Chapter 136: Slaughter

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As the saying goes, there are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests. So long as the grievance is not something as irreconcilable as murdering one’s father or taking one’s wife, there is nothing that cannot be settled by replacing hostility with friendship.

And if there is, then the price simply has not been raised high enough.

Yet there is another saying: a true superior takes revenge before nightfall.

The hatred between him and the owner of the Rouge Pavilion was precisely the unforgivable kind—the hatred born of a stolen wife.

“Who are you?” The attendant’s eyes flickered. Hesitation seized him, and he found himself caught in a dilemma. He was not merely an attendant; he was an informant planted there by Gu Hanguang. While keeping watch over the Rouge Pavilion’s daily earnings, he was also required to report to Gu Hanguang at regular intervals.

The owner of the Rouge Pavilion naturally knew perfectly well that the attendant was Gu Hanguang’s man. Though he felt some resentment, he dared not show it. Creating a rift with Gu Hanguang over such a matter would be a poor bargain indeed.

Besides, he did not believe Gu Hanguang would compromise with him. If he already knew something could not be done, why bother trying?

“Who I am is unimportant. What matters is that you answer me at once. My patience is limited, and I will not repeat myself.”

“Besides, this is not a decision you can make. You would do better to answer my question plainly, then return immediately and bring Gu Hanguang here. I will discuss the rest with him myself.”

“I am sparing your life only out of consideration for Gu Hanguang. Do not mistake mercy for weakness.”

“Or perhaps you and the owner of this Rouge Pavilion have some shameful private arrangement between you—one worth risking your life to keep secret. Does Gu Hanguang know about it?”

“And even if you refuse to speak, do you really think he can escape?”

“This Rouge Pavilion is not very large. Finding one person here would be effortless. I will give you three final breaths. If you still refuse to cooperate, then there is no need for me to waste any more words on you.”

“To Gu Hanguang, you are probably nothing more than a dispensable underling. I doubt he would go to war with me over your sake.”

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Luo Kui did not answer the attendant’s question directly. It was not that he lacked the courage; there was simply no need. The two of them were not even on the same level, and the man was unworthy of an explanation.

As for why he did not simply kill the attendant and search the Rouge Pavilion from top to bottom for its owner, consideration for Gu Hanguang was only part of the reason.

“This…”

The attendant still could not make up his mind. He truly had no authority to act on his own in this matter and would have to seek Gu Hanguang’s instructions before replying to Luo Kui. Yet given the circumstances, it was obvious that Luo Kui would never give him the opportunity.

Two paths now lay before him. The first was to yield to Luo Kui’s overwhelming threat, reveal everything, and then face Gu Hanguang’s thunderous fury—possibly at the cost of his life.

But the second choice was even harder to accept. If he defied Luo Kui, the man would likely kill him on the spot.

After only a moment’s hesitation, having weighed the consequences, the attendant quickly made his decision.

Between a possibility and a certainty, he would naturally choose the former. That much was beyond doubt. Compared with losing his life immediately, it was better to place his faith in that faint glimmer of possibility.

“They are in the cellar beneath the main room. Once you go inside, open the bed, and you will see them,” the attendant said truthfully.

The owner of the Rouge Pavilion had always conducted these affairs in secret, never allowing outsiders to discover them. Whenever Mu Lan came, the owner would lead her into the main room, where no one knew what they did.

As an informant planted by Gu Hanguang, the attendant could not simply ignore the owner’s strange behavior. If the man was plotting some scheme that harmed Gu Hanguang’s interests, then the attendant, as the overseer, would be held responsible.

Thus, he had once waited for a suitable opportunity. After the owner and Mu Lan entered the main room, he secretly followed them and peered inside through a gap between the windows.

What he saw startled him. When he looked into the room, neither the owner nor Mu Lan was there. The two seemed to have vanished into thin air. Only after confirming again and again that the room was empty did he push open the door and enter.

They could not have disappeared without a trace. There had to be some hidden secret. With that thought, the attendant immediately began searching the room. He dared not linger too long; if someone caught him in the act, the consequences might not be severe, but it would certainly cause trouble.

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He began with a cursory search, looking for anything unusual and hoping to uncover some clue.

Perhaps the owner of the Rouge Pavilion had never expected anyone to intrude so suddenly and therefore had not taken great care to conceal the evidence. With only a brief glance around, the attendant noticed something suspicious.

It was the bed.

The bedding was visibly disordered, as though someone had deliberately rummaged through it. Anyone looking at it would immediately sense that something was amiss.

Sure enough, when he lifted the bed, he found a concealed door beneath it. He was intensely curious about what lay below, but reason ultimately restrained him. Without needing to guess, he knew that the owner and Mu Lan, who had vanished moments earlier, must be hiding behind that secret door. If he went down now, he would almost certainly be discovered. Thus, he temporarily abandoned the thought and planned to wait for another opportunity to investigate.

Unfortunately, the owner was exceedingly cautious. For days on end, the attendant found no chance to enter the hidden passage. Now that Luo Kui had arrived, he could only hand over his discovery.

“Leave. This place will be dealt with shortly. Tell Gu Hanguang that Luo Kui is waiting here to speak with him.” Luo Kui waved his hand. The attendant had outlived his usefulness, and Luo Kui had no intention of detaining him. He was nothing more than an insignificant underling.

Upon hearing this, the attendant felt as though he had been granted a pardon. He hurried toward the government office.

He had to report everything to Gu Hanguang as quickly as possible. The matter allowed no delay.

“You go and clear out all the unrelated people in this Rouge Pavilion.” A murderous glint flashed through Luo Kui’s eyes. He wanted his enemy to pay for the blood debt in full. Killing the man alone would not be enough; everyone connected to him would be slaughtered as well, regardless of the consequences. Anyone inside the Rouge Pavilion was guilty by association—there would be no talk of innocence.

“Yes.”

Having received their orders, several guards immediately drew their blades and began a bloody purge of the Rouge Pavilion.

Marvelous Book House

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