Shout-out to Julio Flores for becoming my first PayPal supporter. Thanks bro!

***

The teacher's rooms were also their offices. The walls of their rooms would be filled with parchments that dictated their future lessons alongside schedules and whatnot. This was Shen Yue's first meeting with a teacher privately, but the indignant look on his face made sure that this won't be the last one. Nik, like usual, sat on his bed while Shen Yue graced the chair. The boy looked around and finally opened up, "Teacher... it is not what you think it is."

"I can still smell the perfume," Nik tapped his nose and smiled, "And I the reason I called you in is to not fill your ears with negative comments."

Nik smiled and exhaled deeply, "Shen Yue, you need to learn to manage your time. Fun is a necessary part of our life, but indulging ourselves too much will ruin us by pulling us into addiction." 

Shen Yue frowned and bit his lip. He refused to say anything to the person who thought that he knew everything about others. Did Nik know the cause of him visiting those inns? No, if he had a father that publicly shamed his beloved aunt in front of him then he might have scratched the surface of what he truly felt each time he was brought into his father's presence.

"You visited Lin Han, right? The receptionist?"

Nik smiled and matched Shen Yue's widened eyes.

"How did you—"

"I am saying all this because I know that sometimes... only sex can be a release that one's body requires. Of course, you are a kid and all of your actions are based on mock depression when you should have just binge eaten your stress away...

I understand. I understand that your father might not be a model character and I also understand that you like Ye Ziyun. I also understand that you have no interest in classes or fighting."

Shen Yue gulped as his lips trembled while Nik continued, "And, I also understand that you know the truth about all those disappearances during your great-grandfather's time."

Nik narrowed his eyes and shot in the dark only to hit the target as Shen Yue paled. Observing Shen Yue's body, Nik knew that he was ready to leave and placed his hand on his shoulder. 

"Teacher! I don't know anything, I—"

"It's alright, kid," Nik smiled kindly. Shen Yue was his ticket to understanding the truth about the Sacred Family. Nik was interested in Shen Xiu, that in turn, made Nik interested in the Sacred Family itself. By now, Shen Yue was already dosed with a healthy amount of pheromones waiting to be triggered but Nik did not want to leave a troubled student without any words of consolation. What he did with Shen Yue outside the institute, however, was an entirely different matter.

Nik's words soothed Shen Yue's heart as it also brought a wave of unfamiliar feelings. Shen Yue's heart felt suffocated as he gazed at Nik's warm eyes and that kind smile. He Adam's apple bobbed, "I should leave, teacher."

He stated hoarsely and instantly left the moment Nik raised his palm.

Shen Yue's flustered departure attracted the attention of the four girls waiting for Nik outside his room. The gazed in from the open door and found a calm Nik sitting cross-legged on his bed.

"Cao, Mi, and Han. Enter and close the door."

Nik spoke calmly as the trio entered with a slightly uncomfortable expression. Nik eyes them calmly and spoke up, "I have an astute sense of smell and observation... 

For the past three days, Cao, you smelled of men and in the last two days, Mi, and Han smelled the same."

Nik stated his observations as the three girls trembled. Nik wasn't trying to scare them but making things clear was just the first phase. More often than not, prostitutes are birthed out of desperation and slavery, and while Nik was literally birthed as a prostitute, he knew that the three girls hailed from troubled families. But there are two types of hookers and Nik needed to determine whether they were already attached to some force or still free-lancing.

"I... may not be able to understand your circumstances," Nik spoke truthfully, "But if there is anything I can do, including helping you three out financially, I will do so.

But at a cost."

'Here it comes.'

The three of them though internally. There was no way Nik wasn't interested in free sex. While the girls admitted that they wouldn't mind sharing the bed with Nik, since the three of them usually sold their nights in a package to attract rich customers, it still left a bad taste in their mouth when Nik also turned out to be a man interested in paying for sex.

All he had to do was ask them nicely and maybe shower the three with love and comfort!

"In exchange for me helping you out, you need to make your situation clear to me. Are you attached to the illicit activities of some greater family?"

The three frowned at the unexpected question and shook their heads. This was all Nik needed before he put the three into illusion and milked them out of their knowledge.

As pretty as the girls were, Nik already had many women in his life that were far more beautiful and talented. Although Nik did not wish to compare other girls, he was helpless.

He wasn't a god of lust that could take any and every woman. He was a mortal and presently, he had to make choices. The three girls in front of him and their circumstances were a form of unilateral trade. He is the one providing the service of freeing them of their circumstances and he is also the one demanding the knowledge of other hidden whorehouses as his payment.

Since the three were freelancing, he understood that their families were killed during their ventures into the Star Dou forest and now, the three of them were without any source of income.

Nik handed the trio all of his savings— more than 50000 demon spirit coins— and instructed them to come for him once they run out. Of course, he planted multiple suggestions that the money should only be used for their survival and training.

Once the task was finished, he sent the girls out while making sure that minds do not remember him asking about the major whorehouses. 

As they left, Ning'er gingerly walked in and sat on the chair without being needed to ask. She extended her hands and passed a parchment to Nik.

"This is my plan, teacher."

She spoke while keeping her focus on Nik's expression as he took the piece of paper and carefully read it. The Thunder-winged Demon Centipede was a horrendous looking spirit beast with three pairs of wings purely constructed out of lightning and a blackish body with a metallic sheen. It was almost 3 meters long and 1 meter high with multiple legs that could electrocute its opponents and hardened mandibles with tubes in the interior to inject poison.

In essence, Ning'er wanted to trap the spirit beast within a confusion mist and weaken the centipede's senses before taking it out. The plan was still in its initial stage with many matters to be perfected. In fact, it was quite flawed and Nik already knew that the elders just led Ning'er to keep her satisfied and would be doing most of the heavy work.

Looking up, Nik matched Ning'er's gaze full of expectations and broke into a smile.

"Well done. Before you leave, however, be sure to notify me, alright?"

Ning'er nodded with a bright smile on her face.

"Thank you, teacher."

Nik did not have the heart to tell such an expectant kid that her plan was flawed beyond comparison and she would need years of experience to come up with a decent plan. 

Well, Nik would make sure to instill real-life spars so that he could instill such experiences into her body.

With all the work concluded, Nik decided to leave shortly and loot a whorehouse.

Just a common day for him.

***

The Brand Lightning Inn was one of the cheapest and the most popular underground whorehouse. Its occupation was already a public secret yet many visited this place.

Including Nik.

"Here it is, sir."

Putting a mortal with a screwdriver for a spirit was under his illusion was quite easy. The old man knelt on the ground and presented his spatial ring. Nik took it and checked its contents out. Demon spirit cards with a value over a million demon spirit coins were now stashed in Nik's hands. This inn had almost no spirit master as a worker and in return, earned quite a less amount. The old man in front of him may have been a great businessman but he wasn't astute.

With a thought, Nik flooded the entire inn and all its workers with his Pheromones. While the act of prostitution was as natural as breathing and revolution of planets, Nik still decided to gaze through all the workers. He wasn't going to free any of them or something like that. He had no need to.

It was just out of curiosity. He might meet a talent whose martial spirit could be brought to rank 30.

Alas, the results were disappointing.

Nik then gazed at the old man and controlled his mind to gather all the info of his network. Since the old man already had half his body in a grave, Nik decided to give the intended push and killed him by zapping his body until his heart couldn't take it. The only reason Nik killed him and didn't continue to milk him for more money was that he didn't want the old man to die from natural causes since he stood to earn world root from him.

[Host has earned 1.3% world root.

Total World Root: 1.3/100%]

The death of the owner would cause quite a commotion but Nik couldn't care less. 

{A/N: if you would recall, Nik held a distaste for prostitution but this dislike would be in opposition to Nik's proclamation of him being unaffected by his past. So, I am now setting his personality straight. He will be slightly colder to strangers even if they are prostitutes in need of help.}

With a satisfied hum, Nik left the establishment stealthily and made his way towards the Holy Orchid Institute to continue the training of the girls.

***

Huyan Estate.

"Rou'er kissed a guy?!"

A burly man roared and threw a thick stack of paper towards the reporter.

Dodging the angered counter proficiently, the youth nodded calmly, "I recall my words were— Mistress confessed to kissing Nik Faran alone.

It means, she kissed a guy.

So yes, you are correct in assuming what you just inquired."

The man spoke with complete seriousness as the patriarch felt his anger rising to a completely different level.

"Take me there!"

"He is in Holy Orchid Institute, sir."

"Fuck it! We will wait out then!"

The man roared. He wanted to kill the guy, not get a beating of his life from that dwarf.

"As you wish."

The youth nodded and led the way.