Chapter 3103: Familiarity Breeds Contempt

Quietly, night fell.

The ancient city under the moonlight seemed even more vibrant, all thanks to the auction in the city. Batch after batch of people arrived, young and old alike, covered in dust from their travels, their faces darkened with fatigue as they grumbled incessantly. If it weren't for some troublemakers starting fights in the teleportation channels, causing the teleportation array to break down, they wouldn't have had to fly all that way. It had been an exhausting journey.

That night, the tavern was doing its best business.

The brothel was also bustling with people, since the auction wasn't until the next day, and there were plenty who came here for entertainment. Chi Yan Xiong Shi was one of them. He'd entered the brothel in broad daylight and hadn't been seen coming out since—who knows if he even could. The legendary phrase "exhausted to death" might just apply to him.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen was taking it easy. After drinking a bowl of ancient tea, he lay down on the table and fell asleep.

Passersby often glanced his way, and while they were at it, they'd shoot a look at the tea stall's owner, their expressions clearly implying: Is that your grandson?

The old man chuckled dryly. He didn't have such an exceptional grandson. Even he couldn't see through the boy, which meant Ye Chen was no ordinary person—likely with cultivation higher than his own.

At some point, Ye Chen suddenly lifted his little head, paused for a second, then looked down at his chest. That Tian Zi character was glowing again, radiating a intense heat. It was this heat that had jolted him awake from his sleep.

Clearly, another Dun Jia Tian Zi had reacted to his.

"Luck's on my side."

Ye Chen got up and headed straight in a certain direction.

When he reappeared, he was in front of a pavilion.

Well, it was that brothel, with the signboard reading "Yi Hong Yuan" standing out prominently.

"Good name."

Ye Chen glanced at it, and even with the mindset of a Zhun Huang Di, he couldn't help but sigh. Those three characters were timeless no matter where you went. In all the brothels he'd visited, over eighty percent had the same name.

Only after taking in the sight did he step inside.

"Who's this kid from?"

Compared to the signboard, he was the most eye-catching one there. Everyone else was a full-grown man, but he was the cutest and most adorable among them. With his small stature, people walking by were afraid they'd step on him.

"This one..."

The brothel's madam had the strangest expression. In all her time running the place, she'd seen all kinds of people, but this was her first time dealing with such a young child. Still, a customer was a customer, no matter who they were—as long as they had money.

"This little Daoist friend, you look unfamiliar."

"Once born, twice familiar."

Ye Chen replied casually, hands tucked in his pockets as he looked around left and right. The Dun Jia Tian Zi was reacting, but it would take time to pinpoint it exactly.

The madam smiled awkwardly, finding Ye Chen's demeanor odd. He was like a little adult—his voice still childish, yet he spoke with the air of a seasoned veteran, clearly an old hand at navigating the worldly pleasures.

Even she reacted that way, let alone the brothel's women and guests. They stopped drinking their wine and watching the dances, staring at Ye Chen like he was some novelty, far more entertaining than the usual fare.

Ye Chen ignored them all and had no time for small talk. He'd already located the source and headed up the stairs.

"What's going on?"

Soon, shouts echoed from the third floor.

No wonder—right in the middle of some passionate encounter, and suddenly someone burst in. It might have been fine if it were an adult, but it was a child.

Then, everything went quiet.

The male cultivator in the room had been stunned by a palm strike from Ye Chen. From his Qian Kun Bag, Ye Chen pulled out a bronze mirror, where the Tian Zi character was engraved, still shimmering brightly.

"Come on, carry on."

Ye Chen was considerate enough to drag the dazed male cultivator back and toss him onto the bed.

The woman there had flushed cheeks, huddled under the covers in the corner, her laughter awkward. In all her years, this was a first—someone had been knocked out cold mid-act. How were they supposed to continue? You sure picked a hell of a time.

As she watched, Ye Chen had already left the room, remembering to close the door behind him. Hugging the bronze mirror, he examined it intently the whole way. Though the Dun Jia Tian Zi was small, its significance was immense—finding one meant saving a supreme being.

"Senior, you've got quite the taste."

Just as he was walking, Chi Yan Xiong Shi appeared out of nowhere, sighing and clicking his tongue. As he spoke, he couldn't help scanning Ye Chen up and down. With that tiny frame, was he really here for the brothel?

Ye Chen didn't respond. He had already pried out the Tian Zi and etched it onto his arm, just like before, feeling that intense heat. In the unseen realm, the restrictions loosened a bit more.

"This one—someone's seen him, or more accurately, heard of him."

Chi Yan Xiong Shi pulled out Zhao Yun's scroll. Though he was a demon beast, he was reliable when it came to business, even in a place like this, he hadn't forgotten to inquire.

"Lead the way."

Ye Chen didn't waste words.

Chi Yan Xiong Shi coughed and pointed to a room across the way. The info about Zhao Yun had come from one of the brothel women. Just moments ago, they had been... well, you know. He wouldn't have left if not for hearing the news—he'd been aiming for an all-nighter. But now, here he was, running into Ye Chen.

Ye Chen strode over.

By the time he arrived, another male cultivator had already entered the room—what he was there for was obvious without asking.

Once done, that cultivator was thrown out, crashing from the third floor to the first, cursing as he pulled on his clothes. What the hell—didn't anyone respect first come, first served?

In the room, the atmosphere was awkward. The woman glanced at Ye Chen, then at Chi Yan Xiong Shi, her expression odd: Is this your kid?

Ye Chen was studying the woman. Her cultivation was one level below Chi Yan Xiong Shi's, and yet so many elders didn't know, but she had heard of it?

"She doesn't belong to this great realm; she's from outside."

Chi Yan Xiong Shi whispered. More precisely, she'd been captured and sold to the brothel. Such things were common in the cultivator world—families wiped out, men slaughtered, women violated, then sold off.

He'd heard all this from others.

The rules of survival outside were just as brutal.

Even without him saying it, Ye Chen knew the score. Though Zhou Tian was incomplete, deducing a minor cultivator was no problem. With one look, he could see through her background—it was beyond tragic, utterly devastating. Her whole family had been massacred, leaving only her, and now sold into a brothel, no different from falling into hell.

"Do you know where he is?"

Ye Chen said calmly, holding up Zhao Yun's scroll.

"Redeem me, and I'll tell you."

The woman smiled seductively, but in Ye Chen's eyes, it was her summoning all her courage, masking some fear with a charming pose.

After all, bargaining with a senior like this could end badly if she misspoke.

Ye Chen said nothing and simply waved his hand.

Chi Yan Xiong Shi understood, turning to leave the room to handle her redemption. Money was a trivial matter; the main thing was that Ye Chen had ordered it.

"He should have gone to Shen Jie."

The woman lowered her head, her body trembling slightly—it was fear, afraid of angering Ye Chen. But as long as she could escape this hell, it would all be worth it.

Shen Jie?

Ye Chen murmured the two words. Just from that, it sounded grand and lofty.

First came the gods and demons, then the immortals and Buddhas.

In his view, Shen Jie was above the Xian Jie. He wasn't sure if they were currently in the Xian Jie or below it, but one thing was certain—the Shen Jie the woman mentioned had to be the pinnacle of this universe, a place only emperors could reach.