It wasn't that I had a death wish. And I definitely didn't want to kill this woman. But to so brazenly show up to a social event with not one but two markings indicating that one was from a demonic sect, that was unforgivable. I was able to quickly take Xueyie aside and explain what was going on while Lee and Xiran headed to the powder room.

"This just reeks of a power play by someone who doesn't know who they're dealing with. They're about to find out," I said.

"And I thought that the show was going to be the most interesting part of tonight. Lead the way," she replied.

The entire setup had me reeling. Xueyie had just wanted a nice quiet dinner after her show with us. I wanted that too. Once again, those demonic cultivators had decided that they wanted to interrupt my peace. I was not going to stand for that.

Xiran and Moon Lee returned from The powder room. They were gabbing about the show. I was only half listening because Min had finally arrived and was scanning the crowd better than I could. If she had an accomplice, they would find her.

I was a bit worried that Min would be found, but she knew what she was doing. I had to trust her.

If you had gone to a show and been approached by one of the celebrities that had been an actor, you might understand how the woman felt under Xueyies gaze. She wasn't raptured by how it felt to have a full on attention of someone that she admired. Not only someone that she admired but someone that everyone else at the Opera House would have killed to talk to.

Of course to hear her parents say it was just another day at the office. So Xiran clung on to her arm as well as every word she said.

"I think you're going to love this place. It's a favorite of our family," Xueyie said.

"Oh this is so wonderful. Thank you so much for taking me around," Xiran said. I could see her squeeze the arm of the once empress.

The dining establishment definitively was a favorite of the Taoists if the amount of paraphernalia was correct. It was also getting to be late by the time we arrived and the crowd had a very theatre vibe. A few people clapped when they saw the empress in her reduced regalia, and a proud server took us to a special place in the back.

"As always we thank you for honoring us with your presence," he said.

It was the first time I had seen anything approximating bench seating here and it felt pretty great. It was probably leather and probably cost a lot to maintain, but for a brief moment, it was like I was back on earth, back in college and studying for the next test. I wasn't sitting on a small cushion next to a table again.

I've always hated those dreams where I had a flashback to being in class and oh no the test is next week and I don't remember any of the material! And I haven't been going to class! And also why am I here, I distinctly remember graduating?

Those were always the worst. The bench seating reminded me of the good and the bad times.

Xueyie and Xiran went inside. Moon Lee and I blocked her in from the other side. I felt a little giddy when she brushed against me, but wrote it off as nerves. We had a real life agent in front of us. Who would know how much she could give us before she cracked?

"So how long have you been the empress?"

It was an easy opening. I want it Xueyie to take the softball and knock it out of the park. But on the other hand, I had no idea whether she had even dated anyone before. It was none of my business. I should have probably asked her since we were doing it live.

"I was promoted from understudy a month ago. It has been quite the experience. I can't resist a good love story," Xueyie said. "There's just something about the first emperor's story that feels so relevant to today."

"Excellent. I just got here. My family sent me here on business. I couldn't help but see if I could catch an evening at the theater before I got down to business."

Of course. She was one step away from licking the makeup off of my associate. Xueyies mask was up, but I was pretty sure that Xiran couldn't tell. Perhaps it was the brush with a minor celebrity?

"Oh? Business? What kind of business?" Xueyie said, picking up the bait and admiring it, "As you know my family runs the theater here. Or you should if you read the playbill. Tell me about your family."

Xueyie gave her a look that would have melted me. How did she manage to look to put together and dangerous at the same time? Maybe it was just because I knew she was dangerous. Nobody else would know how much of a fighter she was. That is an unless they trained with her. Also her makeup game really was on point.

"Oh we do- we work in the shipping business. Part of it has to do with receiving and exporting. Part of it has to do with red tape."

That story was about as thin as Moon Lees robe. About as tall as her robe was as well. I was getting the feeling that either she liked to display her legs in general or specifically for one person.

"Shipping?" Xueyie said, leaning forward far enough to cleave her partners eyes with her low cut costume. That thing had to be holding onto her skin with every ounce of its tape.

"Oh, yes we ship important goods and we want to turn this city into a hub for us."

She went on for a bit about the hub and spoke model that her supposed company followed. It sounded like a pyramid scheme with extra steps. I could feel myself drifting off, but for the company. Moon Lee gently nudged me under the table, bringing me back into it.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

I, being the gentleman that I was, definitely did not linger long staring at her outfit.

If what she was saying was true, then the demonic sect was trying to expand operations here. Operations that we had just shut down with prejudice.

I wondered if she had become aware of the very recent events or if her supposed family was keeping her fully in the dark. I imagined Rachel or Courtney in her place and I fumed. Even if I was an evil therapist ise-kaied into xianxialand, I wouldn't have send my daughter to go set up a branch of my Sect. I would prefer to not do evil things to begin with, but I wanted to be smart and alive not just and dead.

It also made me think about how Maxine would have treated this situation. I don't know. Maybe having a villainess as an ex-wife was a good thing, but I wasn't entirely sure yet. It might turn out to be. Would Maxine do her usual thing or would she fight this girl?

I was beginning to think that neither woman knew how to seal the deal. Xueyie was clearly flirting. Xiran was just as clearly flirting back. Had I arranged a meeting between two bottoms? Quite probably.

The second round of drinks arrived and Moon Lee gave me the look to go talk in the far corner. I followed her lead.

"I'll be right back," I told Xueyie, meaning every word. Min was somewhere watching both of them.

The music which was played by a single woman on an Irhu, picked up tempo as we went to the wall far behind the demonic cultivators view. Moon Lee and I took up a spot by the bar.

"She's incredibly naive," Moon Lee said. "And I think that she is a terrible actor."

"Agreed. She is far over her head. What do you think?"

"Turn her."

The idea struck me like a slap from a fish. It was strange, fresh and unexpected.

"Turn her?" I said. "She... We would be at war with the demonic cultivators if they found out."

"We are already at war. Turn her and we can get more information."

Her aura felt like sheer iron resolve.

"I know she's a little girl but-"

"We decrease their numbers however we can. If we can turn one of theirs into one ours then we will learn so much about their operation."

A man with a tray full of tea passed between us.

"I'm not saying that I disagree. Do you think that the moon clan will fully back this?"

"I think that the Moon clan will do whatever I say. Especially if it ends this war. We have to destroy them as an institution so they can't rise up again."

There was this idea back home about how people conducted left-wing violence. It contrast to right-wing violence, which went after individuals like say a politician. Left wing violence went after the network or the institution destroying it from the bottom up. In this case we wanted to destroy them all utterly.

We would start by destroying demonic cultivators as an institution in her plan.

I was thinking about them as individuals but if we got the institutional support out of the way, then we could do so much. We could take them out one by one. We could get people to convert back. We could figure out a way to reintegrate them into society and use them for the betterment of the world. Or you know maybe just the neighborhood.

The point was that there were so many things that we could do when we weren't being hounded by these demonic cultivators.

"I agree with your intent in principle," I said. "But how do we do it then? Do we just tell her that we know that she's one of them and then see what she does? She could react here and she could what kill some people or if she could react badly and we just don't know how she would..."

She put up a hand.

"We have to get her where she doesn't feel....We need to get her where she understands that she's facing the combined might of both of us that she's not going to make it. She might have a technique that can overpower Xueyie. I don't think she does. I don't think they sent her prepared and that it's to our advantage."

She got really close to my ear, beginning to whisper.

"If they are really thinking about her at all, then they need to think of her as a lost cause. We need to make sure that she doesn't think that. We're not some saviors. We're not going to give her a savior complex. We're going to invite her to do the right thing. We show her the carrot. Because if he doesn't do the right thing..."

She trailed off and I could tell that she was just reveling in this. We are both now in charge of a young girl's life and whether she knew it or not. This was her last day of freedom as the person that she once was. She was about to join the cause.

Moon Lee and I both nodded.

The die was cast.

We returned with a few more drinks. I placed one in front of myself and Xueyie. She placed one in front of herself and Xiran, taking care to bus the table, handing me plates while they talked. The food that we had ordered have it adequate, but it was just something that I hadn't paid attention to. Not want to show like the one that I was watching wasn't folding in front of me. It was like eating a TV dinner when you were watching the newest Korean drama.

They kept talking and talking around each other and neither one wanted to seal the deal as it were. But we were going to eventually have to leave. I began to plot our exit plan. If one of the women finally made a move then it would be expected that one would walk the other one home or perhaps they would intend to do more than that. We were in the Taoist territory, well within walking range of Xueyies family home. I wasn't certain what the etiquette was find one brought home a guest of this caliber or type here.

I was assuming that since they were all trained to perform a theater, they would turn the other way when someone brought a friend home. I was being to hope that Moon Lee was also going to count on that as well.

Finally after it seemed like forever, one of them finally asked the other about the logistics of their next steps.

How would we get on the same page? I didn't want to threaten or god forbid torture her.

Now I'm not one to torture somebody or hold them against their will. We all know that torture is not effective and really it just makes you less honorable.

Even if you're a good guy. Especially if you're a good guy. There's no reason for torture whether you're trying to extract information or just scare somebody. Time after time this has proven to be true. This is why I prefer the carrot. The carrot is time-proven method in which I can get people to do what I want by making them think that they want to do the thing I want.

What I wanted at that moment more than anything was to be able to get a sense of how many mnemonic cultivators had come with her on her trip.

She thought that she was about to either a meal out of one of us or perhaps a romp with Xueyie. I was not going to give her the opportunity to do either. Moon Lee, bless her heart had given us all such a good course instruction on how to veil ourselves that she didn't even inspect us.

When the bill was paid for by the Taoist family without us having to do anything, there was a moment at which both girls realized that they were going to have to continue the charade for at least a little while.