Chapter 149| Chapter 150| Chapter 151
Chapter 149: Talk
The potent blend Lu Yunxi brewed was a highly upgraded version of her previous hallucination powder. Armed with this, she was entirely confident that the Madam wouldn’t be causing any more trouble.
She worked with seamless efficiency. Slipping into the Madam’s private chambers that very night, she waited until the older woman fell into a deep, feverish sleep before quietly swapping out her personal teapot with the new blend.
However—
Even though her reflexes were blindingly fast and the Madam was thoroughly incapacitated, the human trafficker had already arrived at the Fengyue Tower. Since the buyer was already on the premises, the Madam was simply too exhausted and miserable to reschedule. Forcing herself upright, she ordered the guards to drag the slated handymen out of the dormitories and line them up before the man.
The trafficker scanned the weeping, terrified girls, his brow furrowing with deep dissatisfaction. “Are these the only ones left?” he grumbled. “Fine. Wrap it up, I’ll take them.”
Reaching into his heavy coat pocket, he pulled out a dozen loose copper coins and carelessly shoved them into the Madam’s palm.
Though the Madam was currently sweltering from a sudden phantom hot flash, she clung tightly to the bedpost to anchor herself against a wave of aggressive vertigo. “Hold your horses! This is far too little silver!” she hissed. “Look closely at these maidens. There are several exceptionally pretty ones in this batch. You have to cough up more coin!”
“We established a fixed rate per head months ago,” the trafficker countered, his irritation flaring. “These girls won’t fetch a premium on the market regardless of how they look. Don’t even dream of squeezing me for more.”
“The dregs I sold you last quarter were plain, so I let them go cheap,” the Madam insisted, gritting her teeth against a sudden chill. “But these pretty ones command a completely different bracket!”
In reality, if these specific girls hadn’t been so terribly blunt and constantly offended the elite clientele, she never would have liquidated their contracts so easily. She had invested a considerable sum into their room and board; letting them go for a handful of coppers would mean a massive financial deficit.
As the argument intensified, their tempers flared out of control. Words rapidly escalated into action, and before the onlookers could comprehend the shift, the two of them suddenly lunged at each other, locked in a brutal physical struggle.
The weeping young handymen froze, staring at the chaotic spectacle in absolute bewilderment.
“You absolute parasite!” the Madam shrieked, clawing at his arms. “It’s one thing to cheat me on the common laborers, but you expect to bag my prime visual assets for the exact same price? You’re dreaming!”
“You greedy old hag!” the trafficker roared back, tackling her against the wardrobe. “We shook hands on this exact rate, and now you break the contract to demand a price hike? You’re asking for death! Let’s see who else in this province will buy these girls if I walk away!”
“You’re nothing but a low-life smuggler, yet you dare posture in my house?! If I hadn’t consistently supplied you with inventory over the years, you’d be starving in a ditch!”
“Take a look in a mirror, you miserable crone! You’re practically ancient, yet you still paint your face and dress in those ridiculous silks—do you honestly mistake yourself for some divine fairy?!”
“…”
The insults grew increasingly vicious and personal. Their eyes bloodshot with raw fury, the two of them tore at each other, pulling hair, scratching faces, and drawing blood, entirely numb to the damage they were inflicting.
Watching the violent, undignified brawl unfold, the young girls sniffed back their tears, standing rooted to the spot in complete disbelief.
As the minutes ticked away, the chaotic clash finally ground to a halt.
The spiked tea had been ravaging the Madam’s equilibrium the entire time; her vision blurred, and despite her desperate efforts to keep her eyes open, she blacked out and collapsed onto the floorboards. Fortunately, her inner parameters had been fortified by the underlying purification cycle, leaving her vessel relatively intact.
The smuggler, on the other hand, possessed a frail, spindly physique. Unable to withstand the brutal physical toll of the brawl, his eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he swooned dead away right beside her.
Staring down at the two bloodied, unconscious bodies sprawled across the rugs, the handymen blinked in absolute shock, entirely at a loss for what to do next.
Ling’er remained huddled within the center of the crowd, her head lowered to conceal her expression. No one noticed the sudden wave of realization gleaming in her eyes. Just an hour prior, when her panic had reached its absolute peak, Qing’er had leaned in and calmly instructed her to remain composed, promising her that everything would resolve itself.
And now, this impossible scene had manifested.
In all her years serving the household, the Madam had never once compromised her business interests to bicker with a trafficker, let alone engage in a life-or-death fistfight. Recalling how utterly detached and confident Qing’er had appeared when predicting the outcome, Ling’er’s mind raced with theories.
Could Qing’er secretly be a legendary, undercover heroine? Did she deliberately allow herself to be captured just to infiltrate the Fengyue Tower and expose a human trafficking ring? Did she use some mystical, secret drug to make the Madam and the slaver destroy each other?
Feeding on the dramatic plotlines of the marketplace storytellers, Ling’er’s eyes lit up with profound adoration.
Meanwhile, Lu Yunxi was currently crouching on a tiled roof outside the perimeter of the Fengyue Tower, keeping a vigilant eye on the exit routes. Her plan was simple: the moment the trafficker’s transport carts rolled out of the gates, she would execute a swift ambush and break the girls out of captivity.
Yet, after waiting in the night air until her limbs felt stiff, the gates remained firmly barred. Ling’er and the others never showed.
Perplexed, she wondered if her internal intelligence network had fed her a flawed timeline. Was the smuggler not scheduled for tonight?
She prepared to drop down from the rafters to investigate when the side doors finally creaked open, and a line of figures emerged. Her gaze sharpened, her muscles tensing for action—until she realized there wasn’t a single stranger guarding the group. It was just the resident handymen.
Peering closely through the gloom, she watched in amazement as Ling’er and the other girls carefully hoisted the unconscious, battered forms of the Madam and the trafficker, carrying them like heavy sacks toward the medical clinic in the rear courtyard.
Ling’er spotted her hovering near the shadows and rushed over excitedly, keeping her voice to a thrilled whisper. “Qing’er! We owe you our lives this time! If it weren’t for your incredible divine intervention, every single one of us would be on a slave cart heading deep into the mountains right now!”
Lu Yunxi: ???
Hold on. She hadn’t even initiated her ambush yet? Had she somehow cleared the dungeon layout in her sleep?
A few days later.
When the Madam and the human trafficker finally regained consciousness, their vitals had stabilized, and they immediately resumed their cold corporate negotiations regarding the handymen liquidation.
Even Lu Yunxi had to admire their sheer, stubborn dedication to human trafficking.
The slaver hadn’t been affected by her specialized tea, but the sheer physical exhaustion and psychological trauma of the brawl had left him bedridden with a severe fever. Meanwhile, the Madam’s system was still actively experiencing intense, rotating phantom hot flashes and dizzy spells. Yet, despite their respective physical torments, the two monsters remained entirely committed to shipping the young handymen out of the province.
Recognizing that subtle methods had failed, Lu Yunxi decided to execute a direct management intervention. She marched straight into the Madam’s private chambers to hold an official consultation.
“What did you just say?!” the Madam barked, digging a finger into her ear as she stared at the maid in absolute disbelief. “You’re ordering me to keep those unprofitable wretches on the payroll?!”
“I am merely offering professional advice,” Lu Yunxi replied smoothly, keeping her tone measured and calm. “The Fengyue Tower is currently facing a severe logistical labor shortage. While we possess an adequate roster of beautiful courtesans, we are critically low on support staff to brew tea, scrub floors, and run errands. It is far more cost-effective to retain the current handymen to manage the daily operations.”
From the covert conversations she had intercepted between the management and the smuggler, she knew the exact trajectory awaiting these girls once the transaction concluded. They were slated for transport into the deep, isolated mountain ranges of the frontier, destined to be sold as domestic brides to impoverished, middle-aged laborers in their fifties. In those remote, lawless territories, it wasn’t uncommon for multiple brothers to split the cost to share a single wife.
Once a woman was dropped into an abyss like that, escape was mathematically impossible; an ordinary mortal girl stood zero chance of surviving the predatory wildlife and treacherous mountain terrain to find her way home.
Lu Yunxi had subtly polled the slated girls, and surprise, surprise—not a single one of them harbored a desire to be human trafficked to a mountain ridge. Naturally, she was going to permanently terminate the contract.
“Listen to me, you arrogant little wench!” the Madam sneered, her features twisting with deep disdain. “I spared you from the slave blocks because your face has market value, not because you have a say in my logistics! If you don’t shut your mouth and perfect your choreography for the afternoon debut, I’ll have the guards throw you onto the transport carts right alongside them!”
She shot her a mocking look. “Instead of bleeding your heart out for a pack of useless scrub maids, you’d best start worrying about your own skin.”
Seeing that verbal persuasion was yielding zero return on investment, Lu Yunxi let out a soft, internal sigh. She offered a final, polite warning.
“I strongly advise you to reconsider your corporate strategy, Madam.”
Thoroughly annoyed, the Madam slammed a hand onto her duvet. “Keep whining, girl, and I’ll sign your liquidation papers before sunset!”
Lu Yunxi: “…”
Observing her sudden silence, the Madam assumed she had successfully broken the newcomer’s nerve. She turned her head away with a cold huff. “You refused the carrot, so now you get the stick! Life would be infinitely smoother for you if you simply learned your place. Why must you insist on sticking your nose into my business?”
Lu Yunxi lowered her eyes, masking the sheer, deadpan resignation swirling in her gaze.
I really tried to handle this like a civilized professional, she thought. Why do these NPCs always insist on forcing my hand?
Slowly lifting her eyes, she locked a deep, unblinking focus onto the older woman.
“What are you staring at, troll?! You’re standing there slacking off when you should be scrubbing the pavilion floor! Do you think your pretty face permits you to—”
BOOM!
Lu Yunxi brought a casual, open palm down onto the heavy wooden nightstand framing the headboard. Under the localized pressure of her Grandmaster parameters, the solid timber disintegrated instantly, exploding into a shower of splinters and sawdust that rained down onto the carpets.
The Madam violently flinched, the remaining insults dying instantly in her throat. Her jaw dropped as she stared at the vacant space where her nightstand had stood a microsecond ago, then slowly looked up at the serene, delicate girl standing over her bed. She began to rapidly re-evaluate her entire reality.
“What are you looking at, Madam? Is this really so shocking? I’ve simply possessed a healthy constitution since my childhood,” Lu Yunxi said, her features shifting into a sweet, blindingly pleasant smile. “Haven’t you ever encountered a common kitchen maid capable of ripping your physical vessel clean in half? The world is a vast place; there will always be girls blessed with immense physical strength.”
The Madam shrank back into her silk pillows, desperately trying to suppress the cold sweat breaking out across her collarbones as a violent shudder rippled through her spine.
Lu Yunxi stepped closer, her aura radiating a light, casual malice. “So, let’s review our corporate strategy. Are we still planning to execute the quarterly handymen liquidation sale?”
“Y-You…” The Madam gritted her teeth, her lifelong greed making a desperate, final stand against her survival instincts. “The contracts have already been notarized! I am selling them!”
Lu Yunxi didn’t argue. She simply took an expressionless step forward. Because she didn’t bother dampening her physical parameters, the sheer weight of her movement caused deep, spiderweb fractures to ripple outward from her boots across the premium gold-and-jade inlaid flooring.
The structural foundations of the entire bedchamber began to visibly tremble.
“I won’t sell them! I won’t sell a single one!” the Madam shrieked, her heart seizing with genuine, existential terror as she forced a panicked, sycophantic smile onto her face.
“Excellent. I prefer a harmonious working environment. I trust I won’t witness another transaction under this roof,” Lu Yunxi said mildly. “Unless, of course, a worker volunteers for a transfer.”
“Yes! Absolutely! Whatever you say!” The Madam nodded in rapid succession, her face a mask of pure, groveling compliance.
Just as Lu Yunxi prepared to turn and depart the bedchamber, a sharp, piercing hiss sliced through the air behind her, carrying a wave of dense, unbridled killing intent.
On pure instinct, she raised a casual hand, her fingers snapping shut to effortlessly catch a heavy iron dagger a mere inch from her cheek.
Turning her head slowly, she locked her gaze back onto the older woman, her tone dropping into a freezing register. “My word, Madam…”
Lu Yunxi paused, a dangerous glint flaring in her eyes. “…Were you attempting to breach our verbal agreement just now?”
Chapter 150: The Madam’s Son
The Madam gasped, feeling the terrifying, unyielding pressure clamping down on her wrist. A wave of primal dread washed over her.
Just a moment ago, she had foolishly assumed this girl merely possessed a bit of raw, brute strength—the kind that would easily crumble if faced with real weapons or a blade. Who could have possibly anticipated this?
Her heart pounded frantically against her ribs, completely unmoored.
“No! Miss, I was only joking… Yes! It was purely a joke!” The Madam’s eyes darted around wildly as she desperately scrambled for a plausible excuse.
“Oh?” Lu Yunxi smoothly confiscated the dagger, twirling it lazily between her fingers. She watched the cold steel gleam faintly under the flickering candlelight, her lips curving into a deceptive, gentle smile.
Suddenly, a silver flash sliced through the air.
Before the Madam could even register the trajectory of the strike, she snapped back to her senses only to find a single strand of hair floating down from her forehead. Realizing her head had been a mere millimeter away from being cleanly severed from her shoulders, cold sweat instantly drenched her undergarments.
She lost every ounce of her defiant nerve. Terrified for her life, she collapsed into a groveling heap, begging for mercy. “Grandmaster, please spare my life! I swear I will treat the girls with the utmost care from now on! Rest assured, I solemnly promise never to harm them again, nor will I ever sell them off for coin!”
Though her face was a mask of pale, groveling terror, a venomous resentment boiled deep within her heart.
She didn’t dare direct her malice toward Lu Yunxi; instead, she focused her absolute hatred entirely on the traffickers who had sold the girl to her.
I thought I was purchasing a literal cash cow! Who could have guessed that instead of a money tree, I was buying a bloodthirsty female bandit!
Those miserable, wretched fools! To think they smuggled such a monstrous demon straight into my household! They better pray they’re never caught—because if they are, I will personally ensure they pay for this in blood!
Lu Yunxi arched a delicate eyebrow. “Are you absolutely certain you’ll extend your finest hospitality to us poor, defenseless little things from now on?”
The Madam forced a strained, sycophantic smile. “Naturally!”
Defenseless?! Poor?! she screamed internally. Who in this room is the defenseless one?!
Lu Yunxi continued casually, “By the way, I’ve been slaving away here for quite some time, yet I have manually inspected the ledgers and noticed a distinct lack of an official monthly salary. Don’t tell me the other girls are being denied their wages as well?”
The Madam choked back a sob. “There will be wages! I… I simply suffered a temporary oversight in my accounting before. My deepest apologies!”
It didn’t take long for the hostesses of the Fengyue Tower to notice a radical shift in the management.
For the elite courtesans and top-tier performers, the Madam’s historical “maternal affection” had always been a transparent, hollow facade. Not long ago, a prized courtesan had successfully amassed enough independent wealth to officially buy out her own contract. Yet, the moment she presented the agreed-upon sum of ten thousand taels of silver, the Madam instantly altered the terms, demanding ten thousand taels of gold instead.
Where on earth was an ordinary citizen supposed to conjure a fortune of that magnitude? Even a royal prince would struggle to liquidate that much gold on a whim.
Ever since that tragic incident, the entire household understood that the concept of “redemption” was nothing more than a cruel carrot dangled to keep them compliant. If a girl truly desired to escape the Fengyue Tower, her only hope was to catch the eye of an exceptionally powerful, high-ranking official—someone whose political parameters completely eclipsed the establishment—who was willing to drop a small mountain of coin to secure her freedom. That was the sole path to salvation.
As for the lower-tier maids and handymen, their daily existence had been governed by the constant, suffocating fear of being sold off to the highest bidder during the quarterly liquidations.
Yet now, the moment the Madam recovered from her mysterious ailment, she abruptly canceled the slave auctions and actually began distributing structured monthly salaries to the entire support staff!
It was utterly unprecedented.
Unsure of what twisted scheme the management was brewing, the girls initial reaction was one of tense, walking anxiety. But as the weeks bled away and the Madam failed to initiate a single trap or disciplinary crackdown, the lingering paranoia slowly dissolved, replaced by a wave of profound relief.
Inside one of the shared hostesses’ chambers.
“Why do you think Mother has suddenly turned so incredibly benevolent? Do you think some magnificent fortune has smiled upon our house recently?”
“Perhaps Mother experienced a sudden spiritual awakening and resolved to treat us like human beings? Honestly, with the estate being this comfortable, I find myself completely losing my desire to ever leave.”
“Sister, what are your thoughts on the matter?” a younger maid asked, turning her gaze toward the breathtaking, elegant courtesan seated before the vanity mirror.
The rest of the hostesses paused their chatter, locking their attention onto their senior.
“Hmph! Only naive little girls like you would swallow such blatant nonsense,” the courtesan snorted softly, setting down her cosmetic brush. “Mother has commanded the Fengyue Tower for decades, and she hasn’t possessed a shred of moral conscience since the day she took the ledger. For a tyrant like her to execute a complete corporate restructuring overnight? It’s statistically impossible. Something monumental must have occurred behind closed doors… It is highly likely an outside force has thoroughly threatened her.”
The younger maids gasped in perfect unison, their eyes wide with shock.
“But Mother commands the absolute highest authority within these walls! Who could possibly possess the parameters to threaten her?!”
The courtesan arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, her lips curling into a sharp, knowing smirk. “For years, not a single official or merchant has managed to alter Mother’s business model. Yet now, her entire philosophy has flipped on its head… Tell me, what was the name of that particular newcomer who spawned into our kitchens recently?”
“Sister… do you mean Qing’er?!”
The hostesses traded a series of frantic glances, their minds reeling with absolute disbelief.
Similar hushed deductions were echoing behind closed doors across the entire second floor. As Lu Yunxi casually strolled down the main corridors, her sharp sensory stats picked up the constant repetition of her stage name filtering through the lattice panels, the girls endlessly debating her true background.
She couldn’t help but arch an eyebrow in mild amusement.
It appeared the hostesses of the Fengyue Tower possessed a much higher cognitive rating than she had originally credited them with. Her confidence in the future intelligence-gathering capabilities of her detective agency surged to a new peak.
“For this afternoon’s selection, we have prepared Almond Buddha’s Hand pastries, Steamed Lotus Leaf broth, Crystal Winter Melon dumplings, Slow-Braised Dongpo Pork Shoulder, and a traditional Monk Fruit Eight-Treasure soup.”
Master Bao, the head cook, meticulously laid the exquisite platters onto the table. Her eyes remained locked firmly onto the floorboards, acting exactly as though she didn’t recognize Lu Yunxi’s presence in the slightest as she prepared to back out of the chamber. “Please enjoy your luncheon, Mother.”
Lu Yunxi stared down at the decadent spread, a broad, satisfied smile gracing her features. “Well, Auntie, if that’s the case, I won’t stand on ceremony!”
Now that her cover had been entirely blown to the top management, she saw zero utility in continuing to pass herself off as a humble kitchen servant. She smoothly retrieved her chopsticks and dug in.
The Madam let out a hollow, dry laugh, her hands trembling slightly against her silk robes. “If the selections align with your palate, please, indulge yourself as you see fit.”
How could she dare object? She certainly didn’t harbor a desire to watch her premium furniture get pulverized again!
Unfortunately, after sampling a few bites, Lu Yunxi noted that while the raw ingredients used were exceptionally rare and costly, the actual culinary execution left a lot to be desired.
Master Bao’s entire skillset had been honed by churning out massive, industrial-sized vats of stew for the laborers; she lacked the specialized finesse required to execute high-end, delicate banquet cuisine. Her savory pork shoulder was passable, but her pastry and dim sum parameters were catastrophically low.
As Lu Yunxi systematically analyzed the flavors, a new business strategy formed in her mind.
She resolved to use her agency funds to headhunt a few premium master chefs from across the empire, particularly specialists fluent in regional culinary arts. The population of the Fengyue Tower was substantial; she couldn’t simply sit back and indulge in gourmet feasts alone while Ling’er and the other handymen were forced to survive on coarse grains and watery broth every day.
Oblivious to the logistical coup being plotted across the table, the Madam kept her head lowered, a dark, calculating glint flashing across her eyes.
Right at that exact moment, the heavy wooden doors were violently kicked open, and a young man clad in flowing, expensive robes charged recklessly into the room.
“Young Master, please, mind your pace! Take care not to injure your feet!” an anxious attendant hollered from behind, scurrying after him with a deep, submissive bend of his spine.
Lu Yunxi arched an eyebrow.
To think someone possessed the audacity to breach the Madam’s private sanctuary so aggressively. Within the framework of the Fengyue Tower, the Madam’s word was absolute law. For a teenager to storm her quarters without a single guard intercepting him… he had to share a direct bloodline alignment with the management.
Glancing subtly at the Madam’s face, she watched the older woman’s features instantly twist into a chaotic, wrinkled mess of conflicting variables—surprise, panic, profound anxiety, and unbridled fury flaring all at once.
Lu Yunxi lowered her gaze, a small smile playing on her lips.
The Madam shot a frantic, terrified look at her guest before snapping her head back to glare at the intruder. Turning her wrath onto the guards hovering at the threshold, she shrieked, “Are you all absolute parasites?! How dare you permit a random intruder to breach my personal chambers?! Do your primary directives not include defending the perimeter?!”
The gatekeeper trembled, offering a miserable, hushed defense. “But… Mother, did you not explicitly establish a permanent server bypass for the Young Master, stating he could enter your presence at any hour…?”
“Silence, you fool!” The Madam’s face drained of color as she frantically cut the guard off before he could leak any more corporate data. “Get your hands on him and drag him out of this pavilion instantly!”
Lu Yunxi’s eyes flashed with immense amusement. Stepping in smoothly, she raised her voice to halt the extraction. “My word, Auntie, why the sudden panic? It appears the entire staff is perfectly familiar with this fine young master. Why not invite him to join our consultation?”
The Young Master finally snapped out of his focus, his gaze tearing away from the food platters to lock onto Lu Yunxi.
“Who on earth are you?” the teenager muttered, his brow furrowing as he tracked her presence beside his mother. However, the exact millisecond Lu Yunxi lifted her head, exposing her peerless, delicate facial features to the light, the remaining demands died instantly in his throat. A wide, oily grin stretched across his face. “Well, look at you… Are you a new courtesan the house just acquired?”
Letting out a oily chuckle, he began confidently sauntering over to her side of the table. “I had no idea our establishment had pulled in such a visual masterpiece. Don’t you worry your pretty little head, sister—I won’t ever permit management to force you to entertain clients. From this day forth, you’ll serve strictly as my personal companion!”
The Madam’s heart practically seized with terror, her face turning a translucent shade of white. She desperately wished she could undo reality and stuff the boy right back into her womb.
It was entirely her own fault for overindulging the brat since his childhood, leaving him with a severely stunted danger-appraisal metric. Did he honestly believe this absolute demon was someone his low-level stats could afford to harass?!
Terrified that her son’s foolishness would get them both slaughtered, the Madam violently slammed her hands onto the dining table, cutting off his trajectory before he could close the distance to Lu Yunxi. “You miserable, brainless piece of trash! What absolute garbage is spewing out of your mouth?! Get your rear out of this room this instant!”
“Mother, what is wrong with you?” the young master whined, looking thoroughly annoyed as his mother physically blocked his path. “This girl is a literal work of art! Just re-assign her contract to my personal quarters. It’s not as if our house is short on other hostesses to satisfy the clientele!”
He reached out, attempting to carelessly shove the older woman aside.
However, the Madam remained anchored to the floorboards like a reinforced concrete pillar, refusing to yield an inch.
What a catastrophic joke! If she didn’t enforce a hard boundary right now, her foolish son was going to get his bones ground into paste! If so much as a single finger of his filthy hands managed to brush against that weaponized bandit, she couldn’t guarantee his avatar would survive the encounter!
“Hold your tongue!” the Madam roared coldly, her voice laced with panic as she forcefully dragged her son away from Lu Yunxi’s radius, using her entire body weight to violently shove him down onto an adjacent stool. “Shut your mouth and eat your lunch! We will handle your behavioral evaluation after the meal concludes!”
Chapter 151: Attraction
The madam’s son was entirely out of his depth. He struggled for a moment, but realizing he couldn’t break free from his mother’s grip, he slumped onto his stool to wait for the meal. It didn’t matter; that beautiful girl was sitting right next to his mother. Since she belonged to the Fengyue Tower, she couldn’t exactly run away.
He might as well eat first.
The food at his private academy was torturously plain. Day in and day out, it was nothing but leafy greens and bland tofu. He was practically losing his mind from the diet.
Seeing that her son had quieted down, the madam assumed he had given up on demanding an apology from Lu Yunxi. Pretending the whole awkward encounter had never happened, she smoothed her skirts and called out to the attendants, “The young master has returned. Inform the kitchen to prepare their finest dishes and send them up immediately.”
Fortunately, the pantry was fully stocked. Within minutes, a lavish spread of over ten dishes was paraded into the room—roasted chicken, braised duck, and delicate steamed fish. It was an absolute feast.
The young master nodded in approval and gestured for a servant to attend to him. “I’ll have some chicken,” he said, pointing to a platter just out of his reach.
However, Lu Yunxi already had her eyes locked onto the largest chicken drumstick on that plate. The poultry from this particular region was prized for its firm, flavorful meat. Before the servant’s chopsticks could even cross the table, her hand blurred, and she deftly snatched the prize away.
The young master leaned back, a smug, knowing smile touching his lips. He was clearly so devastatingly handsome that this girl couldn’t wait to serve him the absolute best cut of the meal the moment they met. He tilted his chin up, expectantly waiting for her to drop the drumstick into his bowl.
Instead, Lu Yunxi bit into the crispy skin with gusto, her eyes narrowing in pure bliss as she chewed.
The young master froze. What…?
A flash of irritation crossed his features, but he quickly checked himself and shook his head with a patronizing smirk. He understood her game completely now. This clever girl was playing hard to get! She had deliberately snatched the food right out from under him just to force him to notice her.
What she didn’t realize was that with a face as stunning as hers, she didn’t need to resort to such petty provocations to hold his attention.
Meanwhile, Lu Yunxi continued to eat with relish, silently marveling at the premium quality of the local ingredients. She was entirely oblivious to the delusional narrative unfolding in the boy’s head.
Once they had eaten their fill and the servants cleared away the empty platters, the madam was abruptly called away to manage an urgent administrative matter downstairs. This left only Lu Yunxi and the young master sitting alone at the table.
Lu Yunxi ignored his presence. She grabbed an orange and began to peel it, her fingers carefully stringing away the bitter white veins. The exact moment she finished and prepared to take a bite, a hand reached across her field of vision, boldly snapping at the fruit.
Lu Yunxi: ???
Wow. Talk about an invincible level of pure, unadulterated entitlement.
Slap!
She sharply swatted his hand away, her voice dropping into a freezing register. “What do you think you’re doing? If you want an orange, peel one yourself!”
The young master blinked, looking genuinely startled by her aggression. His brow furrowed as a look of patronizing confusion crossed his face. “There’s no need to act so defensive. I already know you peeled that specifically for me. Just like when you snatched the chicken leg earlier—I see right through your little tactics to capture my attention.”
Lu Yunxi: ???
He paused, adjusting his robes before offering a warning glare. “But let me advise you not to push your luck. My patience has its limits. If you deliberately try to provoke me again, don’t blame me for being ungentlemanly.”
“…How can someone be so incredibly ordinary, yet carry themselves with such boundless confidence?” She stared at him, her eye twitching in sheer, deadpan disbelief.
He genuinely, honestly believed she had engaged in a localized food war just to flirt with him. She was profoundly impressed by his mental gymnastics. Shaking her head, Lu Yunxi stuffed the entire orange into her mouth and rolled her eyes toward the rafters.
“Ordinary? I am anything but ordinary!” the young master scoffed, thoroughly offended. He snapped open his silk fan, pumping it with an air of superiority. “I am currently enrolled at the premier private academy in this province. My literary talent is unmatched, and I am exceptionally well-read. Why, even my headmaster is desperate to marry his daughter off to me! Furthermore, I am remarkably handsome, and my family commands an immense fortune. I am virtually flawless.”
Lu Yunxi: “…”
Her awe grew by the second. Even she would feel a profound sense of shame boasting about her parameters like that.
“But do not fret. Since I have already resolved to take you into my quarters, I won’t treat you poorly,” he continued, a triumphant, self-satisfied grin spreading across his face. “From this day forth, you may serve as my personal concubine. Well? Don’t tell me you’re too thrilled to speak?”
“Thrilled?!”
“Are you not?” he asked, looking genuinely baffled by her sour expression. “Given your lowly status as a trafficked servant, ascending to the rank of my personal concubine is a massive promotion. It’s an exceptionally high position for someone of your station.”
Lu Yunxi let out a soft, sharp chuckle. She retrieved a silk handkerchief, taking her sweet time to meticulously wipe her fingers clean before finally looking up to evaluate the specimen before her.
The boy possessed an incredibly forgettable face—the kind of unremarkable countenance that would instantly vanish the moment he stepped onto a crowded street. He was roughly her own height, boasts a scrawny, fragile frame, and walked with a distinct lack of physical balance. Running his structural data through her mind, she was left utterly speechless.
He was the literal textbook definition of an average mortal. Ordinary down to his very bones! Where on earth was he generating the delusion that he was a god among men?
She had crossed the threshold into the master bracket of martial arts, yet she didn’t possess a fraction of his staggering arrogance.
The young master tracked her gaze, his satisfaction growing as he misinterpreted her silence for awe. Smiling oily, he reached a hand out to stroke her smooth cheek, entirely blind to the homicidal chill flaring in her eyes.
Just as his fingertips came within a millimeter of triggering his own immediate execution, the bedroom door flew open, and the madam burst back into the chamber. Cold sweat beaded along her brow as she took in the scene, and she instantly lunged forward to violently yank her son’s arm back.
“Mother, what is wrong with you?!” he whined, thoroughly irritated.
“Get away from her this instant!” the madam hissed, her voice trembling as her heart hammered violently against her ribs. “You were just acting with such unmitigated disrespect toward Miss Qing’er! You are literally begging for death!”
Her foolish son was completely oblivious to the danger, but the madam hadn’t missed the terrifying, lethal flash that had just sparked in the girl’s eyes. Acting exactly like an old hen frantically shielding her chicks from a predator, the older woman kept her body wedged between them, systematically backing away toward the corner of the room.
Lu Yunxi: “…”
“In that case, I shall take my leave,” she said mildly. Reaching out to snag her cloak, she turned and lazily strolled out of the private quarters.
The mother and son stood in silence, watching her retreat down the corridor.
“Mother, look at her attitude! She didn’t even bother to offer a proper submissive bow before exiting,” the young man grumbled, his entitlement flaring. “A disrespectful woman like that doesn’t deserve a spot in my estate.”
“What do you know about survival?! Shut your mouth!” the madam shrieked, frantically throwing a hand over his mouth to muffle his voice. It wasn’t until Lu Yunxi’s footsteps had completely faded from the pavilion that she finally let out a long, shuddering breath.
Over the next few days, after listening to his mother frantically unpack the true nature of their resident kitchen maid, the young master violently slammed his fist onto his desk in a fit of rage. “This is absolute madness! She is entirely too arrogant! A volatile female bandit like that has no place under our roof!”
The madam’s eye twitched with deep, bitter regret over how poorly she had mentored her only child. How could he possibly be this profoundly naive? Was this a debate about whether or not he should graciously accept her into his harem?! This was a code-red crisis where both mother and son needed to walk on eggshells simply to prevent the woman from covertly ending their lifespans!
“Do not stress over this, Mother,” the young master stated confidently, a sneer twisting his lips. “I will immediately establish contact with my mercenary channels and hire a proper mercenary force to discipline her. At the end of the day, she is nothing more than a slave girl who was fenced to our establishment. No matter how much martial strength she possesses, she cannot possibly withstand a coordinated assault!”
Staring at her son’s supreme, unshakeable confidence, the madam forcibly swallowed her intense dread and offered a tight nod.
The following morning.
Lu Yunxi slowly pulled herself out of bed, staring out the window at the fresh morning dew. Her consciousness was still heavy with sleep.
Suddenly, the distinct sound of frantic, heavy footsteps echoed from the corridor, rapidly closing in on her door. Her internal danger metrics flared, and she snapped into absolute focus.
Who is it?
The wooden door was violently thrown open, revealing a familiar, disheveled figure panting heavily at the threshold.
“Ling’er?!” Lu Yunxi blinked. Why was she in such a panicked rush? Had some logistical emergency disrupted the handymen?
“Qing’er, you need to evacuate immediately!” Ling’er cried, her round eyes wide with sheer terror. “The Madam has mobilized the entire security detail and brought a massive horde of armed thugs to hunt you down!”
Panicking completely, the poor girl began sprinting around the tight room like a headless fly, only calming down after she accidentally clipped a small wooden stool and tripped over her own feet.
Lu Yunxi caught her before she hit the floorboards, stabilizing her stance. “Calm down. Tell me exactly what you saw.”
The madam was notoriously calculating and treacherous, but her core programming dictated that she always bullied the weak while fleeing from the strong. Given their last interaction, it made zero sense for her to launch a direct, open offensive against a Grandmaster… unless a variable had altered her tracking.
Lu Yunxi’s mind raced through the data until the image of the delusional young master flashed in her thoughts. A sharp smile touched her lips.
“I was passing by the rear gates when I spotted the Madam and the Young Master marching into the compound with a small army of mercenaries,” Ling’er explained frantically, her hands shaking as she bolted toward the armoire. “They are massive, terrifying men, and every single one of them is packing heavy combat weapons! If a real skirmish breaks out inside the pavilion, you won’t stand a chance against those numbers!”
Working at an absolutely spectacular speed born of pure adrenaline, she systematically swept their essentials into a traveling sack. Within a dozen seconds, their bags were fully packed.
“Qing’er, let’s go! We need to break through the side exit!”
Staring at the sheer, unbroken efficiency of her roommate’s packing parameters, Lu Yunxi’s eyes widened in mild amazement. Before she could even voice an objection, Ling’er gripped her wrist and dragged her down the servant’s stairwell.
They navigated the corridors for several minutes until the heavy, rhythmic thudding of iron-shod boots echoed from the main courtyard ahead. Lu Yunxi smoothly dug her heels into the floorboards, checking their momentum.
“Hold on, Ling’er. The interceptors are already here,” Lu Yunxi said seriously, gently prying the girl’s grip from her sleeve. “I can neutralize this threat effortlessly. You need to slide into the shadows and take cover.”
If an innocent civilian remained within her immediate radius during a high-tier martial engagement, they would inevitably be treated as a hostage variable, severely restricting her offensive scaling.
The exact millisecond Ling’er melted into a concealed alcove behind the tapestry, the heavy oak doors exploded inward, and a massive vanguard of mercenaries flooded the hall.
“Well, well, little girl! I didn’t expect you to have the courage to stand your ground and face us!” the young master boomed, stepping through the center of the formation. He tilted his lips into an oily, villainous smirk, attempting to project supreme dominance.
Beside him, the madam had initially intended to deliver a rehearsed, intimidating monologue to re-establish her authority. But the moment her gaze locked onto Lu Yunxi’s perfectly serene, unblinking eyes, an involuntary tremor rippled through her spine. Without uttering a single syllable, she silently took three steps backward, completely concealing her physical vessel behind a wall of her largest mercenaries.
