Chapter 534 – Remembrance
…
…
…
Xu Yan brought Lin Ming through several winding streets before he arrived at a luxuriously decorated stone building at the northwest corner of Skysplit Tower.
Although this stone building was built from gray rock, the gray walls were framed with thick pieces of decorative wood and there was a fragrant scent emitting from the area. There were all sorts of precious silks hung from the entrance, and there were massive peony images embroidered upon them. There were several beautiful young girls standing in front of the screen, wearing enchanting clothes that highlighted their sex appeal. Most of them were humans with a small number of them being Fey.
“Hehe, this is a great place.” Xu Yan said with a cajoling tone.
As Lin Ming saw this place, an odd look suddenly crossed his face, “A brothel?”
“No, but if Brother Lin wishes, it could also have this function…” Xu Yan grinned meaningfully. “Simply put, this is a service lodge for martial artists. It is especially targeted for human martial artists. Here, as long as you have Blood Demon Crystals, you can enjoy all the services you can dream of.
“The truth is that the martial artist service lodges on the first floor of Skysplit Tower are the worst. At the higher levels, as long as you have the authority, points, and Blood Demon Crystals, you can buy anything you want. There are top treasures, rare and precious materials, powerful contract beats, top cultivation methods, exquisitely beautiful women to cultivate with, and so on. As long as you can think of it, it will be available. Skysplit Tower could be said to be a paradise for the most outstanding of martial artists.”
As Xu Yan spoke here, a woman approached them from the screen door. This woman was around 30 years old and was charmingly appealing. She wore a long, flowing dress, and welcomed them with a smile. “Did I just hear Sir Xu speaking ill of us? Ahh, we are already the worst.”
The red-dressed lady had very sensitive ears. Although she managed a business in Skysplit Tower, she still had a cultivation at the Houtian realm.
Xu Yan chuckled and said, “My words were wrongly spoken, I hope that Madame Wei isn’t offended.”
“Haha, I’ll have Hui’er punish you later.” The red-dressed lady genially spoke. She waved her slender fingers and then turned to Lin Ming, “Sir Xu has brought a friend today. How should I greet this young man?”
The red-dressed lady had opened this service lodge specifically for human martial artists. Within Skysplit Tower’s first floor, Xu Yan was considered decently strong amid the human martial artists. Thus, he often came here for the services, and they naturally were well acquainted with each other.
“Hehe, my friend is surnamed Lin; he is not your average person.” Xu Yan bragged.
“Of course he’s not average! If one can come to Skysplit Tower, how could they possibly be average, much less this sir is so young.” The red-dressed lady giggled as she waved her handkerchief at Lin Ming.
“It’s not as simple as you think.” Xu Yan grasped the red dressed lady’s hand, he didn’t want her silly behavior to bother Lin Ming. “Does Madame Wei know Zha Na and Gu Yue?”
As Xu Yan mentioned these two names, Madame Wei’s rosy complexion immediately paled. She forcefully laughed and said, “Of course I know them! Why does sir mention them, it’s no fun at all!”
Opening a business in Skysplit Tower was not simple. Although one had to pay a massive tax and also protection fees, Skysplit Tower only protected the shop from being destroyed and from being robbed. There were many cases when a strong martial artist would go to a store and act excessively. This was behavior that Skysplit Tower did not manage.
This was particularly true for when humans opened a business; they were extremely vulnerable to bullying. Oftentimes, a Giant Demon would come and not pay for their food, steal away beautiful maids, or even kill someone on the spot. Even if this happened, they could only silently bear it.
Zha Na and Gu Yue were fierce and illustrious figures within Skysplit Tower, so how could Madame Wei not know them? If she saw these individuals, she might even need to immediately close her business.
Xu Yan smiled and said, “Just a moment ago, both of these fellows died under Brother Lin’s hand.”
“Ah?” Madame Wei was frightened and she almost dropped her handkerchief. “You said that Zha Na and Gu Yue died? And they died to…” Madame Wei looked at Lin Ming, her eyes full of disbelief. Estimating his age, at most he was 20 some years old, and he had an exceptionally handsome, delicate, and stoic appearance. He didn’t seem like the ruthless type at all.
“Everything is absolutely true. And both fights together didn’t even add to ten breaths of time. So, oh, you know…”
Xu Yan’s words trailed off here, but Madame Wei’s eyes brightened. Skysplit Tower was a land where strength was king. If one didn’t have strength, then they were destined to be bullied and harassed by others. If Lin Ming’s reputation rose in the future and he became a top talent comparable to a Seven Star Heavenly Demon, then as long as he took care of her small store a little, although she couldn’t say that she would be rolling in wealth, at least she wouldn’t be bullied.
But to Madame Wei, this was far more than enough. Thinking of the possibilities, Madame Wei’s heart ignited with a fire. “Little Apricot, Little Peach, what are you doing? Hurry up and help greet the guests. Bring out the 500 year old wine from the cellar and bring out the altar. Notify the kitchen and have them prepare a table of the best dishes. Today, all of Sir Lin’s expensive are free!”
This sort of comprehensive martial artist service lodge had various sorts of service. It was a place for martial artists to relax and decompress from their daily stress. In a situation where a martial artist faced life and death, they would constantly be tense from the great amount of pressure placed on them, and they had no choice but to find a way to vent it.
However, when a beautiful girl moved towards Lin Ming, she was actually rejected by him.
“Sir Lin, is this girl not to your satisfaction?” Madame Wei attentively asked.
Lin Ming shook his head. He said, “A quiet room is good enough for me. Have the food delivered to my room.”
“This… Sir Lin…” Madame Wei looked at Xu Yan with some embarrassment.
Xu Yan saw that Lin Ming didn’t have much interest in the festivities. He said, “Don’t worry about it. Prepare a quiet room for Brother Lin and we’ll go and play ourselves.”
“Welll… alright...” Madame Wei nodded. She looked for a beautiful maid and ordered her to escort Lin Ming upstairs.
The room was very elegant. The floors were dark blue, and the walls were plastered with pleasant decorations. The beds were neat and white, and there was a simple wooden table in the center. There was also a pot of flowers on the table that emitted a refreshing fragrance.
Lin Ming glanced over at the girl who led him here, “You can leave.”
“I…” The girl blushed. She fidgeted around and stared at her toes with her clear eyes, embarrassed.
“What’s wrong?”
“Mm… if I leave, then Madame Wei will blame me.” The girl mumbled as she bit her lips. Even though she was quiet, these simple uttered words caused her neck to flush red and spread to her ears.
Lin Ming wasn’t a fool. He instantly understood what this girl meant. As he looked at her more carefully, he was surprised to see that she was actually a virgin.
The common mortal women of Polaris City had neither freedom nor status. To them, there was no better result than to be taken in by a martial artist as a maid or a concubine.
As for things such as love, these girls might have never even heard of the word before. After they came of age, their first time would often be given to a special ‘guest’ like Lin Ming.
Lin Ming unconsciously felt compassion for this girl. “What’s your name? How old are you?”
“My name is Wan’er, and I am sixteen this year.” The girl adorably replied.
“Sixteen years old… you’re a year younger than Xingxuan.” Unknowingly, Lin Ming’s thoughts flew back to his days at the Sky Spill Continent, and he recalled Qin Xingxuan and Mu Qianyu.
“I wonder how Xingxuan is… with Miss Mu watching over her, she should be alright…” Lin Ming muttered to himself. The South Sea was in chaos. When he left, the war between the South Sea Demon Region and Divine Phoenix Island was still ongoing.
The total strength of the South Sea Demon Region was estimated to be much greater than Divine Phoenix Island’s. The reason that they didn’t launch a full on assault against Divine Phoenix Island was probably because their goal was the Demon God Imperial Palace.
Now that the issue with the Demon God Imperial Palace had come to an end, Lin Ming feared that the South Sea Demon Region would continue the invasion with their complete attention and force. Divine Phoenix Island might have been able to join forces with Great Zen Temple to fight for the Nirvana Dragon Root, but it was impossible for them to think of having the Great Zen Temple assist them in dealing with the South Sea Demon Region.
As for the Five Element Region, those fourth-grade sects might cooperate, but in the end they would only be motivated by benefits to their own foundations. If they acted, it would be at no small price.
Divine Phoenix Island might be able to support itself for another year or two. If the war dragged on, they probably wouldn’t be able to afford the rising costs.
If this continued, the fate of Divine Phoenix Island was worrying.
As Lin Ming thought of this, he had a heavy heart. He knew that walking away at this moment was very irresponsible and regretful, but if even the slightest rumor of him leaked out, then Divine Phoenix Island would face immediate and total annihilation.
“Wan’er…” Lin Ming returned from his thoughts. He looked up at the young girl.
“Mm.” The girl quickly responded. As she looked at Lin Ming, her eyes were complex, and there was a faint tenseness to her.
“If Madame Wei asks, then tell her it is my decision. She won’t blame you.” Lin Ming didn’t have the time for such things as romantic or flowery thoughts. All he wanted to do was increase his own strength as soon as possible.
As the girl heard Lin Ming say this, she bit her lips and said, “Mm… Wan’er understands…”
Lin Ming couldn’t bear to see the disappointment flash in the girl’s eyes. In truth, he knew how difficult a life these girls lived. It was difficult if not impossible to find a powerful martial artist that also had a good character.
In Skysplit Tower, because of the great pressure that martial artists bore at all times, this often caused them to have abnormal or monstrous dispositions. Because of this, it was common for female slaves to be tortured to death.
To her presently, Lin Ming was not only strong but also kind. He looked young and was outstandingly handsome. Naturally, he was the best candidate to be her master.
In this situation, her hopes had been crushed. Wan’er felt a bit of loss. After leaving Lin Ming, she wasn’t sure of just what her fate would be in the future.
Lin Ming sighed. In the end, he couldn’t bear being too cruel. He said, “Well then, how about you go and wait outside in the hall. When there is some matter then I will call for you. Don’t let anyone else enter.”
Wan’er’s heart rose with happiness. She quickly nodded and then stepped outside into the hall as she closed the door behind her.
Lin Ming waited for the door to close and then casually drew a few runes and placed a spell on it. Afterwards, he also placed down a simple array formation to prevent others from monitoring him and took off his shirt. Then, he took out the spatial rings that he had received from Gu Yue and Zha Na…