Versatile Sword Cultivator

Chapter 24 – Track down the murderer

This man seemed to know everything, no news could escape his eyes.

And don't think these stories are made up by the storyteller, they're all true!

He's an information merchant NPC from "Tale of Immortal," akin to a real-life journalist.

Knowing all the recent events, he'd go to the main city's largest tavern every day to share stories and earn tips.

Lin Jichen was here to find news about Zhang Hai's murder.

He listened patiently and finally, he got what he was waiting for!

"A Qi Refining Realm disciple of the Tianyan Sword Sect, Zhang Hai, was killed while gaining experience outside. The murderer is a late-stage Qi Refining loose cultivator named Zhou Hao, a ruthless and cruel man from the demonic path."

Hearing this, Lin Jichen felt relieved; it was just a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator and a loose one at that, so it shouldn't be a big problem.

The man continued with other news, and Lin Jichen didn't interrupt, continuing to drink and listen.

An hour later, the man finished, happily took his reward, and left.

Lin Jichen watched him leave the tavern, then quickly settled his bill and followed.

"Excuse me, I'd like to purchase some information."

The skinny man asked with a grin, "Looking to buy information? No problem, I'm Li Si, that's my business. But it depends on whether you can afford it. What do you want to know?"

"Where is Zhou Hao?"

"That information isn't too expensive, five low-grade Spirit Stones will do," Li Si said, holding out his hand with a greedy smile.

Lin Jichen handed over the Spirit Stones without hesitation.

"Zhou Hao is a lecher and often frequents the willow and flower markets of Fengqu City. You can look for him there," Li Si revealed.

"Thanks." Lin Jichen got the information and turned to leave.

But unexpectedly, Li Si called out to him, "There's another piece of information that's very important to you, but it'll cost another five Spirit Stones, depending on whether you're willing to pay."

Without hesitation, Lin Jichen paid another five Spirit Stones, and Li Si happily accepted them.

"Seeing as you have a familiar face, I'll give you a tip: although Zhou Hao is just a late-stage Qi Refining loose cultivator, he has an older brother named Zhou Shen, a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator. Be careful."

Lin Jichen's eyes flickered; it was good that he bought this information, or he might have suffered a great loss.

"Thanks," Lin Jichen said simply and left the Drunken Immortal Tavern.

After leaving the tavern, Lin Jichen hurried to the largest pleasure house in Fengqu City, the Autumn Moon Pavilion.

This is where "Tale of Immortal" truly shines.

The high-class brothels in "Tale of Immortal" are available for players to enjoy. As long as you're willing to pay, you can spend a wonderful night with the ladies there.

And with a 100% virtual experience, it's no different from the real thing.

Of course, aside from NPCs who voluntarily join you, others won't, even if you defeat or kill them.

Unless their Affection Level towards you reaches over 80.

Players can't do the same in the game, even if they're married.

This is to prevent the sale of virtual services, which would violate real-world laws.

But with NPCs, no one cares, and no country's laws apply, because everyone thinks it's just data.

This feature has led to a surge of LSP players buying the game just to experience the brothels.

Some even spend all their time there, not really for the game itself.

And it's said that since then, real-world cases of prostitution have decreased, as LSPs flock to "Tale of Immortal."

Although the brothel girls in the game are average-looking, they're still prettier than most streetwalkers in reality.

Plus, there's no risk of disease.

Most importantly, in "Tale of Immortal," you don't have to worry about the police.

It's like playing with a toy at home—no one can say anything about it.

Later on, this led to a sharp decline in global prostitution cases, and even the number of AIDS patients dropped dramatically.

But that's a story for another time.

Lin Jichen had no interest in experiencing the Autumn Moon Pavilion.

He had a sense of mental purity; he didn't care for women who didn't respect themselves, not even if they were Heavenly Immortals.

Moreover, the women who ended up in brothels were rarely attractive.

Even if there were beautiful brothel women, they'd have been claimed by royalty or powerful cultivators for dual cultivation or even as cauldrons, leaving none for ordinary people.

If Lin Jichen hadn't needed to identify Zhou Hao, he wouldn't have wanted to set foot in a brothel.

But to find the man, he had to sacrifice his first time.

Don't misunderstand; it was his first time visiting a brothel.

To be cautious, Lin Jichen changed out of his Sword Sect attire into coarse linen clothes.

But even then, his appearance caused a stir throughout the brothel.

The girls gazed at Lin Jichen as if he were the peerless gentleman from romantic tales come to life.

With his transcendent aura, he was irresistible even to someone like Leng Feiyan, a goddess among women, let alone these ordinary brothel girls.

When the girls came to their senses, they swarmed him like bees to honey, surrounding him.

It was so extreme that even the women servicing clients came out to join the commotion, filling the place with their silhouettes.

The sight of the girls waving their handkerchiefs at Lin Jichen was unforgettable for all the male patrons.

"The year the gentleman entered Autumn Pavilion, in coarse linen attire, the entire house beckoned!"

It would be hard for the Autumn Moon Pavilion to find another who could cause such a sensation.

The girls seemed enchanted, clamoring for Lin Jichen to choose them for a night of revelry.

Most of them even offered to waive the fee, some willing to pay him instead.

This left the other male patrons feeling inadequate, envious, and jealous.

Lin Jichen, the guest, not only didn't take advantage of the girls, but was instead thoroughly fawned over by them, much to his bemusement.

"Damn it! Leaving me halfway through, ruining my mood, do you want to die?!"

At that moment, a shouting voice came from upstairs, and a bare-chested man emerged from a room.

Hearing the man refer to himself as 'Grandpa Zhou,' Lin Jichen inquired about his name with the madam.

The madam told Lin Jichen that he was a regular named Zhou Hao!

Lin Jichen was certain; this had to be Zhou Hao, unless he was unlucky enough to encounter someone with the same name, which was highly improbable.

After confirming the man's identity, Lin Jichen didn't alert him.

He memorized the man's appearance, pushed through the circle of girls, and fled the brothel as if escaping.

The other male patrons thought Lin Jichen was scared off by the girls' enthusiasm and laughed heartily.

In reality, Lin Jichen was just avoiding a fight in the city, which would attract the attention of the Royal Dynasty's guards and turn him into a wanted man.

So, Lin Jichen left the brothel and found an inconspicuous corner to patiently wait.

Patience pays off, and after half a minute, Zhou Hao finally finished his business, swaggered out of the brothel, and hummed a tune as he headed out of the city.

Lin Jichen didn't see anyone else with him; it seemed his brother Zhou Shen wasn't there.

Lin Jichen immediately changed back into his Sword Sect clothes and followed behind.

Zhou Hao was cautious, seemingly afraid of being discovered.

He was worried because he had killed a disciple of the Tianyan Sword Sect and feared being hunted down by their members.

He should have been laying low and not come into the city, but his lust got the better of him, and he couldn't resist sneaking into the Autumn Moon Pavilion for pleasure before slipping away into the night.

Zhou Hao thought he wouldn't be noticed this way, unaware that a killer in the dark had already set his sights on him.