My words have become law; I truly have no desire to display my divine power before others.

Lin Zhenyuan frowned slightly, about to speak, when suddenly someone at the next table exclaimed "Huh?"

Three middle-aged men who looked like businessmen were sitting at the table.

One of the tall, thin men with a goatee squinted at Lin Zhenyuan for a moment, then suddenly stood up and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Isn't this Chief Escort Lin from the Weiyuan Escort Agency?"

The shout was quite loud, and several tables of guests around turned around.

Lin Zhenyuan was a prominent figure in Wen'an County.

Weiyuan Escort Agency had many dealings with wealthy merchants and big families in the city.

Many people recognized him and immediately began to whisper among themselves.

"It really is Chief Escort Lin!"

"Is that Zhao Damang behind him? I heard he's incredibly skilled in martial arts, able to lift a 500-pound stone weight with one hand!"

"Strange, why would they come to a place like this? And... following behind a Taoist priest?"

Discussions began to rise.

Many eyes fell on Ye Qingfeng, filled with curiosity and inquiry.

A Taoist priest accompanied by two bodyguards visiting a brothel—that's strange enough in itself.

What's even stranger is that Lin Zhenyuan and Zhao Damang clearly showed respect for the Taoist priest in front of them.

The two men stood on either side of the Taoist priest behind him, their expressions respectful. They didn't seem to be there for pleasure at all; rather, they looked like... guardians accompanying the priest?

The goatee-bearded merchant approached, holding a wine cup, and said with a smile, "Chief Escort Lin, what brings you to the Moon-Viewing Pavilion? And who is this Taoist priest...?"

He looked at Ye Qingfeng, his eyes full of curiosity.

Lin Zhenyuan inwardly felt a sense of foreboding.

Tonight we're here to investigate the lair of demons, and we should have kept a low profile, but we were recognized as soon as we entered.

As he pondered how to respond, he heard Ye Qingfeng speak calmly:

"I am Qingweizi, and I have a past relationship with Chief Escort Lin. Tonight, I have come here with him to watch a play."

The sound wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

"Watching a play?" The goatee-bearded merchant was taken aback, then chuckled.

"You jest, Taoist priest. Lan Yue Fang is a brothel; there's no show to watch there. If you want to see a show, you have to go to the 'Yongle Opera Troupe' in the west of the city..."

"The play may not necessarily be on stage." Ye Qingfeng flicked his whisk lightly, his gaze sweeping over the guests in the hall before finally settling on the direction of the stage.

"The world is full of diverse lives, and all beings are like characters in a play; where is there no drama?"

This was a mysterious statement, and the goatee-bearded merchant was completely bewildered, but dared not ask any further questions.

This Taoist priest had an extraordinary demeanor. Despite his young age, his eyes were so calm that they seemed to see right through people, which made the Taoist priest feel inexplicably uneasy.

As they were talking, another maid hurried out from the inner hall.

The maid was wearing a peach-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and her appearance was even more stunning than the previous one.

Her swaying waist was as graceful as a willow in the wind as she walked directly to Ye Qingfeng and his companions, giving them a gentle curtsy.

"I am deeply sorry for not being able to greet you properly. I only just learned of your arrival, and I apologize for my rudeness."

She raised her head, her smile sweet, "Mother said that seats have been reserved for three distinguished guests at the front. Please follow me."

The room fell silent for a moment after he said that.

A seat was reserved? In this packed hall?

Moreover, the maid's attitude was noticeably more respectful, addressing the guest as "honored guest," clearly indicating that she had received instructions from above.

Lin Zhenyuan and Zhao Damang exchanged a glance, both seeing wariness in each other's eyes.

It was no coincidence that the maid appeared just as they were being recognized and was about to lead them to their reserved spot.

Ye Qingfeng stood still, motionless.

He glanced at the empty table, then surveyed the hall filled with the infatuated and frenzied guests, finally fixing his gaze on the maid, and said calmly:

"No need."

The maid's smile froze: "Honored guest... what is the meaning of this?"

"What I mean is," Ye Qingfeng said calmly, "I'm not sitting there."

"Where would our honored guest like to sit? This servant will arrange it for you..." The maid forced a smile.

Ye Qingfeng raised his right hand and pointed to the open space inside the gate, near the gatehouse:

"Sit by the door."

"..."

The maid's smile froze completely.

The guests who overheard this conversation all wore expressions of disbelief.

Sitting by the door?

In the lobby on the first floor of the Moonlit Boat, near the gatehouse, is a place where pimps, thugs, and coachmen waiting for customers occasionally rest.

There wasn't even a decent chair, just a few benches!

Has this Taoist priest gone mad?

The maid realized what was happening and quickly tried to smooth things over: "Master, you are joking. How can such an honored guest as you sit at the door?"

If word gets out, wouldn't people laugh at our Moonlit Pavilion for not knowing how to treat guests...?

"I am not a distinguished guest."

Ye Qingfeng interrupted her, his voice suddenly becoming clearer, reaching the ears of everyone in the noisy hall:

"They're unwelcome guests."

The moment those three words were uttered, the entire hall fell silent.

Even the sound of the pipa on stage paused for a beat.

Countless gazes turned towards them.

There was curiosity, astonishment, amusement, and above all, excitement from watching the drama unfold.

This is the first time someone has dared to call themselves an "unwelcome guest" at Lan Yue Fang!

The maid's expression changed: "Daoist Master, you can't say things like that..."

"Nonsense?" Ye Qingfeng laughed, but there was a hint of coldness in his smile.

"This Moon-Embracing Boat uses sensual pleasures as its backdrop and desires as its bait to lay down an evil trap, extracting the yang energy and essence of living people to feed a nest of paper-mache evil spirits."

"I have not come here tonight to seek pleasure—"

He flicked his sleeve, and his gray-blue Taoist robe fluttered even without wind.

"They're here to cause trouble."

"..."

Dead silence.

Absolute silence.

The pipa music stopped completely.

The dancer froze on the stage.

The guests stared, their glasses dangling in mid-air.

Even the few wealthy businessmen who were drunk had become somewhat sober at this moment, staring wide-eyed at the Taoist priest at the door.

To cause trouble?

They said they were going to cause trouble at Lan Yue Fang?

This isn't just a matter of being crazy; this is courting death!

The maid's face turned from white to green, then from green to black.

She was about to reprimand him sternly when she saw Ye Qingfeng raise his left hand and gently rub his index finger and thumb together—

"Smack."

A soft sound, like a candle wick bursting.

At the entrance hall, next to the mahogany shelf where guests' weapons were stored, the two swords that Lin Zhenyuan and Zhao Damang had been confiscated from suddenly began to tremble violently!

"Clang!"

The scabbards flew off, and the two fine steel longswords transformed into two streaks of cold light, flying through the air and landing steadily in the hands of Lin Zhenyuan and Zhao Damang!

Although he doesn't know the art of controlling swords, swords and blades are inseparable; he is so strong that he can even capture flying bricks.

He just couldn't unleash the full power of swordsmanship.

This move came too fast and too abruptly.

Before the pimps and thugs at the door could even react, the weapons had already been returned to their rightful owners.

Lin Zhenyuan and Zhao Damang gripped their knives, and although they were shocked, their years of experience in the martial arts world allowed them to react instantly.

The two men stood guard on either side of Ye Qingfeng, their long swords pointing diagonally at the ground, the blades reflecting the candlelight and gleaming coldly.

The paper maid finally realized something was wrong. Her sweet face suddenly twisted, her eyes flashed with an inhuman red light, and she shrieked, "You—"

Before he could finish speaking...

Ye Qingfeng flicked his right index finger lightly inside his sleeve.

No one saw what he did; they only heard a "hum" of a sword—not from outside the door.

The sound came from a private room on the second floor of the Moonlit Pavilion!

A beam of green light burst through the window, pierced through the wooden floorboards, and fell like a meteor straight into Ye Qingfeng's hand!

It was an exquisite iron sword, with a golden tassel still attached.

At this moment, the iron sword trembled slightly in Ye Qingfeng's palm, and a golden halo that could be seen with the naked eye flowed across its blade.

That vast and sharp aura caused the candlelight in the hall to dim.

The paper maid's pupils contracted sharply, and her paper body instinctively retreated.

But it's too late.

Ye Qingfeng waved his hand casually.

There were no moves, no charging up, not even any unnecessary actions. It was like brushing dust off clothes and casually shaving.

The iron sword traced a pale golden arc.

A very thin gold line appeared on the maid's neck.

The look of terror on her face froze on the carefully drawn paper.

His dark eyes widened, and his vermilion lips parted slightly, as if he wanted to say something.

Then, her head slid off her shoulder.

There was no blood.

At the break, what was exposed was not flesh and bone, but layers upon layers of yellow paper.