown on her head. Ning Fuyi, in her black clothes, looked like an attendant standing beside her.

With her long hair pinned up, her face was exceptionally outstanding, lofty brows, peach-blossom eyes that seemed naturally affectionate, and slightly pale lips that made her look even cleaner. She was beautiful in an androgynous way.

Ning Fuyi stood there in a daze until she heard Chu Qingqiu speak: “What are you standing there for? Go in.”

With that, she gripped her white jade flute and stepped over the threshold with her hands behind her back, brushing past Ning Fuyi.

Seeing this, Liu Wenzhu quickly poked Ning Fuyi in the waist. Ning Fuyi snapped out of it, cleared her throat to hide her surprise, and followed Chu Qingqiu.

Although she didn’t know why Chu Qingqiu had suddenly appeared, having her there made her feel slightly more at ease.

The three of them walked silently through the dim entrance hall. The floor was covered with fresh flower petals, and the faint sound of a pipa drifted from within the building, sounding like flowing water in the mountains.

Beyond the hall, the space opened up. A massive circular stage covered in flowers stood in the center. Behind the stage hung a screen several meters high, featuring a landscape painting that was so lifelike it seemed to move with the music. To the left was a staircase carved with ancient patterns. Unlike the powdery scent of an ordinary brothel, the air here was fresh, smelling of a mixture of a thousand types of flowers.

Ning Fuyi looked up toward the floors above. The lights were flickering, but no one was moving about.

She cleared her throat and said, “Is anyone here? Such a large Ruyan Pavilion, and no one to receive guests?”

Her voice echoed through the building, hitting the walls and returning as a ghostly echo. After a moment, a woman descended from above. Her voice arrived before her person, a light, ethereal sound that reminded one of a bird cutting through the sky at dawn.

“This lowly one is late, my apologies to the guests,” the woman said sweetly. A silk shoe stepped onto the floor, and her water-patterned skirt slid down the stairs, trailing at her feet.

When Ning Fuyi looked up, her breath hitched for a second. Though she had seen countless beauties in her previous life, such a charming woman was rare, cherry lips, a lotus-like face, cheeks as white as snow, and eyes that rippled with emotion, making one’s heart feel weak.

Liu Wenzhu behind her was also likely dazed by this beauty, as she didn’t move for a long time.

“Hurry and prepare tea for the guests!” The woman pulled a man out from behind her. He was thin and shriveled with a scar on his head, keeping his head down silently so his face couldn’t be seen.

“No need,” Chu Qingqiu suddenly spoke. Her indifferent voice shattered the evocative atmosphere. She moved, seemingly unintentionally, in front of Ning Fuyi to block her line of sight. “Are there any vacant private rooms?”

The woman’s gaze lingered on Chu Qingqiu’s face for a moment before she broke into a smile again. She lifted her skirt with her delicate hands and said softly, “Of course. Please follow me upstairs, guests.”

With that, she ascended the stairs with graceful steps. Ning Fuyi and Liu Wenzhu exchanged a look and slowly followed.

This woman is strange, Ning Fuyi thought. When the woman turned around, she saw her face; though beautiful, it no longer had the captivating brilliance it had during their initial eye contact.

The woman led them to the third floor. As they passed the second floor, Ning Fuyi took a brief glance. Not every room was occupied; most were dark, but a few were brightly lit, emitting sounds that sparked the imagination.

Liu Wenzhu had never heard such things; her face turned completely red. She kept her head down, pretending not to see the silhouettes behind the doors.

Ning Fuyi had seen plenty of such scenes and ignored the sounds. She stole a glance at Chu Qingqiu, but the woman’s back remained straight and her pace didn’t slow, as if she were completely unaffected.

Boring, Ning Fuyi shrugged her shoulders and focused her attention back on the woman leading them. Her figure was slender and graceful, but she showed no trace of an aura. She didn’t seem to be a cultivator, yet she didn’t seem like an ordinary mortal either. Strange.

“Please enter, guests.” The woman stopped at a room in the corner and pushed the door open. The room was very bright; lamps lined the path from the entrance to behind the screen, and even the windows were lit with flickering candles. Petals of unknown flowers were scattered all over the floor, and the room was filled with a rich fragrance.

Ning Fuyi wrinkled her nose; the scent was a bit overpowering.

“Please sit and rest, guests. If you need anything, this lowly one is next door.” The woman gave a charming smile and made to leave, but Ning Fuyi called out to her.

“Wait, we have a question.”

Before she could finish, the woman suddenly placed a slender finger to her lips and gave a shushing sound. Her eyes rippled with a soul-stirring charm. “Young guest, if you have business, find me next door.”

“Come alone.” With that, she waved to the three of them and swayed away. No matter how Ning Fuyi called out, she ignored her.

With a bang, the door closed, and Ning Fuyi fell silent with a dark face.

Liu Wenzhu hurried to pull her back. “This place is too eerie. What do we do now? Could we really go next door alone like she said?”

“It is indeed strange,” Ning Fuyi muttered as she turned to scan the surroundings.

The decor was similar to a mortal brothel. Further in was a screen, behind which was a bed with silk quilts. In front of the screen was a carved round table piled with fruits, side dishes, and a jar of wine.

Ning Fuyi walked over and took a sniff; the wine was indeed wine, nothing seemed wrong.

“Divine Lord, what do you think?” Ning Fuyi intentionally tried to strike up a conversation with the silent Chu Qingqiu.

“I cannot tell,” Chu Qingqiu answered simply. Like Ning Fuyi, she paced around the room until she reached the area behind the screen. She reached out to pull open a drawer by the bed, seemingly hoping to discover something.

Ning Fuyi leaned in curiously to look. However, as soon as the drawer was opened, Chu Qingqiu’s expression changed drastically. She slammed it shut and retreated three steps before stopping.

Her fair face had turned completely red. Ning Fuyi reached out, wanting to open it and see for herself, but a sharp pain shot through the back of her hand. The white jade flute had struck her hand forcefully. Stinging from the blow, Ning Fuyi quickly withdrew her hand and looked at Chu Qingqiu with a look of grievance.

“You are so young, what are you looking at so indiscriminately?” Chu Qingqiu rebuked her before turning to leave.

“Tch, old fogey,” Ning Fuyi muttered silently, raising her brows. Taking advantage of Chu Qingqiu’s averted attention, she turned back and pulled the drawer open to peer inside.

“Whoa,” she marveled.

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