Chapter 1483: Stirring Emotions

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Chapter 1481: Stirring Emotions

The entire Jade Fragrance Pavilion was vast and extravagantly luxurious.

Red carpets covered the floors, and elegant rooms stood in neat rows.

Curtains woven with a hundred flowers, dazzling and opulent, flowed through the hall like a gentle spring breeze, both charming and refined, allowing one’s desires to slowly stir amidst warmth and comfort.

Mo Hua held Little Senior Sister’s hand as they walked along the corridor of the main hall, passing one staircase after another. As they walked, Bai Zixi suddenly asked: “Where are you going?”

Mo Hua replied, “The Flower Tower.”

Bai Zixi said, “Did we take a wrong turn?”

She remembered that the courtesan they had just met hadn’t mentioned this direction.

Mo Hua was taken aback, realizing that he might indeed have gone the wrong way.

He had been so focused on holding Little Senior Sister’s hand that he had lost track of the path, forgetting to pay attention to the route and veering off course.

In fact, he had almost forgotten why they had come to the Jade Fragrance Pavilion in the first place. It felt as though it wouldn’t be so bad to just keep holding Little Senior Sister’s hand like this.

‘Indeed, women make men foolish.’

What Shuang Hu said when they were young was right.

(TN: The Meng Trio: Da Hu, Shuang Hu, San Hu)

Mo Hua muttered to himself.

Bai Zixi looked at him curiously. “What are you thinking about?”

Mo Hua said, “Nothing.”

Bai Zixi’s gaze sharpened slightly. “So, did we go the wrong way or not?”

Mo Hua replied with a serious expression, “There are too many people and Formations over there. We need to take a longer detour for safety.”

Bai Zixi was slightly surprised but didn’t say anything more.

Thus, Mo Hua led Bai Zixi on a longer route, taking a big detour through the front courtyard of the Jade Fragrance Pavilion.

Bai Zixi felt a bit suspicious, but her hand was held warmly in Mo Hua’s, and she instinctively refrained from asking further.

The senior sister and junior brother walked hand in hand through the front hall of the Jade Fragrance Pavilion, taking a long stroll.

If one ignored the fact that this was a grand brothel, the scenery and atmosphere were quite picturesque.

After finishing their stroll through the front hall, they came upon a large gate, the entrance to the second courtyard, behind which lay the true private rooms of the Jade Fragrance Pavilion.

This was the location of the Spring, Flowers, Snow, and Moon towers mentioned by the courtesan.

Guards stood watch at the courtyard gate, inspecting the tokens given by the madam before allowing entry to the inner courtyard.

A group of young masters and wealthy merchants lined up, waiting to enter the courtyard. Though they appeared calm and composed, subtle glances betrayed their impatience.

After all, the beauties they admired were waiting for them in the Spring, Flowers, Snow, and Moon towers, where a single moment of spring night was worth a fortune.

Mo Hua blended into the crowd and used the Flame-Igniting Technique to quietly set fire to two men’s trousers, causing quite a commotion.

Amidst the chaos, Mo Hua easily unlocked the Restriction on the courtyard gate, and he and Bai Zixi slipped through unnoticed.

Bai Zixi glanced back at the panicked crowd, then turned to look at Mo Hua, who appeared completely unfazed, thinking to herself:

Little Junior Brother is still just as mischievous as he was when he was young.

Even after causing trouble, not a hint of it shows on his face.

Mo Hua, unaware of his Senior Sister’s silent criticism, continued holding her fair hand as they walked forward. As they went, he earnestly reminded her: “Senior Sister, there aren’t many good people in this Jade Fragrance Pavilion, and we don’t know what might happen next.”

“If we encounter danger later and things turn violent, please don’t act rashly. Otherwise, your Disguise Technique might be exposed.”

Bai Zixi glanced at Mo Hua and nodded.

“Mhm.”

But in her heart, she thought: There are many bad people in the Jade Fragrance Pavilion… I wonder if any of them are as mischievous as Little Junior Brother.

And so, Mo Hua led Bai Zixi into the interior of the Jade Fragrance Pavilion.

The four towers named Spring, Flower, Snow, and Moon each occupied a corner of the southeast, southwest, northwest, and northeast.

Connected as one, these four towers formed the luxurious main structure of the brothel, which the Jade Fragrance Pavilion had spent a fortune and spared no expense to construct.

From their exterior decorations, the Moon tower gleamed like moonlight; the Snow tower sparkled like snow; the Flower tower bloomed with a hundred flowers;

The largest, the Spring tower , combined the strengths of all the others, featuring illusory spring snow, crystal-clear spring moonlight, and a flowing sea of flowers like a river.

Adding to this was the hazy, beautiful, and illusory aura of desire between men and women, lingering within the towers.

Just the sight of it was enough to make one’s heart flutter and become intoxicated.

Mo Hua’s Dao Heart was originally quite firm, but for some reason, upon seeing the beautiful scene before him, his heart began to beat slightly faster, and the hand holding Little Senior Sister’s started to feel a bit warm.

Bai Zixi seemed to sense something and gently squeezed Mo Hua’s hand.

Mo Hua turned to look at Bai Zixi.

Bai Zixi said, “Find the person.”

Seeing Little Senior Sister’s crystal-clear, watery eyes, Mo Hua snapped back to his senses a bit and nodded, “Mm.”

According to the courtesan, the red-light girl named Miao’er lived in the Flower tower.

The Flower tower was the second-largest structure, with strict formations in place, but they couldn’t stop Mo Hua, who now possessed the strength of a Third-Grade High-Tier Formation Master.

It wasn’t that Mo Hua could break all the formations in the Flower Tower.

But most formations were no challenge for him.

A mere brothel wouldn’t use Fourth-Grade formations for its construction.

Thus, leading Little Senior Sister, Mo Hua easily bypassed several access restrictions, avoided the guards, and slipped into the Flower Tower.

The Flower Tower was lavishly and extravagantly decorated on the outside.

But no matter how splendid the exterior, the interior still had to adhere to the established norms of cultivation architecture and formations.

Moreover, places like the Jade Fragrance Pavilion placed too much emphasis on appearances, sacrificing the integrity of the internal formation framework to some extent for the sake of superficial luxury.

As a result, there were many flaws in the overall formation structure.

In front of an expert like Mo Hua, these flaws were glaring.

Before long, Mo Hua had broken the defensive formation by the door, pried open the side entrance, climbed onto the eaves columns, ascended the golden pillars, and entered the beams, finding the architectural hub of the Flower Tower. From start to finish, he moved with practiced ease, as if he were strolling through his own brothel.

So much so that Bai Zixi couldn’t help but ask, “Do you do this often?”

Mo Hua instinctively replied, “Mm.”

After saying it, he realized what he had just agreed to and hurriedly added, “This is my first time here!”

“First time?” Bai Zixi asked. “Then how are you so skilled?”

Mo Hua said, “I’m good at formations.”

Bai Zixi let out an “Oh” and didn’t ask further.

Mo Hua silently breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a bit of regret. He thought to himself that if he had known this would happen, he wouldn’t have brought Little Senior Sister along to pry open the beams.

His lifelong reputation was now ruined.

But since they had already come this far, there was no turning back.

Mo Hua began searching room by room, following the structural layout of the beams, for the girl named Miao’er.

By breaking the formations and infiltrating the tower’s internal structure, he could roughly see the situation inside the rooms below from the beams.

This kind of ‘beam-crawling’ wasn’t Mo Hua’s first time.

But it was Bai Zixi’s first time messing around like this with Mo Hua, so she found it quite novel and interesting.

She and Mo Hua crouched together on the roof beam, their eyes sparkling as they peered downward.

Mo Hua, however, was on edge, worried that Little Senior Sister might see something unclean or inappropriate.

Fortunately, it wasn’t too late yet, and the appointed hour hadn’t arrived. Most of the young masters and wealthy patrons were still in the main hall, drinking, watching dances, or discussing private matters.

Most of the courtesans in the Flower Tower hadn’t yet received guests either.

The women in the rooms were either applying makeup in front of mirrors, dressing up, painting, playing the qin, cultivating, or taking short naps. Their clothes were still on, so nothing was indecent to see.

Only then did Mo Hua feel at ease letting Little Senior Sister peek.

At the same time, he was also searching for the woman named Miao’er.

The doors of the Flower Tower had nameplates hanging on them.

On these nameplates were the stage names of the women inside, some were called “Ru Yan,” others “Si Yu,” “Chan Juan,” or “Hong Xiu.”

But for a while, he couldn’t find the characters for “Miao’er.”

Mo Hua focused intently, patiently searching a little longer.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he spotted a nameplate clearly inscribed with the two characters Miao’er. The handwriting was graceful and carried a unique charm.

Found it.

Mo Hua’s heart stirred slightly. He glanced into the room and was instantly met with a blur of pale skin.

Before he could make out anything, a pair of jade-white hands covered his eyes. Someone beside him whispered with orchid-scented breath: “Don’t look.”

It was Little Senior Sister’s voice.

Mo Hua asked, “What’s wrong?”

Bai Zixi said, “You’re just not allowed to look.”

Mo Hua could only reply, “Then… can you tell me when it’s okay to look?”

“Mm,” Bai Zixi whispered softly.

The Formation in the Flower Tower was relatively tight, providing good soundproofing. The roof beam and the interior were also separated by the Formation.

Thus, Mo Hua and Bai Zixi could chat without being heard by those inside.

Conversely, the two of them couldn’t hear the sounds from inside either.

With his eyes covered by Little Senior Sister’s hands, Mo Hua obediently stayed put, not trying to look at anything.

After a while, Bai Zixi finally removed her hands and whispered, “It’s fine now.”

Only then did Mo Hua look into the room and see a small bathroom filled with steam.

Earlier, a woman had been bathing, which explained the pale blur.

But now, the woman had finished her bath and was draped in clothes, combing her hair, her body concealed beneath the fabric.

Judging from her figure alone, she was quite graceful.

Mo Hua glanced at the woman’s face. Fresh from her bath and flushed from the steam, her cheeks were rosy, and her features were indeed quite charming.

Was this woman the Miao’er?

Was she the Scholar’s Miao’er, or Liǔ Sān’s Miao’er?

Mo Hua frowned.

Bai Zixi whispered, “Should we capture her?”

Mo Hua was taken aback. “Capture?”

“Mm,” Bai Zixi nodded. “Capture her for interrogation.”

“This…” Mo Hua hesitated.

He had never interrogated a woman before.

Bai Zixi then whispered, “How about… Little Junior Brother, I’ll interrogate her for you? No woman can lie to me.”

Mo Hua couldn’t help but glance at Little Senior Sister. As she said this, her eyes gleamed with a hint of anticipation, and there seemed to be a faintly domineering and dangerous air about her, as if she enjoyed toying with others. His heart tightened, and he quickly said: “Let’s not rush. Let’s observe the situation first.”

Seeing Mo Hua’s response, Bai Zixi nodded.

At that moment, a sudden knock sounded at the door.

Mo Hua couldn’t hear the knocking, but his Divine-Sense could perceive the faint vibrations of sound waves within the room.

The alluring woman who had just finished bathing, the one called Miao’er, heard the knock and her face lit up with joy. She quickly pinned up her hair, draped a robe over herself, and went to open the door.

After a moment, she ushered a tall, imposing man dressed in azure robes into the room.

The two of them walked arm in arm, their postures exceedingly intimate. Once inside, they sat down at the wine table.

Miao’er poured wine for the tall man in azure robes, who drank while smiling and chatting with her.

However, with a soundproof Formation in place, it was impossible to make out what they were saying for the moment.

Bai Zixi glanced at Mo Hua, as if asking, “Is there a way?”

Mo Hua nodded, then took out a Magnetic Formation, broke a corner of the soundproof Formation, and embedded the magnetic needle into the space within the room.

Inside the magnetic needle was engraved a “Sound Eavesdropping” Formation.

In no time, the voices of a man and a woman, fragmented and intermittent, began to transmit.

First came a man’s syrupy voice: “…My dear Miao’er… have you missed me these past days?”

A coquettish woman’s voice, tinged with feigned anger and complaint, replied: “You heartless scoundrel… it’s been so long, and you haven’t come to see Miao’er… leaving me neglected for so long, and now you ask if I’ve missed you… how shameless.”

The man said: “Forgive me, Miao’er… it’s just… there’s been so much work at the Division, I haven’t had a moment to spare.”

Division?

Mo Hua was taken aback and exchanged a glance with Bai Zixi.

Division… could it refer to… the Dao Court Division?

Was this tall man a member of the Dao Court Division?

And he was also an old flame of this Miao’er?

Mo Hua could discern that his cultivation was likely around the Early Golden Core Stage. In the Dao Court Division, that would at least make him a high-ranking Enforcement Officer or a newly promoted Archive Officer?

Mo Hua’s gaze darkened slightly as he continued listening. He heard Miao’er complain in a flirtatious tone: “Always so much work… neglecting your humble servant, and you blame it on work… you foul men are all the same, sweet-talking with honeyed words but each of you has a heart of stone… forgetting others in the blink of an eye.”

The tall man chuckled apologetically: “Miao’er… I’m truly not lying to you… if I’m deceiving you, may I be struck by five thunderbolts.”

“Pah, nothing but lies.”

“How could it be lies? You have no idea… the higher-ups are investigating very strictly, and the Earth Sect is also pressing step by step.”

“If we don’t handle the higher-ups well, we lose our jobs. If we don’t handle the Earth Sect well, there’s no profit to be had.”

“Really?”

“Could it be false?”

“Is the profit substantial?”

“Guess.”

“Annoying… how could your humble servant possibly guess?”

The two of them chattered on for a while longer.

Then the tall man’s voice grew rougher and heavier. “Speaking of profit… it’s been many days since I’ve tasted… the flavor of your body, Miao’er. Let me… take a bite.”

“No… you’re so annoying.”

Mo Hua was momentarily stunned. He glanced down slightly and saw that the man and woman were already embracing and kissing like dry wood meeting a fierce flame, pulling at each other’s clothes.

Mo Hua first felt a surge of anger, then a jolt of alarm. He instinctively looked up and happened to meet Little Senior Sister’s gaze.

Their eyes met for a moment before they hastily looked away.

For a man and woman in a brothel, such occurrences were, in fact, quite normal.

However, neither of them expected that Miao’er and the man, who had just been discussing confidential matters moments ago, would suddenly become entangled in a passionate kiss.

The senior sister and junior brother were caught off guard, and seeing such a scene abruptly unfold left them both momentarily at a loss.

Fortunately, both were individuals with steadfast Dao Hearts. After a brief moment of awkwardness, they each steadied their minds, doing their best to avoid watching the events unfolding below.

Though they could no longer see the scene, the Sound Eavesdropping needle transmitted every intimate and intoxicating sound from below, down to the slightest detail.

The space between the beams was narrow, and once the sounds of lips and teeth intertwining drifted upward, they echoed back and forth in the confined area, relentlessly seeping into their ears and stirring the strings of their hearts.

Mo Hua’s mind grew inexplicably and intensely restless. Fortunately, he had walked the path of Dao-Transformed Divine Sense and had faced battles against evil gods, heavenly demons, and various malevolent beings, leaving his Dao Heart clear and pure. Thus, he could barely manage to steady his mind, avoiding being disturbed by the seductive sounds and prevented from acting inappropriately.

But just as Mo Hua believed he could calm his mind and focus his spirit, a profound, nine-colored radiance suddenly flashed within his Sea of Consciousness.

An ancient, dazzling, and mysterious golden needle—one that stirred emotions, tugged at the heartstrings, and refined desires—slowly materialized.

Mo Hua’s rationality began to crumble, bit by bit.