Chapter 585 584: Mao Ling Teahouse



I let out a deep sigh as I lowered myself onto the cushion, my legs folded neatly beneath me as I took a seat inside the Mao Ling Teahouse, my companion sitting beside me as we went through with our plan...

Her leaning her head on my shoulder as we whispered quietly to one another, acting out a loving couple as we waved down a waitress and placed an order.

I held back a shudder as the Cowkin - Bessie - rested her head against my shoulder, while the urge to break her arm grew stronger as I held her close to me, utilizing people's natural aversion to public displays of affection to stake out this place in hopes of finding out who had the idiocy to target Jahi.

"So... w-what happens to me if we find them..? Or if we don't..?"

Bessie's voice was low and shaky, making me sigh again as I smiled at the waitress and accepted the pot of tea, the scent of vanilla and chamomile tickling my nostrils as I began to pour out a cup for Bessie and I.

"That... depends. As much as I would love to wipe my hands clean of this entire situation by killing you, I sincerely doubt Leone would approve of it... and I do believe in karma to a certain extent. Compared to your... compatriots, you neither fought against us nor remained stubborn when I asked you questions. Killing you would bring bad luck to me, but I don't want to let you walk free either."

I sipped on the warm golden liquid in my porcelain teacup, before smiling at the waitress again as she brought over a tray of light cakes and cookies, the Elf smiling softly back at me as she looked between Bessie and I, emotions flickering through her eyes.

Looking at the Cowkin from the corner of my eye, I couldn't help but shake my head slightly as I realized that if this was the previous me I would be giddy at the chance to be so close to such a beautiful woman.

She really did hit quite a few boxes for me in regards to a sexual partner for women; breasts as large as mine, soft features that made her so tempting to bully, plump thighs and an equally juicy behind, an adorable pout that seemed permanent on her face...

Bessie was - at the end of the day - an extremely attractive woman, and there was a small part of me that wondered what it would be like to push her down and have sex with this woman, to feel her body on mine as we entangled ourselves on a bed, to hear her voice as I played around with her...

I was normally the submissive partner - both now and back in my first life - but even I had moments that made me want to take control and be on top, and Bessie hit every criteria I unconsciously had for such a submissive partner for myself...

Which was also why I was feeling slightly disgusted holding her; [Nymphomania] was a skill that seemed to make this sort of situation difficult, as I wanted to feel even more of her, but I also wasn't thrilled since I had come to love the full feeling that each of my lovers provided me with their respective members.

Sighing again, I continued to speak as I cut a piece of the cake for her, sliding it over to her and watching as the gorgeous woman began to nibble on the corner of it, her large amber eyes looking up at me from beneath her lashes.

"I don't know... we'll discuss it after this all goes down, so don't push your luck and do your best... Now keep a look out for them, alright? We have a time limit of an hour, hour and a half tops; any longer and we begin to look suspicious..."

She nodded, and I took another sip from the soothing tea as I scanned the people entering and exiting the teahouse, my lips pulled into a small smile as I maintained a mask for the outside world to see.

After a few moments of silence, Bessie couldn't help herself and said "Would... would you like to know what they look like, so that you can keep an eye out as well? Two sets of eyes is better than one, after all..."

A simple nod and a 'Mhm...' was all it took for the Cowkin to begin speaking quietly to me, her voice slightly shaky at the start before evening out as she got further in, using this as a way to get rid of her nerves.

"W-Well, there were three of them, all petite and on the smaller side, around five and a half feet tall max. They wore very 'inconspicuous' black cloaks and always had the hood pulled up, and they also always paid in gold, even if the bill was just a few silvers. Soft spoken and presumably female, they only ever spoke to Esmerelda and ignored me and the others, like we were beneath them..."

I rolled my eyes slightly, my lips curling into a larger smile as I heard her descriptions, idly wondering if these were some cartoonish villains with how obvious they were with their actions and overbearing despite that obviousness.

To ignore the entire crew that you were hiring besides their boss was ballsy, especially considering said crew was right in front of you.

Then to pay in JUST gold?

I mean come on, how obvious could you be that you're a Noble House?

Who else would flaunt that kind of wealth so openly and freely without any hired muscle to back them up, or at least do it in a discreet way?

Not merchants; if they got to the point that they have that kind of money, they're shrewd, coin pinchers, and cautious to the extreme.

So... this is either an upstart idiot of a Noble House or perhaps a second plus generation of an established, wealthy Noble House...

Both of which have their own pros and cons, but...

Sighing again, I continued to listen to Bessie as she spoke about her comrades, all of whom were slowly rotting away down in Zhu'Rong Caverns.