Chapter 44: Take Me There
Under the dreamy and hazy lights, the air was filled with the heavy scent of smoke and alcohol, mingled with perfume.
The energetic music was so loud it could disturb the rhythm of the heartbeat.
Men and women in the dance floor swayed their bodies to the music, releasing their stress.
Jiang Li looked around the underground realm of the nightclub and shook her head gently.
She didn’t quite like this place, just as she didn’t particularly like Bai Kai.
However, after her on-site investigation, she finally understood why nightclubs became one of the favorite gathering spots for urban legends, gaining a more direct understanding than graphical or video materials.
The dim lighting could disguise suspicious behavior.
The smoke and alcohol scent could mask body odors.
The loud music could cover the whispers of spell formulas.
And those ecstatic men and women had a lower sense of vigilance towards strangers than usual.
Taking all these factors into account.
Whether it was urban legends looking for prey or those using negative emotions to complete their core, or certain special kinds of urban legends that sought in-depth contact with humans in indescribable ways to nourish themselves, they could easily blend in like fish in water.
Just like the three gamblers from the Lucky Star Mahjong Parlor, if they wanted to, they could come here and hustle what Young Master Zhang, Young Master Li, or Young Master Wang, while getting the whole place to pay for them.
After all, those three didn’t care about how much money they had; as long as others lost money, they could achieve their goal of completing the core of an urban legend. Jiang Li thought.
While she pondered, the revelry on the dance floor suddenly surged with a wave of excitement.
The music became even more uplifting, and the atmosphere crew set off fireworks. Amid the deafening blasts and people’s cheers and screams, a golden rain began to fall from above the dance floor.
In the midst of the chaos, a few young men approached Jiang Li, attempting to invite her to join the fun. However, with just one glance, she successfully pushed them back to the other side of the dance floor.
It seemed wise not to linger here any longer… Jiang Li thought to herself, lightly rubbing her forehead while scanning the middle of the dance floor, locking onto a few urban legends hidden in the crowd. She secretly noted their spirit energy fluctuation characteristics before heading towards the passage leading to the private room area.
Although it was unclear whether it was due to Luxianbei, the king of urban legends, or the nightclub being Bai Kai’s territory, the behaviors of those urban legends were quite restrained.
But if they dared to trigger any urban legend events, Jiang Li wouldn’t mind hunting a few urban legends on the side.
As she passed through the dance floor and reached the entrance to the corridor, she rummaged in her pocket for the VIP card borrowed from those three “gamblers” and calmly presented it to the waiter.
“Please, open a private room.”
The waiter glanced at the VIP card in Jiang Li’s hand and then looked at the girl in front of him.
With a tall stature, attractive wheat-colored skin, voluminous golden waves, tight jeans, and a cropped T-shirt accentuating her curves, she looked like the type of nightclub queen who knows how to have fun.
“Please follow me.”
The waiter wore a knowing smile, gestured for her to follow, and led Jiang Li toward the private room area.
As she discreetly observed the waiter’s back, Jiang Li furrowed her brow slightly.
Why did his smile earlier seem a bit strange?
It made her feel uncomfortable.
Ten minutes later, inside a certain private room.
Looking at the row of young men before her, all styled similarly to Bai Kai, Jiang Li suddenly realized why that waiter had smiled so oddly earlier.
Do I look like the kind of empty girl looking for a drinking companion?
These guys… are even less appealing than Luxianbei.
Jiang Li thought helplessly, glancing at the enthusiastic manager introducing each male host and interrupting with an expressionless face, “Excuse me, do you have any guys here who can play the suona?”
Although Luxianbei had been hard to find lately, and it was quite improbable he came here for a part-time job.
However, it couldn’t be ruled out that Bai Kai had led him astray.
After all, with that guy’s personality, if he could earn money lying around, he might indeed abandon his dreams.
Asking wouldn’t hurt. Jiang Li thought.
Honestly, given Luxianbei’s handsome and fair appearance, if he wanted to rely on his looks, he might actually attract a wave of “mom fans.”
“We do, of course!” the manager replied enthusiastically.
“And one who can talk trash,” Jiang Li added.
“Absolutely, we have that too!”
Jiang Li frowned, “…”
They can talk trash too?
Then it seems your male hosts are really quite versatile.
“Is it the Yan Zu from Mudan Street?”
“Uh… no.”
“Then forget it.” Jiang Li said lightly, “Just get me some drinks. I can drink alone.”
The male hosts at the nightclub only provided entertainment and drinking services, so it was legal, and their main income came from the highly marked-up drinks.
Jiang Li was well aware of this, so after she mentioned buying drinks, the manager didn’t press further and quickly led one of the male hosts away.
Moments later, the waiter on roller skates brought a package called “First Love Memories.”
After the waiter set down the ambiguous drinks and fruit platter, Jiang Li began to take action.
“Pop——!”
The cork of the champagne opened with a soft pop.
She poured the champagne into a tall glass, casually grabbed an ice cube from the ice bucket, and with her slender fingers, shaped it into a cone before placing it into the glass.
The general direction of Gu Xiliu… Jiang Li silently noted in her heart before infusing spirit energy into it.
Under the disturbance of the spiritual energy fluctuations, the liquid in the glass immediately began swirling gently around the ice cube.
This was an ancient divination method said to originate from Z Country in the 3rd century. Initially, it was a ritual using the dregs in rough brew to ask about fortune and misfortune, which evolved into using tea leaves for divination in the 6th century.
In culturally rich Z Country, countless similar divination methods existed, and initially, this method did not become mainstream until the mid-17th century when the Gypsies revived tea leaf divination.
After the night grew long, the Siye Society further refined this divination method, making it a common emergency divination tool.
However, due to the simplistic nature of this divination method, it was easily influenced by external forces, so Jiang Li did not set Bai Kai as the divination target.
That guy was already quite seasoned among spiritual ability users, highly sensitive to the influences of curses and divination-type spell formulas.
Gu Xiliu was different; compared to Bai Kai, she was a blank slate. Selecting her as the divination target, not only would she not notice, but she could even be sound asleep.
After a while.
The ice cone in the tall glass stopped spinning and, under the influence of the spirit energy fluctuations, pointed directly towards the southwest.
Gazing at the gently trembling ice cone, Jiang Li’s eyes slightly narrowed as she stood up and walked toward the exit of the private room.
Following the guidance of the divination result, Jiang Li hurried down the corridor of the private room area, carefully avoiding the passing male hosts and waiters, and soon stopped in front of a double-door private room.
Is this the place? It seems to have soundproofing spell formulas…
She examined the wooden door in front of her, and upon sensing the faint spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from behind the door, she furrowed her brow slightly and softly chanted the incantation for the soundproofing spell.
“Regardless of the moon, regardless of the flowers, regardless of mountains and seas, I speak my wishes…”
As the incantation finished, faint light glimmered at her fingertips.
Like many ancient dramas where someone peeks through a paper window, she gently touched the door, and a segment of dialogue reached her ears.
“I really can’t go in anymore…”
The speaker was a girl, her voice somewhat familiar, tinged with a hint of crying.
Jiang Li, “…” Is that Gu Xiliu?
“I can’t go in, but I must!” Bai Kai roared.
“No way… I can’t bear it…” Gu Xiliu weakly replied.
Jiang Li, “?” Why does this conversation sound odd?
“Qi Dong, give me a hand; I’m going for a bold move today!” Bai Kai shouted.
“Okay! You go first, I’m next!” Qi Dong echoed loudly.
“Ah——!” Gu Xiliu screamed.
After imagining the possible scenario in the private room, Jiang Li’s cheeks flushed slightly, but she quickly restored her composure.
Just hearing their conversation might have been a bit strange, but one couldn’t jump to conclusions; generally speaking, in such situations, just pushing open the door and seeing with one’s own eyes would clarify that it was just a misunderstanding.
Thus, she reinforced the spirit energy output for the ongoing spell at her fingertips, allowing the spell to cover her entire palm, then grasped the doorknob and pushed the door open, only to freeze in place, her face rapidly turning crimson.
Inside the private room, a large coffee table was arranged like a bed. Qi Dong was forcefully holding down Gu Xiliu’s wrists bound by a belt, while Gu Xiliu flailed her legs in panic. Bai Kai was kneeling beside her, his face close to hers, just a palm’s distance away.
Jiang Li remained expressionless for two seconds, silently took out her phone, unlocked it, took a photo, and the flash went off, leaving behind evidence of the “crime.”
The three people in the private room all turned to look at Jiang Li in perfect synchrony, then at the phone in her hand, suddenly snapping back to reality and shouted in unison.
“Wait, don’t misunderstand; it’s not what you think!”
————
Moments later, in the luxurious private room.
After listening to the three explain the situation back and forth, Jiang Li sat on the sofa with her arms crossed, crossing her legs, casting a side-eye at the three, her gaze cold enough to pierce.
Opposite her stood Bai Kai, Gu Xiliu, and Qi Dong, lined up in order of height, their heads bowed low like elementary school students waiting to be scolded.
After a long while, Jiang Li silently sighed and asked, “So, what you’re saying is, Luxianbei is currently in a very dangerous place, and you were performing some sort of ritual to send Bai Kai there through Gu Xiliu’s unique spirit patterns?”
“That’s right, that’s right!” Gu Xiliu confirmed with a nod.
Jiang Li glanced at Gu Xiliu, “Did you think I would believe your nonsense?”
“Hey——! You stubborn cripple, don’t be so ungrateful… Ugh!” Bai Kai’s words were cut off as Qi Dong covered his mouth.
“Unless…” completely ignoring Bai Kai, Jiang Li shifted the conversation, “You all, take me there!”
