Chapter 17: Sharing a Table

After dealing with the brothel male companions, Shen Shengqing declined the city lord’s invitation to stay at the city lord’s residence. His eyes remained fixed on Mu An.

In the end, Mu An resigned himself and led his master and senior brother to the Fula Inn.

“Owner, two more rooms.”

Before the owner could reply, Shen Shengqing interrupted. “One.”

The owner looked at Shen Shengqing, then at Mu An.

Mu An hesitated, looking at Shen Shengqing.

“Master, even if senior brother has lost his memory, we don’t have to make him sleep on the street.”

He had booked one room earlier. If he only bought one more for his master, then senior brother would have to sleep on the street.

Shen Shengqing lowered his gaze. “I’m sleeping with you.”

The owner couldn’t help but let out an “Ooh,” instantly drawing everyone’s attention.

He immediately lowered his head obediently and processed their room. “Immortal Lord, one superior room costs twelve mid-grade spirit stones.”

Mu An resignedly paid. His heart was as dead as ash. [It’s over. Master is definitely going to punish me for going to the brothel.]

[Sharing a room probably means he’ll make me sleep on the floor, or even stand facing the wall all night.]

[Maybe he’ll even give you a few lashes. Don’t forget to smile, sweetie~]

“Shut up!” Mu An cursed inwardly.

***

Back in the room, Shen Shengqing first took Yunnan You’s pulse with a sour expression. He confirmed that Yunnan You’s spiritual energy was still present, but Yunnan You had completely forgotten all the mental cultivation methods and practice incantations. He couldn’t use a shred of his magical power.

For now, the only option was to go to Chen Village and find a way to restore Yunnan You’s memory. Otherwise, teaching him cultivation from scratch would be too difficult.

Upon learning his real name and background, Yunnan You was still in disbelief. How could he possibly be a peak Golden Core stage cultivator?

Shen Shengqing tossed him an introductory cultivation manual, told him to read it if he got bored, and then shoved him back to his room.

The moment Yunnan You left, Mu An’s heart began to race with nervousness.

Shen Shengqing glanced at him, picked up the teapot, and poured himself a cup of tea.

Neither spoke. The air was terrifyingly silent.

After a moment, Mu An couldn’t hold back any longer. “Master, are you hungry? I’ll go downstairs and order some dishes.”

“Cultivators should practice inedia. Consuming too many mundane things only hinders cultivation.”

“Master is correct.” Mu An quickly agreed.

Seeing Mu An constantly looking down, Shen Shengqing felt a twinge of reluctance. “Sit down.”

Mu An hesitated, then obediently sat.

“Why did you go to the brothel today? Don’t bother saying it was because you knew Yunnan You was there. You deliberately left your disciple life tablet at the inn beforehand. That was clearly premeditated. If you had merely seen him enter and wanted to investigate, you wouldn’t have needed to go back and stash your tablet. If there’s a reason, I won’t blame you.”

Shen Shengqing systematically blocked every excuse Mu An could have made, word by word. “Only someone with a guilty conscience tries to hide things.”

Mu An resignedly closed his eyes and admitted it straightforwardly. “Master, I did go to the brothel on purpose. I’ve never been to one before, so when I returned to the mortal world, I was curious. But I had absolutely no intention of seeking pleasure.”

Shen Shengqing’s lashes lowered. His hand clenched the teacup tightly, yet he restrained himself from shattering it.

[An’an is still young, his temperament unsettled. Since he likes peeping at me bathing, he must have certain desires. It’s not surprising that he’d be curious about brothels.]

[But he absolutely should not be fooling around with people in a brothel. If Yunnan You hadn’t been the one there today, would An’an have actually let those immoral people take advantage of him?]

Mu An kept secretly observing Shen Shengqing’s expression. Unable to tell whether he was angry or pleased, he grew even more flustered.

After a moment, Shen Shengqing opened his mouth. Just as Mu An thought his master was finally about to punish him, Shen Shengqing said calmly, “What do you like to eat?”

“Huh?” Mu An blinked blankly.

Helpless, Shen Shengqing said, “Tell the waiter what you want to eat. It’s rare to get out. Don’t deprive yourself.”

“Y-yes, Master.” Mu An felt a warmth in his heart.

[Oh my god. A master this protective—who else has one? That’s right! I have one!]

Mu An’s eyes sparkled. He hadn’t expected his master to let him off so quickly. Wasn’t he just saying that cultivators shouldn’t eat mundane food? Now he was indulging him again.

“Master, is there anything you like to eat?” Mu An asked sincerely.

Seeing Mu An’s relaxed brows and eyes, Shen Shengqing’s mood lifted as well. “Order whatever you want. Whatever you eat, I’ll eat.”

“Got it, Master!” Mu An happily opened the door and went downstairs.

Little did he know that behind him, once his master could no longer see him, his expression turned completely cold.

Shen Shengqing withdrew his gaze. His fingers loosened slightly, and the teacup in his hand instantly turned to ash.

[An’an is still young. I can’t scare him.]

[But An’an is disobedient. I’ll just have to watch him myself. I’ll watch An’an every moment and not let anyone take advantage of him.]

***

[Host, there are only two of you. Do you need to order this many dishes?]

Mu An had ordered nearly every popular dish on the menu. “Master hasn’t eaten mortal food for centuries. He’s definitely forgotten what sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy taste like. I need to explore.”

Mu An was genuinely curious about Shen Shengqing’s reaction to eating food. He wanted to see his master’s expression of pleasant surprise.

But at the table, no matter what Shen Shengqing ate, his expression remained bland, giving no indication of his preferences.

Unwilling to give up, Mu An used the serving chopsticks to give him a piece of explosively spicy Chongqing chicken.

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