Turn the Plaque

An hour later, Gu Qingfeng left the Contribution Hall, having spent nearly a million merit points and now left with less than ten thousand. However, he didn't feel the slightest bit of regret, as a single Xiantian realm demon was worth ten thousand. This money was easy to earn.

The only inconvenience was that congenital realm demons were hard to come by.

Gu Qingfeng glanced at the spatial ring on his hand and returned to his residence contentedly.

In his residence, he placed most of his valuable treasures into the extradimensional space. After all, a spatial ring could be lost, but an extradimensional space couldn't.

This spatial ring was something Gu Qingfeng had bought to mask his extradimensional space, as it would be too conspicuous otherwise.

Having finished all this, Gu Qingfeng checked the time and realized it was almost time to meet his colleagues at the Heavenly Fragrance Tower. He quickly changed into his official robes and set off.

Before leaving, he didn't forget his two subordinates, Wang Fatty and Xu Daizi.

How could a victory banquet be complete without them? So, Gu Qingfeng went to their residences, only to find the two of them still unconscious.

Gu Qingfeng quickly slapped each of them awake and then dragged the groggy duo to the Heavenly Fragrance Tower.

The nighttime Heavenly Fragrance Tower was a sight to behold, with lanterns blazing brightly. The building occupied a vast area, with a lantern hung every meter, all of them colorful. At a glance, there were at least ten thousand, illuminating the entire street in a riot of colors.

Gu Qingfeng, along with Wang Fatty, Xu Daizi, and a dozen or so wardens from the Demon Suppression Prison, made their way into the Heavenly Fragrance Tower in a grand procession.

The service at the Heavenly Fragrance Tower was impeccable. As soon as they entered, a sixteen-year-old girl dressed in a low-cut gown and holding a folding fan walked over, her fragrance wafting with her. She smiled gently and curtsied slightly to the group.

"Please come this way, esteemed guests. Would you like to dine in the main hall or a private room?"

Gu Qingfeng, glancing at the girl's half-revealed chest, replied without looking up, "Find us the largest private room."

The girl's smile grew even more enchanting as she deliberately pushed out her chest. "Of course, sir."

She then turned to a servant and instructed, "Take these esteemed guests to the Moonlit Cloud Retreat."

Gu Qingfeng and the others followed the servant inside, with Wang Fatty and the others frequently looking back, clearly reluctant to part with the girl.

However, as soon as they entered the main hall, they forgot about her.

The main hall of the Heavenly Fragrance Tower was enormous, filled with guests. Numerous women in heavy makeup moved about, offering drinks and engaging in conversation.

The sound of clinking glasses, lively chatter, and women's laughter filled the air.

At the center of the hall was a red-carpeted stage where musicians played and dancers performed. The audience below cheered and applauded, creating a lively atmosphere.

"This way, esteemed guests. Your room is on the second floor."

Gu Qingfeng and the others were so engrossed in the scene that they barely heard the servant's voice.

It was only Gu Qingfeng, having endured the trials of the Demon Suppression Prison, who quickly snapped back to reality and scolded the group, "Look at you all, acting like a bunch of uncultured ruffians. Let's go upstairs!"

The group finally came to their senses, their faces red with embarrassment, and followed the servant up the stairs.

However, when they reached the staircase, the servant stopped.

"What's the matter?" Gu Qingfeng asked.

The servant smiled and pointed to a platform beside them, which was covered with red-painted wooden plaques.

Gu Qingfeng looked curiously at the plaques, noticing that each one had a name written on it.

Yu'er, Peony, Rouge, Xiao Cui, Ru Hua...

"Please choose a plaque first, esteemed guests."

Gu Qingfeng marveled at the ingenuity of the Heavenly Fragrance Tower.

"How does this work?"

"Sir, please look. These red plaques are arranged in three rows. The top row is for the courtesans, the middle row for the flower maidens, and the bottom row for the flower girls. This represents the three levels of our Heavenly Fragrance Tower's ladies, from highest to lowest quality, and the prices correspond accordingly.

If you fancy any of them, simply flip their plaque over. This indicates that you've chosen her, and others will see that the plaque is flipped and won't select her."

Gu Qingfeng looked at the plaques and noticed that more than half of them had already been flipped over.

The front of the plaques had names, while the back had a blooming flower etched into them.

The servant then explained, "The back of the plaque has a flower, indicating that the lady is already chosen. You can select any plaque that hasn't been flipped."

"Impressive. Very city-like."

Gu Qingfeng was intrigued. Without hesitation, he reached out to the top row, the row for the courtesans, and flipped over the plaque for Ru Hua.

Then, his hand didn't stop, and he flipped the plaque for Si Yu as well.

"Sir, you have excellent taste. Ru Hua and Si Yu are rare sister courtesans among our Heavenly Fragrance Tower's courtesans."

"That's it? When will they come?"

"Please wait in your private room for a moment. They will be here soon."

Gu Qingfeng nodded and then addressed the group, "Don't just stand there. Choose your own."

The group had been eager to make their selections but dared not do so until Gu Qingfeng had made his choice.

Now that Gu Qingfeng had given the go-ahead, they no longer hesitated. They all stepped forward to flip plaques, though none dared to follow Gu Qingfeng's example of selecting two courtesans.

With the intention of saving Gu Qingfeng some money, they all chose flower girl plaques.

Except for Wang Fatty, who picked a flower maiden.

Gu Qingfeng glanced silently at Wang Fatty, then headed upstairs.

The group arrived at the private room, which bore the inscription "Moonlit Cloud Retreat."

Gu Qingfeng thought the name fitting and led the way, pushing open the door and stepping inside.

The others followed suit.

The room was spacious, with small tables arranged in a rectangular formation, leaving a central space for dancers.

Gu Qingfeng naturally took the main seat, and the others found their places. Soon, servants brought in dishes and drinks, filling the tables with a dazzling array of delicacies.

After a while, the ladies arrived, over a dozen of them, filling the room with laughter and fragrant scents.

The group indulged in merriment, drinking and laughing heartily.

In the midst of this, dancers dressed in revealing attire performed, their movements graceful and seductive, adding to the atmosphere.

As the group reveled in the joys of wine and women, a hidden place in the northwest, hundreds of meters underground, housed a grand underground palace.

The palace was dimly lit by green ghost fires, giving it an eerie, otherworldly atmosphere.

In the main hall of the palace, a man shrouded in black robes was in conversation with a stunningly beautiful woman dressed in red.

"The Mirror Demon is dead," the man's hoarse voice emerged from beneath the robes.

The red-clad woman showed a hint of surprise before smiling. "That fool is dead? That's good. It saves him from constantly pestering me, trying to vie for the second position."

"His death is insignificant. What's important is that the Blood Divine Son on him is missing." The black-robed man's voice was grave.

The woman's expression changed. "Missing? That's impossible. Blood Divine Sons can sense each other. Can't you feel it?"

The man shook his head. "It's likely that someone has used some method to block the sensing. That's why I need you to go and investigate."

"Who killed the Mirror Demon?"

"According to the information from our followers, the killer is named Gu Qingfeng, a demon hunter from the Demon Suppression Bureau in Wutong Prefecture, with a cultivation level of Qi Gathering Fourth Layer."

"Qi Gathering Fourth Layer?" The woman suddenly chuckled. "Interesting."

"You have countless avatars. If I recall correctly, there's one of your avatars at the Heavenly Fragrance Tower in Wutong Prefecture. Go and probe his true strength."

"Alright, I’d also like to thank him in person for killing the Mirror Demon and relieving my troubles." The woman smiled radiantly.

"Go now. The Mirror Demon left a mark on Gu Qingfeng before his death, and the mark shows that Gu Qingfeng is currently at the Heavenly Fragrance Tower."