Active Initiative

"Miss Mei Daizi, what do you think?"

Shirakawa Rin had stated his terms. He had long since realized that Ling Wei and his group had approached him because they wanted to learn his skills. However, he had remained wary before, and these people had only been useful as icing on the cake, so there was no need to pay such a high price.

But things were different now. The news Gu Sheng had brought him after inspecting the Gold Mine had exhilarated him. Naturally, he had to do his best to win them over. Even an Onmyoji like him, who was not particularly interested in women, felt somewhat attracted to Mei Daizi and Ryoko. Judging others by himself, he refused to believe that Gu Sheng would not be tempted.

Since Mei Daizi was valuable, he did not mind using some sweet bait to lure her in. After all, it was only a superficial Shikigami technique and had nothing to do with the Shirakawa Clan’s core secrets. Teaching it to her would not matter.

"I~"

Mei Daizi hesitated. If they had been in the real world, she would have chosen chastity without a second thought. But this was the Lord God Space, a region filled with danger where the strong ruled.

Just over half a month ago, she had personally witnessed one Reincarnator after another die because they were weak. That same day, when the newcomers had confronted two Werewolf Reincarnators, she had nearly died beneath their fangs.

Mei Daizi’s heart was in turmoil. She longed for strength because she wanted to live and see her two daughters again. But exchanging her body for it was a difficult decision for her. After her husband died, she had remained chaste as a single mother. Now, was she really going to~

"Mr. Shirakawa, if Miss Mei Daizi is unwilling, you shouldn’t force her."

The moment Ling Wei saw Mei Daizi hesitate, he hurriedly tried to muddy the waters of the transaction. If Mei Daizi was taken by someone else, wouldn’t that mean he had been cuckolded? Besides, he coveted the Onmyoji inheritance in Shirakawa Rin’s hands. And if Mei Daizi gained power, would she still submit to him?

"Mr. Shirakawa, rest assured. Mei Daizi knows what she should do."

Ling Wei’s interruption instead made Mei Daizi settle her resolve. His constant pestering had made her unbearably uncomfortable long ago. If she had not been worried that Ling Wei would turn hostile, leaving her in danger because she lacked the power to resist, she would have already rejected his unreasonable demands outright.

"Very good~"

Shirakawa Rin took a small booklet from his robes. "These are the basic seals of Onmyodo. Find some time to memorize them properly. After you complete your mission, I’ll teach you more."

"Thank you, sir~"

Mei Daizi bowed and solemnly accepted the booklet. Her fingers were clenched until they turned white. For this thing, she had ultimately given up her chastity.

"You~"

Ling Wei was nearly furious at the sight, but how could he lose his temper in front of Shirakawa Rin? Ultimately, Mei Daizi and he were two independent individuals with no formal relationship. He had no reason to interfere with her decision.

"Mr. Ling~ Come with me. I want to hear your report on Wen County’s work during this period."

Shirakawa Rin smiled at Mei Daizi and walked ahead, calling Ling Wei along as he went. Mei Daizi turned sideways to let Shirakawa Rin and Ling Wei pass, her eyes lowered as she radiated complete obedience.

"Do you think this means you can escape my grasp? Just wait! Mei Daizi, you are mine."

As Ling Wei passed by Mei Daizi, he muttered the words resentfully before hurrying after Shirakawa Rin.

"Mariko~ Ariel~ Forgive your mother…"

After Shirakawa Rin and Ling Wei’s backs vanished around the corner, Mei Daizi’s body suddenly went limp. She nearly fell if not for the pillar supporting her, and her body trembled as she sobbed softly.

"Bang~"

The two Wooden Swords clashed again. After Gu Sheng held on for a while, he exerted himself once more and pushed Ryoko back.

"Phew~ That’s enough for today!"

Gu Sheng took a deep breath to calm himself, unusually ending the training session on his own initiative.

Ryoko said nothing. She simply silently put away her Wooden Sword and walked over to Gu Sheng. Showing rare concern, she asked, "Your condition is very strange today. Is something troubling you?"

"Nothing~ I’m just in a bad mood~"

Gu Sheng took a deep breath and adjusted his rhythm before smiling at Ryoko. Gu Xuanwu’s matter had irritated him greatly. Clearly, there was nothing wrong with anything he had done, so why could that man not understand?

It was also because Gu Xuanwu had looked after Gu Sheng before, causing him to regard the other man as a friend. If Gu Xuanwu had argued with him like this when he had first arrived, Gu Sheng would have taught him a lesson that very day.

"Your pace was too fast today, placing too much strain on your stamina. You should avoid using this method in battle, as it makes it easy for your opponent to lead you into exhausting yourself…"

As a teacher, Ryoko was very conscientious. She seriously pointed out his shortcomings and offered him some targeted advice.

"I’ll be going first~"

Gu Sheng listened attentively. Afterward, instead of continuing to pester Ryoko as usual, he gathered his things and prepared to leave. Normally, he loved teasing this teacher of his.

"Uh~"

Ryoko froze when she heard him. Rather than feeling relieved, she felt a strange sense of loss in her heart. However, she did not remain stunned for long. She gave Gu Sheng a rare smile and waved goodbye. "See you tomorrow, Zhang!"

"Heh heh~"

Gu Sheng smiled and turned away. He left the Training Room and went to the bathhouse, which was still shrouded in mist. The place had originally been a small inn. If the Shirakawa Trading Company had not bought it as a temporary base, Gu Sheng would never have known that Wen County had such a Japanese-style inn.

"Splash~"

Gu Sheng entered the bathhouse and completely submerged himself in the water, letting the pleasantly hot water envelop him. Before long, his entire body had turned bright red. He felt his temperature rising, and after soaking for a while, his body grew somewhat limp.

"Ugh~~ In~ Out~"

Gu Sheng sat up, took several deep breaths, and leaned against the edge of the pool. The hot water made his body feel extremely comfortable, but the physical fatigue caused by his training came rushing in as well.

"Knock~ knock~ knock~"

Mei Daizi’s footsteps came from behind him. Gu Sheng turned to look and found that Mei Daizi seemed somewhat different today. She appeared to be wearing light makeup, and there was lipstick on her lips as well.

"Mr. Zhang."

As usual, she knelt beside the lounge chair and called out to Gu Sheng. Seeing this, Gu Sheng climbed out of the pool, pulled off a bath towel to dry himself, and then walked over to lie facedown on the chair.

"Mmm~"

Gu Sheng was savoring the gentle comfort when he suddenly felt surprised again. Mei Daizi had not used that method to make him drowsy today, which struck him as rather strange.

"Mr. Zhang, please turn around."

Mei Daizi stepped to the side and spoke softly. Although Gu Sheng was puzzled, he still turned around to face her.

"Miss Mei Daizi, what are you~"

Mei Daizi suddenly sat down, and Gu Sheng immediately sensed that something was different. Beneath her kimono, she was wearing nothing at all~~

"Shh~"

Mei Daizi raised a jade finger and pressed it against Gu Sheng’s lips. "Sir, leave everything to Mei Daizi, all right?"

"I~"

Gu Sheng had just opened his mouth when a beautiful face enlarged before his eyes. His lips were sealed, and his hands were pulled away by two jade-like hands…