Volcanic Age

The unusually long night in Zhengzhou had finally come to an end.

By morning, Zhengzhou could only speak of what had happened the night before.

"Did you hear about what happened last night?"

"How could I not with all the chaos? I heard that the underground arena and the Snake Den fell into the Tough Bastard's hands."

"I never thought that the Arsenic Pig and the Viper Sword could be defeated in a single night. One of my relatives was in the underground arena yesterday, I heard it wasn't any ordinary chaos. They said that not only was the Arsenic Pig killed, but none of his subordinates were spared."

"How in the world did he manage to deal with two places in opposite directions in a single night? Did he join hands with the Murderous Harlot?"

"No. According to witnesses, the Silent Messenger and the assassins he brought were the ones who made a mess of everything."

"What?!"

Rumors about the events of the previous night spread quickly throughout Zhengzhou. The news had even spread beyond Zhengzhou to Henan, and it didn't take long for it to spread throughout the Central Plains and the murim.

However, it wasn't as big of a topic across the murim as it was in Zhengzhou.

"Even with all this fuss, they're still just Third Class trash."

"How long does it really take to clean up trash?"

"The Silent Messenger? Haha. What an excessive title."

"All of them are just in the Third Class; it's only natural that they weren't able to detect him. Moreover, even the Arsenic Pig or the Viper Sword are only Peak Realm experts at best."

The reactions of the Righteous Faction, Evil Faction, and Demonic Path were lukewarm. Everyone just dismissed it as nothing out of the ordinary. What mattered more was the intense tension that had followed the Blood Muscle and Tendon Classic incident.

The Black Hand was the Black Hand.

It was a world where expecting proper treatment and respect was laughable.

The only people who cared were those of the Black Hand and the people of Zhengzhou, the center of the Xia Wu Sect.

Regardless, as soon as the next day dawned, Jiang Nengchu worked hard to absorb the remaining forces without sleeping a wink.

The underground arena required absolutely no effort and was incredibly easy to absorb as Zhou Xuchuan had already wiped out everyone.

As for the Snake Den, although it took some time, it wasn't that difficult, either. Those of the Snake Den immediately complied and allowed themselves to be absorbed by the change in leadership.

The Viper Sword was locked in an underground prison and tortured for the location of all of his treasures.

Right after all this happened, someone from the Xia Wu Sect made their move.

The Xia Wu Sect Master, Vast Gate of the Dark Heavens Association.

A crimson haze filled the room, so thick that it was impossible to see through.

On the upper floor of the bedroom, men and women could be seen lying around without a single thread adorning their bodies.

Amidst the dizzying fragrance, cold rage flowed out from Vast Gate.

"What the hell is this mess…"

From Vast Gate's perspective, it was like a bolt from the blue.

It had been expected that the Tough Bastard, who had recently emerged as a new powerhouse, would challenge the throne of the trio in the near future, but that was no cause for concern.

Such challenges were common in Zhengzhou, happening many times in the past.

The Arsenic Pig, the Viper Sword, and even the Murderous Harlot had all done it before.

All three had killed the previous leaders and subordinates.

It didn't matter, people could always be replaced. Moreover, if the newcomers were strong, Vast Gate didn't hate it but rather welcomed it.

Just like before, all she had to do was make an offer, and if they rejected it, she just had to kill them. Then, a new person would emerge and become her next subordinate.

During this entire process, all challengers had one thing in common. They minimized the damage to their new sources of income.

The underground arena in the east, the black market in the west, and the red-light district in the south.

The income each area made wasn't small. Since these sources of income would be theirs anyway once they gained power, they generally didn't touch them. After all, it would be a shame to fight for a goose that laid golden eggs only to lose it.

The Xia Wu Sect members under their enemies were the same, which was why they worked hard to make them their subordinates, too.

That was why Vast Gate had brushed off the Tough Bastard's attack as routine and didn't take it seriously. Gathering information from outside was more important than internal affairs.

"This piece of shit…!"

However, a problem had arisen.

While the black market in the Snake Den was relatively untouched, it wasn't like the underground arena.

It had been completely destroyed.

An official she had connections with had told her that things had gone too far this time, a complaint that had been echoed by many others.

While it wasn't a permanent loss of income, since the security was proven inadequate, many of the larger clients would stop coming in for a while.

Yes, the loss was painful, but what frustrated her more was losing all of the Arsenic Pig's manpower, manpower she had been using for her intelligence gathering.

I can't report this until everything is resolved.

The mood within the Dark Heavens Association was already gloomy due to the continued failures.

It's not a big deal anyway, so let's figure this out first.

The problem itself wasn't that big.

New people could be hired, and the underground arena itself hadn't been destroyed, meaning everything could be restored over time.

What made her nervous were the Dark Heavens Association Leader and Blessed Existence, who were already uneasy due to the repeated failures.

Not wanting to upset them further, she planned to report after she took action.

For now, since the Tough Bastard's skills aren't too bad, I'll let him recover. If he can handle things quickly, I'll let him become one of my subordinates.

***

Within a week, Jiang Nengchu had fully absorbed both the East and the West.

Nothing consolidated power better than an overwhelming achievement that made history overnight.

Everyone was terrified of him.

Whispers of the possibility of the Tough Bastard trying to take over the Xia Wu Sect Master's position slowly began to arise. However, everyone was afraid of the Xia Wu Sect Master, who had reigned for a long time, so they kept these whispers to themselves, and no one spoke about it directly.

Two days later, a letter addressed to the Tough Bastard was sent by one of the three rulers of Zhengzhou, the Murderous Harlot.

"It says that she wants to congratulate me and invite me to a banquet. However, I'm not the only one on the list. Your name is on it, too."

Jiang Nengchu handed the letter over to Zhou Xuchuan as soon as he received it.

The Silent Messenger's name was there as well.

"Where?"

"The Southern Fire House."[1]

The Murderous Harlot's domain in the south was the red light district.

If the Blue and Red Houses were the best brothels in Zhengzhou, the other noteworthy brothels were concentrated in the red light district to the south.[2]

Among them, there was one brothel that was comparable to the Blue and Red Houses.

The Southern Fire House.

"They said we could choose the location of the banquet if we were worried about it being a trap. So, what should we do?"

"There's no need to go that far. We'll just go to them," Zhou Xuchuan responded.

Jiang Nengchu nodded.

The Southern Fire House.

The gorgeous, blazing red pavilion stood out sharply.

It was particularly noteworthy even within the red light district of Zhengzhou.

It was ten stories tall, each story a little over a zhang, making it easy to see from afar.

Zhou Xuchuan and Jiang Nengchu headed to the Southern Fire House as soon as it got dark.

Since the Southern Fire House had received word in advance, no guests were staying at the brothel. When they opened the door and entered, the two were greeted by the courtesans.

"Welcome, welcome. And where might your escorts be?"

"I only brought one."

The courtesans and employees were surprised by Jiang Nengchu's answer.

What great confidence!

This goes beyond confidence. He must be insane.

The entertainment district is the Head Madam's domain. To bring only a single escort to a place where the Murderous Harlot resides…

Could it be that the alliance with the Tough Bastard is almost finalized?

Everyone reacted in different ways, but no one voiced their thoughts or showed any clear signs of emotion. Instead, they all just looked afraid.

If they had known that the escort standing next to Jiang Nengchu was the Silent Messenger, they would have been even more shocked and dumbfounded.

"Come this way."

They were guided by a courtesan to the stairs. The higher they went, the more extravagant the decorations became.

Since there were no guests, they quickly arrived at the top floor, the tenth floor.

"Head Madam, I have brought the guests."

"Oh my. Hohoho. So you've arrived?"

A low laugh was heard as a sliding door opened.

When the door opened, a beautiful woman, barely in her early thirties but already exuding a sultry, mature beauty, sat waiting.

"It's an honor to finally meet the Tough Bastard and the Silent Messenger after hearing so much about you."

The courtesan who guided them flinched at the title, the Silent Messenger, but quickly regained her composure.

Zhou Xuchuan and Jiang Nengchu, having reached the top floor of the Southern Fire House, where no man had ever come before, found suitable places to sit down.

"Of course, we need to prepare the banquet before we can talk. It will only take a moment, don't worry."

As the Murderous Harlot raised her right hand, the door next to her opened, and courtesans came in one after another.

They ranged from a girl of about ten years old to a beautiful woman, roughly about thirty, all of whom were beautiful.

They brought tables covered in a feast of delicacies and carefully placed them in front of the Tough Bastard and Zhou Xuchuan, smiling with their eyes.

"Great one~"

"You're so handsome."

They were all courtesans who could make men's minds spin, their voices as beautiful as their fair skin.

While there were also courtesans with healthy, sun-kissed skin, that wasn't the only variation of beauty, as the courtesans displayed a wide range of exquisiteness.

"Okay, let's start with a drink first," the Murderous Harlot said in a friendly voice as she smiled.

"Great one, please, allow me."

"This is the Southern Fire House's famed wine."

The courtesans sitting close to them tried to hand them glasses, but neither Zhou Xuchuan nor Jiang Nengchu moved, seemingly frozen like stone. While the clothes to their sides flowed down as if to show off, tempting them with their treasures, neither of them moved.

"Murderous Harlot."

Zhou Xuchuan glared at her.

"I don't want to waste time, so let's get to the point."

"You're the Silent Messenger who recently made a name for yourself, right?"

The Murderous Harlot covered her mouth with her sleeve and laughed coldly.

"Waste of time? Do you know why this place is called the Southern Fire House?"

"I'm not interested."

"Because it burns both body and mind. If you're a man, you can have an unforgettable night here. Tell me what you like. I'll accommodate it all."

"The Xia Wu Sect Master is my type."

"…"

The sly smile on the Murderous Harlot's lips disappeared.

"You'd better not insult her."

"That's why I said, let's get to the point. I'm busy."

"It's the same for me, Murderous Harlot," Jiang Nengchu agreed.

These arrogant bastards…

The Murderous Harlot bit her lip.

She couldn't stand being looked down on by that brat named the Tough Bastard, who had been nothing special until just recently.

'How dare some bastard who would wag his little tail like some horny beast if I show even a little bit of my chest… if it weren't for the order of the Sect Master, I would have had you on the ground under my feet a long time ago and pulled out your arrogant tongue.'

She barely held back her murderous impulses.

"Since you've already gone this far, then let's get to the point."

The courtesans, who had been acting cute just a moment ago, bowed and retreated. Instead of leaving, they sat against the wall.

"To be honest, I called you here not to attend a banquet but because the Xia Wu Sect Master had something to tell you. As you may know, the pig and the viper you killed were, along with me, the Xia Wu Sect Master's limbs."

"And?"

"I'm letting you know beforehand in case you might misunderstand, but you weren't called here to be blamed for killing them. In the Xia Wu Sect, or rather, in the Black Hand, the weak are bound to die. I called you two to offer a chance to take over the positions left behind by the Arsenic Pig and the Viper Sword."

"Hmm."

Jiang Nengchu scratched his chin.

"As your senior, I advise you not to be foolishly conceited and to accept it."

The three of them from the past had all accepted the offer after ascending to the throne.

Of course, they had laughed it off in the beginning, all saying, 'What nonsense is this?' before quickly realizing how presumptuous they had been.

"While the Xia Wu Sect Master won't be making an appearance today…"

"Not interested."

"Are you two dating?"

The two men answered at the same time as if they had planned it beforehand.

The Murderous Harlot's patience snapped, her expression twisting with rage.

"Moreover, what do you mean, not making an appearance?"

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Zhou Xuchuan's heart was racing, his body tense with excitement.

A twisted smile spread across his lips.

The Murderous Harlot was about to brush off his comment, asking what he meant, but she stopped herself, her lips closing. Her eyes seemed to ask the question her mouth couldn't.

How?

Zhou Xuchuan slowly got up from his seat and turned his head to the left. His eyes locked onto a courtesan meekly sitting against the wall.

"…pfft."

A beautiful woman, who seemed to be quite young, covered her mouth and let out a laugh. Her skin was as white as snow, and her sleeves were unusually long.

She appeared to be a young maiden, but strangely enough, she seemed to exude a sexy aura like a mature beauty.[3]

"Huhuhu… kekeke!"

Found you.

1. A nod to the Vermillion Bird and the idea that man has a "southern fire," if you know what I mean. ☜

2. This is apparently different from the red light district within Zhengzhou proper. ☜

3. Women are seen to have different types of beauty as they age. ☜