Chapter 8
Liu Meng stood behind Qin Shuang, her heart in her throat.
She could feel Qin Shuang’s gaze linger on her main body for a full three breaths.
Could it be... she really was interested in her main body?
No! She couldn’t let Qin Shuang take her main body!
If her main body fell into Qin Shuang’s hands, it would be as good as slipping beyond Liu Meng’s control.
No one could guarantee what this woman, who had only just formed an alliance with her and was so calculating, might do to Liu Ming.
All her plans depended on her main body being absolutely safe. Even if it meant... sacrificing this clone, it didn’t matter!
Liu Meng stopped hesitating, stepped half a pace forward, and said to her Senior Sister, “Senior Sister Qin Shuang, look... that man seems pretty good.”
Her voice was not loud, but it successfully drew Qin Shuang’s attention.
Qin Shuang’s eyes, hidden behind her mask, lingered on Liu Meng for several breaths before turning toward the man Liu Meng had mentioned.
He was a quiet man in another cell. His clothes were just as ragged, but he was well-proportioned and breathed steadily, seemingly indifferent to everything around him—utterly unlike the agitated, despairing prisoners around him.
“Oh?” A flicker of interest crossed Qin Shuang’s eyes. She studied him through the bars for a moment, then nodded. “Not bad. I’ll take him.”
As soon as she spoke, a white-masked maid stepped forward, roughly opened the cell door, and dragged out the composed man.
Liu Meng’s anxious heart finally settled.
She knew Qin Shuang might have noticed something from that glance, but the other woman had no intention of probing further. She had even gone along with Liu Meng’s suggestion, doing her a favor.
It seemed that forming an alliance with her really had been a good choice.
With all ten men gathered, Qin Shuang did not linger. She turned and led the hastily assembled group back to the hall.
On the raised platform, Su Meier yawned lazily, showing no interest in the selected men.
Her gaze fell on the black mask Qin Shuang wore.
“Qin Shuang, now that you have entered Qi Refining, you are no longer a maid.”
“According to the rules, you must hand your mask over to someone else.”
At this, the other maids in the hall couldn’t help breathing more rapidly.
They stared intently at the black mask, their eyes filled with undisguised longing, as if it were something immensely important to them.
Even Liu Meng could tell that what this mask represented... was no ordinary matter.
“Master, this disciple understands.” Qin Shuang bowed respectfully. “I only wonder: to whom should I entrust this mask, which commands all the maids?”
A playful smile curled Su Meier’s lips. “This is the final test I have for you. As my disciple, you must have not only talent, but also good judgment when it comes to people.”
“You will decide who gets this mask. Choose well, and it shows your discerning eye; choose poorly, and it only means you trusted the wrong person.”
At this, every maid’s gaze shifted from the mask to Qin Shuang, their fervor nearly enough to melt her.
Several maids who had served for many years straightened their backs, trying to attract Qin Shuang’s attention.
Yet Qin Shuang didn’t even look at them.
She removed the black mask from her face and walked to the back of the crowd. Under everyone’s astonished gaze, she handed the mask, a symbol of authority, to the newcomer who had just arrived and didn’t even have a mask yet.
“From today on, you will wear it.” Qin Shuang’s voice was not loud, but every person there heard her clearly.
“What?”
“Who is she?!”
“Senior Sister! This isn’t fair! She just got here. What right does she have to wield the Black Mask?”
The crowd erupted, voices of discontent and jealousy rising one after another.
One white-masked maid who had served for many years even pushed her way forward and demanded indignantly, “Senior Sister, we have followed you for years. We may not have rendered great service, but we’ve certainly worked hard. Why give it to some newcomer of unknown background?”
Su Meier also sat up on the couch with interest. Her alluring phoenix eyes settled on Liu Meng for the first time. “Oh? Qin Shuang, this is your choice? I don’t believe I’ve ever seen this young girl before. Is she the new maid who arrived today? Tell me, what makes her so exceptional that you’d give the Black Mask to someone you met just today?”
Faced with everyone’s doubts and her Master’s questioning, Qin Shuang’s expression did not change in the slightest.
She turned and bowed deeply toward Su Meier on the raised platform, then said loudly, “Reporting to Master, I chose Junior Sister Liu Meng for one reason.”
She paused, and her voice suddenly rose.
“During the entrance trial just now, Junior Sister Liu Meng practiced the Profound Female Art for the first time and used two corpses to successfully condense... eight wisps of spiritual power!”
“Eight wisps?!”
That number rang through the hall like thunder from the Ninth Heaven.
Every voice of doubt and discontent abruptly fell silent, replaced by a deathly stillness.
Every one of them had gone through that trial. Forget eight wisps—even condensing two wisps of spiritual power on one’s first attempt was considered exceptional talent.
What kind of terrifying talent did eight wisps of spiritual power represent?
How had she done it?!
The lazy smile vanished from Su Meier’s face. Her figure blurred, and she disappeared from the raised platform, only to appear before Liu Meng the next instant like a ghost.
“Raise your head.”
Her cold, slender jade finger rested against Liu Meng’s brow. A vast divine sense surged into her at once, probing every inch of her body.
Liu Meng felt as though she had been seen through completely in that instant, from her flesh to her soul, with not a single secret left.
A moment later, Su Meier withdrew her finger, the solemnity on her face turning into barely restrained elation.
“Good! Good! Good!” She said it three times in succession, gazing at Liu Meng with the blazing intensity of someone looking at a peerless treasure. “It really is eight wisps of spiritual power! And the Child Art imprint is already deeply rooted in your soul. Excellent. You are excellent!”
She could clearly sense that deep within Liu Meng’s soul, the Child Art imprint of the Profound Female Art, which represented absolute control, had already taken firm root. This meant that the young woman before her, a once-in-a-century genius, would forever be her most loyal servant and perfect cultivation resource!
Su Meier’s attitude changed completely. She took the black mask from Qin Shuang with her own hands, then personally placed it on Liu Meng’s face with an almost gentle touch.
“From today onward, you are the new bearer of the Black Mask. All the maids will obey your commands.” Her voice turned exceptionally gentle. “Cultivate well. I look forward to the day you become my seventh disciple.”
With Su Meier’s personal acknowledgment, the other maids dared not show the slightest discontent. Their gazes at Liu Meng had already changed from jealousy to awe and fear.
“Thank you, Master. Thank you, Senior Sister Qin Shuang.” Wearing the cold mask, Liu Meng lowered her head respectfully.
“All right, Qin Shuang. You may leave.” Su Meier waved her hand and returned to the raised platform.
Qin Shuang gave Liu Meng one last look. Then, without the slightest hesitation, she led the ten bewildered men out of the hall.
The hall returned to calm. Su Meier leaned against the couch, seeming to rest with her eyes closed.
After a while, she spoke again in a lazy voice. “It’s about time. The three-day period is up, Liu Meng.”
“Yes.” Liu Meng answered at once.
“Take a few people and bring here those who took the ‘Yang-Attracting Pills’ three days ago. Let me see how many of them... can endure it.”