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Seeing the people in front of him, Lu Chen shook his head and let out a bitter smile before preparing to head to the third floor.
Just as his foot landed on the stairs, he heard the sound of a guqin. The music was familiar and elegant, coming from upstairs, accompanied by some raucous laughter and playful banter.
Lu Chen lifted his foot and slowly walked up the stairs. Before long, he arrived at the so-called Fengcuilou's third floor.
This place was quite refined, often frequented by scholars and poets who gathered to compose poetry and paint. At that moment, in the uppermost private room, there was a woman in her twenties, exceptionally beautiful, gently plucking the strings of the guqin, attracting the attention of many scholars.
They held wine cups in their hands, teasing the beautiful woman, who merely smiled in response without any overly provocative actions.
Beside her stood a maidservant, attending to her needs. It seemed she was a courtesan, selling her art rather than her body.
Upon seeing this woman for the first time, Lu Chen felt an intense familiarity but couldn't recall where he had seen her before or what connection they might have had; perhaps it had been too long since they last met, and he had forgotten.
Lu Chen chose a seat that faced away from the woman and ordered a pot of wine. He sat there drinking alone, ignoring everything else around him while letting the sounds of laughter and chatter wash over him.
As Lu Chen savored his wine, he found himself more captivated by the familiar music. Suddenly, he smiled slightly as if recalling something; his first impression was that this woman's skills were extraordinary.
The young masters around him, relying on their family's wealth, acted recklessly, thinking of her merely as a talented courtesan. However, Lu Chen knew better than that.
When he heard those young masters calling her Sister Su, Lu Chen became even more certain of his thoughts regarding her identity and everything about her; he had guessed nearly everything correctly.
Time passed until afternoon turned into evening. The young masters suggested taking the woman to their homes as guests; on the surface, it seemed innocent enough, but everyone knew their true intentions.
They offered exorbitant prices that could even buy a house in the capital, yet Sister Su rejected them all without hesitation. This was expected; if she hadn't turned them down, it would have been strange indeed.
Afterward, those young masters left in disappointment, not daring to cause a scene there. Despite their family's influence, they understood what kind of place Fengcuilou was and refrained from acting recklessly.
By lantern-lighting time, almost everyone on the third floor of Fengcuilou had left except for Lu Chen, who continued drinking alone and Sister Su, who resumed playing the guqin after taking a few breaks.
As the music came to an end, the surroundings fell silent. The woman instructed her maid to collect the long zither, seemingly preparing to leave.
"Sister Su, is this where it ends?" Lu Chen asked, raising his wine cup and downing its contents in one go.
"Hmm?" The woman with the surname Su turned around in surprise, looking at Lu Chen, who was drinking alone, feeling quite intrigued.
"Young Master, everyone else has left. Why are you still here? I have already finished and will not accept any form of performance. If you only came to listen to music, then please make your exit early," she said with a playful smile, teasing Lu Chen as if it were all a joke, almost fooling him.
Hearing this, Lu Chen burst into laughter, saying, "I truly came specifically to listen to the music. Sister Su, won't you play another piece for me?"
"You must be drunk, Young Master. I see you've been drinking all afternoon without stopping. You should go back and rest. Come again tomorrow to listen to music," she replied with a giggle, preparing to leave with her maid.
"Don't you want the 'Human Book'?" Lu Chen casually mentioned, unexpectedly bringing up the 'Human Book'.
At these words, the woman froze for a moment and abruptly turned around to stare directly at Lu Chen.
"The heirs of the Seven Great Families of the Demon Lord should have all emerged by now and will soon arrive in the Central Plains. Sister Su, you represent the Su Family. Your mission is to succeed your elder sister Su Qingtian and your second sister Su Wutong. The reason you are here playing music is actually to extract useful information from these noble young men, am I right?"
Lu Chen spoke lightly but revealed the secrets of this Su Sister's background and her intentions. This woman must be an heir of the Su Family, one of the Seven Great Families of the Demon Lord, specifically one of the Twelve Golden Hairpins known as Death Pin.
"Hehe, I don't know what you're talking about. My surname is Su, but I am not one of those from Sui Mo Kingdom or one of the Seven Great Families. I don't understand any of that," this Su Sister replied defiantly, her eyebrows twitching slightly.
Lu Chen sighed helplessly and said, "I didn't mean to expose you. Playing music in broad daylight like this will eventually reveal your identity. Do you think you can outsmart those with keen insight just by denying it? There are many powerful figures within large sects and forces; can you really compete with them?"
Lu Chen understood that this woman was playing music here intentionally to get close to those noblemen in order to trace the whereabouts of the Human Book while disguising her identity as a courtesan. However, he believed her approach might not be wise since she would eventually expose her whereabouts and true identity. It was even possible that she had already been exposed; some people just chose not to intervene.
Indeed, it is true that the disciples of each Major Sect are all exceptionally skilled individuals, each with their own calculations in mind. Why would they specifically pay attention to a single woman? The Su Family is not a particularly large or powerful force; at least when compared to major powers like the Five Element Sect or Star Gate, they are insignificant.
"Since that's the case, I will play a piece just for you, Young Master." In the end, the woman took the initiative to offer to play a piece for Lu Chen alone.
She instructed her maid, who then stepped outside and drew all the curtains and door drapes, effectively creating a closed environment.
Lu Chen clearly noticed that there were some prohibitions placed on those curtains and drapes; once they were drawn, whatever happened inside would be unknown to the outside world.
"Impressive, the Su Family excels at these kinds of things," Lu Chen thought to himself. However, he did not show it outwardly. He quietly sat in his chair, pouring himself a drink while listening to the woman with the surname Su play the guqin.
Her music was melodious and graceful, reminiscent of ethereal sounds that made one feel drowsy. After a while, the melody changed to a more somber tone, like an army charging into battle. Moments later, it transformed again.
This transformation became passionate and uplifting, as if reaching an era of prosperity and abundance, evoking vivid imaginations that were hard to escape from.
Finally, after finishing a jug of wine, Lu Chen noticed that the woman's performance had come to an end. He remained seated in his chair without moving.
The woman, however, had already risen and gracefully walked toward Lu Chen. Without any greeting, she sat directly across from him, only a few feet apart. Lu Chen could even smell her faint fragrance wafting through the air.
"The Human Book disappeared completely after my second sister; do you know where it is?" The woman with the surname Su asked without any preamble as she poured herself a glass of wine and began to drink.
"Of course, the Human Book is no longer in this world; it has turned to ashes," Lu Chen's words doused her with cold water from head to toe.
"However, someone has firmly recorded it; that person is me. Your second sister Su Wutong passed away slowly in my arms. The location of the incident has long since become ruins with no traces left behind, so it's impossible for anyone to trace this clue. Your second sister has undergone Corpse Transformation and reincarnated into the Prairie King's family under the name Murzaha Yuan Zheng."
As for what happened afterward, you must have already investigated it thoroughly. However, Su Wutong is no longer part of your Su Family and has every right not to disclose any information to you.
And under the heavy protection of the Prairie King's army, you have no way to approach her, correct?
The woman across from him had her lips slightly parted, looking quite surprised. She did not expect Lu Chen to have calculated these matters so clearly.
"What else do you know?" the woman asked Lu Chen.
Lu Chen smiled faintly and said, "I know quite a lot. Your elder sister, Su Qingtian, has a lover in the Central Plains, but she was betrayed by him. After several entanglements of grievances, your sister died in the Central Plains, and her lover also ended up dead. That person is my master."
At this point, Lu Chen thought of Li Shian again, his first master who had set him on the path of soaring to great heights.
Lu Chen could never forget him; he truly deserved the title of mentor. Once a teacher, always a father. In fact, in Lu Chen's memory, he did not even know who his parents were; his master was much closer to him than his parents.
Especially when comparing Li Shian with Yin Boqing, one was above and the other below; Lu Chen did not even want to mention Yin Boqing.
"What number are you?" Lu Chen suddenly asked.
"The eleventh Death Pin. My name is Su Mo Li. And you?" After learning about Lu Chen's background, she no longer hid her identity, knowing it would be revealed sooner or later.
"Su Mo Li, my name is Lu Chen," Lu Chen casually replied.
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