Chapter 214 - 114: Another 1.5 Years Later
After all, Xu Lei possessed the Phoenix True Flame.
If he were willing to use the Power of True Flame to help Zhao Xin purify the impurities from the meat and rich foods she consumed,
replenishing the Essence Qi within her physical body in the process, then Zhao Xin too would be spared the harsh austerities that Cultivation in this era demanded.
But that would mean Zhao Xin learning that Xu Lei carried the Phoenix True Flame.
So no — Xu Lei had never actually set his sights on her.
It wasn’t as though he’d never encountered a beautiful woman before.
He had no intention of exposing the secret of his Phoenix True Flame just because a woman happened to be gorgeous.
And so, for the past year and more, Xu Lei had genuinely treated Zhao Xin as nothing more than a niece.
Two hours later.
Xu Lei and Zhao Xin had arrived outside a brothel.
Zhao Xin had told him that this was where she’d spotted the Spirit Monster — it had come here as a patron.
A paying customer, here for the night!
That was exactly why the two of them had rushed over under cover of darkness.
The last thing they needed was for it to finish up and slip away.
Even at this late hour, the brothel blazed with light.
In a world modeled on ancient times, brothels were perfectly legal, after all.
So Xu Lei and Zhao Xin walked in, playing the part of customers.
Zhao Xin was a young woman, yes — but she was wearing Xu Lei’s Jade Pendant.
It transformed her into the image of a strikingly handsome young gentleman.
More than a few of the girls inside couldn’t take their eyes off her.
Zhao Xin didn’t look the least bit uncomfortable. If anything, she seemed rather pleased with herself.
She’d always known she was beautiful — that was never in question.
She even pulled Xu Lei aside and sighed that it was such a shame she’d become a Cultivator.
In the very prime of her beauty, she was stuck grinding through solitary, joyless Cultivation.
And by the time she finally made something of herself, who knew — she might not look like this anymore.
Xu Lei’s response was simply to tell her to train harder and focus on raising her Cultivation level as soon as possible.
After that.
Xu Lei spent some silver to book a private room — right next door to the room where the Demon was spending the night.
Zhao Xin went in with him.
They told the attendant they were there together.
Two brothers visiting a brothel at the same time was perfectly ordinary in this ancient world.
Doing time together, studying together, hitting a brothel together — these were the hallmarks of true brotherhood.
Not like back on Earth, in the modern age, where the last one was something most people preferred to keep quiet.
They also each called for a girl to come keep them company.
Not that they actually intended to do anything, of course.
Zhao Xin certainly wasn’t about to let any girl put her hands on her.
Xu Lei spent a generous amount of silver to occupy the girl assigned to him and pump her for information about the girl next door — the one keeping the Demon company.
Things had gone quiet next door for the moment.
They were in the middle of a break between rounds.
As it turned out, the Demon next door had taken not one, but two girls for the night.
Xu Lei’s best guess was that it was feeding on the Essence Qi of these brothel girls during the act itself.
In time, those girls would wither — growing haggard and old before their years.
They’d assume it was simply the toll of too many clients, that their bodies had worn down from overwork and started aging faster.
It would never cross their minds that a Demon had been draining them.
Next, Xu Lei had the girl originally assigned to Zhao Xin go next door and call one of the girls out.
He then handed her a hundred taels of silver.
His request: let him touch her chest.
In reality, he was applying the Demon Poison onto her.
After that, he sent her back.
As for the two girls in his own room —
Xu Lei knocked them both out with a sedative.
He left them lying there, still and quiet.
Everything had gone smoothly.
Now there was nothing to do but wait for the Spirit Monster next door to feel the effects of the poison, then move in.
Judging by the level of Demonic Power Zhao Xin had sensed from the creature, Xu Lei was fairly confident he could take it down directly if he had to.
But if the scheme worked, he could do it with far less Magical Power expended.
That was obviously the better outcome.
A few minutes passed.
Xu Lei and Zhao Xin stood side by side, ears pressed flat against the wall, listening for any sign of movement next door.
The moment the Spirit Monster showed signs of being poisoned, they’d strike.
What they hadn’t counted on, though, was that before any agonized cry came from the Spirit Monster —
the sounds of battle started up again next door, and the unmistakable noises of passionate activity came drifting through the wall.
A flush crept across Zhao Xin’s fair, delicate face.