Yuanshuang, that is not how you use the seventh move

"Excellent!"

The beautiful woman waved her hand, and two maidservants rolled up the scroll.

Everyone knew the conditions were coming.

At this moment, the scholar who claimed to be from Heluo Academy spoke with a fair amount of confidence:

"I know what Miss Yuanshuang intends to test us on."

"It's an appreciation of this painting, right? I'll go first. The technique in this painting is profound, and the artist possesses keen observational skills, depicting the ordinary street scenes of Taiping City..."

"Wait!" A smile touched the corners of the beautiful woman's mouth. "You're wrong."

"Our Miss Yuanshuang presented this scroll for you all to view, but the condition is not about appreciation."

"It is..."

"May I ask, from the beginning of the day until the end of the night, how many pedestrians appeared on East Third Street in this Taiping River Map? How many carriages? What was the color of the wheels on the final carriage? And how many steamed buns did the vendor at the bun stall sell?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present was stunned.

Silence. Absolute silence.

Not a single person in Yunjian Pavilion made a sound.

Many were trembling, paralyzed by the sheer absurdity of the question.

What kind of nonsense question was this?

Finally, after a while, someone frowned and voiced their objection:

"The scroll was only open for less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and the scroll is so long. We were all immersed in the superb artistry of the painting; who would pay attention to such details? There are at least a thousand people in that painting... not to mention the rest... isn't Miss Yuanshuang just making things difficult for us?"

"That's right, that's right. Even if you let me look at it again... I might not be able to count them all... unless someone was counting while we were looking..."

"Seriously... who could possibly answer that?"

It had to be said that this question was indeed incredibly difficult.

Because the figures in the scroll changed along with the shifting light, even on a single street, the pedestrians moved and changed from sunrise to sunset. How many people would that be?

Even if one were to count them in all seriousness, they might not be able to get an accurate number.

Not to mention needing to pay attention to all those other details.

"This Yuanshuang is no pushover..." a servant beside Feng Wuque whispered. "Young Master, what should we do?"

"It doesn't matter. I doubt anyone at the scene can answer that."

Feng Wuque shook his head. "As long as Yuanshuang cannot find a suitable guest to invite behind her curtain, we still have a chance."

At this moment, a spirited youth with a face as refined as jade spoke up:

"Hmm... three thousand two hundred and twenty pedestrians in total, seventy-eight carriages, the carriage wheels are pear-yellow, and as for the vendor at the steamed bun stall... I believe he sold one hundred and seven baskets of buns?"

Aside from the last question, which he seemed uncertain about, his other answers were delivered with great conviction.

For a moment, everyone turned to look at him.

Mu Ye also looked over. This ridiculous question—if it were in Real Mode and synchronized with his own senses, even with the memory of a cultivator, he... well, he truly wouldn't be able to remember all that.

His attention simply wasn't focused on such things.

Let me see who this is...

"Shen Qingchan...?"

Mu Ye was quite surprised.

At the same time, the beautiful woman also looked at this unfamiliar youth with eyes full of astonishment.

"Young master is impressive... however, you only got three items right... and missed one."

Upon hearing this, the crowd collectively gasped.

Someone actually got it right?

Is this for real?

In an instant, numerous gazes filled with disbelief and inability to accept the truth fell upon the youth.

Shen Qingchan let out a soft huff and remained sullenly silent.

This girl is truly a genius...

Mu Ye watched for a long time, left speechless.

Even in the Cultivation World, if she possessed spiritual roots, she would undoubtedly be a genius—a cultivation prodigy with terrifying comprehension and memory, capable of becoming a top-tier powerhouse in any field.

This girl certainly didn't count them on purpose. Most likely, she took one look, and her brain replicated the details of the painting almost perfectly.

Sometimes, one has to admit it.

There really are geniuses in this world...

I am not a genius, but I can reload my save.

Mu Ye shrugged and reloaded the save. This time, he counted carefully, counting with focus and repeating it a few times.

He discovered that Shen Qingchan had only gotten the last item wrong.

Everything else was correct.

The reason for the error was that the vendor at the steamed bun stall had a steamer of buns snatched away by a dog, and the dog had even paid for them.

Shen Qingchan must have missed that detail and miscounted by one steamer.

And so...

"Three thousand two hundred and twenty people, seventy-eight carriages, pear-yellow, one hundred and eight steamers." Mu Ye controlled his character to answer the question.

"..."

The beautiful woman's eyes widened in surprise, and she said delightedly:

"Congratulations, Young Master Ji. Your answer is completely correct."

Shen Qingchan looked over in this direction, her brows furrowing slightly. After a moment of thought, she realized what had happened, and her expression showed a hint of annoyance.

This Young Master Ji... Aunt Yun said he was just a playboy hanging around Zuixiang Pavilion these days... Shen Qingchan muttered to herself. I didn't expect him to have such talent... Master was right, there are too many capable people in this world...

Since it's like this, it seems I won't be able to complete the task Aunt Yun gave me... I should leave quickly. If the disciples of the Divine Fist Martial Hall see me... I don't want to cause any misunderstandings for Young Hero Mu...

With that, she feigned annoyance and retreated behind the crowd.

The beautiful woman spoke again:

"The second question is relatively simple. Miss Yuanshuang would like to ask everyone: in your eyes, what kind of woman is she?"

This question was purely subjective.

There was no standard answer. Everyone expressed their own opinions, almost all of which were filled with various forms of flattery.

It seemed like a competition to see who could praise her the most extravagantly.

[1. A demoness who devours marrow.]

[2. A peerless beauty of a courtesan.]

[3. In truth, just a pitiful person.]

[4. ...]

These options...

The first one exposed her true nature; how could he even meet her after that?

As for the second compliment, everyone present had already praised her too much.

The third option, being unconventional and taking an unusual path, was able to attract her attention and seemed like the most correct choice.

Mu Ye chose option 3 to test it out. Unexpectedly, the beautiful woman was stunned for a moment, then said with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, "Young Master, do you think my Zuixiang Pavilion mistreats Miss Yuanshuang?" A notification indicated that the favorability requirement had been met, and the beautiful woman's expression quickly softened. She told him to go see Miss Yuanshuang himself, then invited him into Miss Yuanshuang's private chambers.

So this option requires a certain level of favorability to be selected...

Arriving at Miss Yuanshuang's chambers, the surrounding maids had already dispersed, leaving the space to the two of them.

The night was beautiful.

Mu Ye was familiar with the room, having been here once before, but this time it was different; Yuanshuang was not covered by a quilt.

Instead, she was sitting in front of a vanity mirror.

The screen in front reflected the graceful curves of the beauty, who was dressed in a sheer gauze dress, which was quite suggestive.

"Young Master, why do you think I am a pitiful person?" Her voice, a steady and mature tone, was laced with a hint of seduction.

It made one's bones feel numb and tingly just listening to it.

"Yuanshuang, Yuanshuang... 'Red sleeves give birth to vital energy, frost comes to become spring mud'... The name comes from this poem. Its meaning is to compare a woman to spring mud, serving as a wedding dress for all things. Isn't that quite pitiful?"

Mu Ye spouted nonsense casually.

Miss Yuanshuang inside was startled. She suddenly trotted out, bringing a wave of fragrance with her, and threw herself into his arms:

"Wuwu... I have long heard of your great name in Zuixiang Pavilion... I originally thought you were just a playboy who liked to toy with women, lacking both talent and virtue. I never expected that today I would learn that you are not only talented enough to govern the world, but even before we met, you understood seven-tenths of my heart..."

"Young Master, I like you so much..."

With a beauty in his arms, soft and fragrant, combined with that enchanting voice that could make one's bones go numb, even a monk would have to break his vows.

Is that so?

Then why hasn't your favorability rating changed? Mu Ye thought to himself.

I don't believe a word of it.

What a seductress!

Yuanshuang took his hand and moved gracefully toward the bed, her eyes filled with affection as she said:

"Young Master, let us sit and discuss the way of painting and calligraphy... I have so much I want to talk to you about..."

[You have been charmed.]

Mu Ye looked at the system notification and smiled slightly.

This time, he wasn't panicked in the slightest.

Not long after, the two walked to the bedside. Yuanshuang blew out the candle, and the room plunged into darkness.

A moment later...

"Young Master... how... how do you know the Zuixiang Eighteen Touches of my Zuixiang Pavilion? And your mastery is so profound..."

"I naturally learned it from the girls at your Zuixiang Pavilion."

Mu Ye couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.

The Brothel Patron secret martial arts talent was abysmal, but as it turned out... the Zuixiang Eighteen Touches were incredibly quick to learn, as if this secret martial art had been tailor-made for him.

In half a month, this assassination technique, which had been adapted into the bedchamber arts of Zuixiang Pavilion, had been mastered completely.

Terrifying, truly terrifying!

A long, long time passed.

"Young Master... you... you are truly gifted..."

"How could it... be like this..."

"..."

During their exchange, Mu Ye once again felt that powerful marrow-draining technique.

But this time, with his kidney Divine Aperture fully opened and the Zuixiang Eighteen Touches at max level, Yuanshuang was completely outmatched.

Until the first light of dawn appeared.

Yuanshuang lay on the bed, her eyes fluttering open and shut, filled with both lingering affection and utter exhaustion.

"Young Master, I have fallen in love with you..." It had only taken two hours for her voice to shift from that of a mature woman to a soft, sweet, girlish tone.

Heh, is that so?

Yet your favorability rating hasn't changed at all, has it?

Mu Ye didn't believe a single word.

A femme fatale capable of draining a Thief dry was definitely not that simple.

"Why don't you buy my freedom?" Yuanshuang traced circles on his chest with her fingertips, whispering sweet nothings.

"But I don't have any money," Mu Ye said.

"I have a way..." Yuanshuang suddenly stood up, a mysterious look on her face.

"What way do you have?" Mu Ye knew the crucial part was coming.

From the side of the bed, Yuanshuang pulled out an ancient scroll and said:

"Young Master, look..."

Mu Ye took a glance. This painting was the same mysterious scroll he had seen when he first infiltrated the place.

"This painting has some age to it... does it hide something?"

"Young Master has a keen eye for art." Yuanshuang whispered, "That's right. A treasure map is hidden on this scroll. If you can find the location of this treasure, you will have wealth. This is my secret; I haven't even told the Head Steward. If I weren't sincere toward you, Yuanshuang would never have revealed a single word."

Heh.

"A treasure?"

"Exactly. If you view this scroll from four different angles, you will see four characters. Put together, they read: Taiping City Prefecture."

"The treasure is right here."

The demoness was finally showing her true colors.

The Seven Absolutes Imperial Map was in the hands of the Seven Absolutes Demon. If the treasure was right here, then the Seven Absolutes Demon must also be here!

Mu Ye pondered. He had obtained the information.

The Taiping City Prefecture was an official government institution, but the imperial court's jurisdiction in Taiping City was very weak, and the City Lord was incompetent, leaving the Taiping City Prefecture quite desolate.

Wait.

No, the Seven Absolutes Demon is actually in the city?