Chapter 10

Yue Xiaochan said again, "Senior Sister, have you encountered any difficulties? You might as well tell me."

Meng Lan smiled, "No, Young Sect Leader is overthinking it."

Yue Xiaochan pouted, "If there were no difficulties, would you have rushed to flirt with him? He’s just a pest."

"……" Xue Mu continued to eat, picking up his chopsticks.

Meng Lan’s face turned slightly pale, realizing that her previous flirting hadn’t gone unnoticed. Since the Young Sect Leader knew, the Sect Leader must have known as well. She wondered if it would lead to any adverse consequences.

Yue Xiaochan wasn’t blaming her; instead, she poured her a cup of wine and said, "Senior Sister, your behavior is unusual. You seem eager to advance, so there must be something on your mind. Can’t you tell me?"

Xue Mu sighed inwardly, not for Meng Lan, but for Yue Xiaochan.

He had already confirmed that this girl was only thirteen years old. In his world, if one starts primary school at eight, thirteen would be fifth grade. Even if one starts at six, thirteen would be seventh grade, a time when children are still innocent and carefree, chasing after TFBOYS and shouting how handsome they are. Yue Xiaochan, on the other hand, had been groomed as a future Sect Leader from a young age, shouldering a heavy sense of mission. Her mature demeanor, as she confided in and comforted the disciples, made her seem like she was in her twenties.

Only when she was enthusiastically listening to stories did it show that she was still a little girl.

Meng Lan silently sipped her wine and finally said, "Young Sect Leader, the Hundred Flowers Garden is in dire straits."

In fact, Xue Mu had already noticed that the Hundred Flowers Garden was in trouble.

Earlier in the hall downstairs, there were few customers, and the spacious area even allowed one to practice boxing in the middle. It was evening, the peak time for business in a brothel, yet it was unusually quiet.

Yue Xiaochan was taken aback, "I heard that it was still profitable two months ago, and now it’s only slightly in the red. How can it be in such dire straits?"

Meng Lan explained, "The competition in the capital is fierce, with the most brothels in the country. In the past, our sect had an advantage with our seduction techniques and was considered the best. But now…"

Yue Xiaochan was puzzled, "Don’t we still have that advantage?"

Meng Lan sighed, "We don’t actually practice the techniques ourselves; we only teach the girls a bit. The Huanhuan Sect, on the other hand, has their outer disciples practicing directly. Their seduction techniques and appearance are far superior…"

Yue Xiaochan gritted her teeth, "Those bitches from the Huanhuan Sect, they really come out to sell themselves!"

"They believe in unrestrained pleasure and don’t care."

"Then what are we supposed to do? Others see us as one of them! They’ve ruined our reputation!"

Meng Lan remained silent.

Yue Xiaochan thought for a moment and said, "Compared to others, we still have an advantage, right? Just losing some business to the Huanhuan Sect shouldn’t be the end of us."

Meng Lan shook her head, "Since we can’t spread our advanced techniques, the superficial seduction techniques we teach have been thoroughly studied by others. Other places can do it too, and we have no advantage left."

Yue Xiaochan finally fell silent.

Meng Lan sighed, "I’m worried that… the sect might one day have us outer disciples practice directly… From Aunt Qingqing’s attitude, it seems she has this idea. That’s why I want to leave early, to avoid that day." She smiled apologetically at Xue Mu, "Though I’m using you, I have no ill intentions. I hope you can understand."

Xue Mu smiled, showing his understanding.

He felt a bit regretful. She had a clear and urgent need, which made it hard to resist. If the time and place were right, he might have had a chance, but alas, it was a pity.

Yue Xiaochan said firmly, "Senior Sister, you know our principles are different from the Huanhuan Sect! The Star Moon Sect would never do such a thing. Being mistaken for the Huanhuan Sect is already disgusting enough. If we really did it, it would be even worse. I’ll talk to Aunt Qingqing about this."

Meng Lan looked at her steadily, "So what? The Sect Leader may be the strongest in the world, but the sect still needs to eat and have resources. Should we become bandits and rob people? The Sect Leader spent over a decade establishing a foothold in the capital, allowing us to operate openly. If we became bandits, all her efforts would be in vain. The Sect Leader wouldn’t want to return to the days of hiding. She might agree with Aunt Qingqing’s proposal, after all… we are just outer disciples…"

Hearing this, Xue Mu was taken aback.

So the Star Moon Sect and the Huanhuan Sect don’t operate behind the scenes but openly in the capital? This was quite surprising, completely颠覆ing his image of the "mysterious evil sects." Normally, being labeled as evil, they would often clash with the righteous, with deep blood feuds. If the evil sects openly emerged, they would surely be attacked by the righteous. Even if Xue Qingqiu were invincible, their businesses would likely be ruined, as mentioned earlier about their southern operations.

For the evil sects to operate openly, they must be manipulating things behind the scenes. The ability to operate openly must be related to the special nature of the capital, perhaps with the government’s approval, making it impossible for the righteous to openly oppose?

Is the government openly protecting the mafia, or is the mafia gradually becoming legalized?

But why couldn’t they do this before, and now they can? Xue Mu continued eating, pondering inwardly. He didn’t believe that this political situation was solely due to Xue Qingqiu’s personal strength. Perhaps there was something deeper to explore…

Yue Xiaochan wasn’t thinking about these things. With the business on the brink of collapse, the disciples were actually going to sell themselves?

If they really did, what would be the difference between the Star Moon Sect and the Huanhuan Sect? At least in the eyes of the public, there would be no difference.

This wasn’t a small matter but a significant issue of principle!

But no matter how smart the little girl was, she was trained in martial arts and had no expertise in business management. She had no ideas, and even Xue Qingqiu might not have any good ideas. Yue Xiaochan looked at her wine glass, lost in thought.

The atmosphere became heavy, with only the sound of Xue Mu eating. Yue Xiaochan glared at him, "All you know is eating! Do you still have the mood for this?"

"Running a brothel is just one way…" Xue Mu said calmly, "I’ve told your master the same, relying on fighting won’t help you develop."

Yue Xiaochan pouted, "Just one way? You’re so smart, give us an idea then?"

"There are plenty of other businesses to make money besides running a brothel…"

"Is that all you can think of?"

Xue Mu put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth with a wet napkin, "Of course, if you think it’s too late for long-term solutions, I can use a small trick to revive the Hundred Flowers Garden."