Volume 1 Chapter 21: Senior Brother, You Opened a Therapy Shop?
Tn: Edited at 5 / 16 / 2025
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In this world, therapy wasn't exactly a foreign concept.
Cupping, scraping, acupressure—these techniques had been popular among mortals for centuries. But they were used only by mortals.
After all, the more it hurt, the more effective it was said to be. But when it came to cultivators, differences in cultivation level meant wildly different pain tolerances. A low-tier cultivator trying to massage a high-tier one? It'd be like scratching an itch.
But Ye Anping wasn't like most people.
Back when he was still in the Hundred Lotus Sect, he often helped Pei Lengxue with muscle relaxation, using scraping and massage techniques to loosen her tendons and bones, allowing her to cultivate more effectively. Over the years, he had refined and developed a unique therapy system tailored specifically for cultivators.
Most importantly, unlike other haughty cultivators, Ye Anping didn't see providing this kind of help as degrading. He didn't think it made him any less of a man—or a cultivator.
When the senior sister from the Profound Star Sect—who was handling shop permit approvals—agreed to try out his "therapy," Ye Anping politely asked her to lead him to a nearby lounge.
She was still confused about what exactly this "therapy" entailed, when Ye Anping suddenly knelt on one knee in front of her, gently reaching for her right foot with both hands—clearly intent on removing her shoes and socks.
Her eyes widened instantly. Without hesitation, she lifted her other foot and kicked at him. Ye Anping dodged just in time, head tilting to the side.
"You! What do you think you're doing?!" she barked, glaring daggers at him as her hand instinctively rested on the hilt of her spiritual sword. "You— you pervert! How dare you try to take off my shoes?!"
Ye Anping froze, visibly awkward.
Every woman had her own interpretation of the word "pervert."
Some thought showing bare feet was scandalous enough to ruin marriage prospects. Others could be seen bathing and wouldn't even blink.
Clearly, this senior sister belonged to the former camp.
After thinking it over, Ye Anping simply took out his Hundred Lotus Sect identity badge and offered it to her like a pledge.
"Senior Sister, I swear I have no intention of being disrespectful. This is my identity badge. If you still feel I've overstepped my bounds later, feel free to publicize this token as evidence. Does that sound acceptable?"
"Your… identity badge?" She took the plaque and examined it closely. Her brows twitched as she read the inscription. "You're the Young Master of the Hundred Lotus Sect?"
"I am."
"The Young Master of the Hundred Lotus Sect… came all the way to the Profound Star Sect to open a shop. And this kind of shop, no less. Don't you think it's… shameful?"
Ye Anping exhaled slowly, then asked with a calm smile, "Let me ask you something, Senior Sister. Who has the higher status—the scholar who teaches, or the farmer who works the land?"
"Of course it's the scholar."
"Teaching is certainly noble," Ye Anping nodded. "But without farmers, the scholar would starve. There are a hundred paths in this world, each supporting the others. Nothing is inherently disgraceful. I'm just doing what I want to do."
"…That's… not unreasonable." The senior sister looked him up and down, clearly still skeptical. Her eyes paused on his features for a moment. "Still… are you sure this isn't just some roundabout way of opening a brothel?"
"Absolutely not." Ye Anping straightened slightly, expression serious. "Just give it a try. If it doesn't work, I'll leave immediately. And if you're still concerned about modesty, I'll wear gloves and cover my eyes."
She hesitated, gaze drifting back to his face.
He was, admittedly, rather handsome.
"…Fine. But let me make this clear first—if you try anything funny, I'll cripple you on the spot."
"Understood."
Ye Anping nodded and proceeded to pull a black cloth from his storage bag, tying it around his eyes. Then, he put on a pair of gloves and knelt again.
With careful hands, he reached out, gently lifting her foot. His thumbs found their place on her sole, pressing lightly into the center of her arch.
"Senior Sister, have you been eating a lot of oily and spicy food lately? Your liver fire seems quite excessive."
"How did you know that?"
"Your Hu Xin acupoint is radiating heat—it might sting a little, so please bear with it."
Hearing that, the senior sister from Profound Star Sect raised an eyebrow, secretly impressed.
'This boy really knows his stuff—just one light touch and he can already tell something like that?'
But in the very next moment, as Ye Anping gathered spiritual energy at his fingertips and pressed down on the sole of her foot—
She suddenly felt an electric current shoot up from the contact point, racing through her body. She couldn't help but let out a soft, startled moan.
"A-hn~~"
Startled, she quickly covered her mouth. But then came a second wave—a warm, jade-like current of spiritual energy flowing through her meridians.
"Mmm~nnn~~"
"Senior Sister, is the pressure alright?" Ye Anping asked with concern.
"It's… still… ngh~ nnn~~"
"Senior Sister, you're too tense. Try to relax a little. Otherwise, I won't know how much pressure to apply."
"Mm… mm…"
And just like that, Ye Anping spent about fifteen minutes simply working on the soles of her feet. Neither of them realized, however, that quite a few Profound Star Sect disciples who were on duty that day had heard some… suspicious sounds coming from the lounge as they walked past.
Right outside the room, three male and four female disciples were crouched by the door, blushing furiously as they eavesdropped.
—"Should I be more gentle?"
—"No… ngh~ no need~ just be rough like before~ that was really nice~~"
—"Alright, then~~"
The sounds from inside the room were only getting weirder.
The seven disciples began whispering among themselves.
"Sister Bai is really bold… she's actually… actually dual cultivating here?"
"Wait—who's her partner? I didn't know she even had one."
"I saw a young guy go in with her just now. He wasn't very tall, but he looked pretty clean-cut. No idea which sect he's from, but definitely not one of ours."
Just then, the voices inside seemed to quiet down.
—"So… that's it?"
—"Isn't Senior Sister still on duty?"
—"Ah, right… then I guess we should head out…"
Hearing that, the group outside exchanged panicked glances.
Run! Sister Bai was coming out!
The seven quickly scattered, each trying to act casual as they fled in different directions.
A moment later, the door opened. Bai Yuelin stepped out with Ye Anping, her face flushed red as she led him back to the desk where she had been handling shop permit applications.
"Senior Sister, how was my therapy? Try circulating your spiritual energy—you should feel much more relaxed now."
"Hm…" Bai Yuelin pressed her lips together and closed her eyes, testing her internal flow of qi. Her expression brightened. "It really is more relaxed. I feel quite refreshed."
"Heh, so about my shop permit application—what do you think?"
"Well… I still have to report it to the Elders," Bai Yuelin replied, giving a small nod. She took out her personal seal from her storage bag and stamped a red mark onto Ye Anping's application form. "That said, you can go ahead and open the shop. But the Elders might pay you a personal visit to assess it. Whether it gets officially approved will be up to them. Most people around here haven't even heard of 'therapeutic treatment,' after all."
"Understood." Ye Anping received the form with a respectful bow. "Thank you, Senior Sister."
Just as he turned to leave, Bai Yuelin hesitated, then called out to him.
"By the way, Young Master Ye. My name is Bai Yuelin. I'm a disciple of Profound Star Sect's Sky Cloud Peak. If you ever need anything, just come here and ask for 'Senior Sister Bai from Sky Cloud Peak.' I'm the only one on the peak with the surname Bai."
"I see. Many thanks, Senior Sister Bai."