Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 264 262: Qing Yueqiu: This Is a Trial

Pei Yuhang had no idea that his little disciple had just been ruthlessly tormented by a furious Shang Miaoyan.

He was focused on placing the final dish on the dining table. A steaming fragrance permeated the air, and the table laden with delicacies shimmered with the golden light of Spiritual Qi, making one's mouth water.

"Liyuan, let's eat while it's hot. It won't taste as good once it gets cold~"

Nearby, Ye Liyuan clutched a flask of Spirit Wine, her brow slightly furrowed as her gaze fell upon the Transmission Token in her other hand.

It was a message from her good friend and sworn older sister, Shang Miaoyan, sent just a moment ago.

She sighed softly, looking up at Pei Yuhang with a dejected expression. "Ah Han," she said, her voice low, "Sister Miaoyan just sent a message. She said she had urgent Sect business to handle and has already left."

"I prepared such a huge feast today specifically so we could eat with Sister Miaoyan..."

Pei Yuhang didn't seem surprised. After all, he'd said such final words to that blonde vixen. It was only natural for her to have a guilty conscience, feel ashamed, and leave.

Besides, he couldn't be happier that Shang Miaoyan was gone!

'It'd be best if that woman disappeared forever and never disturbed my and Liyuan's peaceful life of pure love again!'

Pei Yuhang was ecstatic, but seeing as Liyuan was in a foul mood, he forced himself to hold back his smile and comfort his Dao Companion first.

He put on a gentle smile and said in a lighthearted tone, "Is that so? The Holy Daughter is a busy woman, Liyuan. You have to understand. A person of her stature doesn't always have time to come and keep you company.

But that's okay, she may be gone, but I'm still here with you! Let's finish this flask of Spirit Wine, just the two of us~!"

Pei Yuhang marveled at how wonderful it was to share a meal with Liyuan without that third wheel, Shang Miaoyan, getting in the way. He reached over, took the Spirit Wine from Ye Liyuan's hand, and gently filled her cup.

The liquor gleamed faintly in the cup, giving off a light, sweet fragrance imbued with Spiritual Charm.

"Alright..."

Ye Liyuan's response was lukewarm. She took a sip of the wine, her pretty face still etched with unhappiness.

It seemed she held no anticipation for this meal with Pei Yuhang.

This wasn't because Ye Liyuan disliked eating with Ah Han, of course. It was just that the two of them ate together day in and day out, which made even this particular feast seem rather ordinary.

But Ye Liyuan had no idea how her listless expression would cause Pei Yuhang's heart to ache so gloomily.

'Pei Yuhang never imagined the day would come when his Dao Companion would lose her passion for him!'

'Wait, Liyuan?! In your eyes, am I, Pei Yuhang, less charming than Shang Miaoyan?'

'When Shang Miaoyan said she was staying for dinner, you were so excited... So why are you so glum now that it's just me!'

'In what way am I inferior to Shang Miaoyan?'

'AHHHHH—'

'That wretched Shang Miaoyan actually seduced my woman! You and I are mortal enemies!'

Pei Yuhang slammed his cup down in resentment. His opinion of Shang Miaoyan dropped from negative to double-negative.

The poor Saintess had done nothing at all, yet the difficulty of winning over Pei Sword Immortal had just shot up several notches.

...

...

「Meanwhile, on the other side of the Cold Palace Sword Mansion.」

Curtains embroidered with stars and a full moon were drawn tight, blocking out all sunlight, forbidding it from peeking at the unsightly scene within.

Inside the dim, lightless boudoir of a young woman.

Crumpled, fragrant tissues were scattered across the floor, painting a messy picture.

An indescribable, fresh scent of hormones filled the air, intoxicating enough to send one's head spinning.

From the bathroom came the trickling sound of running water, as if it would never cease.

Water seeped from beneath the door, shockingly tinged with threads of blood. It snaked across the floor, reflecting the faint candlelight and looking especially jarring.

Qing Yueqiu stood silently in the wooden tub, letting the warm water cascade over her body. The water in the tub was already stained red with blood, like a crimson lotus pond.

Her arms, as pale as fine white jade, were covered in hideous scars. Fresh blood oozed slowly from the wounds, sliding down her body to merge with the water, turning it a deep scarlet.

Perhaps because her bloodline had been purified by Ji Shenyun's True Essence to a state nearing that of the pure-blooded Asura Race, the wounds on Qing Yueqiu's body would visibly seal themselves in a short time, leaving not even a single scar.

It was for this very reason that Qing Yueqiu could recklessly use the pain of self-harm to suppress the monstrous killing intent in her heart.

Amid the sound of running water, Qing Yueqiu's eyes were gently closed. Her long lashes trembled, and droplets of water slid down her cheeks like tears.

Her expression was serene, yet it betrayed an ineffable exhaustion and relief. With each new infliction of pain, it felt as if she were peeling away the violent energy in her heart, bit by bit, letting it dissolve into the bloody water and vanish.

Once the scars on her arms and across her body had healed, she would take a small knife and gently slice open new wounds, continuing to bleed in a ceaseless cycle.

Only a Physique like hers, enhanced by the Killing Momentum, could withstand such abuse. The body of an ordinary Nascent Soul Cultivator would surely have collapsed under this ordeal.

'Ji Shenyun, I will not submit to you.'

'I will never harm Master!'

Qing Yueqiu's eyes turned a deeper scarlet, like blood-soaked jewels. The image of her Master began to surface in her mind: his gentle, jade-like face; his eyes, always holding a faint smile; and his voice, as soft as the wind.

Memories flooded in like a tide: the gentleness in his touch as he combed her long hair, the patience in his voice as he taught her to cultivate, the large hand that always held hers whenever she was lost...

Just as her emotions reached their peak, the butterfly-wing curse on her back once again pulsed with a bone-chilling cold.

The Killing Momentum in her body began to boil uncontrollably, like a savage beast roaring through her veins.

The young woman's body temperature shot up, evaporating the blood-red water at her feet into a fine mist. It swirled around her, draping her in a veil of scarlet gauze.

Qing Yueqiu endured the torment of the seductive siren call of killing intent. Her skin flushed a faint red, and fine beads of sweat dotted her brow, sliding down her cheeks to merge with the mist.

Her eyes grew misty as she slowly lowered her hand...

'This... is a trial.'

The young woman murmured, her voice as faint as a whisper, 'I must try to overcome this curse of slaughter with love!'

Only in the moment of release... could she feel the sense of security that came from believing she had conquered the curse with love.

For a Cultivator, Essence Qi is vital. Without a partner for dual cultivation to replenish it, this sort of 'release' would lead to a loss of Essence Qi, which is detrimental to one's cultivation.

Fortunately, Qing Yueqiu now possessed a powerful Physique comparable to that of a Demigod, her Life Force as vigorous as a volcano. Often, by the time she found her release, the Essence Qi she had just expended would have already been restored.

This was how she could sustain this special, and rather embarrassing, form of cultivation.