Mo Dao Zu Shi: Astray

The Worst Luck, Part Two

"So you wish to offer yourself as a bodyguard, do you?" The Madam of the brothel blew out a puff of smoke from her pipe. "And how exactly does that benefit me?"

"I'm a cultivator. I'll serve you better than any commoner bodyguard. I'll effectively stop any client who tries to skip out on their payment."

The Madam paused in thought. A cultivator wanting to work for a brothel was unheard of. No cultivator would disgrace themselves like this. This may just be a good opportunity. She leaned closer to Pan Wukun. "Name your price."

"It's not money I want. I simply ask that you allow me to have room and board and continue to meet Meng Shi and Meng Yao without charging me any expenses."

"I don't know why you hold Meng Shi and her son to such importance." An amused glint appeared in the Madam's eyes. "But I won't say no to your services."

The Madam put out her pipe. "I shall set aside a quiet room for you. Unless you prefer a room where you can partake in the sounds of pleasure?"

Pan Wukun's cheeks turned pink. "A quiet room. Please."

The Madam chuckled. "A pleasure doing business with you, Pan-xiushi."

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Being a bouncer in Ancient Fantasy China actually wasn't so bad.

Whenever a client attempted to run from the brothel without paying, Pan Wukun promptly tripped them with her leg. Other times, she stood in front of the exit, a hand patting Yuyun threateningly.

As for creeps who got too handsy and abusive with the prostitutes, she kicked them out, figuratively and literally.

When she wasn't on bodyguard duty, she trained Meng Yao.

When she wasn't a bodyguard or a cultivation teacher, she would leave Yunping for several days to a week, continuing her investigation into Baoshan Sanren and the mystery cultivator. - Unfortunately, still no luck on that end.

While she was away, Meng Yao studied the sword forms booklet on his own. The very same booklet that Pan Heng drew in for her when she first started sword training all those years ago.

Pan Wukun had brought the booklet along with her for review. Practicing specific sword forms daily improved her swordsmanship and cultivation. Didn't think she'd need it to train the main antagonist of all people but here she was...

Pan Wukun sent a letter by courier to Pan Heng, updating him on her new status as a cultivation teacher in Yunping.

Pan Heng responded with a resounding "WHAT?" and several pointers from his experience as Pan Wukun's cultivation teacher.

In order to appease the Madam about her absence, Pan Wukun set up talismans and arrays around the brothel as a makeshift security system to stop potential troublemakers. Once activated, the commoner bodyguards took care of the rest.

And so, this became Pan Wukun's latest routine.

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"Pan-shifu[1]. How does this look?" Meng Yao waved the wooden practice sword around with fervor.

"You're making good progress." Pan Wukun adjusted his arm. "Make sure you keep your arm at this angle. It'll help improve your balance and stance."

Meng Yao nodded. "I see. Understood, shifu." And he continued swinging the sword.

Impressive. Meng Yao was picking up on these sword forms pretty quickly. A combination of his eidetic memory and determination made for a powerful force.