Chapter 57: Making money is not shabby

“Ugh…”

Lin Yuhe’s gaze was filled with deep resentment, like a wronged little wife, making Shen Mu almost unable to meet her eyes.

But still…

Since she’d caused him trouble before, this teasing was just a small bit of revenge.

“Ahem…”

Shen Mu coughed twice to ease the tense atmosphere, continuing, “You have wind and fire dual spiritual roots. If you seriously study this technique, you’ll master it much faster than I did.”

“…Hmph~ I’ll trust you this once. But if you’re lying, I’ll sneak in at night while you’re resting and give you a little ‘surprise.’”

With that, Lin Yuhe pulled out a dossier and placed it before Shen Mu. “This is what my people found about Tang Yueyao’s whereabouts and contacts over the past six months. Take a look.”

“Nothing from before six months?”

Lin Yuhe nodded slightly. “Mm, that’s the bad news I mentioned.”

“She’s like she appeared out of thin air. I couldn’t find a single trace of her life before six months ago.”

Shen Mu lowered his eyes, pondering, and began flipping through the dossier…

Moments later.

He set it down, his brow furrowed, his face clouded with doubt and worry.

She wasn’t lying. Not only was Tang Yueyao’s memory a blank before six months ago, but the investigation turned up nothing as well…

This couldn’t be a coincidence. Someone must have deliberately erased her past.

Otherwise, her situation was too illogical.

“Do you think… she might be an abandoned child of some mysterious great clan?” Lin Yuhe speculated.

“How so?” Shen Mu asked seriously.

“Think about it. If she lost her memory due to an accident, with the Lin family’s influence in the Nine Heavens Dynasty, we’d at least find some clues.”

“But if her memory loss was intentional, it all makes sense.”

“And the person who erased her memory is likely someone close to her, like a family member or elder.”

Shen Mu frowned, finding her theory a bit far-fetched. “How’d you come up with that?”

“Simple. Let’s put ourselves in their shoes.”

“If you were a cultivator with ill intentions toward her or her family and got hold of her, what would you do?”

“…Make her a captive cauldron.”

“Exactly. Her physique is perfect for being a top-tier cauldron.”

“If someone with malicious intent erased her memory, she wouldn’t be completely unharmed and pristine, inside and out.”

“Nor would she remember nothing at all.”

“So, the person who erased her memory likely had no ill intent.”

“Eliminating those with malice, we’re left with people who did it for her future or out of necessity.”

“And those people are usually family or elders.”

Shen Mu listened to her logical analysis, sorting through his thoughts.

Her reasoning did hold some weight…

Tang Yueyao’s situation did seem like she’d been abandoned by her family or elders.

But why?

A pure yin physique with a heavenly water spiritual root—such talent was top-tier even in Chi You Continent.

No clan, big or small, would have reason to abandon her.

Could it be…

Her bloodline?

Shen Mu increasingly felt that unraveling the mystery of Tang Yueyao’s origins was just missing one key “piece.”

“Your imagination’s pretty wild to think that far,” he remarked with a hint of admiration.

Lin Yuhe’s face lit up with a trace of pride, humming lightly. “Hmph~ I made a living writing stories back home. How could I not have a big imagination?”

Though her writing career before transmigrating wasn’t particularly stellar, it was enough to keep her comfortable.

That alone put her ahead of many peers.

“Didn’t expect you to be a web novel writer…”

Suddenly, Shen Mu recalled the adult books in the Moon Shadow Chamber that seemed out of place for this era, raising an eyebrow. “Wait, those modern-looking erotic books in the chamber…”

“They’re not your work, are they?”

“Mm… this world has no censorship, so I indulged a bit,” Lin Yuhe murmured, chuckling.

Shen Mu silently gave her a thumbs-up. “Impressive.”

Writing erotic books in a cultivation world? That’s pure genius.

A true standout among transmigrators.

“How’s the sales for stuff like that?”

“Don’t get me started. I blended this world’s literary style with some bold ideas, and the sales are pretty good—enough to support a bunch of subordinates.”

Looking at Shen Mu, Lin Yuhe suddenly had an idea, resting her hands on the table with a sly smile. “How about… you give me some suggestions and inspiration to expand my male reader base? I’ll split the profits with you, twenty percent. Deal?”

“Only twenty percent?”

“That’s plenty.”

Lin Yuhe explained seriously, “Convert the gold and silver earnings into spirit stones, plus some from cultivators, and it’s at least ten thousand low-grade spirit stones a month.”

“If the market grows, that number could multiply several times.”

“So, what do you say? Interested?”

Ten thousand spirit stones a month…

Shen Mu’s expression showed hesitation, finding her offer temptingly lucrative.

But contributing ideas for her erotic books… didn’t that feel a bit like being an accomplice?

“…”

Screw it, I’m in!

After a moment of hesitation, Shen Mu made his decision.

His monthly sect stipend was meager, and missions often involved life-or-death risks with no guarantee of safety.

By comparison, this gig was easy, stable, and well-paying.

It just meant exposing some of his preferences, which might be a bit embarrassing if it got out.

But earning money? No shame in that.

If something this minor could support his early cultivation resources, it wasn’t a big deal.

“Alright, I’ll do it. But I need to stay anonymous.”

He didn’t want fame for this.

That’d be too mortifying, and his reputation couldn’t take the hit.

“Deal, then. In a while, I’ll arrange for a special recorder to come to Xuanyong City, and you can meet her with me.”

Lin Yuhe’s lips curved, thrilled at the prospect of expanding her reader market.