Such Siblings

However, Xue Mu knew that what they considered normal was the pursuit of martial arts, not the aimless spouting of lewd nonsense. They often used their beauty to bewitch others, but that was merely an advantage they had learned to leverage while living in constant hiding; over time, it had become a habit. In reality, they did not approve of wanton debauchery. This was why, despite their seductive and alluring appearance, they insisted that one could only deceive others' hearts, never lose one's own.

Unfortunately, this was easily corrupted, especially since they often truly needed someone to offer their body, making it impossible to remain the "white lotus" of the sect. Seeing how readily Meng Lan had offered herself back then, and how Xue Qingqiu hadn't found it strange, Xue Mu realized that over these thousand years, most of the disciples had likely grown accustomed to this. By now, many were probably no different from the Joyous Union Sect...

Even their core members had become quite twisted. Xue Mu believed that if he had captured a righteous sect girl that day and truly wanted to play with two, Yue Xiaochan would certainly have handed him over without a second thought. Such behavior was already at odds with their lofty martial arts tenets.

Becoming ever more demonic.

He suddenly understood why they no longer accepted male disciples. Once such a sect atmosphere included men, it would likely lead to rampant promiscuity; it would be normal for those in high positions to sleep with hundreds or thousands, creating a miasma that would ruin many promising talents capable of cultivating core techniques. Some past incident must have been related to this, leading to the purge of male disciples. Yet, because they studied the mysteries of Yin and Yang in principle, they couldn't explicitly forbid men, leaving it to the Sect Master's discretion.

Being a Sect Master is no easy task.

Regardless, corruption and distortion were one thing, but their "Dao" itself was very much to Xue Mu's taste—it was very modern.

In fact, if one were to define "Righteous" and "Demonic" based on whether the mainstream population approved, then his idol-making industry in the modern world would also be looked down upon by the mainstream. In other words, he was a practitioner of the Demonic Path in the modern world as well.

The modern Demonic Path had met the otherworldly Demonic Path, and their brainwaves were occasionally in sync. It was no wonder he felt increasingly close to them.

Beside him, Xue Qingqiu suddenly laughed. It wasn't her previous faint smile or mockery, but a feeling of genuine happiness: "With your intelligence, you shouldn't have failed to see the difference, yet you feel nothing... It only proves that in your heart, you consider this normal. No wonder you and my sect members always hit it off. If I had met you years ago, I might have truly broken the rules and let you join."

Xue Mu laughed as well: "Exactly. So, as I said before, if you are a demoness, then I am a demon man—a match made in heaven. Don't go saying my words have ulterior motives again."

Xue Qingqiu smiled brightly: "You are my younger brother; you have long been a demon man."

At this moment, she found Xue Mu more pleasing than ever. A man who completely identified with her lifelong Dao was truly a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence; she might not have met another in her entire life, yet he actually existed.

For those like them, who struggled and climbed in the pursuit of martial arts, the recognition of their Dao was a soul-level pleasure, more effective than any sweet talk. This time, when she called him "younger brother," it was truly sincere, unlike her previous considerations.

It was a pity he was too weak, otherwise... eh, never mind.

"Fine, fine, fine..." Xue Mu really didn't want to keep tangling with her over the sister-brother issue, so he laughed: "Now I know some things can be said, for instance... when will Sister teach me the Dual Cultivation technique?"

Xue Qingqiu chuckled. This rascal really knew how to push his luck; she had just said that discussing this was normal, and he immediately started aiming it at her. Far from being angry, she replied naturally: "Once we find a way to clear the toxins from your body and build your martial arts foundation, if you want to learn dual cultivation, Sister will naturally teach you."

Xue Mu felt his heart melt, secretly thinking the demoness was formidable. His words had been ambiguous, laced with provocation, and Xue Qingqiu's reply was equally ambiguous. Did "Sister will teach you" refer purely to theoretical instruction, or some other method? Such casual, suggestive banter was what truly stirred the heart and made one itch. Xue Mu had actually found a sense of the verbal sparring he used to have with modern career women at dinner tables.

A cold voice came from ahead: "Truly shameless."

Xue Mu looked up abruptly to find that after passing through many streets, they had reached the very end of a deep, dead-end alley. At the end stood a somewhat dilapidated small building. Xiahou Di stood at the entrance, eyeing the pair of "siblings" with a look of utter contempt.

Xue Qingqiu said lazily: "The Six Fan Gates governs the heavens and the earth, but can it also govern how This Seat speaks to her brother?"

Clearly, with Xue Qingqiu's martial arts, it was impossible for her not to have known that Xiahou Di had appeared nearby and was eavesdropping. Yet, she had still chosen to respond with such double entendres to her "brother," her demonic nature fully on display.

Sure enough, that stern, severe image of a Sect Master was all for the benefit of her subordinates; this was her true nature in the pugilistic world...

Xiahou Di was clearly too lazy to tangle with her on such topics. She turned sharply, leaving them only the sight of her fluttering cloak: "Come in."

Xue Qingqiu led Xue Mu inside, saying faintly: "This is her residence. Looking at this dilapidated state, I wonder if this integrity is feigned or genuine."

Xue Mu said: "Since she is a person of conviction, presumably it is genuine?"

"That's not necessarily true. Who doesn't eat the food of the mortal world?" Xue Qingqiu sneered, striding into the main hall. Without waiting for Xiahou Di to speak, she sat down arrogantly, and Xue Mu followed suit.

Xiahou Di sat in the main seat, not even offering a cup of tea, and said coldly: "Didn't Sect Master Xue say she didn't believe the Six Fan Gates was under my sole control? Why send a letter to meet me? What else is there to discuss?"

Xue Qingqiu sneered and was about to speak, but Xue Mu shook his head slightly. Xue Qingqiu paused, forcibly swallowing a retort, and merely huffed, closing her eyes in silence.

Before coming, they had agreed that Xue Mu would have full authority to negotiate with Xiahou Di. Xue Qingqiu had agreed to this; otherwise, given the friction between her and Xiahou Di over the past two days, they would likely have been fighting within three sentences, let alone negotiating.

However, had it not been for the immense recognition and affection she felt for Xue Mu just now, she wouldn't have been so accommodating or yielded so readily.

Seeing that a single gesture from Xue Mu could make Xue Qingqiu fall silent, a look of shock flashed in Xiahou Di's eyes. She pursed her lips, not knowing what to say for a long time. Even if the masters of the eight righteous sects were all sitting here, they couldn't achieve that... Viewed in this light, the influence this so-called "Xue Qingqiu's brother" had over her exceeded everyone's initial guesses; it should be estimated as highly as possible.

Xue Mu cupped his hands toward Xiahou Di and smiled: "Regardless of what happened before, my sister and I are guests now. Chief Constable Xiahou's hospitality is not very impressive."

Xiahou Di was silent for a moment, then finally said: "Bring tea."

Soon, an old servant brought tea. Xue Qingqiu kept her eyes closed, ignoring it, while Xue Mu bowed slightly to thank the servant and took a sip.

It wasn't as good as the tea at Xue Qingqiu's place... It seemed the life of a dignified Chief Constable of the Six Fan Gates—the equivalent of a Minister of Public Security—wasn't as comfortable as the perpetually deficit-ridden Star Moon Sect...

Seeing Xue Mu actually thank the old servant, another look of surprise flashed in Xiahou Di's eyes. Only after he had finished his tea did she say: "Can you tell me now what the purpose of your visit is?"

Xue Mu set down his cup and smiled: "I would like to do business with Chief Constable Xiahou."

Xiahou Di said faintly: "If you want to talk about what to trade for Yin Ye, then don't bother."

Xue Qingqiu opened her eyes abruptly, a sharp, electric glare shooting out.

Xue Mu had been watching her reaction and quickly pulled her sleeve. Xue Qingqiu glared at him, as if to say, "Do you think I lack such a sense of the big picture?" Xue Mu looked at her without speaking, and Xue Qingqiu huffed again, closing her eyes once more.

Xiahou Di found this quite interesting. The interaction between these two was rather amusing. She had never imagined Xue Qingqiu having such a side—it was as if she had stepped out of the "Demonic Sect Master" label she had been known by for years, gaining a bit of humanity and becoming more grounded.