Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 2877: The Nervous Meng Bai

Meng Bai found that the woman were a lot less reserved than he first thought.

At first, it had been harmless.

Teasing glances. Soft laughter. Playful jabs about his cultivation and his cute nose.

But now Meng Bai was starting to sweat—and not from excitement.

The women had drawn closer. Too close.

The one who had poured him tea earlier now had her hand resting atop his, her fingers slowly tracing faint circles on his skin. Her eyes, though still smiling, held a weight to them—one that didnʼt quite match the playful tone of her voice.

”Senior Brother Meng,” she purred, ”you must have some truly rare treasures on you. Surely a powerful young man like yourself carries more than just good looks?”

Before he could respond, the second woman leaned in from the other side, brushing her lips near his ear as she whispered, ”You know, weʼve always heard that men from the Silent Lotus World carry the scent of spirit lotuses… Is that true? Or is it just you?”

Her breath sent a shiver down his spine—not from pleasure, but something deeper.

The third woman, who until now had been the most reserved, suddenly leaned forward with a bright, radiant smile.

”Senior Brother,” she said sweetly, ”why donʼt you show us your storage ring? Iʼm curious what kinds of trinkets a cultivator of your caliber would carry. We promise not to touch—just a peek.”

That was the moment Meng Baiʼs instincts flared.

He had been raised in the Green Lotus Temple for a few years now. Trained by Lin Mu himself. Tempered by years of drills, spiritual lessons, and occasional threats involving flying rocks from the naughty trio. Daoist Chu might have taught him a bit about the art of flirtation, but Lin Mu had drilled into him something far more important:

If it feels too good to be true, it probably involves poison, illusions, or a very large bill.

He laughed—nervously. ”Ahaha, you all are quite curious, arenʼt you? But unfortunately, my ring is sealed by my masterʼs decree. Canʼt open it without blowing myself up. Very inconvenient, yes.”

Meng Bai was not going to reveal the contents of his ring that might very well put several immortal sects to shame.

”Really?” the first woman tilted her head. ”That sounds like an awfully specific seal…”

”It is,” Meng Bai nodded rapidly. ”Exploding eyebrows. Very gruesome.” He made up an excuse on the spot.

He stood up suddenly, brushing imaginary dust from his sleeves. ”Anyway! Itʼs been a delightful evening, truly, but I just remembered I left my beast companion in the garden and he gets cranky if left too long.”

”Little Shrubby?” the second woman asked with a grin far too knowing. ”Heʼs been watching from the rooftop this whole time.”

Meng Bai froze.

He slowly turned his head and saw, indeed, Little Shrubbyʼs glowing yellow eyes staring from above a tiled roof. His tail was flicking slowly. The look on his face was the same one he had when he found a squirrel hiding in a flowerpot—amused, alert, and one blink away from violence.

”…Ah,” Meng Bai said weakly.

”Come now,” the third woman said as she gently tugged on his sleeve. ”Why rush away? We havenʼt even told you our names yet.”

”No, no,” Meng Bai said, carefully disengaging himself, ”mystery is good. Builds tension. Daoist Chu always said, ʼA little distance makes the heart explode in romantic combustion.ʼ Or something like that.”

He bowed—far too deeply—then practically fled the teahouse.

Behind him, the women watched him go, the smiles fading from their faces one by one.

The first let out a sigh. ”Heʼs more alert than expected.”

”Too bad,” the second said. ”He seemed easy at first.”

The third leaned back in her seat and tapped her fan against the table. ”Letʼs report this. If heʼs sharp now, weʼll have to adjust the plan.”

Several rooftops away, Meng Bai landed in a crouch beside Lin Mu and Little Shrubby, panting slightly.

”Master,” he said, wide-eyed, ”those women were not just flirtatious.”

”Obviously,” Lin Mu replied, sipping calmly from his tea gourd. ”What gave it away? The probing questions or the request to see your storage ring?” There was no way he was going to leave Meng Bai alone with the women.

”…Yes.” Meng bai uttered.

Lin Mu had sensed there was something wrong with them. While he was used to the attention of woman, having been the target many times, he could tell they were a bit excessive with Meng Bai. Praising his cultivation base endlessly, even though he was not even an immortal.

Of course being a Peak Nascent Soul realm cultivator at the age of twenty four was still praise worthy even in an Immortal World, but the women were all immortals. Normally they shouldnʼt be this probing with junior cultivators.

Little Shrubby growled quietly. ”Their scent was off. They were using mild charm talismans.”

Meng Bai blinked. ”Wait. What?”

Lin Mu sighed. ”Low-grade illusion charms. Subtle, hard to detect unless youʼre trained or immune. You were resisting on instinct.”

Meng Baiʼs time in the Green Lotus temple had tempered his mind and he wasnʼt going to go astray so easily now.

”Does that mean…” Meng Bai frowned. ”They were spies? Thieves?”

”Maybe both,” Lin Mu said. ”Or just bait for someone else. Either way, thereʼs a chance they knew weʼd be passing through here or they suspect something.”

A tense pause.

Then Lin Mu added, ”You did well to pull away. Daoist Chu would be proud.”

Meng Bai sat down, suddenly exhausted. ”That was not the romantic evening I thought I was getting…”

”Well,” Lin Mu said dryly, ”welcome to adult cultivator life.” Even though he himself had not participated in it as much.

He stood up and looked westward, toward the fading sun.

”Letʼs move. Weʼll leave soon. The first city was just a taste.”

Meng Bai rose to his feet with a groan. ”Great. So weʼre just walking into traps now, huh?”

”No,” Lin Mu said, smirking faintly. ”Now weʼre walking into them prepared.”