The woman remained lying on the massage table, but her expression no longer concealed her impatience. The person in charge of the establishment, Mei Lian, was still absent, and every passing minute seemed to increase the client’s irritation.
Yun Che remained by the door, trying to think of a solution. The system interface floated before his eyes, invisible to the woman.
[Mission failure: death.]
He could not simply wait.
If Mei Lian returned, the opportunity would disappear. If the client left, he would have to find another woman willing to allow him to complete the mission, and he did not even know how much time the system would grant him.
The woman looked toward the door again.
"How much longer do you intend to make me wait? I’ve already been here for several minutes, and no one seems to know when the person in charge is coming back."
Yun Che took a deep breath.
"I’m sorry. Mei Lian was probably called away to deal with something. She doesn’t usually leave the establishment for this long, but perhaps some problem came up."
"That doesn’t solve my problem."
She slowly sat up and adjusted her clothes.
"I came here because I need to relieve the tension accumulated in my body. I have important matters to attend to after this session, and I can’t sit here indefinitely."
"I can perform the massage."
The woman stopped.
For several seconds, she simply stared at him.
Then she let out a small laugh.
"You? Hmph."
"Yes."
"No. Not even in your dreams."
The answer came so quickly that Yun Che barely had a chance to continue.
"I understand."
He did not move away.
The woman noticed.
"If you understand, then why are you still standing there?"
"Because I would like you to reconsider."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Reconsider? Yun Che, do you know who I am?"
"No. Should I?"
"You have quite a lot of confidence, asking me to entrust my body to someone I barely know."
Yun Che kept a calm expression.
"I’m not asking you to trust me blindly."
"I’m only asking for an opportunity to prove that I can perform the treatment."
The woman crossed her arms.
"You’re a Tempered Body disciple."
"Exactly."
"The first realm."
"While I’m at the Profound Elementary."
"That is also true."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Then explain to me why a cultivator should allow someone much weaker to work on her meridians."
Yun Che remained silent for a moment.
"Because cultivation strength and knowledge of massage are not necessarily the same thing."
The woman gave a small laugh.
"That was a clever answer, but it doesn’t answer my question."
"Then I’ll answer directly."
Yun Che stepped slightly closer while maintaining a respectful distance.
"I don’t have the cultivation necessary to impress you. I don’t hold a high position within the sect, and I don’t have a reputation I can use to convince you. If you ask me why you should trust me, the answer is simple: you shouldn’t."
The woman was slightly surprised.
"You shouldn’t?"
"Not without testing me first."
She remained silent.
Yun Che continued:
"You can allow me to perform only the first few movements. If you feel that the technique is inappropriate, we will stop immediately. There will be no argument, no insistence, and no consequences for you."
The woman studied him carefully.
"You’re willing to stop as soon as I tell you to?"
"Yes."
"And if I say I don’t like it?"
"We stop."
"And if I say I don’t trust you?"
"Then I won’t do it."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Curious. You’re desperate for me to agree, yet you keep saying I can refuse."
Yun Che felt his heart tighten.
She had noticed.
He needed to choose his next words carefully.
"Because wanting to help you is one thing. Forcing you to accept my help is another."
The woman remained silent.
Yun Che continued in a lower voice:
"Besides, I know what it’s like to be judged before having the opportunity to show what you can do."
Her expression changed slightly.
"Are you talking about yourself?"
"I am."
She looked at him for several seconds.
"I heard you were useless."
"I heard that too."
"Doesn’t it bother you?"
"It used to."
"And now?"
Yun Che breathed slowly.
"Now wasting an opportunity bothers me more than hearing someone’s opinion."
The woman was left speechless for a few moments.
Then she lay back down, though she still did not seem completely convinced.
"Fine."
Yun Che almost sighed in relief.
She raised one finger.
"I’m not finished."
"I’m listening."
"This will be a trial. I won’t allow you to use profound energy directly on my meridians without knowing exactly what you’re doing. If I feel anything strange, I’ll stop immediately."
Yun Che nodded.
"I agree."
"And if I don’t like your technique?"
"We stop."
"And if I change my mind halfway through?"
"We stop."
She narrowed her eyes.
"You’re really not going to argue?"
"No."
"Why?"
Yun Che answered without hesitation:
"Because your consent is more important than my desire to finish the treatment."
The woman fell silent.
This time, there was no provocation.
Only a long, thoughtful gaze.
Finally, she settled back down.
"Then begin."
Part 2
Yun Che approached.
The moment his hands touched the cultivator’s shoulders, the system interface appeared.
[Consent confirmed.]
[Mission active.]
[Time required: 20 minutes.]
[Eyes of Spiritual Analysis activated.]
Yun Che’s perception shifted. He could now see the flow of profound energy inside her body complex meridians, several small blockages obstructing proper circulation.
[Target’s realm: Profound Elementary.]
[Spiritual circulation: irregular.]
[Blockages detected.]
[Recommended points identified.]
He followed the instructions.
The first pressure was applied just below the base of her neck.
His thumbs sank into the tight flesh, spreading the spiritual oil that made her skin gleam under the soft light.
The woman let out a short moan.
"Haa..."
Yun Che continued. Precise, steady movements focused on her back gliding over the shoulder blades, descending along the spine, pressing the points the system highlighted. With each press, the circulation improved.
[Blockage reduced by 5%.]
His hands moved lower, palms flat against her bare back, spreading the oil in firm circular strokes.
His thumbs followed the meridians; his fingers, ever so slightly, brushed the soft edge of her breasts pressed against the surface.
A low moan escaped her throat.
"Haa... haa..."
The tension melted away, replaced by a wave of heat beneath her skin. Yun Che stayed focused on her back, yet his fingers allowed themselves light touches along the sides of her breasts just enough to feel the softness, the full shape, the faint tremor that ran through her body.
The system guided every movement. This was not simply a massage.
It was a method to aid the circulation of profound energy... and her body was responding more and more clearly.
[Spiritual circulation improved: 11%.]
Eyes closed, her breathing grew slower and deeper, broken by short, muffled moans whenever he pressed a sensitive point or let his fingers slide a little farther forward, tracing the lower curve of her breasts.
"Haaa..."
Yun Che slid his hands lower still, pressing the points along her spine.
His fingertips traced the sides of her breasts again, feeling their soft weight, the warmth, the slight hardening of her nipples.
She arched her back a little, pushing herself unconsciously against his hands.
"Haa... ah..."
The silence between them was broken only by her uneven breathing and the wet sound of his hands moving over her oiled skin.
[Contact time: 10 minutes.]
Halfway through the mission.
The next points demanded greater precision. He adjusted the pressure according to the Eyes of Spiritual Analysis.
He kept his focus on her back, yet allowed his fingers to brush the curve of her breasts once more a light touch, lingering just long enough to draw a louder moan from her parted lips.
[Blockage reduced.]
[Impurities cleared.]
[Spiritual circulation improved: 19%.]
Her chest rose and fell more strongly. Her breasts, lightly marked by the oil and the fleeting contact, trembled with every breath.
"Haa... nnh..."
Her body was far more relaxed now... and far more sensitive. Each time his fingers approached the sides of her breasts, a deeper moan escaped, and she shifted almost imperceptibly, seeking more of that contact.
[Contact time: 5 minutes.]
The final points were treated with slow, precise movements.
His hands glided over her entire back, spreading the oil, pressing the meridians, and his fingers returned again and again to lightly touch her breasts just enough to feel the softness, the warmth, the slight swelling of her nipples.
The profound energy circulated more and more steadily. Her body answered with moans that grew more open, wetter, less controlled.
"Haaa... ahh... Yun Che..."
She remained still, yet her whole body trembled faintly beneath his hands.
Uneven breathing, low continuous moans as if the massage had crossed the line of spiritual treatment and entered something far more carnal.
[Contact time: 20/20 minutes.]
[Initial Mission completed.].
Yun Che withdrew his hands.
For several seconds, the woman remained lying there, breathing deeply.
Then she opened her eyes.
"Is it over?"
"Yes."
She slowly turned her face toward Yun Che.
"Wait."
Yun Che remained still.
"How?"
"Yes?"
She fell silent.
She looked at him for several seconds, as though trying to reconcile the person she knew with what she had just experienced.
"You said you only knew the basic procedures."
"Yes. That’s exactly what I said."
"That wasn’t merely basic."
Yun Che did not answer.
The woman narrowed her eyes.
"Then who taught you?"
Yun Che felt the system interface disappear momentarily.
He needed to come up with an answer.
But before he could speak, a new message appeared.
[Reward available.]
[Supreme Necromancy Art unlocked.]
Yun Che discreetly clenched his hand.
His first mission was over.
But he had just discovered that surviving in this world would require far more than simply obeying the system.