Volume One: Menial Worker of Changshui County Chapter Twenty: The Origin of the Matter

As evening fell, Lu Jiuzhang made his way alone to the Pleasure Pavilion.

At this hour, business was always at its peak. The madam stood at the door, greeting guests with her usual enthusiasm.

Lu Jiuzhang had changed into the standard uniform of the Demon-Slaying Bureau: black cloth, with the word "Slay" stitched onto the right breast.

"Oh! An honored officer from the Demon-Slaying Bureau!" The madam recognized him at once and hurried over, beaming. "Please come in, sir! Is there a particular lady you’re acquainted with? I’ll have her attend to you at once!"

"I'm here for Lady Muyun," Lu Jiuzhang replied.

"Ah..." The madam hesitated, troubled. "Lady Muyun is our star, you know. She rarely receives guests!"

"That’s right, I’d like to see Lady Muyun myself!" chimed in a guest nearby. "But that’s easier said than done, brother. You must not come here often, or you’d know how strict her rules are!"

"Please, just let her know—tell her I am Lu Huaigu's younger brother," Lu Jiuzhang said, ignoring the interloper.

At these words, the guest who’d just spoken was dumbfounded.

Lu Huaigu was a legend at the Pleasure Pavilion—after all, Lady Muyun herself favored him. He’d often enjoy her company for free!

"Very well, sir, I’ll inquire for you," the madam nodded, then bustled off toward the inner courtyard.

The guest sidled over, half skeptical. "You’re really Lu Huaigu's brother?"

"No comment," Lu Jiuzhang replied curtly, unwilling to waste another word.

The guest, sensing he’d lost face, fell silent. Still, he wondered: what was the younger brother doing here, seeking out Lady Muyun? Was he hoping to experience the same pleasures as his elder brother? Such things shouldn’t be imitated! Surely, Lady Muyun wouldn’t agree anyway.

"Sir, Lady Muyun is waiting for you in her room," the madam soon returned, smiling.

Lu Jiuzhang nodded and headed into the courtyard.

The guest’s eyes widened in disbelief. Was it really that easy?

"Well, I’m also Lu Huaigu's brother! Can I see Lady Muyun too?" He nearly drooled as he pleaded with the madam.

"Sir, that’s not something to joke about," the madam scolded, hastily covering his mouth. "Lu Huaigu is with the Demon-Slaying Bureau, and so is his brother."

Even the lowest-ranking hand in the Bureau was a person of status, at least in the eyes of ordinary folk like them.

...

In the rear courtyard of the Pleasure Pavilion, little had changed since Lu Jiuzhang's previous visit. The layout remained the same.

Lady Muyun resided in a separate compound. When Lu Jiuzhang entered, he found her seated by the window, a square parcel at her side.

The room had clearly been tidied—quilts and bedding folded neatly.

"Are you leaving?" Lu Jiuzhang asked, puzzled.

"Yes. I plan to go to Anxi Prefecture," Lady Muyun replied, gazing out the window with a slight nod.

"There’s something I want to ask: what exactly was the relationship between my elder brother Lu Huaigu and you?" Lu Jiuzhang sat down unceremoniously, facing her.

"What do you think it was?" Lady Muyun turned to look at him, answering his question with another.

"Rumor has it you were lovers—Lu Huaigu was famous for enjoying your company without paying," Lu Jiuzhang said. "But I have a feeling it’s not so simple. You’re a ranked martial artist, while Lu Huaigu was just an ordinary man."

"A woman of the ninth rank in martial arts, working in a place like this, entangled with an ordinary man—it’s hard not to suspect something deeper."

He studied her carefully. Lady Muyun’s eyes were deep and mysterious, possessing a peculiar allure. Women like her were always full of secrets, adept at hiding their true thoughts.

By contrast, their neighbor Zhao Chan’er was different. Her gaze was innocent—her eyes sparkled with light.

"You must have heard of the Capital Blood Corpse Case," Lady Muyun said softly.

It seemed she was prepared to reveal something at last. To Lu Jiuzhang’s surprise, Lady Muyun herself had been implicated in that affair.

Or perhaps she had always been involved, and her life as a courtesan was merely a façade.

The Capital Blood Corpse Case—that was the very event that had claimed his elder brother’s life.

Now, Lady Muyun brought it up once more.

"In the eighteenth year of Yongwen, the Emperor's eldest legitimate son fell in battle in the northern frontier, resisting the northern barbarians. The second prince became the most promising candidate for heir."

"Yet, on the very eve of his appointment as crown prince, disaster struck—his corpse was found in a commoner’s house in the capital."

"The Emperor was furious. He ordered a thorough investigation, showing no mercy. Countless officials and generals were implicated—over ten thousand lost their heads outside the palace gates within a month, rivers of blood flowing."

"The purge lasted half a year, yet the killer was never found."

"In the end, more than thirty thousand perished because of it. The people wailed, the borderlands were thrown into turmoil, and the Emperor was forced to declare the case closed."

"This became known in the annals of history as the Capital Blood Corpse Case."

Finishing her account, Lady Muyun looked at Lu Jiuzhang. "Afterward, the matter was buried. The descendants of the slain sought to restore their fathers’ honor and clear their names. Thus, the League of the Underworld was born."

"The League of the Underworld—an alliance in the shadows, its members found throughout the Great Zhou. Your brother and I were both members."

"Your birth father, Lu Rucheng, was the Crown Prince’s Vice Tutor. He died in that purge. Your mother fled in the night and eventually hid away here in Changshui County."

Was this how it had happened?

Lu Jiuzhang struggled to process all he’d just learned, his mind restless.

"You were likely still in your mother’s womb then, but your brother experienced the chaos firsthand," Lady Muyun continued. "I once asked him if he wanted you to join the League, but he refused."

"He didn’t want you to go through what he did. He hoped you could live a safe, peaceful life."

"The tree wishes to be still, but the wind will not cease. Sometimes, knowing too little can be deadly—you’d die without ever knowing why."

"Now that your brother is dead, you’ve become the next target. The sooner you know the truth, the sooner you can act. Perhaps you’ll have a chance to survive."

"Admittedly, that chance is slim. But it’s better than waiting idly for death, isn’t it? One can always hope for a miracle."

Lady Muyun looked at Lu Jiuzhang with a trace of pity in her eyes.

Indeed, one must fight for survival.

Lu Jiuzhang nodded, then asked about another matter. "Who killed my brother? Was it Chen Xuanfeng?"

"I looked into your brother’s death. When the new emperor ascended, he granted a general amnesty. Your brother wrote a letter, hoping the Court of Justice would reopen the case. But the letter never left Beilu County—it was intercepted."

"Afterward, he was sent to Yanbei Mountain on a mission. I went there myself to investigate. From the clues I found, your brother was likely poisoned."

"I don’t know who the mastermind is, but from the evidence I’ve gathered so far, Chen Xuanfeng is the most likely suspect."