Chapter 28: Side Story: Being Creative (II)
Lin Qingcheng proudly marched a pack of sad looking kidnappers back to Lin Town. The townsfolk all filled the streets and cheered as the town guards tied them up and put them in pillories in the town square. They were the worst type of human, kidnapping and abusing women. They weren't spared any kindness as rotten vegetables, rocks, and crap were thrown at them.
She left bandits to their fates and stayed the night in town. Several elders of the neighboring towns also arrived and held a banquet in gratitude. She told them about the kidnappers' business of selling to the Bright Moon Kingdom. The elders were saddened but still held onto hope. They gave her a list of names of missing women from the past few years in hopes she would be able to save some of them.
"Miss Lin, we aren't ungrateful people." The elder of Shang Town said, "We've gathered all the money we have saved in hopes it will help you in the city."
He gave her a large bag of what seemed to be over a thousand gold. "Please don't refuse, this is our yearning for our daughters."
Lin Qingcheng saw his shaking hand and the emotions of the elders and she couldn't bear refuse. She took the bag and gave them a bow, "Elders, Lin Qingcheng vows to save the women and protect them from harm!"
---
Lin Qingcheng left Lin Town and traveled light and fast towards the capital of Bright Moon Kingdom, Moonlight City. The kingdom is a major power with Chen Wentian's territory. However, a large part of the kingdom was also within the neighboring territory. This was a common occurrence as an immortal's province is a casual, mostly arbitrary, territory drawn by the immortal association. It didn't take into account indigenous populations, ethnic groups, or local political structures.
The Bright Moon Kingdom had been in power for more than three hundred years. It was an old dynasty by mortal years. Corruption, lawlessness, and immorality all contributed to the kingdom's slow and gradual decline. Still, Moonlight City was one of largest and most vibrant cities in the entire province. Even after experiencing the world of immortals, Lin Qingcheng was still blown away by the sheer size of capital city. It spread in all four directions farther than the eye could see. The walls were made of impressive white stone, ten stories tall and seemingly impregnable.
"Halt! Show your identification!" The guards stopped her at the gate.
Lin Qingcheng didn't hesitate to throw her master's weight around and held up the white jade badge of the Ten Thousand Flower Valley. The guards were all cultivators and could tell the badge pulsed with indescribable power, showing its authenticity. By now, Chen Wentian had already sent messages to all major powers within his territory about his new sect and a stern warning to not mistreat his disciples.
"Immortal sect!" The guards around the gate all knelt in respect and fear, "Esteemed miss, please enter the city!"
Lin Qingcheng didn't say a word as she put away the badge and rode into the city. The city was extremely crowded, the streets were convoluted and dizzying. Eventually, Lin Qingcheng arrived at the destination, which was the branch office of the Zhou Clan. Zhou Ziyun gave her directions to find all the branch offices within the Zhou family business network specifically for times like these.
Lin Qingcheng went to the front desk and showed her sect badge once more. The receptionist hurriedly ran off and moments later a middle-aged gentleman walked out. He looked past his prime, with mostly grey hair, and a protruding belly.
He bowed in front of her, "Branch chief Zhou You greets immortal disciple!"
She laughed and said. "Greetings, I'm disciple Lin Qingcheng, uncle doesn't need to bow."
"It's Miss Lin! Please come in." Zhou You said as he led her to a sitting room.
As they sat down a couple attendants immediately served tea.
"Miss Lin, what brings you to the city?"
"It's like this..." Lin Qingcheng slowly explained her situation and her goal of finding the women kidnapped.
"Miss Lin, please excuse my candor..." She nodded her head.
"Sigh... Miss Lin, what you stated is indeed very tragic, but it is common story I've been hearing for some time in this city. The city has too many nobles, and sons of nobles, and grandsons of nobles, and so on. Each generation is seemingly more useless and lascivious than the last. The commoner population within the city has long already been exhausted of young beautiful women. They have resorted to enslaving women for prostitution from across the kingdom and elsewhere. The girls kidnapped from your home town, is merely a part of the larger problem."
"This habit has spread over the years from the upper class all the way down to the lower class to the point that it permeates every aspect of common life in the city. Men will have wives but they will still visit the whorehouses every other night. The most beautiful, most desirable, with the highest cultivation, are sent to high level establishments. Those pretty but with average cultivation are sent to mid-level brothels. The rest are sent to the low-class districts of the city and suffer the worst."
Zhou You looked at her sadly. "Miss Lin, now that you know this, what do you prepare to do?"
Lin Qingcheng was speechless for a while. She only expected to come and beat up some gangster pimps and rescue the women. Now she had to fight an entire kingdom, its nobility, and its society? She couldn't ask master to slap all of them into dust, could she?
Zhou You seemed to sense what she was thinking, "Miss Lin, immortals usually do not take part in mortal affairs and in this situation, Master Chen would find it hard to justify personally intervening..."
Lin Qingcheng had a straightforward mindset, "I guess you are right, I can't change everything, but I can still save the women from my town. Zhou You, can you gather intelligence on the women sold by the Eagle's Nest gang? I want to know where they are now!"
---
It was evening several days later. Lin Qingcheng, escorted by two warriors of the Zhou clan, arrived at the front of Drunk Blossom Inn. It was ten story tall restaurant, hotel, and brothel. The front was adorned with red and pink lanterns and well-maintained flowers. It was a mid-level establishment popular with low level nobles for featuring fresh virgins captured from afar. Business was booming as scores of men of all shapes and sizes streamed in and out of the entrance.
"This is the place that uncle Zhou said?" Lin Qingcheng asked.
"Yes Master Lin!"
"Good, let's go."
Lin Qingcheng dressed as a young scholar based on Zhou You's advice. It would cause some rumors if she went in casually as her normal self. She tried to act manly as possible as she headed inside.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone