“Whoa!” Yu Qingtang sucked in a sharp breath and hurriedly turned away. “Does anyone have something he can wipe that with?”
Scholar Xiao fumbled around helplessly until Chi Yantian grabbed a piece of cloth from his room and tossed it over.
“Use this!”
Yu Qingtang immediately pressed the cloth to the young monk’s face, then called to Pretty Butterfly, “Help hold it up for him.”
“Oh.” Pretty Butterfly answered with a giggle. She wrapped the cloth around the young monk’s entire head and gave it a vigorous rub. “Is this better?”
Yu Qingtang fell silent.
There was really no need to wrap him up like a mummy.
Considerately, Yu Qingtang opened a small gap so the young monk could breathe. Only then did he nod.
“That should do.”
From behind the crack in the door, Pretty Butterfly steadied the young monk’s head. “I barely bullied him at all. Look, I’m wearing clothes.”
She was indeed dressed. She had merely removed her outer robe, leaving two snow-white arms bare. Several silver bangles hung around them, jingling pleasantly and looking exceptionally beautiful.
As a modern man who had seen plenty, Yu Qingtang believed he was handling the sight quite well. He turned to the other two.
“I think this is perfectly normal...”
“Nanzhou culture.” Scholar Xiao looked up from his booklet despite his busy scribbling and smiled. “Passionate and uninhibited, but hardly excessive.”
“Exactly!” Pretty Butterfly said smugly. “This little monk simply hasn’t seen enough of the world. He’s far too easy to tease.”
The young monk, whose head was still wrapped tightly in cloth, made two muffled noises. Perhaps he was protesting, but Pretty Butterfly clearly had no intention of listening.
Chi Yantian had already stripped. With nothing but a piece of cloth tied around his waist, he leaned out to investigate.
“What are you all making so much noise about? What happened?”
He stuck his head out without considering the rest of his body, exposing most of his backside.
Scholar Xiao cried out in panic, “Brother Chi!”
“You’re showing far more than she is!”
Yu Qingtang reacted swiftly. He snatched the fan hanging at Scholar Xiao’s waist, snapped it open, and used it to cover Chi Yantian’s backside.
“My Literary Talent Fan—!” Scholar Xiao wailed. “Brother Yu, how could you use my fan for...”
“Consider it a noble sacrifice in pursuit of the Dao of gossip.” Yu Qingtang brushed him off and used the Literary Talent Fan to shield Chi Yantian while pushing him back into his room. “Be good, Brother Chi. Stop watching the excitement. You’re already undressed, so hurry inside and soak.”
Chi Yantian scratched his head. “Oh. Fine... You shouldn’t keep dawdling outside either. Hurry in!”
“Once everyone’s settled, we’ll ring the bell and have them bring us food!”
His face lit up with excitement. “I heard they deliver the dishes using an artifact. I want to see it!”
“Mhm, mhm. We’ll be in soon.” Yu Qingtang closed the door as though coaxing a child, then turned toward Pretty Butterfly with a hesitant expression.
At last, he asked, “You aren’t actually planning to share a room with him, are you?”
Pretty Butterfly’s eyes shimmered mischievously.
“Of course—”
Baoshan struggled fiercely. “Mmph! Mmph!”
“Not.” Pretty Butterfly abruptly changed course. She released the young monk, shoved him outside, and casually tossed out a new key.
Monk Baoshan was too busy pulling the towel from his face to catch it, so Scholar Xiao caught it for him. Smiling, he pointed across the corridor.
“Brother Baoshan, your room is over there.”
Baoshan’s face turned scarlet. He took the key and fled the dangerous scene in complete disarray.
Pretty Butterfly’s languid voice drifted from inside.
“Hurry up. You all came so slowly that I’m starving.”
Yu Qingtang tucked the fan back into Scholar Xiao’s belt.
“Shall we go in too?”
Scholar Xiao gave his Literary Talent Fan a sorrowful pat and sighed.
“Yes. Let’s.”
Only then did the two of them enter their own rooms.
It was Yu Qingtang’s first visit to a cultivation-world hot-spring bathhouse, so he curiously surveyed the room.
A steaming bathing tub stood in the center. Incense burners, flowers, and tea sets had been arranged around it. A price list was posted on the wall, and the charges looked remarkably transparent.
Each person had a separate cubicle. Seen from above, the layout would probably resemble a nine-grid hot pot.
What drew the most attention, however, was the notice on the wall:
“Bathwater may not be taken away or consumed.”
Yu Qingtang fell silent.
Who in the world had ever made such an unreasonable demand?
He looked farther down and discovered another line:
“Additionally, guests wishing to take sulfur-spring water home may contact a waiter. Honored guests may receive it free of charge. Its effects will be diminished without a fire vein, and this establishment assumes no responsibility.”
Yu Qingtang crouched down and examined the bottom of the bathing tub curiously.
He had noticed earlier that the rooms were not arranged as neatly as those in ordinary human inns. He had assumed the demonfolk were simply unconcerned with such details.
Now it appeared the rooms had most likely been positioned directly over the fire vein.
While he was still studying it, Chi Yantian called out impatiently, “Is everyone inside? What should we eat? Want to order Nanzhou’s specialty Hundred-Insect Feast?”
“You actually dare eat that?” Pretty Butterfly laughed. “Most outsiders run away in terror the moment they see that dish.”
“I’m not afraid!” Chi Yantian said boldly. “But does it count as meat?”
Baoshan’s quiet, hesitant voice came from the next room.
“If a life was taken, it counts as meat.”
“But you need not concern yourself with me, benefactors. I am not hungry. I can remain here and recite scriptures to bless you all and lessen the burden of the lives you take...”
“No.” Chi Yantian could no longer stand listening. “We eat meat while making you chant scriptures for us? That’s far too cruel.”
“Wait. I’ll find something vegetarian for you—this one. A mushroom banquet. Would that work?”
“That sounds good. Everyone can try it. Though I have heard Nanzhou’s fruits and vegetables are unusual, especially its many varieties of mushrooms. It is easy to encounter something poisonous...”
“Pretty Butterfly is here, isn’t she?” Chi Yantian replied carelessly. “She has eaten them since childhood. Surely she knows which ones are poisonous.”
“I naturally—” Pretty Butterfly changed direction halfway through. “Have no idea.”
“I carry a poison-repelling pearl that makes me immune to all poisons. If something tastes good, I eat it. Why would I care about the rest?”
Chi Yantian muttered, “If they’re serving it to customers, it should be edible, right? We’re already here. Let’s order one!”
Then he raised his voice.
“Yu Qingtang, why aren’t you saying anything?”
“Don’t shout. I can hear you.” Yu Qingtang was still crouching beside the notice. “Do we count as honored guests? It says honored guests can receive a bucket of sulfur-spring water for free.”
“What do you need that for?” Chi Yantian did not understand. “The water tastes terrible!”
“Silly boy. He wants to take it home for the one who couldn’t come.” Pretty Butterfly chuckled. “Then the two of you can soak together...”
“Ahem!” Yu Qingtang declared solemnly. “He’ll soak alone!”
“You all start without me. I’ll call the waiter and ask.”
He reached out and rang the bell. Before long, the little dog demon appeared outside with his tail wagging.
“What can I do for our honored guest?”
Yu Qingtang smiled sheepishly. “Since you’re calling me an honored guest...”
He pointed at the notice.
“Can I really get sulfur-spring water?”
“You can!” The little dog demon nodded enthusiastically. Then he pulled the notice farther down, revealing the folded lower half. “But there’s more. You need to finish reading it first.”
Yu Qingtang looked over curiously and found another line:
“Furthermore, we do not sell water after guests have bathed in it. This includes water from your own bath!”
Yu Qingtang fell silent.
The little dog demon gave him an ingratiating smile.
“We sell only clean sulfur-spring water that has never been used.”
Yu Qingtang stared at him.
“...That is what I wanted.”
The little dog demon visibly relaxed.
Yu Qingtang’s expression turned complicated. Evidently, there were far more strange people in this world than he had imagined.
“Then I’ll go draw some for you...” The little dog demon was about to leave when he suddenly stopped in confusion and sniffed the air. “Did our honored guest put something in the water?”
“No.” Yu Qingtang widened his eyes and called out, “Brother Chi, none of us added anything, right?”
“Hm? No.” Chi Yantian muttered, “Did Pretty Butterfly tamper with it?”
“I did not.” Pretty Butterfly snorted. “I’m not trying to coax him into coming home with me. Why would I put anything in his tub?”
“Pardon me!”
The little dog demon seemed to realize something was wrong. He pulled open the door to Chi Yantian’s neighboring room, rushed inside, and sniffed.
His face immediately changed.
“This is terrible! There’s something strange in the water! Everyone, get out quickly!”
“What?” Chi Yantian immediately tried to rise, but for some reason, he could not exert any strength.
He collapsed back into the tub with a thud.
“...Something really is wrong! My legs have gone weak!”
“Isn’t that a special effect of the sulfur springs?” Scholar Xiao froze, then tried lifting his own hand.
Regret instantly filled his voice.
“We were careless!”
“Hey, what’s wrong with all of you?” Only then did Pretty Butterfly begin to panic. “I truly didn’t add anything!”
The sound of splashing came from her room, as though she intended to come out and investigate.
“Little monk, say something!”
Baoshan’s muffled voice answered, “I—I can’t exert any strength either...”
The little dog demon hurried toward the exit.
“I’ll call the proprietor—”
Before he could finish, a nearby room suddenly exploded open.
A long, slender black shadow shot out and lunged straight at the little dog demon, opening its mouth to swallow him whole.
“Woof—!”
With a bang, the terrified little dog demon reverted to his true form and scrambled backward in a clumsy roll.
Yu Qingtang quickly scooped him up and, with practiced ease, sat down cross-legged.
The long black shadow slammed into the brilliant golden lotus throne with a teeth-grinding crash.
A man’s scream immediately followed.
A black-clad man lay sprawled on the floor. Clutching his mouth, he rolled about in agony.
Pretty Butterfly had already thrown on her outer robe. She kicked her door open and stormed out with fury in her eyes.
“Who dares cause trouble at a gathering arranged by this lady?”
The moment she saw the man on the floor, she froze.
“You!”
Then her expression turned vicious.
“Very well, you filthy oversized bug! You dare cause trouble for me? You must have a death wish!”
She raised her fists and punched him twice in the eye sockets, making his already unattractive face considerably worse.
Yu Qingtang opened his mouth.
He had assumed Pretty Butterfly was a spell cultivator.
Unexpectedly, she was also the type who solved problems with her fists.
“Tch. Worthless trash.” Pretty Butterfly kicked the unconscious man. “Strange. Why would the Viper-Worm clan send out an incompetent fool like you?”
Yu Qingtang stroked the trembling little dog’s head a few times to comfort him. Then he listened closely to the surrounding sounds and frowned.
“Something’s wrong! Baoshan’s room!”
“What?”
Pretty Butterfly spun around and flung out several silver needles.
A Viper-Worm that had been silently crawling along the floor toward Monk Baoshan’s room was pinned in place. It screamed and reverted to human form.
The first man revealed a savage smile.
“We didn’t come alone, Pretty Butterfly. You may be immune to all poisons, but what about these people? Hahaha! If you want them to live, you had better obediently surrender—”
The instant the little dog demon had noticed something wrong, Yu Qingtang had very prudently released the mechanism bird to call for help.
Now, he simply stuffed a towel into the man’s mouth and reassured Pretty Butterfly.
“I already called for reinforcements. We only need to hold out for a little while!”
Relying on his exceptional hearing, he directed her.
“Scholar Xiao’s room!”
Pretty Butterfly’s silver needles struck wherever he pointed, blocking every attack.
Suddenly, a shadow descended over her head.
Yu Qingtang shouted, “Duck!”
Pretty Butterfly obediently crouched.
Yu Qingtang shifted his backside and intercepted the strike with his head.
The attacker screamed as two venomous fangs snapped in midair.
Yu Qingtang confidently raised a thumb.
“Now this is what you call a truly ‘hard-headed’ man!”
A quiet chuckle sounded not far away.
Yu Qingtang froze.
The voice sounded familiar.
More Viper-Worms crawled from the rooms, only for their bodies to stiffen all at once. They began twisting and struggling helplessly.
“At first, I wasn’t sure it was you.” A familiar, languid voice drifted over. “I was wondering how a little girl who looked so much like an old acquaintance had suddenly become a boy...”
“Heh. It really is you!”
Yu Qingtang froze, then broke into a smile.
“Venerable Burning Gold! You’re still in Nanzhou!”
“Help!”
“Certainly, certainly. Only...” Venerable Burning Gold drew out the final word.
Yu Qingtang immediately understood.
“Oh, right. To ask you for help, someone needs to kowtow.”
He turned toward Pretty Butterfly.
“Why don’t you do it?”
Pretty Butterfly smiled brilliantly.
“Kowtow?”
She grabbed the man lying beside her and slammed his head against the floor with a heavy thud.
“How many times should he kowtow? Shall I keep going until his head splits open?”
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter