At Zou Feng’s insistence, the Madam had no choice but to immediately summon Nong Yu.

Soon, an unwilling woman entered the private room. She was plain-looking with an even plainer figure—the kind of person who would disappear into a crowd.

Judging by her completely unprofessional expression, the only reason she could stay at the Shuyu Boat was her exceptional skill with the xiao flute.

"Young Master, Nong Yu is here..." the Madam said, introducing her. She gave Nong Yu a hard pinch, signaling her to greet him properly and, more importantly, to stop scowling.

Nong Yu finally stepped forward reluctantly and said flatly, "Nong Yu greets the Young Master... I perform, but I do not sell my body. I hope you can understand, Young Master."

"You... If the Young Master takes a liking to you, it’s your good fortune!" the Madam barked angrily.

Zou Feng, however, didn’t mind. He couldn’t be bothered to retort with a snarky ’It doesn’t count if I don’t pay,’ and simply waved his hand at the Madam. "It’s fine. I just want to hear the flute. You may leave."

After the Madam left feeling uneasy, Nong Yu didn’t stand on ceremony. She pulled up a stool, sat down, and asked, "What song would you like to hear, Young Master?"

Zou Feng studied her again for a few moments, a faint, unreadable smile on his face. "An Inner Qi Realm Martial Artist, performing in a brothel?"

Zou Feng had noticed the young woman’s Realm the moment she walked in.

Of course, a person’s Realm could be disguised, so Zou Feng needed to probe further.

He had expected Nong Yu to be shocked by his words, but the young woman remained calm. "Neither the Emperor of Great Yan nor the Southern Prince has decreed that Inner Qi Realm Martial Artists are forbidden from performing in brothels, have they?"

"No, they haven’t. But today, I insist on hearing your reason for performing here!" Zou Feng’s gaze grew sharp.

Perhaps realizing that Zou Feng wouldn’t let the matter drop until she gave a satisfactory explanation, Nong Yu said bluntly, "For my Cultivation!"

In truth, by this point, Nong Yu was also certain that Zou Feng was clearly someone she could not afford to provoke.

"Your Cultivation?"

"Yes. To practice what the Righteous Sects call an Evil Skill, I need the environment of a place like a brothel."

’This was quite normal. If the Great Universal Hand required all sorts of chaotic Visualization and Cultivation in a brothel, then other Evil Skills could very well be the same.’

’Even Zeng Xiuyuan, not far from here, seems to be cultivating his Evil Skill by being... taken from behind.’

But naturally, Zou Feng wasn’t going to believe whatever Nong Yu said.

Just as Nong Yu finished speaking, her eyes began to glaze over.

She looked as if she were drunk, dazed and on the verge of collapsing at any moment.

This was, of course, the effect of the Confusion Poison Zou Feng had administered.

"Go on," Zou Feng continued his questioning leisurely. "After you’ve mastered this Evil Skill, what do you plan to do next?"

An Inner Qi Realm Martial Artist under the influence of his Confusion Poison would find it nearly impossible to lie under normal circumstances.

As expected, Nong Yu subconsciously spoke again. "For... revenge..."

"Revenge against whom?"

"The... Blood Wolf Gang... in the city... I have an irreconcilable hatred for them..."

"What is the name of the Cultivation Skill you’re practicing? Where did you get it?"

"It’s called... the Yellow Springs Soul Summoning Technique... I bought it... from the Ghost Market..."

Hearing this, Zou Feng couldn’t hide his disappointment.

Since it was impossible for Nong Yu to be lying, her words proved that she had no connection to Yuchi Jue or the Ten Directions Sect.

’I thought I might have found a lead, but it was all for nothing.’

However, out of caution, Zou Feng flickered and appeared right in front of Nong Yu.

He then placed a hand on her shoulder and used a wisp of True Qi to probe her again.

The result was still the same: nothing was out of the ordinary.

This woman, Nong Yu, was a common type in the Jianghu: a fiercely determined woman who, after making an enemy of a gang, would stop at nothing to get her revenge, even if it meant dying from practicing a dangerous Evil Skill.

Since things had come to this, Zou Feng decided not to waste any more time on Nong Yu.

A short while later, he neutralized the Confusion Poison, had Nong Yu play a random tune, and then let her go.

Afterward, to continue his investigation of the Shuyu Boat more thoroughly, Zou Feng decided to stay the night.

With a single touch, he made the girl who was to spend the night with him collapse into a pleasant dream. Then, Zou Feng slipped out of the room like a ghost to scout for anything unusual.

Once again, he found nothing.

If he had to point out something unusual, it would be that Zeng Xiuyuan was crammed into the same room with several male clients.

Judging by the clients’ cheerful laughter, it was clear none of them had discovered that this Evil Cultivator, going by the alias "Susu," was actually a man.

’That Zeng Xiuyuan must also be able to use some mind-altering poison to make them ignore his true gender.’

’Susu... He should’ve called himself Zero instead...’

The next morning, Zou Feng left alone, not even bothering to say goodbye to Zeng Xiuyuan.

His life of debauchery in the various brothels passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, five days had gone by.

Aboard that same small boat, the four True Qi Realm cultivators, including Zou Feng, gathered once again, each looking somewhat helpless.

There was no need for anyone to explain their situation; a single look at their expressions made it clear that there were still no useful leads on Yuchi Jue’s whereabouts.

The same was true for Zou Feng. Although he had discovered two more Evil Cultivators in other brothels over the past few days, it had led nowhere.

Like Nong Yu, those two Evil Cultivators turned out to be clean.

They each had their own reasonable explanations for being in a brothel.

Leng Jing, being the most impatient, was the first to break the silence. "Tsk, Yuchi Jue is hidden too well. I’m afraid we..."

"What’s your hurry? It’s only natural for Yuchi Jue to be in hiding. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to escape the Celestial Essence Sword Sect’s pursuit while so heavily injured."

"Besides, there’s a Demon Slaying Order on him. It’s not just the Celestial Essence Sword Sect that’s after him!" Zeng Xiuyuan added, looking completely unconcerned.

Leng Jing shot him a look and retorted irritably, "Heh, of course you’re not in a hurry. You get to spend your days preying on those johns, so it’s not like your Cultivation is being delayed!"