Definitely a man, even flat breasts are not that flat

“Though I don’t think I know you personally, you’re wearing a mask—it’s hard to tell at first glance. Maybe we’ve met before?”

Sighing helplessly as he saw the men behind him giving him thumbs-up, Xiao Yu steeled himself—might as well give it a shot for the sake of his spirit stones.

“It’s you! Ah Tie, long time no see. Didn’t expect you to have gotten so handsome these days… cough… How about doing me a solid this time and just let us off easy?”

Thinking this, he gave a light cough and casually slapped the serious, masked man on the shoulder like an old friend.

But what he didn’t expect was that the moment his arm touched Tie Yanran, the man shuddered like he’d been electrocuted, then quickly distanced himself from Xiao Yu.

?

Brother… are you not feeling well?

“No… No way. Law must be followed. Without rules, nothing can function properly. They clearly have something to hide.”

Tie Yanran’s voice was slightly shaky, clearly unsettled by Xiao Yu’s familiarity. Xiao Yu blinked—could it be…

He’s cold on the outside but warm inside? Maybe even shy?

Otherwise, why wear such a terrifying mask?

Still, his tone suggested some room for negotiation. Xiao Yu leaned in further:

“I’m begging you, really. They’re just a bunch of lifelong virgins—nothing serious will come out of this. If you insist…”

Xiao Yu glanced at the others, then whispered into Tie Yanran’s ear:

“I’ll give you my private collection. Just let us off this time.”

Warm breath tickled his delicate ear. Tie Yanran trembled and pushed Xiao Yu away sharply.

Private collection… that must be something truly precious of Xiao Yu’s…

The grotesque mask shook slightly—as if weighing Xiao Yu’s offer.

Finally, the exquisite ears visible from beneath the mask flushed red. He nodded:

“F-Fine… for Xiao Yu’s sake, I’ll let them go. But…”

His voice suddenly rose sharply:

“Don’t let me catch you all gathered together like this again—otherwise, you’ll all be locked up in sword prison for wall-facing meditation.

Hmph! Recently, there’s been widespread circulation of indecent publications. Still don’t know the source—I’ll make sure whoever’s responsible suffers dearly.”

Clearly meant as a warning to those behind. Xiao Yu, standing beside him, looked a little guilty.

After all, the culprit was right here…

Luckily, Tie Yanran didn’t notice. He turned to Xiao Yu:

“I’ve got other matters to attend to. Take care, Xiao Yu.”

“O-Okay… take c-care!”

Under the group’s “seeing-off-a-plague” stares, Tie Yanran opened the door and briskly fled out.

He had urgent business—an anonymous report claimed someone at Divine Mechanism Peak enjoyed running around naked.

After Tie Yanran left…

Silence filled the room for several seconds. Once they were certain he was far away, chaos erupted.

“Woooo! Brother Yu is awesome!”

“Only Brother Yu could pull that off so easily.”

“This is the first time I’ve seen the Jade-Faced Demon act like that. Truly amazing work, Brother Yu.”

Excited chatter exploded.

As for Xiao Yu, he remained calm, raising his hand to quiet everyone:

“Basic procedure, nothing special. Keep it down, or we’ll get reported again.”

Didn’t expect the Jade-Faced Demon to be so easy to handle. Guess that’s just how men are.

Still… Xiao Yu clenched his hand slightly—he could still feel the softness from when he touched Tie Yanran’s shoulder.

Was he really a man?

He turned to the others with a question:

“By the way… Jade-Faced Demon is a guy, right?”

“Of course!”

“What else would he be?”

“You think a woman would have such a flat chest?”

Reminded of this, Xiao Yu finally realized.

So caught up in the mask earlier, he hadn’t thought about it. Recalling their contact just now—his chest did seem pretty flat. Even the flattest of breasts wouldn’t be that flat.

Quickly, Xiao Yu concluded—Tie Yanran had to be male. Even Fan Hai’s pectoral muscles were more developed than that.

If he were female, how flat would his chest have to be?

Absolutely impossible.

With that settled, Xiao Yu got straight back to business:

“Alright! Wanhua Mansion’s Little Phoenix Fairy photo album—fifty mid-grade spirit stones per copy. Nine left total. Highest bidder takes it!”

“I’ll…”

“I’ll take two!”

Despite the recent raid, the excitement among the group only grew stronger.

Seemed like the more thrilling the situation, the more aroused people became.

Soon, Xiao Yu sold every last album—pockets full of spirit stones.

Just as he happily counted his earnings, another knock echoed at the door.

Knock knock!

This time, it was the tavern servant:

“Master Xiao Yu, someone wants to see you. You’re needed at Guest Reception Peak.”

“Oh! Got it.”

………………

“Brother Yu, any more albums left? A friend of mine wants to take a look…”

“Nope. Ask Leader Leng if you want one. And stop hiding behind ‘a friend’—just admit you want to see it yourself.”

“Old Xiao, got last month’s landscape gazette? Need a copy.”

“Sure thing. I’ll bring it tomorrow.”

“Hey Xiao Yu! My sister told me Bai Yan bought a love potion. Watch your kidneys tonight!”

“Screw you! Me and Xiao Yan are innocent—we’re master and apprentice! Spread rumors about me again, and I’ll drug you and toss you into a pigsty!”

“Xiao Yu, how’s my wife doing outside? Old Wang said he’d look after her while I’m gone. Is she doing alright?”

“She’s great—plump and healthy. Currently pregnant with her third child. Here’s a gift from her.”

“Oh… wait, that’s not right!”

On his way to Guest Reception Peak, Xiao Yu encountered many familiar faces—all greeting him warmly.

He responded in kind, pulling a bright green hat from his spatial ring and placing it on the head of the man who asked about his wife before proceeding to Guest Reception Peak.

It was a relatively small peak near the entrance of Demon Gathering Island.

Guest Reception—exactly what it sounded like: receiving guests.

And the guests? Those unfortunate souls swept here by the Sea of Forbidden Tides.

Back when Xiao Yu first arrived in this world, he spent his first night here at Guest Reception Peak.

Nowadays, with the sea’s notorious reputation, probably no sane person would willingly come here for fun.

Stepping into the luxurious building atop the peak—far grander than his bamboo hut—a teasing voice greeted him:

“Hehe! Master Xiao Yu finally graces us with his presence. Your business must be booming~ But if the Discipline Hall finds out, you might find yourself behind bars for a while.”

Spoken by a lazy, seductive young girl. With pink hair and violet eyes, her smooth, silky locks formed a perfect bun atop her head—like a small budding flower.

She wore a pink qipao with high slits, tightly hugging her voluptuous curves. Her flirtatious eyes narrowed playfully as she flipped through a photo album in her hands.

The cover featured a heavily revealing woman—the same exclusive album Xiao Yu once sold on Demon Gathering Island.