The Witch in the Woods: The Transmigration of Hazel-Anne Davis
Chapter 103: Needing Information

Chapter 103: Needing Information

By the time Yaozu had returned, I hadn’t even gotten out of bed yet.

The covers were still pulled to my shoulders, my legs tangled beneath the silken sheets as I lay on my side, eyes focused on the glow of my tablet. The room was dim, lit only by the flickering screen and the occasional lantern from outside. I was halfway through an old drama series I barely remembered the plot to, but it was a historical romance set in Country K.

I figured I would use it for some pointers

The door slid open—soft, but not soft enough to escape my notice.

"You’re back," I murmured without looking up.

His boots were already off by the time I glanced toward him. His cloak hit the side chair. No formality. No hesitation.

He crossed the room and looked at me—still cocooned in silk, scrolling through a half-finished season of betrayal, mistaken identity, and lingering gazes.

"Coming back to bed?" I asked, a faint smile of amusement tugging at my lips. "You seem cranky. Did Mingyu tell you to kill someone or stop you from doing it?"

Yaozu didn’t answer right away. He just exhaled, then slipped beneath the covers beside me. I shifted immediately, rolling to press against his side, my head fitting perfectly into the curve of his shoulder. It was natural now. Familiar. Dangerous in its comfort.

"He sent me on a mission," he said at last, his eyes fixed on the screen in front of us.

"What kind of mission?"

"The kind that involves people we don’t usually talk to." He paused. "He wants me to meet with someone. Try to get information."

I tilted my head, watching his profile. "Who?"

"Yan Luo."

The name meant nothing to me. My brows furrowed. "Who’s that?"

"He’s called the King of Hell," Yaozu replied, his voice low. "He controls the underworld. Not the demon kind—the real kind. Smugglers, brothels, black-market trade routes, assassins, forgeries, poisons. If it’s illegal, dangerous, or deadly... it moves through his hands first."

I blinked, setting my tablet down. "And the Crown Prince wants you to talk to him?"

"He’s out of options," Yaozu murmured. "Baiguang has gone quiet. Our informants are either lying, bought, or gone. Mingyu’s panicking, and this is his last card."

"Isn’t that dangerous?"

"Extremely."

I yawned, snuggling closer. "Do we have to leave now?"

"No," he said, brushing a hand over my hip to settle me more comfortably against him. "He’s usually found at a place called the Purple Lotus. It’s a brothel. High-end. Underground. But discreet. He moves through it often—likes to keep eyes on the filth that keeps the empire turning."

"No better way to get information than straight from the horse’s mouth," I muttered. Then added, "Alright. We’ll head off tonight."

He didn’t argue. He didn’t remind me I wasn’t ordered to go. He just held me.

-----

The Purple Lotus didn’t look like a brothel. It looked like a dream stitched from smoke and music and just about as solid.

Set deep in the lower levels of the capital, the exterior was marked by nothing but a single purple lantern swinging in the breeze. Inside, the air was thick with perfume, wine, and suggestion. The scent of sandalwood clung to every beam and silken curtain, masking the darker truths hidden beneath the surface.

The women were beautiful. Some men too. Dressed in silk so fine it looked poured over their skin, they moved through the space like music personified—whispering, laughing, beckoning.

As soon as we entered, two girls slid toward Yaozu like petals drawn to heat. One of them reached out, her fingers trailing toward the edge of his robe.

I caught her wrist mid-motion.

"I’m sorry, ladies," I said sweetly. "But he’s mine. And I get a bit cranky when someone touches what’s mine. I’m sure you would prefer not to lose a hand or an eye simply because they remained on something that they shouldn’t have."

The girl froze.

The other one backed away instantly, her eyes wide.

Yaozu, on the other hand, didn’t even flinch. He just let me lead.

The Madam—an older woman dressed in violet with eyes like sharpened moonlight—walked over to us. "If you are that protective of your man, then maybe next time, don’t let him come here. After all, everyone who enters this place is here for one reason and one reason only."

I gave her a smile that didn’t reach my eyes as I stepped into her personal space. "We have some business with someone here, if I could have invited him back to my place, I would have. I thought you would appreciate me warning your girls in advance. But if you would just prefer me to react, then I guess that is fine, too."

The Madam looked at me like I was scum on the bottom of her shoe that she couldn’t get off. "Noble ladies like you aren’t welcome here," she said, just as she flicked a finger over her right shoulder. Suddenly, three girls descended on Yaozu like bees to a flower. "I’ll make sure to send your husband home at the end of the night."

I wasn’t too proud to say that I saw red.

----

The girl who had taken my place against Yaozu’s chest dropped to her knees in a scream as five long metal needles pierced her flesh. She was lucky that was all that happened to her. The other two, who hadn’t actually touched Yaozu yet let out a low whimper and looked at the Madam, their hands up in the air.

"Now," I purred, even as the girl on the floor bled and cried in front of me. "I’m not here to make your life harder. I honestly have nothing against what you do. But I am here for business, and my husband doesn’t like to be touched. Are you going to get out of my way or am I going to have to burn this entire building down around your ears before I get what I want."

"No one conducts business here," announced the Madam. Another flick of her fingers and two huge men came. One bent down and picked up the weeping girl while the other one stood beside the older woman, his arms across his chest.

"That’s not what I’ve been told," I replied, my face impassive. "In fact, I was told that this is the only place to meet with Yan Luo. Be a dear and give your master a message for me. Tell him that the Witch has come to see him."