Chapter Fifty-One: He... Has Infiltrated...

With a light touch of intoxication swirling around him, Jiang Lin’s eyes took on a comical expression as he furtively climbed to the third floor of Spring Breeze Pavilion, his body still wreathed in the scent of wine.

Tap, tap, tap…

Perhaps feeling uncomfortable, the little dragon girl shifted her position, letting a tail rest across Jiang Lin’s forehead.

Jiang Lin, dazed and bleary-eyed, knocked softly at the door.

“Who is it?”

From within the room, a sweet voice, clear as a mountain spring, floated out gently.

*Hiccup...* Jiang Lin belched, brushing aside the soft, chubby tail of Little Nian Nian from his forehead. “I am a hardworking... little honeybee…”

Click.

The door swung open, and a woman dressed in gauzy, iridescent robes appeared before Jiang Lin. Her delicate face bore no trace of makeup, yet she was captivating—refined, pure, and enchanting, as lovely as spring flowers, as radiant as peach blossoms. In comparison, she truly eclipsed all the beauties of the palace.

A small plum blossom was marked in the center of her forehead, and her dark, lucid eyes seemed to flash with a touch of anger. When she saw the adorable little girl on Jiang Lin’s head, a flicker of surprise passed through her gaze.

*How can there be such a lovely little girl in the world?*

But soon, a deeper sense of loss traced the corners of her eyes.

“Come in.”

“All right,” Jiang Lin replied cheerily, stepping into the room. The woman, named Wu Die, closed the door behind him and cast a simple warding array to block prying senses.

“You’ve been drinking again?”

“It was a happy occasion.”

“If you don’t mind, you can set this little one on my bed. She shouldn’t catch a chill.”

“Thank you, Miss Wu Die.”

Jiang Lin straightened, forcibly dispelling the haze of alcohol and suppressing his drunkenness with spiritual energy. The flush on his cheeks slowly faded. He placed Little Nian Nian gently on Wu Die’s soft bed, carefully removing the tiny hand she kept sucking and tucking her in.

He sat back down and drew a deep breath, shaking his head to clear it.

“Actually, Miss Wu Die, there’s no need to ward the room like this.”

Sensing the array shrouding the room, Jiang Lin spoke up.

“Oh? Are you worried I’ll ruin your reputation?” Wu Die gave a mock glare.

“Ha! You jest.” Jiang Lin stood tall, feigning righteousness. “If Miss Wu Die really had such intentions, I wouldn’t even bat an eye.”

“Scoundrel!” spat Wu Die, turning her face away in mock disgust.

“Heh heh, all right, I’ll stop teasing you. By the way, where’s Aunt Lin? She’s always like this—why couldn’t we meet at the usual spot? Why insist on your room, Miss Wu Die? It makes me nervous.”

Jiang Lin stood, stretching his waist. Truthfully, he was nervous—he’d only met Wu Die a couple of times, exchanged a few words, but nothing more. The other night, he’d asked Aunt Lin for information about the Solitary Demon Sect. Instead, he’d been told to come to Wu Die’s room after drinking tonight. He couldn’t help but feel as though he were up to something sneaky...

“Oh? So you do know how to be nervous? When you came to negotiate business with me, you were slick as could be.” As soon as Jiang Lin finished, a figure emerged from behind the screen—a woman named Lin Ya, the mistress of Spring Breeze Pavilion. She appeared no older than thirty, but had in fact lived for centuries.

It was said that Aunt Lin’s partner once ran a tannery in Wutong Prefecture, but after it went bankrupt, they fled together, eventually joining the Sun and Moon Sect and founding this very pavilion. After arriving, her partner gave up leather for making elixirs, which sold quite well.

Though their debts had long since been paid, neither wished to leave, so they decided to settle down and truly take root within the Sun and Moon Sect.

“Aunt Lin, you don’t understand—I’m very pure-hearted.” Jiang Lin laughed, drawing Aunt Lin to sit beside him, and pulled a stack of papers from his pocket.

“What’s this?”

Wu Die and Aunt Lin picked up the papers, discovering page after page of illustrations. As she looked, Wu Die’s cheeks flushed, and she quickly set them aside, turning away. Aunt Lin, on the other hand, examined them with keen interest, nodding repeatedly.

“Jiang Lin, what are these outfits?”

“They’re new business opportunities, of course.” Jiang Lin explained each design to Aunt Lin without the slightest concern for Wu Die’s scarlet face.

“This one is called the ‘Bunny Girl.’ The women in the pavilion could wear it to serve drinks and such, but honestly, I recommend hiring actual rabbit spirits—real ears look much better than fake ones.

“And this is the Lolita dress.”

“Lolita?”

“Well, that’s just the name of the outfit. It’s best suited for petite girls with delicate figures.

“Oh, and this one—Aunt Lin, you can call it the ‘Deadpool Costume!’”

“And this one, I call…”

“Aunt Lin! Master Jiang! If you’re going to discuss these things in my room, please take it outside!” At last, Wu Die—her face burning all the way to her ears—could bear it no longer.

These outfits were so… so bizarre. Especially that ‘Bunny Girl’—how could anyone wear such a thing? Yet why did Aunt Lin and Master Jiang discuss them so seriously, with such clear eyes? How did they manage that?

“Ahem… all right, Xiao Lin, let’s pause here. If we keep going, Wu Die will throw us out. These designs are excellent—they could boost our pavilion’s profits, maybe even allow us to expand. I’ll take them all.” Aunt Lin gathered the sketches and tucked them away, then produced a sheet of paper. “Here’s the information you wanted—about the Solitary Demon Sect.”

Jiang Lin took it and read carefully as Aunt Lin elaborated:

“Not long ago, the Solitary Demon Sect destroyed the Carefree Sect. While it wasn’t a major sect, not even on par with the lesser branches, wiping out a sect is no small feat.

“What’s more, according to reports from our branch pavilions, it seems most disciples of the Solitary Demon Sect have left their headquarters.

“And considering you’ve captured three traitors who infiltrated the sects, I suspect that every sect in western Wutong Prefecture now has people from the Solitary Demon Sect embedded within. I wouldn’t be surprised if we even had some in the Sun and Moon Sect.”

“What are they after?” Jiang Lin asked, tucking the report away. “Do they really think they can destroy us with just a few spies? That seems pretty naive.”

“Naive?”

“Never mind… please continue, Aunt Lin.”

“I’m not certain about the details. You’ve caught three of their people—you might coax some secrets out of them. By the way, Xiao Lin, are you familiar with Eastforest City?”

“Of course. It’s a city of the human kingdom in western Wutong Prefecture. Not very large, but quite bustling. I remember once I snatched a girl’s lollipop there, and my master lost cultivation protecting me.”

“Yes, that’s the place. The Solitary Demon Sect reportedly has a sub-branch there, and lately, the spiritual currents in Eastforest City have become increasingly erratic. Many righteous cultivators have gone to investigate, but found nothing. I suspect whatever big move they’re planning will begin there.”

“Is there anything else you know, Aunt Lin?”

She shook her head.

“This outfit is called the Sailor Uniform!” Jiang Lin reluctantly produced another drawing from his pocket.

Aunt Lin glanced at it, smiled in satisfaction, and tucked it away. “The Solitary Demon Sect’s operation in Eastforest City is codenamed:

‘He… has infiltrated…’”