This scene left Yang Kai dumbfounded. He thought to himself that the place Shen Fanlei intended to bring him was indeed exactly as he had guessed.
It was unmistakably a brothel — the kind found in cities where ordinary people lived!
The only difference was that this place was infinitely more upscale than any common brothel. The visitors here were all martial artists, and the women who accompanied them were martial artists too. At the very least, when Yang Kai swept the area with his Divine Sense, he didn't find a single woman here whose cultivation was below the Zhenyuan Realm. However, their strength wasn't particularly high either — the strongest among them were only at the third or fourth layer of the Shenyou Realm.
The men frequenting the establishment were similarly ranked, with the highest being at the Entering Saint Realm — only marginally above the women.
The fact that Shen Fanlei was interested in such a place left Yang Kai quite surprised.
He turned his head to glance at the man and couldn't help but find the sight utterly speechless.
Shen Fanlei appeared as though his soul had fled his body. His mouth hung wide open, his eyes fixed blankly on the extravagant scene before him. It seemed the visual shock had robbed him of the ability to think or act, his face flushed bright red.
Yang Kai slowly shook his head, about to call him back to his senses, when a young woman dressed elegantly suddenly approached from the opposite direction. She had a face like peach blossoms, eyes bright as stars — dazzling and captivating. Her figure was full and graceful, her waist slender and alluring as she swayed toward them. She gave a graceful bow. "This humble one greets the two young masters."
As she spoke, she cast a sidelong glance at Shen Fanlei and covered her mouth with a giggle.
However, she had clearly seen this kind of reaction before, so she didn't pay it much mind. Instead, she said, "You two gentlemen look quite unfamiliar. Is this your first time visiting our Hehuan Tower?"
Yang Kai glanced at Shen Fanlei, saw that the man still hadn't come back to his senses, and sighed softly. Knowing he couldn't rely on the fellow, he nodded slightly. "That's right. It is indeed our first time here. However, we've heard of this place's reputation for quite some time. Since we were passing through Black Crow City, we decided to come take a look."
"I see." The young woman nodded delicately, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear and subtly revealing a hint of charm. She smiled with lips pressed together. "Then are the two of you satisfied? If so, may I arrange a private room for you?"
She could tell that both Yang Kai and Shen Fanlei had decent cultivation, and she knew they wouldn't want to linger in the public plaza, so she made the offer proactively.
Yang Kai had no objections, of course, and nodded. He let her make the arrangements.
The woman acknowledged the order and led them across the plaza toward the elegant pavilions in the back.
Meanwhile, inside a private room deep within Hehuan Tower, an old man and a young man sat cross-legged facing each other. The old man had a cultivation at the first layer of the Return to Void Realm, while the young man was at the third layer of the Saint King Realm.
The old man was calm and composed, silently circulating his technique without any urgency. In contrast, the immaculately dressed young man seemed troubled by something, frowning occasionally and peering outside.
"Yuhan, your temperament needs further tempering." The old man spoke without even lifting his eyelids, his tone indifferent.
The young man across from him started in surprise, a look of guilt crossing his face. He said respectfully, "Seventh Grandfather is right. Yuhan is still too young and rash."
The old man smiled faintly and opened his eyes to look at the young man. "There's no need to be too hard on yourself. After all, this matter concerns your future prospects. It's only natural to be a bit anxious. Our Wang family isn't some minor clan, but neither are we a great family. Among the current generation, you're the one with the most potential. To have been accepted into the Extreme Dao Gate, and to have cultivated to the third layer of the Saint King Realm — if fortune smiles upon you, breaking through to the Return to Void Realm isn't impossible. When that happens, you'll become one of our Wang family's pillars. And your starting point is far better than mine, so I'm sure you'll go much further than I ever did."
"Seventh Grandfather flatters me. Everything Yuhan has achieved today is thanks to the family's cultivation. If I truly accomplish something in the future, I will never let the family down."
"With those words, I'm relieved. If it were anyone else in the family who came to ask me this favor, I never would have agreed. I hold a managerial position here at Hehuan Tower, but as you know, this establishment is secretly backed by the Quehe Sect, and the City Lord himself has a hand in it as well. If something were to go wrong, it's not something our Wang family could bear."
"Yuhan understands. But the target this time is only at the second layer of the Saint King Realm, and we won't be making a direct move against him — we're just creating a bit of scandal. That shouldn't be a problem."
"If it weren't for that, would I have agreed to your little scheme?" The old man snorted lightly, then shifted the topic with a soft smile. "That woman you've set your sights on — is she really from a major power like the Qiantian Sect?"
"That's right." The young man seemed to perk up at this. "Not only is she from the Qiantian Sect, she holds a position of considerable standing within it. And she's quite wealthy — she has at least a million Saint Crystals!"
"A million?" The old man's eyes widened, a flash of greed passing through them. "How could a mere third-layer Saint King possibly possess such a fortune?"
"She was quite lucky. Last time, she found a Saint Crystal vein in the Flowing Flame Sand Region and mined there for five full months, extracting nearly ten million Saint Crystals. After returning to the Qiantian Sect, she turned most of it over to the sect, but she still kept a portion for herself."
"I see!" The old man's doubts vanished. He pondered for a moment. "In that case, we absolutely cannot let this go easily. You must win this woman over. As long as you can capture her heart, your future cultivation will be smooth sailing — you'll never have to worry about resources again."
"That's exactly what Yuhan thinks, which is why I'm taking action against that Yang brat. I can see he doesn't mean anything good for Miss Shen. Once the scandal here is exposed, Miss Shen will surely have nothing more to do with him."