Just as with the Overlord Asura Sect, I briefly considered:
If I make a fuss at the entrance of Silver Flower Pavilion, won’t he just come down on his own?
But that thought was rejected immediately.
“No, Brother Cheon! You said Silver Flower Pavilion is one of the few places in Hangzhou even officials visit, right? If you cause trouble here, something will happen!”
“Trouble? I’d simply make a legitimate duel request…”
“That excuse barely works even with other martial artists, let alone here!”
A fair point.
Among martial artists—especially unorthodox ones—they might grumble but still say: “Well, that happens. So who won?” and move on.
But officials were different.
Although they generally avoided conflicts with martial artists—especially Flowering Stage experts—a high-ranking official enjoying himself, interrupted by a commotion?
He would hold a grudge. Almost certainly.
This entire Duel Journey was to prepare for the war against the Demonic Cult, and ultimately, we might need to cooperate with the imperial army… or at least remain on decent terms.
Starting hostilities here over something trivial would be the worst choice.
So even if it felt out of character, I needed to enter properly and politely.
“Slanderous rumors… I’m used to them.”
“You always say it’s misunderstandings… but has any of them ever actually been misunderstandings?”
“Every single one.”
People calling me the Holy Son of the Unorthodox Faction,
people claiming I prefer the sword over women, people thinking I have strange tastes because I keep Seomun Harin—someone ranked above me in seniority—by my side…
“All misunderstandings.”
“Uh… sure. If Brother Cheon says so.”
Tang Sowol nodded with the kind of expression one uses when looking at something pitiable.
The atmosphere suggested she had something else to say but decided against it.
Probably just my imagination.
“Anyway, since there’s no clever trick here, let’s proceed normally.”
“Yes, I believe Brother Cheon can absolutely do it!”
“Do what?”
“A normal conversation?”
Encouragement? Insult? Hard to tell.
With that dubious support, I opened the doors to Silver Flower Pavilion.
The hinges didn’t make even a single squeak—just a smooth, silent glide.
The heavy alcohol smell of Hangzhou’s streets was pushed aside by a gentle mix of powdery perfume and sweet floral fragrance.
I paused for a brief moment.
Ahead lay a long corridor.
So long that, aside from the sunlight slipping in from behind, there was no other light source—making it look dim.
But the moment the door closed—
Thump.
As sunlight disappeared, the walls and ceiling softly lit up, illuminating the hallway.
“Wow…”
Tang Sowol’s voice from behind expressed exactly what I felt.
I merely swallowed my surprise before it became sound.
“…They must’ve infused crushed luminous pearl dust into the walls. I wonder how much that cost.”
“It looks like a night sky. Pretty… Brother Cheon??”
She stared at me as if jolted awake, but I ignored it.
What mattered was the figure approaching from the far end of the corridor.
A young woman—beautiful makeup, gorgeous garments—yet she carried herself lightly without seeming cheap.
“I wondered why guests would come at this hour… but what a rare and precious combination you are.”
“You recognized us just by seeing our faces?”
“Of course. The White Moon Sword Lord, his betrothed, Lady Poison Phoenix, and the Black Lotus Sect Lord’s right hand—Sir Twin-Ghost Killing Sword.”
“Ohoho! See this? A place as refined as Silver Flower Pavilion is bound to know greatness!”
Ah, so that “right hand” comment pleased him. Twin-Ghost Killing Sword burst out laughing.
He really was simple.
Well, Sowol and I were recognizable, and we wore Tang Clan attire openly.
Only the business at the Asura Sect was unknown to them.
“You wouldn’t bring your betrothed here for courtesans, so you must be here to dine? You won’t regret it. As long as you don’t break our signboard, we will attend to you with the utmost care.”
“You knew about that?”
“One of our retired girls lives near the Overlord Asura Sect. She passed along a little information.”
“You’re not from the Hao Clan, but your ears are sharp.”
“We don’t dabble in other trades like the Hao Clan. We only offer good wine, good food… and smiles.”
A bright smile, serene voice.
She seemed to know minimal martial arts for health, but nothing more.
She must have guessed why I was here, yet remained calm.
No doubt because her Pavilion Master was Brahma Heavenly Lust Demon, whose protection was absolute.
Better calm than panicked.
“Then go inform him: White Moon Sword Lord wishes to meet Brahma Heavenly Lust Demon.”
“Understood. Please wait inside until then.”
“Lead the way.”
She bowed lightly and proceeded ahead.
We followed through the starlit corridor until it opened into a wide hall.
Sunlight streamed through the large windows, but perhaps because of the long corridor or the lavish decoration—nothing like anywhere else—it felt like stepping into another world.
“Please sit here. It won’t take long.”
“Mm. Very well.”
The moment I sat, I felt eyes turn toward us.
“Never seen them before. Who brings a woman here?”
“It might be his preference. Or maybe they’re just eating.”
“Shh! Look at their waists. They’re martial artists—mind your words.”
“Oh come on. Even if they’re masters, could they really hear us whispering from this far—”
Yes. They could.
I could.
A Flowering Stage expert could do far more than most people imagined.
As my qi senses soared after rebirth, all my other senses sharpened accordingly.
If I focused, I could eavesdrop on every conversation on the first floor.
Not that I would respond. That would get annoying very quickly.
Still, many glanced our way, pretending to talk among themselves.
I expected the first floor to be quiet, but half the tables were full.
When I examined them—quietly—they were all unusual.
A Hao Clan sub-branch chief muttering nonstop complaints about the Black Lotus Sect.
A middle-aged official who both envied and admired a rising young court official favored by the Emperor.
A martial artist enamored with the wine and atmosphere.
Some recognized me; some didn’t.
Mostly martial artists or merchants recognized me. Officials did not.
Reasonable. I knew little about bureaucrats myself.
All sorts of backgrounds, all prominent in their own fields.
Yet none could ascend beyond the first floor to the higher ones.
A place with quite a high nose, indeed.
Of course, it was because of Brahma Heavenly Lust Demon’s power.
Martial artists behaved lest they lose their lives. Officials visited comfortably because a Flowering Stage warrior—treated like a feudal lord—oversaw the place.
Listening to these whispers, I suddenly understood how the Hao Clan grew so large.
To some people, these idle murmurs were priceless intelligence.
“So the first floor isn’t just for dining.”
“Yes, their skills are amazing.”
Musicians, singers, dancers—almost at the level of the best pleasure houses.
No wonder entry was restricted.
While I nodded in understanding, the earlier courtesan returned.
“The Pavilion Master will receive you as guests. Please follow me.”
“Very well.”
As I rose, murmurs spread again—surprise, confusion about what the Tang Clan intended, and speculations about my taste.
I sighed quietly.
The courtesan, noticing something, spoke hesitantly:
“Silver Flower Pavilion always insists on the best… so of course we prioritized soundproofing but…”
She wasn’t looking at me.
She was gauging Tang Sowol’s reaction.
Sowol smiled softly, then glanced at me sideways before nodding.
“It’s fine. As long as it’s only sound and not sights.”
“Y-Yes… Thank you for your understanding.”
Her tone trembled slightly.
She must have misunderstood something about me.
But she wouldn’t see me again—so it didn’t matter.
One day, if restrictions lift, or even if they don’t but people learn about my past life…On that day, I’ll make Sowol tell me precisely what she saw in my memories.
With half resignation, half resolve, I continued walking.
The second floor held only private rooms—hallways and doors.
The third was even more refined.
And the fourth…
A single, enormous room occupying the entire floor.
“The Pavilion Master awaits inside.”
She stepped aside and slid open the door.
Shhhh.
The moment I entered, my body warmed—subtly, quietly.
Rebirth helped me understand seductive energy to an extent, so I recognized it immediately.
“Even if it’s your own room, you shouldn’t leave your inner energy leaking everywhere, Brahma Heavenly Lust Demon.”
“Oh? Sharp indeed. But do refrain from misunderstanding, darling—this isn’t energy I released for you. It’s energy I simply didn’t bother retrieving.”
The voice came from the center of the room—a room so otherworldly that it seemed detached from the rest of the pavilion.
On the edge of a massive bed large enough for six grown men, sat…
A beauty.
A seductive smile, a long pipe between their lips, transparent silk clothing hinting at elegant curves beneath—
A presence that effortlessly bent the atmosphere around them.
Such was the nature of Flowering Stage cultivators:
their martial arts and spiritual will permeated their mere breathing.
So Tang Jinchun exuded poison, Namgung Dowi exuded sharp dominance, the Black Lotus Sect Lord radiated tyrannical force—
And this one radiated… seduction incarnate.
Without question: Brahma Heavenly Lust Demon.
That’s… a man?
No wonder he destroyed countless households. His existence alone explained it.
As a Flowering Stage master myself, I felt no particular danger aside from surprise—but the others fared worse.
“Pull yourselves together, Tang Sowol. And you too, Twin-Ghost Killing Sword.”
“H-Heup! Y-Yes! I’m completely fine! Yes! Totally fine!”
She said that, yet refused to look anywhere but at my face.
Twin-Ghost Killing Sword simply closed his eyes shut.
A seduction master reaching Flowering Stage really could do this, huh.
I let out a faint laugh—then sensed faint qi movement.
“My apologies. I didn’t expect guests at this hour. I hadn’t enough time to prepare.”
As he said that, he withdrew every trace of seductive energy from the room.
Tang Sowol and Twin-Ghost Killing Sword cautiously glanced his way.
There sat the androgynous beauty—calm smile and all—one arm wrapped around a limp young woman at his side.
“…Hm?”
I had been so struck by his presence that I initially overlooked the woman.
Not prepared to receive guests.
Meaning, moments earlier…
He had been busy with her.
“Admittedly, we did intrude rather abruptly.”
“Exactly. But I’m generous. A minor discourtesy is forgivable.
And you didn’t storm in here breaking my pavilion’s signboard, White Moon Sword Lord.”
“To those treated politely, I respond politely. Simple, but not easy. I appreciate it.”
“You’re a man who enjoys twisting words. I don’t dislike that.”
“However, there’s something I must clarify.”
The woman beside him—much younger-looking than in my memories, but unmistakable.
“You do know she’s a Demonic Cult member… don’t you?”
Star-Siphoning Ghost Demon.
That was her epithet.
