Chapter 331: Chapter 285: Peace Hotel
After daybreak, Yang Xiao used the excuse that his injuries required rest to request a three-day leave from the Patrol Defense Bureau. Director Nalan personally approved it, adding that the leave could be extended if three days weren’t enough.
Yang Xiao also contacted Fu Qingzhu, and they agreed to meet at the usual spot at 10 PM that night.
During the waiting time, Yang Xiao wasn’t idle. He took out paper and pen and drew the appearance of the man on the tombstone, as well as the Resentful Eye on that wooden stick.
It was strange to say, Yang Xiao didn’t remember the man’s appearance very clearly, but the Resentful Eye was as if it was engraved in his mind. As soon as he closed his eyes, it was that stick, and the eerie pattern on it made people feel dizzy after looking at it for too long.
After ordering takeout and eating his fill, Yang Xiao rested again. This time he didn’t dream, and he woke up feeling refreshed. What surprised Yang Xiao even more was that he slept for a long time, and when he woke up, it was already dark outside.
"Sister, rest assured, your enemy is my enemy. I, Yang Xiao, will never coexist with them under the same sky!" At 9:30 PM, Yang Xiao carefully folded the Drama Robe, placed it in his backpack, and by now he had also recognized the situation. With the robe, he was the Patrol Defense Bureau Investigative Team Captain who could defeat Venerable Level Heretic Cultivators; if the robe was unwilling to help, then he was just a nobody who could only write supernatural scripts.
At exactly 10 PM, Yang Xiao, wearing a mask, pushed open the door. Fu Qingzhu was already waiting inside the private room, "You are too anxious. The United Federation is now tight-lipped about Linghu Guishan’s affairs. It’s said that their chairman has issued a gag order. You need to give me more time."
"Now the United Federation denies that Linghu Guishan established his connection with the Yu Yuan Sect through their channels. They’ve found that he has been to the Peace Hotel recently," Fu Qingzhu quickly briefed Yang Xiao about the investigated clues as soon as he saw him.
"The Peace Hotel?" This was the first time Yang Xiao heard about this place.
"Yeah, the place is ostensibly a hotel, but in reality, it’s a market for trading information. The place is full of people from all walks of life, including both the underworld and the lawful side and, of course, heretic cultivators. The United Federation suspects that Linghu Guishan got in touch with people from the Yu Yuan Sect there," Fu Qingzhu poured a glass of wine for Yang Xiao and slid it across the table.
"When are they going to... um... investigate that... the Peace Hotel?" Yang Xiao inquired.
Fu Qingzhu hesitated for a moment, then seemed to think of something, smiled, and shook her head. "No, that’s where it ends."
"Why? Is the background of that hotel very strong?" Yang Xiao frowned.
Fu Qingzhu picked up the glass of wine and took a sip, speaking with a heavy heart, "Brother, you are still new to the business, and there are some things you don’t fully understand. While there are certainly reasons to do with the backing, the key is that there’s a demand. Various forces allow its existence because they all need such a place to conduct affairs they don’t want public."
"For example, why did you come to me to inquire about Du Guguishan? Is it because the Apostles Union has better intelligence capabilities than your Patrol Defense Bureau? No, it’s because you don’t want the Patrol Defense Bureau to know you’re investigating this person behind their backs. You have your own purposes."
"And there are many people who think like you, everyone has their own secrets that they don’t want others to know, which is why the Peace Hotel came into being. Here, you can spend money to buy the information you want, and the hotel will keep it absolutely confidential."
"Of course, the hotel does far more than that; if your credibility is good enough, the hotel will also open up other services to you," Fu Qingzhu explained.
Yang Xiao, being very clever, got the point immediately and lowered his voice, "I just happen to need to inquire about something. Do you have a way to get me in?"
Fu Qingzhu suddenly laughed, "You’ve come at the right time. The Peace Hotel only accepts appointments; during a fixed time, a door opens for one person only, and tonight, I happen to have an appointment. If you’re in a hurry, I’ll give my slot to you."
"Thank you."
"However, you’ll have to prepare your own stake. If it’s just about inquiring for some information, 500,000 should be enough, and I mean for one question," Fu Qingzhu raised one finger.
"One question costs 500,000?" Yang Xiao had just started to make some money and did not expect that it wouldn’t be enough to ask a few questions after all his life-risking efforts.
"A minimum of 500,000, with no upper limit," Fu Qingzhu let out a breath slowly. "You just have to pose your question, and the hotel will quote a price based on the question. If you don’t agree, you leave, but they will keep a part of your deposit."
"It feels like going to an auction," Yang Xiao commented.
Fu Qingzhu nodded, "Similar, but the Peace Hotel has four rules that must be observed by anyone who goes there. First, you are not allowed to ask questions related to the hotel. Second, you must go alone. Third, the hotel sets the price, and no bargaining is allowed, whether you are a buyer or a seller. Fourth, no matter what happens, violence is not permitted inside the hotel."
"The first three rules are manageable—if you break them, at worst, the hotel will blacklist you and never do business with you again. But this last one, you must remember it well. If you resort to violence in the hotel, the consequences will be very serious."
"You’ll die," Yang Xiao understood.
Fu Qingzhu shook his head, "I don’t know what will happen either, but you just need to remember this: Anyway, after so many years, I have never heard of anyone daring to cause trouble there."
Yang Xiao wasn’t in the mood to start a conflict with the Peace Hotel, given that he already had enough problems to deal with. He simply nodded, "I understand."
"The Peace Hotel is not in Rongcheng, it’s in a town called Xiang Ma Town, about 100 kilometers away from here. The time I’ve arranged is 3 a.m.," Fu Qingzhu reminded, "There is one more thing, you need a token to get in."
"What is it?" Yang Xiao asked curiously.
"Wait for me a moment." Fu Qingzhu got up and left, returning about 5 minutes later with an additional black handbag in his hand. Opening it, he took out a mask.
"This time, you’re going to wear my mask there, and remember not to take it off at any point. Once you leave, if you pass the hotel’s assessment, they will give you a mask as well, and that will symbolize the Peace Hotel’s willingness to do business with you." Fu Qingzhu handed the mask to Yang Xiao.
The mask shone with a silver metallic luster on its surface, but it was very light to the touch. Yang Xiao instantly thought of the silver material used by the technical department to seal the Resentful Eye, suspecting that the mask was also specially made. What was most odd was that there was a character for ’resentment’ written on the right cheek of the mask.
Before leaving, Fu Qingzhu reminded Yang Xiao that the room he had booked was Yuan Character Room No. 7. He also explained some details that Yang Xiao needed to know before going to the hotel, which Yang Xiao noted carefully.
After returning to his apartment, Yang Xiao immediately dragged out the money box hidden under the bed. The box contained precisely 500,000 yuan, which was the payment he received for the last favor he did for Fu Qingzhu.
Money was the least of his concerns. The key thing Yang Xiao had to do next was to ponder for a moment before opening his computer and recording the entire conversation he had with Fu Qingzhu that day, including the other party’s instruction to go to the Peace Hotel. He also took a photo of the mask given by Fu Qingzhu, saved the screenshot, and included in the email the detail of Fu Qingzhu murdering the intelligence broker Jin Buhuan behind the scenes. He created the email with a delayed send feature.
The sending time was set for noon the next day. If he did not return in time to enter the password and cancel the send, the whistleblowing email would appear punctually in the inboxes of Director Nalan, Ms. Wen, as well as several other high-ranking officials in the Patrol Defense Bureau. Beibei, Da Xiong, Xi Menxiu, and other members of his team were also included.
The martial world was full of dangers, so precautions had to be taken. If Fu Qingzhu had any malicious intent toward him, this email would leave him with no place to bury his body.
Planning an ambush to kill an investigator captain of the Patrol Defense Bureau, especially one credited with achievements like himself, Fu Qingzhu could not escape, no matter what.
After making all these arrangements, Yang Xiao started to pack, changing into clothes he had barely worn, ready to set off. In fact, there wasn’t much to bring besides the essential mask and money box – just a backpack – and he had to bring along his trusty "sister."
Yang Xiao planned his route briefly: he first took a taxi out of the city. After switching cars twice and not detecting anyone following, he then arrived at Xiang Ma Town.
Xiang Ma were bandits and highwaymen in ancient times, known for their swiftness like the wind, signifying their arrival with whistling arrows. When the arrows sounded, the mounted bandits would swarm out to plunder, thus earning the name Xiang Ma.
This wasn’t a term of endearment, and Xiang Ma Town lived up to its name as not being a good place—the land was barren, the ground covered in loose stones, the whole town decrepit. At 2 a.m., only a few lights were left on, the town as silent as if it were dead.
The Peace Hotel was on the west side of the town. Yang Xiao walked slowly inward, staying alert. The way was easy to find, as the town was not big to begin with, and there were occasional advertisements and direction signs for the Peace Hotel.
The deeper he went, the more desolate and decrepit he found the town to be. Many houses in the vicinity were empty, with doors and windows removed, turning them into dark voids. It seemed like the population was sparse, just like many remote towns where most of the young people had left for big cities seeking work, leaving only some elderly and children behind.
Because Yang Xiao was not in a hurry, he walked slowly, stopping from time to time to check for ambushes. Even so, after half an hour, he found the Peace Hotel.
The hotel occupied a large area, its run-down facade with green tiles suggesting its former prosperity. However, with the town’s decline, the hotel no longer shone with its past glory.
Of course, that was all Yang Xiao’s speculation. According to what Fu Qingzhu had said, within this dilapidated hotel lay hidden dragons and crouching tigers.
The hotel’s main entrance was tightly closed. If not for the signboard with the words "Peace Hotel" being lit and a few lamps outside the door, Yang Xiao might have doubted whether the hotel had closed down.
After a short wait, the hotel finally showed signs of life – a paper lantern with the character for ’resentment’ slowly floated up from behind the hotel’s wall.
The lantern rose to a certain height and stopped, beginning to sway slowly left and right with the night breeze. On the backside of the character for ’resentment’ was the number 7.
Yuan Character Room No. 7.
Yang Xiao took off his mask, put on the one provided, and walked toward the hotel.
