Chapter 247: Vermilion Bird Pavilion
In the nine commanderies west of the mountain range, over seventy percent of the pleasure houses were established by a single organization—the "Vermilion Bird Pavilion."
Although the Vermilion Bird Pavilion dealt in fleshly business, seemingly low-class, many martial arts experts were hidden among those courtesans. Their organization was vast, with experts as numerous as clouds, and they even had independent institutions for training talents.
Moreover, they were never short of money. Countless noble scions, princes, and martial arts masters were willing to spend lavishly on them. With wealth, they could purchase a large amount of cultivation resources.
The wealth of the Vermilion Bird Pavilion even surpassed that of some fifth-rate sects.
Being able to establish a foothold in the black market and expand their business across the nine commanderies west of the mountain range proved their formidable strength.
Under Elder Wei's lead, Zhang Ruochen arrived at the Vermilion Bird Pavilion in the black market of Big Stone City.
The Vermilion Bird Pavilion in Big Stone City was merely a branch, yet it was already built with unparalleled splendor, covering a vast area, resplendent and magnificent, almost like a royal palace.
Elder Wei was a prominent figure in the Big Stone City black market, so he naturally received a very grand welcome upon arriving at the Vermilion Bird Pavilion. As soon as he stepped inside, a flock of charming women immediately surrounded him.
Of course, since Zhang Ruochen walked ahead of Elder Wei, he was clearly also an honored guest, so he too was encircled by a group of pleasure house women.
The gazes of the martial artists inside the Vermilion Bird Pavilion all turned toward Zhang Ruochen, who wore a metal mask.
"Who is that? Even the master of the Vermilion Bird Pavilion came out to welcome him?"
"Even Elder Wei of the Venomous Spider Merchant Guild is following behind him. This young man must have a huge background!"
"Rumor has it that the top courtesan, Miss Yunzhi, has already been reserved. It's probably his doing."
"To reserve Miss Yunzhi for one night costs at least fifty thousand silver coins."
...
The crowd buzzed with discussion.
Surrounded by a group of seductively dressed pleasure house women, Zhang Ruochen remained calm and composed from start to finish, his demeanor unhurried, without even glancing at them more than necessary.
"Master Chen, Elder Wei, that honored guest has been waiting for a while in the Cloud Number Private Room. This way, please!" said the master of the Vermilion Bird Pavilion with a beaming smile.
The master of the Vermilion Bird Pavilion was a woman who appeared to be around thirty years old, still retaining her charm, with an excellent figure, fair skin, curvaceous and well-proportioned, exuding an enticing fragrance.
Zhang Ruochen only glanced at her briefly and discerned that her martial arts cultivation had reached the Earth Extreme Realm Great Perfection, seemingly even a bit stronger than Elder Wei.
It was no simple matter to become a heretical overlord in the black market.
The master of the Vermilion Bird Pavilion seemed very interested in Zhang Ruochen, deliberately leaning close to him, her full, plump breasts occasionally brushing against his arm, her seductive eyes seemingly shimmering with spring, recklessly teasing him.
It had to be said, the master of the Vermilion Bird Pavilion was indeed a very alluring enchantress. If it were another man, under her teasing, he would likely have been consumed by lust long ago.
Unfortunately, Zhang Ruochen had seen too many top-tier beauties, such as Duanmu Xingling, Huang Yanchen, Chen Xi'er, and Han Qiu, all women of exceptional temperament and appearance. The master of the Vermilion Bird Pavilion was far inferior to them, so how could she tempt Zhang Ruochen?
Seeing that Zhang Ruochen was completely unmoved, the master of the Vermilion Bird Pavilion felt somewhat discouraged and said with a plaintive tone, "Time waits for no one. It seems this servant has truly aged, or else Master Chen wouldn't spare me even a glance."
Hua Buwei's eyes were fixed intently on the master's pert rear, almost drooling, and he blurted out, "Madam, you are peerlessly elegant and as beautiful as a fairy. Whoever dares say you are old, I, Hua Buwei, will be the first to fight them to the death."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head and walked first into the Cloud Number Private Room.
A white-bearded old man in a gold-threaded black robe was already waiting inside, seated on the left side, with a pot of tea before him, sipping it slowly.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen enter, the white-bearded old man immediately stood up, smiled, and said, "Master Chen, you have finally arrived. This old man has been waiting for you for quite a while. Please!"
Zhang Ruochen glanced at the white-bearded old man and asked Elder Wei, who stood beside him, "Is this the master of that city?"
"Yes," Elder Wei replied.
Zhang Ruochen had already learned from Hua Buwei that the master of that city was the Town Army Marquis, a Heaven Extreme Realm expert.
However, the old man before him could absolutely not be the Town Army Marquis, because his martial arts cultivation had definitely not reached the Heaven Extreme Realm.
Zhang Ruochen pulled Hua Buwei aside, condensed his voice into a sound wave, and sent it directly into Hua Buwei's ear, whispering, "Are you sure the master of that city is the Town Army Marquis?"
Hua Buwei also condensed his voice into a sound wave and replied, "Absolutely certain. Many people in the black market know about this. Moreover, I have several friends in the Venomous Spider Merchant Guild who have personally seen the Town Army Marquis appear there."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Since you knew the Town Army Marquis was cooperating with the Venomous Spider Merchant Guild, why didn't you report it to the Martial Market Bank?"
Hua Buwei said with a bitter face, "The Town Army Marquis is a martial arts legend at the Heaven Extreme Realm. In Big Stone City, he can cover the sky with one hand. Without solid evidence, if I reported it, not to mention whether the higher-ups of the bank would take it seriously, if the news leaked out and the Town Army Marquis found out I was the informant, he could crush me with just a finger. For such a big matter, do you think I would dare to speak recklessly?"
"Master Chen, you should know better than I that the Martial Market Bank is not a monolithic block internally; there are many spies from other factions."
Zhang Ruochen nodded, feeling that Hua Buwei's concerns were very reasonable.
This man was quite shrewd.
Hua Buwei glanced at the white-bearded old man and added, "That old man is actually the military advisor of the Town Army Marquis, named Yun Zhonghai, also a very formidable figure."
Zhang Ruochen patted Hua Buwei on the shoulder and said with a smile, "You seem to know quite a lot!"
"Not to brag, but in Big Stone City, there are few things I don't know," Hua Buwei said, puffing out his chest with a very proud look.
In fact, Zhang Ruochen suddenly realized that the Town Army Marquis was probably also a shrewd man. Without confirming Zhang Ruochen's identity, he naturally wouldn't show himself easily. Sending a military advisor to negotiate with Zhang Ruochen was already a sign of considerable importance.
Eight million silver coins was not a small sum even for a Heaven Extreme Realm martial artist.
Moreover, Heaven Extreme Realm martial artists had huge expenses, needing silver coins in many places, and every breakthrough in realm required a large amount of cultivation resources.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen and Hua Buwei whispering on the side, Elder Wei was afraid the deal might fall through, so he quickly asked, "Master Chen, do you have any other concerns?"
Zhang Ruochen smiled and said, "No real concerns, and the price is not a big issue. The key is that I want to negotiate with the true master of that city."
A gleam of sharpness flashed in the white-bearded old man's eyes, and he said with a smile, "Master Chen is indeed a man of understanding. In truth, the master of that city is not this old man but someone else. But please rest assured, Master Chen, I have full authority to make decisions on this matter."
"Is that so?"
Zhang Ruochen sat down in his seat, pondered for a moment, and then said, "What I want to buy is not just one city. It might be two, or even three. Are you sure you can make that decision, sir?"
"Not just one city?" The white-bearded old man was momentarily stunned.
Not only the white-bearded old man but also Elder Wei and the master of the Vermilion Bird Pavilion were greatly shocked. Buying one city was already a huge undertaking, yet he wanted to buy more than one.
Just who was this person?
The white-bearded old man said, "In fact, it's not impossible for you to meet my master. The key is that my master is not at ease with your identity. If Master Chen could reveal his identity, my master would naturally come forward to negotiate with you in person."
It seemed the Town Army Marquis was also worried about being discovered by the Martial Market Bank, so he acted very cautiously, not wanting to leave any evidence.
"In that case, to show sincerity, I will first reveal my identity."
Zhang Ruochen said, "I am not from the thirty-six commanderies of Demon Ridge. I come from the upper-level commandery 'Thousand Water Commandery' and am a disciple of the Left Prime Minister, named Liu Xin."
The Left Prime Minister was the head of the ten great ministers of the Thousand Water Commandery, controlling an immensely vast power, second only to the Commandery King of Thousand Water, a figure capable of summoning wind and rain.
The Four Directions Commandery was only a mid-level commandery. Even if all the forces of the royal clan were combined, they would be far inferior to the Left Prime Minister.
Zhang Ruochen pretended to be a disciple of the Left Prime Minister because the Left Prime Minister's name could intimidate everyone present. Moreover, during the sword tournament of the Thousand Water Commandery, he had fought with the Left Prime Minister's disciple, Liu Xin, and knew of such a person.
In fact, Elder Wei and the white-bearded old man had long suspected that "Chen Ruo" was not from the thirty-six commanderies of Demon Ridge. Now that "Chen Ruo" had said this, they were not surprised but still very shocked.
Was the Left Prime Minister planning to expand his power into the thirty-six commanderies of Demon Ridge? Otherwise, why would he want to buy so many cities?
The white-bearded old man was very cautious and said, "This old man has long admired the reputation of the Left Prime Minister, but this matter is no small affair. Does the young master have proof that you are indeed a disciple of the Left Prime Minister?"
Zhang Ruochen sneered coldly, and a powerful martial aura burst forth from his body, filling the entire private room with domineering true qi, like a hurricane surging within.
"How dare you doubt the Left Prime Minister's mansion? What audacity! Don't say it's you; even the Commandery King of the Four Directions Commandery would be in deep trouble if he offended the Left Prime Minister," Zhang Ruochen said sternly.
Elder Wei said, "Master Chen... no... no... Master Liu, this matter is indeed of great importance. Military Advisor Yun has always been cautious, and it's for everyone's common interest. Please don't take it to heart."
Elder Wei signaled to the white-bearded old man with his eyes.
The white-bearded old man immediately bowed to Zhang Ruochen and said, "Master Liu, this old man does not doubt your identity, but our transaction cannot be exposed to the light, and we must ensure it is foolproof. Even the Left Prime Minister, I believe, would not want the news to leak out, would he?"
To calm Zhang Ruochen's anger, the master of the Vermilion Bird Pavilion immediately called out the top courtesan, Miss Yunzhi, to sit beside Zhang Ruochen and attend to him carefully, afraid of provoking this disciple of the Left Prime Minister.
Miss Yunzhi was indeed a national beauty. Under her attentive service, Zhang Ruochen's anger gradually subsided, and he said, "Alright! Let's get down to business. I will no longer pursue this matter. If you want me to produce the token of the Left Prime Minister's mansion, that is possible, but you are not qualified. Have the Town Army Marquis, Huo Yundu, come to see me in person. Only he is worthy of negotiating with me. Don't think I don't know that he is the true master of that city."