The Shameless Gentleman’s Deal

“Clang.” Xu Qingzhu shut the door behind him with a flick of his wrist. A faint smile gracing his lips, he approached and lit the incense burner, allowing a subtle, alluring fragrance to permeate the room. Under the warm, flickering candlelight, a soft haze settled, lending an intimate, almost enchanting atmosphere to the space.

“許青竹, I want to change rooms,” Su Mo declared, retreating until her back pressed firmly against the wall.

Shedding his evergreen outer robe, Xu Qingzhu revealed the pristine white undergarments beneath. With an air of unconcern, he began to pour tea. He settled into a chair, taking his time, steeping the tea several times before finally pushing a cup towards her.

“Have some tea. It’s been quite a while since you’ve had any,” Xu Qingzhu offered, completely ignoring her previous statement.

Su Mo’s gaze darted towards the door. Her hands fumbled behind her back as she cautiously shifted her weight. She continued:

“Xu Qingzhu, I said, I’ll sleep in a different room…”

“Clang.” He shoved the wooden chair aside and strode directly towards her. A gust of wind seemed to follow him. He slammed a hand against the wall beside her head, pinning Su Mo in a ‘wall-slam’ maneuver.

“What did you say?”

“I…” Su Mo swallowed hard. She couldn’t get a read on Xu Qingzhu, a man whose strength remained an enigma. Avoiding his piercing gaze, she hastily explained:

“I prefer a spacious room when I sleep, and I’m more comfortable sleeping alone, so I won’t trouble Young Master Xu… anymore.”

“What exactly is our relationship now?” Xu Qingzhu pressed closer, leaning down to murmur into her ear.

Shifting slightly to the side, Su Mo retorted, “I never agreed to be your wife. You forced me!”

After a brief silence, Xu Qingzhu changed tack.

“How about we make a deal?”

“What kind of deal?”

He rose, stepping away from her. His fingers brushed the rim of a teacup on the table as he spoke nonchalantly:

“You took something you shouldn’t have. That Nascent Soul cultivator who came last time was hunting you. If I hadn’t intervened, you would have been crushed to death. And at the city gates, it was the protective spell I carved that saved your life.”

He slowly extended a cup of tea towards her, his voice brooking no argument as he added:

“Tell me, have I not saved your life multiple times?”

“I will repay you in the future,” Su Mo promised, taking the teacup. Her fingers gripped it so tightly they turned stark red. ‘This Young Master Xu,’ she thought, ‘he knows faces but not hearts.’ Was he truly using his past kindness to coerce her now? With such a ‘benevolent’ man, she resolved to repay him and then forget him entirely, owing him not an ounce of affection. ‘It truly is a transaction,’ she thought, a surge of sarcasm rising within her. ‘Xu Qingzhu is nothing but a hypocrite.’ And the root cause of Xu Qingzhu’s current behavior, that protagonist Xiao Yao, who so readily deceived women, was no better.

With the resolve to grow stronger solidified in her heart, Su Mo pressed her lips together for a moment, then narrowed her eyes and inquired,

“So, esteemed Gentleman Xu, what exactly do you propose we trade?”

Taking a generous sip of tea, Xu Qingzhu’s lips curved into a slight smirk.

“You will become my wife, and I will assist you in breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm. Until you achieve that, I will resolve any difficulties you encounter. My sole condition is… that you wholeheartedly fulfill your duties as my wife.”

“…Impossible.” From Su Mo’s perspective, this was no different from selling herself into servitude.

Xu Qingzhu merely shook his head, uttering, “You’re thinking too absolutely. Let’s decide later.”

“No matter how many times you ask, it will still be impossible,” Su Mo muttered under her breath. She drained her tea and headed towards the door. Though she seemed to say it just for him to hear, Xu Qingzhu, of course, heard her perfectly. He simply remained seated, silent, as if in anticipation.

And sure enough…

A soft thud.

Su Mo weakly slapped the wooden door, her limbs heavy with an overwhelming drowsiness. She was just one step away from opening the door and escaping.

“Xu Qingzhu… you shameless man…” Her words trailed off as she slumped against the door, her breathing gradually evening out. She had fallen asleep.

The candlelight flickered, casting a dancing glow across half of Xu Qingzhu’s face. He remained silent for a long time, then finally rose and gently scooped Su Mo into his arms. After settling her onto the bed, he returned to the table, where he sat alone, sipping strong tea and contemplating.

‘Su Mo, just for a little while, help me give Uncle Zhang something to remember,’ Xu Qingzhu thought, bowing his head with a long sigh. Indeed, Shopkeeper Zhang was afflicted with a debilitating illness, a ‘labor disease’ that had progressed into a terminal condition, what modern folk would call ‘cancer.’ His remaining days were few. In his previous life, at this very moment, Xu Qingzhu had been lost to madness, cultivating his mind in Huangpo Village, and had missed seeing Shopkeeper Zhang one last time. Since Su Mo was now acting as his wife, he might as well play out the charade to its fullest. This way, Shopkeeper Zhang, who was always fretting about Xu Qingzhu’s family matters, could depart in peace.

As the night deepened and silence settled, the candlelight continued its gentle dance. Seated there, he meditated on his heart sutras, cultivating his techniques. Before long, a delicate shout emanated from the bedside. It was a sleep-talking utterance:

“Xu Qingzhu, don’t you dare regret this!”

“…” Xu Qingzhu opened his eyes, wondering what dream had provoked such a declaration. Regret? The path he had chosen, he would walk alone, to its very end. A mere fox-girl, however charming? What right did she have to make him feel regret? “The immortal path is vast, the human path fleeting; only through detachment can one attain the Great Dao,” Xu Qingzhu recalled a line from the Ruthless Dao Sutra, silently reciting it in his mind.

“Thwack…” The quilt slid off, kicked away by Su Mo’s restless thrashing. She seemed to be kicking an imaginary foe, gritting her teeth with fierce determination. With a sigh, Xu Qingzhu gently pulled the quilt back over her, then gazed at her profile in thoughtful silence.

“Am I truly so hateful in her dreams?” he murmured, unable to resist gently pinching her soft cheek. And so, Su Mo enjoyed the large bed all to herself. It was one of her cherished wishes for sleeping arrangements. Her other wish was to sleep clutching a sturdy stick, which Xu Qingzhu found himself unable to provide. Especially since, at present, she seemed to harbor a distinct aversion to anything resembling a ‘stick.’

****

The following morning, a piercing shriek ripped through the air, shattering the tranquility of the Zhang Residence. Inside the room, Su Mo clutched the quilt tightly, yelling at Xu Qingzhu,

“You shameless brute! You tore my clothes to shreds!”

“…You tore them yourself. Don’t go blaming me,” Xu Qingzhu replied calmly, turning a page in a book—the Zhang family pharmacy’s ledgers, which he intended to familiarize himself with.

“Impossible!” Su Mo gritted her teeth, flung the quilt aside, and with a burst of spiritual energy, dashed towards the door. As she emerged, a rather suspicious hole was visible in the fabric covering her lower back and glutes.

“I won’t stay in this house a moment longer!” Su Mo couldn’t bear it. The realization that she had become ‘friends’ with Xu Qingzhu, in particular, left her on the verge of tears. Yet, before she could take more than a few steps, Xu Qingzhu caught her with one hand, effortlessly pulling her into his embrace. Now seated on his lap, her hands firmly secured in his grip, Su Mo instinctively lunged to bite his neck.

“Are you truly a fox?” Xu Qingzhu mused, swiftly tapping several acupoints. Immediately, Su Mo went limp in his arms, all strength draining from her.

“What have you done?!” Su Mo exclaimed, a sense of unease washing over her.

“I merely activated the orientation of the spell I placed on you,” Xu Qingzhu stated coolly. Though she had once struck him with a ball, as a noble young master, he was remarkably magnanimous. A wave of apprehension washed over Su Mo as she felt something extending from her tailbone, in the region of her glutes. It felt like a tail, but she was sprawled helplessly across Xu Qingzhu, unable to see what was behind her.

“A white fox, still, but her hair remains raven black. Her bloodline hasn’t fully awakened,” Xu Qingzhu observed, analyzing the phenomenon. As he spoke, he gently stroked Su Mo’s fluffy white fox tail, even giving its bone a light squeeze.

“Mmm~… don’t… touch there…” Su Mo’s face flushed a delicate red.

“Her bone age is the same as a human’s… have you just turned eighteen?” Xu Qingzhu questioned, a hint of surprise in his voice.

“Why… mmm~… why do you care?” Su Mo stammered, panting lightly. Why did she feel as though her Nine-Tailed Body, rather than bestowing advantages, had instead brought a glaring flaw? Hadn’t it been said that the Nine-Tailed Body was extraordinarily potent, with each new fox tail doubling one’s magical power? And that various talents would awaken like a sudden enlightenment, transforming one into a minor prodigy? But no one had ever mentioned that a fox tail could be this sensitive!

“Your fox tail is quite nice. Just be careful not to expose it carelessly,” Xu Qingzhu advised, even as he lifted the fluffy appendage to his face and rubbed it against his cheek. He took a deep whiff; there was no musky fox odor, but rather a soft, milky scent. It was a peculiar yet delightful blend of her face wash and the natural scent of the fox tail, two pleasant sensations, all at once!

“Please… stop touching it… mmm~…” If this continued, she would truly become strange.