Leaving the alley, Xue Qingqiu no longer strolled at her leisurely pace. She swept an arm around Xue Mu's waist and whisked him back at breakneck speed. Nestled in her soft embrace, with her faint fragrance filling his nose, Xue Mu's arm rested against an unspeakable part of her body. Even a slight tilt of his head would bring his lips against her cheek. But right now, Xue Mu couldn't summon a single improper thought. He had noticed that Xue Qingqiu looked unusually grave.
To think even this larger-than-life woman, who feared neither heaven nor earth, could look so serious...
"Do you know why I dragged you away without a second thought?"
They reached the Hundred Flowers Garden in the blink of an eye. Xue Qingqiu seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. After setting Xue Mu down, she asked him the question.
Xue Mu also thought Xue Qingqiu had been acting strangely. No matter how much she disliked Xiahou Di, with their cooperation about to begin and Yin Ye seemingly within reach of rescue, she shouldn't have skipped even the most basic courtesy.
Xue Qingqiu didn't make him guess. She said bluntly, "Xiahou Di wanted to kill you. You have no cultivation at all. Even the shockwaves from a fight could take your life, and you were on her turf, with no idea what she was capable of. Even with heaven-defying abilities, I couldn't be sure I could protect you. It was better to leave as soon as possible."
Xue Mu froze. Was Xiahou Di really crazy?
He had shown a little of his edge, but that was to make her more confident about working with him. How had she gone straight to wanting him dead?
Xue Qingqiu even defended Xiahou Di. "Having murderous intent doesn't mean she really planned to kill you. It was just a thought that crossed her mind, nothing unusual... How many times have I wanted to kill you? I still think about it all the time!"
Xue Mu: "..."
Xue Qingqiu sighed. "I took you away just in case. Even if the odds were one in a trillion, I couldn't take that gamble."
Seeing how serious she was, Xue Mu felt a faint warmth in his heart. Perhaps she thought of him as a younger brother. Perhaps she simply wanted to rely on his schemes. Either way, there was nothing false about how much she valued him.
Xue Qingqiu continued, "Honestly, if someone else were in her position, they might have wanted to kill you too. Do you know where the problem lies?"
Xue Mu scratched his head. "Did I show too much of my hand?"
"No. We cultivate bitterly our whole lives for the respect of the world, to stand above all under heaven. Why hide our abilities?" Xue Qingqiu said, each word clear. "The problem is that you showed how great a threat you could be, yet you're far too easy to kill. If you could withstand even half a move from her, she wouldn't so readily have such a thought. But you're simply too weak. It's like walking down the road and seeing a cockroach—you might not bother stepping on it. But if you see an ant, you crush it without even thinking. It's about the same."
Xue Mu fell silent.
"If you want to cultivate, you'll first have to deal with the strange poison in your body." Xue Qingqiu sighed. "If it hadn't reached your vital organs, I could have dispelled it with a flip of my hand. But now that it has, curing you might badly damage your foundations, leaving you no chance of making progress in martial arts. This is a real headache."
As they walked into the Hundred Flowers Garden, the sight before them left them both momentarily stunned.
At the entrance, someone was already rolling on the ground. "I'm injured! If Miss Qianqian doesn't save me, I'll die..."
Xue Qingqiu: "..."
Once they stepped inside, they saw countless guests crowding around the madam and the male attendants, asking, "Where is Miss Qianqian?"
The madam smiled apologetically as she explained to them one by one, "Miss Qianqian was only just brought back to life. She's resting."
Hearing that she was recuperating, the guests didn't make a fuss. Instead, they all looked delighted.
The Hundred Flowers Garden had already been packed because of the uniform fetish, and it had been noisy beyond belief. Now it was even more raucous than a market.
By contrast, the atmosphere in the flower hall was quite peaceful. Many guests who had their arms around courtesans as they drank were now looking at little booklets with them. Someone played a mournful, winding melody, accompanied by a vertical flute. The tune was tender and lingering, and the mood was unbelievably serene.
Everyone reacted differently. Some read with shining eyes, then grabbed the courtesan beside them and kissed her. Others threw back their heads with a long sigh, looking heartsick as they murmured, "Miss Qianqian..."
The ones with shining eyes soon took the courtesans in their arms and headed to the rooms in back. What they were going to do was obvious. The ones sighing up at the sky were scolded coquettishly by the courtesans beside them, then turned back to coax them with ingratiating smiles.
The private rooms and elegant booths were just as quiet. There was hardly any shouting or drinking, and their occupants were probably doing much the same as the guests in the flower hall.
The first piece of smut Xue Mu had written in this world had been copied around for a whole day, and its power was finally beginning to show the tip of the iceberg. Xue Mu knew this was only the beginning. Before long, Qianqian might become the talk of the capital. If things were handled well, she might even become famous throughout the land.
Yue Xiaochan glided over, her face veiled. "Master, you're back? Hello, Uncle!"
As she spoke, she blinked at Xue Mu, looking thrilled and smug. He knew what she meant. She had been involved in the whole smutty scheme from beginning to end, so she had every right to feel proud of it.
He blinked back and smiled. "Starting today, get rid of those uniforms. No more of that."
Yue Xiaochan smiled. "All right. I'll listen to you, Uncle."
She was so obedient, like another family's child, but her eyes were still shrouded in mystery, with a smile no one could quite read. Xue Mu's feelings were complicated. He pressed his lips together and said nothing.
Meanwhile, Xue Qingqiu took a booklet from one of the courtesans and read a few lines. Her usually dignified, composed expression in front of her subordinates crumbled in an instant. She gave Xue Mu a look that was half amused and half exasperated, only to see him and Yue Xiaochan gazing at each other in silence.
She frowned slightly but said nothing. She simply put the booklet away and instructed the madam beside her, "Have Qingqing come see me in the inner chamber."
They all went down to the underground inner chamber, and the noisy drinking and revelry from the brothel gradually faded away. The distant, drifting hush made it feel as though they had left the mortal world behind. The master and her two disciples were silent, making that feeling even more remote and complicated.
Soon, Zhuo Qingqing hurried in, abruptly breaking the strange atmosphere.
Xue Qingqiu looked at her disciple for a few seconds, then turned to ask Zhuo Qingqing, "Did you find Young Master Zhao?"
Perhaps sensing how strange the atmosphere was, Zhuo Qingqing felt a little nervous. She lowered her voice. "Young Master Zhao did live in the suburbs of the capital. This disciple found his residence, but... he tested too many poisons. The poison flared up last month, and he died."
Xue Qingqiu: "..."
Qingqing took out a rolled-up book. "This is Young Master Zhao's lifetime of experience with poisons. His family treated it like a nest of vipers. When they saw I wanted it, they handed it over without a second thought."
Xue Qingqiu's expression eased a little as she took the book. Xue Mu leaned over for a look. The cover read: Hundred Herbs Record.
So this guy had been a real Shennong... Xue Mu marveled inwardly. Was this one of the Hundred Schools, too? Now this was what you called truly high-class!
Xue Qingqiu slowly turned through the Hundred Herbs Record. She paused on a certain page and pondered for a moment, then nodded. "This book might be of some use to Xue Mu."
After a pause, she explained to Xue Mu, "The art of poison isn't highly regarded because its potential is too limited. It works wonderfully against the weak, but it's useless against experts. Even if they poured everything they knew into poisoning me, I'd feel no more than a passing breeze. It would mean nothing. So the various Poison Sects gradually declined, and now there are no sects founded on poison. Only some branches of the Demon Sect still dabble in it. Our sect has studied it a little, but we've never specialized, so I have no ideas about your situation. Young Master Zhao might have been the last dedicated poison cultivator. He filled his body with poison too, which is somewhat like your condition. I'll study this carefully tonight and see if I can find a way to help you."
Xue Mu bowed sincerely. "Sorry for the trouble, Sister."
Xue Qingqiu put away the Hundred Herbs Record, then took out Xue Mu's smutty story and read it for a while. At last, she laughed. "Looks like we should raise Qianqian's price tenfold?"
Xue Mu shook his head. "Qianqian's status is different now. More and more sentimental martial artists will come to visit her. She has to raise her own standing and only meet famous figures from the jianghu, burning incense, playing the qin, and discussing the Dao together. If they suit each other, she can decide for herself whether to share a night of passion. There's no need to charge them."
Yue Xiaochan looked a little puzzled. "That doesn't sound like a courtesan... It's more like... like... Oh, I can't explain it."
Xue Mu smiled. "Don't bother trying to name it. Some people will go for it, anyway."
"Then Qianqian won't receive guests starting tonight." Xue Qingqiu stood and stretched. "Let her attend to Xue Mu tonight."
Yue Xiaochan looked up at her master and smiled faintly. "Wise as ever, Master. I've watched Uncle weave his way through the flowers. Some are too strong, some are too small. He must be about to burst from pent-up frustration."
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