Chapter 122: You're a Bastard!

Niu Youdao said, “The innkeeper seemed to say that guests of the Inviting Moon Inn are protected while they’re in Star-Plucking City. I’ll be coming and going for the next six months. I’d like to test whether that’s really true.”

Yuan Fang chuckled and nodded in agreement. “Master Dao makes sense. We should test it.”

“Fine. You two are ruthless! Let’s see you stay in Star-Plucking City forever and never leave!” Black Peony’s face had gone dark red with fury, but verbal threats were all she could make. She did not dare attack here. Very few people beneath Heaven dared start trouble in a place like this; behind Star-Plucking City stood one of the supreme figures of the realm.

“Threatening me?” Niu Youdao stared at her with a half-smile. “Didn’t you already decide there was some power behind me? If I leave, are you sure you can stop me?”

“Just you wait!” Black Peony ground the words through her teeth, flung her hand aside, and turned to leave.

She had only just rounded the table when Niu Youdao spoke again in an indifferent tone. “No need to rush off. If you don’t like the condition, we can still negotiate.”

Black Peony stopped and looked back. Hatred mingled with expectation in her eyes. She hoped he would name a condition she could accept.

Niu Youdao said casually, “You always want to try something you’ve never tried. Fine. I’ll take a step back. Sleep with me for one month. How about that?”

Black Peony clenched her fist, fighting the urge to punch him in the face. Gritting her teeth, she pointed at Niu Youdao. “You’d better never fall into my hands!” She turned and walked away.

But when she reached the door and stretched out a hand to open it, Niu Youdao’s mild voice came again from behind her. “I’ll take another step back. Sleep with me for one night. Just one.”

Black Peony’s outstretched hand froze.

Her expression shifted as she faced the door. She struggled. She hesitated. Every hardship and bitter grievance of all these years welled up in her heart.

For their group to claw its way to the Foundation Establishment Realm, they had risked their lives for every step. They had seized cultivation resources from others, robbed and killed, and done so many things that could never see the light of day that even she could no longer count them. Expose any one of those acts and they could be plunged into a catastrophe beyond redemption.

After finally enduring until today, all of them had reached the Foundation Establishment Realm and none wanted to keep living by constantly taking desperate risks. Worse, reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm brought a new problem: the cultivation resources they needed had grown far greater. Robbing small targets no longer provided enough to fill the gaps between their teeth. They had to choose bigger prey, and the danger only increased.

Everyone understood the principle. If you walked beside the river often enough, how could your shoes never get wet? Continue down that road and sooner or later they would fall. One companion after another had already gone down.

She had lost count of how many times the sudden sight of an expert approaching had made her heart pound or broken her out in a cold sweat, terrified that someone had come to settle old scores.

She had lost count of how many times she had jolted awake from nightmares, pushed again and again toward the brink of collapse.

None of them wanted to live that kind of life anymore. That was why, even knowing how difficult establishing a sect would be for people like them, they had still forced themselves toward that goal. To complete those thirty missions, they had traveled from one end of the realm to the other. Outsiders could never imagine the hardship they had endured.

Why had she endured humiliation from the attendant and innkeeper just to find this man? Why had she allowed him to order her around and send her running errands?

And now an opportunity stood directly in front of her. All she had to do was sleep with him for one night. Just one night, and she might completely change her own fate and the fate of all her companions.

Only one night!

She was hardly some untouched maiden. What did sleeping with a man once really matter?

She even told herself inwardly, tried to persuade herself: it was not for her own sake, but for her brothers. Agree to it!

Faced with the price of a single night, Black Peony’s extended hand seemed to weigh a thousand jun. For a long time, she could not make it reach the door and open it.

Yuan Fang could see that Black Peony was close to agreeing. He could not help grinning strangely and waggling his eyebrows at Niu Youdao.

Inwardly he sighed as well. Master Dao really was black-hearted. He wanted the woman’s money and the woman herself. She had walked into his hands voluntarily; perhaps this was simply her bad luck.

When no sound came from the door for a long while, Niu Youdao knew Black Peony had been tempted. He slowly turned to look at her standing there, his gaze cold as he continued to entice her. “You should understand something. If you sought out anyone else, then even if you offered this yourself, forget one night—sleeping with them for an entire year wouldn’t make them agree. The risk and the price are simply too great. Black Peony, miss this village and there won’t be another shop ahead. Let this opportunity pass, and you may lose it for the rest of your life. Regret afterward will be useless. There won’t be another chance like this. Think about the life waiting for you if you let this pass. Do you truly want to live the way you did before forever? Agree to spend one night with me, and you won’t even need to worry about the basic application fee of ten thousand gold coins. I’ll pay it for you. In these chaotic times, ten gold coins can buy a decent woman, yet for the hundred-thousand-gold risk I’m taking, all I ask is one night from you. One night. Just one. I won’t spread word of something like this and ruin my own reputation, and you won’t tell anyone either. No one will know.”

The turmoil inside Black Peony showed in her extended hand. Her fingers trembled faintly. At last they slowly reached forward and gripped the door handle. Grief and anger twisted her voice. “That bastard threw me away. I cursed him for climbing to a higher branch. I cursed him for being shameless! I know I’m no good person, but I don’t want to become someone even I despise!”

She yanked open the door and strode out. For some reason, the wind blowing into her face felt cold against her cheeks. Black Peony raised a hand to wipe them and discovered, without knowing when it had happened, that tears were streaming down her face.

She wiped and wiped, but the tears would not stop. She did not know what was wrong with her. She had always been strong. She had not cried in so many years that she had nearly forgotten what crying felt like. Why were the tears suddenly coming now?

Panic rose in her. She spun around quickly and searched with her eyes, suddenly filled with a sense of having nowhere to go, unable even to remember which room was hers.

She did not want anyone to see her like this. She only wanted to find some room and hide.

Inside, Yuan Fang stared in astonishment. She actually refused? Judging from the way she had looked before, he had thought she was about to agree.

The coldness in Niu Youdao’s eyes as he watched the doorway gradually melted, and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

One night could completely overturn the course of her entire life. He understood Black Peony’s struggle. He understood how difficult, how extraordinary, it was for a woman in circumstances like hers to reject such temptation.

He lifted a hand toward Yuan Fang and pointed outside. “Go. Bring her back.”

“...” Yuan Fang was speechless. Half laughing, half exasperated, he said, “Master Dao, what’s the point of bringing her back? She won’t agree!”

Inwardly he muttered, It’s bad enough for you to do something this shameless. Why drag me into it? How can a monk involve himself in this sort of thing?

Niu Youdao said, “Tell her that condition is canceled and have her come back... What are you staring at? Hurry. If you can’t bring her back, don’t bother coming back either.”

What does this have to do with me? Yuan Fang was helpless, but could only hurry after her.

Not long afterward, Yuan Fang returned with Black Peony. This time, however, she entered with her head lowered, none of the vigor she had shown when she first came to persuade and negotiate.

Niu Youdao pointed at the empty wine cup in front of him. “Pour.”

Black Peony bit her lip, walked over to the table, picked up the flask, and filled his cup. As she set the flask down, she discovered Niu Youdao watching her face with an amused half-smile. She immediately grew flustered and turned her head away.

Niu Youdao smiled. “What happened to your eyes? They’re red and wet. Were you crying?”

Black Peony immediately forced herself back into a strong posture. “Say it. What condition did you change it to?”

Niu Youdao said, “You already know my condition. One night is my absolute bottom line. I’ll give you one last chance to reconsider.”

Yuan Fang rolled his eyes. Still not giving up? Just how badly does he want her?

Black Peony was humiliated and furious. He was obviously toying with her. She pointed at him, looking ready to fight to the death. “Xuanyuan Dao, I’ll remember this debt!” Once again, she turned and stormed away.

“Stop!” Niu Youdao barked, then tossed out lightly, “Can’t you tell when someone’s joking? You really can’t take a little teasing, can you? Come back. Let’s talk business.”

Black Peony stopped with her back to him. Her chest rose and fell sharply. He had tormented her until she was nearly beside herself, and she felt like she was going mad.

She did not turn fully, only looked back at him over her shoulder.

Niu Youdao chuckled, then said to Yuan Fang, “Money that isn’t yours, and you still have the nerve to stuff it into your pocket? Give her back that receipt.”

“Ah?” Yuan Fang stared stupidly. What was this now?

Suspicion appeared in Black Peony’s eyes as well. She slowly turned around.

Niu Youdao said, “I told you to return that receipt from earlier. Didn’t you hear me?”

“Oh.” Yuan Fang reluctantly took it out, walked over to Black Peony, and even more reluctantly held it toward her. “Here.”

Black Peony slowly accepted the receipt and checked it. There was no mistake. It was the same one.

Now she was confused too. She looked at Niu Youdao without understanding what he meant. Was he saying he would not take her money, but would not help her either?

If so, she did not consider that a bad outcome. At least she had recovered the money.

Still seated, Niu Youdao smiled. “Why were you in such a hurry to pay my bill? Did I tell you to pay it? It isn’t as though I can’t afford this place. Why would I need you to cover my room?”

Black Peony nearly wanted to spit in his face. That was clearly what you meant earlier, yet now you can say it forward or backward and somehow you’re right either way!

Niu Youdao continued with a smile. “Anything I can buy with money doesn’t interest me... If you had truly agreed to sleep with me, I wouldn’t actually have made you do it, nor would I have helped you with the sect matter. And you could forget about getting those eighteen hundred gold coins back. But you refused. So I don’t want your money, and your matter will be resolved as you wished. From now on, you won’t need to go begging anyone over that little problem. You can tell your brothers that starting today, you begin again from the beginning!”

Black Peony stood frozen.

She understood now. He really had been “teasing” her earlier.

Niu Youdao suddenly winked at her. “Worth the tears, wasn’t it?”

That one sentence and that one look somehow struck directly at a weak point inside her. All the emotions she had only just forced back down surged up again, and tears spilled uncontrollably from her eyes. Staring at Niu Youdao, she choked out a curse. “You’re a bastard!”

Niu Youdao shrugged indifferently. “Thanks for the compliment. Remember to keep the receipt safe. I gave it back. Is a little money really worth all this crying?”

Black Peony glanced at the receipt in her hand. Remembering everything that had just happened, her emotions abruptly broke loose. She clapped one hand over her mouth and slowly backed away until she reached the wall, then slid down into the corner. Burying her face between her knees, she began to sob in muffled little sounds.

She tried to control herself, but the harder she tried, the worse it became. At last she broke down completely, sobbing aloud with such grief that it seemed to tear at her heart and lungs.

Niu Youdao lifted his wine cup and looked out the window. He sighed softly. “Ah. Women really are made of water. Crying at the slightest thing. I can’t stand it!”

[End of Chapter 122]