A Breakthrough-and a Wish to Sleep with Madam Yun

It was a delicate situation.

Mu Ye kept his expression neutral and chose 3.

Miss Yuanshuang froze. A flush flickered across her face and vanished, while murderous intent welled up in her smiling eyes.

"Young master, you really know how to joke..."

Miss Yuanshuang narrowed her eyes. "The treasure is behind the main gate up ahead. Just push it open and you'll see. Young master, I have you to thank for this."

"How do you plan to thank me?" Mu Ye asked.

"I'd like to stay with you forever, never to part. How does that sound?" Yuanshuang smiled sweetly.

Mu Ye said:

"How could that be possible? Everyone has to part eventually. Even two people who love each other deeply can't stay together forever, can they?"

"That's true..." Yuanshuang clasped her hands behind her back, standing tall and graceful. "But I have a way to keep us together forever."

"What way?"

"I'll cut off your head, make it into a skull mold, and tie it to myself. That way, we'll be together for the rest of our lives. What do you think?" Yuanshuang giggled.

"You're going to kill me?" Mu Ye raised an eyebrow. "Could it be you want the treasure all to yourself? Oh, were all those things you said in bed that day lies? Miss Yuanshuang, you're so heartless!"

"I truly love you!"

"Is that so?" Miss Yuanshuang smiled. "Then what if I looked like this?"

As her voice fell, a phantom flew out of Miss Yuanshuang and transformed into a ten-meter-long green python with seven heads.

"Ha ha ha... Human, do you still love me now?" One of the green python's heads spoke, its ethereal body filled with menace.

[1, Y-you... you're actually a demon!!!]

[2, Love you? Of course! I'm even more excited now!]

[3, So you're the legendary Seven Absolutes Demon!]

[4, Could you at least let me die knowing why?]

[5, ...]

The BOSS battle had begun. Seeing the options, Mu Ye wondered, What the hell is option two supposed to mean?

Mu Ye chose 2.

After he chose, the green python froze, as though completely dumbfounded.

"You... you human..."

"Are you planning to spare my life?" Mu Ye asked.

The green python rejected the idea without hesitation.

"Impossible. I gave up my body and possessed one of you humans, lying low for all these years. I will never give up the treasure of your Tianqi Dynasty!"

"So you possessed Miss Yuanshuang?" Mu Ye asked, looking at Yuanshuang, who had collapsed to the ground.

"Of course." The green python replied coolly. "A hundred years ago, I possessed Yuhe and made contact with your Tianqi Dynasty's Emperor Zhengyang. That's how I learned about the Imperial Map Secret Treasury. I plotted for a hundred years to bring us to this day."

"Do you think I could give it up?"

"Actually, I have a question," Mu Ye said.

"What?"

"You've possessed a human for so long that you're not really a demon anymore. You're human, aren't you? Look at the way you speak and carry yourself. You're no different from a human." Mu Ye said, "Since you're human, why kill each other? I could just give you the treasure, couldn't I?"

The green python froze, as if the thought had never crossed its mind.

"You've even gotten used to human food, habits, and customs... You've spent so many years at Zuixiang Pavilion that you're more human than humans." Mu Ye said, "Why not give up being a demon and just live as a person?"

"?" The green python.

"Utter nonsense!" the green python said. "I am the Seven Absolutes Python. Sooner or later, your Taiping City will be drowned beneath a sea of demons... Don't try to deceive me! Once I devour the treasure, I'll refine a body and become an unrivaled demon. Then your entire Taiping City will be my meal..."

"Enough talk. Since you found the Imperial Map Secret Treasury, I'll grant you a quick death."

With that, the green python surged straight toward Mu Ye.

Mu Ye sighed at the sight. The power in his kidneys burst forth, and he shot a Crimson Flame Fist straight at it.

"Then forgive me. I'll have to send you on your way."

The fierce Crimson Flame Fist Qi shot out of him like lightning.

Before the green python could get anywhere near Mu Ye, four of its seven heads were blown apart.

The python wasn't physical; it seemed to be some kind of half-spirit, half-soul entity. Even so, one blow had nearly wiped it out.

Mu Ye threw another punch at lightning speed, leaving his opponent with just one head.

Then...

"You... you... you're a Fourth Grade Minor Grandmaster! Impossible! You only know Zuixiang Eighteen Hands, so you can't be more than Second Grade..."

The sole remaining head spoke in disbelief.

Mu Ye didn't bother replying. He fired off several more blasts of Fist Qi, and his opponent turned to ash in an instant.

Faintly, an enraged roar kept echoing:

"It's no use... no use... Your Taiping City will eventually..."

The voice soon faded away.

[You have killed the Seven Absolutes Demon. Seven Absolutes Imperial Map cleared.]

[Completion: 100%.]

[Rating: A+]

[Deaths in Taiping City: 0]

[Achievements "Imperial Map Secret Treasury," "Swift and Decisive," and "Enchanted by Zuixiang" achieved.]

[Rewards: 1,000 Paradise Coins, 1 Character Selection Chest, 1 Ability Upgrade Book, Brothel Patron-exclusive ability "Ruthless Flower Destroyer" unlocked.]

[Ruthless Flower Destroyer: The power of any attack used against the opposite sex is greatly increased.]

Mu Ye shook out his fist.

It felt incredible to be strong enough to take down a BOSS a whole grade above him in one blow.

The game's recommended power level hadn't been wrong. A Second Grade fighter could go toe-to-toe with this demon.

It was just hard to make it this far.

As the first stage after the Tutorial Stage, this one had a fairly long progression, and the difficulty was quite a bit higher than the tutorial's.

He hadn't reloaded during the fights; he'd just replayed a lot of the stages.

The three achievements came along the way, and "Enchanted by Zuixiang" was the easiest to get.

But clearing the stage itself wasn't all that hard.

It was simple: if he played as a Demon Sealer and used an Ability Upgrade Book to raise his Mind Eye ability by one level, he might have discovered Yuanshuang's identity earlier.

That was Mu Ye's guess.

Of course, that was hindsight...

He only knew to work it out because he already knew Yuanshuang had been possessed by a demon.

The other two were harder.

"Imperial Map Secret Treasury" required completing a series of events at Zuixiang Pavilion, learning the secret of the treasure map, finding the location, and solving that labyrinth.

"Swift and Decisive" required killing the BOSS in one blow. Both were pretty difficult.

"Being strong sure has its perks."

Mu Ye looked at the main gate ahead and pushed it open.

[You have discovered the Imperial Map Secret Treasury.]

Gold light shimmered everywhere, and countless gold and silver treasures nearly blinded Mu Ye.

"That founding emperor had some foresight. I never expected him to leave so much wealth for future generations..."

Mu Ye had thought the treasure might be a fake, or perhaps some kind of trial the emperor had left for his descendants. He hadn't expected it to be an actual hoard of treasure.

The man had been the real deal.

"Now the Shen Mansion can raise an army..."

"As for who should lead it... Han Qi would be a good fit..."

Mu Ye looked around. Along with all the gold and silver, the treasure held quite a few ancient resources for cultivating martial arts.

He even found a Blood Lingzhi.

The Seven Absolutes Python must have coveted all these treasures.

There were also some lost martial arts techniques, but they were all for opening the four Limb Apertures. There were no true martial arts techniques for opening the torso or head apertures that Mu Ye wanted, so they weren't very useful.

"The Seven Absolutes Python wasn't strong, but it had a lot of tricks..."

Ordinary demons weren't very intelligent.

The demon in Chishui Village, for example, had strength on par with a Third Grade fighter and intelligence close to a human's.

The Seven Absolutes Python had seven heads and a powerful sense of self. It was even more intelligent than the demon in Chishui Village, though it wasn't as strong.

Yet with its great intelligence, it could truly toy with people.

"Looks like there are exceptional cases among demons, too... But these demons are, at most, Qi Refining Realm beasts. Of course, they do have some unusual abilities. Qi Refining beasts can't possess humans... let alone have intelligence on par with humans."

The treasure hoard was vast. After looking around for a while, Mu Ye left.

"Right, that girl's still alive..."

Mu Ye went over to Miss Yuanshuang and found that her breathing was faint.

Being possessed by such an unusual demon must have severely damaged her vitality. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't survive.

Even if she woke up, she would probably have lost her memories and become an idiot.

"Red sleeves, a living soul; frost returns to become spring mud... Could Yuanshuang have known she was possessed?"

The thought suddenly struck Mu Ye.

She really was a poor soul.

He picked her up and carried her out of the secret cavern.

The strange thing was, once he came out, the labyrinth had returned to normal.

Mu Ye searched around, then pulled out the map.

"Could this map be the key to opening the labyrinth?"

"Without it, would no one ever have found this place?"

Mu Ye nodded slightly. He slipped into Zuixiang Pavilion and left Miss Yuanshuang in her bedroom, then made enough noise for the people there to find her and get her medical attention. He could come back to check on her when he had time.

If she remembered anything, he would decide what to do then.

"First, I'll go to the Shen Mansion... It's been ages since I saw Madam Yun. I've missed her."

Impatient to get there, Mu Ye changed into a Demon Sealer and headed to the Shen Mansion.

The night was as clear as water.

In the courtyard, Madam Yun gazed up at the bright moon. Its crescent was reflected in her eyes, lending her a lonely air.

It had been a long time. He hadn't been to the Shen Mansion in ages.

"Madam Yun... Mu Xinghe probably hasn't gone looking for information about the Seven Absolutes Demon..."

"I've been going to Zuixiang Pavilion these past few days, but I haven't seen him."

Shen Qingchan said, "That means he may have given up... He must have other things to do... He'll be fine."

"Besides, the Seven Absolutes Imperial Map is an old rumor. The Seven Absolutes Demon disappeared over a hundred years ago. How could a Demon Sealer like him find it? I think you were overthinking it earlier, Madam Yun..."

"..." Madam Yun.

Just then, a voice rang out:

"Madam Yun, it's so late. Why haven't you retired yet?"

The two women turned around in surprise and saw a familiar figure standing on a distant rooftop.

"You..." Madam Yun rose to her feet. The crescent moon reflected in her eyes merged with her pupils, slowly becoming a full moon. "What brings you here?"

[1, It's been a long time. I've missed you, Madam Yun. (Honestly)]

[2, I was wandering around Taiping City and found some treasure. (Casually tosses it over)]

[3, I want to sleep with you, Madam Yun. (Desire stirs)]

[4, ...]

"..." Mu Ye.

What the hell were these options?

How could there be such a shameless option as number three?

Fine, I'll update at night. I'm a night owl; I can't get in the zone during the day.