The small room of the Massage House was silent.
An hour had passed, but Yun Che remained lying on the narrow bed, his arms behind his head and his eyes fixed on the wooden ceiling. The atmosphere was completely different from the bustle he had left behind at the Pill Refinement House.
At the Pill Refinement House, dozens of disciples were probably still discussing the assessment questions, commenting on their answers, and trying to understand how someone who had only entered through a negotiation had managed to take first place.
Yun Che, however, was no longer thinking about that. The assessment was over, and thanks to the system, he had managed to prove his worth. But now he would have to pay the price.
He opened the system notifications from an hour earlier. A blue light appeared before him, and in the next instant, the familiar system interface silently emerged in the air.
[The resources used by the host have completely exhausted the available Lust Points.]
[Without enough Lust Points to sustain the cultivation core, the host’s realm will regress.]
[If the situation remains unresolved, spiritual energy will gradually decrease.]
[Final consequence: death.]
"So this is the price for assimilating years of alchemy knowledge in just 10 hours..." His voice came out low.
[New mission assigned to the host.]
[Objective: perform Dual Cultivation with a woman above the host’s current realm or establish valid intimate contact with at least twenty different women.]
[Current progress: 0/20.]
[The contact must meet the requirements established by the system.]
[Main Reward: filling the empty slots of the host’s undead.]
[Additional Reward: Lust Points, according to the satisfaction obtained during the completion of the mission.]
[Failure Consequence: cultivation regression.]
"Twenty women..."
The words sounded even more absurd when he said them aloud. He had no intention of casually becoming involved with twenty women, much less could he simply approach a powerful cultivator and ask her to perform Dual Cultivation with him.
That would be even more ridiculous and quite dangerous.
If someone discovered that he was deliberately seeking women above his realm to perform Dual Cultivation, people would wonder whether he had been kicked in the head.
Yun Che lowered his eyes, thinking about the Massage House. The answer emerged almost immediately.
"Massages..."
He remained silent for several seconds as an idea slowly began to take shape.
If he transformed the massages into a spiritual treatment, he could attend to several female disciples without arousing suspicion. He would not need to explain why he wanted to be close to them.
It would be enough to present a plausible reason: helping them relieve physical tension, regulate the flow of spiritual energy, and identify minor obstructions in their meridians while also touching their intimate areas to satisfy the system.
Yun Che stood up, his expression becoming determined.
"Since I’m forced to do this, then I’ll do it intelligently."
He opened the door and walked out. The corridor of the Massage House was relatively quiet. Some female disciples passed by carrying small boxes of herbs and wooden containers, while others spoke quietly beside the windows.
The familiar scent of medicinal herbs filled the surroundings. Yun Che walked along the corridor looking for his master, since he had not seen her earlier, until he found Mei Liang.
She was standing beside a table, organizing several medicine bottles. When she heard his footsteps, she raised her eyes.
"You’ve returned from the Pill Refinement House?"
"Yes, I’m back, Mei Liang."
Mei Liang observed him for several seconds.
"I heard that you did very well in the assessment at the Pill Refinement House. You need to tell me what really happened there."
Yun Che nodded.
"There’s not much to say, Mei Liang. It was only a theoretical assessment, and it just happened that I had studied a little."
"Nothing worth mentioning, you say? I heard you did something quite unexpected."
Yun Che immediately understood where the conversation was heading.
"Who told you?"
"That doesn’t matter."
Mei Liang placed one of the bottles on the table.
"What matters is that the news has already reached here. Some disciples said that you answered the most difficult questions without hesitation. Others said that even Guo Han acknowledged your answers."
Yun Che remained calm.
"As I said, it was only a theoretical assessment."
"Don’t try to downplay what you did. It’s good that you’ve found something you’re good at. You don’t need to be so humble, you know?"
Mei Liang crossed her arms.
"Before yesterday, almost everyone in this sect believed you were a useless disciple. Today, your name is being discussed at the Pill Refinement House. That doesn’t happen simply because someone got lucky."
Yun Che let out a small breath.
"Perhaps people underestimated me."
"That is obvious."
Mei Liang narrowed her eyes.
"But you didn’t come here to talk about the assessment, did you?"
Yun Che remained silent for a moment. She knew him too well to accept a superficial answer.
"I want to try a technique."
"A technique? Che, what are you planning this time?"
"Mei Liang, I’m not planning anything. You know me. It’s simply a spiritual massage technique."
Mei Liang raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Spiritual massage?"
"Yes."
Yun Che approached the table and explained calmly:
"After studying the principles of alchemy and the circulation of spiritual energy, I realized that many physical problems cultivators experience don’t originate solely from the muscles. Accumulated tension can interfere with the meridians. Irregular spiritual circulation can cause fatigue. Minor obstructions can prevent energy from being distributed properly throughout the body."
Mei Liang remained silent, paying attention. Yun Che continued:
"I want to develop a way to identify these problems before beginning the treatment. If I can determine where energy has accumulated, where the muscles are tense, and which areas have poor circulation, I can adjust the massage according to each person’s condition."
Mei Liang placed one hand on the table.
"And you want to do this here?"
"Yes."
"With my customers?"
"With anyone willing to try it."
She studied his face.
"You’re very determined."
"I want to know whether the technique really works."
"Or do you need it to work?"
The question caused Yun Che to remain silent for a moment. Mei Liang noticed.
"That’s what I thought."
Yun Che looked away.
"There’s nothing wrong with wanting to perfect a technique."
"I didn’t say there was."
Mei Liang sighed.
"I’m just saying that I know the difference between someone who is curious and someone who is desperate to achieve a result."
Yun Che looked at her again.
"I’m not desperate."
Mei Liang held his gaze.
"Then you won’t have any problem stopping if you realize you can’t treat someone properly, right? I don’t want you or the customers to get hurt."
Yun Che nodded.
"I agree."
"And one more thing."
"What is it?"
"If a customer says she wants to stop, you stop immediately."
"Of course. The customers’ consent is the priority. I know that very well."
Mei Liang remained silent for several seconds before finally nodding.
"All right. You can try it."
Yun Che smiled faintly.
"Thank you, Mei Liang. You’re the best."
"Don’t thank me yet."
Mei Liang returned to organizing the bottles.
"First, I want to see whether this technique of yours is really as good as you claim it is."
Yun Che was about to answer when a familiar voice came from the entrance.
"Yun Che."
He turned around and saw Lin Yue standing by the door.
The young woman wore a light-colored cultivation robe, elegant and simple. Her dark hair was partially tied back, while a few strands fell naturally beside her face.
There was a calm expression in her eyes, accompanied by a small smile that momentarily disappeared when she realized Yun Che was not alone.
Yun Che recognized her immediately.
"Lin Yue, you’re back."
She stepped inside a few paces.
"I told you I would come back."
Yun Che smiled at the girl who had helped him complete the system’s first mission by receiving a twenty-minute massage.
"I remember clearly, and I went through it."
Lin Yue looked at Mei Liang.
"I hope I’m not interrupting."
"You’re not."
Mei Liang replied naturally.
"In fact, we were just discussing the new massage technique Che wants to implement. It seems you will be the test subject."
Lin Yue looked at Yun Che curiously.
"A new technique? Is it even better than the previous one?"
"A spiritual massage technique."
Lin Yue smiled.
"Then I arrived at just the right time, didn’t I?"
Yun Che noticed something in her tone. The arrogance and disdain she had shown toward him on the first day they met had been replaced by something else. Bringing her to climax with only a massage had been a good thing after all.
"Did you come for another treatment?"
"Yes."
She paused briefly.
"Last time, you said I could come back whenever I wanted."
"Of course. Consider this your home."
"Then I came back."
Mei Liang observed the two of them. Lin Yue noticed her gaze and explained:
"Last time, the treatment helped quite a lot. I had been carrying accumulated tension for some time, and I didn’t expect a simple massage to relieve so much while also bringing hidden benefits to my cultivation."
Yun Che nodded.
"I’m glad it helped."
Lin Yue smiled.
"Me too."
Then she slightly turned her body.
"But this time, I brought someone with me."
A second figure appeared behind her. Yun Che looked in that direction and saw Chen Ruyue entering the room.