Spend the Night With Me

"Damn it, does this Infatuation Path truly require carnal union with others?"

Yu Qinglian snapped her eyes open, a bewitching, peach-blossom flush flickering in the depths of her gaze.

She had been incredibly irritable lately.

The Infatuation Path, while also a Daoist sect that cultivated internal energy, followed a path entirely distinct from all other worldly methods.

This path did not prize asceticism or respect strict rules; instead, it took the profound affections and ultimate pleasures of the mortal world as the foundation of its cultivation. It required one to use the seven emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hatred, and desire—as catalysts, plunging one's heart and mind into them completely without losing oneself.

Over the years, she had already experienced five of these emotions: joy, anger, sorrow, fear, and hatred.

Only love and desire remained blank slates.

If she wished to advance her cultivation further, the only path left was to truly immerse her heart and mind in love and desire.

As a high-class courtesan at the pavilion, blessed with exceptional beauty, many had sought to redeem her over the years, yet most were trash she looked down upon.

Currently, the best candidates were Zhang Xun, the adopted son of the county magistrate, and Hu Ma, a hall master of the Black Wind Gang.

Zhang Xun was decent in appearance but was a notorious womanizer. Rumor had it he carried on secret affairs with many married women, and his intent to redeem her was merely to take her as a concubine. Worse still, some said he had even offered his own concubines to his brothers for their amusement.

The mere thought of him made a chill run through Yu Qinglian's heart.

As for Hu Ma...

His status, strength, and position were all impressive, and he did not mind her background, willing to marry her with great fanfare. However, his appearance was truly too much for anyone to stomach.

Yu Qinglian gazed at the lotus pond in the deep courtyard, unable to help but drift into a trance.

"Miss, Miss!"

A panicked yet joyful cry accompanied by hurried footsteps echoed from outside the courtyard.

Her fourteen-year-old maid ran up to her, panting. Yu Qinglian looked at her and asked, "What is it? Why are you in such a rush?"

The maid caught her breath, her face full of joy. "Miss, a young master wishes to see you."

Yu Qinglian raised an eyebrow.

She had no intention of seeing him.

There were too many bottom-feeders wanting to see her over the years. While it was true she kept a "fish pond," with so many fish, one had to filter them—better to have nothing than to settle for the mediocre.

Besides, she was already troubled enough by the fish currently in her pond.

But out of professional courtesy, she still asked, "What is that young master's background?"

The maid shook her head and answered honestly, "I don't know..." Her cheeks flushed as she added excitedly, "But that young master doesn't look very old, he's very tall, and he's exceptionally handsome. All the sisters in the courtyard are praising him."

Yu Qinglian's eyes flashed. The handsome, elegant figure she had seen on the second floor—that glimpse that felt like a lifetime—instantly surfaced in her mind. She stood up quickly. "Lead the way."

[Destiny Talisman Coin -1]

[Destiny Talisman Coin -1]

Lin Yi watched the Destiny Talisman Coins steadily decreasing and silently calculated the time.

A polite knock sounded at the door.

"Please, come in," he said.

The moment the door was pushed open, a gust of wind surged in from the courtyard, disheveling Yu Qinglian's hair. She couldn't help but raise a hand to shield her eyes.

After a few seconds, the wind died down, and she looked into the room.

"Young master..."

The words had barely left her lips when Yu Qinglian's pupils contracted sharply.

By the window, thin gauze curtains billowed in the wind.

Outside, the early spring peach blossoms were drifting down, and the figure by the window, as handsome as an immortal, sat calmly amidst the hazy white curtains, two strands of hair at his forehead dancing in the breeze.

Too beautiful!

The entire scene was perfectly natural, making one loath to disturb it.

[Deactivate Strong Luck, cost 100 Destiny Talisman Coins]

Lin Yi understood women.

Women were mostly emotional, visual creatures.

And when a woman judged whether a man was a lover worth opening her heart to or merely someone fit to be a provider, it often came down to one condition: the face.

Reaching that conclusion often took only a single glance.

He lifted his eyes slightly, a calm smile curling on his handsome face. "I am fortunate to meet you."

The room was silent, save for the rustling of the wind outside.

Yu Qinglian sat opposite Lin Yi, carefully observing his features. She had seen countless men over the years, but most could only be admired from afar; up close, they appeared mediocre.

Lin Yi was the first to make her feel that he was flawless even at such close range. A faint blush crept onto her face.

"You must be visiting the Willow Pavilion for the first time, young master. You look unfamiliar."

"Yes." Lin Yi sipped his tea.

"Then, Young Master, what brings you to Willow Pavilion today..." Yu Qinglian asked with curiosity.

Lin Yi lacked the dissolute air of those who frequented such pleasure quarters; instead, he carried an air of nobility that only deepened her curiosity regarding his intentions.

Lin Yi set down his teacup and looked her straight in the eyes: "I came for you."

A bright, charming smile instantly bloomed on Yu Qinglian's face: "Young Master, you truly know how to joke..."

However, his next sentence caused the smile on her face to vanish abruptly, her radiance instantly turning to frost.

"I am not joking. I came here solely for you." Lin Yi's expression was indifferent. "Yu Qinglian, Infatuation Path..."

A sudden gust of wind erupted.

Yu Qinglian's gaze sharpened. Her True Qi exploded, and in a heartbeat, she had flashed before Lin Yi.

A blade's light flickered, and when the wind died down, a gleaming short blade was pressed against Lin Yi's neck.

She sat astride his waist, looking down at him from above. Her eyes were slightly narrowed, her delicate red lips pressed into a thin line, and her aura was permeated with a biting intent to kill.

"Who are you?"

"Just a rogue cultivator who practices nothing of note." Lin Yi smiled helplessly. "Fairy, rest assured, I have no ill intent. However, if I were to die, you would be the one in trouble."

His tone remained calm: "I have written some of Miss Yu's little secrets into a letter and deposited it with the Hidden Origin Chamber of Commerce. If I do not show up in person to redeem it by tomorrow, that letter will be made public."

"The contents include, but are not limited to, the fact that Fairy Yu is a ninth-grade cultivator of the Infatuation Path who has yet to gather her Primordial Yin, as well as your measurements: bust 86cm, waist 59cm, hips 90cm, and that your menstrual cycle falls at the beginning of every month..."

"Oh, and there is also a list of the correspondence between Fairy Yu and those three hundred and twenty-six young masters."

"Heh..." Yu Qinglian laughed, a laugh born of pure fury. "You have such a handsome face, yet you act so despicably."

This move of Lin Yi's had truly caught her by the throat.

The Infatuation Path was one of the Forty-Nine Heterodox Paths, a wicked sect never accepted by the world and viewed by ordinary people as no different from the demonic path.

Women who practiced this path were regarded as loose women.

Moreover, she had kept many fish in her pond over the years and had been involved with many men, including several with significant status.

If this man were to make those letters public, her years of careful cultivation would go down the drain.

Worse yet, if word reached those fellows in the Joyous Sect, she would likely be dragged back and truly reduced to a cultivation vessel for that bastard.

Thinking of this, Yu Qinglian slowly lowered her blade.

"What do you want?"

"It's simple. Help me kill someone."

"Heh, I am a courtesan in this brothel, not an assassin. Just a weak woman. Don't you find it ridiculous to ask me to kill?" Yu Qinglian said with a sneer. "I don't do high-risk things like murder."

Lin Yi smiled: "Who said one must do the killing personally? Have you never heard the phrase 'Femme Fatale'?"

"In this world, are there few who have died because of a femme fatale?"

Yu Qinglian instantly grasped his meaning and pouted: "You are the femme fatale, your whole family is a bunch of femmes fatales..."

"Besides, why should I help you? Just because you threatened me?"

"Hmph, even if I can't stay in Jiaqing County, I can always go elsewhere to find another way."

Lin Yi's expression remained unchanged as he spoke calmly: "I can help you take your revenge."

"Let me think..."

"Back then, the Joyous Sect wiped out your entire family, abducted you, and raised you using methods meant for a Cultivation Vessel, all so that one day they could use you as a tool for dual cultivation..."

He paused, his gaze landing on Yu Qinglian's suddenly constricted pupils, and continued unhurriedly.

"However, it seems Fairy Yu has identified the wrong enemy all these years. Is it possible that the Joyous Sect was merely a blade held by someone else, and that the true mastermind behind them is someone else entirely?"

"Impossible!" Yu Qinglian shuddered.

"How is it impossible? The method to refine a Cultivation Vessel can be completed by age fourteen, yet when you escaped five years ago, you were already fifteen... Since the vessel was refined, why did those fellows in the Joyous Sect never make use of you?"

"Furthermore, you weren't the only Cultivation Vessel back then, were you? It seems all those who were successfully refined were later taken away by others..."

The usual charm in Yu Qinglian's eyes vanished, replaced by a sharp, icy chill.

She narrowed her eyes, like a cat whose fur had suddenly stood on end, staring fixedly at the impossibly handsome face before her, enunciating each word: "Who... exactly are you?"

"Why are you so familiar with those events!"

Lin Yi smiled slightly: "Perhaps I am just a suitor who was captivated by your beauty, Fairy, and looked into these things privately."

"How about it? I wonder if Fairy Yu is willing to give this suitor a chance."

"You help me kill someone, and I will tell you who your true enemy is and help you get your revenge."

Yu Qinglian remained silent for a long time before finally speaking: "Who do you want to kill?"

"Hu Ma."

A flicker of surprise flashed in Yu Qinglian's eyes. "You want to kill him? Do you know that among those currently pursuing me, he is the most devoted? He has a Grade A Bone Structure, has entered the Qi stage of the Martial Way, is an Eighth-grade martial artist, and is even a hall master of the Black Wind Gang."

Lin Yi raised an eyebrow. "Reluctant to let him go?"

Yu Qinglian laughed, her expression tinged with playfulness. "I mean—it's going to cost you extra."

Lin Yi frowned. "What else could you possibly want?"

Yu Qinglian's gaze slid slowly from his face down to his waist, sweeping all the way down and back up again before she narrowed her eyes. "Once it's done, you will spend the night with me."