Honey, you didn't really drugged me, did you?-Chapter 172 - 112: The incident escalates, Peng Shizhong VS oil seller

On a summer night, the moon shone high and the stars sparse, a full moon hung in the sky as Chen Jie walked on the main road of Rouge Street.

This street, known for its place in the red-light district, offered more than just the respectable Yihong House. If Yihong House provided "clean water" transactions, this street was filled with "muddy" deals.

"Old Master, come play~"

In front of many small inns, a group of dolled-up girls stood enticing guests with handkerchiefs in their hands.

However, their quality was far inferior to that of Yihong House.

Yet business was booming because while Yihong House offered ambiance, many spent their silver there without any substantive progress.

And a group of clients, full of unchecked desires, upon leaving, seeing these girls who’d undress for money, naturally needed to quench their fire.

Therefore, these establishments also thrived, and although the quality inside was average, the deals were cheap. The cheapest girl at Yihong House, Hua Zixiang, cost dozens of taels of silver, while outside, for just a few taels, one could have the same experience.

Even in the more remote alleys, there were hidden doors, offering even cheaper rates, where for just one or two hundred cents, one could play the groom for a night.

It could be said that the customer segmentation was well-done, allowing every class to spend their money, creating an excellent employment atmosphere, most importantly, this was all legal!

As Chen Jie strolled down the boulevard, he declined many a call from the ladies.

Then he suddenly noticed, at the end of the street, a place where a crowd of men had gathered, queuing to buy something, and to his surprise, the stall attracting such a male clientele was a fruit vendor.

Chen Jie was taken aback and went over to see what kind of fruit was drawing such attention.

Upon approaching, even from several steps away, he smelled the scent of oranges.

"What kind of orange is this, that the fragrance is so strong."

As Chen Jie was wondering, a staff member said, "Sir, would you like to buy some of our green tangerines?"

In his hand, the staff member held a peeled green tangerine. Chen Jie said, "May I try it?"

The young fellow said, "Try? Oh, of course, of course."

Chen Jie broke off a segment and immediately a potent sour taste burst in his mouth, "Ssso sour, can it even sell..."

Chen Jie intended to say that something so sour surely wouldn’t sell, but then he saw the queue of people buying oranges and swallowed his words.

The young fellow then whispered, "First time strolling on Rouge Street, sir?"

Chen Jie replied, "Mhm."

The young fellow moved his nose and said, "I can smell the high-end rouge scent on you, sir. Did you come from Yihong House?"

Chen Jie nodded, "You can tell from the smell?"

The young fellow laughed, "Sir, you jest. When you’ve been on Rouge Street long enough, you might not be great at other things, but your nose becomes very sensitive. However, it’s normal for a sir coming from Yihong House to not know the wonders of green tangerines."

He was right. Those who could afford Yihong House were either rich or noble with high social status, thus women at home didn’t dare govern where such an Old Master socialized.

No need for trivial things like green tangerines.

Only those who didn’t want their women at home to know would need green tangerines, these little props that mask smells.

Hearing the young fellow’s explanation, Chen Jie sniffed his clothes but couldn’t detect any rouge scent.

The young fellow laughed, "Old Master, you won’t catch it on yourself."

Chen Jie thought it made sense, just as smokers can’t smell the smoke on themselves while others can detect it from far away.

"How much for these oranges?"

"Twenty cents each," the young fellow laughed and replied.

"Twenty cents? Isn’t that a bit expensive?"

The young fellow said, "Hehe, a bit pricey, but they’re useful."

Chen Jie thought for a moment and said, "Give me ten of them."

Hearing this, the young fellow said, "Alright, Old Master, I’ll show you how to use them..."

Chen Jie packed ten tangerines into a paper bag and left the stall. He wasn’t worried about Su Yunjin finding out he had been to Yihong House.

There was no need for that.

He hadn’t done anything shameful, and if just because of a scent of rouge he made his wife uncomfortable, that would be unnecessary.

Domestic bliss leads to prosperity, domestic bliss leads to prosperity indeed!

Once he left Rouge Street, it felt as if entering another world. Rouge Street was harmonious and brightly lit, whereas outside, the night was eerily still!

It was like stepping from a bustling commercial area straight into a residential neighborhood.

Two different worlds indeed.

"It’s about time, no one’s around."

The butler and the assassin had been following Chen Jie, with the assassin saying, "Don’t stare at him, he has strong perception. There’s an alley up ahead with no one around; we’ll make our move there. You wait here, I’ll go ahead."

With that, the assassin draped a black cloth over his face.

At this moment, the butler thought for a second and hurried after him.

He wanted to see Chen Jie dead, and if possible, he hoped to personally take care of Chen Jie, as that would truly avenge his master.

"Hmm?"

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Chen Jie frowned slightly, looking back at the deserted street behind him, wondering why he felt like someone was following him ever since he left Yihong House.

Something was off.

With a frown, Chen Jie slowed his pace.

Up ahead was a dim alley, clearly less trodden, littered with various junk.

Chen Jie’s expression remained unchanged as he slowly walked towards the alley, while a cloud in the sky began to slowly cover the moon, casting the dim street even deeper into darkness.

Chen Jie stepped into the alley.

Suddenly, he felt a chill and his hairs stood on end, a reactive response after entering the state of Dark Force. When the body is stimulated by external threats, it enters a state of alert, akin to a cat whose tail is stepped on, fur bristling instantly.