51 - The Cannon Fodder is Prepared to Divorce
Yue Bai woke up, momentarily dazed by the unexpectedly lively room. Rubbing his head, he still felt exhausted. "Yue Bai, are you alright?" Jiu Yi asked, his frustration palpable, but there was no turning back now; what was done was done. He wasn't sure if he should commend Su Yang for her impeccable timing. "Yes," Yue Bai replied, feeling tired and drained, but otherwise alright. He draped his arm over his eyes. "That was Red Sleeve Powder, not Ethereal Dream Powder." "Huh?" Jiu Yi didn't quite catch what he was saying. "What are you talking about..." "Red Sleeve Powder is an aphrodisiac," Yue Bai thought out loud, "Then Ethereal Dream Powder is... what exactly?" "Why are you still thinking about that..." Jiu Yi was on the verge of losing it with this emotionless mission-oriented machine of a person. "Yue Bai, do you realize that you were thoroughly bedded inside and out?" "Yeah, I know..." Perhaps his mind was still muddled. Startled by Jiu Yi's tone, Yue Bai commented dully, "She... did a pretty good job..." Forceful yet gentle, her movements were strong yet meticulous, just like her control over spiritual power. It was quite satisfactory for Yue Bai. "I can't believe this," Jiu Yi was losing it. "Yue Bai, is your chastity that cheap to you? What happened to 'resistance'? Where are your socialist core values? Were they devoured or something? Huh? Huh? Huh?” The more Yue Bai listened, the less he understood what Jiu Yi was saying. As she struggled to sit up, her body felt sore. The clothes scattered on the floor were of no use, so she put on a new set, still in the mood to respond to Jiu Yi, "I could resist, but why should I?" He didn’t care about what happened to his body, so why bother resisting? As for Ji Wu Nian... Yue Bai didn’t care how she managed to "resist." Tightening her waistband, Yue Bai ignored Jiu Yi's screams and leapt out of the window. *** Ji Wu Nian had just successfully obtained the Ethereal Dream Powder from Su Yang. Despite her cold expression, Su Yang smiled pleasantly. "What's wrong? Did the girl not measure up?" Ji Wu Nian looked down at the small packet in her hand. "I don't want to involve her." "It seems to me that the girl is eager to be involved," Su Yang tapped the table. Though it was their first meeting, she had a vague sense of familiarity with this person, prompting her to offer some advice. "There's no need to act grateful while complaining. I believe the girl is a formidable power. If she didn’t want it, you couldn’t drag her into it. Instead of moping here, why not spend some intimate time with her?" Ji Wu Nian suddenly sensed something and looked up. Su Yang spread her hands. "See?" Despite feeling helpless, an anger stemmed within Ji Wu Nian. She bowed. "Thank you, Miss Su, for the medicine." Su Yang smiled, picked up her fan, and waved. "I did it for fun. I don't know how you found out, but just be cautious. This Ethereal Dream Powder, like Red Sleeve Powder, stains the soul. Although it’s not as potent, you should weigh its use carefully on whoever you plan to use it on." "I understand." Ji Wu Nian bid farewell to Su Yang and quickly chased after. Su Yang sipped her tea when the door opened, and Yue Bai walked in, fully dressed. "Miss Su." "Did you enjoy yourself last night?" Su Yang had no taboos, her eyes were filled with innuendo, even showing a bit of interest in this clear and cold beauty who had revealed her true face. "If last night wasn't enough, I can keep you company." Despite feeling hollow, Yue Bai sat next to her and smiled. "It was enough." The elegant beauty's smile was gentle, showing no care about the prank Su Yang pulled the previous night. Yue Bai looked at her. "Miss Su, what exactly is Ethereal Dream Powder for?" Su Yang paused, then turned her head to scrutinize Yue Bai. "It's my secret formula. I didn't expect that you and that girl would come asking about it in the last couple of days..." "I knew she wanted it, so I was curious." Yue Bai distanced herself from the matter. "You care about her," Su Yang gave her an ambiguous look, "So my Red Sleeve Powder didn't go to waste..." Yue Bai ignored any mentions of Ji Wu Nian and instead praised the soul-staining method. "Such methods must be related to your innate gift, right?" "Yes," knowing the formidable nature of Yue Bai's soul, Su Yang didn't hide. "I've been sensitive to souls since I was young. After joining Dream Illusion Tower, I started making little things." She smiled, "I never thought I could even affect a soul as strong as yours." "Miss Su, you have a remarkable talent," feeling they had exchanged enough pleasantries, Yue Bai asked her once more, "Can you tell me what Ethereal Dream Powder is used for?" "Red Sleeve Powder is a potent aphrodisiac, Ethereal Dream Powder is a long-lasting hallucinogenic drug," Su Yang laughed, "Its effects focus on duration, so it’s not as powerful as Red Sleeve Powder. It probably won’t affect you." "Thank you for the information." Yue Bai stood up but then walked over and handed Su Yang a book. Su Yang was wary and confused. "What's this?" "You have a talent, so you should utilize it," Yue Bai said. "It's rare for me to meet someone who can affect my soul. I admire you. This is a soul cultivation technique, if you're interested, you can try it." She took out a Purple Thunder Talisman. "You can also use this for self-defense." Su Yang, experienced and knowledgeable, instantly recognized the items' value. Soul cultivation techniques are rare, and this was a superior one. Not to mention, the Purple Thunder Talisman, capable of summoning lightning, was a rare treasure. She looked at Yue Bai in shock, no longer lying down. "Is this your way of repaying evil with kindness?" Yue Bai, about to leave, turned and smiled. "Miss Su's drug could only daze me for half an hour." Jiu Yi didn’t understand what she meant, but Su Yang did. If she was drugged for the first half-hour, then she indulged herself for the rest of the night. *** Since the night had already passed, Yue Bai wasn’t in a hurry to return to Sanqing. Disguising herself, she followed her memory to the place where Qi Feng allegedly encountered a demonic cultivator. Coincidentally, the place, called “Butterfly Manor,” was not far from the flowery streets and was part of the dark city. It looked like a separate mansion from the outside, often entertaining nobles, a place of revelry and extravagance similar to the flower streets. But it was different from them. Not only did it have earthly beauties, but also exceptional ones from the demon clans. Amid banquets, deals were made, treasures and wealth gathered. Qi Feng had come here to check out the auction of rare treasures but was led astray by a demonic cultivator. It was interesting that apart from Ji Wu Nian, Qi Feng, and the two people shot that day, Yue Bai hadn’t seen any other demonic cultivators since. "…Aren't you always tucked away in Sanqing's territory..." Jiu Yi said sheepishly. "Maybe you'll see more if you venture out." Yue Bai passed by a servant, gracefully walking by, stopping nearby to admire the gardens unnoticed. "First, I need to improve my cultivation." Strength is the key. "…Right," Jiu Yi grumbled. This system had mood issues, and with Yue Bai in a relatively decent mood, she asked, "What's wrong?" "…Are you just going to let last night slide?" Jiu Yi was on the verge of exploding but knew it wouldn’t make Yue Bai care. Yue Bai turned a corner, arriving at a small path ahead. She followed it, answering, "What else should I do?" …Even though there's not much you can do, can't you react a bit more? Jiu Yi was utterly frustrated, unable to say anything. "Aren’t you curious why Ji Wu Nian wanted Ethereal Dream Powder?" Jiu Yi was speechless at Yue Bai's indifference. "She clearly knew it was an aphrodisiac, right?" "…I know too." Yue Bai felt something and grew more vigilant. If Jiu Yi had eyes, they would have rolled. "Then why did you consume it?" "Ordinary drugs should not affect me." Jiu Yi felt dead inside and vaguely sensed something. "…Be honest, Yue Bai, have you lusted after her body for a long time…?" Enabling her to kiss and hug, and this time, directly permissive to sleep… Yue Bai thought for a moment, "I’ve helped her a lot; this kind of return isn’t asking too much." !!!!!!!!!!! I never thought you were like this, Yue Bai!!!!!!!!!! Yue Bai concealed her breath, "Stay silent." …I don’t make noise. Jiu Yi, though internally exploding, didn’t want to distract Yue Bai. She accompanied Yue Bai, traversing bridges, waters, strange forests, and exotic stones until they reached a courtyard within the mansion. A small pavilion, a couple of pear blossoms, and a patch of green grass in front. The owner was pruning branches, unaware of their visitor. Talk about calling it. Just discussed not seeing demonic cultivators, and here one was. The person appeared to be a young girl, about sixteen, dressed in a loose plain robe, hair tied with a simple ribbon, humming a tune, carefree and languid. Coincidentally, she resembled Ji Wu Nian a bit. Sensing someone behind, Yue Bai suppressed her aura, taking out a jade talisman for safety before finding a suitable hiding spot. “...Did you learn this level of stealth from peeping?” Jiu Yi's voice carried a hint of scorn. Yue Bai kept her soul restrained, alert and cautious. "Better safe than sorry." After all, she had just been discovered by Su Yang last night and had no desire to repeat that mistake so soon. "A-Yang," the demonic cultivator girl put down her scissors and greeted her guest with a smile, "I heard your house was full of guests last night with laughter and cheer. Congratulations." Su Yang’s charming face was anything but smiling; her slanted eyes were as sharp as daggers. "Cut the crap." She walked up to the girl and nearly smashed a thick book into her face. "Look at this!" The girl took the book calmly, pretending to flip through a few pages. "Oh, isn’t this my account book?" "Take a closer look!" Su Yang snatched it back, furiously pointing at a specific page, "Cong Sheng, have you grown so bold as to poach my guests?" "I saw your place was crowded and was just helping out by sharing some of the load," Cong Sheng blinked her wide eyes innocently and glanced at the pointed page. "Oh dear, how did it happen that I made more than you by accident?" "...So shameless," Jiu Yi commented. Su Yang was so furious her brows knitted together, but before she could retort, Cong Sheng pulled her by the arm. "A-Yang, you know, all's fair in business. I’m just a dishonest merchant, don’t hold a grudge against me." She playfully swung Su Yang's arm, her round eyes full of mischief. "But A-Yang, you're different from me. As for our previous bet, you must keep your word." Su Yang’s face turned crimson with rage. After taking a few deep breaths, she pulled out a small vial, speaking in a venomous tone. "Drink this, and I’ll fulfill my part of the bet." Yue Bai found the item slightly familiar. Cong Sheng said nothing, pulling the stopper and downing the contents in one gulp, even tipping the bottle upside down to show not a drop was left. But before Su Yang could turn her fury into satisfaction, Cong Sheng grabbed her waist, pulled her close, and pressed her lips to Su Yang’s. Jiu Yi: "..." Yue Bai: "..." Su Yang, taller than Cong Sheng, initially tried to break free. But Cong Sheng held her hands and deepened the kiss. Before long, Su Yang's body softened. With each gulp, the soul-staining drug took effect on her. Yue Bai knew how potent that drug could be and wasn't surprised to see Su Yang weaken. Cong Sheng held her, guiding her to lean against the pear blossom tree. She licked her lips, her eyes rimmed with red, breathing against Su Yang's neck, "A-Yang, this drug is really strong this time..." Even though it was a drug Su Yang made herself, she retained some clarity, though her breath was erratic, her eyes hazy with desire. "In... inside..." "No," demonic energy flickered around Cong Sheng as she tugged at Su Yang's clothes, burying herself against her, "There’s no one around..." Yue Bai: "..." Jiu Yi: "Yue Bai, be a decent person..."