“Oh? You…”
Si Tu Ding glanced at the pale-faced young man with glassy eyes and an overly indulgent look, his expression shifting slightly.
The room fell silent, and you could hear a pin drop as everyone’s gaze turned towards him.
Li Mo appeared calm on the outside, but internally, a hint of nervousness bubbled up.
The guy was a major demon from the Huanmo Sect; he couldn’t have figured something out from Old Huang, could he?
Huang Donglai took a deep breath, an uneasy sweat forming on his forehead.
“Hahaha… Well, our Divine Sect truly has a treasure trove of talent.” Si Tu Ding stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter. “Look at you! You’re obviously no good bird; I’m sure you spend your days playing the role of the flower thief!”
Huang Donglai had indeed infiltrated the Sect, replacing someone who practiced some evil techniques related to “plucking the yin to supplement the yang.”
However, according to Da Yu law, flower thieves were castrated and exiled, which was a severe punishment. This guy, being timid, usually spent his days throwing money at courtesans instead.
“Deputy Sect Leader, you flatter me.” Huang Donglai sighed in relief.
But Yu Wen Cuojin’s eyes narrowed again: “Liu Hao, why didn’t you report in last time?”
This was serious business. To prevent leaks, each Sect member was supposed to send updates to Yu Wen Cuojin periodically about their location and status.
Last time, Huang Donglai had conveniently been to Qiushui Pavilion.
“I was caught at a brothel.” Huang Donglai thought quickly.
“A brothel?” Si Tu Ding frowned, “Do you really need to go to those places?”
“Deputy Sect Leader, you don’t understand. According to Da Yu law, if a flower thief gets caught, they’re castrated and exiled. The penalty is severe, so I took the alternative route.”
Huang Donglai was glad he had spent some time with Murong Xiao and learned a thing or two: “Why go through the danger of stealing from virtuous women when I could just pay a little at a brothel? A tiny bit of silver can save you from prison.”
“Gasp…”
“That’s logical. Why risk your life for virtuous women?”
“Because I like the girls?”
“As long as you’re willing to spend money, there’s no shortage of girls at a brothel, right?”
The members of the Huanmo Sect exchanged looks, their expressions filled with newfound wisdom.
Si Tu Ding was momentarily speechless. He had assumed this kid was a reckless troublemaker, not realizing that’s how you trained to “pluck the yin and supplement the yang.” He cleared his throat after a long pause: “Well, with the recent tight winds, it’s certainly a bit of an advantage.”
“You still haven’t answered my question.”
Yu Wen Cuojin wasn’t letting the topic slip.
Huang Donglai’s expression turned difficult.
“Hm? Speak! What did you do?”
The skepticism in Yu Wen Cuojin’s eyes deepened.
“I… I was caught and held in the governor’s office for a day; I barely managed to escape.”
“Caught at a brothel? Which law of Da Yu forbids visiting a brothel?”
“But I didn’t pay!” Huang Donglai cried, exasperated.
“…..”
The members of the Sect exchanged embarrassed glances. They were all major demons of the Huanmo Sect, yet being caught at a brothel without paying was undeniably humiliating.
Si Tu Ding asked in disbelief: “Why didn’t you pay?”
“It’s been two months since we got our stipends! I actually have money!” Huang Donglai’s face was full of bitterness.
“…..”
The Sect members looked at each other, clearly this was no fabricated story.
Yu Wen Cuojin and Si Tu Ding exchanged awkward glances, catching a glimpse at Black Earth Immortal, they couldn’t help but feel their faces flush. They felt that the Immortal’s gaze radiated a cold sympathy, making them feel like they were poor enough to be completely embarrassed.
“Sorry for making you laugh at us, Immortal.”
Si Tu Ding coughed lightly: “Our Sect doesn’t usually delay stipends; it’s just that the recent battle in the Imperial Capital has cost us dearly, and we’ve been recovering…”
“It’s all that d*mn Li Mo’s fault!” Yu Wen Cuojin clenched his fists, growling in frustration.
“Right, all his fault!”
“If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have missed two months of pay!”
“Let’s take down Li Mo, grab the treasures from the Da Shang, and we’ll have a reward waiting for us, right?”
The members of the Huanmo Sect were fired up.
Li Mo: “??? No way! You can’t blame me for everything just because you’re not getting paid!”
Little Li was tempted to pull out a few chests of gold and silver to distribute among everyone, then go home, but alas, this wasn’t a situation that could be solved with money…
“Take down Li Mo, reward time!”
“Take down Li Mo, reward time!”
“??”
Little Li turned around, speechless, staring bemusedly at Elder Qian and Elder Xue. Why were these two joining in on the excitement?
“Back to the point.”
Si Tu Ding pressed to quiet everyone down after being ignored for a while.
He turned back to Huang Donglai. “You mentioned not needing to search; what do you mean?”
Huang Donglai grinned slyly, pulling out a small vial from his robes: “This is something I concocted using the secret recipe from the He Huan Sect, with some improvements on the original!”
“It not only has double the effect of the original but also disguises its scent in wine, making it undetectable! And after the effect wears off, one falls into a state of yang deficiency.”
Huang Donglai got more excited as he explained but suddenly felt a chill down his back.
He turned around to find Black Earth Immortal staring at him with a big smile that looked unsettling.
“Gasp…”
Si Tu Ding inhaled sharply, his eyes lighting up.
In one smooth motion, he conjured the double-dose He Huan Powder into his hand. “Does it really have such miraculous effects?”
Li Mo: “…..”
He knew the stuff Old Huang concocted well enough; he wouldn’t need to test it. Now that they had brought it up, he couldn’t just block it, or it might make them suspicious.
Knowing it was drugged, he could always just not drink it later.
“Then it’s settled. When you move, just send me a message with the token.”
Li Mo stood up, satisfied that he had achieved the goal of his visit.
“Farewell, Immortal.”
Yu Wen Cuojin and Si Tu Ding bowed with the rest of the Huanmo Sect members.
Just as the last word faded, a mirage of bubbles flitted away, and when they came back to their senses, the Immortal had vanished without a trace.
“If this drug works, there will be rewards after we capture him.”
Si Tu Ding and Huang Donglai exchanged glances, thoughtfully eyeing the vial in their hands.
He wasn’t sure about the effectiveness of this little concoction.
“I’m willing to give it a try,” Luo Yexian said with a solemn face.
“You want to be the guinea pig?” Yu Wen Cuojin raised an eyebrow. This guy usually hid when trouble struck, but today he was offering himself up?
“I’m just contributing to the Sect. I’ll go all out! By the way, can I get reimbursed for my expenses at the brothel?”
“…… Aren’t you not interested in women?”
In the end, Luo Yexian still decided to pay out of pocket.
Why would he take that risk?
As long as he ended up ‘yang deficient’, he wouldn’t have to join in the attack on the Qingyuan Sect.
Staying at the brothel, completing his tasks, and then setting up a mahjong table to win back what he spent? Sounds delightful!
