Manager Hong's professional demeanour brightened considerably at my acceptance. She pulled out a jade slip and began calculating with practiced efficiency.
"Excellent choice, honoured guest. Let me tally everything for you."
Her fingers moved across the jade slip, spiritual energy making the calculations glow faintly as she worked through each item methodically.
"Twenty jin of Tier-1 Jade Spirit Rice seeds at eight spirit stones per jin: one hundred sixty spirit stones."
I nodded, watching her work with focused attention. She's meticulous. Good trait in a business partner... or a wife.
"Fifteen jin of Tier-2 Azure Cloud Rice at fifty spirit stones per jin: seven hundred fifty spirit stones."
"Ten jin of Tier-2 Vermillion Blood Rice at sixty spirit stones per jin: six hundred spirit stones."
Her voice maintained that professional cadence even as I noticed her shifting slightly every few moments, the discomfort from earlier clearly still affecting her.
"The Tier-1 seed condensation method: three hundred spirit stones. The Tier-2 seed condensation method: twelve hundred spirit stones."
She glanced up briefly to ensure I was following along, catching my gaze fixed on her face rather than the jade slip. A faint blush returned but she pressed on with admirable determination.
"Tier-2 Spirit Farming Legacy: two thousand five hundred spirit stones. Tier-1 Alchemist Legacy with all twenty-three pill formulas: twelve thousand eight hundred spirit stones."
The alchemy legacy alone costs more than everything else combined, I noted with satisfaction. But knowledge is priceless. It's an investment that pays dividends for generations.
"Two Tier-1 Earth Spike Formation plates: one thousand two hundred spirit stones. One Tier-1 Illusion Mist Formation plate: eight hundred spirit stones."
Her fingers danced across the jade slip with impressive speed, each calculation precise and confident.
"Tier-1 Spirit Soil Nourishment Array: four hundred spirit stones. Tier-1 Large Spirit Gathering Formation Array: one thousand two hundred spirit stones."
"Tier-2 Spirit Gathering Formation: three thousand spirit stones. And the Tier-1 Water Purifying Formation: three hundred spirit stones."
She looked up from the jade slip, meeting my eyes with a mixture of professionalism and anticipation, clearly proud of her comprehensive tally.
"The total comes to thirty-one thousand two hundred and ten spirit stones, honoured guest."
I whistled low behind my mask. That's a small fortune. Enough to bankrupt most Qi Refining cultivators and make even Foundation Establishment elders think twice.
"However," Manager Hong continued, and I caught a slight smile playing at her lips despite her obvious discomfort, "for purchases exceeding twenty thousand spirit stones, we offer a fifteen percent discount for valued customers."
Her fingers adjusted the calculations on the jade slip with fluid movements.
"That brings your total to twenty-six thousand five hundred and twenty spirit stones."
Nearly five thousand stones saved, I calculated mentally. Not insignificant at all. She's being generous.
"And," she added, her smile growing slightly more genuine as her eyes met mine, "since you've been such an... memorable customer today, I'll personally waive the documentation and packaging fees. Final price: twenty-six thousand five hundred spirit stones, even."
I leaned back against the sofa, studying her intently. "That's quite generous of you, Manager Hong. What's the catch?"
She met my gaze evenly, though her cheeks coloured slightly at the intensity of my attention. "No catch. Just good business practice. And perhaps..." She hesitated, that vulnerability showing through again. "Perhaps a hope that you'll remember this establishment—and me—favourably for future transactions."
"Oh, I'll definitely remember you," I said with deliberate emphasis, my voice dropping lower. "How could I possibly forget?"
The double meaning made her look away quickly, but not before I caught the hint of a smile tugging at her lips.
"Will you be paying in spirit stones, or do you have other valuables to trade?" she asked, changing the subject with forced casualness.
"Spirit stones," I replied simply. "But they're in my storage. I'll retrieve them once the goods are prepared."
Manager Hong nodded, then turned to the three attendants who had been standing quietly by the wall throughout our entire discussion, their faces professionally blank.
"You three—go out and begin preparing all the items immediately. Package everything carefully, especially the formation plates and manuals. I want everything ready within one incense stick's time."
The attendants bowed in perfect unison. "Yes, Manager Hong."
"Also," she added, her voice taking on a firmer, more commanding tone, "once you've gathered everything in the preparation room, wait there until I summon you. Do not enter this room again unless I call for you. Understood?"
The attendants exchanged quick glances—clearly curious about the unusual instruction—but bowed again without question. "Understood, Manager Hong."
As they filed out with the trays, carefully gathering the jade boxes and formation plates, I noticed Manager Hong's shoulders relax slightly the moment the door closed behind them.
Ah, so she wants privacy, I thought with interest. How very interesting indeed.
The room fell into silence, broken only by the distant sounds of the attendants working in another room and the faint hum of the building's protective formations.
Manager Hong remained seated across from me, suddenly seeming less certain now that we were truly alone, her professional armour beginning to crack.
I let the silence stretch for a long moment, watching her fidget with the edge of her sleeve—a nervous habit she probably wasn't even aware of.
"So," I said finally, my voice dropping to a lower, more intimate tone that made her stiffen slightly, "now that we're alone again, shall we discuss... other matters?"
Her eyes snapped to mine, wary and uncertain. "What other matters?"
"Oh, I think you know." I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees, closing the distance between us. "We have unfinished business, you and I."
"The transaction is complete pending payment," she said quickly, trying desperately to retreat into the safety of professionalism. "I don't know what you mean."
"Don't you?" I tilted my head, studying her flushed face. "I seem to recall asking you a very important question earlier. One you said you needed time to think about."
Realization dawned in her eyes, and the blush returned with a vengeance, spreading down her neck. "You... you can't be serious about that."
"Why wouldn't I be serious?" I asked bluntly, watching her reaction.
She glared at me, indignation and confusion warring on her features.
"Because we just met! Because you...you... This is insane!"
Manager Hong stood abruptly, then immediately regretted it as the movement sent a sharp, painful reminder shooting through her tender backside.
Her eyes widened and she lost her balance, pitching forward with a startled gasp.
I moved instinctively, catching her as she fell into my embrace. The moment my hands touched her, I took full advantage of the situation, one hand sliding down to caress her plump ass while I settled back onto the sofa with her in my lap facing me.
She glared at me, her face inches from my mask, breathing heavily. "Will you stop doing that?" she said, her voice breathless as she blushed furiously, trying to push away from me but not really putting any strength into it.
"What do you mean?" I feigned complete innocence, my hand never ceasing its gentle kneading.
"That... that..." she murmured, clearly finding it too embarrassing to speak the words aloud.
"What?" I increased the pressure in my hands, squeezing firmly.
She squealed, the sound high and startled.
"Stop groping my butt like I'm your wife, you pervert!"
But even as she protested, her body betrayed her, she started making sounds that were far more like moans than complaints, her breathing increasing rapidly as heat flooded her cheeks.
I leaned in close, placing my masked face near her ear, feeling her shiver at my proximity.
"I won't apologize for wanting you," I said quietly, my voice steady and sincere. "But I also won't lie to you. I've really started to like you, Manager Hong. But I cannot promise you things right now. I won't make empty vows I might not be able to keep."
Her body went rigid in my arms. "Then what do you want from me?" she asked angrily, hurt flickering in her eyes. "A plaything? Some convenient woman to use when you visit the city?"
"I don't know yet," I admitted honestly. "But I know I'm not ready to walk away and never see you again either. That much I'm certain of."
"I should be furious with you," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I should call the guards. I should..."
"But you won't," I interrupted gently. "Because you also want to know where this goes. You feel it too, don't you?"
Hong's mind was pure chaos.
This is wrong, she thought desperately, even as her body remained pliant in his grip, moulding against him like she belonged there. I should be screaming. Calling for guards. Using my cultivation arts to escape.
But she couldn't move.
Not because she was physically restrained, she could sense that clearly. Despite his firm hold, if she truly struggled with intent to escape, he would let her go. She knew that instinctively.
No, she couldn't move because some traitorous part of her didn't want to.
What's wrong with me? she wondered, horrified at her own reactions. He manhandled me. Spanked me like a misbehaving child. Held me captive in his embrace. And I'm... I'm...
She couldn't even finish the thought, couldn't face the truth.
Aroused, her mind supplied mercilessly, forcing her to acknowledge what she'd been denying. You're aroused. Stop lying to yourself and admit it.
Hong wanted to deny it, wanted to pretend this was just shock or confusion, but the evidence was undeniable and damning.
Her heart raced like she'd just run a mile at full speed. Her skin felt hypersensitive everywhere he touched, every point of contact sending sparks through her nerves. And the heat pooling low in her belly, the warmth spreading through her core, had absolutely nothing to do with anger.
This has never happened before, she realized with growing alarm and wonder. In twenty-three years, through countless interactions and seductions, I've never felt like this.
She'd used seduction arts on countless men, wealthy merchants, powerful cultivators, arrogant young masters seeking to impress her with their status and resources.
She'd learned early to wield her beauty and charm like finely honed weapons, tools to secure advantages, gather information, and protect herself in a world that saw beautiful women as prizes to be won.
But it had always been mechanical. Professional. A performance she gave with skill but no genuine emotion.
She'd never actually wanted any of them. Never felt her pulse quicken with genuine desire. Never ached for someone's touch.
Until now.
He's different, she thought, trying desperately to understand her own bewildering reactions. He saw through my arts immediately. Turned the tables before I even realized what was happening. Made me feel... powerless.
And somehow, impossibly, that powerlessness was... exciting?
Hong had spent her entire life being in control. Managing the shop's daily operations. Managing difficult customers with practiced ease. Managing her own cultivation progress and carefully plotting her future prospects.
She was competent, professional, always thinking three steps ahead, always prepared for any situation.
This mysterious masked man had shattered that iron control in minutes, reducing her to a flustered mess who couldn't even think straight.
I should hate him, she told herself firmly, trying to summon righteous anger. He humiliated me. Made me feel small and helpless and vulnerable.
But sitting in his lap, feeling the steady strength in his arms, the controlled power in his grip, the solid warmth of his chest against her...
I don't hate him, she admitted reluctantly, the truth settling in her chest like a stone. I'm furious with him. Confused by him. But I don't hate him.
Her analytical mind, trained through years of merchant calculations and reading people, began sorting through the evidence with determined focus.
He's young, his voice, his energy, the way he moves all suggest someone close to my age or perhaps even younger.
He's wealthy, twenty-six thousand spirit stones spent without a moment's hesitation or negotiation. Most cultivators couldn't afford a tenth of that.
He's powerful, his cultivation is carefully concealed, but the casual strength he displayed, the way he moved, suggests at least late Qi Refining stage, possibly even Foundation Establishment.
He's intelligent, the questions he asked, the way he evaluated products, his understanding of cultivation matters all showed genuine knowledge and sharp thinking.
And he's dangerous, she concluded with absolute certainty. Very, very dangerous. Not just in power, but in the way he affects me.
But danger had never excited her before. She'd always chosen safety, control, careful planning.
What changed? she wondered.
Maybe it was the way he'd looked at her, not as a tool to be used or a trophy to be won, but as an equal worth challenging, worth engaging with on genuine terms.
Maybe it was the raw honesty in his actions, no pretense, no manipulative games, just straightforward desire mixed with what seemed like genuine appreciation for her.
Maybe it was simply that after twenty-three years of mechanical, emotionless interactions, someone had finally made her feel something real, something raw and visceral and terrifying.
This is insane, Hong thought, panic rising in her chest. I don't even know his name. His face. Anything real about him beyond this afternoon.
But the terrifying truth was simpler:
I want to.
The realization shocked her to her core.
I want to know who he is. What he really wants. Why he chose me for this... whatever this is. I want to see his face, hear his story, understand what makes him different from every other man I've ever met.
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