The Secretary Who Came to His Door

Xue Qingqiu took Yin Ye away with her, and Yue Xiaochan gazed quietly at Xue Mu.

What a chaotic, fascinating aura. Even Martial Aunt couldn't see through it at a glance...

She smiled and shook her head, then drifted away without a word.

Xue Mu sat alone in a daze for a long while. Rubbing his head, he picked up the Hundred Herbs Record that Xue Qingqiu had left by the window and plopped down.

By now, he could be sure his golden finger really did have the power to clear the mind and shatter illusions—and it was even more outrageous than he'd imagined. Xue Qingqiu, one of the strongest fighters in the world, had used her Bewitching Arts to the fullest, yet they hadn't done a damn thing. Worse, she'd nearly fallen into the trap herself. Though that had been the effect of Yin Ye's area-of-effect ability, it was enough to prove that the markings on his palm could completely resist mental corruption.

That said, Yin Ye's cultivation technique really was incredible... His golden finger could even withstand Xue Qingqiu, but Yin Ye had shattered it completely without meeting any resistance—and she hadn't even done it on purpose. According to Xiao Chan, it was a freakish aura that "ignored immunity to magic," one that couldn't be resisted even while channeling one's cultivation. Even Void-Piercing Realm experts would fall victim to it. No wonder Xiahou Di was so nervous. But Xiahou Di, you're going a bit overboard. That little brat—could she really become the source of such calamity? No wonder Xue Qingqiu hadn't taken it seriously. She knew her junior sister all too well...

With Xue Qingqiu gone, he had no one to guide him through the basics. He didn't even know where his meridians were, so he couldn't practice. The first two sections of the Hundred Herbs Record, however, were things he could study on his own, and mastering them would give him a highly useful skill. So Xue Mu set aside all that romantic nonsense for the time being and began to read carefully.

As he read, he realized that the things in this world weren't the same as those in his own. Many of the plants and animals were completely unfamiliar, and the bizarre, fantastical effects of one poison after another reminded him yet again that this was a strange world of both fantasy and martial arts—not some farmhouse courtyard.

"The Soul-Severing Flower is exceedingly beautiful in form, and its fragrance is boundless. Anyone who draws near it loses their soul. People say this flower resembles the enchantresses of the Star Moon Sect, and they must have their reasons. Hence, in private, it is called the Star Moon Flower."

Xue Mu tilted his head as he studied the illustration of the flower, amused. Young Master Zhao had a bit of a romantic streak after all. He'd even given the flower a pet name in private.

"Knock, knock." Someone rapped on the door. Xue Mu kept flipping through the book and said casually, "Come in."

The door opened, and a waft of fragrance drifted in. Meng Lan's gentle voice sounded. "Young Master."

Xue Mu smiled. "Any news?"

"Yes. After a day and a night of spreading, your little story has now swept through the Capital City. People are copying it eagerly; almost everyone has a copy. For a time, paper has become more valuable than gold in the Capital City. It even reached the Imperial Court this morning, where people argued over it fiercely. Some believe it is a licentious and corrupting work that should be banned. Meng Lan came to report this to you."

Xue Mu had known the erotic story would make a big splash, but he'd still underestimated how fast it would spread. In just a day and a night, paper had become more valuable than gold throughout the Capital City. Had the people in this world really had such empty leisure lives...

"What decision did the Imperial Court make?"

"I heard His Majesty read it and was delighted. His imperial comment was: 'A remarkable work.'"

Xue Mu mocked the emperor inwardly. The emperor couldn't perform as a man anymore, so he was probably pleased to enjoy a little erotic fiction vicariously. Maybe it could even help him get it up?

He thought for a moment, then asked, "Did Xiao Chan send you to report this?"

Meng Lan's eyes brimmed with admiration. She lowered her voice. "Meng Lan admires you, Young Master. You wield your brush like a sword and turn the world upside down with your words. You not only brought the Hundred Flowers Garden back from the brink, but even shook the Imperial Court."

As she spoke, she edged closer and gently kneaded his shoulders with her slender hands. Then she continued, "Besides, your plan truly saved Meng Lan. I don't have to go out and sell smiles like the people of the Joyous Union Sect. Meng Lan is grateful to you and admires you. I'd be happy to grind your ink forever, just like that day."

Xue Mu wasn't sitting in a chair with a backrest. He was leaning on the tall couch by the window, with nothing behind him to support him. Meng Lan came to stand there, her body pressed close to his back. All he had to do was lean his head back to rest it against her softest parts.

Xue Mu didn't lean back to take advantage of her. He quietly enjoyed the beautiful woman's massage while calmly looking down at his book. "You don't have to go out of your way to please me."

Meng Lan's voice seemed on the verge of tears. "In your eyes, is Meng Lan really so unworthy of your pity? I'm still a virgin. Am I not even as good as Qianqian?"

Xue Mu laughed. "Qianqian and I shared one night together. Is that all you're asking for?"

The hands massaging his shoulders paused slightly, then quickly resumed their movements. She said nothing more.

Xue Mu sighed. "Your Sect Master sent you, didn't she..."

This time, Meng Lan stopped for a full dozen seconds before replying softly, "You truly can't be fooled, Young Master. The Sect Master did send me, but..." She hesitated, then seemed to steel herself and gritted her teeth. "But Meng Lan also wants to follow you of her own accord."

Xue Mu froze. At last, he set down his book and turned to look at her seriously.

Meng Lan stopped massaging him and met his gaze quietly. "The Sect Master hopes I can make you fall in love with me, yet she won't let me hurt you in the slightest. It's a strange order. If I use my arts with all my strength, I might hurt you and end up paying with my life. If I try to seduce you with my looks, it's already been proven that you won't fall for it. Yet the Sect Master still sent me. What could she be thinking? There's only one explanation: the Sect Master has lost her bearings. I'm simply more familiar with you than the other disciples, so she thinks that gives us a slim chance and wants to try."

The scene from that morning flashed through Xue Mu's mind: the warm, soft beauty in his arms. Xue Qingqiu had been just a hair's breadth away from kissing him of her own accord...

Yin Ye had said she wanted to dual cultivate with her senior sister... Xue Qingqiu had dragged Yin Ye away in a fit of anger without even looking at him.

Lost her bearings... Meng Lan was right. Xue Qingqiu didn't dare make a move herself anymore. At the same time, she wanted to extinguish his desires, so she was trying to push a woman at him—someone he could develop feelings for—in the hope that their relationship would return to the normal path of siblings. Meng Lan had spent relatively more time with him, so she'd been sent over in the hope that there might be a chance.

What was the point...? Xue Qingqiu knew perfectly well Meng Lan wouldn't succeed. She'd nearly fallen into the trap herself, yet she was counting on an outer disciple?

Xue Mu thought it over, then asked, "You're telling me the Sect Master's intentions outright. Aren't you afraid she'll be unhappy?"

Meng Lan replied calmly, "Meng Lan thinks it's better to use this opportunity to pledge herself to you in earnest and stay by your side. Given your abilities, Young Master, I'm sure there'll be a place for me within the Star Moon Sect in the future. I won't have to remain a mere external affairs disciple."

Xue Mu shook his head with a smile. "You're being so blunt. Aren't you afraid it'll put me off?"

Meng Lan answered earnestly, "You're as wise as the sea, Young Master. I'm sure you've already guessed what I'm thinking. There's no point in hiding it; I might as well lay everything out. You'll need an assistant of your own. Meng Lan will follow your lead in everything, whether it's official business or... attending to you in bed. I won't disappoint you."

She was clever, someone who knew how to seize an opportunity. There was nothing wrong with having her own motives—someone without them would be the strange one. Xue Mu had seen plenty of people climb the ladder through unspoken arrangements and didn't mind it. Instead, he sighed. "You still don't know the extent of your Sect Master's peerless divine arts. She already saw you flirting with me last time. As for this time, it could go either way. If she takes it seriously, it wouldn't be unfair to call you a traitor. You really aren't afraid of dying."

Meng Lan turned deathly pale and stumbled back two steps. "This... The Sect Master's divine arts may let her glimpse the heavens and the earth, but surely she can't hear every little thing we say?"

"I believe she can, if she wants to." Xue Mu smiled. "Actually, you're right. I need an assistant. Someone has to lay out the paper, grind the ink, and relay messages. Better to use you than someone else—we know each other, after all. Hey, Big Sister, if you can hear me, do me a favor. We're family, so this can't count as betrayal. Assign her to me as my assistant, would you?"

In the distance, Xue Qingqiu sat cross-legged in her room, eyes closed and face expressionless. Yin Ye sat beside her, propping her chin up as she noisily ate cake. Yue Xiaochan held a scroll of illustrations and was carefully recording something.

Suddenly, the corner of Xue Qingqiu's mouth lifted into a faint smile. She murmured, "I'll make a note of Meng Lan's offense for now. Serve Xue Mu well. If you harbor any disloyal thoughts, you'll be punished for both offenses."

Yin Ye kept eating, turning a deaf ear. Yue Xiaochan looked up and smiled coolly. "So, you lost?"

Xue Qingqiu glared at her, then closed her eyes again in annoyance.

Though her words had seemed no more than a mutter, for some reason they drifted through a mile or two of bamboo forest and reached Xue Mu's room. Both he and Meng Lan heard every word clearly.

Cold sweat soaked Meng Lan's back. She knew her Sect Master's cultivation was profound beyond measure, but with her limited understanding, she'd never imagined anything so terrifying... She could really hear their whispers through the entire bamboo forest. Compared to that, sending her voice was nothing.

Xue Mu wasn't surprised. He stood up with a smile. "All right, don't be so frightened. Is your Sect Master really the sort to hold a grudge over every little thing?"

Meng Lan, still shaken, lowered her voice. "Thank you, Young Master. Thank you, Sect Master."

"There's no need to thank me. Since you're here, help me grind some ink."

"What are you going to..."

"How long can a single story keep spreading? Sooner or later, people will lose interest." Xue Mu stretched. "As it happens, I've come up with another story. It's about the Hundred Flowers Garden again. It's quite interesting. Would you like to read it, big sister?"