Mei Man’s eyes were half-lidded, her unfocused gaze fixed somewhere in midair.
It was Qiu Heyang.
She immediately held her breath, not daring to move.
Fortunately, the image projected by the communication jade slip was limited. It showed only from the shoulders up.
Qiu Heyang leaned closer, his star-bright eyes filled with a smile.
“So it really is you, Little Mei. Master told me he’d given you a jade slip, but I thought he was joking. Weren’t you the one who said you didn’t want one before? What changed your mind?”
He looked rather travel-worn. His usually neat hair was slightly disheveled, but his eyes remained fixed on Mei Man, as though he cared more about her answer than his own exhaustion.
Mei Man’s entire body had gone rigid, and her mind was in a mess.
The communication jade slip belonged to Shen Shushi. How had it ended up in Qiu Heyang’s hands?
And hadn’t he gone to the mortal realm? How had he returned so quickly?
She was just about to speak, but only a short, breathy sound escaped her. The rest of her words caught in her throat, impossible to force out.
There was no other reason. Her gaze shifted, and she briefly met Xie Xu’s eyes.
He was staring at her, still pecking and kissing her intermittently. From time to time, he would press his lips and tongue against her, sucking and licking slowly.
When he noticed her looking over, he lifted his head slightly and narrowed his eyes. A glistening drop of moisture hung from the tip of his exposed tongue.
If not for the circumstances, Mei Man would truly have liked to curse him for acting up again. But the situation was unusual, so she hurriedly turned her gaze back.
When she remained silent, Qiu Heyang’s smile faded, and a hint of confusion appeared on his face.
“Little Mei?”
At that moment, Shen Shushi’s voice came from outside the frame. “Heyang, why are you in such a rush? Guiya said she had something urgent to attend to, so it must be important. Whatever you have to say can wait until she returns.”
Mei Man’s heart clenched.
Why was Shen Shushi there too?
But there was also Yu Guiya. He chuckled and said, “Qiu Heyang, it’s only a jade slip. Why are you hounding your junior sister about it? Could it be that she accepted one from Master but not from you because she dislikes you?”
Qiu Heyang’s expression shifted. The corners of his mouth drooped, and a trace of viciousness flashed across his clear, handsome features.
Mei Man paid no attention to his expression. She hurriedly kicked Xie Xu, and he stopped at once, no longer licking and kissing her.
In the blink of an eye, Qiu Heyang had concealed his viciousness and cheerfully said to Yu Guiya, “You brat, you’re always calling her ‘Junior Sister,’ but you never remember to call me Senior Brother. You use my given name all day long, and I’m the only one generous enough not to mind. If Eldest Senior Brother were here, try calling him by his name and see what happens. Besides, I wasn’t worried that Little Mei disliked me. I was only asking.”
Yu Guiya laughed as well. “We play together all the time and are as close as friends. How could I bring myself to call you Senior Brother?”
“True enough.”
He answered quickly, but Mei Man knew that deep down, he had probably already skinned Yu Guiya alive.
Qiu Heyang turned to Mei Man and asked, “Little Mei, where are you? The place looks unfamiliar.”
Mei Man finally managed to pull herself away from the overwhelming pleasure that had nearly left her unable to breathe. Her voice hoarse, she said, “I went back to the outer sect courtyard to get something.”
“No wonder I couldn’t find you,” Qiu Heyang said. “Remember to come back early. It’ll be hard to find your way if it gets too late.”
Mei Man nodded.
Qiu Heyang said to Shen Shushi, “Master, I have something I’d like to say to her. It isn’t convenient to have other people hear it, so I’ll go outside first.”
Without waiting for Shen Shushi to answer, he hurried out.
Once he was outside, he asked, “Have you gotten used to things these past few days? If there’s anything you’re having trouble adjusting to, you can tell me quietly.”
“No. I’ve adjusted very well.”
Mei Man only wished he would stop talking.
Xie Xu was no longer acting as he had before. Now he merely kissed her from time to time, or lazily traced circles with his hand. There was indeed very little movement, but it left her suspended in a state neither here nor there, making her unbearably uncomfortable.
“Really?” Qiu Heyang gave a faint, cold laugh. “That little bastard Fan Zilang actually dared to badmouth you in front of Master, saying that you bullied him. Ha! What a ridiculous joke. Even if you had really killed him, so what? If he had any grievances, he should have confronted you directly. Instead, he went crying to others like a pathetic little wretch. He deserves to die.”
Mei Man instantly sobered. “Did Immortal Master believe him?”
“No. I drove him out.” Qiu Heyang sneered contemptuously. “A lowly half-demon dares barge in here? Sooner or later, I’ll butcher him.”
He wasn’t merely talking when he said he would deal with Fan Zilang. He had most likely already begun planning the right moment to strike.
Normally, all Mei Man had to do was go along with him, and she could easily eliminate this troublesome problem.
She wouldn’t have to pay any price or live in fear.
After all, Qiu Heyang’s cultivation was high, and he was ruthless when he acted. He could get rid of Fan Zilang without anyone noticing.
But Mei Man’s attention was focused entirely on the other matter he had mentioned.
She leaned forward slightly, pretending to have heard something fascinating, and asked, “Senior Brother Fan is a half-demon?”
“Mm.” Qiu Heyang let out a cold snort. “Nothing but a mongrel.”
Mei Man continued, “What kind of demon is he? I’ve never seen a half-demon with my own eyes. I’ve only heard stories about places suffering from fox infestations. Could he be a fox demon? Can he grow a fox’s tail? Have you seen it? Is it pretty?”
She asked several questions in succession. Xie Xu, who had been crouched beside the bed, suddenly lifted his head and fixed his gaze on her.
Qiu Heyang’s smile disappeared as well. “Little Mei, why are you curious about that? Demons are all—”
“It sounds fascinating,” Mei Man interrupted. “When I was little, people told me that if half-demons didn’t have enough cultivation, then even after taking human form, they would retain some demonic traits. I’ve only ever seen that sort of thing in storybooks.”
Qiu Heyang suddenly felt deeply displeased.
What was there to be curious about in a half-demon like that? Neither human nor beast.
The viciousness in his heart intensified, and he wished he could kill Fan Zilang right then and there.
“Half-demons are all filthy wretches, neither human nor beast. They’re no good.” He spoke bluntly. “Little Mei, you’re softhearted and too kind. Don’t be curious about that sort of thing, and don’t associate with them. It won’t do you any good.”
“All right, then…” Mei Man paused, doing her best to control her expression so that nothing would give her away. She took a breath before asking the question she cared about most. “Then Senior Brother Fan must be different from the other cultivators. He doesn’t have a spiritual root, only a demon core.”
“Of course.”
“I see.”
Mei Man’s expression remained unchanged.
But deep inside, an indescribable joy surged through her.
She might have…
Found a vessel capable of holding the spiritual energy she had accumulated.
She could hardly suppress her happiness. Her entire body felt as light as a drifting cloud. She no longer had any interest in continuing the conversation with Qiu Heyang. After hastily brushing him off with a few perfunctory replies, she said she still had to hurry and pack her things.
Once Qiu Heyang dispersed the image projected by the jade slip, Mei Man tossed it aside and flung herself onto Xie Xu’s lap.
Xie Xu caught her by the waist in time. He also sensed the subtle change in her mood.
“You’re happy?”
Mei Man wasn’t used to revealing such emotions. She deliberately tried to keep the corners of her mouth from lifting, but the smile still escaped through her eyes, and her quickened heartbeat gave her away. There was no hiding it.
So she nodded. “I’ve been eating fasting pills for days, and my mouth feels awful. It’s rare to get a bowl of porridge.”
Xie Xu said, “If you ate a steamed bun, would you be so happy you’d fly to the heavens?”
“Tsk.” Mei Man wrapped her arms around his neck. Sensing a certain solid change, she couldn’t help cursing him. “Xie Xu, you shameless lecher.”
Xie Xu gave a muffled “Mm,” his head buried against her shoulder as his breath grew increasingly hot.
Mei Man lowered her head as well, her eyes slightly narrowed as she slowly rubbed against him.
His uncontrollable panting escaped, mingling with her somewhat hurried breathing.
As Mei Man was leaving, Xie Xu, who had barely spoken all this time, suddenly said, “Manman, you seem a little different.”
She frowned slightly. “What do you mean?”
Xie Xu fell silent.
He couldn’t quite put it into words.
Before, she had been like a blade of grass growing in the shade, gloomy and dispirited, rarely seeing the light.
Now, however, she seemed to have gained a little more spirit.
In the end, he only said, “Perhaps it’s a good change.”
Mei Man didn’t care whether the change in her was good or bad. At present, all her thoughts were occupied with the demon core.
Unfortunately, Fan Zilang seemed to have been frightened into hiding after Shen Shushi reprimanded him, and he hadn’t shown his face for several days.
But Mei Man knew all too well how terrifying the flames of jealousy could be.
They could twist a person until he became completely unrecognizable.
She knew.
She knew that all too well.
Fan Zilang targeted her because he couldn’t stand seeing a mere mortal like her become Shen Shushi’s disciple.
In his eyes, if even he hadn’t received such an “honor,” then how could she possibly deserve it?
As long as he continued to suffer the torment of jealousy, he would never find release.
One day, he would come looking for her.
At present, there was only one thing she was worried about—
That Qiu Heyang would deal with Fan Zilang before Fan Zilang could cause her trouble.
That day, Mei Man was looking through the library for information about the Yijing Pill when a white crane suddenly flew over, a letter clasped in its beak.
The white crane dropped the letter for her and flew away.
Mei Man opened it.
It was written in Shen Shushi’s hand.
The letter was brief. He asked her to go to the Beast Forest behind the mountain, where he was gathering medicinal herbs.
