"So what if it's me?”

  Arms folded, Bubai stared down at her like a mafia boss who cared not one bit that the detective uncovered his past crime. “That doesn't change what you have to do...”

  Spping the gobsmacked face with his gun, he ordered, “Now, clean it."

  “You!!!” Xiao Hong's venomous eyes could almost kill, but nothing more than the word “trash” was hissed through her lips.

  Though her face contorted with disgust, she didn’t deign to waste a single drop of vitality...

  Soon, all the disgust on her face was licked away by her pride, and her amorous eyes even shot him an almost flirtatious gnce to beg for more.

  To prevent her from brewing more, Bubai seized her by the hair and pulled her away, commanding her icily, “Get dressed.”

  Xiao Hong defiantly teased, “Your ugly thing is still so hard. You sure you don’t want some more... lip service?”

  In response, she got nothing but a cold face, and a single finger on her forehead nudged her head away.

  “Tsk.” Clicking her tongue disdainfully, Xiao Hong got up.

  Getting up close and personal, she squeezed her voluptuous chest, trying to goad him for some more overtime pay.

  That did get his little brother’s attention.

  Proud that her seduction worked, Xiao Hong pulled out a fresh bck qipao from her storage pouch to begin step two.

  Smiling charmingly, the peacock slowly slipped on the sleek garment, letting him appreciate every little tease in the art of dress-up...

  By the time she was fully-dressed, his gun was cocked to be fired. After taking the shot, Bubai told her straight, “Now, get out.”

  The peacock froze.

  Feeling the unloaded gun pulling away, Xiao Hong gave him a displeased look. “Tsk. You men are all the same—throwing me away once you're done using.”

  Her accusation was sound, but Bubai never bothered hiding anything. "I've taught you what needs to be done. If you keep deying, don't bme me when the investigators come to the door."

  Xiao Hong sneered. “Geh! I’ve got my part covered, but you do you. I can’t wait to see what you’ll do when they find where you’ve hid his wealth.”

  Her jab failed to crack Bubai’s calm face. "Even if the waves are stronger, it won't be washed out.”

  As if he had everything under control, Bubai domineeringly shot back, “If you want your share, just shut up and obediently serve me from now on."

  “Tsk.” Slipping into her wooden heels, Xiao Hong clicked her tongue in mock disbelief. "And you said we’re in a cooperative retionship. Men."

  Xiao Hong strutted away, leaving Bubai to stare at her receding back and seductively twisting waist.

  To most men, she was a thorny rose ripe for picking, but like most survivors of the secret realm, even if she wasn’t a snake, she was still a poisonous rose.

  Using her was a risky py, especially since he cked any special means to control her.

  But she was a critical joint in this whole affair, and gaslighting her to do his bidding could save a whole lot of trouble.

  Seeing how her cultivation was still teetering in the early stage instead of recovering into the mid-stage, it seems her situation really isn’t too good.

  This was the hole he exploited to coax her into pying both sides.

  Of course, words and benefits alone wasn’t enough to fully win her over to his side.

  Most women surviving in the crevices of this atrocious sect possessed a deep mind and wasn’t easy to fool.

  The true reason why she is willing to cooperate was something they both knew: she can’t escape responsibility this time!

  Just when Xiao Hong reached the doorway of the storage room, she paused, casting an arrogant gnce back at her new responsibility.

  “Oh, and don’t forget. Prepare the five spirit stones you owe this month. I’ll collect them when I return with your little maids. And…”

  Her eyes narrowed as if to study every micro-reaction of the subject of interest. “I won’t say anything about the one upstairs, but I trust you know what’s due if you want to keep living here.”

  Bubai's eyes sparked dangerously. "I don't need you to teach me what to do. Just don’t py flowery tricks and py your part well."

  Xiao Hong clicked her tongue dismissively and left.

  The heavy doors of his tower rumbled twice, temporarily bringing an end to this deal between the beauty and the beast.

  All that was left was to father another scheme to permanently tie the beauty within his castle walls.

  Acting the fool lusting after beauty to let her think her charm works could only go so far. His gaslighting can’t dey the explosion forever.

  Once the deying tricks expired and punishment loomed, she will not hesitate to push him out.

  Before that happened, he must construct a reliable image, tie her to his chariot, and make sure she can’t get off until it was too te.

  Above all, he must obtain a status fit to tide through the wind and waves.

  “Pns can’t keep up with changes…” Bubai sighed.

  If he wanted to stay afloat, it seems some cards have to be pyed sooner than he’d hoped.

  He really didn’t like where things were going, but it wasn’t too unacceptable in the grand scheme of things. It’s just that...

  Now, there was an unexpected time bomb in his tower. So, timing is very important.

  Using the carrot and the stick plus the trick of drawing pies for the coming future after tiding through the difficulties, the D-Day switch was already pced in his palms.

  Armed with all the information he wheedled out from her, the best time had been pinpointed.

  Now, showdown or throw down… it was just a matter of time.

  But first, there was another more time-sensitive matter that he needed to handle.

  Bubai trudged up the stairs…

  When he entered the cultivation chamber once again, the blood stains were gone, but what awaited him was an even more heart-wrenching danger that he needed to nip in the bud.

  An illusory seed taking root in the womb with its inverted tentacles reaching for the dantian above.

  As if sensing the intangible force rudely probing her, the cold-faced beauty’s head creaked over, her icy eyes pinning onto him for an expnation.

  Bubai walked over… sitting down beside her.

  He gently pced a hand on her belly, breaking the news to her in his softest voice, “The seed of pleasure.”

  The news slowly sunk in. Xiao Lan looked down at her navel, and her habit of biting her purplish lips kicked in.

  After struggling for a moment, her gssy eyes were clouded with firmness and she looked back at him.

  “Clouds are clouds when they ascend to heaven, flowers are only flowers if they fall. When the time comes, tell her, and she will follow you.”

  ???

  Bubai was utterly confused by the words that came out of nowhere, but Xiao Lan didn’t give him any time to think further because she pulled the jiazi from her hair and stabbed it at her own neck!

  Snap! Her wrist was seized just as the sharp end pricked her skin…

  Merlin’s beard! Too close! Bubai fiercely gred at her. “Xiao. Lan. Don’t do stupid things!”

  The admonishment seemed to brush off Xiao Lan like a breeze, and the emotionless reply cut into his heart, "To live as your Xiao Lan, to die as your Xiao Lan. Is that too much to ask?"

  His grip tightened on her wrist. “I won’t let it take over. Trust me.”

  Staring her right in the eye, he carefully pried the jiazi from her pale, tightly-clenched hand…

  She was a strong woman, but she still couldn’t hold on in this battle of will.

  Holding the seemingly harmless silver stick adorned with a blue jade flower, Bubai wondered why he was so stupid to buy her such a dangerous gift in the first pce. As...

  Sighing, Bubai gently inserted the jiazi back into her violet hair, softly stating, “When there’s a will, there’s a way.”

  Bringing his hand to her face, he reassuringly stroked her, "Xiao Lan, I promised to take you to see it through to the very end, and I will. Can you trust me?"

  Her eyes were held hostage by him, and Xiao Lan parted her purplish lips, struggling to find her voice for some time before finally lowering her eyes.

  Snuggling closer, she buried her head on his shoulder, assenting softly, “En.”

  Bubai intimately hugged her head, soothingly petting her. Smelling his scent coming from her, the depths of his eyes reflected the seed of all troubles.

  Just… how to deal with it?