Red Luan Hall.
The most forbidden territory in the Hehuan Sect. It was a grand hall of deep crimson, looking as though it had been forged from fresh, obsidian-tinged blood.
The flying boat descended slowly. "We're here. Get off!" the enforcement disciples barked before fleeing instantly, as if staying a second longer would cost them their souls.
"Phew... Stay calm, Shen Changqing. You're a Top-tier Host. You've handled 'Ice Queens' and 'Black Widows' before. This is just a higher-level client," he whispered to himself, adjusting his professional mask.
He pushed open the heavy vermilion doors. Inside, the silence was suffocating. The vast chamber was empty, save for a lone figure seated on a cold jade bed at the far end, her back toward him. She wore a snow-white robe that stood in stark defiance of the surrounding red—a glacier of frost suppressing the hall's lingering scent of seduction.
"This is the infamous Red Lotus Demon Sovereign? The one who slaughters without a second thought?" Shen muttered. Something's off with the vibe. Where's the fiery allure? This looks more like someone in the late stages of advanced misandry!
Just then, the white-robed woman slowly turned.
Boom!
A terrifying pressure swept through the hall like a tidal wave.
"Pfft—"
Shen Changqing felt a metallic sweetness surge in his throat. Before he could even process the threat, his knees slammed into the obsidian floor, and a mouthful of blood sprayed out. It felt as if his very organs were being rearranged.
She possessed a face of devastating beauty, but her eyes were twin abysses of irritability and lethal intent. No greeting, just a direct attempt to crush him.
[Warning!! The high-end patron is currently in an unstable state. Host, good luck!]
[Passive Skill: "All Beings Suffer, Only You Are Sweet (Moonlight Limited Edition)" activated!]
[Filter Loading... Target's mental defenses analyzed.]
[Analysis Complete: Target's current emotions—Extreme irritability, advanced misandry, crushing regret over the past.]
[Filter Image Matched: The rain-swept apricot grove years ago... the senior brother who died under her blade during her demonic possession, yet forgave her with his final breath.]
Time froze. In Red Lotus's crimson eyes, the blood-soaked hall vanished, replaced by an apricot grove in full bloom. She heard a voice that had haunted her for a decade:
"Junior Sister, do you want some candied hawthorn?"
"Junior Sister! Wake up! Don't let the demons take you!"
"...Junior Sister, Senior Brother can't stay with you anymore."
The young man at the door was no longer Shen Changqing. He looked at her as she raised her slaughtering blade, his eyes holding no fear—only a helpless, forgiving gaze.
In reality, Shen Changqing was shattering. Even a sliver of aura from a Mahayana sovereign was a mountain crushing a Qi Refining worm.
"It's over... my first gig and I'm a goner!"
However, the pressure suddenly vanished. A voice like cracking ice shards rang out:
"Look up."
Shen met a pair of bottomless pupils. Her gaze was extraordinarily complex, oscillating between despair and hope. Shen felt his soul freezing. Don't shake... Shen Changqing, as a Top-tier Host, you must keep your poker face!
Red Lotus knew this boy wasn't him. He was dead. This boy was merely a counterfeit with a similar face.
After a long silence, she spoke coldly, "Wipe the floor clean."
"Yes!"
Shen responded with professional promptness. Ignoring his internal injuries, he pulled out his handkerchief and haphazardly wiped his own blood from the floor, moving with the efficiency of a 2x speed playback. Just as he was about to kneel to show more "devotion"—
"Stop."
A golden light flew at him. Shen caught it instinctively. It was warm, fragrant—a Top-grade Third-Turn Rejuvenation Pill. One of these was worth more than his entire life.
Is this... workers' comp? he wondered.
In Red Lotus's eyes, she truly couldn't bear to see this face suffering before her again. She turned away, her voice agitated. "Take it. Heal. Then... get out."
Shen didn't hesitate for a second. "Thank you, Your Excellency! I'll roll out immediately!" He swallowed the pill and bolted, faster than a rabbit.
Outside, Su Mei—Red Lotus's direct disciple—was waiting. Seeing Shen Changqing walk out fully intact and even rosy-cheeked, her mental abacus clattered.
A man came out? Master has despised men for ten years, yet he's the only one she's spared... and she gave him Inner Sect status?! This guy must be a VIP! I have to pamper him!
Su Mei's icy expression instantly melted into a warm smile. "Junior Brother Shen, hold on!"
She handed him a jade token with a red lotus pattern, her tone so sweet it gave him goosebumps. "Master just transmitted to me. You have merit and have won her favor. From now on, you are an Inner Sect disciple. We're family now—if you need anything, just ask your Big Sister!"
Shen Changqing clutched the warm token, standing in the wind. Inner Sect just like that? I just knelt, wiped some blood, and pocketed a pill? Are the rich women in this world this hardcore with their tips?
He glanced back at the vermilion doors, the "Moonlight Filter" prompt still echoing in his mind.
"Damn... the power of a Top-tier Host coupled with this aura... is truly terrifying."