Haitang House was the most famous high-class brothel in Litai Town.

When Xu Shan came down the mountain with the other Outer Sect Disciples to procure supplies, he had often loitered outside its doors.

But cultivators always held themselves in high regard. Visiting a brothel was seen as far too shameful for a cultivator, so he had never once stepped inside.

The current Xu Shan, however, clearly had no such scruples.

He sized up Haitang House with great interest.

The women on the upper floors saw Xu Shan stop below. Their eyes lit up, and they began waving their small handkerchiefs to entice him.

To put it bluntly, if this world had an entertainment industry, with Xu Shan's looks, a few years of hard work, and a bit of hype from the right people, he could have reached the heights of a top-tier idol from a later era.

To be able to serve such a handsome patron was clearly a bonus.

After observing for a moment, Xu Shan stepped directly into the brothel.

The moment he entered, a procurer immediately rushed over, greeting him warmly. "I don't believe I've seen you before, young master. May I have your esteemed name?"

This young master looked like a nobleman. A big fish had arrived today!

"You can call me Xu."

"So it's Master Xu! Do you have a favorite girl here?"

Xu Shan waved his hand dismissively, pulled a large, ten-tael silver ingot from his robes, and held it out in front of the procurer.

"Get me a top-floor room and find me a girl. Do it well, and there's a big reward in it for you!"

"Heiya!" The procurer was ecstatic. Staring at the large silver ingot, his voice trembled slightly. "Don't you worry, sir, I'll make sure everything is arranged perfectly for you."

This was a truly big client, offering a ten-tael tip right off the bat!

He had just extended both hands to receive the silver.

But Xu Shan reached out with his other hand, pinched off a tiny piece from the corner of the ingot, rubbed it between two fingers, and flicked the resulting dust into the procurer's palm.

"There. Go on, then."

"..."

*Fuck! Where did this broke-ass bastard come from? Acting all high and mighty while being so damn stingy!*

The procurer cursed wildly in his heart as he stared at the silver dust in his palm.

He didn't dare let any of it show on his face, though.

This broke-ass bastard had astonishing strength; who else could just pinch off a piece of solid silver like that?

If he made the man unhappy, he might just tear down the entire Haitang House.

The top-floor room was quickly prepared, and Xu Shan sat quietly inside.

The washing machine from his Qing Seal had been summoned and was now placed before him.

When the prostitute entered the room, her eyes lit up the moment she saw Xu Shan.

What a handsome young master.

"Young master~~"

*Thump!*

Xu Shan opened the washing machine door, and the prostitute, who hadn't even finished her sentence, was violently sucked inside.

Her head, unsurprisingly, hit the interior.

Only the lower half of her body, from the hips down, was left flailing outside.

The woman inside was wailing in panic, crying for help...

Search "pawread.com" for the original.

"Don't scream. I'll let you out in a bit. There's a big reward for you today," Xu Shan said soothingly.

Feeling the spiritual energy draining from his body, Xu Shan fell into thought.

It was just as he had imagined. He had discovered this back when he was dealing with the trial doppelgänger.

The moment the washing machine door opened, it would suck someone in, completely beyond his control.

Once it trapped someone, it would automatically begin to draw on his spiritual energy.

That's what happened when the Sect Master's doppelgänger was pulled in; in the span of a single breath, almost all of his spiritual energy had been drained.

But with this mortal woman, the spiritual energy drain was much, much slower.

It seemed the duration for which the washing machine could trap someone was heavily dependent on his own power.

But the most crucial point was that this thing ignored cultivation realms. He, a mere Qi Refining cultivator, could trap a Foundation Establishment expert. That was what mattered most.

His chances of survival had increased dramatically. But what was the principle behind it...?

His thoughts yielded no answers. With a mental command, Xu Shan retracted the washing machine.

The prostitute, who had been stuck inside, suddenly found nothing holding her up and fell flat on the floor.

She then scrambled to her knees, facing Xu Shan with trepidation.

Trembling, she stammered, "Immortal Master, spare my life... Spare my life..."

Xu Shan pinched off a bit more silver dust and handed it to the prostitute, comforting her softly, "Thank you for your trouble. Go out and send someone else in."

He needed to run a few more tests.

The prostitute was visibly stunned when she saw the silver dust. The fear in her heart dissipated by more than half. Then, seeing Xu Shan's gentle expression, her fear vanished completely.

Cursing "cheapskate" under her breath, she turned and left.

He tested it on six more women in a row, all with the same successful method.

He managed to gather some precise and useful intel: the washing machine's suction range was about three meters, and it only worked from the front.

When it was time for the seventh woman, the procurer appeared instead.

He poked his head into the room and crept inside, asking cautiously, "Im... Immortal Master, are you perhaps dissatisfied with all of them? How about I have all the girls in the house line up for you to choose from?"

He had just heard from the girls downstairs.

This wasn't just some strong, broke-ass bastard; this was a *cultivating* broke-ass bastard.

The procurer was scared to death, terrified of showing the slightest neglect.

Seeing him, an idea suddenly struck Xu Shan.

He'd been testing on women all this time; he hadn't tried it on a man yet.

At this thought, he opened the washing machine door.

The result: nothing happened...

Seeing him fiddling with the strange box, the procurer couldn't help but cough. "Immortal Master, do you have any instructions?"

Xu Shan was stunned.

No reaction! This thing could only suck in women, not men?

What kind of damn logic was that?

"Come closer and speak," Xu Shan said, waving him over.

The procurer slowly shuffled forward until he was standing a meter in front of the washing machine.

Still no reaction. It behaved just like a normal washing machine.

"Get another man up here for me."

"Huh? We don't really specialize in men here, Immortal Master. Perhaps you should try another establishment..."

"Any man will do. Hurry up and go!"

*Holy shit, the Immortal Master really isn't picky!*

The procurer hastily agreed and scurried downstairs.

A short while later, a despairing servant boy walked into the room.

The washing machine door was wide open, still standing quietly on the floor.

Xu Shan grabbed his hair in frustration...

It's useless. It seems this thing really can only suck in women. That narrows its applications considerably.

The servant boy clamped his thighs together, clenched his jaw, and watched the pensive Xu Shan in terror.

When Xu Shan looked up, the boy was so startled he stumbled two steps back.

Xu Shan said in a low voice, "You, go out. Find two more men and bring them in... Also, are there any dogs in this brothel? Get me a male and a female and send them up together."

*He's into such kinky shit?!*

The servant boy's heart nearly stopped. He walked stiffly out the door.

The procurer was waiting anxiously outside. The moment the boy came out, he pulled him aside. "Did he pick you?"

"He... he wants two more men, and two dogs, a male and a female..."

"Holy shit... The Immortal Master must have just come out of seclusion after being pent up for decades! You all have to satisfy him today, or if he gets angry, none of us will have a good time of it! Go, quickly!"

After a long wait, the men and dogs were all delivered.

Xu Shan tested them one by one.

After trying all sorts of methods, he finally accepted reality.

This perverted washing machine could indeed only suck in human women. Not even a female dog would work...

*I guess that's that,* he thought. *First, I'll go capture the Nether Spirit, then buy the ingredients and head back to the sect.*

Xu Shan sighed softly, retracted the washing machine, and summoned the procurer again.

The procurer was terrified, afraid he was about to make another perverse request.

Xu Shan asked, "I heard there's a haunted place in town recently that has killed over a dozen people. What are the details? Do you know where it is?"

Lu Xiangjun had accepted a mission but hadn't provided any further details. Litai Town wasn't large, so it wouldn't be hard to find it himself.

Brothels were hubs of information. There was no better place to ask about such matters.

...