Hedonist Prodigy

Chapter 64: The Truth Comes to Light

At ten o’clock in the evening, the brightly lit city of Yanjing was gradually settling into slumber. 

In a small, inconspicuous hotel on Yanjing’s Liberation Road, a series of knocks—three long, two short—echoed from the door of a third-floor guest room. The door swung open swiftly from the inside, and the person who had knocked entered without hesitation.  

“Any news on Shen Bin?” a middle-aged man asked in a low, urgent voice. The man had a disproportionately large bald head atop his slender frame, his tone sharp and commanding.  

The woman who entered was the opposite of him—sturdy and robust, though a long, thin scar running down her face marred her features, lending her a somewhat ferocious appearance. At his question, she shook her head. “I’ve searched everywhere, but there’s no trace of him. It’s like he’s vanished into thin air.”  

“Nothing at all?” The man snorted coldly. “Could he be dead? What about the Li family? Any movement there?”  

“I checked. That Li Yuanjue—the one who asked our Qihuang Sect for treatment last time—had his legs broken again. Worse than before. They’re also desperately searching for Shen Bin,” the woman replied.  

“Broken again?” The man frowned in confusion.  

The woman nodded. “Last time, Shen Bin charged them 100 million to fix one of Li Yuanjue’s legs. This time, all five of his limbs were shattered. No one but our Qihuang Sect can reattach them. Should we intervene?”  

The man pondered for a moment before speaking slowly. “No need to rush. We’ll act if necessary. But since the Li family is also looking for Shen Bin, it means they don’t know his whereabouts either.”  

The woman hesitated. “Do you think he took that 100 million and ran?”  

“Run? Do you really think he could escape us?” The man smirked disdainfully. “Regardless, we must find Shen Bin as soon as possible—alive or dead. If he really did betray us, execute him on sight and retrieve the money.”  

A cruel smile twisted the woman’s lips, making the scar on her face bulge like a squirming earthworm. “No need to remind me. I know what to do. But that useless young master of the Li family… if we step in, the payout would be substantial. Tempting, isn’t it?”  

“The Li family willingly paid 100 million once, but that doesn’t mean they’ll keep shelling out more. Yanjing is full of powerful players, and if they’ve secured a place here, their family’s influence can’t be underestimated. Besides, we’re in Yanjing for something far more important. Don’t let petty distractions ruin our plans. Once we obtain ‘that thing’, the Li family’s pocket change won’t even register.”  

The woman scoffed. “No one has ever dared to renege on a debt to our Qihuang Sect. They wouldn’t dare!”  

The man laughed arrogantly, but before he could respond, several small black birds flew in through the window.  

Extending his arm, he let the birds perch on it. He picked up one and sniffed it carefully. “It seems Shen Bin is still in Yanjing. But his scent is too scattered—I can’t pinpoint his exact location yet.”  

The woman smiled reassuringly. “Every disciple of our Qihuang Sect ingests a special herb from childhood, leaving a unique, lingering scent. If he’s in Yanjing, we’ll find him eventually, no matter where he hides.”  

The man’s smile faded abruptly. “Wait—we released five ‘Yao birds’, but only four returned. One is missing.”  

“Could Shen Bin have discovered and killed it?” the woman hissed.  

“No time to waste. We investigate now!” The man’s figure blurred as he dashed out of the room.  

*****

Jiang Feng sat quietly beneath the Hundred-Fruit Tree in the backyard, his body faintly glowing under the nourishing spiritual energy. In his palm rested a tiny bird.  

The bird was unusually small—two-thirds smaller than a common sparrow—yet its speed and reflexes were astonishing. If Jiang Feng hadn’t noticed it circling the courtyard and swiftly flung a handful of gravel, it would have escaped.  

“This bird is strange,” Jiang Feng murmured, studying it.  

He easily detected an odd scent emanating from the creature—not the natural musk of an animal, but an artificial, lingering fragrance. The aroma was faint yet persistent, clinging to his senses. Frowning, he grew more suspicious.  

The bird’s feathers were also abnormal—jet black, but unnaturally so, as if dyed or altered by some medicinal substance.  

‘That must be it. Otherwise, a bird this small wouldn’t be so agile.’  

At first, he had assumed the backyard’s rich spiritual energy had attracted it. Now, he realized this was likely a trained scout, bred for tracking or espionage. Its minuscule size and speed made it nearly undetectable to ordinary people.  

The thought made his expression darken. Scanning the surroundings, he confirmed no other such birds were present before relaxing slightly.  

His life had been simple lately. Aside from his irreconcilable conflict with Li Yuanjue, the only notable incident was killing that “Mr. Shen.” The Li family wouldn’t resort to such methods—and even if they did, they wouldn’t target ‘him’.  

‘This must be about Shen Bin. Did the Qihuang Sect discover his death? Have they tracked me here?’  

His face shifted through several emotions before he decisively started a small fire and burned the bird. He knew it might be futile—if the bird was a trained tracker, destroying it wouldn’t stop its masters. But he needed every second he could buy to avoid being caught off guard.  

***** 

The room was dark. Zhao Wuxia stood silently by the window, peering through the thick glass at the blurred figure sitting beneath the crooked tree in the backyard.  

She had watched Jiang Feng for hours—ever since he had casually knocked down a bird with a handful of gravel. Though she couldn’t hear his muttered words from this distance, his tone had sounded grave.  

Then, she saw him do something even stranger—lighting a fire. A faint burnt smell wafted through the window, along with an indescribable, pleasant fragrance. She inhaled deeply, feeling oddly refreshed.  

It was late. Normally, she would already be asleep. Her schedule was packed—attending university, managing the Jiang family’s affairs, and overseeing Jiang Feng’s daily needs. She had no time to waste.  

Her upbringing had taught her that everything she had now—luxuries most people could only dream of—wasn’t truly hers. She had to work tirelessly to maintain this life.  

Ironically, since moving in, taking care of Jiang Feng had been the easiest part of her routine. Yet she still strove for perfection, not wanting to give him any reason to criticize her.  

But lately, Jiang Feng’s behavior had grown increasingly peculiar. That was why she was still awake tonight, observing him.  

He had claimed he was tired after dinner and wanted to sleep. So why was he still outside, meditating under that tree?  

Now that she thought about it, she realized Jiang Feng might not have been sleeping in his room at all. Every morning, his bed appeared rumpled, but the sheets were suspiciously clean—as if no one had slept there.  

‘What is he doing out there all night? Practicing some kind of martial arts? But do things like that even exist outside of movies?’  

Her thoughts drifted to Jiang Feng’s request for rare copies of the ‘The Classic of the Way’. At first, she had assumed he wanted to sell them for money and had even used the excuse of the family cutting off his finances to avoid helping.  

But now, she wasn’t so sure. Since moving in, Jiang Feng hadn’t spent a single cent. His wardrobe had simplified, he no longer partied, and he hadn’t even touched the luxury cars in the garage.  

‘Does the The Classic of the Way actually mean something to him?’  

She sighed, still unable to make sense of it all. But one thing was clear—she wouldn’t report this to the family patriarch. These were Jiang Feng’s secrets. He had moved out to keep them private, and he had trusted her enough to let her stay here.  

She wouldn’t betray that trust for personal gain.