While Yuemi's real body kept Xinzi distracted, an avatar stood at Xiao Hu's door, blocking her path.
"Hi," Yuemi said, her tone as friendly as a gentle and reliable neighbor that always stood ready to lend a hand. But having been warned by Baxian, and even Xinzi in a more covert manner, Xiao Hu knew that if there was one person she should avoid meddling with at all cost, it was Hengye Yuemi.
"Greetings, Lord-Regent," Xiao Hu said and bowed, attempting to imitate the protocol and manners she'd seen in the Evernight Palace's residents. The gesture made Yuemi's face twist in a show of discomfort.
"Oh, don't do that. You are a person favored by Zhen'er. So at worst, we can be friends. At best, we will be relatives. I can't accept your bow, makes me feel like you're putting no end of distance between us.
*Sniff* *Sniff*
See? I'm crying already." Crocodile tears leaked from Yuemi's eyes, and pulling her mourning veil aside, she wiped them with a purple handkerchief.
"Favored?" Though she wouldn't let the Lord-Regent's display mislead her, Yuemi's words still poked at Xiao Hu's curiosity. If this was how the Zhen-body treated those it favored, she didn't want to see how it handled the people it despised.
"Yes, obviously. Otherwise, why would he bring you on the Anti-Qiu crusade? Clearly, it was to protect you from me. Now that he's back, even if he doesn't stand in the vicinity, Zhen'er believes that there's nothing I can do to mess with you. And he's right. But he misunderstands, I'm not trying to harm you. Why would I? What Zhen'er likes, I like. What he hates, I hate. Be not afraid, darling. In fact, as a gesture of goodwill, I'm going to give you two gifts. Here's the first," Yuemi said, and without giving Xiao Hu an opportunity to contest her words, snapped her fingers.
From the dark-green swordmaster robe, Xiao Hu shifted into a colorful peacock-feathered dress. The green still had a strong presence in the garment, but the inlaid blue helped form a soothing contrast, distracting the eyes from green implications.
"Nice! This is an immortal-grade Defensive Aritfact. Although you can't control it, it will still provide you with enough natural defenses that you can resist any blow under the Immortal Realm. It's also pretty. Nice, right?" Yuemi clapped at her own words, and with one step, appeared right before Xiao Hu—her cool breath brushing the green swordswoman's face.
"Huh…I guess?" Overwhelmed by Yuemi's friendly display, and the pace at which the interaction unfurled, Xiao Hu didn't know how to reject the Lord-Regent. The situation escaped her control, and she fell into a passive stance.
"That's my girl! Come, I have another gift for you," Yuemi said, and without giving Xiao Hu any time to contest the offer, grabbed her hands. Coiling black winds swirled around the two, and they vanished, reappearing in one grand courtyard where colorful spiritual plants bloomed across a massive pool.
Immortal Qi oozed from that pool, rattling Xiao Hu's senses. Even with the elastic dantian she'd built thanks to Xue Yuanshao, she still dared not be careless with the Qi that got into her. After all, with enough force and tear, an elastic can snap.
"This is one of the Immortal Qi Pools that our residents use to cultivate Spiritual Drops. You see, not everyone here is like Zhen'er, able to cultivate based on the system of the Celestial Paradise. Still, with resources of this level, the foundations we build naturally stand leagues above what Dongli brains can picture. Since you're still in Qi Refinement, I'm giving you an opportunity to cultivate à la Night Spirit.
I know, I know, it's toooo kind of me. You don't have to hug me." Yuemi sighed at her own generosity and reached for Xiao Hu's back. But unlike what some might expect, the green swordswoman recoiled, terror-struck by Yuemi's offer.
"N-not necessary. I've already condensed my…Qi Vortex."
"Ah, who cares? This pool will break it down into Spiritual Drops again and help you cultivate more of them. Better quality drops too. About 99.99% of the cultivation world would kill for this privilege. How lucky you are!" Yuemi's gentle smile slowly morphed into an eerie grin. Xiao Hu's panic intensified, and she tried to make a run for it. Alas, Yuemi's aura pinned the green swordswoman down, making any escape attempt futile.
"Wait, no! I've cultivated over 10,000 drops already! D-don't!"
"Who cares? Your dantian is elastic, right? Oh, I know why you're so scared. With enough wear and tear, a calculated dose of stress, even elastics can break. And if your dantian goes boom, well, you're dead. Even if it doesn't, my, my, it's hard enough for a human to condense 10,000 Spiritual Drops into a Qi Pool. How the hell are you going to manage 20,000, 50,000, or worse? Death or eternal Qi Refinement, WHICH ONE WILL IT BE?" Yuemi's excitement rose as she spoke, and she leaned closer towards Xiao Hu, whose eyes widened at Yuemi's demented gaze.
"Actually, I lied. What Zhen'er likes, I like. What he hates, I hate, unless we're talking about women. To see a female presence by Zhen'er's side, Xinzi-body or not, just drives me nuts. I know that I'm a very sane and rational person on usual days, but I still have my pet peeves, and…you're turning into one of them! Also…" Xiao Hu's trembling intensified, and in desperation she shook her head, tried to scream for help, but no sound would come out of her mouth. Yuemi's nose brushed hers, with her grip on Xiao Hu's back tightening by the second.
One shove was all it took. Propelled by Yuemi's irresistible strength, Xiao Hu tumbled down the pool. It sucked her right in, dragging her into its impossible depths while breaking down her Qi Vortex and filling her dantian with an exploding number of Spiritual Drops.
"Splash!" Yuemi said with glee, mirroring the water sounds, and squatted by the Immortal Qi Pool.
"Ahhh. After getting enlightenment in my own genius, I realize that for a woman to leave a strong impression in a man's mind, she needs to torment him. Yes, love is too fickle. Only through grief, hatred and suffering can a woman create an eternal image in a man's fickle heart. So, I have no choice but to make Zhen'er suffer. And if he won't…at least Xinzi will. The more Xinzi loathes me, the better. That way I can guarantee that…on the day that he claims my life, I will become an immortal part of his heart and soul. The beauty of our story will outlast the stars, and my love for him, a dramatic tale rehashed throughout myriad worlds! Hahahaha!"
Yuemi's avatar burst into laughter, then broke down into a colony of dark butterflies, casting a defensive barrier that none below the Immortal Realm should even dream of touching. The peacock dress vanished as well, returning to the real Yuemi's storage ring.
Trapped by the Immortal Qi Pool and Yuemi's defensive barrier, Xiao Hu suffocated. In a flash, the water filled her lungs, over 10,000 drops added to her dantian, with more forming by the second. Thirty, forty, sixty…by the time her consciousness wavered due to the drowning, over 100,000 Spiritual Drops had filled Xiao Hu's elastic dantian, and signs of weakness reared their head.
'What a shame…I didn't even find the chance to get Chun Xu back for all the harm that she has caused me. Or is she even to blame? Maybe…I shouldn't have been that gullible to begin with. I always let tricksters get the best of me, and in the brain department, can't compete with A'Ling either—to say nothing of the rest. Maybe I should have just stuck to the sword. Yeah, the sword…Xue Yuanshao…Lord Hanxing…Zuixian…Baxian…Chun Xu…Xinzi…I…hate you all.' These were Xiao Hu's last words before her body turned limp.
The Spiritual Drop count reached obscene levels, her dantian bordered explosion, but at that time, one sonic boom shook the Evernight Palace. Boundless Blood Energy locked the scene down, with one hand clawing at the dark butterflies—obliterating them all with one strike. That hand's owner went down the Immortal Qi Pool. The water dared not stand in his way, with a clear path opening to welcome his descent.
Irresistible suction forces wrapped around Xiao Hu, lifting her towards the hand's owner: Zhen-Xinzi. Wrapping one hand around her shoulders, Xinzi carried Xiao Hu back to the surface, and by the time he returned to the ground, even his Heart of the Stainless Sovereign struggled to keep the mortal emotions in check.
"Good. Very good. Give them an inch and they'll take a mile—a hand, and they'll grab the whole fucking arm. I've tolerated this bitch for long enough; it is time I remind her that the Night…doesn't have two sovereigns." Xinzi's words remained at a level tone, yet the intensity rose as he spoke. His eyes went bloodshot, stretching as his Immortal Qi, Divine Power and Blood Energy erupted all at once.
"Hengye Yuemi, this….will not go unpunished."