Chapter 134: Worth It Before Others Or Behind Closed Doors?
Fang Shu heard the voices coming from the courtyard, his expression went blank, and he didn’t quite react.
Ding ling ling!
A silver bell-like sound rang out, the hermitage’s door opened on its own, and a wave of fragrance wafted from inside.
Immediately catching Fang Shu’s eye was a White Deer, and on the deer’s back rode a female Daoist dressed in light gauze, with a graceful figure.
She was truly a fine thing whiter than silver, her jade body pure as snow. Her elbows rivaled congealed rouge, her fragrant shoulders outshone powder patches. Her belly soft and plush, her back smooth and clean. Her knees and wrists half-rounded, her golden lotus three inches narrow. In the middle, a segment of passion, revealing a flirtatious opening.(Note 1）
That pair of eyes brimming with ambiguous joy, with waves flowing in their gaze, exuded a watery allure that was both languid and otherworldly.
This visitor was none other than Senior Sister Fang Lu, the mountain-top prodigy of Du Gu Guan!
She lowered her eyes shyly yet timidly, not looking straight at Fang Shu, giving off the air of a chaste woman who wasn’t quite chaste.
Noticing Fang Shu still standing stunned at the doorway, Senior Sister Fang Lu chuckled lightly:
“Young sir, why are you standing there stunned? Hurry and hook the door shut.”
Fang Shu was startled awake by her voice, snapping out of his daze, a sudden awkwardness surging in his heart—neither staying nor leaving felt right.
But he suppressed the stray thoughts in his mind, took a deep breath, and chose to silently close the room door.
With a creak, the outside world was instantly cut off from the hermitage.
Waves of decadent allure swept over Fang Shu’s heart.
The senior sister sitting on the deer’s back slid down, barefooted in the room, her slender white fingers holding a red candle, as if drunkenly holding a wine gourd.
This woman swayingly lit the candles on both sides, then stepped over to Fang Shu, suddenly leaning against his chest.
“This old acquaintance, what wondrous technique does he require from this slave? Crane style, snake style, or the exclusive deer style?”
She spoke in a coquettish voice.
Facing this scene, Fang Shu couldn’t help but feel the fragrance even stronger in his nose; this aroma seemed to affect people, making his heart race and mind sway, with lascivious thoughts lingering unquenchably in his brain, nearly blurting out questions about the differences between the various wondrous techniques.
Fortunately, he kept his composure and immediately spoke:
“Senior Sister, it’s me, Fang Shu of Du Gu Guan in Gu Ling Town.”
“Hm?” This time, it was Fang Lu in his arms who was stunned.
Fang Lu immediately withdrew her shy and timid gaze, finally lifting her head to look at him.
Upon seeing Fang Shu’s face, this woman instantly recognized his identity, realizing she had mistaken him for an old acquaintance and his guest today.
Traces of blush rose on her cheeks, even her neck turning red.
Fang Lu hurriedly straightened up, saying, “Ah, it’s Junior Brother Fang.”
For a moment, if there were a hole in the ground, this woman seemed ready to dive right in.
But Senior Sister Fang Lu was only awkward for a few breaths before regaining the initiative.
She let out a breath, her tone returning to normal as she toyed with the red candle, lazily and expertly muttering: “This old woman was just saying, how come today’s guest is still a young and fresh young brother, smelling like a virgin to boot—what luck.
Junior Brother, sit for a bit first; I’ll go change clothes.”
Fang Shu nodded, feeling quite awkward, and sat down in the hermitage as instructed.
While Fang Lu went to change, Fang Shu kept his eyes fixed ahead without looking around, but from the corner of his eye, he noticed that this hermitage was thoroughly set up for pleasure-seeking.
Most eye-catching was the swing frame in the room, along with various odd and exotic tools, making it clear at a glance that the owner here was a seasoned player.
Not long after.
Senior Sister Fang Lu emerged from the room again, now dressed in a goose-yellow Daoist robe, hair tied up, wearing a golden crown, just as she had appeared in Du Gu Guan before.
This woman briskly stepped over Fang Shu, creakily pushed open the room door to let most of the decadent fragrance dissipate, hung up a “no guests” sign outside the door, and then sat down in front of Fang Shu.
At this moment, Senior Sister Fang Lu seemed like a completely different person from moments ago.
If not for the swing frame and other items still glaringly present in the room, Fang Shu might have thought everything earlier was just his illusion.
Seeing Fang Shu’s hesitation and knowing he was still awkward from their reunion, Fang Lu took the initiative to pour him a cup of tea, sipping her own while saying: “What’s this? Meeting on the mountain today has greatly changed your view of Senior Sister?”
Fang Shu took the tea with both hands, organizing his words: “Today, Junior Brother was presumptuous.”
This woman smiled on her face, showing no trace of coyness, instead saying softly:
“It’s good that you came yourself today; saves you hearing rumors from others and forming preconceptions about me, Senior Sister.”
She frankly gestured to the hermitage’s setup:
“To be honest, what I cultivate is the Room Refining Form School, but my skills are poor, only the vulgar sort. This place is precisely where Senior Sister receives guests; just now, I mistook you, Junior Brother Fang, for business introduced by an old acquaintance.”
Seeing Senior Sister Fang Lu so candid, Fang Shu pondered for a few breaths, no longer hiding his heart’s suspicion, turned his head to look around, and spoke:
“Senior Sister Fang, how did it come to this? Is it because of your cultivation?”
A light laugh sounded, and Senior Sister Fang Lu spoke bluntly:
“No, no. If it were just for cultivation, why would this old woman do business with people? I could just seduce a few lovers or spend money to be the guest.
You think Senior Sister enjoys this sell smiles work?”
She sighed: “It’s merely for spirit stones and talisman money. If I have to gild it, I can only say half for cultivation, half for business.”
These straightforward words stirred even more waves of suspicion in Fang Shu’s heart.
They, the immortal seeds and menial laborers, were one thing, but Senior Sister Fang Lu was a Qi Refining Spiritual Immortal who had passed the Refining Qi barrier—seemingly not just Fourth Calamity, but a Fifth Calamity Refining Qi Immortal!
“This… even Refining Qi Immortals in the temple are in such straits?” Fang Shu uttered.
Senior Sister Fang Lu gave him an amused look, leisurely saying: “Little Junior Brother, have you forgotten the ‘immortal materials’ that Master often mentions, and the three shortcuts to entry?”
She sighed lightly: “In this Five Viscera Temple, those below Refining Qi struggle to take a step. And we above Refining Qi—what about us?
Pills cost money, cultivation methods cost money and Dao merits; without a skill, you can only scheme to trade your body.”
As Senior Sister Fang Lu spoke, she touched her own belly, smiling: “Even this Senior Sister’s business counts as clean; after all, it’s just selling skin, not giving birth for others or nurturing tools for them—purely business through sell smiles, with extra emphasis on style.”
This woman chattered on, seemingly not treating Fang Shu as an outsider, recounting all her situations on the mountain in detail.
In an instant, Fang Shu felt this senior sister lived worse than he had these past days; though a Qi Refining Spiritual Immortal, she was far from a mortal world’s local tyrant, let alone the Dojo Master in Gu Ling Town.
He hesitated even more, the ideas in his heart of seeking her aid, borrowing money or cultivation methods, all stuck in his throat.
In the end, he only spoke, his voice low:
“May I ask, Senior Sister, have you ever thought of going down the mountain to cultivate?”
Fang Lu was stunned, then understood in her eyes, shaking her head with a wry smile: “You silly boy, speak plainly—are you asking why I don’t go down the mountain to enjoy fortune, even lord it over others?”
Before Fang Shu could speak, this woman restrained her smile and said: “This old woman, even in death, will die on the mountain.”
Note 1: From《Journey to the West》 spider spirit description.
