After sitting in silence for a moment, Song Yao began to talk nonsense. “Fourth Senior Brother, I only came here today out of curiosity. I already know there's nothing... nothing fun here. Why don't we go back? I still have to read my pill manual.”
She then added, “I'm still young. It's not appropriate for me to stay in a place like this for too long.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a slender, fair hand reached into her large bundle and pulled out a pill manual.
Xie Zhou casually flipped through a couple of pages. “Which page are you on?”
Song Yao: “...Page seventy.”
As if.
Every time, she would get dizzy before she could even make sense of the first page.
But in front of her Fourth Junior Brother, she couldn't lose face too badly.
Xie Zhou closed the book and handed it to the girls standing before them. “Read.”
Another question mark popped up in Song Yao's head.
Did she push things too far in her past life? Her Fourth Junior Brother really seemed to have gone mad.
Making courtesans read a pill manual in a brothel?
Where did her Fourth Junior Brother come up with such a method to torture his fellow disciples?
She turned to look at him. Xie Zhou sat by the window, his features elegant and his demeanor cold and detached, looking as if he wouldn't leave unless she studied properly.
He was actually serious.
Song Yao thought about it for a moment.
She would fall asleep reading on Baicao Peak, but here in a brothel, with a ticking time bomb like her Fourth Junior Brother watching her, she surely wouldn't be able to sleep, right?
She withdrew her gaze and smiled at the girl holding the book. “Go ahead and read. Thank you for your trouble.”
She had a beautiful smile, making the girl's face turn red. The girl hurriedly shook her head to say it was no trouble at all, then began to read haltingly.
The pill formulas were dry and tedious, yet coming from her mouth, they didn't seem so boring.
Combined with her fear of her Fourth Junior Brother noticing anything amiss, Song Yao managed to hold out for a full three pages before her vision began to blur and her head started to droop.
So sleepy.
Not only was she sleepy, but she also felt incredibly dizzy.
Before falling asleep, Song Yao thought to herself that losing her soul was indeed quite a hassle.
But since it was her Fourth Junior Brother, sleeping in front of him for a bit shouldn't be a problem.
...
The girl was only halfway through reading when she realized the person at the table had her head lowered, her face buried in the crook of her arm, sleeping soundly.
Holding the book, she looked toward the window in bewilderment. “Young master, this...”
Xie Zhou stood up, grabbed a thin blanket, and tossed it over Song Yao.
The blanket was too large, covering most of her body and leaving only her eyes and her fluffy hair visible.
He looked at the half-burned incense on the table and said unhurriedly, “Do it.”
The faces of the several people kneeling in the room changed instantly.
The girl holding the book suddenly raised her head. The timidity in her eyes vanished completely, replaced by a cold, murderous intent. “You actually saw through us!”
She curled her fingers into claws and lunged fiercely at Xie Zhou's face. Her movements were as fast as lightning, carrying a gust of foul wind.
The several delicate gigolos beside her erupted into action at the same time, blocking Xie Zhou's path of retreat.
Xie Zhou sidestepped to avoid them. A paper talisman flew out from his sleeve, turning into a wall of fire in midair and forcing them back half a step.
“Those evil cultivators all say that Young Master Xie of the Nine Saints Hall is difficult to deal with. You truly live up to your reputation.”
With a loud bang, the door was kicked open from the outside.
The second manager, who had been kneeling and begging for mercy earlier, stood at the doorway. Not a single trace of fear remained on his face.
He held a heavy, dark long saber in his hand, which was carved with evil runes that glowed with a bizarre red light under the candlelight. “However, our Zuixian Pavilion is no pushover either! We let you off easy just now, yet you dared to insist on staying behind alone! In that case, I'll finish you off and trade your head for our manager!”
With a violent shout, the evil runes on the saber flared with power, wrapping a cloud of black energy around the blade as it slashed down toward Xie Zhou.
The others moved at the same time, pouncing from all directions.
Xie Zhou didn't even budge. Paper talismans flew out, transforming into dozens of golden lights that wove a seamless golden net in midair.
The people who charged forward were hit by the golden light. Groaning, they were sent flying backward, crashing loudly into the doors and windows.
The second manager's saber barely reached three feet above Xie Zhou's head before being blocked by a sudden flash of light. Sparks flew everywhere, and the shock numbed his hand, forcing him back several steps.
He couldn't slash through, and his subordinates couldn't break in either.
Xie Zhou stood in the center of the golden light, his moon-white robe completely still. His expression was indifferent, as if he were watching a swarm of moths futilely throwing themselves at a web.
The second manager's eyes darted around. Suddenly, he spun around and slashed his long saber toward Song Yao.
This strike was incredibly fast and ruthless, the wind from the blade flipping over the teacups.
Xie Zhou's eyes instantly turned cold. His hand moved so fast it was nearly invisible.
A paper talisman flew from his fingertips, silent and swift as lightning.
The paper was so thin it was translucent. It bypassed the blade and sliced cleanly across the second manager's throat.
The second manager froze in his tracks.
A thin line of blood seeped from the edge of the talisman, and in the next instant, blood sprayed out in a torrent.
The second manager opened his mouth but could only make a raspy wheezing sound. His saber slipped from his grasp and hit the wooden floor with a dull thud.
Clutching his neck, he fell to his knees, his eyes wide with utter disbelief.
After recovering from their shock and terror, the remaining people in the room tried to rise and attack again, but several talismans flew over once more, suppressing them completely.
They could only watch helplessly as Xie Zhou walked slowly up to them. “You have lurked in Sichun City for many years. Who is the person backing you?”
One of them laughed sinisterly. “Who else could be backing us? Ourselves, of course! Sichun City has a great environment, and the people are so fresh and tender, perfect for nourishing—”
Before he could finish, his throat was suddenly squeezed tight, leaving him nearly suffocated.
Xie Zhou looked down at him. “I will ask one more time. The person backing you...”
A faint rustling sound from behind interrupted his actions.
He let go and turned his head to see that Song Yao had woken up.
The slender girl propped her head up from her arm. Her long eyelashes fluttered, her pupils slightly unfocused. Holding the half-burned incense from the burner in her hand, she said in a weak, unsteady voice, “Fourth Junior Brother, there's something wrong with this incense. My head is so dizzy.”
Her voice was soft, carrying a hint of a long-forgotten, spoiled whine.
Xie Zhou froze in place. He looked at her, then at the incense in her hand.
There was indeed something wrong with this incense.
It was actually making him hear her call him Fourth Junior Brother.
A fleeting, imperceptible trace of hatred flashed in his eyes. Curving his lips slightly, he walked over to the table.
Bending down, his rough fingertip gently wiped away the bloodstain she had accidentally gotten on her face.
Song Yao dizzily let him wipe it off, her eyes half-open and half-closed, looking at him as if through a layer of mist.
Once he was done, Xie Zhou stood straight. “It's very late. Let's return to the sect.”
Song Yao pressed her hand to her temples, her head still spinning.
She was in a daze, not quite knowing where she was.
Squinting, she saw the red canopy and light gauze, the aroma of wine lingering in her nose, and then she saw her Fourth Junior Brother's face. She thought to herself that she must have accidentally had too much to drink again.
Struggling to sit up, she reached out and grabbed her Fourth Junior Brother's arm, acting like a spoiled brat just as she used to. “Then carry me back on your back. Otherwise, what if Master scolds me again?”
Xie Zhou looked down at her hand.
It was thin and pale, her wrist bone protruding, and her fingertips were cold.
The owner of this hand was looking at him with an expression he hadn't seen in a very long time.
Mischievous, self-righteous, and completely unreasonable.
His gaze grew colder inch by inch, and the spiritual energy swirling around him turned dark and gloomy.
She had been dead for over half a year, yet now she returned without a word, pretending not to know anyone. How could there be such a logic in this world?
The paper talismans joined together, turning into a chain that locked around her wrist, leaving a red mark.
Song Yao groaned in pain, her eyes welling with tears. “Xie Zhou, you're not nice at all. I'm going to burn your house down.”
“...”
In the next moment, the talismans released her and flew back into Xie Zhou's sleeve.
He turned around, squatted down in front of her, and sighed softly. “Get on. Don't burn my house down, Third Senior Sister.”
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