Smack dab in a lush bamboo forest nestled in the maze of walls, the Phoenix’s Nest was the haven for most of those who walk the night.

  Dandies from all walks of the sect converged here, spending the overflowing wealth accrued from generations of blood and sweat.

  Within these walls, the spirit stones on these guests were like sweet nectar.

  The exquisite escorts here bumbled around like bees, letting the hungry guests taste the ever-so-sweet honey from the flowers they were assigned or had the luxury to pick.

  Of course, not all guests came to admire the flowers here.

  It’s a universal consensus that brothels double as one of the strongest spy agencies across many territories, and this pce was no exception.

  The flowers here may not have thorns, but every single one has been cultivated by the Feng Cn to charm the secrets out from their admirers!

  With all the incessant chirping all around, this nest was a buzzing hub of gossips, as it should be.

  Admist the din, a piping voice held the interest of many of the guests who came to leech off the skills of the agents here...

  "Has He Gongzi heard about the treasured scorpions appearing in the outer sect?

  “That one that even our cns have mobilized men to find? Of course! Rumors has it they showed up mysteriously in some outer disciples’ homes overnight and even in the wild. I’ve long gotten news regarding their whereabouts and set up a heavenly net to round them up-”

  "Pei! You can’t even get the facts right, and you want to brag! Dream on! Don’t listen to him. My sources says they're being sold by an old eunuch in disguise. Must be the good deed done by the Royal Faction!"

  The third voice’s conspiracy theory drew intrigued murmurs from the gathered crowd.

  "Could this be connected to those women in bck I've heard whispers about? The Law Enforcement Hall was mobilized?"

  "Nonsense! I heard it was a woman in white," another countered, sparking a debate among the gossip-hungry patrons.

  Amidst the chaos of conflicting tales, a voice cut through the cmor with a note of ego.

  "Heh. You're all wrong. My sources tell me that it's all a smokescreen orchestrated by the Flower Picking Gang in the outer sect."

  "The Flower Picking Gang? Weren't they disbanded after that debacle?" someone excimed, interest coloring their tone.

  "Apparently not, though it seems they're on their st legs now. Most of their members have been rounded up for interrogation.”

  "Looks like they've incurred the wrath of Lady Luck. Haha..." another remarked, a hint of schadenfreude tingeing his words, "Must've crossed some big shot one too many times with all their misdeeds."

  "Hah! Serves them right!"

  “Now, now, this is why upright gentlemen like us come here instead of picking flowers in the wild…”

  Seated at a polished mahogany tea table on the bustling ground floor of the brothel, Bubai's keen ears subtly twitched as he tuned out of the following banter…

  It’s been confirmed: his little publicity game was a success.

  Knowing his scheme was on track, Bubai raised his cup of water to his lips, concealing the faint smile that sneaked onto his face.

  It had barely been a day, nearing two at most, and already the news had found its way here.

  True to its reputation, the brothel proved to be the gossip mill where news traveled faster than a hare on a mission.

  Undoubtedly, this was the most efficient pce to get the most relevant and juicy tidbits, particurly for non-cn disciples like himself.

  Better yet, at a time like this, when the establishment had returned to its former glory and teemed with noble patrons, there was no better hunting ground for finding nuggets of relevant intel.

  Eavesdropping here... even after tuning out all the "amicable" interactions between escorts and guests, Bubai still found his ears and mind besieged by an incessant barrage of chatter and rumors.

  There was no need to wander aimlessly in hopes of stumbling upon interesting news. Heck, there was no need to even move.

  Just sit in and many secrets were id bare for those with the wit to listen. Simple and remarkably time efficient.

  Perhaps the only drawback to this approach y in its financial cost.

  The Phoenix Nest’s entrance fee of a single spirit stone wasn’t a trifling joke. Granted, this fee was a one-time expense per visit.

  Still, it wasn’t a sum any normal disciple could scoff at.

  Even though his spirit stone treasury was close to entering into the centennial club, Bubai still felt the sting when he coughed up a stone.

  But in exchange, this fee afforded him the opportunity to luxuriate in a veritable buffet of gossip! Even better, he can stay all night long if he so desires, without spending a single extra spirit stone!

  This was, undoubtedly, a very cost-effective arrangement... or so the establishment would have its patrons believe.

  If anyone even fancied the thought that the women here were rice buckets, oh… their purses will be in for a world of pain.

  After all, the escorts here were cultivated with an arsenal of “persuasive tactics” to extract everything from their guests!

  Once the prey entered the honey trap, how can these beguiling women let their noble guests off without any other additional expenditures?

  Much like the flirtatious tea attendant by his side, incessantly buzzing around him like a fly sticking to cow dung, trying to coax him to indulge in finer libations.

  "Mo Gongzi, we have the finest selection of wines here. Would gongzi care to partake?"

  Bubai threw a gnce at the somewhat familiar beauty.

  Curly burgundy hair, styled in a gmorous lower side bun. An apricot face, painted with a huadian and imperial concubine eye shadows that highlighted the mature radiance of a woman in her 20s.

  Though her face was one he didn’t recognize, but a search of his memories linked her with the masked w enforcer who had dragged his mission NPC off to prison during the Sun’s Howling Rage.

  Still, regardless of her true status, this wasn’t any reason to release water in his watertight defenses. So...

  “I’m fine sticking with water.”

  The polite declination didn’t weaken the plump women’s fighting will.

  Drawing a stream of water from the air and adding it to the wine jug with a flourish, the woman continued her tactical advance as smooth as flowing water.

  "It's rare to encounter an outstanding gentleman with such a steadfast resolve against mortal desires. Perhaps Mo Gongzi could satisfy Lian’er’s curiosity with your tale? I’m sure Lian’er could find a nectar that suits your tastes…"

  Bubai suppressed a derisive snort inwardly. Nectar? Could he even afford such indulgence? Even if he can, he’s wasn’t willing to waste his spirit stones!

  Seriously, these women just can’t leave him alone. And no, it wasn’t his handsomeness that spoke to their hearts.

  His Qi’s nourishment did indeed bring slight improvement to his Ah Niu mask, but it was still as pin as ever, if not ugly. There was no doubt about its appeal to strangers.

  It also wasn't his stash of spirit stones.

  Even if they had techniques to sneak a peek into his storage pouch, they’ll only find a poor ghost because he had cleverly stowed any extras into his storage space before coming.

  Moreover, given his choice of complimentary, free-of-charge water, these adept spies should know better.

  Yet, they still stuck to him one after another. It’s btantly obvious they weren’t gunning for his money.

  Truly, bck widows honed to fleece the unwary. The best way to deal with them? Keep his chips close to his chest and raise the price.

  “I didn’t come here to tell stories.”

  “Oho?” Facing the difficult customer, the frivolous dy burst into a fit of light giggles, her bck nail piercing through the paper thin “no touch policy” and advancing to trace zy circles on his chest.

  “Everyone harbors a story worth sharing. Lian’er is sure a strong man like Mo Gongzi has lots of interesting feats under your belt…”

  Eyeing him with a flirty look, the experienced woman’s naughty finger traced out her offer, “Lian’er heard that Mo Gongzi enjoys a close retionship with Qian Gongzi. If Mo Gongzi is willing to...”

  The finger’s drawing board moved dangerously close to the target under the belt, and the honeyed voice of persuasion was hot against his ears, “Lian’er doesn’t mind sharing an exciting tale with gongzi upstairs tonight...”

  Ah, so that was what they were gunning for. Merlin's beard, he had suspected there was some drama brewing regarding his money bag.

  Yet, Bubai wasn't about to sell out his money bag so easily.

  It wasn't friendship or honor that bound him to it. Rather, as a partner in crime, he simply didn’t want to dig his own grave.

  Thus, his ft expression betrayed zero hint of his inner motives that were as murky as the depths of the ocean and his voice was controlled to mirror the resoluteness of his machine mind.

  “Miss Lian, men and women must respect our distance. I implore you to respect yourself.”

  As, his orthodox response only seemed to intensify the dy’s boldness, “Oh, Mo Gongzi, there’s no need to be shy…”

  Facing the persistent women, Bubai finally deadpanned and gave her the “talk to the hand” treatment, “I’m not shy. I just don’t want to pay extra.”

  Seriously. Shoo! Shoo! We’re all pying the same game. Can’t they just let him be?

  Having her advance blocked by his rebuff again, the woman's gaze sharpened for a moment as she assessed his resolve.

  But just as quickly, her ease returned, a coy smile accompanying her surrender, "Mo Gongzi has a very firm will. Lian’er really admires…”

  “As, it seems Lian’er doesn’t have the fate to get to know gongzi better…” Finger and dy both trailed away.

  “Should Mo Gongzi ever change your mind, you know where to find me."

  Leaving that perfunctory offer behind, she withdrew from the battle, but Bubai knew this was far from the end.

  She wasn’t the first, nor will she be the st in this tangled web.

  In an establishment like this, there was always another pyer waiting in the wings, each more seasoned than the st, all ready to take up the challenge of handling the difficult customer.

  No matter how tough the rock, it was just a matter of testing again and again until a crack was found.

  Then, under the erosion of the full sets of combos, the breaking point was only a matter of time.

  Truthfully, Bubai can’t say he’s a holy saint that could resist this barrage of siren calls.

  To top it off, the sirens here are truly fine.

  They were the kind he didn’t mind throwing onto the bed, particurly the top-tier azure-haired guqin pyer commanding the stage above, mightily lording over the packed ground floor.

  But Bubai wasn’t here to pick flowers. He was here to pick up other things.

  Engaging in the cat-and-mouse game with the dies was merely a pastime, albeit one he didn’t mind partaking in… for training purposes, obviously.

  This training… he didn’t mind doing all night! After all, he intended to milk as much value as possible from the spirit stone he spent. Ahem. Ahem.

  But just when Bubai cast his long fishing line out and settled in for what promised to be a long night… something shocking forced him to shoot up onto his feet!

  His heightened senses detected... his tribution seed was inexplicably moving!

  Not only so, every moment, it was moving farther and farther away from its typical confined range!

  It couldn't be the doll still dormant within his storage space. That much was certain. This left only one very ominous possibility...

  TS Experimental Subject, Maid WY, has gotten out of the tower!