A few moments ago.
An Lei cupped his hands toward the two cultivators and said, "I have an emergency report. We have located the target, and Sir Hao Yu is requesting your presence on the scene immediately. It appears that this is the best time to strike, but I'm not aware of the details."
Zhao Xin and Su Han looked at each other with a serious expression. While they were a bit annoyed that their breakfast was interrupted, if what Hao Yu said was correct, then they should go there immediately.
Without hesitation, Zhao Xin stated, "Lead us to him."
"Yes, Sir." An Lei hurriedly led the group toward Hao Yu, which surprisingly was in the East District.
There didn't seem to be a single soldier in the area, and even Hao Yu didn't wear his official clothes to avoid the target's detection.
When he saw An Lei and the two cultivators, he immediately approached them while saying, "Brother Zhao. If you don't mind, can you do a favor for me?"
"Hmm?" Zhao Xin frowned. There wasn't even a greeting from Hao Yu, but before the misunderstanding went further, Hao Yu added, "It's important to catch the target off guard. Let's go to an alley first to discuss our plan. I'll also brief you about the current situation.
Zhao Xin and Su Han exchanged nods, having no problem with it. They followed Hao Yu to a dark alley away from the location.
"So, what have you found?"
"We have confirmed the target. Although it's weak, we have confirmed the trace of Spiritual Qi. The appearance of the woman releasing that Spiritual Qi matches your description as well."
"That's good. We'll storm in immediately." Su Han's eyes flashed, eager to complete the mission.
But Hao Yu suddenly waved his hands and said in panic, "No. You can't do that. Please listen to me first."
"What do you mean, Brother Hao? Since we've confirmed our target, shouldn't we just rush straight in?" Zhao Xin tilted his head in confusion.
Hao Yu shook his head helplessly. "While you can do that, it's not an ideal option. We're currently in the red-light district."
"Red-light district? Then, the target is in…" Zhao Xin widened his eyes in shock.
"Yes. She is inside one of the brothels." Hao Yu confirmed it without hesitation.
Zhao Xin and Su Han gasped in shock.
From their reaction alone, he could somehow understand the situation. He added, "Currently, the brothel is closed. So, if we storm in, it will alarm the target instantaneously. That's why I propose another approach."
Zhao Xin couldn't help but agree. If the sudden silence was broken by people storming inside the inn, the target would notice it and leave the brothel in one way or another. They needed time to locate her, so she might have gone before they could find her.
Hao Yu explained, "Instead of storming in, I'm planning to enter the brothel personally."
"Why?"
While raising his index finger, Hao Yu said, "One thing, an Inspection. Around this time of the month, the government is often doing an inspection to ensure that the brothel is still safe to use. With that inspection, the brothel will surely not mind if I ask a girl to accompany me."
"Does Brother Hao want her to go with you?" Zhao Xin squinted his eyes. There was a trace of anger in his gaze for no reason.
Hao Yu added, "I'm simply calling her so that I can lure her into one of the rooms. Brother Zhao can wait on the roof and enter the room once I've brought the target in."
"Ah!" Zhao Xin nodded as the trace of enmity disappeared. The plan was reasonable, and there didn't seem to be any problems regarding this method.
"If you can do all that, we should have no problems in capturing her." Even Su Han acknowledged the plan.
"This is the reason why morning is the perfect time to strike. Since it's closed, I can go wherever I want." Hao Yu pointed at the roof. "If you don't mind, please wait there. I'll try to bring her to the room underneath it."
Su Han and Zhao Xin came to an agreement. Zhao Xin replied, "We'll do just that. Thank you for your assistance, Brother Hao."
"Please say that after you manage to accomplish your objective." Hao Yu smiled. After cupping his hands, Hao Yu walked away, ready to enter the brothel.
Meanwhile, Zhao Xin and Su Han couldn't help but look at each other.
"Su Han, do you think that girl, Li Xue, is inside the brothel?"
"I'm not sure. He doesn't even want to sleep with Senior Brother and kill Lin Dong, who was tasked to bring her to the Senior Brother. A girl like that in a brothel?"
"Still, it feels a bit weird. No, you could say that this is a very perfect scenario. We've been assuming things like that to the point where this red-light district becomes the safest place for her."
"Now that I think about it… since she doesn't even want to sleep with Senior Brother, she won't do it with strangers, especially common people. That's why this brothel becomes a perfect place to hide."
"Yeah. In that case, she must be using her power to avoid all that."
"Don't forget that she is still recovering from her injuries. I doubt that she can exert that much strength."
"Fair enough. I guess we just have to enter and capture her. After that, we will bring her back to Senior Brother and let him do whatever he wants."
"Indeed." Zhao Xin and Su Han were discussing what happened in the sect.
It turned out Li Xue had never done anything bad before. Of course, killing was a crime, but there was a huge reason.
It wasn't that uncommon for someone with a stronger cultivator to do something like this. And it would be up to the other party whether she would agree or not.
That 'senior brother' retaliated by forcing her while the latter killed the one he sent. While being severely injured, Li Xue kept running until she eventually reached this city.
Not long after, Zhao Xin and Su Han entered the city and revealed their mission.
Both of them were hiding the fact that this problem was never a sect problem. They just made it look like that and exploited Hao Yu's eagerness.
And their plan seemed to have worked as Hao Yu opened the door of the brothel, alarming the people inside.
The brothel was spacious. It was a four-story building. Upon entering, he was greeted by a spacious hall. There were a lot of tables where the customers would sit and enjoy the company of a woman and wine.
He could see the arena where the women would perform during the operating hours. There was a void on top of him, allowing Hao Yu to look at the doors on the higher floors.
The smell of the wine and perfume had yet to dissipate completely after last night's business. Some of the jars hadn't been cleaned up properly as he found a few people carrying some of them away.
This should be the time for them to clean up and rest. That was why it was weird someone dared to enter here. After all, the brothel was known to be protected by the government and a few powerful guards.
One of them instantly rushed to Hao Yu, saying, "What is a brat like you doing here? We are not open yet."
Hao Yu remained calm. There were still a few girls in the area, so they couldn't help but watch the fun, wondering how Hao Yu got thrown away later.
The guard was a big, muscular man. His forearm alone was multiple times thicker than Hao Yu's hand. He was wearing only a shirt, showing that muscle. His glare and aura looked menacing. Normal people would have gotten scared by now.
However, his opponent was a tough one.
Hao Yu simply ignored him and turned around.
The guard's eyebrows twitched as his anger was rising.
Hao Yu looked up, scanning the girls who took their time to watch him. Of course, he was already aware that Li Xue was among them.
But he made sure that he gazed at each girl as though he was scanning the girl to find one to his liking.
"You…" The guard gritted his teeth, ready to throw him away.
Before he could do it, Hao Yu had taken a seat and took out a token that identified him as an Assistant Administrator.
"I need to see your manager."