**Chapter 24: Take Care of Your Health and Act Wisely**
Fate is a mysterious and elusive concept. To capture its trajectory through certain means is already an extraordinary achievement.
And to disturb fate, even if it’s just to create a slight change in its trajectory, is extremely difficult.
According to what Black Peony knows, all the methods require a significant price to pay, and some of them, strictly speaking, do not change the outcome; they only accelerate or delay its arrival.
Thus, when she discovered that Luxianbei was entangled with hundreds of red threads of destiny, she couldn’t help but marvel that whoever came up with such a method was a genius.
One thread of destiny corresponds to grasping Luxianbei’s fate trajectory, making a pull.
Although a pull once or twice is negligible, continuous pulling hundreds of times would change even the most solid fate trajectory.
However, this change without a clear target can lead to unexpected outcomes, and it’s uncertain what unimaginable events the target may be drawn into.
Unless the original fate’s outcome was already utterly disastrous, such a lottery-like change wouldn’t be worth the risk.
It seems that the genius who thought of this method believes that the original outcome is indeed hopelessly bad for calamity, right?
If there had been someone back then who could help me change my fate trajectory, where would I be now, and how would I be living?
Black Peony suddenly felt a pang of envy toward Luxianbei.
But if that were the case…
She might not have become a factor in the world’s destruction, leaving her unable to instigate change here.
And she wouldn’t be able to help break the world’s malice, regain her freedom, and leave this ghastly place. Black Peony thought, furrowing her brow.
In her contemplation, she summoned her spirit energy, activating countless pseudo-red threads of destiny to entangle Luxianbei’s body, trying to spy again for more information.
Then…
At the moment the connection of destiny was established and she began to glean information about Luxianbei, Black Peony suddenly felt less envious of Luxianbei.
Luxianbei’s threads of destiny had, more or less, some issues.
Although the existence of red threads of destiny does not necessarily guarantee encounters or intimacy, once they meet, Luxianbei will certainly face some troublesome situations.
After a brief silence of contemplation, Black Peony reconsidered and found her actions seemed even more reasonable.
What she originally viewed as altering the trajectory of fate, from a certain perspective, was akin to sharing the potential disasters that could befall Luxianbei among hundreds of targets, which felt somewhat selfish and excessive.
However, if those targets also had many troubles, it essentially splits Luxianbei’s misfortune into hundreds of parts, swapping it against the troubles of those targets.
In this way, everyone’s fate would experience disturbances to varying degrees, reducing the possibility of calamities, which could be considered fairly equitable.
Moreover, if every segment of fate is a cursed bond, then the disturbances to fate would indeed be greater than those from a happy union.
Nevertheless, this approach has its drawbacks.
After roughly understanding the genius’s technique, Black Peony looked at Luxianbei, who remained in a deep sleep on the bed, her eyes showing a hint of sympathy.
The only flaw of this method is that those who establish connections with Luxianbei still have a choice; they may encounter other fateful partners, without having met Luxianbei.
However, with the red threads of destiny wrapping Luxianbei like a yarn ball, it would be challenging for her to form bonds with anyone else or urban legends besides the hundreds of twisted fates she was entangled in.
“Tsk! Arranged marriages are deadly!” Black Peony spat, gazing at the once again burned ash of the pink silk thread, and activated more new threads toward Luxianbei.
It seemed that many secrets about Luxianbei were hidden, stirring her strong desire for knowledge, making her unable to stop.
However…
At that moment, Luxianbei’s eyelids fluttered slightly, and she slowly woke up.
Upon opening her eyes, she saw a cluster of black hair flying toward her, transforming into strands of pink silk that wrapped around her.
She froze for a moment, her eyes filled with terror as she looked at the voluptuous woman beside her.
“Who are you, sister? Where is this place? What do you want to do?”
“Uh…” Black Peony smiled, hiding her inner embarrassment, and replied truthfully, “I am Black Peony, the owner of the Lan Zhe Inn brothel…”
Before Black Peony could finish her sentence, Luxianbei’s pupils constricted slightly, and she let out a loud cry, squirming her body like a worm and jumping up from the bed.
“You, don’t come near me! I-I’m not that kind of person!”
Black Peony’s lips twitched slightly, “It’s not what you think, I have no malicious intent…”
Halfway through her sentence, she was interrupted again by Luxianbei’s scream.
Seeing the pink silk threads that wrapped around her suddenly burst into flames, Luxianbei exclaimed in astonishment, “What the hell is this?!”
“Big sister, I beg you, let me go! It’s my first time; I can’t handle such intense play! If it’s not too much trouble, could you be a little gentler?”
“…”
Black Peony was silent for a while before calming her emotions and looking at Luxianbei, who appeared as nimble as a monkey.
“You can rest assured, our brothel never coerces customers into anything. I initially wanted to help you heal, but now that seems unnecessary.”
Black Peony was telling the truth.
The Lan Zhe Inn brothel had never forced any customers; every guest who disembarked from the Dream Come True journey was doing so voluntarily.
After disembarking, none of their choices had been influenced by anyone within the brothel or urban legends.
However, the expansion of desires knows no bounds; even the most stimulating encounters become wearisome over time, leading customers to seek even more thrilling experiences.
Regardless of how thrilling it is, as long as the stakes are sufficient, the Lan Zhe Inn brothel can meet those needs.
As for whether the customers’ bodies and minds could endure it, and where the stakes came from, that was beyond their consideration.
“Healing? You should have said so! Waking up to find myself caught in bondage play, and it even had flames—anyone would think it was a bad situation!” Luxianbei complained.
In a place like this, one wrong move, and the person could disappear after patronizing the Lan Zhe!
Black Peony, “…”
I would like to ask who it is that keeps interrupting others when speaking?
What kind of person would become a factor in the world’s destruction?
Or is this the consequence of changing the trajectory of fate?
Black Peony propped her chin up with one hand, narrowing her eyes as she scrutinized Luxianbei, examining her like an art piece, making Luxianbei feel a bit uneasy.
Having escaped from her initial panic, she remembered the Proxy Player Sister’s warning and felt a wave of fear.
Although she had no concrete concept of how powerful the Old-time Destroyer was, she could reasonably guess that urban legends that could cause the apocalypse would likely be difficult to deal with, even if they failed.
In fact, upon learning about the existence of such terrifying urban legends, Luxianbei had resolved to avoid contact with them as much as possible.
If she had to make contact, it would be best to establish a good relationship if the other party showed no evident malice.
The current situation obviously fell under the latter.
Thus, while under Black Peony’s gaze, the composed Luxianbei stood up and deeply bowed to her.
“I’m truly sorry for misunderstanding you earlier; please don’t take it to heart!”
Although not sure if it would work, she thought it best to apologize before discussing anything else.
If it came down to a confrontation, she would lower her stance first and then strike suddenly for a surprise attack, Luxianbei considered.
“Uh, this…”
Luxianbei’s rapid change of demeanor caught Black Peony off guard; just as she wanted to say something, Luxianbei added, “Is it really necessary to show my chest while apologizing? I don’t know your customs here…”
“Ah? Why would you think that?” Black Peony was puzzled.
Although we are a brothel, we also conduct it in a respectable manner!
“That’s good to hear. That’s good to hear.” Luxianbei repeated and pulled out half a pack of spicy strips, offering them to Black Peony, “Big sister, have a spicy strip to ease the tension, let’s become friends, okay?”
“Uh, okay, thank you…”
Such a cute girl, enthusiastically trying to please others, is hard to refuse for anyone.
Moreover, Black Peony had not intended to harm Luxianbei in the first place.
She took the spicy strip and merely placed two pieces between her red lips when she saw Luxianbei reaching into her coat again for something; she hurriedly stopped her, “Alright, alright, you don’t need to go that far.”
Black Peony, having seen everything Luxianbei had, naturally knew what was left besides the spicy strips—there were only disaster water, alchemical dirty bombs, and worthless charms left.
And she wasn’t keen on disaster water or alchemical dirty bombs…
“Actually, I’m not mad at you; after all, it’s no surprise to be startled in a situation like earlier,” Black Peony said, “It’s just that my curiosity got the better of me.”
In Black Peony’s view, even if Luxianbei might not become a factor in the world’s destruction due to the changed trajectory of fate, it would be beneficial to help her shake off the world’s malice, for she would undoubtedly become a powerful urban legend in the future, making alliances worthwhile.
Furthermore, she also harbored some apprehension toward the genius who helped Luxianbei change her fate trajectory—someone clever enough to devise such a method must possess remarkable strength.
Once their relationship with calamity deepens, if she could meet that genius, perhaps she could request their help in finding other ways to rid the world of its malevolence, Black Peony thought.
Seeing that Black Peony’s words and actions seemed sincere, Luxianbei’s eyes darted about.
It seemed not every Old-time Destroyer is a malevolent person?
While mulling this over, she pressed further with a question, “Now that we’re friends, if it’s convenient for you, could you tell me what you were doing earlier?”
While saying this, she gestured with her hands at her body, mimicking the wrapping motion.
Black Peony pondered for a moment, “When I checked your injuries, I also… well, calculated your destiny.”
You mention this, and I get excited… Luxianbei’s eyes brightened, “Really? How is my destiny? Will my future wife be beautiful and graceful?”
“I can’t tell you that; otherwise, it will affect your destiny,” Black Peony replied with a meaningful smile, “All I can say is, take care of your health.”
“By the way, I heard you’re heading to the entertainment city? I’ll have someone help you purchase a train ticket later; the next train will arrive in about five hours.”
“I have many things to do, so I’ll take my leave now; you should rest here properly, okay?”
With that, Black Peony turned and walked toward the door of the room.
Luxianbei, “???”
What does ‘take care of your health’ mean!
Does she mean my future wife will be a delicate beauty with a fair complexion and a seductive waist?
Or does my wife have some special quirks that I can’t handle?
As Luxianbei was secretly speculating about her future marriage situation, Black Peony suddenly stopped and added, “Oh, I forgot to mention one more thing earlier.”
“Apart from taking care of your health, I also want to remind you to act wisely, um, that’s all.”
As she spoke, a trace of sympathy and pity flashed in Black Peony’s gaze.
Luxianbei, “…”
Why the emphasis on taking care of health and acting wisely?
Why do I feel like she’s not talking about fate but about cursed connections?
d*mn it; if I end up with a phobia of marriage in the future, it’s probably because you scared me into it, Luxianbei thought.
————
After Black Peony left the side room and closed the door, she headed straight to the office area.
Arriving at the grand rosewood desk, she lightly snapped her fingers, and the exquisitely crafted ink stone, brush holder, paperweight, and other tools on the desk began moving on their own, quickly grinding ink and cleaning the brush.
As Black Peony sat at the desk, a clean, fragrant piece of Xuan paper silently spread open in front of her.
She picked up a rabbit hair brush, dipped it in ink, and started writing: [Dear Mr. x*x*x…]
As soon as Black Peony wrote a name on the paper, the ink quickly blurred, merging into a distorted blot.
However, she seemed unfazed by this, continuing to write down:
[It has been a long time since we last met; I hope this letter finds you well.
Today, I encountered calamity, and with the aid of the pseudo-red threads of destiny, I indeed found it remarkable.
However, calamity’s fate trajectory has been altered by an unknown mastermind, making it impossible to help me escape.
I am aware of your great talent; when you meet calamity again soon, please inform me if you discover anything new.
…
Best regards.]
After finishing the letter and allowing the ink to dry, Black Peony folded it and placed it in a black envelope with golden embossing, then walked out to the balcony and called out, “Xiuyao!” A snowy white caique parrot flew from afar and landed on the railing.
Black Peony gently stroked Xiuyao’s plume, softly asking, “Did listening to Miss Miaoyin’s song inspire your writing?”
Xiuyao rubbed against Black Peony’s palm, then nodded.
“It’s much better, Master; that girl who came with calamity has also recovered, and I have arranged a place for her to stay temporarily.”
“That’s good to hear.” Black Peony smiled and nodded.
“However, she seems quite scared of us; after entering the house, she hasn’t come out again. It appears our reputation outside isn’t very favorable lately,” Xiuyao added.
“That’s understandable, after all, guests who leave from here…” Black Peony started but fell silent, smiling without continuing.
“I understand; although they caused their own ruin, others won’t see it that way once they go outside. Am I right, Master?”
“You’re sharp!” Black Peony teased, “Alright, since you’re better, I’ll trouble you to make another trip and deliver this letter to the person in entertainment city.”
“…”
Xiuyao tilted its head but didn’t ask further; it stepped forward, picked up the envelope with its beak, and flapped its wings, flying toward the darkness shrouding the world outside the Lan Zhe Inn brothel.
Watching Xiuyao fly away, Black Peony let out a quiet sigh and slowly relaxed her clenched fist.
The three Old-time Destroyers encountered along the Dream Come True journey were not actually elements of destruction from the same era; they simply fortuitously gathered together and formed a loose alliance, with differing opinions about their secluded positions.
Just like Yugu Xian, she never intended to rid herself of the world’s malice; rather, she believed it was quite satisfying to become a “local emperor” with her bizarre poison-making techniques.
That’s why Yugu Xian harbored serious hostility toward Luxianbei, who could bring about change, even going so far as to leverage the gray areas of the rules to put her in a desperate situation.
Black Peony had always felt regret for her past actions, whether maintaining her own existence through the Lan Zhe Inn brothel while constantly seeking methods to escape the world’s malice and regain freedom.
As the oldest among the three Old-time Destroyers, the Big Boss of Dream Come True Entertainment City, Black Peony found it hard to fathom his thoughts.
She only knew that he was always seeking a way to break free from the world’s malice, yet she had never seen him take any concrete action, as if waiting for an opportunity to break the curse to come to him.
“I wonder if calamity is the opportunity he has been waiting for?” Black Peony mused, “If so, with calamity’s fate trajectory already altered, what will he do?”
She didn’t intend to harm Luxianbei with this letter; even if she didn’t inform the Big Boss of the entertainment city, he would notice as soon as Luxianbei stepped into that realm.
She wrote this letter simply to leave a glimpse of hope, wishing that the Big Boss could possibly find a way to leverage Luxianbei to escape the world’s malice and share the outcome with her.
She had been here too long.
Long enough to have genuinely become like a brothel mistress, almost forgetting how she initially became that terrifying urban legend.
She only remembered the guests of the past, wearing silk hats and long gowns, riding in…
