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In the Fox Mutant’s bedroom, Zhou Yuntian approached hurriedly and bowed.
“What is it?”
The Fox Mutant asked in a soft voice as she lay sideways on the cushioned daybed. A female cultivator stood in front of her with a censer in hand, and as the Fox Mutant breathed in the wisps of smoke, her face was dyed red in an intoxicated flush. Even her narrowed eyes were slightly glazed over.
“Mistress, please excuse this subordinate for his rudeness, but take a look at this,” said Zhou Yuntian as he pulled the top of his robe open to expose his chest, circulating his Spiritual Power. In the next moment, a Glyph: Protection shield appeared in front of his chest.
“Hm?” Fox Mutant opened her eyes slightly to look at the Glyph. As she raised a finger, a surge of Mutant power shot out from its tip, blasting the Glyph on Zhou Yuntian’s chest.
The Glyph dimmed, but it did not shatter. Still, Zhou Yuntian staggered back a few steps from the impact.
“Is this a Tattoo?” The Fox Mutant, who did have some knowledge on such matters, immediately recognized the nature of the Glyph.
“Yes, Mistress. It is a Tattoo, and it was drawn by Lu Ye’s hand.”
“So he has this kind of ability!” The Fox Mutant was amazed. Even though Zhou Yuntian had reported to her about Lu Ye’s dabbling in the art of Tattoos a few days ago, she hadn’t paid much attention to it. After all, someone with only a cultivation level in the Fourth Order Cloud River Realm wouldn’t have achieved a high level of mastery in Tattoo cultivation even if they dabbled in it.
But now, it seemed that she had underestimated him.
The Fox Mutant immediately realized the value of this Tattoo. Currently, the Fox Immortal Valley was struggling to draw in many new talents. However, with the help of this Tattoo, the overall strength of the Fox Immortal Valley could be increased by at least ten or twenty percent. Compared to recruiting new talents, this kind of improvement was more straightforward and also more convenient.
“How long did this Tattoo take him?” The Fox Mutant straightened her posture. Even her expression became more serious.
“Only an incense stick of time. Moreover, when I was observing his technique, he seemed very experienced with it. Clearly, he is well-versed in this art,” Zhou Yuntian reported truthfully.
“Only an incense stick of time…” The Fox Mutant was surprised.
“Mistress, perhaps we could have our fellow cultivators in the valley go to him for a Tattoo? It would also help to improve their chances of survival!”
The Fox Mutant nodded. “Very well. I will leave you in charge of this matter.”
“Yes, I will not disappoint you, Mistress,” Zhou Yuntian responded respectfully.
Lu Ye was completely immersed in cultivating blade techniques under Xia Liang’s guidance when all of a sudden, Zhou Yuntian arrived with a group of people, calling out to him from a distance, “Cultivator Lu!”
Lu Ye stopped his movements and sighed inwardly. It seemed that the inevitable had finally come.
Ever since he bestowed the Glyph: Protection Tattoo upon Zhou Yuntian, he had guessed what would follow next. After all, Tattoos were a convenient external force that one could utilize. Zhou Yuntian had already experienced the benefits of having that Tattoo, so there was no reason for him to ignore it.
Sure enough, once Zhou Yuntian came over, he conveyed the Fox Mutant’s orders to him, instructing Lu Ye to tattoo all of the cultivators in the valley, a request which Lu Ye naturally had no choice but to agree to.
With the cultivation of his blade technique put on hold, Lu Ye prepared all the necessary materials and equipment for the Tattoos in the attic on the second floor. Then, he said to Zhou Yuntian, who stood nearby, “Cultivator Zhou, Tattoos require a significant amount of mental focus. At most, I can tattoo ten cultivators per day. Any more would be exhausting.”
In reality, he could tattoo many more than that, but doing so would not only occupy the time he had to cultivate his blade techniques, it would also make his recovery far more troublesome.
Ten people per day would not impose a significant burden on him.
“No problem, Cultivator Lu. You can do it however is more convenient for you. Even though the orders have been given directly by the Mistress, she did not specify a time frame.”
Moreover, while there were a fair number of cultivators in the Fox Immortal Valley, it wasn’t an overwhelmingly large population. By doing ten people per day, it would only take less than ten days to finish everything.
“In that case, have them come up one by one,” Lu Ye replied.
Zhou Yuntian walked up to the window and shouted, “Brother Zhao, come up!”
Among the waiting cultivators below, a cultivator surnamed Zhao who was called by Zhou Yuntian stepped forward, quickly ascended to the second floor, and greeted Lu Ye courteously.
Lu Ye gave him the choice of getting either Glyph: Windwalk or Glyph: Protection, and as expected, the cultivator surnamed Zhao chose Glyph: Protection, and like Zhou Yuntian, he requested the Tattoo to be placed over his heart.
Following Lu Ye’s instructions, the cultivator surnamed Zhao unfastened his clothing and lay on the bed.
After an incense stick of time, the Tattoo was done, and the cultivator surnamed Zhao tested it to make sure that he could use Glyph: Protection. Delighted, he expressed his gratitude.
Then, the next person came up…
After that, the third person in line was a female cultivator.
Standing in front of Lu Ye, she blushed and lowered her head. “Junior Brother Lu, if I ask for a Tattoo on my back… Would it be possible?”
“Certainly. Any location is possible.” Lu Ye nodded.
“In that case… the back, please.” If it weren’t for the direct orders from the Mistress, she would never have come to ask Lu Ye for a Tattoo. After all, she was a woman, and it was embarrassing and uncomfortable to have a man touch her body.
However, Glyph: Protection did provide a certain level of defense, and it was more bearable for Lu Ye to tattoo her back than to poke around her chest.
Lu Ye had not expected to enjoy such perks as a Tattoo Artist…
There would probably be plenty more of such situations in the future. He calmed his mind, keeping it as still as an ancient well.
“Senior Brother Zhou, you… you should leave first!” Her face turned crimson as she glared at Zhou Yuntian, who was standing by the side.
“Oh, right, I’ll wait outside,” Zhou Yuntian snapped back to his senses and quickly walked out, closing the door behind him as he left.
The female cultivator stood in place, nervously fidgeting with her clothes while chewing on her lip. Even though it was the Fox Mutant who gave the order, undressing in front of a male stranger still took great courage and determination.
Lu Ye turned around, leaving his back to her while pretending to prepare some herbs on the side. After a moment, he faintly heard a rustling sound from behind.
Then, a trembling voice came, “Junior Brother Lu, I’m ready.”
Lu Ye turned around, and what entered his vision were breathtakingly flawless curves.
The woman sat cross-legged on the bed with her back facing him while holding her clothes in her hands, shielding her body with them.
Lu Ye approached without averting his gaze… Not that he could see anything to begin with, then he reached out and pricked her skin with a needle.
The woman’s body suddenly tensed up and she made a brief yelp.
Lu Ye’s eye twitched. “Senior Sister, please refrain from making such peculiar noises. It makes it hard to concentrate… Also, relax your body and don’t move. Rest assured, I won’t touch you.”
The female cultivator’s face instantly turned as red as blooming rhododendrons. Even her fair back and slender neck were tinged red. Lowering her head, she answered in a voice as soft as that of a mosquito, “I understand.”
With meticulous precision, Lu Ye tattooed her skin prick by prick until the image of Glyph: Protection gradually emerged.
After an incense stick of time, Lu Ye stopped and let out a long sigh. “It’s done, Senior Sister!”
“You… Turn around,” the cultivator said.
Lu Ye followed her request and soon, he heard the sound of her getting dressed.
“Thank you, Junior Brother Lu,” the female cultivator hurriedly expressed her gratitude before opening the door and leaving hastily as if fleeing.
Zhou Yuntian peeked into the room and glanced at Lu Ye, wagging his eyebrow at him as a meaningful smile curved on his face. “This Zhou truly admires your skill set, Cultivator Lu.”
“Next!”
One after another, cultivators entered the second floor and left after an incense stick of time.
Male cultivators outnumbered the female cultivators in Fox Immortal Valley, with the latter accounting for only around thirty percent. It was also the case for the rest of the Cultivation World in Jiu Zhou. Generally speaking, there were more male cultivators than female cultivators, though the reason for this occurrence was unknown.
Male cultivators had no qualms about exposing their chests in front of Lu Ye, but most female cultivators were timid by nature. It was indeed troubling to ask them to reveal the beauty of their bodies to an unfamiliar man.
However, they dared not disobey direct orders from the Fox Mutant.
With the experience of the first female cultivator before them, most of the female cultivators chose to have the Glyph tattooed on their backs. However, it was still a significant test for Lu Ye.
There were also exceptions, like a spicy female cultivator who immediately started undressing upon entering the room, then lying straight on her back and even chose to have the tattoo on her chest, which made Lu Ye gulp as she giggled in amusement like a trembling branch.
If Lu Ye had not been able to keep his focus, then the Tattoo would probably have failed.
After tattooing ten people on the first day, Lu Ye claimed that he had depleted too much of his mental energy and thanked his guests before closing the door. Then, he made an agreement with Zhou Yuntian for him to bring another ten people the next day.
Zhou Yuntian had no objections.
After a short rest, Lu Ye sought out Xia Liang again for his guidance in blade techniques.
At night, he first visited Li Baxian and had a conversation with his senior brother. Then, he went leisurely to Xie Yunhan’s residence, fulfilling the appointment they arranged during the day to chat over drinks.
In the middle of the night, Lu Ye stumbled out drunkenly from Xie Yunhan’s place and returned to his own room to cultivate.
Half an hour later, in the darkness, Lu Ye opened his eyes and called out in a soft voice, “Yi Yi.”
Yi Yi immediately appeared from within the Amber and swiftly descended below, quickly disappearing from sight.
Lu Ye had also constructed Glyph: Invisibility and Glyph: Conceal Presence on himself one after another before leaping out from the second floor in a flash.
The bright moon hung high in the silent night sky.
Lu Ye quietly made his way in a certain direction with Yi Yi scouting ahead. Moreover, with both Glyph: Invisibility and Glyph: Conceal Presence, he had no fear of being discovered.
Furthermore, he knew the position of every Ward in Fox Immortal Valley, so there was no risk of triggering any of them.
Soon, Lu Ye arrived at the restricted area located at the very depths of the Fox Immortal Valley.
He had been curious about this restricted area since coming here with Xie Yunhan during the day, and even Xie Yunhan, an old man who had lived in the Fox Immortal Valley for twelve years, had no idea what lay within it. Clearly, there had to be hidden secrets here.
Lu Ye had made up his mind during the day that he had to explore this place. Whatever secrets were hidden here, it had to be related to that Fox Mutant. Perhaps he could even find some unexpected gains here.
Although this place was shrouded by Wards, infiltrating them was what Lu Ye did best.
Before reaching the Grand Ward, Lu Ye surveyed his surroundings to ensure that no one was nearby before constructing Glyph: Insight in his eyes to study the weak point in the Grand Ward and look for its nodes.
It did not take long for him to make progress. He moved to the Ward’s node and as he raised his hand, several Ward Flags shot out, planting themselves nearby.
Following another series of actions, the flow of Spiritual Power at the node gradually slowed down until it came to a complete stop.
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