ALL NOVEL 003 The Three Beauties under the Moonlight
The enthusiastic guy was called Li Daoming.
From Zhou County.
A third-generation, well-off family’s only son, ‘carrying’ high hopes and a sunny disposition……He even had a jade-like beautiful fiancée back home with whom he was mutually affectionate.
Classic, that’s way too stereotypical.
Feminisation gender bender doujins love ‘male’ leads like you.
“Bro, how does it feel to become part of a demon sect? Good, yeah? I left home this time for the chance to strike it rich! After I’m done learning and become a master cultivator, I’m going back home in style to marry my childhood sweetheart Little Qing!”
— Stop setting up flags for yourself!
Jiangming couldn’t help but quip internally.
He knew the truth, but he couldn’t say it, and even if he could say anything there was nothing he could do. He could only watch as a hot-blooded young man with a fiancée, a family business and a bright future gradually walk towards a depraved feminisation trap, fated to be backdoored like the Southern Liang dynasty1. What kind of cruel torture was this?
Fortunately — the third victim made his debut not long after, which greatly lightened the psychological burden Jiangming was silently bearing alone.
“Qin Wuyi, from Xihe County.” This fellow surnamed Qin had an elegant appearance yet was wise beyond his years. With a single glance he could tell something was wrong with Jiangming, and immediately asked: “What happened, Brother Jiang? You just came back from the tour with your senior brother, correct? Could it be……there’s been an unexpected problem?”
Jiangming forced a smile and said half-heartedly: “No, no need to worry, Brother Qin.”
He really wanted to say it.
However, as soon as the intent to ‘confess’ surfaced in his mind, he would feel intense heart palpitations, as if something terrible would happen just by speaking out the secret of Joyous Union Sect. He had better not attempt to find loopholes, with his life at stake.
“Alright.” Qin Wuyi looked carefully at Jiangming and did not press further.
The three chatted for the rest of the day, one whose heart was full of worry, the other held his cards close to his heart, and the last so big-hearted it seemed he had no secrets to keep.
Late at night, Jiangming took the initiative to retire to his room.
When he closed the door and got ready to wash up, he found himself sitting in front of the mirror, staring at his own pretty face with mixed feelings.
[What luck……]
[Am I really going to get fucked……]
[That pervert senior brother looked like he’s really rich……]
[The sect exam……]
Splash, the cool water patted his face, bringing with it cold sobriety. Jiangming wetted the towel and begun wiping himself, at the same time wiping away the weird thoughts in his mind.
“No matter what……I must pass the sect exam, I’ll never turn into a junior sister!”
Under the moon, Jiangming gripped his fists seriously and vowed to himself, one word at a time.
The next morning.
Cultivating with [Like-Dragon Arte] for the entire night, Jiangming slowly opened his tired eyelids and smiled bitterly: “I can’t……I can’t feel any qi at all.”
The introductory Qi Refinement chapter of [Like-Dragon Arte] was one of the most common ‘internal-external sensing’ types seen in the cultivation world, which was: focused refinement of one’s spiritual qi and forming a cyclone of qi rooted within the body. As the internal qi cyclone grew stronger, one’s sensitivity to qi became sharper, and thus allowing one to sense external qi.
The more talented one is, the wider the range of qi that could be sensed in the surrounding area once the spiritual cyclone begun to form. Due to this, senior brother Song forcibly implanted a temporary cyclone inside Jiangming during the skill transfer to evaluate his aptitude at the same time.
The result was obvious……Jiangming was extraordinarily untalented and was uncompromisingly destined for mortal life.
“Based on how I’m progressing, I fear it’s going to take me three or four years of cultivating before I could even draw qi into my body.”
“But the sect exam is in just four months!”
Jiangming despaired to the bottom of his heart, and even thought: Should I accept my fate? When senior brother was explaining the rules of the sect, being a junior sister didn’t sound so bad.
You could reimburse the cost of clothes……You get thirty percent more allowance……Senior brothers needed your consent to do anything to you……There’s a special fund when working outside the sect……
Apart from having to change cultivation methods to that bizarre [Incomplete Yin Psalm] and requiring regular ‘doses of silvery wormwood’2 while cultivating, it didn’t seem to have any serious issues.
……Or what if he just gives up cultivating entirely?
Isn’t it better to spend the rest of his life here and leech off the Joyous Union Sect, rather than going back to a life of toiling the earth?
When the idea of letting go solidified in his mind, the world instantly felt vastly larger. Giving up this meaningless cultivation, Jiangming’s mood turned for the better.
He walked out of his room leisurely, and just so happened upon — Li Daoming following after a dark-skinned, robust senior brother that looked like he enjoyed ‘five-finger discounts.’ The pair was preparing to leave.
“Bro! Wait for my return! We’ll go eat at the ‘Drunken Immortal’ in the city later!”
Li Daoming saw and waved at Jiangming, loudly and full of enthusiasm.
For some reason, seeing Li Daoming’s cheerful smile right now, and imagining his future sullen expression after the truth was revealed, made Jiangming feel even better!
He stood and watched as Li Daoming boarded and left on the flying boat. Only after a long while, did he realise with a shock that there was someone beside him.
“Oh mother!” Jiangming jumped in fright, then grumbled to Qin Wuyi next to him: “Are you a ghost? Why don’t you make a sound when you walk?”
“Apologies, I’m used to being light on my hands and feet.”
Qin Wuyi seemed to be contemplating something, and suddenly asked with his brows furrowed: “Brother Jiang, don’t you find it somewhat strange?”
“Hah?”
Jiangming was shocked again. Damn, what a guy. Did this buddy of mine really noticed something was wrong?
— If that’s the case you need to meowing run! Once another senior brother comes by and takes you on a tour around the place, it’ll be too late!
Even though he felt this way, he couldn’t speak his mind, and could only painfully reply: “What……what’s strange?”
“Almost all the senior brothers and sisters I’ve met in the last few days were quite talented, whereas the three of us are ordinary and mediocre. Then where do all those other ordinary people go?”
Qin solemnly continued with a hint of anger, “Perhaps, they were all sacrificed in some evil ritual, becoming cultivation resources for Joyous Union’s witches.”
Jiangming breathed out softly. It’s a pity that this guy was smart but not deranged enough. Even though he knew that something was wrong, his conjecture was still tens of thousands of miles away from the truth.
“Perhaps.” Jiangming spoke casually, “It’s a demon sect after all, even if it’s not being turned into resources for female cultivators, it could be some other misfortune you encounter……Run if you can.”
Qin Wuyi instantly turned his head and looked at Jiangming thoughtfully, “So, due to some reason, you can’t say?”
Jiangming’s chest tightened which caused him to panic, but then several seconds passed and the heart palpitations disappeared. He chose to remain silent, which could be interpreted as a silent yes.
“I understand.” Qin Wuyi sighed.
“Right, so who tricked……Ahem, which senior brother invited you to join the sect? Why haven’t anyone come to receive you yet?” Seeing the atmosphere become so awkward, and further questioning might lead more easily to his sudden spectacular death, Jiangming could only change the subject to talk about something else.
“Nobody invited me, I applied by myself.” Qin Wuyi quietly replied.
“Ah?” Jiangming was surprised, “Why?”
Qin Wuyi took a quick look at him and said jokingly: “Beautiful women are as common as clouds at Joyous Union Sect. As a man, how could I resist?”
“Fine……” But Jiangming thought there’s no way this was Qin Wuyi’s real goal. Even only briefly knowing him, he didn’t feel at all like a foolish man who acted impulsively and followed his groin.
You could even say — he was scarily calm.
[Maybe he could help me?]
As another weird thought flashed across his mind, Jiangming shook his head and scolded himself for being overly fanciful.
Midday, not long after lunch. Li Daoming returned, soulless and utterly devastated.
“Impossible……I don’t want……it’s impossible……” He mumbled to himself, his face pale, and he couldn’t stop trembling.
Catching sight of Jiangming, his eyes lit up with rage, as if he wanted to rush over and punch him. Then Li Daoming saw Qin Wuyi and suddenly came to his senses, and his expression became increasingly pained.
After a lengthy struggle, he managed to force out with his lips trembling:
“I……I can’t stay here any longer……”
“I have to run……I have to run……Little Qing is still waiting for me back home……”
