Seeing Chai Qun’s expression—furious, yet unable to voice it—Mei Man felt a surge of satisfaction. But she did not believe he would simply admit defeat or let her go.
As soon as the spirit-medicine class ended, he blocked her path and demanded, “You did that on purpose?”
Mei Man shot back, “Did I deliberately make you steal the dragonbone? Or deliberately make you take the sleeping powder? A thief refuses to reflect on himself, yet blames the owner for putting fake silver in the chest. Isn’t that ridiculous?”
“Fine. Fine!” Chai Qun laughed, though his eyes and brows remained icy.
Mei Man sensed that something was wrong. Sure enough, the next moment, he said, “Mei Man, my father sent me a letter yesterday, asking whether I’m settling in well here. He even said that if it’s inconvenient, he can arrange for two attendants to come take care of me. I imagine Senior Brother Qiu is much the same, don’t you think?”
Mei Man was stunned.
The Qiu family had treated her well. They had never regarded her as a servant or an attendant. Still, she had always felt there was a wall between them, that they were never truly close. But Chai Qun would not have brought this up for no reason.
“You investigated me?” she asked.
Chai Qun spread his hands. “I was merely curious how an ordinary mortal like you managed to enter this immortal estate—and how you happened to know members of the Mei family. Mei Man, how much is the Qiu family paying you? I can offer more. Then my father won’t need to send servants to attend to me.”
The Mei family?
The Mei family?
Mei Man had never imagined that such words would come from the Mei family.
The Qiu family, who shared no blood with her, had treated her generously. Yet the Mei family who had given birth to her spoke of her with such contempt.
That humiliation was more painful than any insult.
Mei Man felt cold to the bone, though her eyes burned fiercely.
She was furious enough to want to tear his mouth apart before killing him.
Yet the heavier the venom in her heart grew, the calmer she became. “You’ll regret this,” she said.
Chai Qun laughed. “You want Senior Brother Qiu to stand up for you? But it’s been so many days, and he hasn’t even come to see you once. Oh—though he did give you a piece of bone. The Qiu family really is wealthy, giving even their servants such generous gifts.”
Mei Man’s expression did not change. She stared at him without blinking and repeated, “You’ll regret this.”
“...Fine.” Chai Qun’s smile slowly faded. “Then let’s see whether I regret it first, or you’re the first to beg for mercy.”
Naturally, he did not believe she could stir up any trouble.
An insignificant little tagalong—if she died, no one would care.
The first few days were quiet.
Because of the sleeping-powder incident, Chai Qun was once again shunned by those people. Even if he had not done it on purpose, the matter had still caused his friends to lose face.
He spent quite some effort working his way back into their circle.
And once he had settled matters on that side, he had the leisure to target Mei Man again.
One afternoon, Mei Man was practicing her physical cultivation in the training hall. Halfway through, she grew hungry, so she went to buy a steamed bun.
She had saved up some money while living with the Qiu family, but she was frugal and saved wherever she could. After all, she was only a mortal. If she ever had to leave the Qiu family, she would need some savings to fall back on.
Just as she was about to bite into the bun, an unfamiliar young disciple came running over and said that an immortal master was looking for her.
Mei Man immediately followed him, but they had not gone far when he suddenly stopped.
“I think I got the wrong person. You can go back.”
“What do you mean, you got the wrong person?” Mei Man frowned.
“Mistake, mistake,” the young boy said, then vanished in the blink of an eye.
Mei Man was about to curse him out when she sensed that something was off.
Only after she returned did she realize what the problem was—
Her steamed bun had been split open, and a pitch-black, highly venomous scorpion had been stuffed inside.
The scorpion was not quite dead yet. Its tail twitched now and then.
Another one of those crude little tricks.
Yet it was precisely one clumsy tactic after another, piled together, that made them so utterly loathsome.
Mei Man held the “filled” bun in her hand and slowly raised her head.
In the corner ahead, Chai Qun was chatting with several cultivators, grinning cheerfully.
Perhaps sensing Mei Man’s gaze, he glanced at her. Though they were nearly at eye level, his look carried an air of condescension.
He was probably waiting for her to give in—waiting for her to apologize to him, in exchange for a few days of peace.
In his eyes, all of this would stop as long as she took the initiative to beg for mercy.
But not for Mei Man.
She lowered her eyes and looked at the bun.
Then, suddenly, she clenched it tight and took a bite.
Cries of alarm came from the other side, but she did not look up. She swallowed the mouthful of bun whole.
A sour, bitter, fishy, nauseating taste spread through her mouth. Fighting back the urge to retch, she took another bite.
Chai Qun hurried over and grabbed her by the arm.
“Mei Man, do you have a death wish? That’s a scorpion! Are you blind? You just ate it without even looking?” He shook her arm and reached as though to pinch her cheeks. “Spit it out. Spit it out!”
Others hurried over after him. Seemingly unaware of what had happened, they gathered around the two of them, asking, “What is it?” and “What happened?”
Then someone noticed the half-eaten bun on the ground and cried out, “Where did this venomous scorpion come from?!”
At those words, nearly everyone turned to look at Chai Qun.
Mei Man looked at him too, staring without blinking as she swallowed a second mouthful of the bun in front of him.
Chai Qun froze in shock. Only then did he realize how foolish his earlier reaction had been. Meeting everyone’s scrutinizing gazes, he hurriedly said, “No, it wasn’t me. I just…”
Mei Man did not hear the rest.
In most cases, swallowing a venomous scorpion outright was not as serious as being stung by one. But this scorpion was exceptionally poisonous. When the venom took effect, her stomach began to ache terribly, and before long, she passed out.
Before losing consciousness, she saw Chai Qun being pushed outside by several people, his face filled with frightened, lingering dread.
When Mei Man woke again, she was lying in the infirmary.
The senior sister from the medical hall who had been watching over her let out a great sigh of relief. Wiping Mei Man’s forehead with a soft cloth, she said, “Thank goodness you’re all right. Junior Sister Mei, you were unconscious for three whole days. You frightened us to death. How are you feeling now? Does your stomach still hurt?”
Mei Man’s vision was still somewhat unfocused. She instinctively shook her head.
More than her own condition, there was something else she wanted to know.
“Where is Chai Qun?”
After only three days, her voice had become so hoarse that it was nearly unrecognizable.
The senior sister dabbed Mei Man’s lips with a moistened piece of cotton cloth, and there seemed to be pity in her eyes.
She said, “He’s outside, and the elders from the Discipline Hall have come as well. I’ll go call them in.”
Mei Man had assumed that the Immortal Master was in charge of this matter. She hadn’t expected an elder from the Discipline Hall to come personally.
The elder appeared to be a stern, middle-aged man. Chai Qun followed at his side, keeping his head lowered the entire time.
“Young Friend Mei,” the elder said with concern as he sat down beside her bed. “How are you feeling? Is there anywhere else that still feels uncomfortable?”
“Thank you, Elder. I’m much better now.” Mei Man leaned listlessly against the headboard, her voice weak and breathy. “What about the Immortal Master? Didn’t he come?”
“Shu Shi hasn’t been feeling well these past two days and is currently in seclusion. He doesn’t know about this yet, so I’ll handle it in his place.” The elder swept a glance at Chai Qun. “I’ve already looked into the matter. This wretch’s behavior was utterly unacceptable. To show not the slightest concern for a fellow disciple—even if it was unintentional, he still shouldn’t be let off lightly!”
Mei Man had been waiting to hear how he planned to punish Chai Qun, but the moment she heard the words “unintentional,” her heart sank.
She forced herself to summon a little strength and said, “Thank you, Elder, but it wouldn’t be too late to investigate after the Immortal Master comes out of seclusion. The scorpion venom was truly too powerful. I’m still a little dizzy, and there are many things I can’t explain clearly just yet. So I ask that you—”
“There’s no need to say anything more.” The elder cut her off. “Young Friend Mei, you’ve suffered. How could I simply stand by and do nothing? Chai Qun must be punished—and punished severely.”
Mei Man could clearly feel the warmth draining from her body bit by bit. A buzzing gradually filled her head.
Amid that ceaseless, faint buzzing, she heard the elder say, “I’ve already made the arrangements. He’ll be confined in the Discipline Hall for one month. He will also cover the cost of the medicine you need for your recovery.”
“One month?” Chai Qun suddenly raised his head. He looked utterly dispirited, his eyes red-rimmed as though he had been crying. “Isn’t that a little too long? What am I supposed to do about my Talisman Studies examination? I already told you she ate it herself! Now everyone’s avoiding me, and you’re still punishing me like this. How am I supposed to face anyone when I go back?”
The elder shot him a sidelong glance.
Only after a long while did Chai Qun reluctantly say, “I do deserve to be punished. Mei Man, forgive me. I know I was wrong.”
He knew he was wrong?
Watching the two of them sing the same tune, Mei Man nearly laughed aloud. The buzzing in her head grew louder. The half a scorpion she had swallowed seemed to come alive again, churning in her stomach and stinging her viciously, making her feel sick to her stomach.
The elder continued unhurriedly, “Ah, this boy—I’ve practically watched him grow up. He isn’t a malicious person. I imagine there must have been some misunderstanding. He was confused for a moment, and that’s how this trouble came about.”
Oh.
So that was the reason.
Mei Man suddenly became calm.
She should have thought of this sooner.
She should have realized long ago that, when it came to dealing with a bastard like him, waiting for someone else to judge him for his wrongdoing was useless.
The elder asked her, “Young Friend Mei, what do you think?”
“Yes.”
Confinement…
“The elder’s punishment is very fair.”
Did they really think they could fob her off like this?
“It wasn’t anything serious to begin with. Since he’s already apologized and accepted his punishment…”
One month in confinement and a little money for medicine—that was supposed to count as punishment?
“I forgive him too.”
Could that erase her pain?
“—Chai Qun.”
Bastard!
“Let’s make up.”
I’m going to kill you.
Mei Man braced herself against the bed and climbed down. Though weak and unsteady on her feet, she managed to stand straight and held out a hand to him.
Chai Qun did not take it. Clenching his teeth, he lowered his voice. “Satisfied now?”
Compared with him, she was much calmer. “I was too impulsive as well. We should have talked things through if we had any conflict. Things never would have escalated this far.”
The elder nodded in satisfaction.
Chai Qun had no desire to remain in that place. Before long, he said he was leaving.
But as the two of them were about to go, Mei Man suddenly tugged at the hem of Chai Qun’s robe.
He turned back and shot her a sidelong glance.
The elder had already left ahead of them. Mei Man asked softly, “Even if the elder is protecting you, aren’t you still being confined? I heard that once you enter the Punishment Chamber, you’ll be whipped, fed stale food, and made to drink slop. When you come out again, will you be so stinky that no one will want to talk to you?”
“You’re talking nonsense!” Chai Qun snapped, furious.
Looking utterly unconcerned, Mei Man lay back down on the bed. “Who knows? It’s not as if I can see.”
Chai Qun gave her a cold look. “Just you wait.”
With that, he left with a dark expression.
Only afterward did Mei Man hear that the disciples of the Outer Court all believed he had deliberately poisoned someone. Though those youngsters liked to gather and play together, most of them thought rather highly of themselves. Still, they were young, fearless, and possessed a certain sense of righteous indignation. They began distancing themselves from him, even deliberately making things difficult for him.
Two days later, just as she had recovered a little, Mei Man received word from Chai Qun.
The message was delivered by a senior brother from the Discipline Hall. “Chai Qun wants to see you. He feels his apology last time wasn’t sincere enough, and he wants to apologize to you in person again.”
Mei Man asked, “But Senior Brother, he’s being punished right now. Wouldn’t it be inappropriate to see him privately?”
“It’s only a few words. What could possibly happen?”
Mei Man hesitated, then nodded. That night, she followed the senior brother into the Punishment Chamber on the third floor of the Discipline Hall.
When she entered, Chai Qun was eating pastries.
He was sprawled carelessly in a chair. Before him was a table laden with fine food and dishes. There was not even a candle lit; instead, the room was illuminated by a night pearl so bright it was almost glaring.
“Sit,” he said nonchalantly. “Sit wherever you like. Are you hungry? If you are, you can have something to eat while you’re here. Once you leave, you won’t find food this good outside.”
The door shut behind her. Mei Man did not move. “What is this supposed to mean?”
“It doesn’t mean anything.” Chai Qun took out two empty cups and set them on the table. “Didn’t you say I’d suffer once I came in here? I’m just letting you broaden your horizons. If I were really meant to live a hard life, why would my family have sent me here? You probably wouldn’t understand. After all, you’ve done so many errands for the Qiu family, yet not a single person has come to see you. What I said before still stands. How about working for me?”
“Aren’t you afraid someone will overhear you saying that?” Mei Man said. “Senior Brother is still outside.”
Chai Qun smiled. “You really are a mortal who knows nothing about spiritual power. How could any sound from inside this Punishment Chamber possibly reach the outside?”
Mei Man sat across from him and, before he could raise his hand, snatched up the teapot first.
“So your apology that day wasn’t sincere?” She poured two cups of tea.
“Apology?” Chai Qun sneered. “You’re the one who ruined me, and you still expect me to apologize? I’ll have you know, my father said he’s already sent a letter to the Qiu family to buy out your contract. Once I get out of here, I’ll have plenty of ways to finish you!”
With that, he picked up the tea and gulped it down, then spat and swore, “What kind of lousy tea is this? It’s bitter as hell.”
“You’ll find out soon enough.” Mei Man gripped her cup tightly. All at once, she felt her heart pounding unusually fast.
Beat after beat, it seemed ready to burst from her chest.
Chai Qun furrowed his brow, as though puzzled.
The next moment, he suddenly doubled over, clutching his stomach as a cry of agony escaped him.
“Gah… It hurts. My stomach! My stomach…” He collapsed over the table, cold sweat breaking out across his forehead in an instant.
Mei Man shot to her feet. Her heart pounded even faster, and her blood seemed to surge toward her head, yet her eyes remained fixed firmly on him.
Chai Qun laboriously lifted his eyelids and glared at her. “You—you tampered with the tea?”
“I’m merely returning what belongs to its rightful owner.” Mei Man pulled a shriveled scorpion leg from her sleeve and pressed it into his hand. Leaning close, she whispered, “At most, I’ll get a stomachache. But you… you may not fare so well. I read in a book that the venom of the poisonous scorpions you catch can corrode one’s spirit root.”
His expression changed at once, and he raised a hand to grab her.
But he had no strength left. The scorpion venom took effect swiftly, and he crumpled to the floor, clutching his stomach and crying out in pain.
Mei Man retreated to one side and quietly watched him writhe.
Once the initial rush of excitement faded, fear began to creep in. Chai Qun knew the elder of the Discipline Hall. She didn’t dare imagine what would happen to her if this matter were exposed.
Her heart beat faster and faster, and panic seized her until all four limbs began to stiffen and go numb.
At that moment, perhaps driven to desperation by the pain, Chai Qun somehow summoned a surge of strength.
Using the table for support, he staggered to his feet, smashed the teapot, and charged at her with a furious roar. “You bastard! You bastard! I’ll kill you! I’m going to kill you!”
Mei Man caught his arm, and the two of them grappled with each other.
He fought viciously, and she held nothing back either. After only a few exchanges, both of them had lost all reason.
Mei Man slammed her fist into him and cursed, “You worthless piece of trash! What’s wrong? Can’t use your spiritual power anymore? Turned into a mortal, have you? Why aren’t you showing off in front of me now? Go on, use it! Use your spiritual power!”
Chai Qun actually tried. His trembling hands formed the same seal several times, but all he managed to squeeze out was a wisp of scattered spiritual power.
Mei Man gave a short laugh, instantly fanning the flames of his fury.
He let out an unhinged roar, snatched up a shard of the teapot, and lunged at her with it.
Mei Man blocked him several times, until the shard had sliced his hand to ribbons.
He dropped it and began panting like a ferocious beast caught in a trap, struggling desperately to escape. Only then did he finally understand. He fixed her with a vicious glare and said, “You did it on purpose. You deliberately said all those things? You’d already planned to hurt me, you filthy wretch, you dog of a slave! I’ll kill you!”
“I’m not—not!” Mei Man gasped, blood from the gash on her forehead streaming down and casting a red haze over her vision. “Fine. Fine! Now it’s fair. We’re both made of flesh, both wrapped in skin, both mortal bodies of flesh and bone. Then let’s see—let’s see who kills the other first!”
The two grappled in a tangled heap. Chai Qun wanted nothing more than to see her dead. After more than a dozen exchanges, he suddenly exerted all his strength, clamping his hands around her throat and choking off her breath.
She struggled desperately, but could not break free.
The air in her lungs was slowly crushed away. Her eyes swam with tears, but she had no time to wipe them away. Then she threw both arms around him with all her strength and hurled herself toward the window.
“You want to kill me? You still want to kill me?!” Mei Man shrieked. She saw terror flare in his eyes, but she held him in an unbreakable grip, forcing the words out from the depths of her lungs. “I’ll survive. No one gets to control me! No one!”
She suddenly toppled sideways, dragging him with her as they crashed through the window.
In the instant of their fall, Chai Qun finally let go and gave a brief, piercing scream.
Mei Man gulped in air. The cold breath of the spring night rushed into her throat, stirring up the metallic sweetness of blood.
Through the blur at the edge of her vision, she caught sight of a sky so deep blue it was nearly black, stars glittering at its edge.
They were still so high—cold and remote above her.
She also caught sight of the trees, stones, and houses below.
They seemed lower than usual, lying quietly beneath her.
So this was what it felt like to be suspended in the air.
She thought—she had always thought—that if she survived, one day she would climb higher than she was at this very instant. She would rise above those stars, above the heavens, and look down upon everything.
“Bang—!”
They struck the hard stone ground at the same time.
Screams and breath alike came to an abrupt stop. The spring night returned to its cold stillness, even the insects sounding sparse and forlorn.
Two figures lay motionless upon the ground.
The silence all around deepened. The endless night stretched on, and even the insects seemed to have fallen silent.
After a long while, one of the figures moved.
Mei Man turned onto her side and curled up, like a fetus returned to its mother’s womb. A hoarse, miserable cry escaped her, followed by violent coughing, as though she meant to cough out every organ wracked with pain.
After coughing up several mouthfuls of blood, her entire body began to tremble uncontrollably. Black shadows drifted across her vision, and her mind went blank.
But she did not feel miserable.
Still struggling, Mei Man slowly rolled her aching body onto her back as she coughed, then gradually began to laugh.
She hurt so badly she could barely move a finger, yet she still forced herself to wipe the blood from her eyelids.
The night sky, scattered with sparse stars, came into clearer focus. She stared up at it without blinking, her laughter growing louder.
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