Just then, the proprietress, her face covered in freckles and wrinkles, leaned in close to Tu Xiao'an. A provocative smile played on her lips as she said, "Hey handsome, I don't just have a great body. I'm even better at... *other things*. Care to give it a try?"

"Sure."

Tu Xiao'an blinked, agreeing without a moment's hesitation.

A flash of surprise crossed the proprietress's eyes, but her smile only widened. "If you want a taste, then come with me."

With that, she headed into a back room. Tu Xiao'an gave his bowl of shredded pork noodles a final, deep look, then followed her inside.

As the two disappeared, the remaining customers looked as though they'd been struck by lightning. 'So intense! Are they really going to go at it in broad daylight?'

'That young man, especially, must be desperate. The proprietress may have a killer body, but that face... it's just too much to look at. Plus, she's so old.'

A few of the female customers looked on in disgust. "Hmph. Utterly shameless."

'That young man is so handsome and refined. Is he blind? How could he be interested in a woman that old?'

Tu Xiao'an followed the proprietress into a surprisingly elegant little bedroom. The moment he stepped inside, he was taken aback. 'Well, this is a surprise.'

'I can't believe she set up her own private bedroom right behind the shop.'

The bedroom faced south, making it sunny, tidy, comfortable, and refined. Upon entering, he saw that the light-beige floor was spotless, gleaming in the sunlight as if freshly waxed. But what really caught Tu Xiao'an's attention was a peculiar, unique fragrance in the air. It was a scent that subtly compelled you to breathe more deeply.

'This room doesn't seem like it belongs to a woman in her thirties. The fragrance alone felt so pure and fresh, as if untouched by the filth of the world.'

"Handsome, shall we begin?"

The proprietress stared at Tu Xiao'an with a smile, looking like a wolf that had just spotted a lamb.

Tu Xiao'an shrugged. "Trying to rob the cradle, are we?"

"Is there a problem with that?"

"Aren't you afraid your husband will find out?" Tu Xiao'an asked.

"What, are you scared?" A sneer touched the proprietress's eyes. "Afraid my man will find out and come at you with a cleaver?" Her look seemed to mock him for being all talk and no action—if a married woman like her wasn't afraid, what was there for him to fear?

Tu Xiao'an gave her a strange look. "Is your husband no good in bed? Is that why you're so thirsty? Or do you invite men back here so often that you had to prepare a special bedroom just for it?"

'For a married woman to act like this... so shameless. In ancient times, she'd be drowned in a pig cage for this. And she's so blatant about it.'

"Whether my man can perform or not is irrelevant. What's important is that *you* can," the proprietress said, licking her lips in a way that was utterly revolting.

Some gestures only work for certain women; not every woman should attempt every move.

He couldn't tell if she was trying to be seductive or just deliberately trying to gross him out.

Tu Xiao'an, however, remained composed. He thought for a moment before asking, "What if I can't get it up?"

In the entire world, there was probably no man who would admit to such a thing, as it was the ultimate humiliation. Yet, Tu Xiao'an said it without so much as a blush or a flutter of his heart.

"We won't know until we try, will we? Get your clothes off."

Tu Xiao'an looked at her. "You first. You have such a great body, I want to admire it for a bit."

"You know," he continued, "a body like yours really doesn't match your face. I think your face is just a little dirty. You should probably wash it."

The proprietress laughed at his words. "And if I wash my face, will I suddenly be worthy of my figure?"

"And what if I wash it and still look like this? Will you still want to go on?"

Tu Xiao'an nodded. "Of course. But if you wash your face and it doesn't change, I'd suggest you try peeling off your skin."

"Peel my skin?" The woman frowned. "What's that supposed to mean? Why not just tell me to get plastic surgery? A minute ago, you were calling me a devastating beauty. Why the sudden disgust?"

"See? You men are all untrustworthy, full of nothing but hot air." As she spoke, her face took on a resentful expression, like that of a tragic woman abandoned by her lover.

Tu Xiao'an's gaze never left her homely face. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly as he took a step forward. His movement was as fluid as a phantom's, and in an instant, he was right in front of her. The proprietress was startled, about to react—

—but Tu Xiao'an gave her no time. He wrapped an arm around her waist and, with a gentle pull, drew her into his embrace, filling his arms with her soft, fragrant body.

'So soft.'

'So cold.'

The moment their bodies made contact, they both formed an instant impression of the other.

"Well, well. It seems our handsome young man is even more impatient than I am." Surprise flashed in the proprietress's eyes, but she quickly broke into a smile and didn't struggle.

'What a soft body, a true beauty to hold,' he thought. 'Too bad this face is such a disappointment.' Not letting her say more, Tu Xiao'an rubbed his hand over her freckled and wrinkled face.

Huh?

But all his hand came away with was a greasy residue.

"Did you think this face of mine was fake?"

She giggled. "This is the real me. Disappointed?"

Tu Xiao'an frowned, but then a new thought occurred to him. He said lightly, "Sometimes what you see isn't the truth. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Look, kid, if you're going to do it, then get on with it. I've got a business to run out there and no time to play games with you." For some reason, the proprietress was losing her patience.

"Alright, let's do it then."

With that, Tu Xiao'an exerted his strength and threw the woman onto the bed.

As she was thrown, a flicker of panic crossed the proprietress's face, but it was gone in an instant.

Immediately, however, she found she couldn't move, as if restrained by some Formless power.

"Do you prefer it rough, or gentle?"

Tu Xiao'an gazed at the immobilized proprietress on the bed. A playful glint appeared in his enchanting eyes as he raised an eyebrow and gave a faint, knowing smile.

"Whatever you'd like."

Discovering she was paralyzed, she didn't scream or shout. Instead, she chose to play along.

"Is that so?"

Tu Xiao'an's eyes narrowed. With just a thought, the proprietress's outer clothes disintegrated into dust.

She was left in just a tight, black undergarment, which instantly revealed her excellent figure.

There wasn't an ounce of excess fat on her, revealing perfectly proportioned curves.

But while her figure was good, her skin was not. It was rather dark, and her abdomen was covered in the stretch marks of childbirth, robbing it of almost all aesthetic appeal.

Now, her unclothed body finally matched her ugly face.

"A bit violent, aren't we? Too lazy to even undress me properly." The proprietress's expression remained unreadable; she simply looked as if she were his to command.

Tu Xiao'an frowned. "Still acting? I guess you don't want this underwear either. Shall we go all the way?"

If her underwear was gone, she would be completely bare.

The moment he said this, a sharp light burst from the proprietress's eyes, and a violent tremor ran through the air.

Tu Xiao'an stumbled back a few steps in astonishment. The Consciousness Power he had used to bind her had just been shattered.