Chapter 118

Although the cat she wanted to bait had indeed taken the hook, Ning Xu had no intention of deceiving the little artifact spirit. What needed to be said still had to be made clear.

“I’m fairly well-off, but as you’ve seen, Mingyue Tower’s expenses aren’t low. If you want to come here every few days and book the top courtesans, to be honest, with my current financial situation, I can’t afford such an enormous cost.”

Upon hearing this, the cat’s fluffy face scrunched up, looking pitiful and helpless. It crossed its two furry paws in front of itself, lowered its head, and remained silent.

It was well aware that Ning Xu was the most clear-headed and decent host it had ever encountered. If it had been one of those stubborn past hosts, forget about booking male courtesans—even setting foot in Mingyue Tower would have been impossible.

But people are greedy, and artifact spirits are no exception.

It spoke up, “Then how often can you bring me here?” If it couldn’t come every day, at least visiting from time to time would still be satisfying.

Ning Xu was silent for a moment before saying, “I can’t guarantee that.” She wasn’t sure how much longer she could stay in this era. The three people that the cat fancied definitely wouldn’t still be in Mingyue Tower three thousand years later.

After saying that, she quickly added, “However, I’ll find a way to poach them from Mingyue Tower as soon as possible.”

Cat: ???

Old Ox: ……

No one was more excited about this than the Melon-Eating System.

【Host, that makes so much sense! Why didn’t I think of poaching them?】

【These guys can’t possibly work in Mingyue Tower forever. Maybe a year or two, maybe several years—but eventually, they’ll leave! We might as well take them for ourselves.】

【Their current prices are only because they’re working in Mingyue Tower.】

【If we can poach them, who knows, maybe they’ll even be willing to work for free!】

Ning Xu: ……

Only the Melon-Eating System would dare to think like this.

Though… them working for free was unlikely. But if she could poach them, their rates definitely wouldn’t be as outrageously high as they were now.

Old Ox looked at Ning Xu differently.

Just a moment ago, the Melon-Eating System was calling the owner of Mingyue Tower a sly businessman. But if its own host was coming up with ideas to steal employees, was she really any better? And that system—was it even speaking like a proper person?

Poaching them just because they were going to leave sooner or later? If the owner of Mingyue Tower heard this, he’d probably cry.

Upon hearing this, the cat also got excited.

It pointed its paw at Hu Yao, Wen Ling, and Xiao Yao and said in a soft, delicate voice, “I want them.”

Ning Xu: “……”

It was difficult, but all problems had solutions.

She responded immediately, “Alright! I’ll figure something out.”

Hearing this, the cat was satisfied. It tilted its fluffy head and said, “The contract I form will cause quite a stir. When do you plan on contracting with me?”

Ning Xu squeezed the cat’s paw and said, “No rush.” Now was clearly not the right time to contract the Mountain and Rivers Diagram.

Unlike contracting a spirit beast, contracting an artifact would create a phenomenon that would attract attention within a several-kilometer radius. Someone without considerable strength wouldn’t dare to casually contract an artifact.

Besides, just getting into Mingyue Tower this time had already cost her one million lower-grade spirit stones. Leaving now felt like a huge loss.

Ning Xu waved the booklet in her hand, turned to Old Ox, and asked, “Do you want to give it a try?”

Old Ox was slightly taken aback. Then, with his simple and honest face, he nodded earnestly.

Ning Xu handed him the booklet and let him choose for himself.

Old Ox didn’t even look before selecting dozens of the cheapest available female courtesans.

After making his selections, he flipped to the last few pages.

Just like with the male courtesans, the further back he went, the higher the prices of the female courtesans became.

The third-ranking female courtesan of Mingyue Tower had a radiant smile, a flower mark on her forehead, and an expression that was both dazzling and warm.

Just seeing her smile was enough to make people feel healed.

As for the second-ranked courtesan, it just so happened to be the peak master from Ming Palace Pavilion who was disguised as a woman.

To stand out among so many beautiful female cultivators and secure second place, this peak master’s charm was undeniable.

Seeing the same sect member as the Sword Immortal, Old Ox curiously clicked on the reviews below.

“Yao Yao… I am willing to call him the female cultivator who understands male cultivators the most! Yao Yao, I love you!!!”

“Yao Yao really gets me! In this entire cultivation world, I can’t live without you!”

“I’m willing to go broke for Yao Yao! What does it matter?!”

“I’m desperately saving money just to see Yao Yao a few more times! Yao Yao, wait for me!”

After reading these reviews, both Ning Xu and Old Ox fell silent.

The Melon-Eating System snickered.

【Of course he understands male cultivators—he is one!】

【This peak master is truly something else. He’s been at Mingyue Tower for a while now and has entertained many male cultivators. After just one encounter, these guys are practically dying for him. He really knows how to hook them in.】

The way the Melon-Eating System described him made Ning Xu really curious to see this peak master in action. She wondered if Old Ox would book him.

But Old Ox wasn’t in a hurry to make a decision.

Unlike the little artifact spirit—who assumed that the most expensive courtesans were the best and directly selected the top three—Old Ox thought differently.

The most popular male courtesan at Mingyue Tower, Hu Yao, had a terrible temper and only got away with it because of his naturally handsome face.

Old Ox cared more about cost-effectiveness.

Since he had no real intentions, he figured he might as well choose more affordable courtesans and enjoy being surrounded by a group of female cultivators. That was why he immediately picked a dozen of the cheapest ones. Of course, “cheapest” was relative—compared to the other courtesans at Mingyue Tower, their prices were low, but outside of here, they were still sky-high.

After reading the introduction for the Ming Palace Pavilion peak master, he turned his gaze to the final female courtesan—Hu Mei.

Like Hu Yao, she was also a fox spirit blessed with natural beauty.

However, her gaze was sharp and imperious, her eyeliner extending in a long, narrow line, her eyes carrying a hint of coldness, and her expression filled with pride. She looked just as bad-tempered as Hu Yao.

Old Ox casually clicked on the customer reviews for her.

【I absolutely love how cold and dismissive Hu Mei is towards me!】

【The more Fox Enchantress ignores me, the more obsessed I become with her! What’s going on, brothers?】

【Who understands this? I’ve been clicking on Fox Enchantress for half an hour, spent tens of millions, and I haven’t even gotten a single smile from her. And yet, I just love this kind of attitude!】

【No one stop me—I just love throwing money at Fox Enchantress!】

Seeing these comments, Old Yellow Ox: …

It didn’t understand and was greatly shocked.

Anyway, being a pragmatic Ox, Old Yellow Ox didn’t even bother looking at Fox Enchantress any further and simply flipped the page.

Unlike those small-minded artifact spirits willing to spend money just to see a cold face, it was here to enjoy itself, not to be mistreated.

So Old Yellow Ox didn’t choose Fox Enchantress. Instead, it picked the Peak Lord of Ming Palace Pavilion.

Upon seeing this choice, the Melon-Eating System clicked its tongue twice.

【Old Yellow Ox looks so serious, but who knew it was secretly bad?】

This was clearly to watch the Peak Lord of Ming Palace Pavilion make a fool of himself, right?

Otherwise, why else would it choose the Peak Lord?

There were so many other female models available—wasn’t the third-ranked one good enough? Was the fourth-ranked one not sweet enough?

And yet, it deliberately picked the second-ranked Peak Lord of Ming Palace Pavilion.

Since it placed another big order, the steward came over again.

With a bright smile, the steward said, “You have selected a total of fourteen ladies: Wu Chun, Luo Xia… The total comes to 3.88 million lower-grade spirit stones.”

Having already spent 200,000 mid-grade spirit stones earlier, spending just over three million lower-grade ones this time was nothing.

Ning Xu simply and efficiently paid the bill, this time without tipping.

The steward maintained his smile as he said, “Thank you for your support of Mingyue Tower. Wu Chun and the others will be here shortly. Please wait a moment.”

The Melon-Eating System clicked its tongue twice.

【Old Yellow Ox booked fourteen for only three million spirit stones. Seems like he values quantity over ranking. Tsk tsk tsk, who would have thought Old Yellow Ox was like this.】

Old Yellow Ox leisurely chewed on its spiritual grass, acting as if it hadn’t heard anything.

Before long, all fourteen female models arrived.

Among them, the most striking one was none other than the Peak Lord of Ming Palace Pavilion, who was cross-dressing. In Mingyue Tower, his stage name was “Yao Yao.”

Upon arrival, he was momentarily stunned to see Old Yellow Ox, clearly surprised.

The Sword Immortal’s natal spiritual beast—why was it here at Mingyue Tower?

Hadn’t he always avoided such places?

“Yao Yao” discreetly glanced at Ning Xu, confirming that she wasn’t the Sword Immortal in disguise before withdrawing his gaze.

Among the fourteen female models, Wu Chun was the most enthusiastic and lively. She smiled and asked, “Fellow Daoist, what would you like us to do?”

Just like before, Ning Xu immediately waved her hand and said, “I’m not the one who booked you all—it was this… Ox beside me.”

What?

A Ox!

In perfect unison, all fourteen female models, including “Yao Yao,” turned to look at Old Yellow Ox.

Old Yellow Ox met their gazes with a calm, expressionless face.

Wu Chun pursed her lips and carefully asked, “Then… what does it want us to do?”

Ning Xu took out the slip of paper Old Yellow Ox had given her earlier, cleared her throat, and said, “He wants to hear you play the guzheng. At the same time, he wants to see ‘Yao Yao’ dance. Is that possible?”

Upon hearing this request, Wu Chun let out a long sigh of relief.

So that was all? She had thought it would be something much more complicated.

She beamed and said, “Of course! Fellow Daoist booked us for a full fifteen minutes. We have plenty of time. Does he… have any specific piece in mind?”

Ning Xu glanced at Old Yellow Ox and, seeing it shake its head, answered for him, “No, you can play whatever you like.”

The Melon-Eating System couldn’t help but click its tongue twice.

【Making the Peak Lord dance—classic Old Yellow Ox move!】

Wu Chun, ever professional, smiled warmly and suggested, “The piece ‘Spring Light Waltz’ happens to be thirteen minutes long. How about we play that?”

Seeing that Old Yellow Ox had no objections, Ning Xu nodded. “That works.”

With that confirmation, the thirteen female cultivators tacitly took out their guzhengs from their storage pouches.

Seeing this, Wu Chun was a bit amused.

What was this?

Playing the guzheng… for a Ox?

Still, since the Ox was their client, they displayed utmost professionalism and sat around Old Yellow Ox in a circle.

One could say that Old Yellow Ox had successfully achieved its initial goal—being enthusiastically surrounded by a group of female models.

Ning Xu turned to “Yao Yao,” who had yet to make a move, and asked, “Can you perform something impromptu?”

Only then did “Yao Yao” speak. His voice was somewhere between that of a man and a woman, carrying an androgynous allure.

“No need. ‘Spring Light Waltz’ already has an accompanying dance.”

Ning Xu: “…That’s good, then.”

Soon, the first note rang out, followed closely by countless others.

“Spring Light Waltz” was a lively and cheerful tune, its bright melody making one feel as if they were basking in the radiant spring sunshine.

As the guzheng music played, “Yao Yao” began to dance.

Had Ning Xu not known beforehand that he was cross-dressing, just watching his dance alone, she never would have guessed that this was actually a male Peak Lord of Ming Palace Pavilion.

His movements were fluid, his dance incredibly seductive. Combined with his uniquely striking face, he left an unforgettable impression.

The Melon-Eating System kept up a constant stream of commentary.

【Tsk tsk tsk, he really loves this job! If it weren’t true passion, he wouldn’t be able to perform at this level.】

【Look at that professional expression—never out of character for even a moment.】

【Compared to the other female models, his charm is practically innate.】

【Honestly, I think he was born for this line of work.】

Ning Xu: …

Was the Melon-Eating System praising or mocking a Peak Lord of a major sect by saying he was born to be a “female model”?

—

Fifteen minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

“Spring Light Waltz” reached its final note.

As the strings settled into silence, Ning Xu was the first to applaud, while Old Yellow Ox let out two snorts from his nostrils—its version of clapping.

Wu Chun gave a bright smile and asked, “Are you satisfied? If you are, you can request me again next time.”

Old Ox let out a low moo in response, which counted as agreement.

After the female cultivators dispersed, Ning Xu also felt it was about time to leave.

She had heard that in a few days, “Yao Yao” would be up for some sort of auction. Though the event hadn’t arrived yet, Ning Xu could already imagine how grand the scene would be that night.

With “Yao Yao’s” charm, plenty of cultivators would likely fight tooth and nail to compete for her.

However, Ning Xu had no intention of joining the excitement. Since she had no plans to participate in the bidding, she could simply spectate through the Melon-Eating System.

As she was preparing to leave, the Artifact Spirit looked reluctant to part.

It was truly unwilling to leave those three male cultivators behind.

In total, it had only spent fifteen minutes with them.

Fifteen minutes? That was nowhere near enough!

Fifteen centuries might be more like it.

Ning Xu reassured it, “Don’t worry. I’ll contract with you first, and after that, we’ll come back.”

She hadn’t forgotten that she still intended to poach people from Mingyue Tower.

She couldn’t guarantee she could take all three of them away, but taking at least one should be possible, right?

Hearing this, the Artifact Spirit finally stopped looking like it was about to glue itself to the place.

At that moment, the Melon-Eating System chimed in.

【Host, contracting with the Mountain and River Diagram will cause quite a stir. I suggest you go ahead and form your Nascent Soul—this way, you can actually use the breakthrough to cover up part of the disturbance.】

Ning Xu had been considering this as well.

Her cultivation was already at the right stage, and she could form her Nascent Soul at any time.

She asked, “Do you have a good location in mind for forming my Nascent Soul?”

Without hesitation, the Melon-Eating System replied,

【The Glacier Mountains would be a good choice. That place is sparsely populated. When we contract the artifact, even if other cultivators notice the phenomenon, we’ll have enough time to leave.】

Ning Xu said, “Alright, then we’re going to the Glacier Mountains!”
—

A few days later, Ning Xu and her group arrived at the Glacier Mountains once again.

The moment they returned, the Artifact Spirit looked eager. “Let’s make the contract now!”

After speaking, it couldn’t help but add, “After the contract, you’ll still take me to Mingyue Tower, right?”

Ning Xu promised, “Of course. I’ll even help you bring back at least one of your favorite male models so he can accompany you all the time.”

Old Ox: …

Whoever that lucky person was going to be—well, perhaps there wouldn’t be just one? But this promise certainly sounded appealing.

Hearing Ning Xu’s guarantee, the Artifact Spirit finally relaxed completely.

“Then let’s do it.”

Ning Xu nodded. “Alright!”

Very quickly, a spell mark appeared at the center of her forehead, and a similar mark emerged in front of the Artifact Spirit’s cat-like face.

This was the Artifact Contract Spell.

The moment both marks aligned, the contract would be complete!

Since both sides were willing, the process went smoothly. The instant the contract was formed, heaven and earth changed color!

Palatial clouds materialized in the sky.

The Melon-Eating System shouted,

【Host, now’s the time!】

At its words, Ning Xu’s cultivation surged, breaking through a critical threshold in an instant!

As the celestial phenomenon in the sky intensified, declaring the artifact had found its master, she finally welcomed her Nascent Soul Tribulation!