The Live Show

Xue Mu did not refuse.

Originally, he had meant to. It wasn't that Qianqian wasn't good enough for him. It was just a massage, wasn't it? He'd had plenty of those. Honestly, imagining the famed Qianqian, whose charms had captured the hearts of the Capital City's martial world, serving him with such tender attentiveness was enough to make his blood race. But Xue Mu knew that this wasn't the time to indulge himself. If everything went according to his plans, then someday, it wouldn't be just a famous courtesan serving him. He was confident of that.

The two master and disciple had agreed in unison that Qianqian should keep him company. Their unbothered attitude wasn't an act; they genuinely thought he deserved a woman as a reward. They weren't deliberately testing him. Even so, Xue Mu knew that refusing might make them quite happy.

No matter how bewitching they were, women were still women. Who didn't like a man who kept himself chaste?

But after a quick turn of thought, he still didn't refuse.

There was only one reason... His behavior didn't exactly make him out to be a virtuous gentleman, yet he had turned down women time and again. That was already strange. And this time, he had a perfectly valid reason to accept. Refusing again would make him seem hypocritical, as though he had some ulterior motive. The two of them weren't fools. They might be pleased at first, but once they thought it over, they could end up growing distant from him.

Their relationship was at a delicate juncture. Showing them his true self might actually make him feel more like one of their own.

He returned to the Bamboo Pavilion and, out of professional habit, began drafting his plans for the Six Fan Gates. He had written about half when Qianqian arrived.

Xue Mu looked up and smiled, saying nothing.

A short while later, Xue Mu was soaking in a tub while Qianqian, wearing nothing but a red bellyband, stood behind him and scrubbed his back.

Her slender hands moved around to his chest, rubbing gently before working their way down, circling slowly with the utmost tenderness. A soft murmur came by his ear. "Master, does this feel good?"

Xue Mu kept his eyes closed and gave a quiet hum.

Qianqian gently sucked on his earlobe, her fragrant tongue tracing it as she murmured, "Qianqian is truly grateful to you, Master. Your brilliant scheme turned the tides and lifted Qianqian to the position she holds today... Qianqian really doesn't know how to repay you. When the Sect Master told Qianqian to come keep you company, you have no idea how happy I was."

Qianqian had originally been the top courtesan at the Hundred Flowers Garden. Her looks alone were unquestionably first-rate. Now, with her sweet murmurs and eager attentiveness, she could make any man melt.

Xue Mu showed no impatience. He simply smiled and stood up to dry himself.

He found himself growing even calmer. Her charms had almost no effect on him. It wasn't that he'd lost interest in women. It was just that the whole thing was such a pain in the ass... As a walking poison, the milky-white liquid he produced could leave an ordinary person covered in sores. He had watched Qianqian take a pill before she began her soft, tender ministrations...

That killed the mood in an instant. His first time in this world... and this was how it was going to happen...

He could even clearly sense that someone outside was watching his live show.

A ridiculous thought surfaced in Xue Mu's mind: Was this what they called... witnessing a courtesan get ridden?

Qianqian clung to him, drying him as her fragrant tongue slid down from his chest, then slowly lower...

Not far outside the window, two figures stood on the bamboo branches, quietly watching the amorous scene inside. After a long while, both figures gave a soft "hmph," their meaning hard to read.

After some time, Xue Qingqiu spoke in a low voice. "He has a powerful need for control. He likes being served in such a submissive way. Men like that are often unwilling to live beneath someone else."

Yue Xiaochan watched in silence for a while, then said coolly, "What does that have to do with me? His interest isn't in me, anyway. I'm too young."

Xue Qingqiu sneered. "Whether he's interested in you doesn't matter. Only that you aren't interested in him."

Yue Xiaochan sighed. "Even if I were interested in him, would Master really be willing to kill him?"

Xue Qingqiu fell silent for a moment, about to answer, but Yue Xiaochan suddenly cut in first. "I'm only saying it. It's not like I like him. He's always leering and never thinks about anything decent."

Xue Qingqiu swallowed the words she had been about to say. Whether or not she believed her disciple, she changed the subject instead. "Chan'er, when you head south this time, don't go picking fights with people. Your first priority is to gather Star-Forget Stone for the Chess-Cloth Star-Net Array. Yin Ye laid the groundwork already. Just keep doing what she did. This is our sect's most important undertaking from now on. If anyone stands in our way, kill them. If an entire sect stands in our way... wipe them out."

Yue Xiaochan looked surprised. "That wasn't what you said before, Master. Didn't you say we'd take four or five years and work on it quietly?"

"In any case, something has changed with the Six Fan Gates. The Star-Net may have an unimaginable use in the future. It will be far more than just a way for the Star Moon Sect to share information. It might change the balance of the whole world, and become the foundation for our sect's rise."

Yue Xiaochan clicked her tongue. "It must be that Xue Mu's come up with another new idea. Well... Chan'er won't let you down."

Xue Qingqiu suddenly smiled. "It sounds as if you're more eager to put his ideas into practice than to obey your master's orders."

Yue Xiaochan stuck out her tongue. "Not at all."

Xue Qingqiu didn't press her. Instead, she said, "Actually, though you left early because you wanted to avoid him, wasn't that exactly what he wanted, too? He doesn't want to fall in love, either, so he'd rather you leave. Can't you tell from the way he's been acting?"

Yue Xiaochan froze. The girl who had always been so lively and forward fell silent for the first time. After a long pause, she suddenly laughed. "It's a shame he isn't joining the Joyous Union Sect with that way of his—desiring without loving."

Xue Qingqiu shook her head. "No, he's different from the Joyous Union Sect. If he follows a path, it's closer to ours. As he said, enchanting women and bewitching men are a match made in heaven."

By then, Qianqian had finished pleasuring him with her lips and tongue, and was now gracefully enduring Xue Mu's assault. The sounds of passion drifted through the night. The two master and disciple fell quiet and listened for a while, their expressions both amused and hard to read. After some time, Yue Xiaochan curled her lip. "Who would've thought that with that broken constitution, he'd be so potent?"

Xue Qingqiu didn't take up that subject. Her voice sank. "Chan'er..."

"Yes?"

"The martial world is treacherous, full of danger. Who knows how many gifted young people have met tragic ends? But anyone who wants to reach the summit has to endure this kind of trial. I won't follow you, and I won't send anyone to protect you. That would defeat the whole purpose. Don't blame your master for being heartless..."

Yue Xiaochan quietly watched the room. "I know."

"But..." Xue Qingqiu paused for a long while, then sighed. "You're too young."

You're too young... Yue Xiaochan's eyes gradually narrowed. The same words spoken by two people, inside and outside the room, overlapped in that moment. Their meanings were different, yet each lingered with endless implications. Her thoughts drifted for a while, and she sighed softly before suddenly asking, "Master, is he afraid that if he falls in love, he'll become a captive, and his heart will never again be under his own control?"

Xue Qingqiu nodded. "Without a doubt. A rational man like him doesn't disbelieve in love. He's just afraid of losing himself in it."

"Then why not try to make him our captive?" Yue Xiaochan's gaze grew increasingly peculiar. "I may be too young... but you could, Master."

Xue Qingqiu didn't scold her for talking nonsense. Instead, she fell silent. After a long while, she said, "I've told you before that neither of us needs to seduce a man ourselves. If he likes women, sending Qingqing or Meng Lan would be just as good. Even if we lose them, we can consider it a reward from me to him."

With that, she turned and drifted away.

Yue Xiaochan watched her master's back. Even when she could no longer see anything, she kept looking for a long, long time. Suddenly, she laughed aloud and murmured to herself, "My fearless master... this time, she's afraid she might be the one who gets taken captive..."

Just then, Qianqian let out a high, sweet cry from inside. Yue Xiaochan turned her gaze back to the room and pressed her thighs together almost imperceptibly. Her voice grew even softer. "This time... I really did end up watching a man..."