Mo Hua raised an eyebrow. "Join the Union Sect?"
"Mm." Yu Nujiao nodded, a trace of hope in her eyes. "Young Master Mo, with your dragonlike bearing and heavenly looks, it would be a terrible waste not to enter the Union Sect and cultivate the way of desire..."
Mo Hua remained indifferent, unmoved.
Yu Nujiao eagerly added, "The Union Sect takes in the beauties of the world. We have many sisters who are both gifted and lovely enough to make fish sink and wild geese fall. If they saw you, Young Master Mo, they would be more than willing to dual-cultivate with you, supplementing yin and yang and exploring the ultimate bliss of the human path..."
"Oh..." Mo Hua's tone remained cold.
A flush rose to Yu Nujiao's cheeks. "If... if you think those sisters are not good enough, then I... I could actually... also... with you..."
Yu Nujiao's face grew even redder, like a girl in the first throes of love, too shy to bear it.
Looking at her, Mo Hua truly felt he had to marvel.
They say a woman's lips are a lying ghost.
The Union Sect was well-versed in the desires between men and women, and the women of the sect were consummate at deceiving men.
And this Yu Lian'er was the Holy Maiden, so deceiving men was as routine to her as eating and drinking.
What's more, she seemed genuinely sincere, without a single crack in her expression. Even Mo Hua felt a moment of bewilderment and nearly believed she really was a shy, bashful innocent girl.
Mo Hua asked, "Have you said these words to anyone else?"
Yu Nujiao pouted. "How could I?"
Mo Hua clearly did not believe her.
"Really," Yu Nujiao said, embarrassed, lowering her voice. "I... am still a virgin... How could I casually say something so shameful..."
Mo Hua: "Oh..."
Yu Nujiao asked, "Young Master Mo doesn't believe me?"
Mo Hua looked at her the way one would look at an "idiot" and said flatly, "Have you forgotten that you are the Holy Maiden of the Union Sect..."
Would the Holy Maiden of the Union Sect be a virgin?
Are you any different?
Yu Nujiao giggled instead.
"Young Master, you said it yourself—I am the Holy Maiden of the Union Sect..."
Her red lips stressed the words "Holy Maiden" with extra weight and a trailing tone: "Since I am the Holy Maiden, how could I be the same as ordinary women of the Union Dao?"
Mo Hua was taken aback. "What's different?"
Yu Nujiao smiled. "The Union Sect cultivates the desires between men and women. The word 'desire' contains not only lust, but also love."
Mo Hua was speechless. "Don't tell me you cultivate 'love'?"
Yu Nujiao gazed at Mo Hua with infatuation, radiating seductive charm. "I naturally cultivate lust..."
"These days, there's no room for those who cultivate love. Even if there are any, they'd have long been taken as cauldrons by the Desire Sect."
"It's just that... after all, I am the Holy Maiden, and my cultivation method is different from others. Until I reach great completion, I cannot have my body broken... So I can only learn the Union arts, but not use them; I must not damage my body... Otherwise, all my work would be lost, and my entire cultivation would vanish in a single morning."
Yu Nujiao sighed, tracing circles on the table with her finger—both playful and a little bored:
"And that is precisely why... the young masters of the great families in Kun Prefecture are so madly infatuated with me..."
"A Holy Maiden of the Union Sect who is skilled in the affairs of men and women, yet pure as ice and jade, still in her maiden body... What man wouldn't love that?"
Yu Nujiao's gaze was like water, looking at Mo Hua with a plaintive expression.
Mo Hua paused at her words. After a moment's thought, it didn't seem impossible...
If that were really so, it was no wonder the Earth Sect's Great Young Master and the legitimate young masters of the Four Great Families fawned over Yu Nujiao so much, going to every length to flatter and please her for a shred of her favor.
Because she was a "chaste" Flower Queen.
A Holy Maiden from the Union Sect, yet pure as ice and jade.
Add to that her beauty, cultivation, and talent—every one of them scratched these young masters exactly where it itched.
Especially the Great Young Master. He was the proud prodigy of the Earth Sect, highly ranked, and connected to the Young Master Pavilion. With the stench of rotting poppies on him, his dealings with men and women must have been utterly degenerate. If he truly wanted a woman, he could have any kind he pleased.
If Yu Nujiao had not been chaste, given the Great Young Master's character, he might not have been so desperately eager.
Of course, looking at it the other way...
This might also be the Union Sect's open scheme.
The reason Yu Nujiao had kept her chastity might have been precisely because the Union Sect was using it to fish—and what they were fishing for were the most prominent young masters of Kun Prefecture.
A chaste Holy Maiden of the Union Sect.
What an irresistible bait.
But when one side is willing to cast the hook and a crowd of young masters are willing to bite, there is nothing to be said.
While Mo Hua was lost in thought, Yu Nujiao took the chance to study him, her gaze lingering on the lines of his brows and eyes and on that enchanting temperament—soft yet eerie, upright yet perilous, tugging at one's heart.
After a while, Yu Nujiao could not help asking, "Young Master, have you considered it?"
"Considered what?" Mo Hua frowned.
"Joining the Union Sect," Yu Nujiao said.
Mo Hua shook his head. "Impossible."
Yu Nujiao felt a little dejected. How could there be a man like this in the world...
An ordinary young master would crawl over like a puppy at a crook of her little finger, eager to please her. Why did she have to waste so much thought and breath on this one?
Many men would even kneel and beg her just to enter the Union Sect's lineage and enjoy the pleasures of men and women.
Yu Nujiao grew a little annoyed, then a glint flashed in her eyes. She fanned herself lazily and sighed, "So hot..."
As she spoke, she slipped off her bright crabapple-red robe, revealing a thin green-and-pink veil that outlined a slender waist and showed snow-white skin.
This was plainly what she wore in the privacy of her own chambers.
The Flower Queen's red robe, though bright and graceful, was too dignified.
Only now did Yu Nujiao seem more at ease. Wearing the thin veil, she propped herself up and leaned toward Mo Hua with an intimate air.
As if the two of them were lovers who had not seen each other for years.
Mo Hua gave her a cold look, his eyes deep and unfathomable—like the Dragon Pool back then—filled with immeasurable authority and murderous intent.
A chill ran through Yu Nujiao's heart. She immediately stopped her advances and sat back down, then looked displeased and grumbled inwardly:
"Other men can't even touch a corner of my clothes."
"I lean into your arms, and you're still not happy..."
Still, Yu Nujiao made no further inappropriate moves.
The coldness in Mo Hua's eyes receded. He looked at Yu Nujiao and asked with a slight frown, "Do you really think I won't kill you?"
Hearing this, Yu Nujiao instead straightened her chest. "Then come and kill me!"
Mo Hua looked into her eyes, as if sure of something, and said slowly, "You... have a Life-bound Longevity Talisman planted in you?"
Yu Nujiao's heart gave a slight jolt, but then she thought that with Mo Hua's keen perception, it was not surprising he could guess it—or even see it directly.
Since she had become a "Holy Maiden," having an Life-bound Talisman planted in her was not exactly a secret.
Yu Nujiao nodded. "That's right. If you really kill me and trigger the Life-bound Talisman, a demonic dharma manifestation will appear, and you likely won't be able to escape either."
Yu Nujiao looked at Mo Hua, a glint shifting in her eyes, and suddenly smiled:
"If I die, you'll die too. Dying together as a pair of fugitive lovebirds wouldn't be bad."
Mo Hua, however, looked thoughtful.
So she really did have a Life-bound Talisman planted in her. With that being the case, the Holy Maidens and Holy Sons of the demonic path probably all had Life-bound Talismans protecting them. It would be very difficult to kill them.
Even if he could manifest his spirit-thought as a sword and bypass the Undying Talisman to wipe out these Holy Sons and Holy Maidens' divine sense, after killing them, the Life-bound Talisman would backlash, a demonic dharma manifestation would appear, and it would take his life as well.
Mo Hua looked up at the radiant Yu Nujiao again, understanding a little more.
No wonder the Union Sect would let its Holy Maiden act as "bait" in orthodox territory. The Life-bound Talisman was equivalent to an unbreakable barrier.
It was also because of the Life-bound Talisman that the most prominent young masters of Kun Prefecture, including the Earth Sect's Great Young Master, did not dare force themselves on Yu Nujiao and had to defer to her "will."
Otherwise, Yu Nujiao, the Flower Queen, would likely have long since become these young masters' private plaything.
But all of this was the business of the pleasure quarters, and Mo Hua was not very interested.
After thinking for a moment, Mo Hua asked Yu Nujiao, "When did your Union Sect come to Houtu City to build flower houses?"
Yu Nujiao shook her head. "How would I know?"
Mo Hua asked bluntly, "Does your demon sect have some hidden scheme in Kun Prefecture?"
Yu Nujiao thought to herself: How could I tell you that?
But on the surface, she smiled sweetly. "Young Master Mo, would you like to know?"
Mo Hua nodded.
Yu Nujiao blinked. "Join my Union Sect, and I'll tell you."
Mo Hua frowned slightly.
Yu Nujiao knitted her brows and sighed. "It's not that I don't want to tell you—truly, it's just that this is a secret of the demon sect."
"The secrets of the demon sect can only be known by its disciples. You, Young Master Mo, are an orthodox cultivator. The orthodox and demonic ways cannot coexist; there is a chasm between us. I wouldn't dare tell you, for fear of violating sect rules and taboos."
Yu Nujiao added, "But as long as you join the Union Sect and become an elder of the demonic path, you'll naturally learn its secrets."
"I'll also tell you everything I know without worrying that I'm breaking the rules."
"Young Master Mo, what do you say?" Yu Nujiao looked at him expectantly.
Mo Hua frowned deeply.
Yu Nujiao then swore an oath. "Every word I say is true, not one is false. If I'm lying, then..."
She cast him a bashful glance. "Then let me become Young Master Mo's cauldron, for lifetimes upon lifetimes, harvested by you, caught between ecstasy and agony."
Mo Hua suddenly got a headache.
The Holy Maiden of the Union Sect really was a troublesome creature. If only he could split her in half with one sword stroke—but unfortunately, she had the Life-bound Talisman.
Mo Hua sighed inwardly and said coldly, "Be serious."
Yu Nujiao muttered, "I am serious..."
Even so, she unconsciously sat up straighter and became more earnest.
Mo Hua knew that Yu Lian'er would probably never really reveal any secrets.
So he could only probe indirectly and ask for other clues.
After a brief deliberation, he asked, "Is the demon sect's scheme... related to the Great Spiritual Field Realm?"
Sure enough, Yu Nujiao became more serious. "Yes."
Mo Hua was rather surprised by her candor. "Then why are you going to the Great Spiritual Field Realm?"
Yu Nujiao said, "What else could it be for? We are a demon sect. Since we're a demon sect, we naturally do what a demon sect should do."
Mo Hua's gaze turned grave.
Yu Nujiao continued, "The demon sect also needs to cultivate and attest to the Dao, and demonic cultivation is naturally all tied to people."
"Demon cultivators devour human flesh and blood; ghost cultivators draw out human divine sense; blood cultivators swallow human essence blood; corpse cultivators refine human corpses... As for our Union Dao, we steal yin to nourish yang, steal yang to nourish yin, crave the pleasures of men and women, seek soul-dissolving delight, and use desire as nourishment."
"All these practices use 'people' as raw material."
"Orthodox cultivators consume spirit stones to cultivate. Demonic cultivators consume 'people.'"
"People are the spirit stones of demonic cultivators. And in Kun Prefecture, where can you find the most people? Naturally, it's in the Great Spiritual Field Realm."
"Wherever there are many people, that is a land of abundant resources for the demon sect, a place to cultivate demonic ways and achieve the Dao."
"Orthodox rule exploits spirit stones. The demonic path is crueler, exploiting flesh and blood, spiritual power, and divine sense."
"When all is said and done, isn't that all that ever happens under heaven? It's just the orthodox and the demonic each following their own nature and doing as they please."
"As for what exactly they will do in the Great Spiritual Field Realm..."
Yu Nujiao said, "I am the Holy Maiden and the top Flower Queen of Houtu City. All I have to do is sit atop the Jade Spring Tower and toy with the desires of these young masters. Killing and harvesting—those filthy, tiring jobs are naturally left to the people below."
Mo Hua's gaze darkened.
At this point, Yu Nujiao suddenly felt puzzled and asked: "Young Master Mo, what happens in the Great Spiritual Field Realm has nothing to do with you. Why do you want to interfere in this?"
Mo Hua still did not answer, unknown thoughts on his mind.
Yu Nujiao sighed, then her eyes sparkled and her voice softened again:
"Young Master Mo, I'm begging you. Won't you join my Union Sect?"
"Opportunities like this are rare. If you're willing to join the Union Sect, tonight... in my name as Holy Maiden, I'll pick a dozen or so beautiful virgins and have them turn yin back to yang to replenish your body."
Mo Hua frowned and looked at Yu Nujiao with cold eyes.
Under Mo Hua's gaze, Yu Nujiao's cheeks flushed scarlet, and her voice was as thin as a mosquito's:
"My body... cannot be broken. But if you, Young Master, are willing, as long as you don't break my body, tonight I can do anything... for you."
These words were full of lingering affection and were enormously tempting.
Even Mo Hua felt his mind stir for a moment, and the golden needle in his sea of consciousness trembled once.
But a moment later, Mo Hua's mind settled, his eyes clear again. He looked at Yu Nujiao and said helplessly:
"Next time, don't use your bewitching arts. Save your strength."
Seeing that Mo Hua remained unmoved, Yu Nujiao didn't know what to think. Her flush faded, her voice lost its sweetness, and her face filled with resentment.
Mo Hua felt it was inappropriate to stay. He silently counted the time and saw it was getting late.
A Flower Queen's boudoir was no place to linger. If he stayed any longer, who knew what rumors might come of it.
Mo Hua rose. "I'm going now."
Alarmed, Yu Nujiao hurriedly rose to her feet, revealing her graceful form, her face tender with feeling and her eyes filled with wistful longing:
"Young Master Mo, won't you stay the night?"
It was as if a young girl newly in love was trying to keep her beloved.
Mo Hua said helplessly, "Take care of yourself. Save that little bit of acting to fool someone else."
Yu Nujiao pouted, looking very displeased.
Then Mo Hua, without further attachment, turned and left decisively.
"Young Master Mo, the doors of the Union Sect will always be open for you. Lian'er will keep waiting for you." Yu Nujiao called out in her sweet voice.
Before she could finish, Mo Hua's figure had already disappeared outside the boudoir.
Only then did the lingering affection on Yu Nujiao's face gradually fade, turning somewhat detached and a little annoyed.
In her green-and-pink gauze dress, she walked to the jade couch, lay down, rolled over once like a little girl, and still felt a bit restless.
"How can there be a person like this? So hard to deceive."
"But..."
Yu Nujiao lay her graceful body on the jade couch, staring blankly at the ceiling of the boudoir.
Remembering that pair of eyes from earlier—cold and deep, strangely beautiful, unmoved by beauty, seeming as if they would kill her in a burst of rage—Yu Nujiao's face flushed and she grew a little excited:
"So dangerous... so thrilling."