Nightmare Assault

“Doctor,” Fatty asked, “What should we do next?”

Jiang Cheng held the crop and studied the embroidery on it. Then, he mumbled to himself, “Mei Xian Yard, Xiao Wan.”

Fatty licked his lips. He said excitedly, “Doctor, Mei Xian Yard doesn’t sound like a serious place.”

“It depends.” Jiang Cheng put the pouch away, “Once many serious people go there, it’ll become a serious place.” When he saw the term Mei Xian Yard, Fatty instantly believed that it was a brothel. Based on the Doctor’s reaction, his guess should be correct.

They chose a quiet path and came to the wall. Then, they jumped over it. Fatty kept saying: Wouldn’t it be dangerous for them to leave the Huang Residence like that? If the middle-aged woman came to find them…

“If you’re scared, you can go back,” Jiang Cheng answered naturally.

Fatty shook his head. “Doctor, you know what I mean.” He explained, “I meant, shouldn’t we inform Xia Meng? If the middle-aged woman comes, she can handle her for us.”

Jiang Cheng stopped and turned to stare at Fatty. Fatty shivered from the stare. Then, without any explanation from Jiang Cheng, Fatty came to the conclusion. Based on the relationship between the Doctor and Xia Meng, if the latter found out that the Doctor had sneaked out to look for clues, the first thing she’d do was to inform the middle-aged woman and Butler Zhou.

When they exited the alley, Fatty was worried that their costumes were too eye-catching. However, as they walked down the street, he realised no one paid them any attention. They asked a few people along the way and soon found this lavish building. It was situated at the corner of a street. Before they got close, they could catch the scent of rouge.

Fatty was there just to look, but not Jiang Cheng. Fatty felt like the latter was there to steal their business secrets. Mei Xian Yard’s first floor was similar to a normal theatre. There was a wooden stage in the middle. Since it was not the golden hour, there was a small audience. The performance on stage was middling. The audience was either chatting or drinking.

“Doctor,” Fatty looked around, and the disappointment was plain, “Is this a brothel? It’s so boring. The KTV near my home is more interesting.”

Jiang Cheng pulled Fatty to the side. “The brothel is not just a place to help lost girls. The ladies here are split into levels. The higher-level ones know all kinds of arts. They know how to make the guests feel like they’re in heaven. They are not as easy to meet as you hope, or else they will cheapen themselves.” Jiang Cheng said with interest as he pointed at the stairs. “Plus, they will not work the first floor. They are normally upstairs.”

Fatty said urgently, “Then, we should go up. Even if we rescue just one of them, our journey here is not wasted!”

Jiang Cheng sighed, “Did you bring any money?”

“We’re here to save them!” Fatty said officiously, “Why would we need money?”

“Okay. Let’s head upstairs!”

“Doctor,” Fatty perked his ears to listen to the surroundings, “Do you think Xiao Wan is the name of the ghost? And she used to work here.”

“That should be the case.” Jiang Cheng replied, “Young Master Huang had to use the sedan chair to sneakily marry her into his home at night due to her identity.” That would explain the play with the sedan chair.

Jiang Cheng stopped before a pretty door. Fatty looked up and saw a wooden plaque beside the door. The plaque had the name Xiao Wan. So this was the place…

Just as Jiang Cheng was about to push on the door, the sound of a zither came from inside.

“There’s someone here!” Fatty’s heart squeezed.

Jiang Cheng stopped hesitating. He told Fatty to be his lookout and slipped into the room. The room was large, and the decoration was tasteful. There were several instruments like pipa and zither hanging on the wall. There was a chess game on the lacquered table. The chess pieces were glowing like crystals. This showed the status of Xiao Wan.

Jiang Cheng believed Xiao Wan was also the top-pick like he was. Jiang Cheng followed the trail of the zither. He finally saw a figure behind the curtain. The woman had her head lowered as she played the zither. A white fox fur shawl covered her shoulders. She was covered in layers. It was early autumn, and the weather was quite warm. The woman was indoors, still dressed warmly. This showed how weak her body was.

Jiang Cheng cleared his throat audibly, “Miss Xiao Wan?”

The instrument paused. The woman turned. When she saw Jiang Cheng, her face paled, “Who are you? How did you get in?”

“It looks like you are the real Xiao Wan.” Jiang Cheng walked closer and took out the pouch. “Can you tell me why your name is on this pouch?”

“Don’t come any closer!” The girl’s voice changed from fear. “Or else I’ll scream!”

“You can scream.” Jiang Cheng sat down two meters before the curtain. He poured himself some tea. “But I’d advise you to think about it. What will I say when people rush here?” Jiang Cheng revealed a wicked smile. “I’ll say that it was you who seduced me. You invited me here. And this is not our first private rendezvous.” He paused and threatened her, “It’ll fully ruin your reputation.”

Xiao Wan countered angrily, “Do you think I haven’t handled people like you before?”

Jiang Cheng grabbed a handful of nuts. He munched on them. “Perhaps you have, but not the kind like me. I not only hunger for your body but also your heart!”

Through the curtain, Xiao Wan got a better look at Jiang Cheng. Then, the surprisingly young girl shook her head, “I don’t believe young master is that kind of person.”

Jiang Cheng grinned salaciously. “Really? How about I pull off my pants to help the story along?’

“Young Master, you jest,” Xiao Wan said firmly.

At that moment, the door opened. A large head poked in. “Doctor, be quick.” Fatty said nervously, “A lot of people…” Fatty’s eyes wandered over to Xiao Wan. He subconsciously licked his lips.

The next second…

“Help! No!” Xiao Wan turned to Jiang Cheng for help, “Young Master, just tell me what you wish to know. I’ll answer everything honestly!”