The news that Su Yanran, Saintess of the Divine Sword Sect, would represent the Su Family in an alliance with the Luo Family spread like wildfire. Every influential clan and major faction in Cangyang City was shaken, and all of them immediately sprang into action.
Yet Luo Changqing, the man caught right in the eye of the storm, was currently standing before the largest luxury brothel in Cangyang City.
"Oh my... We have a guest! Step right in, my good sir..." The madam waiting at the entrance brightened the moment she saw Luo Changqing step through the doors, her face breaking into a wide smile.
Luo Changqing bypassed the woman's outstretched hand, gave the madam a cool glance, and flashed a token in his palm.
The madam's expression shifted instantly. "Right this way, sir!"
Leading the way with utmost deference, the madam guided Luo Changqing up to the second floor and stopped before a designated door.
"Milady, we have an honored guest!" Only after receiving a response from within did she push the door open.
Upon entering, Luo Changqing saw a woman in a lotus-colored dress doing her hair before the mirror, her dark hair cascading down like a waterfall.
"What sort of young master could possibly prompt Sister Hong to escort him here in person?" The woman didn't even turn her head, asking in a detached tone.
"Milady, the Mandarin Duck Token has appeared!"
Hong Siniang's words made the woman freeze. She hurriedly stood up, and upon seeing Luo Changqing seated by the table, a look of astonishment flashed across her face.
"You are the holder of the Mandarin Duck Token? Don't try to pull any tricks on this humble servant. If you're lying, young master, you might just have to stay here and keep me company..." Hua Zuiyun said softly, her alluring curves half-visible beneath her lotus-colored gauze dress as she looked at Luo Changqing, exhaling a fragrance like orchids.
Luo Changqing casually tossed the Mandarin Duck Token into her lap and poured himself a cup of wine from the table.
Hua Zuiyun hurriedly caught it, her expression changing instantly.
The man before her was actually the new master of the Red Beauty Tower!
The Mandarin Duck Token bore their Red Beauty Tower's unique mark—one of a kind in the entire world, impossible to forge.
"Hua Zuiyun pays respects to the Tower Master!"
Hong Siniang, who had been guarding her the entire time, was equally startled and hurriedly dropped to her knees beside her.
"My Second Senior Sister said that the Red Beauty Tower holds a monopoly on intelligence across the world, and there is nothing you cannot investigate. Now, I have tasks for you!"
"One: Find out which members of the Demon Race offended the Saintess of the Divine Sword Sect! Coordinate with the Zhaoyang Pavilion and eradicate them completely!"
"Two: Uncover the truth behind the suppression of my Luo Family! Investigate every single culprit behind the murder of my father and brother down to the smallest detail!"
"Three: I want a detailed roster of everyone who has moved against the Luo Family over the years, without exception, complete with specific reasons and details!"
Luo Changqing's voice was ice cold, filled with a pervasive aura of slaughter.
"Reporting to the Tower Master! The first two tasks will take time, but we already have detailed information regarding the third. It can be compiled in just a few moments. Would you like to take it with you today?" Hua Zuiyun asked immediately, speaking with utmost reverence.
"Take it with me now!" Luo Changqing was well aware that the Red Beauty Tower was founded single-handedly by his Second Senior Sister. Though its members were all women, they spread across the entire realm, dealing strictly in the trade of intelligence. This bit of information regarding the Luo Family naturally meant nothing to the Red Beauty Tower.
Hua Zuiyun immediately gave the orders, and shortly thereafter, someone handed over a booklet.
"Inside here are the secrets of all the powerful figures in Cangyang City, recording nearly every evil deed they have ever committed! Naturally, anyone who has ever offended the Luo Family is also duly recorded!"
Luo Changqing nodded with satisfaction, used his communication jade talisman to contact Qingyan and have her come meet with Hua Zuiyun, and then left with the booklet.
The moment Luo Changqing reached his doorstep, he saw several luxury carriages parked outside the Luo Family residence, and the sounds of commotion drifted out from within.
"Old hag! If you know what's good for you, liquidate the rest of your assets. At the very least, it'll help you tide over this crisis! And more importantly, you'll be able to keep your ancestral home, won't you?"
A man's voice rang out loudly, radiating the smugness of a petty villain.
"Manager Xue, we had an agreement! Your debt isn't due yet!" Chen Fang shouted angrily.
"So what? Paying one's debts is only natural and just! You certainly didn't talk like that when you came to the pawnshop to borrow money!"
By this time, Luo Changqing was already standing at the entrance, gazing at the lavishly dressed men and women standing in the courtyard.
The man in the lead was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, puffing out his big belly as he spat while he spoke. This must have been the Manager Xue who had just been running his mouth.
Behind him stood three men and a woman, all wearing expressions of eager spectators, accompanied by quite a few family servants. They had clearly come with ill intent.
Standing beside Chen Fang, Ye Wanling wore a chilling expression on her pretty face.
"And what about you lot? Do you intend to break your agreements as well? The Luo Family maintained a cooperative relationship with you for all these years and trusted you implicitly, which is why we didn't draw up formal written contracts. And now that's become your excuse to stab us in the back?"
Ye Wanling's voice was ice cold, and the sword at her waist hummed, vibrating with eagerness.
"What? You want to start a fight?" The woman standing closest to Ye Wanling shrieked in a shrill voice, retreating a few steps nimbly before pointing right at Ye Wanling's nose to curse.
"Little bitch! If you've got the guts, pay the money back! Otherwise, I'll seize this ancestral home of yours today! You mortgaged this ancestral home in the first place!"
Hearing the woman mention the ancestral home, Ye Wanling pressed her lips together and made a concession: "What will it take for you to let the Luo Family go? Back then, the Luo Family helped pull you all up. Without the Luo Family, you wouldn't be where you are today! Surely you remember that much kindness?"
Hearing Ye Wanling's words, the expressions of the people present turned somewhat awkward.
"The past is the past! Today is today! You can't expect us all to starve just because of your Luo Family!" the woman said harshly, putting her hands on her hips.
"It's not out of the question for us to give you more time, as long as you voluntarily drop your cooperation with the Su Family. We won't make things difficult for you then, and everything stays as it was. How about it?"
"Give up our cooperation with the Su Family? Impossible!" Chen Fang said angrily.
The cooperation with the Su Family was the Luo Family's chance to rise! Only by clinging to the towering tree of the Divine Sword Sect could the Luo Family secure its safety for the time being.
"Then there's nothing left to talk about! You'd better pay up soon!" the woman said impatiently.
The complexions of Chen Fang and Ye Wanling were extremely unsightly. Their opponents had clearly come fully prepared.
"How much money does the Luo Family owe you, exactly? Is it worth throwing away your dignity entirely?" Luo Changqing walked in slowly, speaking in a mocking tone.
His gaze swept over the two men standing behind Manager Xue, and his eyes narrowed slightly.
Third-rank Spirit Masters!
Mere merchants, not even belonging to a proper noble clan, and yet they brought high-level Spirit Masters just to collect a debt?
"Three hundred and sixty thousand taels of silver!" Upon seeing Luo Changqing, Manager Xue wore a look of utter disdain. Just some wild savage running out from the deep mountains, and he actually thought he was still the eldest young master of the Luo Family?
"Three hundred and sixty thousand taels of silver, is it? Give me the time it takes for an incense stick to burn! It will be delivered without fail! Now—get lost!"
Luo Changqing's expression turned frigid, his cultivation aura surging outward as he stared coldly at everyone present.
"Such arrogant words! I'd like to see where you're going to conjure up three hundred and sixty thousand taels of silver in the time it takes an incense stick to burn!" Manager Xue flicked his sleeve and turned away.