The Crisis at Hundred Flowers Garden

Yue Xiaochan added, "Did Senior Sister run into some difficulty? Why not tell me about it?"

Meng Lan smiled. "No, Young Sect Master is overthinking it."

Yue Xiaochan curled her lips. "If there was no difficulty, would you have rushed off to seduce him? What's so good about him? He's a jinx."

"..." Xue Mu continued picking up food with his chopsticks.

Meng Lan's face turned slightly pale. Only now did she realize that her earlier attempt at seduction had not escaped notice. Since the Young Sect Master knew, the Sect Master surely knew as well. She did not know whether this would bring about any unpleasant consequences.

Yue Xiaochan did not seem to mean to blame her. Instead, she personally poured her a cup of wine and said, "Senior Sister has been acting strangely. You seem eager to rise through the ranks, so there must be something on your mind. Can't you really tell me?"

Xue Mu sighed to himself as well. He was not sighing over Meng Lan, but over Yue Xiaochan.

He had now confirmed that this girl was only thirteen. In his world, if starting elementary school at eight was the standard, then thirteen was only fifth grade. Even if one started at six, thirteen was merely the first year of middle school—still an innocent, carefree child, the sort who chased after TFboys shouting, "Our three boys are so handsome!" Yet Yue Xiaochan had apparently been raised as the prospective Sect Master since who knew what age, bearing a crushing sense of duty on her shoulders. Looking at how maturely she was speaking heart-to-heart with a sect member and helping resolve her worries, saying she was twenty-three would have been believable.

Only when she listened to stories with sparkling interest could one tell that she was still a little girl.

Meng Lan silently took a sip of wine before finally saying, "Young Sect Master, Hundred Flowers Garden is about to fail."

In truth, Xue Mu had long since seen that Hundred Flowers Garden really was failing.

There had been remarkably few customers in the hall downstairs just now. The place was so spacious and empty that a customer could practice his punches right in the middle... It was evening, when a brothel's business should have begun reaching its peak, yet it was this deserted. That was far too cold.

Yue Xiaochan froze. "I heard it was still profitable two months ago. Even now, it should only be running a slight loss. How is it already about to fail?"

Meng Lan explained, "Competition in the Capital City is fierce. The number of brothels here surpasses that of every other province. It was fine before; our sect had the advantage of Bewitching Arts, so we were still among the very best. But now..."

Yue Xiaochan did not understand. "Don't we still have that advantage?"

Meng Lan sighed. "After all, we do not personally enter the field. We merely taught the girls a little superficial knowledge. The Joyous Union Sect, however, sends its outer disciples into the trade themselves. Whether it is their Bewitching Arts or their natural looks, they surpass us by far..."

Yue Xiaochan gritted her teeth. "Those sluts from the Joyous Union Sect really come out and sell themselves!"

"They speak of indulging in pleasure as they please. They do not care."

"What are we supposed to do, then? In other people's eyes, we're in the same gang as them! They've ruined every scrap of our reputation!"

Meng Lan fell silent.

After thinking for a while, Yue Xiaochan said, "But compared to other establishments, we should still have the advantage, right? Even if the Joyous Union Sect has taken some of our business, it shouldn't be enough to drive us under."

Meng Lan shook her head. "Since we cannot pass down advanced techniques to outsiders, we can only rely on those superficial Bewitching Arts. People studied them thoroughly years ago. Other establishments naturally know them too. We lost all advantage long ago."

At last, Yue Xiaochan fell silent as well.

Meng Lan sighed. "What I fear is... that one day, the sect may make us outer disciples enter the trade ourselves... From what Martial Uncle Qingqing has implied, she has begun entertaining that thought. That is why I wanted to leave this place early, so I would not encounter that day." She then smiled apologetically at Xue Mu. "I did intend to make use of you, sir,

but I meant no harm. I hope you can forgive me."

Xue Mu smiled to show that he understood.

Still, he felt somewhat regretful. She had such a clear and urgent demand that it would be difficult not to grant it. If the time and place had been suitable, perhaps he really could have gotten a round in. What a pity, what a pity.

Yue Xiaochan said decisively, "Senior Sister, you know perfectly well that our principles are different from those people in the Joyous Union Sect! The Star Moon Sect could never do such a thing. It is disgusting enough to be mistaken for having the same rotten nature as the Joyous Union Sect. If we truly did it ourselves, wouldn't that be unbearable? I'll speak to Martial Uncle Qingqing about this."

Meng Lan stared steadily at her. "And then what? The Sect Master may be invincible beneath heaven, but the sect as a whole still needs food and resources. Should we learn from the Rampant Path and start murdering and robbing, making profit without capital? The Sect Master spent more than ten years of painstaking effort to finally tear open a gap in the Capital City, allowing us to stand in the open. If we truly learned from the Rampant Path, all that effort would go down the drain. The Sect Master would never be willing to return to the days of hiding and skulking. Perhaps she truly would agree to Martial Uncle Qingqing's proposal. After all... we are only outer disciples..."

Hearing this, Xue Mu was finally taken aback.

So the Star Moon Sect and that Joyous Union Sect were not secretly pulling strings from behind the scenes, but openly operating in public as the Demon Sect—at least in the Capital City? That truly surprised him. His image of the "mysterious Demon Sect" had been completely overturned. By all reason, since they had been branded demonic, they must often clash with the Righteous Path, with no small blood feud between them. Then if the Demon Sect openly showed its face, it would surely invite a group beating from the Righteous Path. Even if Xue Qingqiu was invincible beneath heaven, eighty percent of their businesses would be ruined—just like how the Southern Region operations they had mentioned earlier were finished...

For the Demon Sect to run businesses, it should have been controlling them in secret. It should have been impossible for them to stand openly in the light. If they could act so abnormally in public, it must have had something to do with the Capital City's special circumstances. At the very least, they had received the court's permission, and the Righteous Path could not openly object?

Was the government openly shielding the underworld—or, to put it bluntly, was the underworld gradually being legalized?

But why had it not been possible before, while it was possible now? Xue Mu continued eating as he pondered in silence. He did not believe this political matter could be merely because of Xue Qingqiu's personal strength. Perhaps there was something here worth digging into...

Yue Xiaochan was not thinking about any of that. Their business was on the verge of collapse, and sect disciples might actually have to go out and sell themselves?

If they really did, what difference would there be between the Star Moon Sect and the Joyous Union Sect? At least in the eyes of the world, there would no longer be any difference.

This was no trivial matter. It concerned the great issue of "walking different paths"!

No matter how clever the little girl was, she had trained in martial arts after all. When it came to running a business, it was completely outside her field. What ideas could she possibly have? Even Xue Qingqiu herself might not have any good ideas, let alone her. Yue Xiaochan stared blankly at her wine cup for a long while without speaking.

The atmosphere grew heavy for a time, leaving only the loud smacking sounds of Xue Mu eating. Yue Xiaochan looked up and glared at him. "All you know is eat, eat, eat! You can still have the mood for that?"

"Developing a brothel is all it is..." Xue Mu said lazily. "That is why I say that if you only know how to fight and kill, you'll never develop anything. I'd say the same thing even to your master."

Yue Xiaochan curled her lips. "All it is? If you're so capable, then give us an idea."

"There are plenty of other businesses that can make money besides running a brothel..."

"Is that all you can say?"

Xue Mu put down his chopsticks and casually wiped his mouth with the wet towel beside him. "Of course, if you feel that distant water cannot quench immediate thirst, then with a small trick or two from me, I can bring Hundred Flowers Garden back from the dead."