Go and capture those thirty-six fierce villains.

The black gate, coated with tung oil and studded with two nails, was opened.

A middle-aged man with a serious expression, dressed in a blue silk robe, walked out, supported by two servants.

Is this the mysterious newly rich businessman?

...Hmm, it should be right.

Qin Ning felt that it was unlikely that two servants would come out of the main gate of the house together with another servant.

Watching the middle-aged man leave in a sedan chair down the long street.

He stroked the scalding hot Bagua plate in his sleeve, hesitated for a moment, and then decided to follow.

The little monster is in the other party's residence. He must go in to find out information about the little monster and then prepare to subdue it.

There are generally only two ways to enter a private residence.

First, the host invites you in; second, you enter uninvited.

The laws of the Great Xia Dynasty are strict. In serious cases, the host family can even kill those who break into a house without bearing any responsibility. Therefore, Qin Ning does not intend to try the second method unless absolutely necessary.

In that case, you'll become familiar with this wealthy merchant, to the point where you can visit his home as a guest.

That became the only option.

Far behind the sedan chair, after walking two streets, Qin Ning stopped at a corner and watched as the sedan chair stopped in front of a money exchange.

The wealthy merchant alighted from his sedan chair and entered the money exchange. About half an incense stick's time later, he emerged from inside, carrying a bulging black cloth bag.

Why exchange cash so late at night...? Qin Ning wondered as he followed the sedan chair that was setting off again.

After passing through several streets, he became more and more familiar with the road. Sure enough, the sedan chair finally stopped at a red-light district next to the Drunken Flower Pavilion.

Dude... You look so serious late at night, you went to exchange for cash, but you just came to visit a brothel?

Lamenting the lack of entertainment options in the area, Qin Ning hesitated for a moment before following the wealthy merchant.

Tuo Yu'er warned him not to step into Zuihua for two months. This place was separated from Zuihua by a long street, one at one end and the other at the other. She thought that if something really happened...

That gives him time to react.

Moreover, in such places, relationships between men are the easiest to develop.

Over a few drinks and a casual chat, talking about the top courtesan or the most beautiful courtesan, he might just become acquainted with the wealthy businessman.

That way, you don't need to rack your brains to think of other ways to get closer to the other person.

Yicui Garden.

It was the brothel that the wealthy merchant frequented.

This place is clearly a cut above the Drunken Flower Pavilion on the next street. The people at the entrance and those serving inside are all young women.

Moreover, the payment method is no longer the simple and crude bidding.

After paying the tea fee, you can choose to sit in the main hall and watch the performance. When the time is up, you can spend a tael or two to choose a maid to sleep with. If you don't like these ordinary ones, you can also pay an extra 1 to 5 coins to go to the private courtyards of the top courtesans in Yicui Garden for tea.

At this point, if you want to get close to her, money alone might not be enough.

Some top courtesans may value looks, while others may value talent.

Well, in short, as long as their economic needs are met, they will also ask you for something else.

The wealthy businessman entered the building carrying a bulging black package and immediately found a seat in the lobby. The black package slammed onto the table with a thud, clearly indicating its considerable weight.

Seeing this, Qin Ning sat down at the table next to him.

Prepare in advance for future conversations.

Once the basic tea, wine, melons, and fruits were served, Qin Ning leisurely sipped her tea. She chatted with the neighboring table on the other side for a few minutes and learned that a group of "veteran employees" at Yicui Garden were going to "go straight" tonight.

In the brothel industry, thirty years old is an invisible death line.

Before the age of thirty, if you are talented and beautiful and can make money for the brothel, then everyone will naturally fawn over you and protect you. The madam and others will also call you their precious darling and their own daughter every day.

But once you're over thirty, long-term socializing and drinking can cause a drastic decline in your appearance, leading to a sharp drop in income. Then you're no longer the brothel madam's beloved daughter.

No one stays eighteen forever, but there are eighteen-year-old girls in brothels every year.

At this point, those with talent can hold on for another two years, but those who have neither talent nor looks will face...

Therefore, before the age of thirty, some of these women would try their best to find a patron they liked and persuade him to redeem them from their servitude; some would secretly save money and try to escape their lowly status; and some would try their best to become brothel owners themselves...

However, with so many women in brothels, not all of them can become mistresses.

Therefore, every year, Yicui Garden holds such a "reformation meeting" for "old employees".

If you're chosen to be redeemed at the meeting, consider yourself lucky. You'll be able to make the brothel one last profit, and the madams will be willing to let you leave.

If you're not chosen... well, what happens then? At best, you can become a laundry worker; at worst, well, tsk tsk.

Everyone says that feudal dynasties cannibalize people, and today I've witnessed it firsthand... Qin Ning thought to himself as he listened to the story told at the next table.

This Yicui Garden seems intent on draining every last drop of blood and essence from the women within before letting them leave.

Putting down her teacup, Qin Ning turned around casually and looked at the wealthy businessman at the next table.

"Judging from your demeanor, sir, you possess an extraordinary air, and you carry cash in your bag. Could it be that you too have come for today's 'Returning-to-Be Banquet'?"

Indeed, Yicui Garden even gave their event a very elegant name: the "Return to Goodness Banquet."

However... after glancing at Qin Ning expressionlessly, the wealthy merchant actually stood up and asked a maid to take him to another seat.

He looked like he didn't want to talk to anyone.

Holy crap?!

Unexpectedly, the other party was so aloof, and a hint of frustration flashed in Qin Ning's eyes... This person is not easy to approach. Could it be that he really has to resort to uninvited entry in the end?

Hmm... I wonder if his eccentric personality is influenced by some kind of evil spirit.

It wouldn't be appropriate to get up and chase after them again; that would be too deliberate.

After Qin Ning silently drank his tea for a while, a graceful madam, around forty years old, walked slowly to the center of the hall, where a round platform decorated with artificial mountains and flowing water was set up.

She said a few polite words, and in a corner of the hall, a group of seven women dressed in extremely gorgeous attire, supported by several pretty maids, circled the entire hall before stepping onto the high platform and lining up in order.

They even knew to show it up close first... Qin Ning observed the old employees of Yicuiyuan on the stage. Four of them had smiles on their faces and no pressure in their eyes. They seemed to be very confident about their upcoming reformation.

Of the remaining three, two looked anxious, and the last one, although wearing exquisite makeup, looked noticeably older than the other six.

Although he was smiling, there was always a hint of fear in his smile, and he looked miserable.

"Wow, this Mei Niang actually went on stage this year!"

Two customers at the next table exclaimed in hushed tones, "Looks like they bribed that madam, otherwise she would have been too old to be there."

After inquiring with the other party, Qin Ning learned that this woman named Mei Niang had already performed on stage twice.

But no one made a bid each time.

"Tsk, she's almost thirty-five, if this doesn't work out, we might not see her again next year."

"That's such a pity, why don't you buy it for her?"

"I don't have that kind of spare money, and besides, my family..."

As the two people at the next table chatted, the "Return to Goodness Banquet" on the stage officially began.

As Qin Ning expected, all four smiling and seemingly unperturbed individuals were offered bids and quickly sold for high prices.

As for the remaining three... one of them was bought at the reserve price. The bidder was an old man in his seventies who walked with a trembling gait when he went to pay the money.

I wonder if this person, after being taken home, will be able to divide the family property the very next day.

On the large central landscape platform, only Mei Niang and that ordinary-looking woman remained. The two stood on the platform with uneasy expressions, and tears were faintly visible in their eyes.

The elegant madam was still enthusiastically recommending the products, but everyone in the hall remained quiet.

At this moment, the wealthy businessman, who was three seats away from Qin Ning, suddenly spoke up.

"I'll take both of them!"