Chapter 239: Bewitching Sounds

Clang!

A strange, eerie sound of a wooden clapper rang out!

Yang Wang suddenly felt his vision go dark, followed by a crack from his chest!

Realizing something was wrong, he quickly pressed his back against the wall, gripping his sword in one hand while his other hand fumbled at his chest.

Fifteen minutes later, he found a shattered jade pendant in his palm!

This jade pendant had been acquired by his elder brother, Yang Wei, at great expense from the capital.

Though its jade quality was average, it had been imbued with the essence of incense for forty-nine full days!

Its sole purpose was to protect the soul from the attacks of demons and spirits!

According to his brother, any malevolent entity with under two hundred years of cultivation wouldn’t be able to snatch his soul through sorcery.

This was precisely why, even after learning of Gu Ning’an’s ability to summon souls, Yang Wang had still dared to renege on his promise!

After all, in his view, someone capable of such soul-related techniques must be physically weak.

At barely twenty years old, if Gu Ning’an had spent all his effort mastering such arts, then he certainly wouldn’t have had time to train his body!

That was why Yang Wang had secretly hoped Gu Ning’an would press him harder so that he could have a legitimate excuse to teach him a lesson.

But now, the eerie clapper sound had shattered his jade pendant!

This meant that the creature outside, the one knocking on the clapper, was far beyond his ability to handle!

“Huh?”

“Why isn’t the soul coming out?”

Through the wooden door, Yang Wang could see a dark silhouette slowly approaching.

“Help! There’s a demon!” Yang Wang roared, before immediately dashing toward the window!

This was the second floor—if he could escape through the window, he could put a great distance between himself and the entity at the door!

“Huh, trying to run?” A teasing voice echoed. The shadow outside knocked on the clapper again.

Crack!

The moment Yang Wang crashed through the window, his body got stuck in the frame—while his soul was forcefully yanked out!

Looking at his physical body jammed in the window, Yang Wang desperately struggled to return to it!

Yet no matter how hard he tried to move, he remained rooted in place, unable to step forward!

Despair overwhelmed him as that raspy, mocking voice rang in his ears once more.

“Huh!”

“You’re not the one from last night!”

“Looking at your uniform… a Golden Guard, huh? No wonder you had a soul-protecting treasure…”

“But no matter. Catching you or him makes no difference—a soul is a soul.”

As the cart-puller spoke, he took out a clay jar and casually opened it.

Yang Wang’s soul instantly shrank and was sucked inside!

Click!

Sealing the jar, the cart-puller strode out of the room without a care.

Although Four Corners Town wasn’t even big enough to be considered a county, it had plenty of entertainment venues—far more than most county towns.

In West Corner Village, the pleasure district was the largest among the four villages. Just a few days ago, those Golden Guards had been drinking and indulging here.

On normal days, by the time midnight had passed, most of these establishments would have closed. After all, the customers who were leaving had already left, and those staying had long since drifted off into their dreams. Even if the doors remained open, no new patrons would arrive.

But tonight was different. Not only had the pleasure houses in West Corner Village remained open, but even ordinary households were brightly lit, as if the whole village were celebrating a festival.

Reflected in the windowpanes were scenes of couples “fighting.” From one end of the street to the other, almost every household was engaged in such activities.

The lewd and indulgent sounds rising from all around made Feng Wei, the only woman in Gu Ning’an’s group, flush with embarrassment.

Though she was a mother, seeing and hearing such things still made her feel uncomfortably warm.

“This is strange. Did the entire village take some sort of aphrodisiac?”

“Every household is doing… that?”

Zhou Zhongtian, a young man himself, felt the heat creeping up on him as he listened to the sounds.

Hearing this, Feng Wei quickly chimed in, “How about we leave? This place is making me uncomfortable.”

Zhou Zhongtian nodded. “Let’s finish our patrol quickly. If nothing seems off, we’ll withdraw.”

“Wait… Let’s check out the pleasure district first. I bet that’s where this village’s strangeness began.” Saying this, Gu Ning’an strode toward the alley where colorful lanterns hung, and cheers and applause echoed.

Seeing Gu Ning’an take the lead, the rest of the group exchanged glances. Then, two sturdy men, Liu Feng and Guo Teng, spoke up.

“I think something’s definitely fishy here. If you guys don’t want to go, just wait here. I’ll go keep an eye on Mr. Gu!”

“If Liu Feng’s going, I definitely have to follow. With the two of us protecting him, nothing will happen to Mr. Gu… Brother Zhou, Sister Wei, if you two don’t like that kind of place, you don’t have to come. If something happens, I’ll call for you. You should still be able to hear me.”

Speaking righteously, the two robust men hoisted their heavy iron shields and charged after Gu Ning’an, shouting as they ran, “Mr. Gu, wait for us!”

Feng Wei scoffed. “I swear, Guo Teng and Liu Feng usually seem like honest men, but the moment they see a red-light district, their true nature is revealed!” Then, she turned to Zhou Zhongtian.

“At least you’re different—”

She cut herself off, realizing that Zhou Zhongtian, who had been standing beside her, had already wandered to the alley entrance, peering inside. She couldn’t help but laugh.

“Well, well, men really are all the same!”

“If you want to go, just go! What’s the point of standing there peeking? Think you’ll see something interesting?”

Hearing this, Zhou Zhongtian scratched his head awkwardly and chuckled. “Sister Wei, you’ve got it all wrong! I was just keeping an eye on them to make sure they don’t get into trouble!”

Feng Wei clicked her tongue and strode toward the alley. As she passed by Zhou Zhongtian, she grabbed his belt and dragged him along.

“What’s there to misunderstand? If you want to go, just go!”

“A grown man dawdling like this—what kind of look is that?”

“Look at Liu Feng and Guo Teng—one acts more honest than the other, yet they’re running faster than anyone else!”

“Come on, come on, don’t let them snatch up all the beauties!”

And just like that, half-willingly and half-forced, Zhou Zhongtian was pulled into the depths of the pleasure district by Feng Wei.

The buildings in the alley were mostly multi-story pavilions, each establishment bearing different names—”Fragrant Meadow,” “Blush of Beauty”—though they were all quite similar.

The moment they entered, the thick scent of cosmetics and perfume filled the air.

Zhou Zhongtian took a deep breath and sighed, “Smells amazing—”

Swish!

Feeling Feng Wei’s amused gaze on him, Zhou Zhongtian’s toes curled in embarrassment.

Just as he was about to explain himself, this bold older sister gave him a shove, pushing him right up to the entrance of a pleasure house…