Chapter 25: The Brothel Mission

Leaving the dormitory, Zhao Daqiang originally wanted Chen Tiansheng to take him out through the back door, but Chen insisted on going out through the main entrance.

As they stepped into the lobby, all eyes turned to them.

Having grown up in a small village, Zhao Daqiang was unused to such attention, especially from these notorious figures of the martial underworld. He instinctively lowered his head in shame.

Before leaving the dorm, Zhao Daqiang had quickly cleaned the bloodstains from his clothes and changed, but the gruesome wound on his head was plainly visible to everyone.

Earlier that day, the incident with Li Dongshan had caused quite a stir. Those who had been at the inn or came later had heard about it. Seeing Zhao Daqiang’s injuries only confirmed the truth of Li Dongshan’s assault.

The damaged counter had already been removed and temporarily replaced with an ordinary table. Li Dongshan’s body had been taken away by designated personnel.

Just moments after Chen Tiansheng arrived in the lobby, a man dressed as the innkeeper hurried over politely. “Young Master Chen, I am the newly appointed innkeeper, Zhou Jiahua.”

Chen Tiansheng glanced at him and nodded, replying courteously, “From now on, Innkeeper Zhou, I’ll be counting on you to manage the inn.”

“Not at all, it’s my duty,” Zhou Jiahua said repeatedly.

Zhou had long coveted the position of innkeeper, but Li Dongshan’s outstanding performance had kept him from ascending. Thanks to Chen Tiansheng killing Li Dongshan, Zhou finally had his chance; otherwise, he might have waited forever.

Chen Tiansheng said, “By the way, I want to let you know that my brother Zhao Daqiang won’t be working here anymore. I’m taking him to get his wound treated but he’ll return. Please hold a room for him; he might need to stay a few days.”

Zhou hesitated briefly before earnestly saying, “Young Master Zhao is no ordinary man; working here splitting firewood truly underutilizes him.” With that, he presented a silver ingot he had prepared earlier, apologetically adding, “Zhao’s injuries were caused by someone from the inn, so we are obligated to compensate. This is for medical expenses. If it’s not enough, I will make up the difference later.”

Chen Tiansheng, seeing the silver, silently acknowledged Zhou’s tact but did not take the ingot. Instead, he addressed the assembled guests: “I promised to treat everyone present at the inn today to food and drink. Consider this silver a repayment of that debt.”

Zhou nodded in agreement, “As Young Master Chen says, so shall it be.”

Their brief conversation left Zhou amazed at Chen Tiansheng’s composed manner despite his youth, and his extraordinary talent, rare even among those who had taken the entrance exam to the Martial Path Assembly.

The compensation money was offered by Zhou personally to curry favor with Chen. Though the silver was barely enough for a day’s feast for these martial guests, Zhou didn’t mind. Securing this position had already cost him countless silver coins, and he expected to earn much more in the future.

At this, Zhao Daqiang was stunned.

Though simple-minded, he was not foolish and couldn’t believe Chen Tiansheng and Zhou Jiahua knew that his injury wasn’t the result of splitting wood.

Moreover, this new innkeeper treated Brother Sheng with such respect?

Brother Sheng was even hosting a banquet for all the martial guests at the inn?

And he was letting him resign?

Zhao tugged on Chen’s sleeve, feeling wronged. “Brother Sheng, this wound won’t stop me. I can still work; there’s no need to resign. You’ve worked so hard to get me this job.”

He suspected Chen was letting him go because of his injury.

Though the beating had been painful, he believed enduring hardship was necessary to learn skills and bring honor to his family in the future.

Chen Tiansheng smiled gently. “If there’s no work here, we’ll find other opportunities. I’ll explain on the way.”

He worried that Zhao’s injury might worsen, which was why he hadn’t explained everything back at the dorm. Besides, without proof, talking wouldn’t help.

This pure bond of brotherhood drew admiration from all present.

On the way to the clinic, Chen recounted everything that had happened that day to Zhao, who was left dumbfounded.

Chen had actually passed the entrance exam to become a disciple of the Martial Path Assembly!

He had even joined the Martial Pavilion!

And had killed Li Dongshan, the man who had beaten him mercilessly!

Zhao had a flood of questions, and Chen patiently answered each one.

Though it strained belief, everything Zhao had seen at the inn confirmed Chen’s words.

More importantly, he trusted Chen completely.

Feeling happy for Chen’s achievements, Zhao was also deeply moved and silently vowed to work even harder, to never betray their brotherhood.

As they talked, they quickly arrived at the nearest clinic.

Zhao’s head wound was severe. To heal without leaving a scar, it needed stitches and expensive herbal treatment.

When the doctor quoted the price, Zhao, not wanting Chen to bear too much, waved dismissively. “Brother Sheng, some scars don’t matter. Real men look better with a few—they’re signs of toughness!”

Chen smiled and said, “You don’t want your future wife or kids to be scared of your bald head and scars, do you? Besides, if your parents find out, you’ll get a good scolding.”

He then pulled out a badge from his pocket and placed it on the table. “Doctor, I’ll owe you the medicine fees for now. Please give the best treatment.”

Seeing the badge, the doctor’s face changed. He scrutinized the young man, then recalled the commotion earlier that day in town. His attitude shifted immediately, and he said politely, “So you’re Young Master Chen of the Martial Pavilion. No rush on the payment—I’ll make sure your brother’s wounds heal completely.”

Martial Pavilion members hardly worried about money.

Completing a single mission casually could earn more than an ordinary person’s income over several years.

After Zhao’s wound was stitched up, Chen took him back to the Five Lakes and Four Seas Inn.

Zhou Jiahua reserved a room as instructed, briefly explained the medicine preparation, and then left for the Martial Pavilion.

As a member of the Martial Path Assembly, Chen could not afford to patronize rival inns. For now, Zhao would recover at the inn, and once healed, find a proper place to hone his streetwise skills.

Chen settled in at the Martial Pavilion’s quarters. With Jiang Yu absent, he was the only occupant in the large dormitory building.

Early the next morning, Chen rose and went to the mission office.

Scanning the mission board, he mulled over the options and chose a hunting task on Little Qiong Mountain.

However, when he applied, the woman in charge said, “Sorry, that mission has expired and is no longer available.”

Expired?

Seeing Chen’s surprise, she explained, “The Martial Pavilion has few members. Most of these missions were left over from before. We just got notified yesterday that a newcomer arrived. I’m new here myself and haven’t had time to update everything.”

Chen was speechless, then asked, “Are there any missions available?”

The woman leafed through a thick stack of forms before replying, “There are two left. One is from a brothel, and the other... is also from a brothel.”

Chen was puzzled.

He wasn’t one to care about appearances, but as a member of the Martial Pavilion, working for a brothel would be a disgrace.

After a moment’s hesitation, he asked, “When will new missions arrive?”

“They carefully select all Martial Pavilion missions for difficulty,” she said. “Usually it takes three to five working days. If you’re in a hurry, you could go to the branch hall and take missions like ordinary members.”

Going to the branch hall for missions meant stepping on others’ toes and risking enemies.

After thinking it over, Chen asked, “What are the details of those two brothel missions?”

The woman pointed to the bottom of the mission board.

There, two mission slips lay. Both came from the most bustling brothel in Qingzhou Prefecture—Si Xiang House.

One task: Protect the top courtesan Yue Wu Miao’s safety for seven days, reward of ten taels of gold, and ten contribution points.

The other: Find the murderer of Yue Wu Miao’s family, reward of one hundred taels of gold, and one hundred contribution points.

This was no small sum and perfectly solved his financial shortage.

Of course, he had ten gold bars left by Gu Xue, but their origin was suspicious and could not be spent recklessly today.

Besides, who ever has too much money?

Traveling the martial world was costly.

As for contribution points, roughly one point per tael of gold, showing how hard it was to accumulate them. Yet with enough points, he could exchange for many valuable items within the organization.

Without hesitation, Chen tore down both mission slips and registered at the front desk.

A brothel.

I, Chen Tiansheng, have arrived!