Chapter 2:  Ta Yan (1)

The submissive servant came in slowly, carrying a basin filled with water used to wash the face and rinse the mouth. She stood by as she waited for her mistress to finish preparing.

"For what reason does the mama want to see me?” Su Xin asked, wiping her face.

"Shu Juan does not know. This servant only noticed the mama was happy and thought it ought to be a joyful occasion." Shu Juan shook her head and earnestly replied.

“Things that make the mama happy…” Su Xin laughed bitterly, a sense of foreboding present at the back of her mind.

"The Young lady is well-mannered and will certainly have a good future." Shu Juan a.s.sured Su Xin with a wide smile.  

Su Xin playfully patted the girl"s forehead and said, “Little girl"s mouth is getting sweeter by the day."

“Shu Juan is just saying the truth! Young lady should hasten. Time is running.”

[Host"s integration is rather fast. I am impressed.]

Thank you for the praise.

[Host is awarded with "Crocodile Tears".]

Crocodile tears? That doesn"t sound like a good thing.

[It allows the host the ability to trigger a beauty"s tear-stained face. There are even other variants of weeping to choose from, such as, bawling, smiling tearfully and so on.]

Su Xin accepted the reward, thinking it would be useful in the long run. You can count on her when it comes to killing, but crying was hard for her. The years of training had unfortunately made her cold-blooded.

The owner of the body, which Su Xin was given temporary possession of, was called Xue Yao, and was very famous. However, it was just a name that was bestowed to her, nothing more. Xue Yao had already forgotten her real birth name. Just like other courtesan"s stories, she was abducted when she was young and sold to the pleasure district. It was her good looks that made a female brothel keeper take and raise her.

It was a cold November day in Yu Prefecture when the brothel keeper took Xue Yao under her wing. The keeper was looking at the snow-clad trees when a branch shook, causing some snow to fall. It was from that instance that her name, Xue Yao, which literally meant snow shake, came from. However, that brothel keeper died from an illness when she was eleven.

From then on, Xue Yao"s life took a rough turn. Still in need of a guardian, she was handed over to a young woman who had spent her entire life in the brothel.

The new female brothel keeper – Ta Yan, was a utilitarian and a clever person. Seeing potential in Xue Yao, she had severely disciplined her and changed her to her benefit. She would be worked to death every day and starved to maintain the desired weight and figure.

“Young lady, it"s done.”

Shu Juan inserted the last pin on Su Xin"s inky black hair, making sure that every strand was in the right place.

"The Young lady is the most beautiful and is incomparable to a thousand moons." Shu Juan said with envy while gazing at Su Xin"s side profile. This face was truly an extreme beauty, flattering but not vulgar. Even when she was simply standing, she would still be a picture of beauty.

Sadly, it was a waste. This beauty was only an instrument used for abominable things.

"I feel that Young lady has somewhat changed." Shu Juan murmured to herself, her voice not lowered.

Shu Juan was a servant girl bought by the original owner and had been with her for several years. Despite one being a master and the other a servant, they were close like sisters. They were also of the same age.

"What has changed?"

Su Xin was quick to put on an indifferent smile, her reflection in the mirror graceful and subdued. She hid her sharp and bloodthirsty persona behind a charming facade so as to imitate the original owner of the body.

"I can"t tell. Shu Juan may have just b.u.mped her head this morning and is now hallucinating."  Shu Juan shook her head and watched Su Xin rise to her feet.

"Where were you hit? Let me see. This girl is so clumsy.” Su Xin approached Shu Juan with a glare and reached out to touch the back of her head.

Su Xin was half a head taller than the other girl and naturally towered over her. Shu Juan became docile and let her mistress examine her head.

"There"s no swelling. Pay attention next time."

“This girl does! You should now hurry and look for the mama!”

Without another word, Su Xin went out the door and was not able to see Shu Juan kneel on the cus.h.i.+on with a flushed face.

System Fourteen saw it but felt that it had nothing to do with the host"s task and therefore did not inform Su Xin.