Not long after, Jiang Chen arrived at the renowned Nongyu Tower.
Unlike other pleasure houses, the Nongyu Tower didn't look anything like a brothel at all. It resembled an upscale garden estate instead. Even the doormen standing at the entrance were all Emperor Realm martial artists — a fact that made Jiang Chen click his tongue in silent admiration.
What surprised him most was that, unlike other such establishments, the Nongyu Tower conducted itself with remarkable restraint. There were none of the usual fluttering girls pulling at passersby or casting flirtatious glances from the doorway. The entire layout of the place radiated an air of refined elegance, with not the slightest hint of vulgarity.
"So the Nongyu Tower really does live up to its reputation for class," Jiang Chen mused. Though he had never visited a pleasure house before, he gritted his teeth and walked in — he needed information, after all.
Once inside, someone greeted him with a warm smile. "Welcome, young master. Are you here for drinks, or something else?"
"I've heard the Nongyu Tower is quite renowned, and I've come to see it for myself. Find me a lively spot, pour a couple of drinks, and let me soak in the atmosphere."
Jiang Chen naturally had very little interest in fox girls or the like.
The Nongyu Tower clearly ran a principled operation. They didn't ask about his identity, and despite the fact that he was alone, they showed no trace of contempt.
Before long, a seat by the window had been arranged for him. Beyond the window lay a lake, and a gentle breeze stirred the water into soft ripples — a truly pleasant sight.
"Young master, here is the wine you ordered, along with the fruits and delicacies."
Jiang Chen nodded.
"Since you're drinking alone, young master, would you like a lady to join you for a few cups?"
Jiang Chen smiled. "If I need one, I'll let you know."
He didn't need a drinking companion.
Alone with a pot of wine, he settled in at his table and began drinking at a leisurely pace, all the while using his divine sense to observe every patron around him.
These drinkers were clearly people of considerable standing. Ordinary rogue cultivators would never set foot in a place like this. If any did come, they would have to be among the more notable names in the rogue cultivator world.
Yet after probing gently with his senses, Jiang Chen couldn't uncover anything particularly useful. None of the patrons had "Ten Great Divine Kingdoms" written across their foreheads.
But Jiang Chen was in no hurry. About a quarter of an hour later, another group walked through the entrance — a fairly large party.
When Jiang Chen got a clear look at their faces, he was genuinely taken aback.
These were the geniuses from the Duowen Divine Kingdom whom he had seen at Dongyan Island! And they, too, had come to the City of Miracles in the Blue Smoke Island Domain?
These people had never crossed paths with him back in the Black Nightmare Mountain Range, and Jiang Chen had changed his appearance, so none of these so-called geniuses noticed him.
Jiang Chen counted — there were easily over a dozen who had entered. Compared to last time, the group was noticeably smaller, though there were also some more mature-looking faces among them.
Jiang Chen guessed that these must be the geniuses from the Eight Great Families of the Duowen Divine Kingdom. Some of them looked older than the ones he had seen before — probably around his age, or even a bit older.
The last time at Dongyan Island, the heirs from the Eight Great Families had all been in their teens or twenties, with not a single one over thirty.
This group had clearly reserved a private room and was heading straight for it. As it happened, their room wasn't far from where Jiang Chen was sitting — close enough for him to pick up any sounds.
Jiang Chen kept a composed expression, acting as though he hadn't noticed them at all.
But he released a thread of divine sense, listening to their conversations.
Sure enough, the group was animated and in high spirits, all discussing the affairs of the Kuang, Xue, and Xuan families among the Eight Great Families.
Their tone carried a strong note of schadenfreude. There was no question that relations among the Eight Great Families were far from harmonious.
"Ha! I heard those three families actually filed a complaint with the City of Miracles. They think the city doesn't take their wanted poster seriously enough!"
"Those three families have clearly lost their minds. They've completely humiliated our entire Duowen Divine Kingdom!"
"Exactly! It's a scandal, and they have the nerve to spread it around everywhere? It's been this long and all three families are still useless? They can't even catch the killer? How capable can this person really be? Did he just vanish into thin air?"
"The longer this drags on, the worse it gets. In my opinion, given enough time, this whole affair is going to become a laughingstock across the entire Myriad Abyss Island."
"Going to become? It already is, doesn't anyone realize that?"
Their words were dripping with mockery. Clearly, they felt no sympathy whatsoever for those three families — if anything, they found the whole thing hilarious.
"Come to think of it, it is a bit strange. Who exactly is this Emperor Jiang? Even the people at Dongyan Island can't figure out his background. And the few people he interacted with while at Dongyan Island have all disappeared without a trace — as if they never existed at all."
"Who cares about his background. It's obviously impressive. Otherwise, taking out Kuang Rong and Xuan Rui wouldn't have been so easy."
"Can't say I don't feel a little relieved, actually. If it had been us in that situation, we might not have fared any better than Kuang Rong and Xuan Rui."
"Tch, don't lump us in with those losers. I'd say they were just incompetent — it's not like this Emperor Jiang is all that powerful."