Writing Demon Sect, Read as Girl Group

But then again, dangling temptation before people and never giving them what they wanted—Xue Mu was very familiar with that...

What did he do for a living? He ran girl groups, manufactured idols... He built female idols, sold personas, sold purity, sold images. What was the essence of it all? Fans treated idols as lovers; when dating scandals broke, they wept as though the sky had fallen. But did idols really have anything to do with them? After taking their money, had they ever given them anything? Just a handshake event could leave them too excited to wash their hands for days...

Demon Sect = girl group? Xue Mu found this discovery very interesting. Though the methods differed, the essence was truly similar. So they were colleagues, after all. After all this fuss, he counted as a branch of the Demon Sect himself, didn't he?

Yue Xiaochan snorted. "Forget it. We Demon Sect demonesses are just like this. Think whatever you want."

"What if I said I liked demonesses better?" Xue Mu smiled suggestively. Looking at Yue Xiaochan now, he could not help viewing her through a professional lens. With her devilishly extraordinary qualities, if he launched her solo, she might well become a national-level diva...

How could Yue Xiaochan know what nonsense was running through his head? She sneered. "Your words don't match your heart."

Xue Mu had no idea how to explain the shared nature of his profession and theirs, so he changed tack. "Actually, you saved my life, treated my wounds, and arranged food and lodging for me... No matter how you do things, even if everyone in the world calls you demonesses, to me, you're the closest person I have in this world. If some great hero really came into conflict with you, I'd help you slaughter him too."

Xue Mu truly meant it from the bottom of his heart. In this world, the person closest to him really was the little girl before him. If they truly clashed with some Righteous Path faction, there was no need to think twice about whose side he would take.

Yue Xiaochan laughed. "You want to help us fight? Someone could blow on you and send you flying."

Though she said that, her voice had clearly grown much lighter. "Since your heartbeat and body heat didn't change at all when you said it, I'll take it that you meant it sincerely."

"It couldn't be more sincere." Seizing the chance, Xue Mu said, "I can't fight, but you can teach me."

Hearing that he seemed to have finished dressing, Yue Xiaochan turned around. She appeared to have wanted to say something, but her eyes suddenly lit up instead. "Hey, you look really handsome in brocade robes like that."

Xue Mu had only glanced through the clothes casually before. Now that he wore them, he finally understood their full appearance. This was a style of clothing he had never seen before, somewhat like the fitted outfits worn by martial heroes in ancient costume dramas: tight sleeves, narrow cuffs, snug trouser legs, convenient for movement, unlike a scholar's robe with its broad sleeves and trailing hems. Yet the fabric was precious, embroidered and richly patterned, with a jade belt around his waist that added a touch of nobility. The upright white collar also lent him an air of clean elegance. Coupled with Xue Mu's own capable, carefree modern white-collar temperament, different from this world's prevailing sharp martial air and not the frail prettiness of a scholar, he simply looked exceptionally striking and handsome.

As the saying went, clothes made the man. His previous bathrobe had been far too idiotic. Now that he had changed into this, Yue Xiaochan's eyes nearly sparkled with stars.

Xue Mu looked himself over in the mirror and was quite satisfied. Smiling, he said, "Who knew I'd look so handsome in clothes like these?"

Yue Xiaochan asked from behind him, "What does 'handsome' mean?"

"It means good-looking." Xue Mu turned and struck a pose. "Seeing how handsome I am, can't you teach me cultivation? Or can only women practice your sect's techniques?"

"Vain peacock." Though she called him that, Yue Xiaochan continued looking him up and down. She clearly liked his handsome appearance very much as she replied, "Our sect's techniques are not restricted by gender. It's just that the ones we can teach outsiders are all superficial arts. If you want to learn the real thing, you must join the sect. Years ago, because of an incident, our sect stopped accepting male disciples for a long time. Still, it was never explicitly forbidden. As long as Master nods, it'll be fine. When there's a chance, ask her yourself. I can put in a good word for you."

Xue Mu smiled. "You're being so good to me? Don't tell me you've really been captivated by me. Aren't you afraid I'm some spy trying to steal your sect's secret arts?"

"If you have the ability, then steal them. At your age and with your aptitude, starting from nothing—and with poison sunk deep into your marrow, impossible to expel... Forget it, I won't talk about you." Yue Xiaochan spoke carelessly, her smile blooming like a flower. "There are only women in the sect, and we got tired of looking at each other long ago. Having a handsome man around is much more pleasing to the eye."

Xue Mu had no answer to that.

Whether it was because his earlier declaration of loyalty had worked, or because handsome men truly enjoyed special advantages, Yue Xiaochan was brimming with enthusiasm now. Tugging at his clothes, she pulled him outside. "Are you hungry? Come on, let's go to Hundred Flowers Garden."

"Hey, you little girl, you're taking me to a brothel?"

"Do you think brothels only sell girls and not lavish meals? Master was right—good-looking men all have heads full of straw."

Was this the otherworldly male version of big breasts and no brains? Fine, he could accept her calling him a weakling in a fight. But this illiterate little girl who could not even do basic addition and subtraction dared say his head was full of straw... Xue Mu did not know whether to laugh or cry. Still, he was equally interested in their business model, so he followed Yue Xiaochan with great enthusiasm.

When the two arrived at Hundred Flowers Garden, Meng Lan came forward to greet them. She cast Xue Mu a glance filled with both worry and resentment, then lowered her head in salute. "Young Sect Master. Young Master Xue."

It seemed this girl still did not know that her flirting had been witnessed live. Yue Xiaochan did not expose her, merely smiling as she said, "Arrange an elegant private room for us."

Xue Mu added, "Preferably one with a clear view of the main hall."

"Eh?" Yue Xiaochan tilted her head and looked at him. "Are you really preparing to take over as accountant?"

Xue Mu smiled faintly. "Believe me. What I can do is far more than merely keep accounts."

Even if it was just a bathhouse, I could turn it into Heavenly Paradise, couldn't I?

Following Meng Lan upstairs into an elegant room, Xue Mu's attention was immediately drawn to the calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls.

Bold-ink landscapes, freehand flowers and birds... and inscribed poems. So such things did exist here... It was just that the quality of these poems and paintings was truly rather rough. He did not know whether this was simply how poorly they had developed, or whether Hundred Flowers Garden's standards were low.

Looking down at the main hall below, he heard the lingering notes of a guqin drifting up. Xue Mu stepped to the doorway and listened intently.

Compared to appreciating calligraphy and paintings, music was his true specialty...

After listening for a while, Xue Mu was somewhat stunned. He was not shocked because the standard was poor, but because it was fucking too high, wasn't it? Far more refined than those poems and paintings!

A solo instrument had great limitations, which was why modern music placed such emphasis on accompaniment and chords. Yet the qin player below used only that seven-stringed instrument, paired with a sweet, soft singing voice, and vividly conjured tender, enchanting beauty. It was like a spring breeze brushing into one's heart, leaving it soft and tingling.

This was a high-level fusion of composition, performance, and singing. The melody went straight to the soul, reaching an extraordinary height rarely found in his own world.

Their cultural foundation was shitty, yet they were proficient in singing, dancing, and playing music in every way. This was more than merely resembling a girl group—this was a girl group, all right, and a super-skilled one at that!