The Ninth Seat watched this unfold from the side, helplessness surfacing in his eyes. He waved at the women, and they scattered one by one, though not before turning back to glare at Shen Qingzhu.
Shen Qingzhu glanced at them and glared back fiercely.
"...That won't do," the Ninth Seat said, carrying his wineglass over and sitting beside Shen Qingzhu.
"What won't do?"
"We make our living with our lives on the line. Our minds need to remain highly tense for long periods. If we can't find a suitable outlet, it's easy to develop psychological problems." The Ninth Seat swirled the wine in his glass.
Shen Qingzhu replied calmly, "I don't need an outlet."
The Ninth Seat shook his head. "No, everyone needs an outlet. No one can keep their spring wound tight forever. We need to do things we enjoy to let our minds relax. For ordinary people, that might mean taking a vacation, watching movies, sleeping, dating, playing games...
But we're different. In our line of work, we remain under intense pressure for long periods, and no one knows when they might die. We've seen too much of humanity's darkness, so our ways of venting tend to be bloody—killing, looting, torture... Compared to those, using women as an outlet is already relatively mild.
I know you're different from the others and wouldn't choose those perverse methods, but I never expected you not even to touch women. That's not how someone your age, full of vigor and blood, should be."
"What about the Night Watchmen? Their minds are also under immense pressure, and they don't know when they'll die either. Why don't they need an outlet?" Shen Qingzhu asked.
"That's different." The Ninth Seat shook his head. "Do you know why the Night Watchmen operate in squads?"
"Because they