Mu Ye's heart stirred.
Judging by what had happened in the Tutorial Stage, if he didn't save Madam Shen and kill those two Man-Eating Demon Foxes, he would remain stuck.
Then this should work the same way.
If that was true, it would actually be easy. The laziest solution was simply to wait sixty days for the Seven Absolutes Demon to appear, then kill it.
It would just take some time.
If that wasn't the case, he'd have to follow the usual process: gather information and take the initiative.
"The second stage takes quite a while... Waiting sixty days would be a waste. If I have to reload afterward, it'll take far too long."
"And based on the difficulty of clearing a stage, the shorter the time, the higher the rating..."
In that case, it was better to follow the usual process.
So Mu Ye immediately started asking around Taiping City for information about the Seven Absolutes Demon.
Unfortunately, it was only a legend. Emperor Zhengyang had been dead for nearly a hundred years. Who could possibly know about something that happened so long ago?
He used his Roving Thief identity to make inquiries, but came up empty-handed.
The only useful piece of information was that, back when Emperor Zhengyang was in Taiping City, he had often lingered at Zuixiang Pavilion.
"..." Mu Ye.
"That damn emperor was so down on his luck, and he still couldn't forget to indulge himself?" Mu Ye couldn't help laughing.
That was what he'd learned through ordinary inquiries.
But he hadn't forgotten the other interesting angle: Taiping City had a free exploration mode. The Demon Sealer was now a Young Hero of Taiping City, and, in particular, had a very close relationship with Madam Yun, a descendant of the Prince of Northern Liang.
So Mu Ye simply used the Demon Sealer's identity to visit Shen Mansion and ask Madam Shen directly.
When he arrived at Shen Mansion this time, he found the place bustling with visitors. Countless guests carried all sorts of gifts, queuing up to enter the residence.
"After the Taiping Martial Alliance was established, Shen Mansion relied on the Demon Sealer to become its leader..."
"The rules and regulations are all set by Shen Mansion, so naturally everyone's currying favor with them..."
"But this might just be an illusion."
Mu Ye thought it over, then entered Shen Mansion through the back courtyard and quietly waited at the place where he and Madam Yun usually met to discuss matters.
A maid was waiting there. When she saw the Demon Sealer arrive, she immediately got up to report his presence.
Before long, Madam Yun came over in a simple, pale-blue dress. She looked somewhat tired, and her steps were a little slow. Even so, the dress traced her graceful curves as she moved. Paired with her light, elegant makeup, she had a beauty that was both innocent and alluring.
Mu Ye didn't waste time. After a few polite words, he asked about the Seven Absolutes Demon.
"The Seven Absolutes Demon?" Madam Yun froze. "You... why are you asking about that?"
[1, I'm a Demon Sealer. Slaying demons is my duty. (Solemn expression)]
[2, I just thought it sounded interesting. (Lazy, teasing)]
[3, Woman, don't ask so many questions. (Arrogant expression)]
[4, ...]
Why did this woman always have so many questions?
Mu Ye was puzzled.
At a glance, he could tell these options had something to do with Favorability.
This time, Mu Ye tried selecting them.
With option 1, his Favorability neither increased nor decreased, but Madam Yun said nothing more, and a trace of disappointment flashed in her eyes.
With option 2, his Favorability dropped, and Madam Yun simply shook her head.
"What was she disappointed about?"
Mu Ye was baffled.
As for option 3, he didn't even need to choose it to know that it would tank his Favorability.
The previous options had included similar ones.
Yet, to Mu Ye's great surprise, when he chose option 3—
"You..." Madam Yun looked at him, her eyes filled with complicated emotions.
"?"
Why was that?
Mu Ye was stunned.
"I'm sorry. Although I'm a descendant of the Prince of Northern Liang, and I've heard of the Seven Absolutes Demon, I don't know anything about it..." Madam Yun said softly.
Seeing this, Mu Ye shook his head. It seemed he wouldn't get any useful information from Madam Yun.
Yun Xian's affection increased: 50/100 (a secret spark of affection)
"?"
Countless question marks popped into Mu Ye's mind.
You had to be kidding.
Her Favorability had gone up?
He could accept her not telling him anything, but why would that increase her Favorability?
And small as the increase might seem, this was a major breakthrough.
By rights, this should have been difficult, shouldn't it?
And going from a fluttering heart to feelings secretly taking root meant Madam Yun was genuinely starting to fall for him?
Mu Ye couldn't make sense of it. He really couldn't.
Seriously, this woman was way too complicated.
"Don't go looking for the Seven Absolutes Demon..." Madam Yun's voice was soft and sweet. Her eyes seemed to glisten with unshed tears. "It's too dangerous. It isn't worth it."
"..." Mu Ye.
Mu Ye turned and left without a word.
Since he couldn't get useful information from Madam Yun, he could only try Zuixiang Pavilion.
Madam Yun looked as though she wanted to say something, but stopped herself.
A moment later, Shen Qingchan appeared quietly.
"Why did he suddenly become interested in the Seven Absolutes Demon?" Shen Qingchan asked, surprised. "Even if he's a Demon Sealer, he can't spend every moment thinking about killing demons, can he? Besides, the Seven Absolutes Demon was a great demon from many years ago..."
"And he even told you not to ask so many questions... So cold..."
"Silly girl, you don't understand." Madam Yun shook her head gently. "He wants to help me."
"Huh?" Shen Qingchan looked completely bewildered.
"Do you know the situation Shen Mansion is in now?" Madam Yun asked. "We used his reputation to become the leader of the Taiping Martial Alliance, but think about what the alliance needs. The Feng Family wants to use it to control all of Taiping City. The reason they can do that is that they have the Xifeng Army."
"But now that Shen Mansion has become the leader of the Taiping Martial Alliance, where are we supposed to get an army to hold the fort? He alone isn't enough."
"If another family wants to travel out of town to do business, how can you send people to protect them? If demons attack outside the city, how will you defend against them?"
"Building a force requires enormous manpower and resources."
"The assets of the Shen Family alone aren't enough."
Madam Yun sighed softly. "So many guests came to call today. They looked like they wanted to curry favor, but in truth, they were applying pressure behind the scenes. The deputy leader of the Chishui Gang even asked us about all the demons wreaking havoc along the Chishui River lately. Now that the Taiping Martial Alliance has been established, and Shen Mansion is its leader, surely we could send a force to help them?"
"They can use any excuse to undermine your authority. Without the Xifeng Army, if you want to raise a force in a short time, the manpower, resources, and money it would take are beyond counting."
"And in the end?"
"It would be nothing but an empty title. Sooner or later, the Feng Family would hollow us out."
Shen Qingchan finally understood.
So there were all these hidden complications.
"Then he...?"
"He saw through it..." Madam Yun's voice was distant. "He wants to find the Seven Absolutes Demon and obtain the legendary Seven Absolutes Imperial Map. If we can find the treasure left behind by the Grand Ancestor Emperor, then anything is possible."
"Building a truly powerful force wouldn't be impossible."
"Everything would fall into place."
Shen Qingchan looked enlightened once more.
So that was it!
"After spending all this time with him, I've come to understand him quite well. He's never liked expressing what he's thinking..." A dreamy look came into Madam Yun's eyes. "He pretended to be indifferent and told me not to ask more because he didn't want me to know what he was thinking."
Shen Qingchan's eyes held a complicated mix of emotions and admiration:
"So he really does want to help you, Aunt Yun... He's even set his sights on the Seven Absolutes Imperial Map..."
Meanwhile, Mu Ye unlocked the Brothel Patron character.
"Well, mainly to gather information... and, while I'm at it, experience the local customs and culture of this world."
Before you continue