Blood dripped.
Lian Yue leaned closer, her face full of concern. “Are you alright?”
Yuan Jing snapped back to reality and calmly took out a handkerchief to wipe his hand. “Just a minor injury, nothing serious.”
She rummaged through her sleeve pocket and produced some wound medicine, extending her hand in front of Gu Quan. “Let me apply the medicine for you.”
Gu Quan’s face instantly darkened, his entire aura turning cold and oppressive. The room was already dim, and coupled with his Xuan Yi, he appeared like a seductive ghost that had just crawled up from the underworld, quite frightening.
Without another word, he snatched the medicine away, letting out two cold laughs before enunciating each word slowly: “Men and women should maintain proper boundaries. I’ll do it.”
Yuan Jing withdrew his hand, his expression icy. “No need. If we delay any longer, the wound will have healed already.”
He said to Lian Yue: “Mo Yao listen to his deceit. To refine the inner force within your body, you don’t need to engage in Dual Cultivation with him.”
Lian Yue had already figured it out from their reactions. Even if Dual Cultivation merely involved pressing palms together and Circulating Qi, allowing inner force to flow between both bodies without any intimate contact or physical relations, they seemed to view it as more intimate than direct physical intimacy.
She turned to look at Gu Quan. “Is what Young Master Yuan said true?”
Gu Quan: “True.”
The window blew open, wind rushed in, extinguishing the candle on the table and plunging the room into instant darkness.
Another cold breeze swept through.
Lian Yue’s tone became faintly accusing: “Then why did you say we needed Dual Cultivation?”
Gu Quan retorted: “Afraid I’d take advantage of you?”
Lian Yue: “Huh?”
He snorted coldly: “Think carefully. If you and I were to practice Dual Cultivation, the one at a disadvantage would definitely be me. I’d be the one being taken advantage of, after all I’m good-looking, from a good family, without wife or concubine or children, and last time with you was my first Dual Cultivation too.”
Lian Yue: “…”
That actually made sense.
Yuan Jing couldn’t bear to listen any longer. Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, he stood up and said: “You two continue talking.”
Gu Quan stopped him: “Don’t go.”
He said deliberately: “I see Moon Consort is quite open about this matter, perhaps she doesn’t think there’s anything inappropriate about men and women practicing Dual Cultivation together, right?”
After speaking, Gu Quan paused, his eyes slightly cold. She had already been so intimate with him, yet acted as if nothing had happened, without any intention of taking responsibility. What a bad girl.
Lian Yue reminded: “Xiao Yue, Xiao Yue. We agreed you’d call me Xiao Yue.”
Gu Quan: “Fine, Xiao Yue.”
Lian Yue then tugged on Yuan Jing’s sleeve and said: “Don’t go, ahem, listen to me for a moment.”
Yuan Jing took a deep breath and sat down again, unable to suppress the irritation in his chest.
In the pitch darkness now, Lian Yue couldn’t see either of their expressions, only able to hear their breathing.
Knowing they both had sharp senses and could see in the dark, while her own expressions would be easily readable, she lowered her head and said slowly: “Of course I know Young Master Yuan means well for me. After all, as a woman, when it comes to matters between men and women, I would inevitably be at a slight disadvantage. That’s why he spoke up to remind me.”
The young woman pretended to be somewhat embarrassed: “It’s just that I always feel that if anything were to happen between a man and a woman, it has nothing to do with practicing qi circulation together. After all, there’s no physical intimacy involved, nothing particularly awkward about it. Moreover, regardless of how you view this matter, it seems like I’m the one needing your help. When all is said and done, I’m the one taking advantage of you.”
She certainly wasn’t the one at a disadvantage.
Lian Yue never cared about these things. Even if it were truly intimate, so what?
She only wanted to become stronger.
As for men, weren’t they all the same? Her claims of not caring were merely out of fear that the easy benefits she was about to receive might slip away.
Gu Quan nodded: “It’s good that you’re aware.”
Then he suddenly realized something, narrowing his eyes, his voice thick with jealousy: “Are you saying that if I were to practice Dual Cultivation with you, you’d be willing, and if A Jing were to practice with you, you’d gladly accept that too?”
“Exactly.” Lian Yue blinked. “It’s just cultivation practice.”
Well, well, she actually dares to admit it!
Gu Quan was easily provoked to jealousy by the young woman.
Hah, her appetite is quite large—wanting to have both.
He was furious.
Lian Yue continued: “National Preceptor Shao told me that in male-female Dual Cultivation, the person with weaker inner force gains significant benefits. If either of you is willing to help, of course I’d be willing.”
Gu Quan: “You wish.”
Huh?
Was the easy meal about to disappear?
Lian Yue pursed her lips: “I was just saying. If you’re not willing, I can’t force you to help, right?”
The more indifferent her attitude, the more infuriating it became.
At this point, not only Gu Quan but even Yuan Jing was rendered speechless by her shameless demeanor.
Yuan Jing’s gaze had been fixed on her all along. Hearing this, he closed his eyes and sighed, deeply regretting that he had only taught her Internal Energy Cultivation techniques initially, failing to promptly educate her about common knowledge in martial arts practice.
She understands nothing.
Lian Yue looked bewildered: “Why are you all looking at me like I’m an idiot? Did I say something wrong just now?”
Gu Quan snorted: “Indeed quite foolish, at least you have some self-awareness.”
Why the insult?
Forget it.
No point dwelling on this.
Lian Yue: “So, does what you said earlier still count? Can you help me?”
Gu Quan sneered: “No.”
Yuan Jing, considering that he had taught her the cultivation method and was thus half her master, coldly admonished: “Haste makes waste. You’ve become addicted to taking shortcuts. Even if you were given abundant inner force, you wouldn’t be able to utilize it properly.”
So fierce, so fierce.
How did she manage to anger both of them?
Lian Yue shrank back timidly, quietly retreating further.
Fine, no help then. Hilarious, it’s not like she really needed it that much anyway.
That’s what she thought, but the next moment, she began pondering again how she might convince them to help.
After all, Yuan Jing was right—she was currently taking shortcuts, freeloading, something quite contemptible.
It might be very difficult to get their help again.
She sighed: “I’d better be honest with you.”
Gu Quan immediately became interested: “Oh? What honesty? Do tell.”
Yuan Jing’s gaze also returned to Lian Yue.
Seeing that she had recaptured their attention, Lian Yue quickly said: “Here’s the thing. Earlier, Marquis Gu asked me why I pretend to be afraid of you in public. There’s actually a reason for that. Listen to my fabrication—no, listen to my explanation.”
She misspoke.
Gu Quan sneered, “Fine, keep fabricating. Go on.”
She swallowed and began, “I’ve seen Cheng Yi before.”
Gu Quan narrowed his eyes, “How could you have seen him? At which banquet?”
Given Cheng Yi’s status, could he even attend banquets where Lu Xun was present? Unlikely.
“No.”
Lian Yue thought for a moment and first asked, “Cheng Yi serves under Magistrate Cheng of Cheng County—is he working for Marquis Gu?”
Gu Quan scoffed, “He’s just an adopted son—hardly worthy of working for me. Don’t overestimate him.”
He still harbored resentment over Cheng Yi’s betrayal—killing his adoptive father and defecting to the enemy.
Naturally, he held nothing but contempt for such a man.
Hearing this, Lian Yue did not feel reassured. Her gaze fixed on him as she said, “I escaped from a bandit lair. I assume you two have heard about it.”
Gu Quan replied, “I know.”
Yuan Jing caught on, “You saw him in the bandit lair?”
No wonder Yuan Jing was clever—he guessed it right away.
“Exactly.” Lian Yue nodded, her eyes cold. “I saw him in the bandit lair.”
After speaking, she glanced at Gu Quan.
Gu Quan frowned, “What exactly happened?”
Back when he was suppressing bandits in Peng City, Cheng Yi had actually appeared in the bandit lair—it seemed he had long harbored intentions of betrayal.
Seeing that he truly had no idea, Lian Yue relaxed slightly.
She furrowed her brow.
In truth, Lian Yue rarely recalled those past events. Even when she occasionally mentioned them, she would skim over the details, unwilling to delve deeper.
Much of what she had said earlier was a mix of truth and lies, or simply made up on the spot.
“As you know, there was a severe drought across the regions back then. Crops failed completely, people were displaced, and corpses littered the land. There were even reports of cannibalism.” Her tone was detached. “At the time, I was separated from my family, wandering aimlessly, when a group of bandits captured me. They branded me with a slave mark using a hot iron. I’ve mentioned this to Marquis Gu before.”
Lian Yue covered the scar on her arm, recalling the scene. She could still remember the searing pain on her skin and the smell of burning flesh.
Gu Quan nodded, his voice low, “I know.”
She continued, “Those bandits had no food and resorted to eating people. They were extremely brutal. If they hadn’t also been trafficking humans, keeping me and a few other women alive, I might have ended up as their meal too.”
Lian Yue had been captured by the bandits right after crossing over. They bound her hands and feet, threw her to the ground, heated an iron rod, and pressed it against her arm.
It hurt terribly.
So much that she cried uncontrollably, completely disregarding her dignity.
That very night, she witnessed something even more cruel than being branded.
The bandits killed a frail man, boiled him, and shared his flesh.
Such a gruesome scene unfolded right before her eyes. The terror and horror of it couldn’t be fully described in a few words, but whenever she recalled that moment, the images clung to her mind like maggots burrowing into bone.
From that day on, her hatred for the bandits ran deep.
Lian Yue went on, “After I was taken to the bandit lair, I saw Cheng Yi there too. He traded two bags of grain with the bandits in exchange for two women.”
“I heard Cheng Yi stayed in the bandit lair for one night, and both women died.” She suppressed the nausea rising in her throat, struggling to continue. “The bandits even served him meat.”
The young woman said with disgust, “He ate human flesh.”
At that time, Lian Yue had already found a way to escape. She wanted to take the two women with her, but upon hearing that Cheng Yi intended to buy them as maidservants, they refused to risk fleeing with her. In the end, only she escaped alone.
Truthfully, it wasn’t their fault for not wanting to join her. After all, she was unfamiliar with the place, struggled to communicate with them, and couldn’t guarantee a successful escape. If they were caught, the consequences would have been even more dire.
Little did she expect that staying behind would lead them to such a fate.
Had she not escaped that day, she too would have been killed.
It was brutal.
Lian Yue had always been fiercely vengeful, especially after suffering such a calamity.
She decided to seek revenge.
For herself, and for the innocent souls who had died at their hands.
Moreover, the bandits’ actions were heinous and provoked universal condemnation. Even the women and children among them were murderers and cannibals—exacting revenge weighed on her conscience not at all.
Although before her transmigration, she worked in corporate external relations, dealing with clients and daily social engagements, her university major had actually been chemical engineering. In this era, creating life-saving medicines might be beyond her, but brewing lethal poisons was not difficult.
Lian Yue lingered near the bandit lair for several days. When heavy rain began to fall incessantly, and the bandits grew lax in their defense, she slipped back into the lair and sprinkled poison into their water vats.
At the time, the young woman was unaware that forces in Peng City were suppressing the bandits. When she noticed the bandits suddenly preparing to kill their captives and flee, she genuinely worried they might escape.
Fortunately, the bandits had eaten their evening meal before taking action. By the time they were ready to carry out the killings, the poison had already taken effect.
Thus, some of the others captured in the bandit lair managed to survive and escape.
The landslide occurred much later—the bandits inside had actually been dead for days, which led others to assume no one had escaped the entire stronghold.
As for Lian Yue’s earlier claim to Yuan Jing—that the bandit leader had dragged her into the woods intending to assault her, and she had killed him with a stone before fleeing—that was entirely fabricated.
The bandits’ deaths being attributed to a landslide was merely a smokescreen. Heh, she had killed them all.
After all, the persona she maintained before Gu Quan and Yuan Jing was that of a delicate, vulnerable flower. Thus, she refrained from mentioning her own brutality, speaking only of matters related to Cheng Yi.
Lian Yue said, “That bandit lair is my nightmare. Recalling it fills me with agony, especially knowing that some of those cannibals are still alive.”
Even a delicate young woman must have her own spirit. If she only allowed herself to be bullied without resisting or seeking vengeance, she would be a mere puppet, trampled upon until death. So she no longer concealed her murderous intent: “I want to kill him with my own hands. That’s why I’ve been so impatient to succeed.”
No lamps were lit in the room, leaving it pitch black.
Gu Quan and Yuan Jing remained silent for a long time.
Even from her fragmented account, they could vividly imagine the depth of despair she must have endured.
Was this her past?
No wonder she harbored such hatred.
Gu Quan opened his mouth, his voice hoarse: “You really hold a grudge.”
Yuan Jing said, “It’s understandable.”
However.
His gaze fixed on her, his tone still icy: “That performance you put on in front of Cheng Yi when you entered the city—were you planning to use yourself as bait to lure him to his death?”
Lian Yue pressed her lips together.
Her silence all but confirmed it.
Gu Quan sighed in exasperation: “You’re not just foolish, you’re downright stupid.”
Lian Yue shot him an annoyed glare.
Too much, really too much. Why the sudden personal attack?
She wasn’t foolish or stupid. Even if she couldn’t defeat him in a fight, she could always poison him to death.
Yuan Jing frowned. “Let’s set other matters aside for now and first investigate how Cheng Yi, as Magistrate Cheng’s adopted son, became involved with bandits, and by what means he killed Magistrate Cheng.”
“Exactly,” Gu Quan nodded. “Cheng Jie had been by his father’s side for many years, and his martial arts were not weak. An ordinary person wouldn’t find it easy to kill him.”
Lian Yue said, “Since you both have no leads, why not help me refine my inner force? After that, I’ll help you investigate this matter thoroughly.”
Gu Quan: “Rely on you?”
Lian Yue nodded: “I can do it, believe me, believe me. I can be useful.”
She continued: “You’ve helped me so much. Now that you need assistance, it’s only right that I help you in return, isn’t it?”
Gu Quan was speechless: “After all that talk, you still just want someone to help you refine your inner force and take shortcuts.”
“Exactly,” Lian Yue admitted frankly. “I’ve always wanted to take shortcuts anyway.”
Easy meals taste good.
She ate voraciously, devouring without restraint.
Gu Quan and Yuan Jing exchanged glances, knowing full well from her previous determination to seek revenge against Wu Yuru that it would be nearly impossible to keep her from getting involved.
Lian Yue might appear gentle and compliant, but her nature was actually extremely stubborn.
If they didn’t help her refine the inner force in her Dantian and let her proceed slowly on her own, her self-defense capabilities would be insufficient, making her even more vulnerable to danger.
Gu Quan warned: “We can help you, but you’re not allowed to act on your own. Otherwise…”
Lian Yue promised: “Don’t worry, I value my life.”
Gu Quan nodded: “Alright.”
Lian Yue blinked her eyes and asked: “So, does that mean I need to practice Dual Cultivation with you to refine the inner force in my Dantian faster? If that’s the case, I really don’t mind.”
Gu Quan gritted his teeth: “Well, I mind, okay?”
She didn’t believe him at all.
Here’s the synopsis:
Yu Yin transmigrated to an unfamiliar dynasty where she couldn’t understand the language or read any characters, effectively becoming functionally illiterate and unable to survive in this world.
Fortunately, she was found by a hunter.
He provided her with food and clothing, taught her to speak and write, and helped her adapt to this era.
He said: “Marry me, and I’ll protect you well.”
Yu Yin had no other choice. Seeing that he was a good man, she nodded in agreement.
She planned to stay by his side and live a stable life of farming and hunting.
Before long, chaos erupted in the north. The hunter was conscripted into the army, and they were forced to separate.
Later, the hunter died on the battlefield, not even leaving a body to be recovered. Just like that, she became a widow.
Yu Yin had a beautiful face and an enchanting figure, which sparked numerous rumors and gossip in the village.
Life as a widow was particularly difficult. She could no longer stay in the village.
Just as she was wondering where to go, the general of the imperial army sent someone to find her. It was said that the hunter had died saving the commander, and the general wanted to properly care for his benefactor’s widow by bringing her to his estate.
Yu Yin thought this wouldn’t be a bad arrangement, so she packed her belongings and went along.
Unexpectedly, the legendary iron-blooded general turned out to be a young man of seventeen or eighteen, who arranged her courtyard right next to his own.
The young general treated her very well, taking excellent care of her, and she gradually let down her guard around him.
Who would have thought that one night, he would squeeze into her room, wrap his arms around her slender waist, and plead in a humble tone: “Madam, I’ve coveted you for so long. Will you marry me?”
The young general was tall and robust, skilled in all ways, and Yu Yin had no power to resist, so she could only agree.
After marriage, the two lived in harmony.
Until one day, the young general took her to the capital to report on his duties. She was forcibly detained in the imperial city under the pretext of being a general’s family member, while her husband was sent to Mo Bei to wage war.
Not long after, tragic news arrived from the frontlines: the young general had fallen ill and died during the march.
At this time, Yu Yin was summoned to the palace by an imperial decree. The new emperor, upon her arrival, forcefully pulled her into his embrace, his voice filled with delight: “Your husband is dead. Now you are mine.”
The emperor enfeoffed her as empress, granting her supreme power.
Though unwilling in her heart, she could only feign obedience on the surface.
Countless people cursed her as a calamitous enchantress, and memorials urging the emperor to execute her flooded the palace like a flowing stream. The emperor flew into a rage and ordered all the ministers who had spoken out to be dragged out and executed.
Thus, no one dared to utter another word of dissent.
Yu Yin rose from a commoner to become the empress, thinking no further troubles would arise. But before long, a northern expedition army emerged from the south, advancing all the way under the banner of “Purge the Emperor’s Entourage” and breaking into the imperial city.
The emperor died in battle. Just as she prepared to take her own life, the white silk was severed. The young general, mad with rage, gripped her chin tightly: “Madam, your heart is truly made of iron.”
The young general, who had been presumed dead, had returned alive.
Yu Yin was not originally from this world and felt no sense of belonging. Nor could she say she loved anyone. All her choices were merely for the sake of survival.
Labels like “fickle-hearted” or “calamitous enchantress” meant nothing to her.
Focus on emotional flow, male rivalry, female non-exclusivity with male chastity.
Three men: rough and rugged, insane, and yandere. No group intimacy.
This is the premise, and the synopsis may be revised before official publication.