As I was about to leave, the Madam of the brothel stepped in front of the exit. She caught my hand and smiled.
"Hello again, Shen Wuyin. I offered to speak with you in private last time—that offer still stands. But I also wanted to let you know… I'll be attending your wedding with Xu Yunfei. Is that all right with you?"
I didn't bother asking who had invited her, nor did I use my ability to know everything.
"I'll ask Xu Yunfei if she's fine with it. If she is, then it's fine with me. But thank you for telling me beforehand."
"It's a pleasure. How are the three doing? Are they well in your care? Those girls didn't have an easy upbringing—even before they were sold into this mortal brothel."
"They're doing fine. They're learning cultivation now. I'm teaching them."
"I see. That's good, then."
"You're a hard man to read, Shen Wuyin. But I admire you for refusing her proposal. Not many people do that—most are either too afraid of her, or stupidly in love."
"If you say so. Goodbye, Madam."
She smiled as I turned to leave.
"You truly are a strange man, Shen Wuyin. Until we meet again."
—
As I walked back to the Xu estate, I met Xu Yunfei again.
She ran to me and gave me a hug.
Her brother watched from a distance—annoyance and obsession in his eyes.
He gave me the snake eye.
"Did you have a fun day today?" I asked her.
"Yes, I had a great day with my brother. He took me to a banquet—it was someone else's birthday, and he'd been invited. It's a shame you didn't come, but I promised him it would just be the two of us. I'm sorry."
"It's fine. As long as you had fun."
"What about you? Did you enjoy your day?"
"It was… interesting, I suppose. I met with the Luo Ancestor. She proposed marriage to me."
"She proposed marriage? Really? The Luo Ancestor? You're joking—are you, Shen?"
"I'm not. But I rejected it.
"You rejected her marriage? She won't let that go easily," Xu Yunfei said.
"No, she won't. But she told me to think it through… to give her a proper conclusion. A clear answer. One that shows where I stand," I replied.
"I have my worries," she said quietly. "I'll ask my father to speak with the Xu Ancestor. If the Luo Ancestor causes trouble, perhaps he'll intervene. Hopefully, the Xu Ancestor will be willing to help. But… I also trust you. Whatever happens."
She smiled and hugged me again.
I looked past her—at Xu Xiao.
He stepped forward, voice sharp.
"You were offered marriage by the Luo Ancestor… and you denied her? That takes courage. But also foolishness. Do you know why that man, his master, and his entire sect were destroyed? It was for denying her. You saw it yourself—the outcome of her wrath."
"I'm only focused on Xu Yunfei and our marriage. I've no worries about her. I can deal with her—that, I assure you."
"You can deal with her? You're only in the Demigod Realm. She's in the Divine Realm—and she's climbed more than a billion steps in her cultivation. How could you possibly beat her?"
"I don't kneel to people unless I truly respect them—or see a reason to. She gives me none of that. I won't kneel to anyone who doesn't deserve it. That's who I am. That's my nature."
"Your arrogance will be your undoing. And if anything happens to my little sister… I won't let it go. Ever. Do you hear me?"
He had the eyes of a man who meant every word.
I ignored them.
Xu Yunfei turned to her brother.
"Brother, stop it. Shen Wuyin is a man of his word. I believe him. He gives me that feeling. If you don't trust him… then trust me instead. Please, brother."
Xu Xiao looked at her.
Said nothing.
And walked back to his own estate.
I walked with her, her hand resting on my arm.
"The Madam of Blooming Blooms will be attending our wedding. Are you all right with that?"
"Really, I'm fine with her attending," Xu Yunfei said. "I actually met her once—outside the brothel. She's a respectable woman. The Nine Families give her a great deal of respect because she's generous with them through Blooming Blooms. Even though she's mortal… she holds sway with gods in Mìngjiè Xiānlù."
"I see… it must be because she's an attractive woman, but also one with influence and power. Even as a mortal, people revere her—and fear her—for having sway with the gods. For someone mortal to achieve so much… that's admirable," I said.
"It is. I heard she once challenged a god—not with power, but with authority and voice. She couldn't possibly defeat him in physical strength, and she had no cultivation. But that didn't stop her. She made her stand. That's how she became who she is today. The god was furious… but he respected her for it. He didn't look down on her, even though she was a mortal—and the Madam of a brothel."
"If she ever cultivates and reaches the Divine Realm, she'd hold even greater sway in Mìngjiè Xiānlù," I said.
"She's even had people try to kill her," Xu Yunfei said. "But she has powerful backers— The Nine Families protect her. And by protecting her, their Ancestors do too. All of them are in the Divine Realm. They stand behind her."
We continued walking through the Xu Estate gardens, speaking softly as the wind stirred the leaves.
Far away, in the brothel, the Luo Ancestor sat unmoving—still watching. Only she and the Madam were present now. The Madam settled beside her, sipping her tea with quiet grace.
The Luo Ancestor did not drink.
The Madam spoke first.
"What are you doing? You haven't touched your tea. I made it for you. That's quite rude."
She called her by her full name: Luo Xianling.
She scoffed, then drank her tea—eyes still fixed on the distant garden.
"That boy dares to deny my marriage?" she muttered. "He has courage. Then again… if he's truly tied to Emperor Genesis Stormend, I suppose that explains why he's so full of himself."
She set the cup down, gaze unbroken.
"We'll see what happens on the day those two get married. I won't make it easy for him."
The Madam sighed, amused.
"Honestly, Luo Xianling… you've grown so grouchy of late. Quick to anger, too."
"You already have countless husbands," the Madam said. "Why be bothered by one boy rejecting your advances?"
She sipped her tea, then smiled.
"Look at me—I'm taking my time. Let him come looking for me."
She licked her lips, anticipation flickering in her gaze. Normally, she was strictly professional. But something about him unsettled her. She'd taken too much interest.
And she knew it.
"You're being strange of late," Luo Xianling said. She called the Madam by her full name as well: Madam Yuelin.
"Does it seem that way?" Madam Yuelin sighed, swirling her tea. "What can I say—I'm just a lonely mortal woman in her forties. Maybe I'm thinking of retiring from this brothel."
She smiled faintly, voice laced with irony.
"I might still look like I'm in my twenties—gods know I take care of myself—but eventually I'll sag and wrinkle like the rest. No man will take interest in me then. So sad…"
She dabbed at her eyes with a sleeve, feigning crocodile tears.
Luo Xianling scoffed.
"Then cultivate. Or you really will turn into an old hag."
"You're so cruel to me," Yuelin pouted. "I don't want to become an old hag so soon. I may be mortal, but we mortals still have long lifespans—and we age slowly."
She drank her tea, lips curling into a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
She moved like smoke, clad in tight assassin's robes beneath a jacket draped loosely over her shoulders. Her dark green-black hair shimmered faintly in the light, and her serpent-yellow eyes gleamed with quiet hunger.
She was breathtakingly beautiful—just like the other two.
The Madam welcomed her with a graceful nod.
"Sit with us, please, Lady Nagni."
Nagni glanced at her, then settled beside them. She took the tea without ceremony, drank, and went straight to business.
"What is it you want? Who do you want me to kill? Can't you do it yourself, Luo Xianling? How pitiful."
Luo Xianling's eyes narrowed.
"You might be stronger than me, but you should show some respect. If not, you're asking for a god-battle—and I'll gladly oblige if you speak to me like that again."
Nagni scoffed.
"You couldn't beat me if you tried, little girl. I'm older than you, and wiser. Now—who is it you want me to kill? I won't ask a third time."
The Madam raised her voice, calm but firm.
"Ladies, please. Calm yourselves. Do not ruin my brothel. I won't stand for it—even if you're both goddesses."
"Fine then," Luo Xianling said. "I'll say it. I want you to make that boy's life difficult. He refused my marriage—I'm not happy about it."
Nagni looked toward the garden, eyes narrowing. She answered without hesitation.
"No."
Luo Xianling frowned. "Why not? I pay you well—as always."
Nagni's voice was calm, but firm.
"Because you don't know who you're messing with. He's not someone to trifle with. No one should go against him."
The Madam raised an eyebrow.
"So… you know this Shen Wuyin? To think he holds such power and influence that even you grow cautious. From your tone, you seem to know him very well."
Nagni did not deny it.
"You could say that. Yes."
"So he is related to Emperor Genesis, then," Luo Xianling said, eyes narrowing. "Just as I thought."
Nagni looked at her but said nothing.
The silence lingered.
Madam Yuelin leaned forward, watching Nagni's face.
"What is it?" she asked. "Nagni—say it."
"It's nothing," Nagni said, her voice low. "Just… don't get in his way. You'll die if you go against him. He won't show mercy to anyone—if he's still like he used to be."
She paused, eyes distant.
"Forget it."
Madam Yuelin studied her carefully.
"Nagni, you're acting very strange. Usually you're composed, cold, impossible to read. But the moment you saw him… you changed. Like a little girl who'd been abandoned."
She tilted her head.
"Am I wrong?"
"Don't tell me he's a past lover," Madam Yuelin said, watching Nagni closely. "This boy must be a lot older than he lets on. Who is he really, Nagni?"
Her voice softened, coaxing.
"You can tell us. We'll keep it—promise, won't we?"
She glanced at Luo Xianling.
"Yes," Luo said, eyes narrowed. "We will. So… was my assumption right? Or wrong?"
"I won't say," Nagni murmured. "Just give it time. You'll find out—sooner or later. When he wants you to know."
She rose, adjusting her assassin's robes.
"If that's all, I'll be leaving. I have other contracts to finish."
But before she could step away, the doors opened.
Xu Xiao entered, calm and sharp-eyed.
He held Lingling by the waist—his younger brother's first wife. Her hand rested on the swell of her belly.
She was carrying his child.
"So you're her—the Slythrian Serpent," Xu Xiao said, eyes narrowing. "I have a job for you."
Nagni said nothing.
"I want you to kill Shen Wuyin. He's my younger sister's soon-to-be husband. Just in case he breaks his promise to me."
He stepped closer, voice low and sharp.
"I can't trust him. And I can't beat him. He's an anomaly. If he stands against me becoming the future Patriarch of the Xu Clan… then he's better off dead.
The Madam spoke again, her voice calm but curious.
"This Shen Wuyin… he's becoming more interesting by the moment."
Xu Xiao turned to her, frowning.
"What are you talking about, Madam?"
Nagni stepped forward, her tone sharp.
"I won't do it. You're wasting your time. Ask someone else—I won't kill him."
Xu Xiao spoke again, voice edged with disbelief.
"So you'd kill Lingxue—the Ice Phoenix Princess—but not him? Why? What's the difference?"
Nagni's gaze didn't waver.
"I have my reasons. If you asked me to kill your sister, I'd do it. But not him."
Madam Yuelin watched her closely. It was strange.
She had clearly seen Shen Wuyin as someone not to trifle with. But when it came to certain women near him, Nagni's cold mask cracked—just slightly. There was something possessive in her silence, something sharp and childish.
Like jealousy.
Madam Yuelin made a quiet note to herself: if she ever tried to initiate a relationship with Shen, she'd need to be careful. Very careful.
That was her plan, after all.
Shen Wuyin was… an interesting man.
"You—how dare you threaten my little sister in front of me," Xu Xiao snapped. "Just because you're in the Divine Realm, you think I'll tolerate it? I won't. Not at all."
He stopped himself, breath catching.
Then his eyes narrowed.
"But wait… how is Lingxue still alive? You've never failed a kill. Not once. What the hell stopped you?"
Nagni's voice was cold, final.
"That has nothing to do with you, little boy."
Luo Xianling folded her arms, voice light but deliberate.
"One more thing, Nagni," she said. "Me and Shen—we're to marry. I only wanted you to test him for me. Not really kill him."
She smiled, sweet and sharp.
Across the room, Madam Yuelin raised an eyebrow.
She's asking for a beating, the Madam thought. Nagni won't take that well.