"You shameless bastard! You dare threaten me with Liyuan?"
At Shang Miaoyan's words, Pei Yuhang fought through the pain in his body and tried to sit up. But a small, cool, and smooth foot planted itself on his chest, forcing him back down onto the bed.
"Pei Sword Immortal, why bother acting so tough?
If you just do as I say, not only will I not harm your current Dao Companion, I'll even provide a wealth of Heavenly and Earthly Treasures to help her rebuild her Dao Foundation."
Shang Miaoyan caressed Pei Yuhang's face, her gentle and cool fingertips twirling a lock of his hair as she continued in a low voice:
"I've heard about that woman of yours. Her Nascent Soul nearly obliterated by heavenly lightning, her Golden Core shattered... How pitiful. You must have been terribly busy lately, haven't you, Xiaohan?
Swallowing your pride to borrow Spirit Stones from everyone for your poor Dao Companion... It must have been so difficult for someone with such a proud and unbending Sword Bone~"
Pei Yuhang slapped her wandering hand away from his face and said coldly, "What do you want?"
"I'm rich. I can keep you~!"
"At worst, Xiaohan, you can just take the Spirit Stones I give you and use them to heal your Dao Companion."
Shang Miaoyan's red lips curled into a brilliant smile, one that could make a hundred flowers bloom... but alas, the man beneath her had no intention of appreciating it.
"Heh. Keep me? You just want to use this despicable scheme to control me!"
Pei Yuhang was no fool. How could he let this Witch exploit his greatest weakness?
Of course, Shang Miaoyan knew this stubborn mule wouldn't bow for a mere few hundred million Spirit Stones. But that didn't matter. She had plenty of other methods, and she was certain she could tame this mule and make him lie willingly in her bed.
Perhaps tired of standing, Shang Miaoyan sat down directly on Pei Yuhang's firm abs. Pei Yuhang felt as if a soft, warm cloud had settled upon him, causing the Evil Yang Fire Qi he had just suppressed to threaten to flare up again.
But before Pei Yuhang could make a sound, Shang Miaoyan's words shattered his train of thought.
"Xiaohan, why do you think the Yin Yang Sacred Land wants to form an alliance with the Xuanyuan Dao Sect?
Without me, the Saintess, pulling the strings behind the scenes, how could this alliance between the Righteous and Demonic Daos have been reached so easily?
Right now, in both the Yin Yang Sacred Land and the Xuanyuan Dao Sect, there are plenty of high-ranking cultivators who oppose this alliance. If you don't make me happy, well, then I might just wash my hands of the whole thing.
The alliance between our two great Sects won't go so smoothly from now on. And who knows how many innocent mortals and Cultivators will die then? When all of it... could be avoided..."
Pei Yuhang's face turned grim as he looked at Shang Miaoyan's feigned expression of worldly compassion. His voice was hoarse as he spat,
"You hypocrite. Are you trying to morally blackmail me?"
Hearing this, Shang Miaoyan placed a fingertip to her pearly teeth, musing.
"'Moral blackmail?' I feel like I've heard that phrase from you before, about a hundred years ago. Now what was it I was asking of you then, Xiaohan?~
Oh, right. I asked you to service me with your mouth~
You couldn't miss a single strand of hair... otherwise, I would have razed Lishui Village to the ground!"
As Shang Miaoyan recalled those "fond memories," a scarlet light bloomed in her pupils. Pei Yuhang could faintly see that the crimson glow was in the shape of a lotus Rune.
Her face flushed, Shang Miaoyan pressed her forehead against Pei Yuhang's, bringing their faces closer than ever before—so close that if he opened his mouth, he would inhale her sweet, warm breath...
"Xiaohan, you chose to obey back then... This time, you have no choice either, do you?"
...
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK—
"Come in."
Hearing Pei Yuhang's permission from inside, Gao Peng opened the door and entered.
"Greetings, Palace Master Pei."
Gao Peng spoke respectfully. Before him, clad in dashing white robes, Pei Yuhang was suspended in mid-air, meditating. With each breath, Spiritual Qi materialized as swimming fish and flying birds that circled around him, making him look just like an Immortal.
'He truly is the Pei Sword Immortal! To possess such a pure Spiritual Charm, almost completely free of impurities! For Spiritual Qi to actually take the form of birds and beasts and circle around him as he cultivates!'
'Even though his Cultivation has fallen to the Early-stage Nascent Soul Realm, his Spiritual Charm, so in tune with the Great Dao, is far beyond what even a Cultivator at Nascent Soul Peak could compare to. I'm afraid it won't be more than a few years before he can ascend to the Divinity Transformation Realm again.'
The so-called Spiritual Charm was the phenomenon produced when a Cultivator breathed Spiritual Qi in and out during cultivation.
Gao Peng was filled with silent admiration. 'With such a natural and pure Spiritual Charm, Pei Sword Immortal must be a fine Cultivator who practices self-discipline and is dedicated to the Dao!'
'With such a noble character, it's no wonder he'd spend his entire fortune to help his Dao Companion, even after she was practically crippled.'
"Gao Peng, is there something you need?"
"It's like this. I just saw Fan Ya Fairy of the Yin Yang Sacred Land come to see you, so I wanted to ask what you and she discussed..."
Gao Peng's role was akin to that of a Pen Official for this reception of the Yin Yang Sacred Land's delegation. He had to record the details of the entire process at all times and report back to the Sect's Elders for review.
Thus, coming to ask Pei Yuhang what had just happened was part of his duty.
Without so much as a blush or a quickened heartbeat, Pei Yuhang began to recount the events to Gao Peng.
Leaving out the rather explicit scenes that had occurred after Shang Miaoyan's arrival, the official business that "Fan Ya" had come to discuss with Pei Yuhang was, indeed, all related to the alliance between the two Sects.
Gao Peng dutifully recorded everything. Once finished, he quickly rose and bid farewell to Pei Yuhang.
After Gao Peng left, the meditating, Immortal-like figure of Pei Yuhang suddenly dissolved into a wisp of green smoke.
In an instant, two figures materialized on the once-tidy bed.
Shang Miaoyan, still sitting on top of Pei Yuhang, said with a grin, "See? I told you there wouldn't be a problem~
The disciples of our Yin Yang Sacred Land may all be weak little women, but when it comes to the art of Illusion Techniques, if we claim to be second-best, no one would dare claim first."
Pei Yuhang had no desire to continue bantering with this audacious woman who dared to 'play' games right in front of his fellow sect member. In a cold voice, he said:
"Get off me!"
"No. I'm staying in your room tonight, Xiaohan~ We haven't had a proper chance to catch up."
Seeing the murderous glint in Pei Yuhang's eyes, Shang Miaoyan didn't dare torment him any further. She stuck her pink tongue out at him in a playful grimace and hopped off the bed.
'In any case, I've found you now,' Shang Miaoyan thought triumphantly. 'And with that crippled Dao Companion of yours holding you back, I'm not worried about you sneaking off anywhere.'
With a flick of her long hair, she prepared to leave the Xuanyuan Dao Sect's Spirit Ship.
Just before she left, she turned back and said with pointed meaning:
"Xiaohan, when rebuilding a Dao Foundation, the sooner the better. If you wait too long, she'll be crippled for good. You'd best accept my proposal, you hear?~"
"Remember, this isn't about betraying your Dao Companion. It's about helping her."
"I'm sure that woman, Ye Liyuan, will understand the sacrifice you're making for her, Xiaohan."