"You... you really aren't a water ghost?"
Lian Mi carefully peeked at the young man sitting before her, who was holding his forehead with a pale face. She knelt at the edge of the bed, gently using a towel to wipe the moisture off his face, meticulously and tenderly.
She moved with the practiced ease of someone used to serving others, graceful, delicate... perhaps too delicate.
It was as though she were handling a thin piece of rice paper, as if wiping too hard might tear it.
Which created an odd contradiction, after all, the person she was wiping down was clearly a grown man.
The bedding on the bed had been completely soaked through, and a long trail of water stretched from the doorway, forming a damp path all the way to the bedside.
The youth seated on the bed was pale and dazed, palm over his forehead, clearly feeling a bit dizzy.
Seeing this, Lian Mi grew more flustered and guilty, assuming her earlier strike with the washboard had caused it...
But in truth, it was mostly because Chen Kuang was still not quite used to this new body.
From the moment he feigned death and escaped, to the successful use of the Mermaid's Tear in enacting the Method of Demon Shedding upon the doll, a full day and night had passed.
He'd waited until the water currents had fully calmed before initiating the process, afraid that any interruption might disrupt the spell midway.
Only then had he formed this new human body.
Though it appeared complete on the surface, the interior was utterly hollow, even his dantian was empty. Floating within was a miniature version of the cloth doll, silently suspended as the core of this body.
However, the external flesh and blood were intact, there were no flaws visible.
To Chen Kuang, the main downside was that he had lost the fleshly body he had spent so long refining through the Mud-Forged Gold Body Technique, and would have to start all over again.
That said, this new demon body came with an innate physical toughness that was far superior to a normal human.
It was a natural trait of demon lineage.
After a quick assessment, Chen Kuang estimated that his current physique alone was already on par with the peak of the Innate Realm in terms of body refinement.
Restoring his previous level wouldn't take long at all.
This brought him some relief, it solved one of his lingering concerns: that changing bodies might leave him fragile and defenseless for a period.
A real shame, er, no, how very fortunate.
He had expected to be on edge for weeks, but this Mermaid's Tear appeared to be unusually high-grade, it had automatically filled in many shortcomings of the Method of Demon Shedding.
Typically, the spell left one with a demon's shell but still dependent on human cultivation techniques, rendering the second life largely ineffective, a last-ditch life-saving method with poor utility.
Unless one was truly desperate, most would never invoke it.
Herein lay the fundamental difference between human and demon cultivation:
demon were born with inherited bloodline techniques.
Most demons, upon gaining consciousness after birth, would awaken their racial inheritance, be it cultivation method or Divine Ability, all were etched into their very instincts.
Thus, demons often grew incredibly fast.
But because their cultivation path was predefined by bloodline, their ceiling was also fixed. After their initial explosive growth, further progress over centuries was rare.
Humans, by contrast, began with abysmally low starting points, seen by demons as little more than ants, crushable with a single step.
But the peaks humans could reach, even if only a few attained them, were enough to suppress demons all across the board.
So, using a demon shell while relying on human techniques was a lose-lose.
Yet Chen Kuang's situation was now completely flipped.
By sheer fortune, the Mermaid's Tear awakened the inherited bloodline, granting him the cultivation technique and a portion of the Divine Abilities of the Merman Race!
The clearest evidence was the flood of chaotic, ancient information that had suddenly emerged in his mind.
It was that flood which was currently giving him dizziness... and would take some time out of him to sort out and adapt to.
But all that could come later.
Right now, he needed to get his bearings.
And, more importantly, to answer the key question:
Where the hell was he?
He lifted his gaze and looked at the girl in pink before him. With a faint smile, he said:
"Of course I'm not a water ghost. What kind of water ghost shows up in broad daylight, and climbs ashore, no less?"
Lian Mi thought about it. That did make sense.. Honestly, she'd just been startled before, that's all.
She let out a relieved breath.
"That's true..."
Chen Kuang continued:
"If you still don't believe me, you could check my heartbeat. That'll set your mind at ease, right?"
"Check your heartbeat?"
Lian Mi's eyes shifted down, glancing at his water-soaked chest. After a moment's hesitation, she shook her head with firm resolve:
"No! A man and a woman shouldn't touch each other casually!"
Her lady had warned her:
Men are all bad news!
Especially the ones who show up in brothels!
You're absolutely not allowed to let them get too close!
At least an arm's length away!
...Although... this guy hadn't exactly come into the brothel willingly. He had kind of... floated in.
And then got knocked out by her washboard and dragged inside...
Still, she couldn't let her guard down!
Yet, the curiosity was killing her, Chen Kuang had said it with such mystery... that she really did want to try and find out.
Chen Kuang had only brought it up to tease her and maybe fish for some information. Seeing her refuse, he was about to change the subject..
When, to his surprise, Lian Mi blinked and said:
"I can't listen to the heartbeat... but I can touch you!"
She stretched out her hand, just far enough to stay exactly an arm's length away.
"That way, my Lady won't scold me!"
Chen Kuang: "?"
Before he could even react, Lian Mi had already placed her hand firmly over his chest, her expression dead serious, as if she were truly concentrating.
So Chen Kuang simply relaxed and let her "feel" at will.
The room fell silent, save for the gentle dripping of residual water striking the floor.
Roughly ten breaths later, Lian Mi let out a small yelp, leapt back three full steps, her face turning ghostly pale:
"Y-You don't have a heartbeat!"
Not only that, she just realized this man had clearly been submerged in water for a long time, and yet after she'd dragged him out and brought him in, he hadn't gasped for air even once.
His chest hadn't moved at all!
Lian Mi's little snow-white face scrunched up in anxiety as she pouted:
"You really are a water ghost!"
A water ghost that could walk on land in broad daylight? That had to be some high-ranking, terrifying spirit!
It's over, it's over. She, Lian Mi, was going to die here today!
Then again, wait!
She wasn't dead yet. She still had a full tank of strength. She couldn't just give up now, she had to fight back a little!
Chen Kuang sighed, helpless.
"I really am not, "
Lian Mi stomped her foot and said angrily:
"Still trying to lie! Then why don't you have a heartbeat?!"
"Uh..."
Chen Kuang rubbed his chin.
"Would you prefer the truth... or a lie?"
Lian Mi had already started rolling up her sleeves. She bared her silver teeth:
"You still want to lie to me?! What lie?!"
Chen Kuang gave two dry coughs and said solemnly:
"In truth, I've been frail and sickly since childhood, plagued by chronic ailments beyond cure. Thus, my heartbeat is faint to the point of near imperceptibility. Unless one listens in absolute silence, it's nearly impossible to detect."
He had actually prepared this explanation ahead of time.
What he hadn't expected was this pink-clad girl to completely ignore any convention.
He smiled:
"That's why I asked you to 'listen' earlier. I didn't mean to offend you, miss."
Wait, this is the lie?
That actually sounded pretty reasonable.
It even neatly explained why he had invited her to listen earlier.
Lian Mi blinked, a little stunned:
"Then what's the truth?"
Chen Kuang spread his hands:
"Actually, I'm a demon, specifically from the mermaid or aquatic Merman Race. I typically breathe through gills, not lungs. My blood flow is slow, so I don't show obvious signs of breathing or a strong heartbeat."
Lian Mi was quiet for a moment and then suddenly burst into laughter.
After a few moments, she walked back over and resumed wiping his face.
"So you've got a heart condition. Why didn't you just say so? All this nonsense, acting mysterious."
As expected... nobody believes the truth anymore.
Chen Kuang shrugged.
"You're pretty, miss. I couldn't help teasing you a bit, just wanted to get close."
His voice was gentle, paired with an increasingly handsome face that now had a faint, otherworldly charm thanks to his Merman bloodline.
Even if he barked like a dog, it would probably still sound soulful.
Lian Mi blushed and spat lightly:
"My Lady was right. Men are the best at spouting sweet nonsense."
"But that trick won't work on me. I've seen plenty like you."
She gave him a long look, then made her "deduction" in a confident tone:
"Judging from your appearance, you're probably some young master from a wealthy family. I bet you snuck out, got caught by your elders, and had no choice but to flee through a window and ended up jumping into Rouge River."
She said it with dramatic flair, filling in all the blanks from cause to consequence.
And oddly... it wasn't that far-fetched.
Finally, she clapped her hands with satisfaction:
"But you don't know how to swim, so you almost drowned and drifted all the way down the river, thank goodness I was there to save you!"
Chen Kuang's current appearance wasn't very different from his original self, but his clothes had been modeled after the doll embroidered by his mother, a richly adorned noble outfit, the image of a wealthy scion.
With his increasingly ethereal looks from the awakened Merman bloodline, he was practically aristocracy material.
While Lian Mi was rambling, Chen Kuang suddenly latched onto a key word:
"Your Lady?"
He hesitated.
"Wait... you're a guy?"
...Had he stumbled into an ancient LGBT household?
"A guy?"
Lian Mi blinked, looked down at her chest, gave it a little shake, then wilted like a frostbitten eggplant.
"You- how could you insult someone like that?!"
Ah. So that's what she meant.
Chen Kuang finally understood, laughing:
"No, no, I didn't mean it that way. I was just wondering, this 'Lady' you mentioned, who is she?"
Lian Mi realized his misunderstanding and replied, exasperated:
"Oh, I see... You're really something. Wait, aren't you one of those young masters out roaming the red-light district? Or did that river jump knock your brain loose?"
"My Lady is none other than the famed courtesan of Zangfeng Prefecture, Liu Qingcheng!"
Chen Kuang froze.
"Then... this place is..?"
"Xuni Pavilion!" Lian Mi replied matter-of-factly.
Then she saw his blank look and added, "It's a brothel!"
Chen Kuang: "..."
...
After changing into a servant's uniform that Lian Mi had brought, Chen Kuang finally came to terms with the fact that he had drifted into the infamous Rouge River of the red-light district and been picked up by a courtesan's maid...
This so-called Rouge River was where courtesans on both sides of the river would pour out their washbasins and where attendants did laundry.
Over time, the water took on a faintly sweet, powdery fragrance and even a pinkish hue.
Hence the name.
At first, Chen Kuang thought the perfumed scent he noticed was coming from Lian Mi.
Only later did he realize, no, it was himself who was soaked in it.
The room he was in wasn't decorated with gaudy red silk and ornaments like TV dramas would suggest. Instead, it was plain, a servant's quarters.
Which didn't match Lian Mi's status as the flower courtesan's personal attendant.
But according to her, her Lady believed in frugality and had raised her to appreciate simplicity and not be misled by worldly pleasures.
This red-light house might look like a playground of indulgence, but in truth, it was a ruthless battleground of status and profit.
Desiring gold and silver was tantamount to shackling oneself forever.
That said, all of Lian Mi's daily supplies were top-grade. If she wanted trinkets, she only needed to act a little spoiled and her Lady would give in.
Apparently, the courtesan wanted to prevent her from being easily lured away by some man.
Lian Mi wasn't bluffing, she really had seen all kinds.
Chen Kuang's expression turned odd.
This Liu Qingcheng didn't seem to be raising a maid, it sounded more like she was raising a daughter.
Spoil your daughter, toughen your son. It was a familiar concept.
Regardless, it was good news. Their close bond would make things easier for him.
He straightened his clothing and called to Lian Mi, who was outside the door (half waiting, half being interrogated by him).
She didn't come in, just pushed open the window and peeked in, blinking.
"That's weird..."
"What is?" Chen Kuang asked.
Lian Mi made a strange face:
"You look like a rich young master trying to play servant to sneak into a brothel."
The outfit was rough and ill-fitting. It didn't suit his innate noble bearing at all.
Chen Kuang gave a helpless smile.
"Why must it be a brothel?"
"Then how did you fall into Rouge River?"
Chen Kuang solemnly said:
"Actually, I am a disciple of the Sage of Music. Due to an old grudge, I've been hunted across the realm by a Martial Saint. I fell into the Jade Wave River, barely escaped death, and washed up here... Thankfully, I was saved by you."
Lian Mi burst out laughing, slapping the windowsill:
"You, go on, spin me another five-wen tale! You're even better than the storytellers down the street!"
Chen Kuang extended his hand and went all in:
"Now, all I need is one tael of gold as seed capital. I'll rebuild everything. Once I flatten the Martial Saint Pavilion and inherit the Sage of Music's legacy, I'll name you my personal Lotus Emissary. Act fast, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance!"
Lian Mi gaped:
"One tael of gold?! You're more shameless than those street swindlers!"
"Sage of Music, you see, he's got to be pricey." Chen Kuang shrugged.
"No donation, no more tales."
A whole tael! She'd have to save for ages...
Lian Mi didn't want to give it..but the story was so juicy, and she really didn't get out of the house much.
Reluctantly, she bit her lip, opened her little money pouch, and dug out a few gold leaf coins.
Her Lady had always said men were liars...
Wait.
She wasn't being tricked by a man, she was being tricked by the story!
She handed them over, her heart aching:
"This should be enough... But you better hold onto it! If someone robs you, don't expect me to help!"
Then she added sternly but also a little guilty:
"And don't you dare tell my Lady about this!"