Chapter 0: The Change at Hidden Bamboo Bathhouse
The demon race youth pointed at by Qin Gou immediately stood up. He wanted to speak, but he stammered for a long time, unable to express himself clearly.
Qin Gou’s gaze was gentle, and he said softly, “What’s wrong? Afraid to say, or shy? Is your dream something you’re ashamed to speak of?”
“I… I want to be immortal and indestructible.” Provoked by Qin Gou, the demon race youth finally said it completely.
“Speak louder!”
“To achieve great cultivation, to be immortal and indestructible!”
“Well said.” Qin Gou immediately gave him an encouraging and appreciative look, clapping his hands and saying, “This is almost the ultimate goal of all cultivators. It’s easy to say, but it’s actually very great and admirable!”
Hearing Qin Gou’s praise, the demon race youth’s expression eased considerably.
Then, Qin Gou pointed at a few more people, letting them state their desires. When the last person sat down, Qin Gou led everyone in applause and said sincerely, “This applause is not only for the tribesmen before, but also for yourselves! Do you all now understand your most genuine desires?”
Seeing many people nod, Qin Gou suddenly changed his tone and said sharply, “But ask yourselves, given the current predicament of our clan, and the meager income of the Hidden Bamboo Bathhouse, can you truly achieve your goals? Impossible, absolutely impossible! To put it bluntly, it’s simply wishful thinking!”
“Some of you have grand goals and great ambition, but some just want a child and to provide him with superior cultivation resources from a young age, yet you are unable to achieve it. Hearing this, my heart bleeds!”
Qin Gou thumped his chest and stamped his feet, saying, “My Faceless Hermit clan was once one of the seventy-two pillars of nobility in the Abyss!”
Upon hearing this, people either gave bitter smiles, gritted their teeth, or slumped in dejection, lamenting their fate.
However, some saw blossoming flowers and a million soldiers. Yan Chuchun stood up abruptly and asked, “Mentor, then what should we do? We no longer have an advantage over ordinary demons in terms of cultivation. How can we become as wealthy as you?”
“All it takes is the determination to do things to the extreme, and to drastically reform the Hidden Bamboo Bathhouse!” Qin Gou said fervently, “Do you know about something called the ‘wolf spirit’? I think this term is inaccurate. It should be called the ‘faceless’ spirit. And my Faceless Hermit clan will henceforth bring the faceless spirit, this spirit of daring to fight and struggle, without shame… cough, this will of not fearing any hardship and paying any price, to the extreme.”
“Do you have this determination?”
Suddenly, an esteemed old elder spoke with a steady voice, setting the tone: “Our clan has already fallen to this point, what is there that cannot be sacrificed?”
Qin Gou smiled with satisfaction: “This is what you promised yourselves. So, next, I will discuss how our Hidden Bamboo Bathhouse will undergo earth-shattering changes… Brother Chunchun, how do you usually serve guests?”
“Naturally, I transform into a beautiful woman with a few brothers, to give guests shoulder massages, serve tea and water, and be at their beck and call,” Yan Chuchun said without reservation.
“Is that all?” Qin Gou asked suspiciously.
“That’s all… This is already the greatest advantage of our Hidden Bamboo Bathhouse compared to other bathhouses. After all, this isn’t even a Grotto-heaven or Blessed Land. Bathing here has no effect on consolidating cultivation or nurturing the soul.”
“No, I mean, your methods are too naive,” Qin Gou said with a smile, shaking his head. “From the next opening, except for the elders, everyone in our clan, regardless of gender or age, will transform into beautiful women to serve in the Hidden Bamboo Bathhouse, and wear uniform attire…”
Before Qin Gou could finish speaking, a storm of controversy erupted throughout the hall, with constant arguments.
Yan Chuchun’s expression was not good, and he said, “Brother Qin, how can this be? No matter how desperate our clan is, we can’t let our women do this kind of thing, can we?”
“Silence.”
Qin Gou’s words suppressed the noise, and he said with a gentle smile, “Everyone, please rest assured. What the real women will do will naturally not be as strenuous as what Brother Yan Chuchun did before. We will completely change our method! Although it’s still not particularly glorious, when you feel wronged, please think of what I said before, and think of your own desires. There is no reward without effort!”
Only then did the crowd gradually quiet down.
Seeing this, a hint of triumph flashed in Qin Gou’s eyes. He clapped his hands and slowly walked into the crowd, saying, “Come, before I truly assign your future tasks, let’s sing a song together and have some team building to improve our cohesion!”
“Mentor, what is team building?”
“It’s a way to increase mutual recognition and encourage each other! Don’t worry, after we finish singing, I will also lead you to tell stories, then embrace each other in tears, and finally become united as one, working together, solely for our clan to rise again and make a comeback.”
“Rise again…?”
“Make a comeback!!”
…
After Qin Gou arrived, the Hidden Bamboo Bathhouse closed for three days. When it reopened, it had undergone earth-shattering changes.
First, the area outside the bathhouse was crowded with people queuing. Two-thirds of them were idle men hired by Qin Gou with a small amount of spirit stones, purely to deliberately create the shocking and splendid effect of a bustling marketplace.
Several regular customers were greatly startled when they arrived, unable to understand why the Hidden Bamboo Bathhouse had suddenly become so popular.
But soon, beautiful young girls with jade-like complexions came out. Using the excuse that they were regular customers, they respectfully invited them in first, immediately making those people feel very honored and proud.
As soon as they stepped through the door of the familiar Hidden Bamboo Bathhouse.
Beautiful young girls, all dressed in moon-white palace gowns, uttered in unison and in a consistent, soft voice:
“Welcome home, Master.”
“Your pleasure is our greatest honor!”
“What is this… new gimmick?!”
For a moment, all the guests who had managed to enter the Hidden Bamboo Bathhouse were greatly surprised and amazed.
Next, a cute young girl came before everyone, bowing repeatedly and apologizing, “I’m terribly sorry, Master. The bathhouse is currently full. Please have a seat in the nearby area for a moment. We will provide fruit, tea, and song and dance performances free of charge.”
Of course, the bathhouse was actually empty.
Hearing this, the crowd, driven by curiosity, was led to clean tables nearby to rest.
Each table had a sheet of Xuan paper. After reading it, everyone suddenly realized that there were indeed some free fruits and teas, but the genuinely good teas and spirit fruits naturally had to be paid for. Among them, a tea called ‘Soul Infused’ was particularly eye-catching.
“What is soul infused? I’ll have a pot,” said someone with a generous hand.
A moment later, Yan Chuchun, who had transformed into an exceptionally seductive and alluring appearance, elegantly approached the guests with a teapot.
“Are you new?”
Yan Chuchun smiled charmingly and said, “Master can call me Chu’er. Now… Chu’er will infuse the Master’s tea with soul.”
As she spoke, Yan Chuchun’s fair fingers gently caressed the teapot, and she murmured, “Heaven-spirit earth-spirit, sincerity works; sun-bright moon-bright, true feelings show. Master’s tea will surely become more palatable.”
Afterward, her incredibly beautiful little face turned red. Suddenly, she shyly and coyly leaned down, as if coyly hiding behind a pipa, and gave the teapot a gentle kiss. After bowing to the guest, she instantly turned and fled like a frightened little beast demanding pity.
In an instant, all the guests were dumbfounded, their hearts burning with desire. They felt an intense urge to order another pot of soul-infused tea and forcibly summon the shy woman back, lest they incite public outrage.
