Chapter Seventy-One: Meier

Jiang Pingchuan heard Meier’s voice behind him and grunted in reply as he walked into the washroom, plunging his head into the water. Bubbles rose up as he submerged himself, and Meier rushed forward, reaching out to pull him back, but Jiang Pingchuan waved her off.

He wouldn’t let Meier come close. His body felt feverish, the heat running from his hair down to his heart, burning him as if engulfed in flames. Jiang Pingchuan buried his head in the water, shaking it ceaselessly.

He opened his eyes and stared at his reflection beneath the surface. The image was wild, distorted, and beside him stood a woman, her face filled with panic and anxiety. She was speaking in a rush, mouth open in worry, but Jiang Pingchuan’s ears buzzed; even the cold water in the tub felt hot, as though it were boiling, bubbling up with him.

With a gasp, Jiang Pingchuan lifted himself from the water, spewing blood. His chest felt as though something was burning inside, growing relentlessly. He leaned against the wall and tried to channel his vital energy, but nothing happened.

Yet he could sense a Dao Crystal, the seventh one, recovering. But unlike before, its restoration brought no influx of vital energy, no cooling relief. Instead, the seventh Dao Crystal devoured his existing energy, inflicting only heat and torment, as if avenging itself for his reckless use of the Destruction Technique.

Jiang Pingchuan slid down the wall, his eyes burning red, his body unresponsive to his will. His hands clawed at the wall, leaving deep, bloody marks on the floor, stripping the plaster to reveal grey stone beneath.

“Master, master, are you all right? Please don’t scare Meier!” Meier wrapped herself around Jiang Pingchuan, calling out desperately. Yet Jiang Pingchuan kept clawing at the wall until suddenly he stopped, his frenzy abating.

Meier sighed in relief as he quieted, gently wiping the sweat from his brow with a towel. Suddenly Jiang Pingchuan’s eyes blazed red again, flames seeming to flicker within them, his face twisted in agony as he seized Meier’s delicate shoulders.

Pain flashed across Meier’s face as Jiang Pingchuan threw her to the ground, tearing at her clothes with desperate force.

“No, master, please, don’t, don’t do this…” Meier, pinned beneath him, cried out, her eyes reddened with tears, pleading. But Jiang Pingchuan, robbed of his reason, ignored her, ripping her garments all the more fiercely.

Meier closed her eyes, biting her lip, whispering “no.” Before Jiang Pingchuan, she was naked, her smooth skin exposed, while his own clothes had already been burned away. He embraced her, and Meier, powerless before his madness, parted her legs. With a scream, her face flushed, her gaze grew hazy, her resistance faded, and she whimpered softly, surrendering her will.

The moment Jiang Pingchuan touched Meier’s body, his mind went blank. A cold, shadowy energy surged through him, sweeping over his body, and after an indeterminate time, the red faded from his eyes and he fell asleep atop Meier.

Tears glimmered in Meier’s eyes as she smiled, closed them, and embraced Jiang Pingchuan, drifting into sleep.

Bang bang bang—“Brother Chuan, Brother Chuan, wake up, the banquet’s about to start!” A hurried knocking sounded at the door, accompanied by Lan Dao’s urgent voice.

Jiang Pingchuan lay naked on the floor, Meier curled up in his arms. Hearing Lan Dao’s call, Jiang Pingchuan opened his eyes, and Meier did as well; their gazes met in silence.

Jiang Pingchuan reached out and touched Meier’s face, where traces of dried tears remained. Red marks from his frantic grasping marred her skin. He knew these wounds were his doing, his madness unleashed, and his eyes brimmed with remorse. Meier grasped his hand, biting her lip and shaking her head.

“I’m sorry, I…” Jiang Pingchuan’s face was full of guilt and bitterness.

“Don’t worry about it. Meier chose this. Master, from now on, forget Meier,” she said.

Meier stood, naked, and picked up the wooden basin. Watching her awkward movements, Jiang Pingchuan felt another wave of guilt. Meier smiled as she drew water, placing the basin beside him.

Sitting up, Jiang Pingchuan saw bloodstains where Meier had just been. He realized she had been a virgin. Meier, perceiving his thoughts, said nothing further. She gently wiped his body with a wet towel, then fetched his clothes from the bed and dressed him.

When she reached his trousers, Meier paused. She remembered they had been burned away, yet now they were untouched, as if nothing had happened. She took note but thought nothing more, finishing his attire and standing before him, cheeks reddened, head bowed.

Jiang Pingchuan gazed at Meier’s naked form before him, his emotions tangled. He stroked her face. “Wait for me to return.”

With those words, Jiang Pingchuan quickly went to the door, opened it, and joined Lan Dao on the way to the banquet hall. As he stepped outside, he felt a profound change within his body.

The arrangement of Dao Crystals had shifted again. The original six had returned to their previous positions below, while the seventh floated above them. Beside the seventh, he could faintly see the shadow of an eighth Dao Crystal.

Jiang Pingchuan sighed. He had no idea how much energy would be needed to refine this eighth Dao Crystal, nor what its emergence would bring. All he knew was that the seventh had consumed half his vital energy, and ever since entering East Continent City, subtle changes had begun within him.

In East Continent City, the restorative energy within his composite vital energy was slow to heal, and now its recovery had nearly stalled. This was not a good omen, especially just as Jiang Pingchuan had arrived.

Meier, now wrapped in a blanket, lay on the bed, recalling what had just transpired between herself and Jiang Pingchuan, a blush coloring her cheeks.

A sharp, mocking laughter came from outside the bed curtains. “Heh heh heh… Sister, you’re lovesick, aren’t you? Tsk, who’d have thought that man could be so captivating that he’s turned my beauty’s head. Only the new gets a smile, the old gets tears.”

The blush vanished from Meier’s face. She threw back the curtains, now clad in a sheer purple robe, her hair pinned up, her expression grim as she regarded the woman before her.

The woman’s makeup was heavy, her allure almost palpable, her crimson lips curled in a sly smile as she sat beside Meier, eyeing her body. Suddenly, the woman’s expression soured.

“What’s wrong?” Meier asked, noticing the change in her face.

“Sister, your cinnabar mark—it's gone. You’ve lost your virginity,” the woman exclaimed, grabbing Meier’s pale arm and searching for something that was no longer there.

“So what if I have? I like it, that’s enough,” Meier withdrew her arm, leaning back with a smile, while the woman glared at her in anger.

“Sister, how could you be so foolish? You’re still a step away from the path to immortality. How could you surrender your body to a man? Have you forgotten our vow as sisters?” the woman scolded, her face dark.

“Jiuling, I haven’t forgotten our vow. But do you really think we can achieve immortality? A thousand years of cultivation granted us human form, but after three thousand years, not a trace of immortal qi. We might as well enjoy the life we want,” Meier replied, looking at the pale-faced Jiuling.

“Enjoy life, huh? You were the one who said we’d ascend together, and now you’re giving up for a man? Do you think that’s fair to me?” Jiuling clung to Meier, her voice bitter. Meier sighed and shook her head.

“Jiuling, stop clinging to your delusions. I still can’t fathom the mysteries of fate. Now that I’ve met someone I love, what does immortality matter?” Meier pushed Jiuling away, shaking her head in resignation.

“Fine, fine, you love that man, you don’t love me anymore. Fine. Tonight, I’ll show you the true nature of these wretched men,” Jiuling’s face darkened, faint fur sprouting as her aura grew cold and her gaze locked onto Meier, before she vanished.

Meier rose, looking toward the spot where Jiuling disappeared, then at the door. Jiang Pingchuan had told her to wait, but now it seemed Jiuling might mean harm to him.

Thinking this, Meier waved her sleeve, vanishing from the room and chasing in the direction Jiuling had gone.