Charm Fragrance! Fox Shadow! Throat Crusher!

Charm Fragrance! Fox Shadow! Throat Crusher! Night fell, and the long streets of Qingxi County lit up in stretches of lamplight.

The county town, still fairly lively by day, grew much quieter after nightfall.

Wu Cai led Mu Yang along the way, singing the praises of Fragrant Pavilion—its fine wines and delicacies, its lovely girls, and the unforgettable pleasures afterward, on and on.

In short, so long as you were willing to spend money here, you were an honored guest even above kings. All you had to do was enjoy yourself.

Before long, the two arrived at the entrance of Fragrant Pavilion.

Its vermilion gates stood wide open, with two enormous red lanterns hanging outside. Their warm glow illuminated the three gilded, engraved characters above the doorway—Fragrant Pavilion.

Upon seeing Wu Cai, two young women in aqua-green dresses immediately came forward. Smiling, they curtsied to Wu Cai and Mu Yang. "Constable Wu, you're finally here! Madam has long reserved the finest private room at Listening Rain Pavilion for you!"

"This must be Constable Mu. Truly a young hero—such a handsome fellow!"

The welcoming girls had clearly undergone professional training. Their voices were soft and gentle, and fragrant scents clung to their bodies.

Combined with the warm lighting inside, it truly put one at ease.

The interior was even livelier. Music, singing, and the laughter of men and women filled the air without end. Warm perfume mingled with the scent of wine and rushed toward them, softening a person to the bone.

Professional service really was different.

Once inside the private room at Listening Rain Pavilion, the round table was already laden with exquisite pastries—flower cakes, lotus pastries, mung bean cakes... as well as two jars of aged Huadiao Wine sealed with clay.

Before long, several lightly clad women with rose-red gauze draped over their lovely shoulders approached with graceful steps. Accompanied by pleasant zither music, they began to dance elegantly.

The leading woman had a slender, graceful figure, a waist no thicker than a handful, and skin as white as congealed cream. Her face was peerlessly beautiful, every glance from brow to eye brim overflowing with alluring charm. As her eyes shifted and flowed, it seemed she could hook away a man's very soul.

Even Mu Yang, who in his previous life had endured the bombardment of makeup sorcery and beauty filters, had to admit that this woman was truly something else.

Wu Cai was staring so hard his eyes had gone straight.

Fortunately, Wu Cai seemed to remember that he was here to entertain Mu Yang today. After staring dumbly for a while, he finally came back to himself and said,

"What do you think, brother? Pretty, isn't she? She's Fragrant Pavilion's top courtesan, Miss Hu Mei. If your brother here didn't have a little standing, we wouldn't have even been able to book her today."

"She truly is extraordinary."

Mu Yang took a sip of Huadiao Wine and nodded slightly.

"Since that's the case, I won't spoil your fun. Play to your heart's content. I'll cover roll call for you tomorrow." With that, Wu Cai put an arm around each of the other girls and left, leaving only Hu Mei behind.

The door closed. Hu Mei raised her delicate hand to cover her lips as she chuckled softly, her gaze settling upon Mu Yang.

After a moment, she lifted a wine cup and offered it to Mu Yang. Her fingertips brushed across the back of his hand, there and gone again. "Constable Mu is young and accomplished. This humble one offers you a toast."

Mu Yang did not pretend to be some righteous gentleman, putting on a cold face and refusing after coming here as though he were Liu Xia Hui reborn.

He took the wine cup and drained it in one gulp.

The wine slid down his throat, mellow and rich. Together with the faint fragrance emanating from Hu Mei, it loosened Mu Yang's taut muscles by several degrees.

Even the circulation of Blood Qi within his body seemed to have slowed.

Wait, Blood Qi was slowing?

Something was wrong!

Perhaps because he had only just been drugged last night, Mu Yang was now exceptionally sensitive to changes in his body.

Without showing it, he wrapped an arm around Hu Mei's slim, smooth waist, while focusing all his attention inward.

After careful observation, he finally confirmed that this was no illusion caused by relaxation. His Blood Qi circulation had truly slowed.

Though only by a tiny amount.

But with his Tendon-Bone Realm Bone-Forging Stage cultivation, let alone a single cup of wine, even drinking an entire jar would not affect him in the slightest.

Damn it!

You really couldn't eat things from outside. Two meals, and trouble had cropped up twice!

Last time, it had been that old bastard Huang Changgui. Who was it this time?

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Hu Mei, this fox seductress?

As if sensing Mu Yang's distraction, Hu Mei smiled sweetly and leaned her full body lightly into his embrace. In a soft voice, she said, "My lord, this humble one is frail. Tonight, my lord must be gentle with m—"

Before Hu Mei could finish, a large hand had already landed on her body.

However, it was not on the soft places ordinary men favored, but around her slender neck, pale as mutton-fat jade.

"What are you babbling about? If you're selling, then sell. Why drug me? Do you know I hate this kind of drugging more than anything!"

Mu Yang gripped Hu Mei's neck with one hand and lifted her into the air like a chick, a trace of irritation even entering his voice.

Anyone would feel this sort of frustration and impatience when something went wrong at the very last moment.

If he had not been afraid of harming an innocent by mistake, Mu Yang would have wanted to snap her neck outright.

"Urgh... my... my lord, is there some misunderstanding? If this humble one has done anything wrong, please tell me plainly, my lord. Do not frighten this humble one..."

Seemingly frightened by Mu Yang's actions, Hu Mei's face went pale, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes as she looked utterly pitiful.

At nearly the same moment, a rich fragrance shot into Mu Yang's nostrils, seemingly trying to soothe his already taut nerves.

"This feeling..."

Mu Yang narrowed his eyes slightly, then a sharp gleam burst forth from them.

A demon—absolutely a demon!

This scent that stirred lust was strikingly similar to the fox demons old constables had told him about, creatures that specialized in sucking men's Yang essence dry.

Three-Breath Lightness, activate!

Though Three-Breath Lightness was a speed-enhancing martial art, in its Fullness state, it greatly resisted negative conditions and could also increase strength somewhat.

Before he knew the strength of this woman who was likely a fox demon, he naturally had to strike with all his might and seize the initiative.

First Breath: Lightness!

Second Breath: Momentum!

Third Breath: Fullness!

In an instant, veins bulged across Mu Yang's exposed forearm, terrifying power surging down his arm and into Hu Mei's neck.

Within merely a breath, the Blood Qi in Mu Yang's body, which had slowed somewhat, began circulating at high speed, like warhorses charging across a battlefield.

His entire presence changed abruptly as well, like a blade drawn from its sheath, all its edge laid bare!

"Not good!!"

At almost the exact instant Mu Yang's aura changed, Hu Mei's expression changed as well. The pitiful fragility and seductive charm on her face instantly turned to shock.

She had never imagined that her high-quality skin, which concealed her fox head, fox tail, and fur, combined with her naturally bewitching fragrance, would fail her one day.

With no time to think, she immediately mobilized all the demonic power in her body. Her rose-red gauze dress exploded apart, a fox tail whipping out from behind her. Her alluring face twisted, faint whiskers sprouting from it, while sharp fox claws thrust out from her pale fingers in an attempt to counterattack.

Unfortunately, Mu Yang acted decisively and had seized the advantage.

His five fingers suddenly clenched down. Then, with a crack, the light in Hu Mei's beautiful eyes vanished, and the arms that had just been preparing to attack dropped limply in midair.

[ Ding! Detected that the host has slain a second-rank fox demon. Equipped Dragon-Subduing Blade Technique has met the conditions for permanent solidification. This equipment has been permanently solidified!]

[ Ding! Detected that the host has slain a second-rank fox demon. Equipped Three-Breath Lightness has met the conditions for permanent solidification. This equipment has been permanently solidified!]

[Permanently solidified equipment: 1. Tiger-Subduing Blade Technique, 2. Air-Dried Pork, 3. Rat Demon Corpse, 4. Dragon-Subduing Blade Technique, 5. Three-Breath Lightness]

[Equipped items: None]

[Current available Equipment Slots: 3]

Permanent solidified equipment +2!

Usable equipment +1!

Oh-ho, one fish, many meals!