Cat 225: The Dance Hall
by CristaeChapter 225: The Dance Hall
Liu Jingxi truly was unpredictable.
It wasn’t that Yan Jiyun hadn’t heard his footsteps—it was that he hadn’t expected him to suddenly approach and call out his name.
Liu Jingxi immediately questioned him, his gaze appraising: “Where have you been all day?”
Yan Jiyun scratched his head, perfectly inhabiting the role of a clueless country bumpkin, each detail precisely in place.
“I was planning to go home this morning, didn’t want to disturb you all, so I left a note in my room. Cousin, didn’t you see it?”
Liu Jingxi pressed, “Then why did you come back?”
Yan Jiyun looked sheepish, “My wallet got stolen. Spent the whole day trying to find it, no luck.”
Liu Jingxi was amused by his dejection, slapping a hand to his shoulder with rakish camaraderie. “Tsk tsk, tough luck. Where’s your home? Once all this is dealt with, I’ll drive you back.”
Back at the wedding banquet, the old ladies had discussed exactly which county and town he supposedly lived in, which Yan Jiyun now provided. Liu Jingxi didn’t doubt him—after all, Yan Jiyun was a distant cousin; no one really knew where he was from.
“Really?” Yan Jiyun blinked with feigned delight.
Liu Jingxi’s hand was still on his shoulder, all easy familiarity. “Sure, why not?”
“Thanks, cousin. You’re a good man.” Yan Jiyun gave him the classic “nice guy” card. If he didn’t already know about his double dealings—the search for the treasure map, the two-faced persona—he might really have been fooled.
People still came to pay respects at this hour, mainly old friends of Liu Jinghao. Most had attended the wedding just the day before; still recovering from festivities when news of his death spread. Some dismissed it as a bad joke until they saw the white lanterns for themselves, only then believing Liu Jinghao had died—on his wedding night no less, possibly the unluckiest fate imaginable.
Once everyone realized it was true, old acquaintances rushed over for the wake. In a small town, nothing stays secret—as long as the mourning hall remained open and relatives were present, visitors would keep coming.
Tomorrow there would be another feast.
Reflecting on this, Yan Jiyun realized that whether for weddings or funerals, you always held a banquet—so naturally, Liu Jingxi couldn’t just come and go as he pleased; he had to help with the arrangements.
Liu Jingxi himself looked exhausted. “Well, if there’s nothing else, get some rest. If you’re free tomorrow, come help me.”
“You’re not planning to slack off, are you?” Yan Jiyun affected naïveté, stepping back as if nervous.
“Tsk, if I’m going to slack off, I’ll do it openly. I don’t need your help.”
“Then what will you have me do? I’m no good at entertaining guests,” Yan Jiyun said, shrinking back theatrically. “I’m a little scared.”
“You’re so useless. Never mind, you don’t need to be here tomorrow—I’ve got other tasks for you,” Liu Jingxi declared.
Relieved, Yan Jiyun patted his chest. “That’s good, then.”
About this time, an acquaintance of Liu Jingxi approached, and the two began to chat.
Yan Jiyun heard Liu Jingxi address the man as “Brother X”—a tall, handsome fellow with a string of prayer beads around his wrist. A faint sandalwood scent wafted behind him. Such details matched the narrative flavor of the instance’s background.
While the others made conversation, Yan Jiyun gave a signal toward two figures nearby.
He had to treasure these moments with teammates, now that he’d finally crossed paths!
Gu Wenzhu hobbled over on a cane, accompanied by He Yuanle; Qiu Xi was nowhere to be seen.
Both had already paid their respects while Yan Jiyun was chatting with Liu Jingxi and could now move about freely. The strangeness of Liu Jinghao’s death meant the main banquet had been postponed; tonight’s visitors couldn’t expect a meal, and slipping away wouldn’t be noticed.
Yan Jiyun led his two teammates to the pavilion where he’d earlier met the little maid, a quiet place unlikely to draw attention.
It wasn’t hard for the three to reunite.
Yan Jiyun didn’t keep his foray into the top-tier instance a secret—a fact many would ultimately discover, so there was no need to hide it from teammates.
He was upfront: “Due to a system glitch, I ended up in a different instance for a day and have only just come back—haven’t even finished the first quest here. What about you?”
Gu Wenzhu and He Yuanle blinked before realizing he meant the top-tier instance.
Gu Wenzhu, owing to age and experience, showed little shock; he was steady, having survived much.
He Yuanle, a veteran of many instances, had more visceral insight into the difficulty differences between ordinary and top-tier dungeons.
He was stunned. “You mean the top-tier instance, as in the top-tier instance?”
Yan Jiyun nodded, downplaying his ordeal: “Just one day, came out safe. I’ll tell you more when there’s time. Let’s focus on this instance first.”
He Yuanle sighed, “Man, your luck goes beyond anything I’ve seen.”
Gu Wenzhu read the fatigue in Yan Jiyun’s face at once and remarked, “You probably haven’t slept for a while?”
Yan Jiyun did a quick calculation. “More than a day with no rest.” Older players truly knew how to look out for others.
Gu Wenzhu nodded, “Then let us fill you in. Afterward, you should go rest.”
Yan Jiyun sighed contentedly—having teammates was really something else.
Gu Wenzhu said, “We’re still stuck on main quest one as well, but we’ve knocked out several side quests.”
It was then Yan Jiyun noticed his sharp new look—a well-fitted suit, pocket watch, slicked-back hair, all but unrecognizable.
“What’s your identity here?”
Gu Wenzhu smiled. “I’m a merchant, invited by the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce—supposed to be selling grain.”
Yan Jiyun turned to He Yuanle. “Let’s leave the top-tier stuff for later. What’s yours?”
He Yuanle: “I’m the simpleton son of a landlord—woke up in a strange bed with a system-assigned role.”
Yan Jiyun: “You’ve all landed helpful identities. I’m still a distant relative of the Lius—a country cousin of the deceased, Liu Jinghao. The guy I was talking to is Liu Jingxi, the second brother. Then there’s the eldest. This family is slippery—each member has their own agenda.”
Gu Wenzhu: “The Chamber is no less complicated. And right now, their majority wants to oust the Liu family.”
He Yuanle: “Same on my side—the Chen landlord family is fraught with issues.”
Time to solve things one by one, Yan Jiyun thought. He asked Gu Wenzhu: “What’s the Chamber’s deal with the Liu family?”
Gu Wenzhu: “Liu family is in decline; makes sense that some want to exclude them. But opinions are split, half and half.”
Yan Jiyun: “Who’s the Chamber president?”
Gu Wenzhu gave a name. “We’ll see him tomorrow morning.”
Yan Jiyun asked He Yuanle, “What about your landlord? Name?”
He Yuanle replied, “The landlord’s family is wealthy, but for some reason, they’re dead set against the Lius; didn’t even attend Liu Jinghao’s wedding banquet, sent only some junior relatives.”
Yan Jiyun: “Any old grudge between the two families?”
He Yuanle: “Of course.”
The Chen family started out selling shoes, then partnered with the Lius and rapidly grew rich. But after the Liu decline, the Chens turned their backs, and the landlord now dislikes the Lius enough to skip the wedding banquet altogether.
Yan Jiyun: “What happened?”
He Yuanle tapped his temple. “Word is, Liu San (the third brother) beat up the landlord’s eldest son—left him bedridden for a month.”
All their stories circled around the Liu family.
It was probably this connection that drove Gu Wenzhu and He Yuanle to come pay their respects.
Yan Jiyun was sure Liu Jingxi had his own motives: “Why did Liu San beat him?”
He Yuanle: “All over a socialite—a quasi-courtesan. Both young men brought friends out drinking and dancing, both wanted her, but she could only choose one. My ‘elder brother’ is a delicate scholar—the beauty picked their table, Liu Jinghao got angry, smashed a beer bottle over his head, and the scholar was laid up for a month. Still moping at home.”
Yan Jiyun: “Sounds lively.”
Gu Wenzhu: “Almost like a soap opera.”
Yan Jiyun: “But the threads are too scattered, nothing ties together. I have a clue—a side quest for a treasure map. Collect three more pieces and I can unlock a hidden quest.”
He had a hunch, but with too few clues, he’d wait to see what developed.
He Yuanle: “By the way, I looked into the socialite—she isn’t simple.”
Yan Jiyun: “Go on.”
He Yuanle: “She works nights, but during the day, instead of resting, she slips out to tryst with someone. I wouldn’t have noticed, but followed her one afternoon: met a man at a hotel, didn’t see his face—always kept his hat low. Came out around 3 p.m.”
Yan Jiyun: “Did you record details? Height, build, voice, entrance and exit routes?”
He Yuanle: “Brother Wen asked me: about 1.8 meters, lean, that’s all I got.”
Yan Jiyun pointed to Gu Wenzhu’s suit. “What about his clothes? Material better or worse than Wen’s here?”
He Yuanle thought. “His was definitely high-end, probably expensive.”
An hour slipped by as they exchanged information.
Their side quests varied, but all clues pointed subtly back to the Liu family.
Looking at main quest one—“Vigil”—still stagnant, Yan Jiyun became excited: “Let’s check out where Liu Jinghao went before he died: the dance hall.”
He Yuanle: “Dance hall?”
Yan Jiyun stretched his back and shoulders, limbering up. “Time to sample Jiangnan’s nightlife. Haven’t heard the word ‘dance hall’ in years.”
Gu Wenzhu: “Sounds worthwhile.”
He Yuanle: “Shall we?”
Yan Jiyun led them out the back, thankful to Miss Cheng Second for showing the way or he’d never have found that exit.
After a detour, they rode in He Yuanle’s car straight to the dance hall.
The number-one dance hall in Jiangnan stood in the busiest district—modern and traditional buildings side by side.
Neon lights flickered with modern allure. Glamorous men and women came and went in dazzling style.
Yan Jiyun checked his empty pockets and his too-casual, athletic outfit—completely unsuited for this place.
He Yuanle tried to slap his shoulder from behind, but Yan Jiyun dodged. “Got eyes in the back of your head?”
Yan Jiyun: “Basic instinct.”
He Yuanle: “How come you didn’t dodge Second Brother earlier?”
Yan Jiyun: “Gotta play along sometimes, that’s called acting.”
Gu Wenzhu: “Come on, I’ll take you in at least—I’m the boss here.”
The doorman did not stop them; in fact, today Gu Wenzhu looked particularly successful. His business persona carried natural weight.
The three entered Jiangnan’s grandest cabaret.
Inside, wine flowed and shapely women glided through the crowd.
They took a booth, drinks were served, but Yan Jiyun asked, “So where’s the socialite? Haven’t seen her.”
As if on cue, three heavily-perfumed women sashayed over and plopped down alongside.
The one beside Yan Jiyun snuggled up and fluttered her fan: “You gentlemen are new here, aren’t you?”
Now he understood what “gentle affection” and “intoxicating delicacy” meant—a man could lose himself in such a place for sure. But the overpowering scent kept him sober, a reminder: these were NPCs, however beautiful, all roses with thorns.
They chatted idly with the hostesses, fishing for information, but all they learned was that tonight, the socialite had been reserved.
Yan Jiyun feigned innocence. “By whom?”
The hostess giggled, “Why, by Master Nine himself—our town’s top dog!”
At that moment, the dance hall doors swung open. A tall, broad-shouldered man in a draped jacket strode in, seven or eight bodyguards in tow, his presence electric.
He headed straight upstairs.
The hostess’s eyes narrowed in envy. “That’s Master Nine!”
Yan Jiyun got a good look at the sharp, cold face.
……
Why was Qi Feng here!?