Wind Wave Pavilion

Back at the Bamboo Pavilion, Xue Mu leaned against the headboard and went over everything that had happened lately. He felt a little worn out.

There was too little time. He hadn't even had a chance to look through the Star Moon Sect's records before one thing after another came rushing at him, leaving him no moment to catch his breath. He'd been guessing his way through most of it. Fortunately, he didn't seem to have guessed wrong about anything, and had managed to fool everyone into thinking him a wise man.

Honestly, he couldn't even be bothered to deal with the First Prince just now. If he got caught up in the whirlpool of a prince's struggle for the throne, he might not be able to extricate himself for a long while. Would he have time for anything else?

So, thinking about it now, finding another angle to deal with the First Prince seemed more suitable than the two dogs fighting over food he'd considered before...

But come to think of it, he hadn't expected the affairs of the palace to involve the Star Moon Sect's secrets. And the secrecy surrounding this matter was downright bizarre...

Why bizarre?

Xue Mu knew that Xue Qingqiu's trust in him was just about unconditional by now. The sect was clearly entrusting its future development to his advice. If he plotted to destroy her sect, she might truly be ruined by it. With trust like that, what was the point of keeping a secret from him?

Yet somehow, only her man or Xiao Chan's man could learn about this... It didn't sound like a sect secret so much as something personal, something you could only tell your husband...

But their sect didn't exactly keep such a tight lid on relations between men and women...

Then there was only one explanation: the matter concerned Xiao Chan's private affairs. How could her master casually tell someone else her disciple's secrets? Not even her younger brother.

Once you become Xiao Chan's husband, she'll naturally tell you. Or, if you become my husband, you won't be someone else...

Something along those lines.

Xue Mu let out a breath, suddenly enlightened.

The door abruptly went "knock, knock" twice, the sound jarring in the quiet night. Xue Mu casually said, "Come in."

The door opened. Meng Lan stood in the doorway, head bowed as she pinched the hem of her clothes. "Young Master..."

Here at this hour, to attend him in bed?

Before Xue Mu could ask, Meng Lan continued, "The Sect Master ordered me to... attend to you as you retire for the night."

This big sister... was using this to make it up to him again, was she? Xue Mu was speechless. "She already assigned you to me. What's she ordering you for?"

Come to think of it, this was one of the best things about the Demon Sect's leader. Her ideology was clearly different; she took such matters lightly. Other than the one thing you absolutely couldn't touch, you could do whatever you liked. She'd even send someone to you. As long as you were happy, that was all that mattered. Had your eye on Her Highness? No problem, as long as you had what it took to make Her Highness take a liking to you, too.

If she'd been a modern girl or a Righteous Path girl, he could only laugh...

Meng Lan said softly, "Even without the Sect Master's instructions, Meng Lan would have wanted to attend to you."

"Enough." Xue Mu sighed. "I'm exhausted today. You came at just the right time. Give me a massage."

Meng Lan cautiously walked over. Seeing Xue Mu leaning against the headboard, she hesitated briefly, then quickly made up her mind. She slipped off her embroidered shoes and knelt on the bed, then straightened Xue Mu's shoulders so he could lean against her.

Her slender fingers pressed against his temples, rubbing gently.

This girl was certainly bold. Once she'd made up her mind, she was all in. There was no affection involved, but Xue Mu wasn't going to put on airs and refuse her attentions. He leaned back comfortably and enjoyed himself for a while, until he finally remembered to ask, "Meng Lan, you wouldn't happen to be surnamed Meng, would you?"

Meng Lan smiled, though there was a hint of bitterness in her smile. "Meng Lan's surname is Zhang."

They'd known each other for so long, and only now did Xue Mu learn her full name... Thinking of it that way made him feel a little embarrassed. He said, "How much do you know about the Wind Wave Pavilion?"

Anyone clever enough would understand that he wanted to cultivate her according to her abilities. Meng Lan certainly wasn't stupid; her eyes quickly lit up. "The Traceless Path is one of the Three Sects and Four Paths. It follows the way of assassination, and everyone in the sect is an assassin. They'll kill anyone, so long as the price is right. Their motto is: 'They hunt the soul and seize the spirit, leaving no trace; once they enter the jianghu, turmoil follows.' The Wind Wave Pavilion is the trading post they've set up in the open."

"Damn it, another fellow sect..." Xue Mu was getting a headache. The Righteous Path at least pretended to be united, while the Demon Sect was clearly weaker than them and yet still couldn't get along with itself. The Joyous Union Sect crowding the Hundred Flowers Garden out of business was one thing; you could call it commercial competition that didn't harm relations on the surface. Even Xue Qingqiu couldn't say much about that. But the Traceless Path was taking assassination jobs against him, right in front of Xue Qingqiu. Even if they succeeded, did they think the assassin's death would be enough to settle it? It would obviously lead to a war. What the hell was in it for them? Had they fallen so deep into the money pit?

All he could say was that many of these Demon Sect principles were warped beyond belief. "We'll kill anyone as long as the price is right"—if he offered them enough money to kill themselves, would they do it? What a bunch of freaks. What was the point of showing off with a rhyming slogan? Did anyone in this world even appreciate that?

Xue Qingqiu, on the other hand, often showed a violent streak, but she clearly had more foresight and a broader view than those people. No wonder the Star Moon Sect remained a leading sect of the Demon Sect despite suffering setback after setback.

Meng Lan seemed to have seen the scornful thoughts running through his mind, so she added, "Just as the Joyous Union Sect competes with us in business, the Traceless Path does as well."

"Oh?" Xue Mu's interest was piqued. If they had a fundamental conflict, some things were easier to understand.

"Assassination depends on intelligence. The Wind Wave Pavilion doesn't just take murder contracts; it also trades in information. So they've never looked kindly on us or the Joyous Union Sect."

"I see..." Xue Mu quickly understood. "They want a monopoly on information... They've got some nerve. How could anyone possibly pull that off? Nobody can know everything under heaven. Their best option is obvious: cooperate with us, complement each other, and trade information. We should be natural partners, yet they've still managed to turn it into a conflict. Honestly... With that kind of narrow-mindedness, it's no wonder they've spent a thousand years skulking in the shadows."

Meng Lan smiled. "The jianghu is perilous, and people's hearts are the hardest to trust. The sects of the Demon Sect have grown accustomed to being wary of one another. Not everyone can have your breadth of vision and magnanimity, Young Master."

Xue Mu laughed. "You have a broad mind, too."

Meng Lan's pretty face turned slightly red. She lowered her head and looked at Xue Mu resting against her chest. She was an untouched young woman, and with his head nestled against her bosom, she had already begun to feel something herself. Her eyes glistened with springlike warmth. "Young Master... would you like to?"

"Ah..." Xue Mu shifted his head, rubbing it against both sides before sighing contentedly. "Let's talk about it when someone gets over her peeping habit..."

In the distant Bamboo Pavilion, Xue Qingqiu sat cross-legged with her eyes closed. At last, she slowly opened them, looking both annoyed and amused.

Beside her, a little girl was setting out a Nine Palaces grid to work on an arithmetic problem. As she arranged the pieces, she grumbled, "You went through all that trouble to reach the Void-Piercing Realm, and now you're using your power to see through heaven and earth for this. Aren't you tired? If you want to watch so badly, just go into his room. Who could possibly stop you?"

"Bang!" Another person-shaped hole burst through the roof of the Bamboo Pavilion, and a little girl flew into the night sky.