Lin Qingcheng stood up and sighed heavily. The battle had been more difficult than she expected. The burly steel fisted warrior was very crafty and if she did not have the Golden Serpent Robes she would have definitely lost. His moves were strange and she could not counter all of them. She had suffered quite a few blows that were all blocked by her armor. It even helped crush her opponent"s weapon."Could Sister Ziyun win against him without a.s.sistance? Probably…" She muttered.
She was still disappointed by her most recent loss to Zhou Ziyun during training. Her progress in the Spirit Initiate Realm was stagnant and her sister had caught up. She was not the type to get jealous and she was sincerely happy for Zhou Ziyun. At the same time, she was also frustrated in herself. She was master"s first disciple after all and she needed to work hard to make him proud of her.
These thoughts weighed on her mind. It was the main reason why she went out of her way to get involved in this mission tonight. Her disciples had overheard bits and pieces during their work and finally pieced together the intel on this valuable s.h.i.+pment. By rescuing the woman in the carriage, she would be able to make one of Moonlight City"s high-cla.s.s brothels take a heavy loss.
Lin Qingcheng grinned and focused her mind back on the task at hand. She grabbed the unconscious old man"s leg and started dragging him back toward the carriage. The fog was getting thicker but she knew which way to go.
When she finally saw the outline of the horses and the carriage, she became alarmed. There were multiple figures moving around… she counted more than twenty! How could she let others steal her target after all the effort she put in?
Lin Qingcheng dropped the leg she was holding and dashed forward. As the fog cleared, she saw the glitter of armor, s.h.i.+elds, and the weapons in their hands. A n.o.ble and elegant young man emerge from the carriage, carrying a limp body wrapped in a white cloth.
"Drop that woman!" She yelled and leaped towards the carriage.
"Guards!"
"Sir!"
"Stop!"
A chorus of yells met her advance. A squad of five armored soldiers immediately formed a wall of s.h.i.+elds. They were all at the 1st or 2nd levels of the Spirit Initiate Realm and combined their spiritual energy to negate her attack.
Lin Qingcheng was blown backwards and landed in a heap on the forest floor. She immediately rolled to the side, avoiding a volley of throwing spears that landed where she was a moment before. She twirled and blocked with her legs and arms until the soldiers ran out of missiles.
She finally exhaled and glared at her new opponents, "b.a.s.t.a.r.ds, hand me that woman or else suffer the consequences!"
She tried to be menacing but she was met with a bought of laughter. It came from the n.o.ble with a handsome and clean-cut face. He already on his horse, with the unconscious prize laying across his lap. He rode over confidently, flanked by ten riders and even more foot soldiers.
"It is a treat to finally meet the Golden Madam. You are every bit as impressive as the rumors." The man said and bowed his head slightly.
"I don"t want to be your enemy. I think we have a lot in common. We can be good friends." He chuckled and winked at her.
Lin Qingcheng"s temper flared and she charged straight at him, intent on punching his face into a b.l.o.o.d.y mess. How dare he mock her?
The wall of soldiers met her again but she was ready this time. With a powerful leap, she vaulted over the foot soldiers and landed in front of the cavalry. Another storm of blades stopped her advance and she suffered multiple blows and cuts that glanced off her armor. While she was distracted, the n.o.ble retreated to the rear. The foot soldiers also caught up and reformed their defensive line.
Her furious attack finally ran out of steam, unable to overcome to difference in numbers. They were all strong and well trained. Fighting against all of them was ten times tougher than fighting against Xia Kang alone. Her yellow robes were torn to shreds, revealing the glittering golden armor beneath. Thankfully, her mask was still intact but it was barely holding together.
Her opponents were still full of fighting spirit. She could also keep fighting but it would take a long time for her to beat these men. In that time, even more city guards might show up...
The n.o.ble seemed to sense what she was thinking and spoke up once more. "My lady, please do not be angry with me. I am merely protecting my investment. You should understand, we are in the same business after all."
"Don"t rope me in with the likes of you." Lin Qingcheng answered spitefully.
"Fine, fine, I"m sorry. But this woman, I absolutely must obtain. As compensation, I hereby formally invite you to the Full Moon Revelry." The man said. "I"m sure you"ve heard of it? It is the gathering of the foremost brothel owners in the whole kingdom."
He extended a hand and a silvery badge floated forward.
Lin Qingcheng caught it and examined it. It was real!
"How can you hand out this card? Who are you?" She asked.
"Oh, come on, can"t you guess?" He said with a smirk.
She knew there was only one reasonable answer. "Bright Moon royal family…"
"That"s right. Third Prince Mingyue Jian at your service. I hope you come and I hope we can have a good chat then. My dear Golden Madam, until then, farewell." He bowed once more and gestured to his troops, "Let"s go!"
"…"
Lin Qingcheng stood and watched silently as her enemy disappeared from the scene. Mingyue Jian by himself was only at the 3rd Level of the Spirit Initiate Realm but he had come with his royal guard. She had ambushed a group of men before the two kidnappers arrived but they were a decoy. The royal guard was much more powerful than the riff raff she beat up.
She never expected to fight such opponents in the first place. These covert transactions usually involved mercenaries and gangsters. She didn"t realize this kidnapped woman"s status was so high it even implicated the royal family!
She looked around for the two kidnappers but discovered to her great disappointed that they were already dead. While she was distracted during the heat of battle, Mingyue Jian had the unconscious Old Hu and Xia Kang killed so they could not reveal anything about the woman or the underlying plot.
Lin Qingcheng felt extremely vexed. She had been completely outplayed by the enemy. Still, the invitation could be a blessing in disguise. It was time for her little enterprise to enter the big leagues. She would be able to study these n.o.bles and royals up close and find their weaknesses.
There was still a week until the full moon and she had to prepare…
---
Smas.h.!.+
A precious jade wine gla.s.s exploded against the white marble floor. A richly dressed man was the culprit. He had a handsome and high-cla.s.s appearance but his lips quivered and his hands shook in uncontrollable anger.
"Who did it? Who took my merchandise!!" He yelled across the table at the squad of elder n.o.bles on the other side.
"My lord, the reports from the gate guards are not conclusive but a woman named the Golden Madam was the only one that left the city last night. It could be her. She owns a mid-level establishment named the House of Paradise." One of his advisors said.
"I"ve heard of that s.h.i.+t hole. Capture her, I will make her pay!" He slammed the table furiously.
The man was Mingyue Tian, second prince of the Bright Moon Kingdom. He had the same blood as Mingyue Jian but it was obvious that his temperament was completely different compared to his younger brother. He and his faction had been completely deceived and they didn"t even know the culprit!
"My lord, we can"t! We absolutely can"t. Her background is unfathomable." Another advisor said in a rush. "The true owner of that brothel might actually be the ruler of this province, Immortal Blue Dragon Chen Wentian!"
"What do you mean? I thought that was just a rumor!"
"It���s never been confirmed but whenever the immortal visits our city, the House of Paradise is the only place he visits. That is absolutely fact. We cannot touch that brothel; the risk is too great!"
All of his advisors nodded and spoke up in agreement. Seeing them so adamant, Mingyue Tian could only give up. He sighed heavily and collapsed back in his chair.
"Uncle Duo, what should we do?" He asked.
Uncle Duo, the first advisor, stood and saluted, "We can only go with our original lineup. But rest a.s.sured, my lord, they will be ready to perform at the Revelry. They will not let you down, I promise!"
"We promise!" The other advisors also chorused and saluted.
"Fine..."