Chapter Thirty-Six: Strange Spiritual Power

Yue Qi awoke from a muddled dream, a chill seeping into his bones as he came to.

“Where... where am I?” He shook his head to clear the haze, but darkness pressed in on all sides. The candles on the wall had long since burned out, and an icy draft crept through the underground chamber in the dead of night.

A soft, alluring moan drifted to his ears.

“There’s someone else? Is that... Sister Lian?” Yue Qi snapped to attention. “What just happened? Right, I was poisoned, and then... that ball of light!” He recalled the sphere in his lower abdomen, formed of fine wine, antidote, and poison. “After that, I lost consciousness. I just remember being so hot! What on earth happened…”

A sudden warmth at his lower body startled him. As his eyes adapted to the gloom, a flawless expanse of pale skin appeared before him.

He recoiled instinctively, but a throbbing pain shot through him.

“Ow... be gentle!” came another sweet, breathless cry. The voice belonged to Bai Lian, lying face-to-face with him.

“What... what’s going on?” Yue Qi stared at her closed eyes, his mind a tangle. “I remember the heat... did Sister Lian lose control, and while I was unconscious, did she... take advantage of me?!”

“No, no... that can’t be it. There must be more to the story!” He quickly sat up, pulling himself free from Bai Lian’s soft warmth.

“My clothes... where are my clothes?” Yue Qi groped blindly for his garments, but all he found were a few tattered scraps of cloth.

“She can’t have been so wild, can she?” He glanced nervously at Bai Lian. Was this girl, usually so chill and aloof, so fierce in passion?

Yue Qi shook his head. At that moment, Bai Lian seemed to sense his movement. She opened her eyes, gazing at Yue Qi with a clarity so pure and bright that he felt his earlier suspicions were impossibly sordid. How could such an innocent girl do such a thing?

“Qi-ge, you’re... awake... ah!” Bai Lian, seeing Yue Qi silent, tried to sit up, but a sharp pain in her lower body made her collapse into his arms.

“Ah! Sister Lian!” Yue Qi jumped, about to get up, but seeing her lying so vulnerably in his embrace, he paused. “What did she just call me—Qi-ge?” he wondered.

“And you’re still calling me Sister Lian!” Bai Lian, her cheeks flushed, lay snuggled against him, her tone gentle and intimate, like a newlywed bride’s affection for her husband.

“Well, what else should I call you?” Yue Qi was utterly bewildered. Why had the form of address changed so suddenly?

“You...” Bai Lian suddenly sat up, glaring at him angrily despite her pain. This girl—no, this woman—bit her lip, refusing to utter a single cry of distress.

“What did I do wrong, Sister Lian? What exactly happened here? How did we... ugh, this is so awkward to talk about...” Yue Qi muttered. Though the wine cellar was dark, the two of them were completely naked, and speaking face-to-face like this felt unbearably awkward. He fumbled for two scraps of cloth and covered his vital parts.

“Heh, what happened?” Bai Lian shot him a scornful look. “Are all men like you? Truly, there’s not a single good man in the world!”

“Hey now, Sister Lian, don’t be like that. How did things end up like this?” Yue Qi felt a surge of frustration. “Even though we... did that, I still don’t know what happened. I don’t remember a thing...”

“Oh, you don’t know?” Bai Lian’s laugh was bitter and cold. She rummaged behind her and produced a blood-stained piece of white cloth—a remnant of the clothes Yue Qi had torn, preserved in a large scrap.

“What else do you want to know? Speak! Go on!” Her anger mounted as she spoke, and finally she stood and pointed at him to berate him. But her legs weakened, and she collapsed onto the cold stone steps, her tears streaming down.

Seeing her like this, Yue Qi could piece together what must have happened: in his delirium, he’d lost control, and Bai Lian, in trying to save him, had sacrificed herself.

“Don’t cry, Sister Lian—it’s my fault...” Yue Qi scooted closer, wanting to comfort her, but realizing she, too, was completely unclothed, he hesitated, unsure where to place his hands.

“And you’re still calling me Sister Lian!” Her weeping grew worse at his words, and she turned away, sobbing quietly.

“Then... Lian’er...” Yue Qi tried the more intimate form, his heart uneasy. He’d used it before, but only while pretending. Now it felt different: he’d somehow gained a wife under the strangest circumstances, unaware and in a daze.

“Don’t force yourself. If you don’t want to, just forget it. Pretend I was blind...” Bai Lian gradually calmed her sobs, speaking through her sniffles. Her long, dark hair spilled over her back, revealing glimpses of snowy skin that once again set Yue Qi’s desires smoldering.

“Lian’er, it’s not my fault. I really blacked out—I don’t know what happened...” he said bitterly. Her words confirmed his suspicion: he’d been bewitched or poisoned, and only then had he and Bai Lian become entangled.

“So you’re blaming me?” Bai Lian spun around, glaring at him. Suddenly feeling the chill on her chest, she flushed and turned away, covering herself as best she could.

“No, of course not! How could I?” Yue Qi forced a laugh. He dared not anger this tigress—not when she could start crying again at any moment. Still, though the situation was murky, it seemed Bai Lian was now his by default. To suddenly have such a beautiful wife... it wasn’t the worst outcome.

“By the way, what about the poison in your body...” Bai Lian asked, back still to him.

“Oh, right!” Yue Qi remembered, too. The bizarre scene upon waking had driven all thoughts of his condition from his mind. He quickly closed his eyes, focusing his spiritual power inward to check for abnormalities.

“How is it? Are you alright?” Bai Lian’s anxiety was even greater than Yue Qi’s own as he opened his eyes.

“I think I’m fine...” he replied, his expression odd. After a long pause, he added, “But I feel like the poison is still there, just sitting quietly in my dantian. It hasn’t moved.”

“What does that mean? Use your magic and show me.” Bai Lian frowned.

Obediently, Yue Qi formed a sword-finger with his right hand, and a blue orb of ice spun at his fingertip. Though Bai Lian had lost her spiritual power, the chill made her shiver.

“Throw it over there,” Bai Lian instructed, pointing at a large wine jar. Yue Qi wound the orb twice around his finger, then sent it flying at the jar.

As expected, the struck area frosted over, but nothing else seemed amiss.

“Still nothing strange...” They watched for a while, but saw no evidence to the contrary.

“Wait...” Just as they were about to give up, Bai Lian called out.

Yue Qi looked closer. Liquid was trickling down from where the ice had struck, carrying a rich scent of wine.

“It’s melted!” they said in unison, meeting each other’s eyes.

“I thought so,” Bai Lian said, glancing at Yue Qi. “The poison must’ve fused with your spiritual power. Whenever you use magic, it’ll carry the effects of the toxin...”

“No way...” Yue Qi closed his eyes to check again. After a moment, he said, “Some of the poison seems to have been used up, but not much...”

“Is it single-use, then?” Bai Lian crossed her arms over her chest, deep in thought.

Yue Qi watched her and couldn’t help but swallow.

Noticing his gaze, Bai Lian blushed, hastily picking up her golden soft armor and pulling it on. They’d been so absorbed in conversation, they hadn’t realized they were still naked.

“This is all your fault! Go find us some clothes—now!” Bai Lian barked, urging him toward the inn.

Yue Qi managed a wry smile. To run through the streets stark naked—well, there was no one outside, but it was still mortifying.

But he couldn’t let Bai Lian go out like that, either...

At the thought, images of her alluring form flashed through his mind, and his body responded before he could stop it.

“Idiot! Hurry up!” Bai Lian flushed even redder at his predicament. This scoundrel—he could get aroused just looking at her...

Seeing her embarrassment, Yue Qi grinned. “Wait here for me, Lian’er. When I get back, I’ll spoil you properly...” he teased, and before she could scold him, he fled the cellar.

“Am I really that scary?” Bai Lian murmured to herself, a soft smile breaking through as she watched him leave. “I’ll be waiting for you to come spoil me...”

PS: Please recommend, favorite, and click!