Step-by-Step Guide

As a member of the Yin-Yang Sect, Song Nuanyang instantly understood this so-called dirty joke.

She only had to think for a second to know what the things Xu Mu mentioned actually were.

This time, she didn't get angry, nor did she speak up to stop him.

She was already in her fifties, though based on the aging of her mixed-blood heritage, she was the equivalent of someone in their twenties of Yanhuang descent.

But she had been alone since she was young, later taken in by the previous sect master of the Yin-Yang Sect.

Over the years, she had long grown accustomed to living like the descendants of Yanhuang.

Deep down, she felt she was old and had seen too much.

She was very open-minded about many things—for instance, the belief that people should be realistic.

Just like those who aimed higher than the sky in their youth, only to accept reality as they grew older.

They became the very people they despised in their youth, willingly working like dogs for a meager, frustrating wage.

Song Nuanyang shared this mindset. In her youth, her ambitions soared above the heavens.

She entered the Divine Power Realm in her twenties and reached the Grandmaster Realm in her thirties, becoming an elder of the Yin-Yang Sect.

But after reaching the Grandmaster Realm, every subsequent hurdle was harder than the last.

Even progressing from the early stage of Grandmaster to the mid-stage Bone Forging Realm resulted in repeated failures.

It was then that she gradually began to accept the vast gap between herself and those true geniuses who could advance without needing rare heavenly treasures.

Thus, she began searching for rare treasures that could increase her bone density, a search that lasted four to five years.

Every advancement after that was sheer torment for her.

Seven or eight years ago, she had reached the peak of the Grandmaster Realm, yet even now, she had not stepped into the Mortal Shedding Realm.

She even felt that the peak of the Grandmaster Realm would be the endpoint of her life.

But now, she saw hope.

"Wait a minute, I just said that. Logically speaking, shouldn't you be throwing a fit right now?"

Xu Mu, sitting on the desk nearby, looked at Song Nuanyang with some surprise.

"I am a very realistic person. If you were just an ordinary man who couldn't bring me any benefits, I would have thrown a fit."

Song Nuanyang looked at Xu Mu. "But right now, you have what I need. I can endure it, even pander to you. Isn't that pathetic? But that's just the kind of person I am."

"Not bad, at least you have the courage to admit it."

Xu Mu checked Song Nuanyang's Filial Piety Value toward him; it remained at Level 1.

It wasn't in the negatives, which was exactly why Xu Mu was considering helping her advance.

"Tell me, what exactly do you want me to do before you give me the Fire Date? I will consider anything."

Song Nuanyang stared at Xu Mu and spoke calmly.

"Anything?"

Xu Mu was a little surprised, then he smiled. "Including your cheap body?"

He knew that as a premium pick of the Dragon King, Song Nuanyang was definitely pure. However, he naturally had to pretend he didn't know.

"Just because I'm from the Yin-Yang Sect?"

Song Nuanyang furrowed her willow-like brows.

"Is that not the case? I know other people from the Yin-Yang Sect too, like Zhou Xia. Although she and I are just acquaintances, it doesn't stop me from looking down on her."

Xu Mu glanced out the window.

That little girl Ye Yu had already sneaked into the villa's courtyard, trying to peek through the window to see what they were doing.

However, Xu Mu had no intention of drawing the curtains. He wasn't going to do anything to Song Nuanyang anyway.

"You know Zhou Xia?"

Song Nuanyang was full of surprise.

"She can't be considered a bad person, but she's not a good person either. I even have her contact info."

Xu Mu said plainly.

"The path Zhou Xia cultivates is Soul Snatching, which indeed requires using men. But I am different. What I cultivate is Resonance, otherwise known as dual cultivation. I need to find my destined soulmate."

Pointing at herself, Song Nuanyang said softly, "I can tell you the truth. Up until now, I haven't been touched by a man... except for you."

Xu Mu's expression remained unchanged, as he had guessed this long ago. "Aren't you afraid I'll demand your body after you tell me so bluntly? Someone like you is far more precious than someone like Zhou Xia."

"Since I said it, naturally I'm not afraid. I've thought it through. Since you've already done that to me anyway, I might as well be direct, as long as you give me the Fire Date."

Song Nuanyang's expression didn't change, but her voice was noticeably trembling when she said this.

"If someone else had a treasure, would you unconditionally sleep with him too?"

"There's a high probability I would, but I can't say for sure."

Song Nuanyang shook her head slightly, having long lost her previous spirit and energy.

"I don't like you acting like this. Women should have some self-respect and self-love."

Xu Mu took out the Fire Date and tossed it directly to Song Nuanyang. "This treasure is yours. It settles the score for what I did to you before. We are even."

After catching the Fire Date, Song Nuanyang was completely stunned.

She had imagined countless possibilities in her mind, but this was the one she had never expected.

An eighth-grade heavenly treasure, just given to her for free?

"Are you sure?"

Song Nuanyang's tone trembled slightly.

"This is how I've always conducted myself. You can consume the Fire Date directly; you should have a fifty percent chance of entering the Mortal Shedding Realm. Of course, you can also ask me to refine it into a pill for you, which would increase the odds to at least seventy or eighty percent."

Xu Mu held up three fingers. "I don't need any of your other treasures. I just need you to promise me three things. I can give you time to think about it."

Having said that, he walked over to the door and opened it.

Song Nuanyang stared blankly at Xu Mu as black text appeared above her head.

[Favorability +20]

Seeing this, Xu Mu smiled. This was exactly what he wanted.

Playing the long game to catch a big fish.

He wasn't the type of man who couldn't walk in a straight line when he saw a woman, trying every possible method to claim her body first.

He was very rational. If he directly asked her to sleep with him, Song Nuanyang would most likely do it, but it would be relatively difficult to continue increasing her favorability in the future.

He preferred a step-by-step conquest, making her continuously release favorability and increasing his own Justice Value.

"Chen... no, Xu Mu, I will go back and think about it."

Song Nuanyang was a bit distracted. She really couldn't figure out why Xu Mu would do this.

If he wanted her, he only needed to ask.

There was no other profit to be made from Song Nuanyang, so she didn't understand.

"Alright, no rush. Even if you need a few years to consider, I am willing to wait for you."

As Song Nuanyang walked past him, Xu Mu suddenly said, "I think wheat-colored skin is very sexy. Abroad, people love to tan their skin, and even domestically, there are quite a few people who like dark-skinned beauties."

Of course, the "dark-skinned beauties" Xu Mu mentioned weren't actually black, but rather Song Nuanyang's skin tone.

Hearing this, Song Nuanyang's expression became slightly unnatural.

Obviously, when Xu Mu was "treating" her earlier, he had seen her true skin color.

This was exactly why she wore heavy makeup, using white foundation to cover the color of her face and neck.

The Dragon Kingdom considered pale skin to be the standard of beauty. Even though her skin had nothing to do with being truly black, in the past, she would still be called a dark beauty or a little dark girl.

So, a long time ago, she started liking the practice of painting her skin white, which had now become a habit.

Her wheat-colored skin was precisely a trait inherited from her foreign bloodline.

[Favorability +15]

"Thank you..."

After Song Nuanyang said this, she left in a hurry, almost as if she were fleeing.

She decided to find Zhou Xia to inquire about what kind of person Xu Mu really was.

This man seemed to be truly different from what she had previously thought.