Arden gave an explanation from start to finish.
Some time ago, a woman had proactively thrown herself at him.
Normally, that wouldn't be anything special. After all, as a core disciple of Yunkui Summit, Arden was fairly well-known in Waifei Peninsula. Young and full of vigor, he had always been popular with girls. However, at a glance, he could tell something was off about her—her intentions in getting close to him were impure.
First, Arden was very good at judging women. Second, the system had issued the mission [Follow the Vine to Find the Melon].
"So, you're saying… someone tried to use a honey trap on you?"
Yixuan looked at the woman tied up and hanging, then glanced at Arden, who had just put down the leather whip. Her expression shifted repeatedly.
Even if it was a honey trap… isn't this kind of private punishment a bit much?
"Brother Arden, if someone was plotting against you, why didn't you tell me? You made me worry for nothing."
Learning that Arden hadn't changed his heart, Ju Fufu was so happy she could hardly contain herself. She burrowed into his arms over and over like a little kitten.
Of course, Arden didn't dare voice the "little kitten" thought—he didn't want to get scratched.
"If you were around, how would I pretend to fall for it?"
With a sincere smile on his face, Arden reached out and stroked Ju Fufu's constantly swaying tail. The texture felt extremely good. "That woman…"
Arden pointed at the woman hanging there for all to see. Judging by her expression, she probably wanted to die already. Unfortunately, her body was bound and her mouth gagged—she couldn't do anything and could only let Arden do as he pleased.
"If she so much as got close to me, you'd probably swipe her with a claw on the spot."
"Mm…"
Ju Fufu thought about it. If some flirt dared to get close to her Brother Arden, she really would do exactly that.
"Then why didn't you tell your master?"
Yixuan suddenly asked.
If hiding it from Ju Fufu was because she might interfere, then telling her, as his master, shouldn't have been a problem. Yixuan was far more steady than Ju Fufu.
"Well… I didn't want you to send her straight to the Public Security Bureau."
Arden still had the [Follow the Vine to Find the Melon] mission to complete. Given Yixuan's impartial nature, she might not have allowed him to conduct an interrogation.
"Do I really seem that rigid?"
Hearing this, Yixuan shot Arden a glance. "As long as you explain things properly, it's not like it has to be handled by the Public Security Bureau."
That said, her tone lacked some confidence—because that was exactly what she had been thinking earlier.
In short, Arden didn't have a woman on the side. Both Ju Fufu and Yixuan were very satisfied with that outcome. As for the "beauty" in the honey trap… she ultimately failed to withstand Arden's leather whip and confessed everything.
"So, she was sent by Porcelumex…"
Arden stroked his rounded chin, seemingly deep in thought.
This result wasn't surprising. In New Eridu, aside from Yi Jing, who had been expelled from the sect, the only ones truly at odds with him were Porcelumex—the ones whose plans he had ruined twice.
"Hmph! If they dare come after me, they shouldn't blame me for striking back."
Arden wasn't the type to just take hits and insults lying down. He held grudges.
He decided to hand the "beauty" over to the Mayflower Family. He believed that the mayor—who was even more at odds with the TOPS Alliance than he was—would surely make good use of this chess piece.
...
"Riding my beloved little motorbike~~ it'll never get stuck in traffic~~"
Arden rode his sidecar motorcycle along the road from Waifei Peninsula toward Lumina Square.
He glanced at the sidecar.
Sitting inside wasn't Ju Fufu, but Master Yixuan.
"Riding my beloved little motorbike, carrying my beautiful Master Yixuan~~"
That's right—today, Arden was taking Master Yixuan to the Hollow Investigative Association to handle some business.
The sidecar had been custom-made for Ju Fufu and fit the little tiger perfectly, so Master Yixuan looked rather cramped inside.
She could only curl up in the sidecar with her arms wrapped around her knees, while two large, snowy mounds were visibly deformed from the pressure.
From Arden's angle, the deep cleavage rose and fell with the bumps of the road, forming irresistibly alluring shapes.
"Arden, watch the road!"
Sensing that less-than-wholesome gaze, Yixuan turned her head and shot him a look.
"Huh? Oh!"
Arden snapped back to his senses, forcibly dragging his gaze out of the deep valley and focusing on driving again.
"….."
Yixuan didn't say anything more. It had already been half a year since she took Arden in as her disciple, and she had long since gotten used to certain things.
As long as it wasn't too excessive or too blatant, one could say that Yixuan tacitly allowed some of Arden's naughty behavior.
After all, she was nearly thirty herself.
They said women were like wolves at thirty and tigers at forty. As a cultivator, Yixuan's spiritual cultivation was very high, but even if she didn't dwell on desire, she still had to consider her lifelong future.
After her elder sister passed away, Yixuan became the only remaining branch of the family—she couldn't let the line end.
"Master, we're almost there."
In the distance, the high-rise buildings near Lumina Square came into view.
"Mhm. Wait for me outside. Remember—don't cause trouble."
…..
In the blink of an eye, it was five in the evening.
Arden didn't see Master Yixuan return. Instead, he received a message: "Beloved disciple, you head back yourself. I'm not done here yet. Come pick me up tomorrow morning."
"Mm… alright then."
Arden shrugged. Anyone with a girlfriend would find this kind of situation familiar.
Women were always fickle. (This is a misconception)
Rumble…
Arden started the sidecar motorcycle, but instead of heading back to Yunkui Summit, he rode toward the commercial street.
That morning, Ju Fufu had reminded him to bring her back a cup of milk tea.
"Pearl milk tea without pearls, extra-large size, full sugar… thanks!"
While waiting for the milk tea to be prepared, the bored Arden glanced toward a nearby alley.
It was a dead end. Normally, a group of idle people would gather there to smoke and chat, but today felt different.
Arden saw several street punks surrounding a young girl, seemingly engaged in one of those all-too-familiar situations.
The girl wore a JK uniform, her pretty face eye-catching, with two tear moles adorning the corner of her left eye.
However, compared to her attractive face and somewhat listless expression, what really caught Arden's attention was the large tail behind her.
He most often petted tiger tails, and had seen cat tails, dog tails, fox tails—even donkey tails—but this was his first time seeing a thick, long shark tail.
That is… the shark girl?
As Arden's first limited S-rank character—one he had only pulled after paying double—there was no way he'd forget her.
Should I… rescue her?
Of course, by "rescue," Arden wasn't referring to the shark girl—but to those street punks who dared provoke her.
Given the shark girl's dislike for trouble, if no one intervened, the fate awaiting those punks would be extremely grim.
Arden didn't care what happened to the punks, but as for the shark girl…
"….."
Arden pinched his fingers and performed a divination.
After being Yixuan's disciple for half a year, what had he learned from her? Naturally, the art of divination and calculation. At this point, Arden had about seventy to eighty percent of Yixuan's skill—whether people or fate, he could divine it all.
"Mm… fate brings us together."
Yunkui Summit had a cooperative relationship with Mayor Mayflower, and the Victoria Housekeeping Co. that the shark girl Ellen Joe worked for also served the mayor. Opportunities for cooperation between the two were inevitable—and Arden's divination showed that the timing would be soon.
Then let's meet a little early, adorable little shark.