A strange, warm liquid flowed into her mouth; it tasted a bit sweet. Forced to swallow a few mouthfuls, Qu Qi’s complexion gradually improved, and her expression softened. Having developed a taste for it, she actually grabbed Sheng Xizhu’s hand and began to proactively suckle the sweet flavor.
Sheng Xizhu slapped Qu Qi’s hand away with a look of feigned disgust and tossed her onto the pillow like a little chick. The latter immediately let out a series of aggrieved murmurs from the back of her throat, looking as if she were being bullied.
Sheng Xizhu looked at her pouting lips and laughed out of sheer exasperation: “You little white-eyed wolf.”
In the next second, the wound on Sheng Xizhu’s wrist gradually healed, returning to perfectly intact skin. She placed her finger against Qu Qi’s forehead, sending threads of Nightmare Qi to patrol through her meridians.
Qu Qi seemed to have exhausted herself after her one-sided bout of anger; she instantly fell into a deep sleep, letting out a loud snore to signal that she was perfectly fine. After confirming she was completely alright, Sheng Xizhu lowered her eyes and blew out the candle.
She lay down beside Qu Qi. The bed was indeed a bit crowded for two people, but fortunately, they were both slender girls, so squeezing in was not impossible. Sheng Xizhu lay with her back to Qu Qi, feeling the girl’s breathing gradually stabilize.
Her thoughts drifted toward the corner of the window. A pool of snowy moonlight lay frozen on the floor. The woman’s long, narrow shadow moved with light steps, spreading silently across the floor, eating the moonlight bite by bite. Finally, all the light was completely swallowed by the dark shadow.
Ever since becoming a Nightmare, she could travel through the shadows of all things in the world to go wherever she pleased. The power of a Nightmare was unique, and every Nightmare possessed different abilities. They did not need to sleep or eat; they only needed to absorb human negative emotions to grow stronger.
They were like anomalies that contradicted the rules of the world, wandering on the edge of life and death, unaccepted by any race. Thus, nowhere was truly home for her.
Suddenly, a rustling sound came from behind. A warm, human body pressed up against her, an arm draped over her waist, and then a fluffy head rubbed against her back.
Sheng Xizhu: ” “
She had experienced how wild Qu Qi’s sleeping posture could be. Back when she was a black cat, she was frequently almost kicked off the bed by the girl. Even after returning to human form, she still could not avoid being manhandled.
Qu Qi was sleeping soundly while hugging Sheng Xizhu, as if she were holding a cool, human-shaped body pillow. On a summer night, such a heat-relieving treasure was exactly what she needed.
By the time she woke up, Sheng Xizhu was gone, and she was alone in bed. Bright sunlight filtered through the window; after several consecutive days of overcast weather, it had finally cleared up.
Qu Qi sat up and stretched, feeling full of energy and an indescribable power throughout her body. Feeling curious, she took a closer look and was startled by what she found: she was already at the middle stage of the Golden Core Realm!
In the original book, the cultivation realms were divided into: Qi Refining, Foundation Building, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing, Void Refinement, Mahayana, and Tribulation Transcendence.
She did not know that the blood Sheng Xizhu had fed her was something cultivators dreamed of. A Nightmare’s flesh and blood could enhance one’s cultivation. Even though she had only been fed a little bit, she had jumped two realms and temporarily suppressed the backlash of the Bound-Kill Array.
Qu Qi rubbed her stomach with a dazed expression. She never expected that she would form a core just by sleeping. Was her stomach ache last night because of this? Could it be that she was actually a cultivation genius with some untapped talent?
Looking at the entirety of Wangxi Peak, Qu Qi’s current strength had suddenly catapulted her to the top tier of inner disciples, even more impressive than the female lead.
With her realm elevated, Qu Qi was high-spirited and light on her feet; her Golden Core senses were far sharper than usual. Merely in the wooden hut, she could hear the birds chirping in the bamboo forest, the rustle of vibrant flowers swaying in the morning breeze, rabbits pricking their ears as they hopped around, and the cold bodies of snakes winding across the ground, as well as nearly silent cat-like footsteps.
The cat lightly leaped onto a tree trunk and sat down. She reached out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, and her long legs beneath her snowy white skirt crossed over each other, swinging gently.
Qu Qi focused her senses to listen for a while, then suddenly felt a bit embarrassed, feeling like a pervert peeping at a beauty. Listening any further would be impolite!
She rubbed her empty stomach, intending to have breakfast first and worry about other things later. Qu Qi went into the kitchen and whipped up a simple bowl of mushroom and spirit grass soup. She sprinkled some chopped green onions on top, and the rich aroma wafted far and wide.
She returned to the room, placed the bowl on the table, and began to feast. At that moment, Sheng Xizhu walked in.
With her mouth stuffed full, Qu Qi gave an energetic greeting: “Mimi, good morning!”
Sheng Xizhu glanced at her and suddenly reached out to press a finger against her forehead. Nightmare Qi flowed smoothly into her meridians, traversing her spiritual manor with great strides. Since they were no longer strangers, her spiritual manor and meridians had already adapted to her presence, obediently stepping aside.
Her fingers were very cool. Pressed against Qu Qi’s warm forehead, Qu Qi was instantly dazed. Sensing the changes within her spiritual manor, Sheng Xizhu said: “You have reached the Golden Core Realm.”
Qu Qi snapped out of it, but did not feel at all offended by having her spiritual manor peered into. She nodded shyly: “Mimi, you even know about that. You care about me so much.”
Sheng Xizhu quickly withdrew her hand and turned her back to her.
Qu Qi: “That was not really necessary.”
She lowered her head to take a sip of soup and asked: “Mimi, do you remember what happened last night? Why did I suddenly reach the Golden Core Realm?”
She only remembered having something like period cramps before losing consciousness.
Sheng Xizhu avoided the question: “I do not know. Perhaps it is related to the tomb.”
It dawned on Qu Qi: “I see! That senior who owned the tomb is truly beautiful and kind-hearted. To think that after going down there, she’d give me a free cultivation boost!”
The beautiful and kind-hearted Sheng Xizhu was left speechless.
Qu Qi was deeply moved, her eyes welling with tears: “I was wrong, completely wrong. I’ll never dance, barbecue, or read novels on her grave again. I will burn more spirit money for her another day as an apology. If she knows in the afterlife, she will surely forgive me for my youthful arrogance!”
Sheng Xizhu: ” ” No, an experience that novel would likely be hard to forgive in this lifetime.
Suddenly, a series of urgent knocks at the door interrupted Qu Qi’s heartfelt repentance. She wiped away her tears just in time and walked forward curiously, asking through the door: “Who is it?”
“It is me!”
Qu Qi was puzzled: “Who are you?!”
“Well now! You cannot even recognize your own Master’s voice?!”
Qu Qi: “!!!” Elder Shouyi had actually returned to Wangxi Peak?
She immediately opened the door, adjusted her expression, and cried out with deep emotion: “Master!”
Outside the door stood a white-haired, vigorous old lady. She wore a bamboo hat and a straw raincoat, looking travel-worn but with bright eyes and a simple, cheerful smile, much like a grandmother who leads square dancing in a park.
Shouyi shouted: “Disciple!”
Qu Qi replied affectionately: “Dear Master!”
Shouyi reached out her sturdy arms and hugged her tightly: “My good disciple!”
Qu Qi was caught under her armpit like a quail struggling to poke its head out. A scene of master-disciple affection; Sheng Xizhu covered her ears, unable to watch.
Qu Qi was nearly stunned by Shouyi’s booming, resonant voice. She struggled out of the embrace: “Master, you are still as energetic as ever.”
“I heard you were kicked out to the back mountain, so I rushed back from Hezhou immediately. Let me see, my, look how thin your little face has become.”
Elder Shouyi looked at her with kindness: “Is someone bullying you again? Why come to a place like this and mistreat yourself?”
Qu Qi, whose face had actually rounded out from eating meat every day, hastily took a step back: “Master, I did something wrong and requested to come here for punishment myself.”
The old lady sighed upon hearing this and said earnestly: “Fine. If you feel wronged, you must tell me. Do not bottle it up inside, do you understand?”
Qu Qi nodded obediently: “I understand, Master.”
“Good disciple, won’t you invite your Master in for a seat?”
Shouyi patted her shoulder and peeked into the house. Realizing what was happening, Qu Qi subconsciously blocked her path: “Master, it is not very convenient.”
“Why will you not let me in? Are you hiding something fun?” Shouyi feigned anger: “Is there anything your respected Master is not allowed to see?”
Qu Qi did not know how to explain who the great beauty in the room was and hesitated: “Uh, well, it is a bit complicated to explain.”
Shouyi’s gaze turned strange. She asked suspiciously: “You are not hiding a lover in there, are you?”