Chapter 109: Portrait Album

She was one of the high-ranking members of the Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion.

She had seen countless beauties and countless talents, but at this moment, as she looked at the man standing quietly on the stage, she suddenly remembered a flower she had seen long, long ago while traveling in the mortal world.

The Tanhua flower. She had guarded it for three whole nights in the deep mountains before she saw it bloom.

From blooming to withering, it took less than an hour.

But the beauty of that hour made her remember it for 200 years.

“This child…” Her voice was low, raspy like sandpaper.

“What was his name again?”

“Shen Mo,” the disciple beside her quickly answered. “The Lord of Jiaoyue Peak on Yunyin Mountain, Su Wan’er’s husband.”

“Su Wan’er,” Liu Meiniang repeated the name in her mouth. “Quite fortunate indeed.”

The disciple hesitated, then lowered her voice. “I heard that Peak Master Su has been traveling outside all these years. In seven years, the time she spent with this husband totals less than three months.”

Liu Meiniang was silent for a moment, then suddenly let out a laugh. In that laughter was the desolation of one who has seen through the world.

“No wonder. Only someone who has been wronged has this kind of aura. It’s not that they don’t want to be seen, but that they are used to not being seen. But the more like this they are, once they are seen, it makes people… unable to let go.”

Her gaze moved away from Shen Mo and landed on the sea of light on the Fragrance-Viewing Wall, which was almost completely lit up.

997. This number represents not only recognition of appearance and talent but also a collective, uncontrollable attraction.

The 1,000 selected female cultivators were all well-experienced individuals.

Many of them even kept male pets more beautiful than the candidates on stage.

But they still voted.

Because Shen Mo had something in him that they had never seen in their male pets.

The difference between the two was like the difference between a domestic flower and a wildflower.

One was a beauty carefully pruned; the other was a vitality that grew on its own through wind and rain.

The former makes one appreciate; the latter makes one… want to possess.

“Let’s keep watching,” Liu Meiniang picked up her wineglass again.

“This Flower Queen Competition won’t be peaceful, I’m afraid.”

Her premonition soon came true.

When all twelve candidates finished their individual presentations, the master of ceremonies announced the tea tasting segment.

The so-called tea tasting was not actually about drinking tea; it was for the ten judges of the Flower Queen Competition to have close contact and then give comprehensive scores.

This score will be included in the final overall evaluation, with a very high weight.

“Candidates, please follow the attendants to the designated Tea Tasting Pavilion. The ten judges are already waiting in their respective pavilions.”

With that, twelve attendants in uniform palace attire stepped forward, each leading a candidate toward the independent pavilions behind the stage, hidden behind the corridors.

The pavilion doors opened gently, revealing warm yellow candlelight inside.

The moment the door closed behind him, most of the noise outside was cut off.

The tea room was not large, about two zhang square, with thick woolen carpets on the floor, so silent when stepped on.

In the center was a low table with a set of exquisite tea utensils and a small incense burner.

Green smoke curled up from the burner, emitting a sweet fragrance that made one slightly relax.

On each side of the low table was a cushion, the distance just right: close enough to see the other’s eyelashes, but not within arm’s reach.

On one of the cushions sat a woman.

She was tall and slender, wearing a well-tailored dark black long dress, with a slit high up to her thigh.

Her long hair was loosely draped over her shoulders, with only a silver flower hairpin pinned at her temple.

Her features were extremely bright and beautiful, eyebrows slanting into her temples, slightly upturned at the corners of her eyes, lips coated with bright red lip balm.

Her entire person exuded a kind of mature female-specific, unabashed aggressiveness.

But what really made Shen Mo’s heart skip a beat was the token hanging at her waist: black background with gold characters, engraved with the unique flower emblem of the Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion.

Below the emblem was an ancient character he couldn’t understand.

That was the emblem of a core high-ranking member.

She was not an ordinary judge.

She was one of the true masters of the Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion.

Liu Meiniang’s gaze fell on Shen Mo, from head to toe, slow and meticulous.

The line of sight swept over his exposed shoulders, paused for a moment at his collarbone, then traveled down along the waistline faintly visible under the gauze, and finally returned to his face.

“As expected.”

She said, “Those 997 votes on the Fragrance-Viewing Wall are not undeserved.”

Shen Mo’s shoulders involuntarily tensed.

He could feel the aggressiveness in this woman’s gaze.

It was different from Pei Yu’s direct possessiveness; it was more like assessing the commercial value of a commodity.

“No need to be nervous.” She walked to the low couch but didn’t sit down. Instead, she took out an object from her sleeve. “I am your first judge today. My task is to record.”

What she held in her hand was a Shadow Recording Stone.

It was the size of a fist, completely translucent, with a faint blue spiritual light swirling in its core.

Shen Mo recognized this thing.

In the cultivation world, Shadow Recording Stones were mostly used to record important cultivation method demonstrations or sect ceremonies, rarely for private occasions.

“Record… what?” Shen Mo’s voice was a bit tight.

Liu Meiniang sat down on the edge of the low couch, elegantly crossing one leg over the other.

The high-slit skirt slipped, revealing a stretch of smooth calf.

She toyed with the Shadow Recording Stone in her hand, the spiritual light flickering at her fingertips.

“Record you. Sound, Appearance, Skill, and Elegance. Among the four qualities, the first three can be seen on stage. Only Elegance needs to be captured.”

“In every Flower Queen Competition, the Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion takes a set of portrait albums for the final top candidates, preserved with Shadow Recording Stones, for the judges to repeatedly evaluate, and also for—” She paused, a meaningful smile appearing in her eyes.

“For the most distinguished guests of the Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion to collect.”

Collect. This word made Shen Mo’s stomach clench violently.

“These portrait albums will be compiled into books after the competition under the name of the Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion and distributed to the honored guests holding Viewing Jade Tokens as souvenirs. Of course—”

She paused, the smile in her eyes deepening.

“There will also be some… more private versions, specially provided for the truly big shots.”

Shen Mo’s pupils slightly contracted.

Portrait album. Shadow recording. Distributed to honored guests.

These words were like pebbles thrown into the stagnant pool at the bottom of his heart.

‘If I’m made into a portrait album, who knows how many female cultivators will collect, watch, comment, and even use me as… some kind of fantasy object.’

This thought made his whole body burn hot. It was shame, and the extreme humiliation of being objectified.

“I…”

Shen Mo opened his mouth but found that his throat felt like it was blocked by a water-soaked cotton ball.

Because she said it was tradition.

This meant that every candidate before him had gone through it.

Since others had accepted it, what right did he have to refuse?

He came to participate in the Flower Queen Competition voluntarily.

No one held a knife to his neck forcing him onto the stage.

Since he got on this stage, he had to abide by the rules of this stage.

“Master Shen,” her voice was lazy, with the composure of one long in power.

“No need to be nervous. The tea tasting segment is just a formality. With your appearance, entering the top three is a certainty.”

Shen Mo lowered his eyes. “Senior, you flatter me.”

“Flatter?” Liu Meiniang chuckled lightly and walked closer.

“I’ve been in the Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion for 200 years, and I’ve handled countless male beauties. This temperament of yours, I’ve never seen before.”

She stopped three steps away, gently tossed the Shadow Recording Stone, and it hung in the air, facing Shen Mo.

“Come, Master. First, casually pose a few stances. Relax, just like you usually… admiring yourself in the mirror.” Her tone was coaxing, but her gaze left no room for refusal.

Shen Mo’s heart tightened.

Thinking that this was a necessary step and related to the final score, he could only suppress his discomfort and, following her words, stood at the best-lit spot in the center of the room.

“Raise your head. Yes, eyes… slightly distant, with a touch of melancholy. Mm, good.”

“Turn sideways. Arms naturally down. Brush your dark hair behind your shoulder, reveal your neck…”

“Sit down. Lean against the window. Look outside, as if missing someone… Yes, that’s the expression!”

Liu Meiniang directed while manipulating the Shadow Recording Stone to record from different angles.

She was clearly well-versed in this. The poses she set seemed casual but actually maximized the advantages of his appearance and figure.

Shen Mo cooperated, but in his heart was the shame of being treated like an object.

Liu Meiniang saw his emotions but had no intention of comforting him.

She simply placed the Shadow Recording Stone on the low couch, stood up, and walked toward him.

The high-slit skirt swayed with her steps, revealing a faint tattoo on her thigh—a winding vine extending from her ankle deep into the skirt.

From her Storage Bag, she took out several pieces of clothing.

Each set made Shen Mo want to immediately turn and leave this room.

The first set was a moon-white thin gauze robe.

The fabric was so light and thin it was almost transparent, clearly showing the wall pattern behind the hanger.

The collar design opened down to the waist, with only a small jade button at the chest. Whether fastened or not, it made almost no difference.

The second set was a dark purple silk short top. The top was so short it barely covered the chest.

The lower garment was a long skirt with a slit up to the crotch, revealing large areas of skin with every step.

The third set was even more outrageous: it was just strips of red-gold chains connecting a few feather-thin ornamental pieces, barely covering the vital parts.

Shen Mo’s face gradually burned hot.

He looked at them in order. Each set was bolder and more blush-inducing than the last.

These clothes maximized the display of the wearer’s body while retaining a bit of barely-there concealment.

The Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion’s reason was high-sounding: a Flower Queen should have the awareness to display her body as a work of art.

But everyone knew this was just another means of turning a man’s body into a commodity, into a spectacle to be consumed.

Shen Mo stood still, not moving for a long time.

Green smoke from the incense burner curled up, swirling around him.

The sweet fragrance grew stronger, like an invisible hand gently teasing his nerves, making his body slightly hot.

He realized that this incense was a mild, relaxing scent for the divine sense and body.

It wouldn’t make one lose reason, but it would make one more sensitive and more easily affected by touch.

“Manager Liu, what is the meaning of this?” His voice was hoarse.