Feelings Begin to Bud

Mu Ye felt a stir in his heart.

Judging by the tutorial stage, if he didn't save Madam Shen and kill those two Man-Eating Demon Foxes, he would remain stuck indefinitely.

It stood to reason that this situation followed the same logic.

If that were truly the case, things would actually be easy. The laziest method would be to simply wait sixty days for the Seven Absolutes Demon to emerge and then slaughter it directly.

It would just take a bit of time.

If that wasn't the case, he would have to follow the standard process: gather information and take the initiative.

"The second stage takes a bit long... Wasting sixty days waiting, only to reload the save later, would be too time-consuming."

"Besides, based on the difficulty of clearing stages, the shorter the time taken, the higher the rating..."

Since that was the case, it was better to follow the standard process.

With that in mind, Mu Ye immediately began inquiring about the Seven Absolutes Demon throughout Taiping City.

Unfortunately, as it was a legend and Emperor Zhengyang had been dead for nearly a hundred years, who could possibly know anything about such an old matter?

After using his Thief identity to make some inquiries, he came up empty-handed.

The only useful piece of information was that when Emperor Zhengyang was in Taiping City, he often lingered at Zuixiang Pavilion, reluctant to leave.

"..." Mu Ye.

"This damn emperor, even when he was down on his luck, he still didn't forget to enjoy himself?" Mu Ye was amused.

That was the information gathered through normal channels.

Don't forget, another interesting aspect was that Taiping City had a free exploration mode. The Demon Sealer was now a Young Hero of Taiping City, especially given his excellent relationship with Madam Yun, a descendant of the Prince of Northern Liang.

Naturally, Mu Ye decided to simply use the Demon Sealer's identity to head to the Shen Mansion and ask Madam Shen directly.

Upon arriving at the Shen Mansion this time, he found the entrance bustling with activity. Countless guests carrying various gifts were lined up in long queues, waiting to enter the estate.

"After the establishment of the Taiping Martial Alliance, the Shen Mansion, relying on the Demon Sealer, has become the head of the Taiping Martial Alliance..."

"The rules and regulations are all set by the Shen Mansion, so naturally, everyone is coming to curry favor with them..."

"But this might just be an illusion."

Mu Ye pondered for a moment, entered the Shen Mansion from the backyard, and went to the place where he usually discussed matters with Madam Yun to wait quietly.

A maid was waiting there; upon seeing the Demon Sealer arrive, she immediately got up to report.

Not long after, Madam Yun walked over in a plain green dress. She looked somewhat weary, causing her pace to be slightly slow, but even so, the dress outlined her graceful curves as she moved. Paired with her light, elegant makeup, she possessed a kind of pure, alluring beauty.

Mu Ye didn't waste any time. After a few polite pleasantries, he began asking about the Seven Absolutes Demon.

"The Seven Absolutes Demon?" Madam Yun was taken aback. "You... why are you asking about this?"

[1. I am a Demon Sealer; slaying demons and eliminating devils is my duty. (Serious expression)]

[2. Just curious, that's all. (Lazy and teasing)]

[3. Woman, don't ask so many questions. (Arrogant expression)]

[4. ...]

Why does this woman always have so many questions?

Mu Ye was puzzled.

It was obvious at a glance that these options were related to her favorability.

This time, Mu Ye tested the options.

1. Favorability neither increased nor decreased, but Madam Yun didn't say much else, a flash of disappointment crossing her eyes.

2. Favorability decreased, and Madam Yun shook her head indifferently.

What is she disappointed about?

Mu Ye found it strange.

As for option 3, he knew without even choosing it that it would definitely cause a massive drop in favorability.

After all, the previous few encounters were similar to this.

However, to Mu Ye's surprise, after choosing 3:

"You..." Madam Yun looked at him, her eyes complex.

"?"

Why is this happening?

Mu Ye was stunned.

"I apologize. Although I am a descendant of the Prince of Northern Liang and have heard of the Seven Absolutes Demon, I do not know..." Madam Yun said in a low voice.

Seeing this, Mu Ye shook his head. It seemed he wouldn't get any useful information from Madam Yun.

[Yun Xian favorability increased by 50/100 (Secret feelings budding)]

"?"

Countless question marks popped up in Mu Ye's mind.

No way?

This favorability can actually increase?

Forget about not saying anything, why would it increase?

Besides, don't look at it as just a tiny bit; this is a leap forward.

Logically speaking, this should be very difficult, right?

And from "red phoenix stirring" to "secret feelings budding," does this mean Madam Yun is actually starting to develop feelings?

Mu Ye couldn't figure it out; he really couldn't figure it out at all.

No, this woman is just too complicated, isn't she?

"You shouldn't go looking for the Seven Absolutes Demon..." Madam Yun's voice was soft and sweet, her eyes glistening with a hint of moisture. "It's too dangerous. It's not worth it."

"..." Mu Ye.

Mu Ye turned around and left without a word.

Since he couldn't get any useful information from Madam Yun, he would have to try his luck at the Zuixiang Pavilion.

Madam Yun opened her mouth as if to say something, but stopped.

A moment later, Shen Qingchan appeared quietly.

"Why is he suddenly interested in the Seven Absolutes Demon?" Shen Qingchan was somewhat surprised. "Even if he is a Demon Sealer, he can't be thinking about slaying demons every single second, right? Besides, that Seven Absolutes Demon is a great demon from many years ago..."

"And he even told you not to ask too much... so cold..."

"Silly girl, you don't understand." Madam Yun shook her head gently. "He wants to help me."

"Huh?" Shen Qingchan looked blank.

"Do you know the current situation of our Shen Mansion?" Madam Yun said. "Although we have become the head of the Taiping Martial Alliance by leveraging his reputation, think about what the Taiping Martial Alliance needs. The Feng family wants to control the entire Taiping City through the Taiping Martial Alliance, and the root of that is because their Feng family has the Xifeng Army."

"But now that our Shen Mansion has become the head of the Taiping Martial Alliance, where would we get an army to hold the fort? Relying on him alone is not enough."

"If other families go out to trade, how would you send people to protect them? If demons attack outside the city, how would you protect them?"

"To build a team, you need a massive amount of material and financial resources."

"Relying solely on the assets of our Shen Family is not enough."

Madam Yun sighed softly. "So many guests visited today. They looked like they were trying to curry favor, but in reality, they were secretly applying pressure. The deputy leader of the Chishui Gang asked us: with many demons causing trouble in the Chishui River area recently, and now that the Taiping Martial Alliance has been established with our Shen Mansion at its head, we must send a team to help them, right?"

"They can suppress your authority with just a few flimsy excuses. You don't have the Xifeng Army, and if you want to raise one in a short time, the manpower, material resources, and the sheer amount of money required would be incalculable."

"And in the end?"

"It would just be an empty title. Sooner or later, the Feng family would hollow you out."

Shen Qingchan suddenly realized.

So there were these kinds of hidden agendas.

"Then him?"

"He saw this..." Madam Yun's voice was faint, "He wants to find the Seven Absolutes Demon and obtain that rumored Seven Absolutes Imperial Map. If he can find the treasure left behind by the Grand Ancestor Emperor, then everything becomes possible."

"If he wants to truly build a powerful force, it is not impossible."

"Everything will be easily resolved."

Shen Qingchan again wore a look of sudden realization.

So that was it!

"After spending this time together, I have come to understand him quite well. He is the type of person who never likes to express his inner thoughts..." Madam Yun's eyes held a hint of infatuation, "He pretends to be cold and tells me not to ask too much, just so I won't know what he is thinking."

Shen Qingchan's eyes were somewhat complex, mixed with admiration:

"So that's it, he really wants to help you, Aunt Yun... to think he actually set his sights on the Seven Absolutes Imperial Map..."

At the same time, Mu Ye unlocked the Brothel Patron role.

"Well, it's mainly to gather information... and to experience the local customs of this world while I'm at it."