Come Into the Red, the Danger Zone

As if Zhang Min was right all along, the inns did refuse to host cultivators. However, unlike all the others before them, Sun Yin left with a happy grin. Not that she was looking forward to staying at a brothel house, but it was because it was a brothel house. Many secrets stay afloat in a brothel house, and it was the best way to sniff in some fresh information about things people hate.

Zhang Min had already told them a few important things about their target beast and the sects who were working around it. For now, Sun Yin wanted to rest by getting a full sleep on a bed. The girl had brought them to the brothel house, but they were surprised to see Young Master Cao and his henchmen outside. They seemed to be in trouble with another group of cultivators.

Since the brothel house was the only one hosting them, the men of purity had no choice but to stay at the so-called tainted place. In fact, they could leave the city and sleep outside, but the weather and the hostile animals might get them. Since it was the only one hosting them, they felt the need to pacify its troubles.

"Dammit! You cultivators are nothing but a headache to Gangkou!" Young Master Cao almost cried as he was again faced with people who would not bow down to his father. He hurled his finger across their faces. "Get out of my city!"

"You threatened the owner of the brothel. We're simply making you leave the brothel alone," the man in the middle spoke in a clear voice. It sounded passive yet commanding at the same time. He was able to silence those men behind Young Master Cao with just a few words. They were not even fancy like what Sun Yin used.

"I won't leave until you bring me Angel Min!" Young Master Cao stomped his feet, giving up at his supposed good image. No one would wander near a brothel house anyway. "Bring out Angel Min!"

Zhang Min blinked at the tantrum thrown by the young master. She jogged to the front and bowed to announce her presence. Sun Yin and Lu Bang soon came near to join her in standing. The other group of cultivators gasped at the colors worn by the other two. The leader of the group looked at them without much change in his bored expression.

He was first to greet Lu Bang with his hands clasping. "Young Master Lu."

Lu Bang's eyes twitch at the formal address. Most sects knew he was not one of them anymore, and yet this guy stuck to his respective way of addressing people. He returned the greeting: "Master Ren."

Sun Yin was surprised to see such a young man as the master of the Reqi Ren sect. He seemed to be in the same age as Lin Kun, but the energy inside his body told her otherwise. He was only around his early twenties, unlike the almost-forty master of the Huayuan Lin sect.

Ren Junjie's hair was strangely brown and gold under the sunlight. His greenish eyes also made the impression that he was not a normal person even from birth. He had a tall stature and rather broad shoulders. The green clothes worn by their sect complimented the color of his eyes, and so did the snowy white color of his skin. The man was indeed beautiful, but his exhausted gaze made the impression that he was hard to talk to.

"Angel Min! You finally showed yourself!" Young Master Cao only cared for her, selectively noticing her among the three people that came. "What are you standing there for? Come here and help me get through these"—he glanced at the cultivators from the Reqi Ren sect—"damn trees blocking the entrance!"

"Ah, I'm sorry!" Zhang Min was still an employee, and so she had to cater to the needs of her client. However, when she led the way, Ren Junjie stepped to the side to block her. Her scared eyes were brought to his face, but she noticed he was not looking at her.

Ren Junjie glared at the young master of the city. "Act up once more. I will certainly throw you out of the brothel house." After so, he headed inside, followed by his henchmen.

Sun Yin whistled at the chilling air he created. She even shivered. "Ah, those blocks of ice, really." She followed inside after Zhang Min took in Young Master Cao and his goons.

The brothel house was nothing short of elegant. There were strips of red and gold everywhere, making the cream-colored walls emanate the feel of a royal palace. The women in the brothel wore elegant clothing, unlike other cheap brothels which don their women in skimpy outfits. The chairs and tables in the dining area at a distance were comparable to imperial settings, even though the gold plating was nothing but gold paint. There were also paintings, lanterns, and noisy beady curtains to complete the ambiance.

The maiden gaped her mouth in a small 'o' as she headed to the reception. Perhaps this place had taken advantage of the refusal and turned their place into something less disturbing to the cultivators. She had to check in on their own since the girl was not there with them. Zhang Min had to follow Young Master Cao to his room while the Reqi Ren sect disciples headed to the dining area where they seemed to be resting.

"Welcome to Rose Red, where we take pleasure to your doorstep." She was greeted by a pretty girl. She showed no doubt upon seeing them, probably knowing that the inns had turned them down. "How many rooms can I get you?"

"Just one please. We won't be staying long." Sun Yin handled the negotiations.

Lu Bang strayed to the dining area and saw how many tables were occupied. Instead of a brothel, it appeared to be like a normal restaurant. There were tables where the rich men would enjoy the feeding services of the women while there were tables where the people were simply eating. Most tables without women were occupied by the cultivators resting in the brothel. Like Zhang Min had said, there were at least three sects who had disciples in the city.

Even though he had not stepped in fully, he knew some eyes were already laid upon him. Of course, it would create a noise since some other cultivators were with Ren Junjie earlier. He looked at where the Reqi Ren sect was, spotting Ren Junjie's gaze at him. He had no choice but to approach them. He needed information about the Storm Snake after all.

"Young Master Lu," went Ren Junjie as he greeted Lu Bang without enthusiasm. "With only one companion, I believe you're not here to capture the Storm Snake?"

"Not really, but I'm interested to see how the night hunt was going." He chose to ignore the glares of other disciples. It seemed to him that they did not dare speak ill at the presence of their master.

"It disappeared." Ren Junjie did not put flavor into his words. "There are simply too many people that it hid itself entirely. Worry not, the Snake needs air to breathe. It should surface soon enough."

Lu Bang was about to leave, but Sun Yin suddenly sprouted next to him. What made his eyes widen was that she went behind Ren Junjie and held against his shoulder as she reached out to take a chunk of chicken from the table.

She swallowed the chunk whole and ignored the offended look at the faces of the other cultivators. She finished chewing with her sleeve on her lips and the other hand on Ren Junjie's back. "Why wait for it to lose air when you can summon it back up in the surface?"

Ren Junjie gazed up at the woman next to him at quite an uncomfortable proximity. He would shove her away if only his arm would not press below her waist. He then looked away, having his vision blocked mostly by her chest. "How?"

"It's a guardian beast of the sea. You just need to litter in the waters, and it'll be pressured to come out and punish you." Sun Yin answered nonchalantly before reaching out again for a piece of chicken.

Strange enough, Ren Junjie took the bowl and held it nearer to her so she did not have to end up accidentally pressing her breasts against his face. He spoke as she took another one. "Saying 'a guardian beast' sounds strange. Are there many of them?"

"A lot, but the Storm Snake is the most powerful and protective of the sea." Sun Yin enjoyed the hospitality of the young man. She even smiled at Lu Bang as if inviting him to join her.

"Master Ren, this is Lady Sun…"—Lu Bang prepared himself for her long introduction to the other male—"investigator of the conspiracy behind the apparent murder of the late master Lin Guwei of Huayuan Lin sect."

The men in the table and the ones listening to their conversation froze. Did they say 'apparent murder?' Only Ren Junjie had a different reaction.

For the first time in the short while of their meeting, Ren Junjie broke out into a ridiculing smirk. "You finally realized, huh."