“Do not be alarmed, Young Master. This is an advanced segment of the Tea Tasting portion. Not every candidate is qualified to participate.”
“With your celestial disposition and unique temperament, several top-tier honored guests in the pavilion—particularly certain great figures with special collecting hobbies—have taken great interest in this… These recordings will not be made public. They will serve only as the most exclusive private collections for those few great powers to appreciate… in private.”
“This is also an important part of evaluating you, Young Master. If you can pass this trial and gain the favor of those individuals, regardless of your final ranking, the future benefits will be too numerous to mention.”
She paused, stepped closer, and gently shook open the sheer gauze top in her hands.
“Since you have come this far, Young Master, you must know that everything comes at a price. Besides, you won’t be completely naked. It is only a recording. It is not as if anything more is required. You already have the courage to take the stage and face thousands of gazes in the Hundred Flowers Competition—surely you are not afraid of a few mere articles of clothing?”
Shen Mo knew that if he refused outright, he would likely offend this powerful manager immediately, and it might even affect his final score, causing him to miss out on the Dragon Marrow Liquid that was so close at hand.
“If the Young Master is unwilling, I will not force you.” Liu Meiniang’s voice rang out at the right moment.
“But the scoring from the Tea Tasting segment will affect your final ranking. If your score is too low, even if you dazzle the entire audience during the Hundred Flowers Competition, you may not make it into the top three. Young Master, you came here for something, did you not?”
For something.
Shen Mo closed his eyes.
“I will change.”
When the words left his mouth, even he was surprised by how calm they sounded.
A flash of approval flickered in her eyes. “There is a changing area behind the screen. Please, Young Master.”
Shen Mo picked up the clothes and walked toward the screen.
The moment he took his first step, he paused for an instant.
The screen was made of semi-transparent spirit gauze, and with the candlelight shining through it, the outline of a person would be clearly visible.
When he changed behind the screen, those outside would not be able to see details—but they would see—
Every movement.
Every pause.
“Oh, right.” Liu Meiniang’s voice came from outside the screen.
“I forgot to tell you, Young Master. This is also part of the rules. Tea tasting evaluates form, spirit, and elegance. The process of changing clothes itself is part of the display.”
Shen Mo’s knuckles turned white.
He wanted to turn around and leave.
Then he remembered Su Wan’er’s pale face. He remembered how her eyes lit up when she saw him after coming out of seclusion.
He remembered her saying, “I entered seclusion to become stronger—strong enough that no one can bully you.”
But she didn’t know that during those days she was in seclusion, her husband had already been bullied clean.
She didn’t know.
Then let her never know.
“Please wait a moment, Manager Liu.”
Shen Mo felt as if he were holding burning coals as he stumbled behind the screen.
He did not immediately change into those clothes. Instead, he first inspected every inch of the area behind the screen—every corner, every gap, even the ceiling and the floor.
He had to confirm there were no hidden extra recording or spying magical tools here.
He absolutely could not let his changing process be recorded!
After confirming it was safe, Shen Mo unfastened the first button.
On the gauze screen, the slender silhouette began to shed its outer garment.
The movements were slow, carrying a dignity carved into the bone.
Even in a moment like this, he maintained his decorum.
Liu Meiniang leaned back against her chair, her fingertips lightly tapping the armrest.
Interesting.
She had seen plenty of male beauties.
Some were eager, some feigned shyness, some were full of schemes.
But this man, Shen Mo, was different.
He was clearly humiliated, yet refused to show a humiliated expression.
He was clearly falling apart, yet hid his collapse in the gaps between each breath.
This kind of restraint—
It made one want to tear him open completely and see what was inside.
One by one, the clothes fell onto the low stool beside the screen.
Liu Meiniang stood up and paced over.
She picked up the topmost garment—it was the underrobe Shen Mo had been wearing just moments ago.
The fabric still held his warmth, carrying a faint, cool fragrance.
She brought the underrobe close to her nose and inhaled deeply.
The scent of a Pure Yin Constitution—bitter but not cloying, refreshing to the heart and lungs.
As clear and cold as a mountain spring, yet hiding a hint of enticing sweetness.
For cultivators, this was the finest bait.
Just one sniff could make one feel drunk with pleasure.
If she could… even once, she would die willingly.
She took another deep breath and held it for a long time.
An unnatural flush even appeared on her face, and her gaze instantly became a little dazed and intoxicated.
A satisfied sigh escaped her throat.
She wished she could keep that scent in her lungs forever.
“Is the Young Master not ready yet?” She folded the underrobe neatly and stored it in her storage ring.
“Do you need my help?”
“No need.”
The clothes were indeed difficult to put on—the fabric was too thin and soft to stay in place easily.
And the design of the straps and hooks was extremely intricate.
He had struggled immensely just to hang the set of clothes crookedly on his body.
Two thin silk ribbons passed over his shoulders and tied in a knot at the back of his neck, supporting the cherry-colored thin silk across his chest.
When he walked to the bronze mirror, he saw himself reflected in it.
His face was burning hot.
He looked exactly like a plaything waiting to be sold, full of forbidden and decadent beauty.
Shen Mo stepped out from behind the screen.
The candlelight fell upon him, and Liu Meiniang’s breath caught for a moment.
“Perfect… absolutely perfect!” She slowly circled around him, her gaze like a warm hand caressing every inch of his body outlined by the sheer gauze.
“This fragile vulnerability, mixed with the shame and stubbornness of being forced to wear these clothes… and this body of yours, tsk tsk, truly a masterpiece bestowed by heaven. Those nobles will go mad for it.”
“Now, please cooperate with my guidance.”
The Shadow Recording Stone lit up again.
“Raise your head.”
Shen Mo raised his head.
“Look this way. Not with your eyes—use your expression. Imagine you are waiting for someone, waiting for a very, very long time.”
Waiting for a very, very long time.
Shen Mo’s eyelashes trembled slightly.
Seven years.
He had waited for her for seven years.
Every time footsteps came from outside the peak, he would look up.
Every time a spirit crane flew across the sky, he would stop what he was doing.
He told himself he was just checking the weather, or listening to see if the disciples were slacking off.
But only the night wind knew what he was waiting for.
“Good, that’s the look,” Liu Meiniang said, pacing slowly. “Hold it. Now, turn slightly to the side—yes, expose the side of your neck.”
Shen Mo complied.
The line of his neck stretched in the candlelight, outlining a fragile and graceful curve.
“Place your hand on your hip. No, not like that—relax, as if you’re undressing—”
“Yes, kneel on the rug, look up, your gaze should be hazy, with a hint of pleading…”
“Lie by the window, look back, let the clothes slide off your shoulder… Yes, that half-covering, half-exposing look…”
“Lie on your side, legs slightly curled, your fingertip lightly touching your lips… Imagine you are waiting for someone…”
Shen Mo felt as if his soul had left his body, letting himself be positioned and manipulated. Only his body instinctively carried out the commands.
Finally, Liu Meiniang put away the Shadow Recording Stone with satisfaction, a contented smile on her face.
“Excellent. Your performance today was outstanding—the best I have seen in a long time.”
She paused, her gaze lingering for a moment longer, then said, “You may change back now.”
Shen Mo returned behind the screen, his voice tight. “Who will these recordings be shown to?”
Liu Meiniang laughed. “What? Is there someone you wish to avoid, Young Master?”
Someone he wished to avoid.
He wished to avoid everyone.
He wished to go back to seven years ago, to the days before he married into Jiaoyue Peak.
Shen Mo closed his eyes and reached for the strap at his waist.
But he found that the close-fitting moon-white underrobe had somehow vanished.
Beneath the sheer gauze, there was only a nearly transparent inner lining, barely covering the skin between his chest and abdomen.
Shen Mo’s ears burned.
He clearly remembered that when he put on this outfit, the underrobe had been worn underneath.
“Young Master Shen, it’s over here.” Her voice carried a lazy, triumphant smile.
Shen Mo spun around abruptly.
Liu Meiniang was leaning against the other end of the low couch, one hand propping up her chin, while the other hand held a small piece of moon-white fabric between her fingertips, swinging it slowly back and forth.
The fabric was thin and soft, with extremely fine silver-thread embroidery along the edge—it was exactly his missing underrobe.
“You—”
“I won’t take your things for nothing.”
Liu Meiniang cut him off, unreasonable yet confident.
She raised her hand and presented a brocade box. “A small token of my esteem. Hardly worthy of your acceptance.”
The box was not large, lacquered in black with gold paint. The lid was decorated with intricate intertwined branch patterns, clearly valuable.
The brocade box opened.
Inside lay a pure white ganoderma, moonlight essence faintly swirling across its surface.
Even the medicinal fragrance it emitted made Shen Mo feel his dantian warm slightly.
This was a Moonlight Ganoderma, three hundred years old.
If placed in any marketplace auction, it would make the leaders of small or medium sects fight tooth and nail over it.
It had miraculous effects on soul injuries.
The second box contained a jade slip.
She gestured for him to pick it up. He did as told, and the moment his divine sense probed into it, his pupils contracted sharply.
The jade slip recorded an extremely profound dual cultivation method.
It was not about plundering or draining, but a true mutual benefit of yin and yang, nourishing each other—the woman receiving the nourishment of pure yin, the man receiving the feedback of pure yang.
A cultivation method of this level was priceless and virtually unobtainable anywhere in the entire cultivation world.
“This…” Shen Mo looked up. “A single garment in exchange for these items—aren’t you at a loss?”
Liu Meiniang shook her head, her tone casual. “If I sold that underrobe of yours, I could get even more in return.”
The room was silent for a few breaths.
Liu Meiniang’s gaze slowly drifted downward.
Her line of sight had a clear target.
“If you could exchange that one,” Liu Meiniang said, her voice lower than before, like the lingering note of aged wine sliding down the throat, “I could offer even more in return.”
Shen Mo followed her gaze down—
His face instantly turned crimson.
“No… no way.”
“Very well. That will be all for today, Young Master. I’ll take my leave now.”
Liu Meiniang’s figure disappeared through the door.
Before he could think further, the door was pushed open again.
The second judge walked in—an old woman with a head full of silver hair, her back hunched, leaning on a dragon-headed cane.
She tottered in, sat down by the low couch, and stared at Shen Mo for a very, very long time.
So long that Shen Mo thought she had fallen asleep. Then she suddenly spoke, her voice hoarse like dried bark.
“Child, how old are you?”
Shen Mo was taken aback. “…Twenty-six.”
“Twenty-six.” The old woman repeated, nodding.
“When I was twenty-six, I had just lost my first man. Later, three more died, one after another. Every time they died, I was not by their side.”
She lifted her cloudy eyes and looked at Shen Mo. “Do you know what I regret most?”
Shen Mo shook his head.
“I regret not looking at them properly while they were still alive.”
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