The additions make Mingjue's eyebrows climb, the statue of the topless woman in particular leaving him speechless with incredulity. He dropped down into the courtyard and sheathed Baxia through muscle memory alone, his eyes on their surroundings until A-Yao turned to him and baffled him all over again.

"Sex," he said bluntly almost before the explanation was through. His temper rumbled in his chest. "We're here to fuck."

It wasn't a question.

He did not like that at all. The topless statue took on new meaning, as did the aggressive stripping the metal creatures had done. He couldn't say if the whole situation was better or worse than if there were dark magic involved. Yet...

"You said no rituals." He flared his nostrils, his tone suspiciously neutral. "I don't think that's accurate."