Zuixiang Eighteen Hands

"These three are no ordinary men..."

Mu Ye glanced at Feng Wuque. "I'll leave them to you."

Come to think of it, the Wind King Leg was devastating against weaklings. With over three hundred Divine Apertures in his legs, combined with the Light Body Technique, he moved like a ghost. Those two hadn't even realized what was happening before they were done for.

That day at the Feng Mansion, Mu Ye hadn't used any of his own secret martial arts. He'd relied entirely on the Demon Sealer's formidable strength, saved memories, and spells to fight.

He hadn't expected the Wind King Leg to work so well with simple spells.

After driving the three men off, Mu Ye sneaked into Zuixiang Pavilion.

Zuixiang Pavilion had five stories, each higher floor more exclusive than the last. The girls on the top floor were sure to be the most beautiful and skilled.

It was midnight. The dynasty had once enforced a curfew, but no such rule remained now. In fact, this was the busiest time of night for Zuixiang Pavilion. Most of the rooms in the five-story building were lit.

"What extravagance."

Mu Ye thought to himself.

After a quick look around, Mu Ye discovered that on the fifth floor, only three rooms had dim candlelight behind their doors.

The other rooms were mostly brightly lit. If he listened closely when no one was around, he could even hear the faint strains of music.

There was also a Martial Warrior, roughly Second Grade, patrolling each floor.

"Brothels usually have powerful backers. Zuixiang Pavilion must have some substantial connections, too..."

Of course, Zuixiang Pavilion's security was nothing compared to the Feng family's.

If he could come and go freely in the Feng family, getting into Zuixiang Pavilion would be a piece of cake.

One of those three rooms was most likely the room of Miss Yuanshuang, who hadn't yet made her debut.

Which one should he go to?

[1, Go to the one on the left.]

[2, Go to the one in the middle.]

[3, Go to the one on the right.]

After pondering for a moment, Mu Ye went to the one on the right.

He gently picked the lock. As soon as he stepped inside and took a step forward, hidden crossbows shot out of the darkness, and a sturdy net dropped from above.

"This room's a trap... Does Zuixiang Pavilion guard against thieves, too?"

Mu Ye glanced around. With the Light Body Technique bolstering him, he flashed aside and lightly dodged the traps.

Farther in, he found the room filled with famous zithers and flutes, along with numerous scores. It looked like Zuixiang Pavilion's treasure vault, which explained why it was protected by so many traps.

After searching around, Mu Ye made an unexpected discovery.

[You obtained a secret martial art: Zuixiang Eighteen Touches.]

[Zuixiang Eighteen Touches: Also known as Zuixiang Eighteen Hands, this is Zuixiang Pavilion's secret assassination martial art. By using the power in the fingers and palms, along with various techniques such as kneading, pinching, flicking, bouncing, pulling, and vibrating, one can manipulate objects with ease. At its highest levels, the practitioner can understand the structure of an enemy's body and kill them without their knowledge or awareness. Later, Zuixiang Pavilion turned it into a bedroom technique... Few ever mastered it...]

"..." Mu Ye.

An assassination martial art?

Zuixiang Pavilion really did have an unusual history.

Eager to learn, Mu Ye studied it for a while and was astonished.

[You learned the secret assassination martial art: Zuixiang Eighteen Touches.]

Mu Ye put the Divine Aperture Secret Martial Art Map back where he'd found it.

This martial art was extremely difficult to master.

Why?

It was simple. It required a wealth of practical knowledge about the human body, and its various techniques demanded long hours of practice. On top of that, one needed to be skilled in assorted arts, such as music, calligraphy, and painting—arts that required nimble fingers.

Ordinary Martial Warriors generally had no chance to practice it. Their bodies couldn't take it, to say nothing of also having to hone their artistic skills.

But its power was just as impressive. This secret martial art could kill someone in the space of a breath, without leaving a trace. At its peak, the force in one's fingertips could penetrate bones and meridians, strike through the body's weak points, and kill with a single blow. It was incredibly formidable.

It could also unlock dozens of Divine Apertures in the palms, strengthening them over time and enhancing many palm, fist, and finger techniques.

Mu Ye slipped out of the room and entered the second one.

This room was much more ordinary. A faint fragrance hung in the air, and beaded curtains and jade screens gave it the look of a woman's boudoir.

There was also a delicate scent of books. A screen stood ahead of him, and behind it was a large bed draped in pale white gauze. As Mu Ye drew closer, he saw a woman whose beauty could rival a flower or the moon, resting quietly.

She had delicate features and looked like a cultured young woman from a scholarly household. Three cinnabar dots between her brows added a hint of allure. The quilt rose and fell with her even breathing, like a painting of a beauty asleep.

Mu Ye was about to leave when he noticed a line of small writing carved beside the bed: "Red sleeves stir the vital breath; frost arrives to turn spring's mud."

"Hm? Could this be Yuanshuang? She really is as beautiful as a flower or the moon..."

Mu Ye nodded slightly.

Just then.

[1, Have some fun.]

[2, Wake her and question her.]

[3, Don't disturb her; look for other clues.]

[4, ...]

"..." Mu Ye.

What were these options supposed to mean?

I'm a dignified gentleman thief. How could I be the sort of shameless scoundrel who'd pick 1 or 2?

Offering such choices was an insult to gentleman thieves!

Mu Ye chose 1.

So what if it was an insult? Being insulted in a game didn't matter. He could always spend some time and start over.

Truthfully, Mu Ye didn't feel much for Yuanshuang. He mainly wanted to see what this option would trigger.

The gentleman thief climbed onto the bed and was about to do something dishonorable.

At that moment, he seemed to startle the woman. Yuanshuang opened her eyes, but showed little alarm. Instead, she smiled sweetly and said:

"Young master, you're in such a hurry... I still need some time before I can make my debut..."

Her face was pure and cultured, yet her voice was bewitching.

[You have been charmed.]

Mu Ye was startled. Then he saw Yuanshuang lightly trace a finger, and the clothes on both of them fell away. They rolled together...

After a long while.

[Death]

"..."

"She's a seductress!"

Mu Ye stared at the dark game screen, his heart sinking.

The experience had been wonderful, but he'd been played to death.

He'd had his fun, all right. Then he'd lost his life.

As expected, it had been a trap.

But this option had also given Mu Ye a crucial piece of information: Yuanshuang was no ordinary woman.

"Her technique looked like Zuixiang Eighteen Touches... And the moment she opened her mouth... there seemed to be another secret martial art like Bewitching Music..."

This kind of secret martial art required one to unlock the Divine Apertures in the throat and windpipe. The apertures in the throat belonged to the torso, and were exceedingly rare.

Secret martial arts that used these Divine Apertures weren't very effective in direct combat, but they were astonishing as support techniques.

The Lion's Roar and Demonic Sound Technique, both famous across Jianghu, belonged to this category.

"And Yuanshuang's physique is a little unusual... A mighty Third Grade expert, and he was drained dry just like that..."

"She has the makings of a bargain-basement seductress from the Hehuan Sect..."

On his next try, Mu Ye chose 2 and immediately grabbed her by the throat, threatening her as he questioned her.

However, the outcome wasn't much different from choosing 1. A few words from Yuanshuang, laced with her bewitching voice, and his character was soon charmed...

The facts proved that a gentleman thief couldn't do such vile, despicable things.

Otherwise, things could go wrong.

Still, those three men in black—had they learned a secret martial art specifically suited to this? How had they managed to abduct Miss Yuanshuang?

Mu Ye chose 3. After searching the room, he found a casket. When he opened it, he saw a strange landscape painting.

[Your painting and calligraphy skill is insufficient to uncover the crucial information in the painting.]

"This must be the clue."

Mu Ye seemed to understand.

[1, Take it outside and find someone to appraise it.]

[2, Leave it alone.]

Mu Ye chose 1.

But the moment he touched the painting, a prompt appeared: his character had been poisoned. The potent toxin quickly ate away at his Divine Apertures, and before long, he was dead.

"..." Mu Ye.

All right. He'd figured out how this played out.

Yuanshuang was indeed the key, and deciphering this painting required exceptional skill in painting and calligraphy.

There were plenty of ways to solve this. If he only had Second Grade strength, then he should simply raise his Favorability and improve his painting and calligraphy skills at Zuixiang Pavilion.

If he was strong enough to reach Fourth Grade and unlock the liver's Divine Apertures, he could just take the painting away.

There was another way: persuade Miss Yuanshuang to help him decipher the secrets of the painting.

That would probably be difficult. Yuanshuang had a peculiar physique, had mastered Zuixiang Eighteen Touches, and knew a profound bewitching martial art. He'd likely need to be a well-endowed Brothel Patron to stand a chance against her—and even then, he might not be able to persuade her to sleep with him.

On his next try, after finding the clue, Mu Ye went to the room on the far left. There was nothing unusual about it. It just held some money, but someone kept watch there day and night. If he snuck in, the person inside would discover him, and all of Zuixiang Pavilion would go on alert as a flood of hired hands and servants came swarming in.

With his nimble movements, Mu Ye escaped Zuixiang Pavilion.

He'd still gotten quite a lot out of this trip.