Chương 64: The Recruitment

After giving his instructions, Fang Cheng flew out of White Flower City, heading toward Shuili City. He did not plan to confront anyone directly. Instead, he would go undercover in Shuili City and Dongyang City for a while, using his Heavenly Eye to gather evidence of Hu Tong's crimes. Just as Hu Tong had listed Fang Cheng's "good deeds" on the wanted poster, Fang Cheng would compile a list of Hu Tong's evils and return the favor. If he could find clues related to Zhu Youchang's case, even better.

Shuili City was northeast of the Everlasting Mountains. About a dozen li north was Dongyang City. A few dozen li south along the official road led back to the Everlasting Mountains. Fang Cheng flew quickly, arriving near Shuili City in just two and a half days. He landed, changed his appearance, and rubbed dirt on himself to look like a beggar. Then he walked toward the city. It was evening. The setting sun cast an orange-red glow over Shuili City's tall, imposing walls, leaving a mottled shadow.

Vaguely, the shadow resembled a leafy tree with thin roots that burrowed deep into the earth. Its crown was covered in red pears. When you picked a pear and bit into it, juice would spray out, staining the ground and forming a red face. It, or perhaps she, seemed to be smiling... There were no soldiers at Shuili City's gate, only a few old men dressed as servants chatting outside. Fang Cheng approached. One of the old men immediately came up to him, all smiles.

"Young man, are you coming into the city? Come, come, come with me. You are new here, so you must not know Shuili City well. Let me show you around." Without waiting for Fang Cheng's agreement, the old man grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the city. Fang Cheng broke free and asked, "How do you know I am from out of town?" The old man smiled.

"I have lived in Shuili City most of my life. I may not know every citizen by name, but I recognize all their faces. You, young man, I have never seen before. You are certainly not a local." Fang Cheng sneered inwardly and opened his Heavenly Eye. Sure enough, the old man was lying. But he did not call him out. Instead, he played along.

"Oh, I see. Then hurry up and take me inside." The old man glanced at Fang Cheng and thought to himself, this ragged beggar is a fool. Falling for my words so easily. He grinned and pulled Fang Cheng into the city, chattering as they walked.

"Young man, you have come to the right place. Shuili City has all sorts of fun things. But first, you need to earn some money. With money, you can have all the fun you want." Fang Cheng clapped his hands.

"You are absolutely right, old brother. Can you help me find a job? I am pretty good with my hands. Weaving and embroidery are my specialties. Even the girls in my village cannot match me." Shuili City's textile workshop was surely guarded by Hu Tong's cultivators. If Fang Cheng could infiltrate it, he might find useful information with his Heavenly Eye. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. The old man waved his hand.

"No, no, no. Weaving is women's work. We are men. We do not do that kind of job."

"Oh? What kind of work do men do?" Fang Cheng pressed. The old man grinned mysteriously.

"Come with me. I will take you to a place that will make you grin from ear to ear." He led Fang Cheng down a side alley, winding through several turns until they reached a brothel called Spring Moon Pavilion. It was evening rush hour, and the streets were crowded with pedestrians. Women in revealing clothes stood at the entrance, beckoning customers. Some attractive women leaned over the second-floor railings, throwing flirtatious glances at passersby. The old man smiled smugly and lowered his voice.

"Young man, see those girls? That is what Shuili City has to offer. Look at how seductive they are. And look at their butts... Do not look at the ones at the entrance. They are wearing skirts, so you cannot see anything. Follow my finger. Look at the ones upstairs... Yes. From this angle, we can see what is under their skirts... See? Wow. Big and round. With those slender waists, they look like big juicy pears on a pear tree. One bite and the juice will come out." Fang Cheng rubbed his chin.

"What do you want me to do here? I cannot do their handiwork either." The old man laughed.

"I just want you to have something to look forward to. When you have money, you can come here and have fun. By the way, if you mention my name, Old Huang, you will get a five percent discount."

"Oh? So you are a regular?" Fang Cheng asked. The old man laughed.

"With money, everyone is a regular. Without money, you are just dog shit." Without further ado, the old man led Fang Cheng through the street to the back of Spring Moon Pavilion. On the other side of the road stood another building with a sign reading "Summer Sun Pavilion." Several men stood at the entrance, bare-chested, showing off their muscular physiques. Their muscles glistened, as if oiled under the light. A woman walked up to the door. She looked like a factory worker.

She scanned the men, walked up to one she fancied, pulled down his pants to inspect, nodded in satisfaction, and entered the building with him.

"What the hell! Is this the job you are introducing me to?" Fang Cheng was about to lose it. He really wanted to pull out his demon sword and stab the old man. The old man waved his hand.

"Young man, do not underestimate it. Most people cannot do this job. You are not most people, but you cannot start yet. You need systematic training. Come on, follow me." Without another word, he dragged Fang Cheng across the street and around to the back of Summer Sun Pavilion. There was a large courtyard guarded by several burly men with fierce looks. A man who looked like a supervisor stood at the entrance holding flyers.

When he saw the old man leading Fang Cheng over, he quickly approached and handed one to Fang Cheng. Fang Cheng took it and read: Be a New Era Woman (Title) Women must be independent. If men can do it, women can do it too. Everyone is born equal. Women can earn money with their own hands and feet, without relying on men. We should earn our own money and spend it as we please, without caring about men's opinions. Sisters, since we can earn money, what use do we have for men? We do not need men at all.

Women can live well with other women.

"What the hell! I am a man! Why are you giving me this?" Fang Cheng was about to explode. The supervisor looked at the flyer, then quickly said, "Sorry, sorry. Wrong one. Here is yours." He snatched back the flyer and handed Fang Cheng a new one, which read: Be a New Era Man (Title) Men must also be independent. If women can do it, men can do it too. Everyone is born equal. Men can also lie down and earn money, comfortably.

We should earn our own money and spend it as we please, without caring about our wives' opinions. Brothers, giving our money to women is useless. They only give us dirty looks and never understand our feelings. We do not need women at all. The brotherhood between men is the greatest bond in this world!

"This looks familiar. It is the same as the last one! You just swapped 'woman' for 'man'!" Fang Cheng complained loudly.