So There's a Saintess Sect Too

Standing by the window looking out, Xue Mu's expression was rather peculiar.

How should one put it? This group of "assassins" looked so foolish... One woman and three men were circling the Bamboo Pavilion, occasionally walking in Z-patterns. He had initially thought they were performing some special footwork, but soon enough, he watched two of the men collide and collapse to the ground while clutching their heads.

From time to time, they would bizarrely brandish their swords at thin air, only for one to slash his companion's backside...

Meng Lan, however, was unfazed and explained, "This is the Hazy Moon Formation laid by Uncle Yin Ye. Resources in the Capital City are scarce, so she could only set up this type of illusionary formation; its lethality is low. As for what they are actually seeing in the illusion... well..."

Xue Mu was very curious. "What are they seeing?"

"I can only guess..." Meng Lan said cautiously. "Given Uncle's preferences, it is very likely that on their left, they see a little girl eating a candied hawthorn, and on their right, another little girl gnawing on a steamed bun... That is why, Young Master, you see them aiming their strikes so low."

Xue Mu's mouth twitched, feeling that Meng Lan's analysis was likely spot on.

With a "thud," the female assassin ran headfirst into a pillar and passed out.

Xue Mu found it both infuriating and amusing. To come here as an assassin with this level of skill—did they really think the Star Moon Sect was empty?

Seeing no point in continuing to watch their ugly display, Xue Mu turned to head back inside. "Meng Lan, you understand formations, right? Go, knock them all out and bring them in. I have questions."

Before Meng Lan could act, Xue Qingqiu drifted over.

Knowing the formation's power was insufficient and that it served more as a trap and an alarm, Xue Qingqiu had actually arrived the moment someone entered the formation. Seeing they were just a bunch of weaklings, she hadn't revealed herself, choosing instead to stand on the bamboo canopy to watch the fun. Seeing Xue Mu wanted to interrogate them, she came down to see how he intended to play.

Xue Mu rolled his eyes and retorted, "I say, good sister, I want to play with a female captive; do you have to watch that too?"

Xue Qingqiu remained expressionless. With a casual wave, the female assassin was pulled over and tossed in front of Xue Mu. "Play away. Sister will guard you from the sidelines, lest you get sucked dry into a husk."

Xue Mu broke into a cold sweat. "This one looks like she's from the Righteous Path, not the Joyous Union Sect. She wouldn't do that, would she?"

"Righteous Path?" Xue Qingqiu sneered. "The disciples of the Seven Profound Valley are all 'fairies' and 'saints,' pure and untainted. You've taken a fancy to her, haven't you?"

"Eh?" This jealousy seemed out of place... Xue Mu carefully examined the unconscious female assassin on the ground. She was indeed beautiful enough to bubble over. Even with her eyes closed in a faint, one could discern that noble, cold, and elegant mold. He couldn't help but think to himself that there really were saintly sects in this world... If the Joyous Union Sect was a rival within the Demon Sect that they couldn't stand, then was this Seven Profound Valley the one the Star Moon Sect and the Joyous Union Sect hated most in common?

So you are noble and cold, and we are demons and monsters? Bah!

Cihang Jingzhai and the Yinkui Sect? Even if it's not exactly that, it's close enough... No wonder Xue Qingqiu is acting like her tail was stepped on. She didn't have this attitude when facing a swordswoman like Mu Jianli.

With these thoughts flashing through his mind, Xue Mu naturally knew how to answer. "I already told you, I only like demonesses."

Xue Qingqiu let out a cold snort and said nothing more, leaning against the doorframe to watch coldly as Xue Mu dragged the female assassin inside.

Chen Yao felt she was incredibly unlucky. She had clearly scouted it out: that demon Xue Mu was just an ordinary man without a shred of cultivation, possessing only a strange talent for poisons, which shouldn't be hard to deal with. Furthermore, because this Xue Mu was the only male in the Star Moon Sect, the Bamboo Pavilion he occupied was quite far from the women's quarters. She had considered it a perfect opportunity and incited a few admirers to come along to capture him and claim the credit, so as not to let Mu Jianli hog all the glory.

But who could have known that this Bamboo Pavilion, which looked so unremarkable and lacked even a trace of a formation, would feel like stepping into another world the moment she walked in? She could see the pavilion right in front of her, yet no matter how she walked, she couldn't reach it, and it even seemed to grow further away. Turning her head, she couldn't even see the shadows of the three "flower-protecting" envoys who had come with her. She knew she had fallen into a terrifying formation.

Meng Lan had called it a low-grade formation, but that was relative to the high security standards required by Xue Qingqiu. In reality, anything from Yin Ye's hand was never low-end. This Hazy Moon Formation was a top-tier illusionary array in the world; even the senior experts of her Seven Profound Valley would have to expend significant effort to break it, let alone a newcomer like her who was still dreaming of entering the inner sect as a direct disciple.

She regretted it, she was terrified, and she wanted to shout for help, only to find she couldn't make a sound. Suddenly, she turned her head and saw a little girl eating a candied hawthorn, staring straight at her. Those eyes were as pitch-black as the dead of night. In a daze, the blackness slowly occupied the whites of the eyes, looking incredibly eerie and filling her heart with growing dread.

She finally couldn't help but slash out with her sword. She saw blood spray from the blade, but the little girl was gone, and she had no idea what she had struck.

Boundless darkness surged over her entire body, like the spreading pupils of the little girl. Chen Yao was gripped by terror; she ran blindly in a frenzy, only to crash headfirst into a pillar and lose consciousness.

When she woke up, the first image she saw upon opening her eyes was a man sitting at a table, explaining something to the two women on either side of him.

"...Is that understandable?"

"Isn't it just looking down on brothels..." the woman on the left snorted. "Are you feeling wronged?"

The man said helplessly, "What medicine did you take today?"

"Hmph, because the layout of the brothels was something This Seat pushed for personally, and it took nearly eight years of operation to achieve these results! Are you completely negating eight years of This Seat's hard work, slapping This Seat in the face?"

"Uh..." The man scratched his head. "No wonder the styles are so limited. I thought a thousand-year-old brothel industry would be even more impressive than Dongguan..."

Then again, although Xue Qingqiu was acting like she'd eaten gunpowder today, wasn't this also a sign that she was becoming closer to him? In front of him, she had no desire to maintain the dignity of a Sect Master or the allure of a demoness; she was becoming more real, more casual.

This was also earned by Xue Mu's own sincerity. After he refused Meng Lan's offer to serve him in bed, he didn't sleep, didn't practice, and didn't dwell on the schemes he had clearly planted within the Six Fan Gates. He was still racking his brains for the development of the Star Moon Sect. Who was it for? While partly for himself, weren't the core benefits all going to Xue Qingqiu?

People are not made of wood or stone; how could Xue Qingqiu not feel a softening in her heart at this?

"What is Dongguan?"

"Nothing..."

"Forget it. Your ideas aren't without merit. Staying in this line of work for too long is not a good path after all. I also fear that if this continues, our sect will truly degenerate into something like the Joyous Union Sect."

"Actually, you were plagiarizing the Joyous Union Sect before, weren't you..."

"Bullshit! Does This Seat need to plagiarize others?"

"It's even more embarrassing if you came up with it yourself, you know..."

"Xue Mu, are you looking to die?"

"I actually just want to die of pleasure..."

Chen Yao felt disdain in her heart. And they call themselves siblings? These demonic monsters are truly shameless.

Xue Qingqiu let out a huff and added, "You let Meng Lan accompany you to 'die of pleasure,' yet you act like a gentleman! Tell me, you want to build Meng Lan's image as a 'Zither Immortal'—is it so you can have more fun playing with her? You really do like those hypocritical bitches from the Seven Profound Valley, don't you?"

Meng Lan stood to the side, her face flushed red, head bowed in silence.

Chen Yao's lips moved, wanting to say something but not daring to. From the moment she heard "This Seat," she knew who was standing before her. She wouldn't dare talk back to Xue Qingqiu even if she had ten thousand lives...

Xue Mu said, "Take the Seven Profound Valley, for example. Why are they the Righteous Path, pursued by the masses, while you are the Demonic Path, guarded against by everyone? Because people eat up that 'saintly fairy' act! Even if they are more licentious than the Joyous Union Sect behind closed doors, they've made it big. Can't you learn a thing or two? It's just a surface act; no one is asking you to change the Star Moon path."

Xue Qingqiu was still pondering when Chen Yao finally couldn't help herself: "You're the one who's more licentious than the Joyous Union Sect!"