Night had fallen. Qin Han stood fuming at the entrance of the Grand Brothel, glaring at Jack Young.
“Hey! You’re a girl, what are you doing yelling at the top of your lungs outside a brothel? Have you no shame?” Jack Young wasted no time throwing a big label on her—teasing a tomboy was always amusing.
Sure enough, the tomboy’s face flushed with anger: “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here! If you hadn’t shamelessly spent the night in this den of debauchery, I wouldn’t have come looking for you!” She was always mad when she saw Jack, but this time it really wasn’t her fault. She’d just been mercilessly teased by the girls at the brothel door—her current state was perfectly understandable.
The opposition fired back—no worries, piece of cake: “Hey! You’re a girl, sneaking into the red-light district in the dead of night to find a single guy? What kind of example are you setting?”
“You—” Honest kids are always honest. After two rounds, she was fuming and red-faced, gritting her teeth but left with nothing but frustration. Seriously, every good kid should join the debate club—learn to throw some good verbal punches. It’ll help with job hunting, your career, and even bickering with your boyfriend or girlfriend—okay, maybe I’m getting sidetracked.
Anyway, after a couple rounds of teasing, Jack Young realized this tomboy wasn’t that much fun (?), so he dropped the act and asked, “So, what’s up?”
“Hmph!” As soon as business was mentioned, Qin Han let out a long sigh, pointed at her own carriage, and said, “Get in, come with me. Grandpa wants to see you.” She added, “Running errands for a troublemaker like you—what a pain!”
Jack Young ignored the grumpy girl, hopped into the carriage. The driver flicked the reins, and they rolled down the long street. It was late, but the Golden Hook Casino was still buzzing—you could hear the racket from far away. The showdown between the Gambling King and Old Man Jin was still going strong, and the Four Flirts had gone to join the fun, hoping to rake in some cash. But aside from the casino and the usual nightlife, the rest of Eight Directions City had quieted down.
In this quiet night, Jack Young picked up on lots of subtle sounds. He could hear a few night-stalkers darting across the rooftops—clearly, Eight Directions City had its undercurrents and wasn’t as peaceful as it seemed. Not that he cared; he was just thinking about what Qin Han said—Ouyezi wanted to see him.
He only had three reasons for staying in Eight Directions City: First, to buy spiritual medicine; second, to have a meeting with the Phantom Sword Saint; and third, to meet Ouyezi. If possible, he’d love to snag a weapon that suited him. He’d heard plenty about Ouyezi’s status in the martial arts world—just today’s Weapon Appraisal Tournament was proof enough.