"Hmm?" Ye Ming’s eyes perked up as he looked around. It was the dead of night, pitch darkness.
"...Did something happen?" Liu Li, who was resting her head on his chest, perked up as well. She sounded concerned.
"No. I thought that I heard a dying animal. It sounded as if someone was killing it slowly." He commented on what he thought he heard.
"...I didn’t hear anything; I was focusing on listening to your heartbeat." She said, her left hand circling his chest. If he could see the rosy blush on her cheeks, the girl was feeling loved; the passion she felt over the hours made her revenge-filled heart feel something other than anger.
After a couple of minutes of rest, Liu Li wondered if he was going to ask her about IT.
"...Are you not curious?" All of a sudden, she asked in a slightly nervous tone.
"Hmm?" Ye Ming sounded confused for a second.
"Curious? Of what?"
"...Ummm... Princess? I said... and you heard it... Aren’t you interested?" The Fallen Princess sounded more and more panicked.
"Oh, that. I mean... I am privileged to have such beauty in my hands, but if you don’t want to talk about it, it’s fine with me.
Just know that you are mine now~~~" He teased her a bit as his left hand, which was on her bum, squeezed it with a bit of force.
"Fufufu, is that so~~~ Well, my name is Liu Li. I didn’t change it, not that anyone would know about my Liu Dynasty in these lands, you see; it was destroyed ten years ago.
From what I know, this Princess was the only survivor of the Liu Clan. My clan was famous for its Bloodline; we could wield Swords like no other Mortal Empire in the Central Holy Lands.
But it didn’t help... internal strife, backstabbing, politics; it weakened our overall power; we have lost many Golden Core Cultivators in these conflicts."
"...Golden Core?" Ye Ming perked up when he heard that!
"...Interested?" She lifted her head and looked at him. Ye Ming could see some of her facial features in the darkness of his house.
"Of course. Do tell, the only realms I know are Qi Gathering, Foundation, Houtian and the fabled Xiantian." The Alchemist said what he knew.
"...Fabled..." The Princess chuckled a bit. "From where I come from, Xiantian was the first step to true Martialdom.
What you call Immortal, we call plain Mortal. People of the West Wilderness called Xiantian the Realm of Immortals because the Xiantian lived much longer than they did.
But in truth, Xiantian only live up to a thousand years. I do not know how the Cloud Immortal survived for over five thousand years as a Xiantian, but it was way beyond his original lifespan." She commented with a curious tone.
"Interesting. Do you think he reached a higher realm?"
"Doubtful." She immediately replied to him.
"Once one achieves Xiantian, they can manifest meanings from Martial Arts, like summoning swords, and Golden Core... it magnifies that power to an extreme.
You see, transitioning from Houtian to Xiantian is a massive one. There is a reason why people here call them immortals.
Their Qi turns liquid, like having a second set of veins, but instead of blood, one has Qi; with Golden Core, it’s like having a second heart.
It’s where one’s Martial Meanings turn into Martial Intents. If Cloud Immortal were a Golden Core practitioner, he would have been alive, and he could have conquered the Duan Dynasty with one hand behind his back.
With a single hand, he could have summoned swords from heaven that would have turned mountain chains into piles of rubble.
I have seen it firsthand." The girl trembled in his hands. That is why, while she wants to get her revenge, it feels more like a dream than an ambition. The might of Golden Core Cultivators is simply terrifying to her.
"I see... so the meanings turn into intents..."
"Yes, from what my teachers told me when I was just a small girl, the sheer amount of Qi one wields starts warping the world around them." She explained, her tone turned distant.
"I see... then what comes after?"
"...Heh...sure, let me satiate your curiosity; it’s the least I can do." The girl was on top of him; her face got closer, and she gently kissed him on the lips before explaining to him.
"From Houtian to Xiantian, one needs to create a Xiantian Awakening pill of some sort. This pill allows the Qi in one’s body to become liquid. I do not know the specifics; I am not an alchemist or a pill maker.
To achieve Golden Core, one’s Dantian has to go through a sort of hardening. It becomes pure gold as one progresses through the stages; the core grows in size.
And then... It’s something called Life Rebirth; it’s a true transitional stage from Mortal to Immortal, and only my Liu Ancestors have achieved this realm.
All I know is that one needs to shatter their Dantian and use it to rebuild their bodies." She explained to him in an uncertain tone.
"I see... that is fascinating; there is something to look forward to." He hugged her closer with both hands, pulling her closer to himself.
"...fufu, I would be happy just to achieve Xiantian." She giggled at his enthusiasm, but then she sighed, turning distant for a second.
"Well, you will be with me, and I have ideas~~." As he said that, he picked her up and then turned around, laying her on her back. At that moment, she felt something familiar slip into her special place.
"Aagghh~~~!?" Liu Li moaned softly as she felt a familiar intrusion in her special place.
"But for now~~~ we have other things to do." He whispered into her ear as the beauty had a lustful smile on her lips.
"As my Master Ming wishes~." She hotly whispered back as she wrapped her hands and legs around him.
~~~~~~Meanwhile, Several Hours Ago, in The Sect Master Pavilion~~~~~~
"...Unbelievable, this old man’s gut feeling was right!" Jiang Tianyu sagely nodded to himself as he stroked his beard. He just used his Qi to scan Jiang Mengxue’s body... Her meridians... all of her Meridians are reacting to Qi.
That means that she will achieve the Peak of Houtian Realm in her lifetime!
"...You have the potential to achieve our Ancestor Jiang Fuyuan’s Realm. It is said that he was Founder Jian Xuan’s favourite disciple and was infinitely close to achieving the Xiantian Realm." Jiang Mengxue’s Grand Uncle explained.
"I-I see..."
"Mengxue... I hope you understand what this means to Cloud Sword Sect and the Jiang Family. Ye Ming, it is essential for us to dominate Cloud Sword Sect and wrest control of the City from the Su Family."
The Su Family were placed as City Lords several generations ago by the Duan Imperial Family. They did it through marriage; a Su woman became a concubine of the Duan Emperor. As a result, this area became the Su Family’s domain.
A spit in the face of the Cloud Sword Sect that ruled this city for many generations beforehand!
And now, they have a chance to do so with pure strength!
"Yes, Father, Mengxue understands." The Sect Master’s daughter slowly nodded; there was an understanding look in her eyes.
"The Alchemist Association won’t stand idly by once they learn that there is an alchemist who is not associated with them.
While we can suppress the information flow, eventually it will spread, and once that happens, they will offer limitless resources to Ye Ming."
"Yes. That is why my girls will keep him entertained, and so will I... With your permission, I would like to offer him the best we can: techniques and resources. I will deliver them myself if I have to." Jiang Mengxue clenched her fist while saying that.
"That is given; you might take whatever you need, and make sure he is satisfied with what our sect can provide. I will not hold anything back, and I will try to get more of those pills for us.
If we can have another Peak Stage Houtian existence... then there are not many powers in this province that can oppose us." Jiang Tianhuang said with a glint in his eyes.
There are countless Early Houtian existences in the Seven Provinces of Western Wilderness, but only a few in late stages. There is a simple reason their bodies are not pure enough: the closed meridians in their bodies cause a lack of balance in their developing Qi pathways. That leads to bottlenecks, but now...
If what Ye Ming gave to Jiang Mengxue is to be believed... then he has a method to create Countless Peak Houtian Realm experts!
"Understood, father, I won’t disappoint you!" Jiang Mengxue showed a determined expression.
"Good, then do what needs to be done. Failure is simply not an option. I hope you understand that."
"I do. I already decided that he is the man that I desire." Jiang Mengxue declared her intentions.
"Wonderful, Grand Uncle, and I approve of him." Jiang Tianhuang and Jiang Tianyu nodded at her.
’Of course you do. There is no better choice!’ The girl slyly thought to herself.
"But what about the approaching tournament?" The black-haired girl asked her father and her grand uncle.
"You will need to balance your training and sustaining acceptable levels of relationship with Ye Ming.
Maybe ask for some more Qi Gathering pills. Maybe Heavenly Qi pills?" Jiang Tianhuang suggested.
Heavenly Qi Pills are rank-two Qi pills. They are a mix of Qi Gathering Herbs and Heavenly Qi Grass—a much stronger pill than the Qi Gathering pill.
It’s considered a pill worthy of the Foundation Realm!
"That could be possible. If he can make this cleansing pill from some trash grasses, then he should be more than capable of making the Heavenly Qi pill!" Jiang Tianyu sharply nodded.
"Send several Deacons to collect Heavenly Qi Grass! Tell them to be careful and not tip off the Alchemist Association!" The Sect Master at that moment realised that he could just ask Ye Ming to make more pills!
It was like one of those moments when someone realised they were rich and could buy off the entire store!
"Understood!" Jiang Tianyu left to instruct some people whom he could trust with this task.
"Mengxue, you go and prepare as well. Remember to balance your training and your visits to Ye Ming.
At the same time, if you can persuade him to move into the Inner Grounds as he improves his cultivation." The Sect Master stated. He is well aware that this situation is fragile and that he requires balance.
He can’t push the Alchemist because of how valuable Ye Ming is as an asset; at the same tim he needs to protect him from the outsiders’ attention.
And make sure no one tips him off about the Alchemist Association and how much they could pay him to join.
All these factors are making him nervous; such a thing rarely happens.
"Understood, Father. I shall return home and check our library; there are things that I promised to get to him."
"Then do so at most haste."
~~~
Jiang Mengxue left her father’s pavilion and moved towards her home. She knew this was important, but even she never expected it to reach such a level.
She already had enormous hopes, but this was beyond that. Ye Ming pills are groundbreaking! Now she realised that as well!
Her father, her great-uncle, and even the current ancestor would profit from this pill!
With motivation through the roof, the girl rushed to her house, followed by her girls.
Once inside a multi-complex set of pavilions, she gave her followers orders.
"Check all of the libraries and find anything you can on animal rendering, alchemy, recipes, and other possible arts that could assist Master Ming! This is important!" Jiang Mengxue instructed them, and the girls split up. Thankfully, this is not the first time that they have been in her home.
Meanwhile, she hoped Liu Li was keeping him company and hadn’t embarrassed her or the Jiang Family!
Sadly, she has no idea just how much Ye Ming has grown obsessed with the stockings-wearing Fallen Princess.