"Pan-xiushi. I require your assistance."

Anxin approached Pan Wukun, a worried expression on her face. "We need to keep this discreet in my room. It is a very personal and private affair."

"I understand. Let's go."

Pan Wukun sat in a chair across from Anxin. "So what is the matter, Lady Anxin?"

"Mmm~ You see…" Anxin leaned in close. Too close.

Anxin's fingers trailed over Pan Wukun's leg.

Pan Wukun inched her leg away and laughed nervously. "Uh - Lady Anxin. Wai-"

"Come now. Don't be shy.~" Anxin shoved Pan Wukun's face into her breasts.

"Mmph!"

Normally Pan Wukun wouldn't object to having her face smushed into a beautiful woman's breasts. But this was not the time or place! Wait...this was a brothel so...ok, right place, but definitely not the right time!

Pan Wukun pushed herself off of Anxin.

Anxin backed away, raising a sleeved arm in front of her. "Pan-xiushi, is this not to your liking?"

"You are very beautiful, yes. But please understand that I wish to save a romantic and sexual relationship for my special one." Pan Wukun turned away. "I'm sorry."

Once Pan Wukun was gone, Anxin snarled, "That Meng Shi! She's managed to seduce another cultivator!"

"So how does Meng Shi fare nowadays?" a client asked.

Anxin scoffed. "Not so well. Meng Shi is always showing off that she can read. She thinks she's above us just because of books. Like books did any good in feeding her.
She's so gullible that she didn't even realize she got scammed into buying fake cultivation booklets until Pan-xiushi pointed it out to her!
Her son, xiao-Meng has also been rejected by the LanlingJin sect.
So what exactly is she trying so hard to hold onto?
Such foolishness and arrogance.
You think only people from outside the brothel look down on her? No, the rest of my sisters here do too. Meng Shi's fame is no longer what it was, yet she still doesn't understand…"

"What do you think you're doing?"

Anxin turned around, only to be met with Sisi's hand slapping her face.

"Don't you have anything better to do than talk badly of Meng Shi all day?!"

"What the fuck is it any of your business what I say?!" Anxin lunged at Sisi.

They landed on the floor. They bit and scratched one another, pulling at each other's hair, cursing, and screaming insults.

The clients watched them fight in amusement.

"Sisi! Anxin! Stop!" The other prostitutes tried to pull Sisi and Anxin off of each other but to no avail.

"Get Pan-xiushi here!"

Once Pan Wukun was led to the scene, she pushed herself between Anxin and Sisi. "Both of you! Stop right now!"

She yanked Anxin and Sisi away from each other, making them stumble back.

The prostitutes kept a safe distance, watching on in surprise.

This was the first time Pan Wukun had to physically handle any of the prostitutes. Before this, she never raised a hand towards any of them, always acting kind and gentlemanly.

Pan Wukun glared sternly at the brothel's clients. "The brothel is closed."

"Hah? But the brothel isn't to be closed for another hour!"

"Leave."

"But-"

"LEAVE!"

The clients hastily left the brothel, grumbling.

Pan Wukun shut the brothel doors.

Pan Wukun sighed and rubbed her forehead. "So what exactly happened here?"

Anxin pointed a finger at Sisi. "Sisi started it!"

Sisi wanted to smack Anxin again, if not for Pan Wukun holding her back. "You! You were insulting Meng Shi behind her back! I was just defending her!"

"STOP!" Pan Wukun shouted, silencing Anxin and Sisi. "I'll listen to each of you, one at a time. Sisi, let's start with you."

"Bu-"

Pan Wukun sent Anxin a look so Anxin shut her mouth.

"As I said earlier, Anxin was speaking badly of Meng Shi to clients. I had to stop her before she tarnished Meng Shi's reputation any further." Sisi glared at Anxin. "She shouldn't just run her mouth off about whoever she dislikes."

Pan Wukun nodded. "Now, Anxin."

Anxin sniffed. "I was just providing valuable info for clients. No harm in that."

Pan Wukun's eyes narrowed. "So you were just spreading gossip about Meng Shi. Having a little fun at her expense?"

Anxin wilted at Pan Wukun's glare.

"You really think badmouthing fellow prostitutes and dragging down other women is going to gain you anything? Beat some competition?" Pan Wukun cast a glance at some of the other women in the crowd, making them flinch. They weren't off the hook either. "In the end, you're just making yourself out to be an untrustworthy person. Jealousy will get you nowhere."

"You're a cultivator and a man! Not like you've ever had to struggle to get by and survive! What the hell do you understand?" Anxin yelled. She gasped and covered her mouth. She bowed, apologizing profusely. "Forgive this lowly one for her outburst, Pan-xiushi!"

Pan Wukun paused.

Should she…?

No. She didn't feel safe enough to reveal herself. The world outside Xuhou was not so kind to women.

But that didn't mean she couldn't tell them another part of the truth.

"You're right. I wouldn't understand. But…"

Pan Wukun rolled up her sleeve, revealing her arm.

Many of the prostitutes gasped, turning their heads away.

It was a brutal scar Pan Wukun sutured. The wound inflicted by the wutou gui.

"The women in my home village had a hand in my upbringing. Without sewing, I would not have known how to suture my wounds shut. If I didn't know how to suture my wounds, I would have bled to death. They taught me much about how to live and survive. I would not be where I am today without them."

Pan Wukun sheepishly rubbed a fingertip against her cheek. "They also taught me how to care for a woman during her *ahem* monthly periods…"

Whenever one of the prostitutes experienced the pain of menstrual periods, Pan Wukun concocted pain-relieving herbs and substances.

So that's how he knew, the prostitutes thought.

"You are all just trying to survive. Society is already cruel enough towards women. Why keep fighting against each other? Why not be kind and help one another?"

The women went silent, turning their gazes from Pan Wukun to each other.

"Pan-xiushi."

The other women turned around, shocked to see Meng Shi present.

Meng Shi stepped forward. "I can take over from here."

Meng Shi spoke. "Everyone here knows I arrived at this brothel as a disgraced nobleman's daughter. Yet I chose to bear and raise a cultivator's child…
I-I just wanted to escape. Go back to the way things were for me before the brothel.
That may have been a reckless decision. But I do not regret having Meng Yao. He has brought me more happiness than I've ever had in my life."

Anxin scoffed. "Yes, you're a nobleman's daughter, all right. Deciding to birth and raise a child in a brothel of all places. Always showing off that you can read. And for what? Not everyone has had the same privilege as you, Meng Shi."

Meng Shi answered firmly. "I know. But what else was I supposed to do? If I was not popular enough with the clients, how would I make enough to feed my son?
Is it not a mother's duty to ensure the best for her child? Of course, I wanted him to leave the brothel for a better life as a cultivator. Wouldn't you want the same for your loved ones?"

Meng Shi coughed harshly into her handkerchief. Sisi and Pan Wukun moved to support her, but she stopped them. "I don't know how much time I have left. All I know is that after I'm gone, Meng Yao has to be free from this brothel. I do not want him to share the same fate as me."

Meng Shi pushed herself up, standing tall. "Everything I did, I did for the sake of my son. It was not my intention to hurt anyone here." She bowed. "I'm sorry, Anxin. I'm sorry to everyone."

A silence fell over the room, everyone reflecting on Meng Shi's words.

Slowly, Anxin bowed back to Meng Shi. "I didn't realize what you were going through. I'm sorry too, Meng Shi."

Sisi wrapped an arm around Meng Shi then her other arm around Anxin, who let out a startled squawk. "Sisi! What!"

"Group hug, everyone!" Sisi shouted.

The women squealed and giggled as they joined arms around Anxin, Sisi, Meng Shi, and each other.

Pan Wukun watched the scene with a warm smile on her face.

Sisi turned to Pan Wukun with a mischievous grin. "You too, Pan-xiushi."

"Wha-Ah!" Pan Wukun was pulled into the group of ladies.

Tears silently slipped down Meng Yao's cheeks. "M-mother."

Meng Shi was already long asleep by then, as Meng Yao didn't want her to see him crying.

Hiding from sight, Meng Yao had secretly listened in on his mother as she stood in front of her fellow prostitutes and spoke about her struggles - and her love for him.

He couldn't just leave his mother here.

There had to be a way to save her!

There had to!

I'll get both of us out of this brothel whatever it takes.

Whatever it takes.

A/N: Got two new mechanical keyboards. One that's typewriter style with blue switches and another that has hiragana and onigiri keycaps with brown switches. Had to see for myself what the big deal was about mechanical keyboards. Omg they're so nice to type on. Managed to get a new temp job and made some extra money to splurge on those keyboards.

Hope you're all doing ok!