Zhao Ya practically fled, running out two whole streets before he finally stopped.
Then he began to wonder suspiciously.
How come just asking for directions to Changping Square got him mistaken for something else?
But soon, his doubts vanished completely.
"Young brother, I know Changping Square like the back of my hand. Looks like you’re not from around here, right? That’s settled then, let me tell you, there isn’t a better place in the entire Great Yan. Come on, come on, I’ll take you there."
An enthusiastic old man led Zhao Ya towards Changping Square.
In reality, it wasn’t that far, just two streets away.
Looking at the brightly lit square in front of him, Zhao Ya couldn’t help but feel a bit surprised.
"How is it, isn’t it spectacular?" the old man chuckled as he spoke.
Just as he finished speaking, a flamboyant woman walked up with a smile and grabbed the old man’s arm.
"Master Zhao, why are you so late? I’ve been missing you terribly!"
"Hahaha, just got held up by something on the way? Come, come, come, this young man just arrived from out of town, why don’t you introduce him around, let him open his eyes a bit."
The woman turned to look at Zhao Ya, her eyes lit up, and she said with a smile.
"Such a handsome young man, with such looks and figure, I bet those girls wouldn’t even want your money to serve you."
"So tell me, young brother, how much do you plan to spend? We have it all, from cold kilns where an overnight stay costs less than one tael, to top-tier ones where just a cup of tea costs a hundred taels. The girls come in all sorts."
"Youngest are fifteen or sixteen, oldest are seventy or eighty, some beautiful, some plain, it all depends on how much you are willing to spend!"
Zhao Ya was in a good-natured hysteria.
He should have realized earlier why asking for directions got him mistaken for soliciting.
Turns out Changping Square was the red-light district of Yan Capital City.
He coughed lightly, "Sorry, I’m not here for the ladies, could you tell me how to get to Yuzhu Alley?"
Upon hearing this, the expressions on the faces of the old man and the woman instantly turned strange.
The old man subconsciously took a step back, while the woman looked at Zhao Ya with a face full of pity, mumbling softly.
"Such a fine look, only to go to Yuzhu Alley, what a waste!"
Nevertheless, she gave Zhao Ya the directions.
After thanking her, Zhao Ya avoided the bustling brothels and headed towards Yuzhu Alley.
Once there, the surroundings were much quieter.
Only a few pale blue lanterns swayed in the wind.
Though he wasn’t sure why there were pale blue lanterns lit here, Zhao Ya still stepped into the alley.
Though called an alley, it was actually a not-so-wide street.
Many houses along it had lanterns hung at their doors, some bright, some dim, and there was the faint sound of singing inside.
Yet the street was empty, which made Zhao Ya feel a bit odd.
How was he supposed to inquire about Mr. Mo Qi’s specific address with no one around?
He couldn’t possibly knock on doors one by one to ask.
Just as he was thinking, a few people entered the alley from outside, all dressed as wealthy merchants.
Zhao Ya sighed, stepped forward to block their path.
"Excuse me, gentlemen, may I ask you something?"
The few people stopped, not only unangered but their eyes even lit up as they looked at Zhao Ya.
"This official, please, go ahead!"
To Zhao Ya, this title seemed quite odd, but at this point, he didn’t worry about it.
He asked, "May I ask, does Mr. Mo Qi live in this alley?"
"Mo Qi?" The wealthy merchants glanced at each other, faces showing confusion.
"Have you ever heard that name?"
"No, I’ve been to this Yuzhu Alley dozens of times and have never heard of any Mr. Mo Qi."
Zhao Ya frowned.
Is it that Mo Qi truly doesn’t live here, or that these people don’t know?
But out of politeness, he nodded and thanked them, "Thank you so much, I’ll keep searching!"
He was about to leave.
Unexpectedly, the merchants laughed.
"Sir, since Mr. Mo isn’t here, how about joining us for a drink?"
"No need!"
Zhao Ya turned and left.
Yet the merchants were reluctant to give up; one stepped forward, reaching to pat Zhao Ya on the shoulder.
The next second, the person went flying.
Along with him, the rest of the group also went flying.
Then Zhao Ya stepped on one of them, asking with a murderous look, "Who are you people? What are you planning to do?"
"Yo—Young Hero, spare us, we’re just a bunch of businessmen from the city, here only for some music and entertainment." The person trembled, repeatedly begging for mercy.
A moment later, a silhouette flew out from Yuzhu Alley, swiftly disappearing into the darkness.
In the blink of an eye, Zhao Ya was already far from Changping Square.
Landing on an empty street, Zhao Ya took a deep breath, yet still felt somewhat nauseated.
Dammit.
All this time, Yuzhu Alley was actually a street of opera houses.
If it were only this, it wouldn’t matter much.
The crux is, in these times, opera performers were all men, not women.
Thus emerged a subculture.
Specializing in female roles, the opera actors.
Yes, exactly what you’re thinking right now.
No wonder the old man and that woman had such expressions upon hearing he was going to Yuzhu Alley.
Zhao Ya spat several times, trying to rid himself of bad luck, before furrowing his brows in thought.
If Mo Qi wasn’t in Yuzhu Alley, then where was he?