Chapter 645: Left-Right Mutual Combat

The Imperial Entertainment Bureau wasn't a single building; it was a large complex of courtyards. While ordinary women conducted their business together, each courtesan queen had her own private courtyard.

Of course, the Imperial Entertainment Bureau housed more than just one courtesan queen, which gives an idea of how vast the complex truly was.

"Booked out?" Zu'an frowned, completely surprised to encounter such a situation.

He casually tossed a silver ingot to the attendant. "Help me figure something out; it wasn't easy for me to get here."

He had planned to investigate Cheng Gang and the courtesan queen to see if he could find any useful information, but how could he not even get through the door?

Upon seeing the silver ingot, the attendant's eyes lit up, and he quickly beamed. "Please come in, young master. I'll see if Miss Shuangyue can accommodate you."

He was then led inside, through winding paths, to a small courtyard. The courtyard was quite elegant, without the overwhelming scent of cosmetics often found in pleasure quarters, making it feel more like a young lady's private chamber than a brothel.

Zu'an was seated in the courtyard to drink tea while the attendant hurried inside to report.

Inside the room, Courtesan Queen Shuangyue was sitting before a mirror, dressing up, while a woman lay sprawled on a nearby couch. Her graceful, alluring curves and charming, seductive demeanor were enough to captivate even other women.

"Shuangyue, you're becoming more beautiful by the day," the woman on the couch said with a smile, her voice having an enchantingly intoxicating quality.

The courtesan queen, seated upright before the mirror, rolled her eyes. "Miss, you're teasing me again. How could my meager looks compare to yours? These people in the capital haven't seen much of the world. If they had witnessed your grace back in Brightmoon City, they would never have made someone like me a courtesan queen."

The woman on the couch chuckled. "Oh, don't be so modest. You have qualities I don't, like your identity as a cat-girl, which is a fatal attraction for many men."

The courtesan queen quickly retorted, "Oh, Miss, you're making fun of me!"

As the two bantered, there was a knock on the door outside. The attendant announced, "Miss, there's a young master who wishes to see you."

The courtesan queen's expression darkened. "Are you out of your mind? Don't you know Master Cheng has booked the place for the day? How dare you bring someone in? Did you take his money?"

"This humble servant wouldn't dare. I'll go refuse the young master right away," the attendant quickly apologized, then hurried away.

The woman lying on the couch sat up, stretching languidly, which accentuated her full bust and slender waist even more. "See? So many men go to great lengths just to see you. It shows how charming you are."

The courtesan queen scoffed, "They're all just annoying men."

"Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing you," the woman on the couch said, her smile fading. "By the way, that Cheng Gang seems to be hosting some important people today, likely from Prince Qi's faction. You must pay close attention to what they discuss."

The courtesan queen hummed in acknowledgment. "Yes, I've completely gained his trust during our interactions these past days. I won't fail your expectations."

"Good. I'll go out for a stroll and get some air," the woman on the couch said, standing up.

The courtesan queen smiled, pursing her lips. "Be careful, though. If these annoying men here see your face, it will surely cause a huge stir."

"You're getting bolder, aren't you? Teasing even me now," the woman scoffed, then exited through a side door.

Meanwhile, upon hearing the attendant's report, Zu'an couldn't help but frown.

The attendant suggested, "How about I introduce you to another courtesan queen instead, young master? I assure you she's no less talented than Miss Shuangyue."

He didn't want to offend such a generous patron, especially since he had already accepted money from him. Naturally, he wanted to do a good job.

"No need," Zu'an shook his head, wondering if he should just sneak back in later. He could control animals within a certain range, so as long as he wasn't too far, he should be able to overhear what Cheng Gang and the courtesan queen were talking about.

He instinctively looked up towards the courtesan queen's quarters on the second floor and saw a graceful figure emerge.

The figure initially seemed displeased to find a man staring at her like a pervert, but in the next instant, she recognized his face, and a brilliant smile immediately bloomed.

Zu'an also smiled faintly and said to the attendant beside him, "You can go about your business. I'll just sit here for a bit and then leave."

The attendant assumed Zu'an was simply reluctant to leave Courtesan Queen Shuangyue and harbored a futile hope of moving her by staying. He secretly scoffed but maintained a flattering smile on his face. "Please make yourself at home, young master."

After saying this, he hurried away, fearing that Zu'an might remember to ask for his silver ingot back.

Just then, a wisp of fragrant air drifted by, and the elegant figure was already beside Zu'an. "Why are you here?"

Zu'an's expression was equally strange. "Why are *you* here? Don't tell me you're the courtesan queen?"

The beautiful woman before him was, of course, Qiu Honglei. Under the soft, alluring glow of the lanterns in the Imperial Entertainment Bureau, she appeared even more vibrant and captivating.

For some reason, Zu'an felt quite displeased.

"Are you jealous?" Qiu Honglei, being remarkably perceptive, understood his thoughts in an instant and said with a chuckle.

Zu'an scoffed. "I hear the courtesan queen and Master Cheng have become quite close these days. Perhaps I've come at the wrong time."

Qiu Honglei immediately took his arm. "Don't worry, that courtesan queen isn't me."

Embraced by her soft, warm body, Zu'an felt half his body go numb, and any lingering irritation dissipated.

Qiu Honglei's eyes suddenly darted. "Was that you just now, spending silver to bribe the attendant to see the courtesan queen?"

Zu'an's smile froze, instantly feeling a sense of social mortification. He cleared his throat. "Of course not me. Am I the kind of person who needs to pay to see a courtesan queen?"

Qiu Honglei suppressed a smile, choosing not to expose him. She pulled him upstairs. "It's easy if you want to see the courtesan queen; I'll take you."

Zu'an was startled. "You know the courtesan queen?"

"Not only do I know her, but you do too," Qiu Honglei said with a smile.

Zu'an looked utterly bewildered until they entered the room and he saw a familiar figure.

"Miss, why are you back so soon... Oh, Young Master Zu?" The courtesan queen's face was filled with surprise.

Zu'an's eyelid twitched. "So, it's Miss Leng."

The courtesan queen before him was Leng Shuangyue, the cat-girl maid from Divine Immortals who had served Qiu Honglei.

Damn it, if he had known, he wouldn't have spent those five taels of silver earlier.

Leng Shuangyue smiled, pursing her lips. "Young Master still remembers my name."

"Why are you two here?" Zu'an asked curiously.

Leng Shuangyue hesitated, instinctively looking to Qiu Honglei for permission. Qiu Honglei then said, "It's alright, he's one of us. This is our Holy Sect's branch in the capital."

Leng Shuangyue's heart skipped a beat, thinking that the Saintess truly held deep feelings for him, to reveal such a secret.

Zu'an's expression was odd. "You actually managed to set up a branch within the Imperial Entertainment Bureau? That's incredible!"

The Imperial Entertainment Bureau was different from ordinary brothels; it was an official establishment where every woman's identity was registered with the court's Grand Court of State Ceremonials. For the Demonic Sect to have infiltrated it was truly a testament to their immense power.

Qiu Honglei smiled proudly. "As long as it involves men, there's no relationship we can't manage."

Only then did Zu'an recall that her Charm Arts were indeed formidable. He supposed there were many other women in the Demonic Sect who practiced similar arts, and ordinary men truly couldn't resist them.

"But in a place like the Imperial Entertainment Bureau, it's bound to be a bit murky," Zu'an frowned. "Isn't the sacrifice for your Holy Sect's people too great?"

Qiu Honglei gently pressed him down into a nearby chair. "I know what you're worried about. Our sect has a dedicated department for those matters. Their cultivation methods are unique; intimacy between men and women actually aids their practice."

Zu'an instinctively glanced at the cat-girl beside them, wondering if this was the legendary 'harvesting and supplementing' technique.

Qiu Honglei playfully chided, "Why are you looking at her? She doesn't entertain guests and is still a maiden. If you like her, I can have her serve you."

"Miss!" The cat-girl nearby stamped her foot, clearly extremely embarrassed.

Zu'an asked curiously, "Is that Cheng Gang a fool then? I heard he's quite deeply involved here. Did he not gain any benefits?"

Qiu Honglei explained, "Our sect's Charm Arts can make people fall into illusions. Although Shuangyue hasn't reached that level, with the help of certain medicines, she can still make Cheng Gang experience illusions... well, he takes care of himself."

Zu'an finally understood. So, all this time, Cheng Gang had been fighting himself from beginning to end.

Just then, a maid knocked on the door and announced, "Miss, Master Cheng has arrived with some people."