North District. Night.

Passing by the Book Pavilion, Bubai halted abruptly in his stride.

Sure enough, his hawk eyes caught the words written on the paper still affixed to the grand double doors – "Closed for a week."

“Well, she should be back soon.” Bubai couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile as he strode away, setting his sights on his true destination.

If it was in his previous life, he didn’t mind spending a week off relaxing.

However, in this life, the days off must naturally be capitalized.

Thus, his schedule was rather rigorous, both day and night. Cultivation, combat practice, martial arts training, formation practice, scouting… The list goes on.

Most of these activities were absolutely lawful… He had been holding back, not tossing too much to avoid stirring up too much waves because his backer was temporarily M.I.A.

Now, the end of the week was approaching and it was about time to play a big one.

Tonight was the night to proceed with some of the roguish outdoor activities on his agenda… under another identity. Bwahahaha.

When Bubai passed by the Public Commons, his gaze swept over it.

He initially thought it was safe here, but who would’ve expected a hidden Golden Core to guard the Saintess tent at its center.

Whether the Golden Core had peeked on him during his face changes remained uncertain, but mistakes had already been made.

However, there will be no further mistakes.

With his divine sense, most places can now be a safe location for gearing up.

Of course, his Liang identity still had to stay in the cold storage, but he already acquired a new one…

Outer Sect. Ninth District. Night.

The air was thick with the scent of exotic incense leaking from the public bathhouses, and the flickering red lanterns cast an eerie glow on the two-floor tea houses that lined the street.

Each of these tea houses was alive with a symphony of voices, as women with flowing silk garments beckoned to passing men with sly smiles and enticing gestures, inviting them to enter to try some tea.

Within the lofts of these tea houses, a variety of unique tea flavors were served to the patrons – some savoring them like true gentlemen, while the rough men simply quenched their thirst.

The symphony of poetry discussions and tea tasting unceasingly flowed out from each building, truly exemplifying the ancient culture that permeated this popular corner of the sect.

This was the Ninth District – the official red light district of the outer sect.

Joining the throng of men who came to seek a good night was a slender, yet well-toned man.

Dressed in a coarse attire and hanging an outer sect token on his waist, he ought to have blended into the crowd without a problem.

Yet, the others still instinctively steered clear of the man.

The reason was the man’s rugged face, with deep scars crisscrossing his cheeks and forehead. The signs of a survivor were clear, and others weren’t willing to mess with him… at least, not until they learn of the turf he originates from.

Seemingly aware of the scrutinizing gazes from the gangsters in the shadows, the man wore a scowl on his face as he shot a glare back, deterring all those with nefarious thoughts due to his slender physique.

Naturally, this man was none other than Bubai. Given that the Liang identity was still in the limelight, he had adopted this new persona.

Xiongba, the face belonging to the outer disciple who attempted to mug him when he went out to scout the past couple of nights.

Honestly, he literally had nothing of value on him, yet this idiot still singled him out, yelling for him to return his supposed treasure. Wasn’t he just seeking death?

So, Bubai decided to let this lucky lottery winner enjoy an all-expenses-paid vacation on the underworld cruise...

Given his current strength, the encounter couldn't even be classified as a genuine fight.

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

He still vividly recalled the moment when the man made his desperate final struggle, his face transforming into despair when he realized he couldn’t even make a scratch on him with his heavy blade.

There was a first, so naturally there was a second. The poor man vanished without a trace after that night.

The lesson learned was that his black robe had already become well-known. So, he decisively forged a new identity in homage of the unfortunate bloke who unintentionally taught him this life-lesson.

It goes without saying, the man's identity token was retained for practical use.

After all, these seemingly simple identity tokens held more significance beneath the surface than one might assume.

Thanks to scanning the entire classified room, Bubai naturally became privy to some of the important secrets of the sect.

Among these secrets was the revelation about the identity token.

He originally thought it was just a mere access pass for certain rooms and a proof displayed to retain privileges… but, it was, in fact, also a disciple tracker!

Each token came equipped with a unique identifier, linked to a disciple during their registration.

When in proximity to specialized detectors, the token emitted a secret Qi frequency, resonating with the detector and verifying the bearer's identity.

Though the exact mechanics of this verification process remained unknown, this was how law enforcers confirmed the identities of disciples.

Moreover, various locations and establishments in the sect also had hidden detectors strategically placed to record the identities of the passing disciples.

This was just part of the sect’s defensive measures against infiltrators, as passing through certain areas without a valid token will trigger the restrictions.

One such location subjected to the sect’s surveillance was the imposing, grand archways demarcating the boundaries between the inner and outer sects!

He thought he was smart and sneaky before, but it wasn’t until after his promotion that he realized he wasn’t cautious enough.

This was an immortal cultivation world and the mysterious methods at play far surpassed his imagination, with many hidden practices not directly disclosed to regular members like him.

Had it not been his promotion event shedding light on the situation by chance, he would still be oblivious to the fact that some of his secrets had already been disclosed!

Crossing the border between the inner and outer sects while carrying his token had already inadvertently established a link with his Liang identity.

Knowing the timing of the heist, the upper echelon just had to check the time tables to know it was him!

There was no way around this! Not carrying the token would only result in being detained by restrictions until a law enforcer came to invite him back for some tea.

This is a manifestation of the sect’s control over its disciples!

Fortunately, at this time, most of the upper echelon were gone.

As for those who remained, they either didn’t care to check or, perhaps, someone had lent a hand in covering up his tracks. It didn't require much deduction to guess who it was.

However, Bubai was aware luck wouldn’t always be on his side, and he shouldn’t exhaust the favor of the old lady, lest he incur her displeasure.

Thus, during these days of rest, he had been engaged in various tests to find a loophole in the process.

Leveraging his divine sense, he was able to detect the anomaly within the token when it resonated with the archway during his passage.

From what he read, even keeping the token in a storage pouch can't block this connection.

However, his almighty golden finger was his plot armor, once again. His mysterious storage space was capable of severing the connection!

Naturally, he intended to exploit this advantage.

With his new identity ready after a couple more scars to ruin the original face, he could finally use it to achieve his nefarious goals.

His first goal, naturally, was to...

Bubai’s steps came to a halt before a grand pavilion, its cleanliness and superior sound-proofing setting it a cut above the other tea houses lining the street

Looking up, his eyes quickly captured the bold letters on the sign. “Gemstone Paradise.”

This establishment stood out as the most ostentatious in the district, yet it notably lacked the usual presence of women soliciting customers outside.

The absence of such enticements signaled either a shortage of personnel or unwavering confidence.

In this case, it was undoubtedly the latter.

This establishment was famous, and was actually renowned by disciples and even other sects under a different name: Hei Hua Lou!

The source of their confidence lay in the clan that operated the establishment - the Taiyin clan, also known as the Shadow Sun Clan!

Adding to the aura of assurance was a cadre of minions strategically positioned to safeguard the establishment. This was probably the most prestigious brothel in the Ninth District!

Of course, Bubai's purpose for visiting this place wasn't to have a good time. What fun were dolls?

His interest lay in the other business conducted in this place.

The “Hei Hua Lou” actually doubled as an intelligence agency – a firm where not only outer disciples but even some inner disciples sought intel about the sect or for external tasks.

While WeiWei and Shu Fairy remained Bubai's primary intelligence sources, his interactions with both were constrained by time limitations. So, he only requested important info.

For matters of lesser importance, Bubai decided to make a trip to this unique tea house.

His divine senses swept through entire establishment, scouting out the situation.

He was immediately greeted by a lavish interior decked out in furnishings, mostly comprised of wood – a rare luxury in this desert.

Crisscrossing staircases led to the balconies and lofts above, providing a vantage point for patrons.

At the center of it all, a raised stage commanded attention, where a flight of dancers showcased their flexibility and grace against the backdrop of hanging silks, enticing the patrons to pick their cards.

Meandering outwards from this stage were corridors - each lined with rooms where personalized performances ensued.

Ignoring the free movies with intensive plots playing in each of these rooms, Bubai’s divine sense mapped out the rest of the maze, soon detecting a chamber constructed with white jade, completely out-of-place in this establishment.

This suspicious room likely held the cache of intel.

The sole entrance to this room was guarded by a team of women dressed in skimpy armor. This world’s fantasy culture finally came into existence…

Realistically, Bubai knew these “armored” women definitely couldn’t stop him.

However, they were certainly the perfect sentries capable of alerting the busy old man refining a new doll on the top floor.

If he forcibly breaks in, he might not even have enough time to search for the specific intel he needed, let alone peek at the rest.

“Seems I’ll have to play by the books.”