Preparing the Part

"Now that we've decided on how to infiltrate the Black Fang headquarters, we need to think of how you should act so that you can capture Yuan Sheng's attention. Also, about how to assassinate him…" the female Sentinel trailed away, afraid that Qinghe would come up with yet another form of self-mutilation in answer.

However, while remaining comfortably reposed against his lover and enfolded in his embrace, Qinghe simply waved a hand. "I still have a few ideas about that. We'll discuss it later. For now, I would like to know this Yuan Sheng's preferences. What type of people does he usually choose?"

The female officer in charge of the archives spoke again, "Yuan Sheng has most commonly shown a liking for someone who is spoiled, flashy, and arrogant, but also insecure and easily subdued under his pressure. He is especially fond of people who worship him and show their obedience only to him. His preferred physical build is someone who is slender, slightly feminine, and has minimal musculature, but in special cases, he can also choose those who are slightly more muscled…"

As the Sentinel went on and on about Yuan Sheng's various likes and dislikes, Qinghe attentively listened even as he laid limply against Wei Xiang.

Once she was done relating everything, Qinghe nodded and said, "I understand. I think some practice is now in order so that I can test my comprehension of the role I am to play. To that effect, can I request a few items to be prepared?"

Qian Ming eagerly stood up. "Just tell us what you need, Little Brother. I will go and fetch them for you quickly!"

Straightening himself up, Qinghe retrieved some paper, an inkstone, and a brush from his spatial storage. Thankfully, the ink had already been ground when he'd placed the inkstone in his storage space, so he quickly added the ink to the brush and began writing a list of what he needed.

Using some wind to quickly and carefully dry the characters on the paper, Qinghe handed the list over to Qian Ming, who enthusiastically disappeared with it.

Barely half an hour later, Qian Ming returned with all the items on the list packed neatly in boxes and offered them to Qinghe.

Standing up and accepting them, Qinghe announced, "I'll now go and prepare myself to play the part. If there are any discrepancies with how you think I should appear, then tell me and I'll adjust my character accordingly."

Not waiting for anyone's reply, Qinghe decisively turned and left the room to go and find someplace to change his clothes and put on the accessories.

Left behind, the Sentinels waited patiently, feeling very curious and anticipating Qinghe's new look with shining eyes.

Fifteen minutes later, the door to the conference room opened again, and the figure of a drastically changed young man walked in.

Qinghe entered wearing a light peach and turquoise colored robe that made his beautiful features look youthful and fresh, smoothening his sharp edges and making him seem innocent and even younger.

His lips were dyed a glossy red, his eyelids shaded with color while a light blush flushed his cheeks. His hair was put up in a complicated style and held up with a lustrous jade hair stick. An ornate headdress sat on his head, decorated with elaborately wrought ornaments set with bright corals and radiant pearls. He held a bright red folded fan, an emerald green tassel hanging from its end.

Though he had the same face and figure as the Qinghe who had just left to change, the way he now walked and carried himself, along with his gestures and expressions, were all different enough to make him seem unrecognizable.

Qinghe normally strode with a steady assuredness, yet with light-footed steps as if prepared to evade an attack or react suddenly to any situation at any second. His shoulders and spine were usually held straight, head facing forward and his posture radiating confidence and a relaxed elegance. His expression was either pleasant and warm or aloof and cold depending on the company.

But the young man who had just walked in seemed inexperienced and without the maturity that normally shrouded Qinghe. His movements were graceful and frivolous, the expression on his painted face mildly disdainful and filled with arrogance. Yet there was something undeniably charming in the way his half-lidded eyes looked over the world with lofty pridefulness.

As he walked, his hips swayed seductively as his feet stepped with the assurance that nothing would dare bar his way, lacking any vigilance at all. Unlike before when he held his arms loosely by his side to keep them ready to grab a weapon in case of danger, this newly arrived Qinghe kept his arms close to his body in a demure way, as if anything he wanted would be handed to him without him needing to stretch his hands out at all.

Everything, from the way he bent his fingers to the angle between his neck and shoulders, had changed. It was a different type of poise and elegance than before, but it was just as tempting.

There was no hint of the experienced cultivator in his current demeanor at all. He looked a hundred percent like a spoiled little aristocrat who was used to being pampered. This was the very personification of Yuan Sheng's preferences.

The group of Sentinels, including Feng Huixin and Wei Xiang, all stared at this drastically changed young man with their eyes wide open in disbelief.

The very picture of a disdainful young lord, Qinghe snorted, his chin tilting up haughtily. With a hand on his hip, he sneered "Am I so beautiful that you have to stare this uncouthly? But I suppose you peasants are all like this, utterly lacking in any manners."

Even his voice and speech patterns had been altered.

Witnessing the extent to which he had changed, the Sentinels could only gape, their eyes getting wider.

Lightly and delicately tapping the edge of the folded fan against his jaw, Qinghe continued, "Hmph, forget it. Even if you all fall in love with me, there's not a chance in a million of me even considering any of you, so don't even dream of it."

Faint choking noises could be heard as the group tried to reconcile the image of this conceited young lord with the well-mannered and cute little cultivator from before.

They utterly failed.

For all intents and purposes, the Qinghe from now and the Qinghe from before looked like two completely different people who just happened to share the same face and body.

Suddenly dropping the act, Qinghe resumed his usual pleasant expression as he sat down near Wei Xiang again. "So, how was it? Will this work?"

Snapping out of the shock, multiple heads nodded enthusiastically.

"Little Brother, for a moment, I didn't even recognize you," Qian Ming commented with an impressed look.

Kong Min nodded and added, "You could have convinced me that it was your less cuter twin or something."

Hou Yu frowned and shot a glare and Kong Min. Even while pretending to be someone else, that person was still cute! No one was allowed to say otherwise!

Seeing the furious look on his elder brother's face, Rue Xu patted his head to appease him.

"Yes, I was unable to find fault with your portrayal of Yuan Sheng's ideal type as well," the female Sentinel remarked.

Qinghe simply smiled and accepted these praises as if it was only to be expected. He sprawled lazily against his lover again as he unfolded the fan and lightly waved it in front of him. From a rich and spoiled young lord, he suddenly seemed to turn into an indolent and classy young prince.

"Then I suppose there will be no objections to me participating in the competition while acting like this?"

The room full of people all collectively shook their heads. There was no way they could object to such a perfect performance.

Qian Ming suddenly frowned confusedly and asked, "But Little Brother, why use that fan? It's clearly not your spiritual weapon. Though most wouldn't be able to tell, wouldn't it be better if you could use your actual spiritual artifact, since not many seem to have seen it before anyway?"

"That might be true, but mine would be too flashy. I'd rather not use something so eye-catching and attract unneeded attention to it," Qinghe answered.

Hearing this, Kong Min perked up. "Too flashy? Little Bro, now I want to see it!"

The female Sentinel looked at Qinghe and spoke sedately, "I would also like to evaluate its conspicuousness."

Feng Huixin simply looked at his son, his eyes displaying curiosity.

At the side, Hou Yu stared at Qinghe with a pitiful expression. He also really wanted to see just what kind of weapon was worthy of this cute person!

In the face of all these expectant gazes, Qinghe finally gave in with a helpless smile and summoned his spiritual artifact.

Wind-based spiritual energy gathered in his palm and condensed into the form of a slender double-bladed sword that was almost as long as he was tall. The hilt in the middle was a gleaming silver, and the straight double-edged blades that extended from either side of the hilt were crystalline and clear. In the transparent depths of these blades, swirls of shimmering silver coiled and shifted mesmerizingly.

The Sentinels' eyes reflected the pure glow emanated by the spiritual artifact, their faces showing awe. Rather than a weapon, this was more like a work of art.

Qian Ming curiously spoke, "It is truly a fascinatingly beautiful weapon, but Little Brother, wouldn't a double-bladed sword be unwieldy? I think such a weapon would be very difficult to fight with."

Qinghe shrugged lightly. "Normally, that is true. Fighting with such a weapon means one can only use one side at a time while also having to pay attention to the other side to avoid injuring oneself. But once you learn it well enough to wield the blades at both ends seamlessly and at the same time, it makes an excellent melee weapon. All you have to do is to become accustomed to the length and positioning of the blades so that you know exactly where each of the ends is even when you have your eyes closed."

Qian Ming folded his arms and nodded with a thoughtful expression.

"Is this your usual weapon of choice?" Feng Huixin asked intently. For some reason, he didn't think such a weapon with an inflexible fighting style would suit his son.

Shaking his head and smiling at his father's astuteness, Qinghe answered truthfully, "No, my weapons of choice are slightly curved double swords. I fight best when I have a blade in each hand."

Feng Huixin nodded as if he had expected this.

"Well, I can understand why you would call this flashy. But if I remember right, according to the information I compiled on you, shouldn't you be able to mould your spiritual artifact into other shapes? Like…a fan, for example," Kong Min said while peering at him inquisitively.

Without even asking, Qinghe already knew that Wei Xiang hadn't been the one to tell him about this unique ability of his, which could only mean that Kong Min had found this out on his own. Qinghe couldn't help but feel appreciation for his skills.

"Yes, I can make it change its shape. But I'm afraid it will only become even more eye-catching," Qinghe warned.

The Sentinels felt their curiosity piquing. Was such a thing as changing the shape of one's spiritual artifact even possible? And could this spiritual weapon even get any more flashier? Their Little Brother really was full of endless surprises!

Deciding to satisfy their curiosity yet again, Qinghe injected his will into his spiritual weapon. The glow emitted by the double-bladed sword intensified until it as impossible to keep looking at the blinding light. When the glow finally subsided, in place of the weapon was a strikingly exquisite hand fan.

The sticks making up the slats and guard of the fan were colored in a mysterious silvery-white that exuded a mother-of-pearl sheen, giving off a refined feeling and radiating a soft glow that calmed the mind and lulled one's heart into peace. The material of the leaf stretching between the slats was of a similar shimmery hue, but clear and transparent, like ethereal silk glimmering tranquilly with motes of soft colors sprinkled throughout its expanse. On this transparent surface, lazy wisps of silver mist curled and floated languidly, always in perpetual motion as they glided through the clear material.

The hand fan looked unreal, more like a legendary artifact from Heaven's own treasury rather than the spiritual weapon of someone not even half a century of age.

In the stunned silence, someone finally managed to choke out, "…Yes, that would definitely be too eye-catching."

Having made his point across, Qinghe dismissed his spiritual artifact with a swish of his wrist, greatly disappointing those who had been staring entranced at it.

At the side, Feng Huixin frowned. The appearance of this hand fan reminded him too much of the ambiance of the heavenly realm. Was there a connection between the two or was this just a coincidence?

As Feng Huixin pondered in silence, the Sentinels began to chatter animatedly about everything that had happened today, from Qinghe's spiritual artifact to his help with creating a plan to finally bring down Black Fang. As they were all discussing about the infiltration in depth and ironing out the details thoroughly, Kong Min stayed apart from the discourse, looking thoughtful.

Then casting a glance at Qinghe, Kong Min whispered to get his attention, "Little Bro, look here."

Qinghe turned in the direction of the call, only to see Kong Min smirking meaningfully and motioning for Qinghe to step aside with him for a while, seemingly wanting to discuss something.

After informing Wei Xiang that he was going to step outside for a bit, Qinghe got up and walked out of the noisy room with Kong Min, choosing a secluded corner to talk.

"What is it, Sentinel Kong?" Qinghe asked immediately.

Kong Min lazily leaned against a wall with his hands folded behind his head. "Now, now, don't be so stiff, Little Bro. I just wanted to give you some tips about selling your sex appeal to that scum leader of Black Fang."

Qinghe blinked as he repeated incredulously, "Selling my what?" Did he just hear that right?

Grinning, Kong Min reassured, "Don't think too much about it. Just listen to what I have to say and decide on your own whether you want to implement it or not."

Reluctantly, Qinghe nodded in acquiescence. If this advice sounded too outlandish, then he could simply not use it.

Seeing Qinghe agreeing, Kong Min's grin widened. "Alright, then let's begin. To grab his attention, this is how you should act in the beginning…"

And so, for the next twenty minutes, Qinghe was schooled in various different ways in which to capture the interest of Yuan Sheng according to his tastes, the outlined methods being suitable to use in various different situations. Qinghe diligently listened with widened eyes as Kong Min went into extreme detail, to the point of even explaining the psychology behind each option.

In the conference room, after realizing that his little lover had been gone for a while, Wei Xiang finally got up and went in search of Qinghe. Since Qinghe and Kong Min had not gone that far, Wei Xiang quickly found his beloved standing alone in a corner with Kong Min nowhere in sight. As he neared his lover, however, Wei Xiang couldn't help but notice that Qinghe's expression seemed somewhat dazed.

With a concerned frown pulling taut his brows, Wei Xiang silently put his arms around Qinghe and spoke, "What did that idiot Kong Min want to talk about with you that took this long?"

Hearing his lover's voice, Qinghe shook his head to clear it before slowly opening his mouth. "Oh, he…taught me a lot of things pertaining to the mission."

But having seen how strange his beloved had looked before, Wei Xiang narrowed his eyes and prodded, "What exactly did he teach you?"

"About how to seduce Yuan Sheng," Qinghe truthfully answered.

"…"

With an exceedingly blank expression, Wei Xiang cracked his knuckles as he turned around to leave.

Tilting his head confusedly, Qinghe called out, "Xiang? Where are you going?"

Without stopping his steps, Wei Xiang replied in a cheerful tone, "I'm just going to find my senior brother to sincerely 'thank' him for teaching my lover how to seduce another man."

"…"

Qinghe hurried towards his lover and held him back even as he forced down his own amusement at this reaction. After a while of persuasion, Qinghe finally managed to dissuade Wei Xiang from going to search for Kong Min and 'thanking' him with his claws in his senior brother's gut.

Wanting to calm his lover, Qinghe dragged Wei Xiang around, looking for someplace to rest together. He eventually came upon a wide pavilion overlooking a clear and placid pond bereft of any floating debris or vegetation. With shining eyes, Qinghe happily pulled Wei Xiang to sit down on the pavilion and gaze at the waters.

Snuggling into his lover's warmth as they shared a wide seat, Qinghe sighed contentedly. Holding his little lover close and smelling the scent of mint on his skin, Wei Xiang felt his mood brighten as a small smile curled the corners of his lips.

In a relaxed tone, Wei Xiang suddenly asked, "Why did you choose a hand fan?"

Shifting his head languorously, Qinghe hummed in question, "Hmm?"

"I mean for the role you will be playing while in that ridiculous competition," Wei Xiang expanded.

"Ah," Qinghe nodded in understanding. "I just felt that something graceful like a fan would suit the character more. I suppose I could also use a musical instrument but…I'm not very good at it."

Wei Xiang raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Really? That's unexpected. I thought playing music would really suit you."

Though he hadn't seen any evidence to back it up, Wei Xiang couldn't help but feel that Qinghe would be talented at most forms of art, especially when it came to skill and expressiveness.

Hearing the doubt in his beloved's voice, Qinghe laughed lightly and explained, "It's not that the music I make doesn't sound pleasant or anything, it's just that I can't keep to the tune. The music I make always ends up changing according to my mood and what I feel like playing. But using musical instruments to display cultivation requires one to play very specific and precise tunes. It means that I can't just play however I like as I usually do. Music is the one thing where I cannot control my own desires from running amok while it discards logic."

Saying so, Qinghe let out another laugh, the sound pleasant, light, and free.

Wei Xiang's eyes warmed as he said softly, "Yes, that seems very much like you."

Qinghe smiled happily at the indulgence and gentleness in his Xiang's voice.

Then closing his eyes, Qinghe peacefully drifted off in his beloved's arms as the sound of rippling water lulled him to sleep.