The Courtesan’s Dilemma and a Demonic Gaze

Ye Qingyun observed for a while, then closed the chat group. Just as the beta testers had mentioned, they possessed knowledge of the martial world that ordinary players did not, but first, they needed to escape their current predicament.

During the beta test, he had been a mere observer, essentially a tourist experiencing the game. For instance, the intricacies of the ‘favorability’ system remained a mystery to regular players.

‘If you can think it, you can do it? That’s right, how could I forget that? The officials must have come up with a special method. Sometimes, a single sentence can break through a difficult situation.’

Ye Qingyun seemed to grasp something profound. Clever individuals could always unearth answers from even the faintest clues, and Ye Qingyun had clearly detected the trail.

Half an hour later, Ye Qingyun logged back in. By then, the game world had already transitioned to the next day.

On the second morning, he slowly rose from his bed and walked to the table, where numerous books were laid out. These were all related to the Kingdom of Song, along with various legends and tales.

Ye Qingyun first picked up the History of Song. He began to read it quietly, understanding that these seemingly unrelated books often concealed crucial information.

“Hmm? The Kingdom of Song is a nation governed by culture. This implies their martial prowess might not be particularly high,” Ye Qingyun muttered.

He continued to delve deeper into the text, which detailed the founding history of the Kingdom of Song. From these records, Ye Qingyun unearthed information about various sects. Within the Kingdom of Song, there were eight major martial world factions: Shaolin, Wudang, Emei, Gentlemen’s Hall, Valley of Elysium, Heavenly Blade Sect, Beggar’s Sect, and Tang Clan.

These were the eight largest sects in the Song martial world, though countless smaller factions also existed. To truly enter the martial world, one’s cultivation realm would undoubtedly need to be elevated.

The Creation Art required specific energy circulation techniques, performing one hundred and eight cycles daily. Only through persistent effort could progress be made. Currently, Ye Qingyun’s Creation Art was only at the first level, out of a total of nine levels.

This meant that after cultivating to the ninth level, he would have to find a way to acquire new internal cultivation methods, which were notoriously difficult to come by.

Just as Ye Qingyun was deeply troubled, Li Yulian arrived.

In her youth, Li Yulian must have been quite beautiful, but now, well past forty, she was a faded beauty, her face etched with wrinkles. Crucially, her ostentatious attire seemed particularly incongruous.

“Mama Li? Why have you come?” Seeing Li Yulian arrive, Ye Qingyun quickly put down the book in his hand and stood up.

“Hmm, reading, are we? It’s good to read more,” Li Yulian walked up to Ye Qingyun, glancing at the books on the table. She didn’t think much of it, merely pulling up a chair and sitting down. Her demeanor suggested an ulterior motive.

Ye Qingyun, too, perceived some underlying issues from Li Yulian’s expression.

“Yes, I believe reading more will help me interact better with guests during performances, which might lead to better results,” Ye Qingyun quickly offered an explanation.

Upon hearing this, Li Yulian nodded with satisfaction, convinced that Ye Qingyun was finally becoming obedient. However, her visit today was certainly for something more important.

“Indeed, it’s excellent that you think that way, Qingrou. Judging from your first performance yesterday, I believe the results could be even better. I know you’ve always wanted to leave this place, so you’ll need to earn more money. Mama has a way to double, or even more than double, your daily performance income. As long as you earn more for me, when you’re old enough, I can help you leave this place,” Li Yulian said, her eyes narrowed as she looked at Ye Qingyun.

Ye Qingyun froze at these words, then fixed his gaze on Li Yulian. His heart involuntarily became uneasy. In his current state, he had no way to resist Li Yulian. To put it plainly, he and Li Yulian were like a lamb and a hungry wolf, and Li Yulian could devour him with ease.

“Oh? Please speak, Qingrou is listening,” Ye Qingyun replied, a hint of helplessness in his voice. Compliance was the best choice now.

“Very well then. Actually, I have even better performance methods here; it just depends on whether you wish to learn them or not. With such beauty as yours, it would be a terrible waste not to make the most of it,” Li Yulian suddenly stood up, reached out, pinched Ye Qingyun’s chin, and smiled eerily.

This smile made Ye Qingyun feel utterly uncomfortable.

But he could only force a dry laugh.

Ye Qingyun quickly understood Li Yulian’s intentions. Li Yulian wanted Ye Qingyun to become even more alluring; she desired for him to become The Capital’s foremost courtesan, perhaps even the Flower Queen. Before that, she intended to meticulously refine Ye Qingyun, but this training and learning would undoubtedly consume a significant amount of time. Ye Qingyun was caught in a dilemma.

“So, Qingrou, let me tell you, you’re eighteen this year, not a child anymore. While your beauty is still fresh, if you don’t make good use of your charm and figure, you’ll have no chance past thirty.”

Li Yulian stared at Ye Qingyun with a smiling expression. Did Ye Qingyun have any choice? The answer was definitely no.

Ye Qingyun agonized for a long time. He didn’t know what the consequences would be after agreeing to Li Yulian, but he could only choose to agree.

“Alright, I’ll leave everything to Mama Li’s arrangements,” Ye Qingyun reluctantly agreed.

Seeing Ye Qingyun’s cooperation, a pleased expression finally appeared on Li Yulian’s face.

From that point on, Ye Qingyun’s life grew considerably more complicated. He learned that The Capital’s Courtesan Ranking Conference was six months away, and during this half-year, Li Yulian intended to meticulously refine Ye Qingyun.

Only by ranking within the top ten on the courtesan list would one qualify to contend for the title of Flower Queen.

Therefore, Li Yulian needed to reshape Ye Qingyun’s image. A courtesan had to possess unique qualities; not just any woman could participate. Beyond beauty, she also needed captivating talents and other attributes.

Starting the next day, in addition to his daily performances, Ye Qingyun also had to attend Li Yulian’s lessons to learn new things.

At this moment, Ye Qingyun was seated in the room Li Yulian specifically used for training girls. Li Yulian was applying makeup and styling Ye Qingyun.

“Qingrou, your temperament leans cold, yet your appearance and charm are incredibly seductive. Therefore, you should embrace a ‘cold allure’ path. I’ve given you a new name: Rose,” Li Yulian declared.

Though displeased, Ye Qingyun could only endure it. Rose? It made him feel as if he were some kind of man-eating vixen.

Just then, a system notification appeared.

[Congratulations, Player, for acquiring a new identity]

[World Notification: Player Ye Qingrou has obtained the first special identity in the martial world! Reward: Rose Dancer’s Garb (Identity Outfit), Blood Spirit Demonic Eyes (Talent)]

This sudden system alert utterly astonished Ye Qingyun.

“No way, this is actually possible?” Ye Qingyun was speechless.

At that very moment, the color of Ye Qingyun’s eyes in the mirror began to change. From a pale black, they slowly transformed into a blood-red hue. Suddenly, Ye Qingyun became incredibly enchanting, those crimson eyes stunningly beautiful.

It was as if they possessed a magical allure; even Ye Qingyun himself was captivated by them.

[Hint: Player has acquired the talent skill ‘Charm’. Male individuals who make eye contact with the player will be instinctively drawn to them. Female players will experience only half the effect.]

This left Ye Qingyun stunned once more. How was he walking further and further down the path of a vixen?