Chapter 224: I Also Know a Little of This Magic

Chapter 224 -152: I Also Know a Little of This Magic

A steady drizzle fell, blanketing Chang’an City in a curtain of rain.

Two fine horses broke through the rain, their hooves shattering the puddles and splashing water against the nearby walls.

Su Wuxiang said, “Well, I suppose you could say we’re galloping through Chang’an City now.”

“Desperate times call for desperate measures. Just be careful not to run into any civilians.”

Lu Changyuan’s voice carried through the downpour.

Su Wuxiang tugged on the reins, and his horse deftly sidestepped a stall on the street corner. “You don’t have to tell me that.”

After turning down a long street, the silhouette of a brothel gradually came into view through the rain.

The three-story building, with its carved beams and painted rafters, was a hazy shape in the downpour, but the red lanterns hanging high before its entrance stood out sharply.

Su Wuxiang clicked his tongue, rainwater dripping from his chin. “To think my first time in a brothel in the Mortal World would be under circumstances like these… Have you been to one before?”

Lu Changyuan wiped the rain from his face and shook his head.

“Right,” Su Wuxiang said with a sly grin. “With Miss Ling around, I doubt you’ll ever get the chance.”

“Need I remind you that you have a wife and daughter at home?”

“Tch.”

Su Wuxiang curled his lip in disdain, then suddenly leaned closer and lowered his voice. “Speaking of which, when are you going to finally make a move on Miss Ling? It’s making me anxious just watching you. All this shilly-shallying… it’s not very manly.”

Lu Changyuan’s eyes darkened. “One more word, and I’ll cut you down first.”

Inside the building, the decadent scene of red lights and fine wine seemed entirely unaffected by the rain outside.

Two painted screens stood in the main hall. One depicted an intricate pattern of scrolling lotuses, the other a pair of mandarin ducks playing in the water. Positioned right between them was a merciful-looking, blindfolded White Jade Guanyin Statue.

Looking up, several exquisite Palace Lanterns hung from the beams. Soft light filtered through lampshades painted with erotic scenes, casting the entire hall in a suggestive, warm yellow glow.

Someone was speaking.

“Oh, my dear sir, Cui Nong isn’t feeling well today.”

In the main hall, the Madam was forcing a smile before a man dressed in the bright red robes of an official.

The Champion Scholar in the red robes didn’t raise his voice, merely setting his wine cup gently on the table.

The sharp clink wasn’t loud, yet it instantly silenced the room.

He lifted his eyes, his gaze raking across the Madam’s forced smile. “I’m not negotiating with you. Get her out here. Now.”

Fine beads of sweat broke out on the Madam’s forehead. She twisted the silk handkerchief in her hands, still trying to persuade him. “My lord, it’s just that Cui Nong…”

Before she could finish, one of the Champion Scholar’s attendants made a move.

The attendant took a single step, blocking the Madam’s path. He placed a hand on the hilt of his sword and, with a gentle push of his thumb, exposed half an inch of the chillingly sharp blade.

The Madam nearly collapsed, her voice trembling as she managed to say, “Bring… bring Miss Cui down.”

A moment later, a woman in a light turquoise dress appeared timidly at the turn of the stairs, supported by two maids. Her face was pale, and her expression was fearful.

The Champion Scholar rose and walked to the foot of the stairs. He didn’t go up, simply extending a hand toward her. “I’ve come for you.”

Only then did everyone get a clear look. The Champion Scholar’s hand wasn’t like a normal person’s—it wasn’t covered in skin, but was a ghastly hand, black as ink.

And the guards around him weren’t even human at all; they were monkeys dressed in people’s clothes.

It was a Ghost Scholar, leading a pack of Monkey Demons to abduct a person.

Lu Changyuan stared for a good while before frowning. “Do you get the feeling that this whole crowd is actually watching us?”

“Not at all. You’re being paranoid. Aren’t they all looking at that Miss Cui?”

Perhaps it was Lu Changyuan’s imagination, but it seemed as if everyone in the brothel, from the frightened onlookers to the Champion Scholar’s men, was staring at them.

‘Whatever. It doesn’t matter.’

The Martial Champion Scholar was indeed a Demon, and his attendants were Demons as well.

‘I’ll just kill them.’

Su Wuxiang said, “You don’t need to look. Even I can tell he’s a Demon.”

Lu Changyuan glanced at the blindfolded Guanyin statue. “Then let’s kill them all. You take the Monkey Demons, I’ll take the Champion Scholar.”

“You got it! Let’s see who’s faster. I’ll take four, you take one. Call it a handicap,” Su Wuxiang said, drawing the Iron Sword from his back in a reverse grip. The blade was thick and heavy, with no edge or point.

The words had barely left his mouth when Su Wuxiang shot forward like an arrow from a bow. The heavy Iron Sword felt weightless in his hand as he swung it at the nearest Monkey Demon, the weapon whistling through the air.

The Monkey Demon guard reacted with incredible speed. It let out a piercing shriek and, instead of dodging, lunged forward, its hook-like claws aimed straight for Su Wuxiang’s heart.

Sword met claw, producing the clang of metal on metal. Su Wuxiang’s Iron Sword might have looked blunt, but it carried immense force. With a loud *CRACK*, the Monkey Demon’s arm bone shattered. Its body was sent flying backward, and it slammed into a pillar before sliding limply to the floor.

“Tough bones,” Su Wuxiang chuckled. With a flick of his wrist, his Iron Sword carved a smooth arc through the air to meet the other three pouncing Monkey Demons.

The Champion Scholar turned his head, and only then did Lu Changyuan see his face clearly. Half of the Martial Champion Scholar’s face had rotted away, and his pale eyeball looked as if it might fall out at any moment.

‘Tainted by a Desire Demon. Beyond the help of any Immortal.’

The Champion Scholar slowly raised his pitch-black, ghoulish hand and spread his fingers. A slit opened in his palm, revealing a scarlet eye. The eye swiveled, fixing its gaze on Lu Changyuan.

“Another one with a death wish?”

The Champion Scholar’s voice grew hoarse and distorted as black mist began to emanate from his body.

Lu Changyuan remained silent, simply drawing Broken Thought from its sheath.

Suddenly, the eye in the Champion Scholar’s ghastly hand flew wide open, and a jet of black energy shot toward Lu Changyuan like an arrow.

Lu Changyuan didn’t dodge. He brought Broken Thought down in a vertical slash. As the blade passed, it clove the black energy in two, causing it to dissipate to either side.

From a distance, Su Wuxiang yelled, “Hurry up and finish him! He’s too weak!”