Mei Ling stared at my outstretched hand like it was a lifeline thrown to a drowning woman. Which, honestly, it probably was.
"Father."
The voice that cut through the dungeon air was cold, authoritative, and dripping with fake respect. My third son, Zhao Wuji, stepped into the cell wearing the golden robes of an emperor and a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
He'd grown into his power well over the past three years. Broad shoulders, perfectly groomed beard, and the kind of presence that made people automatically bow. At thirty-five, he was in his prime—everything I used to be before age and poison wore me down.
"Still breathing, I see," he said, eyeing me with mild disappointment. "The physicians assured me you'd be dead by now."
Behind him stood four imperial guards in full armor, their hands resting on sword hilts. These weren't the corrupt palace guards from before—these were his personal killers, loyal only to him.
Mei Ling scrambled to her feet and bowed low. "Your Majesty, the former emperor is very weak. He can barely—"
"Stand up straight and speak clearly," Wuji interrupted harshly. "Don't insult my intelligence, girl."
[System Alert: Multiple hostile targets detected]
[Recommended action: Immediate escape or elimination]
[Current Host vitality insufficient for direct confrontation]
No shit, system. Thanks for the obvious advice.
"You look better than expected, old man," Wuji continued, studying me with those calculating eyes he'd inherited from me. "Almost like you've regained some strength."
"Funny what a little hope can do," I replied, not moving my extended hand away from Mei Ling. "Even for a dying dragon."
He laughed—a sound with no warmth in it. "Hope? What could you possibly hope for? Your empire is mine. Your sons are dead or scattered to the winds. Your legacy belongs to me now."
"My grandson still lives."
The temperature in the cell seemed to drop ten degrees. Wuji's casual demeanor vanished, replaced by the cold fury I remembered from his childhood tantrums.
"Zhao Chen is nothing," he snarled. "A beggar playing at being a cultivator. He'll die like his father did—screaming and alone."
"We'll see about that."
Mei Ling was looking back and forth between us, her hand inching toward mine. I could see the moment she made her choice—her jaw set with determination, and her qi began to circulate.
Foundation Establishment might not be much compared to Wuji's Core Formation, but it was better than nothing.
"Enough of this," Wuji said, waving to his guards. "Kill them both. Make it look like the old fool strangled the servant girl before his heart gave out."
That's when Mei Ling grabbed my hand.
The moment our skin touched, something incredible happened. Energy—raw, pure energy—flowed between us like electricity. Not just the system's artificial boost, but something deeper. Something that felt like...
[Dual Cultivation detected!]
[Partner compatibility: Perfect match]
[Vitality surge activated]
[Host vitality: 45/100]
Holy shit. The exhaustion that had been weighing me down for years suddenly lifted. My back straightened, my breathing deepened, and I felt... alive. Actually alive for the first time since the poisoning started.
Mei Ling gasped as the same energy flowed through her. Her cultivation jumped—I could feel it. Late Foundation Establishment now, maybe even touching the edge of Core Formation.
"What the hell—" Wuji started, but I was already moving.
The loose stone I'd noticed earlier came free with one hard yank. I hurled it at the nearest guard's face, and the satisfying crunch of breaking bone echoed through the cell.
"Run!" I shouted to Mei Ling, shoving her toward the hole in the wall.
She didn't hesitate. Years of servant training had taught her to follow orders without question, and she squeezed through the gap like liquid shadow.
The remaining guards rushed forward, but the narrow cell worked in my favor. Only one could attack at a time, and I still remembered how to fight dirty.
I grabbed a handful of that disgusting straw and flung it at the lead guard's eyes, then drove my knee into his groin when he instinctively raised his hands to his face. He dropped like a sack of rice.
"You insolent—" Wuji raised his hand, and I felt the crushing pressure of his cultivation bearing down on me. Core Formation was no joke—even with the system's boost, he could probably kill me with his bare hands.
But he hesitated. Just for a second, probably wondering how his dying father had suddenly become so spry. That hesitation saved my life.
I dove through the hole in the wall just as a blast of qi shattered the stone where my head had been.
The tunnel behind the wall was cramped and pitch black, but I could hear Mei Ling scrambling ahead of me.
Good girl—she was thinking on her feet.
"Find them!" Wuji's voice echoed behind us, along with the sound of armor clanking as guards squeezed through the hole. "I want them brought back alive! I'll make their deaths so slow that—"
His voice faded as we crawled deeper into the tunnel.
It was an old drainage system, probably built when this section of the palace was constructed.
Smart servant girl—she must have scouted escape routes during her visits.
The tunnel was tight as hell, forcing us both onto all fours like animals scrambling through the dirt.
The air was thick with the smell of damp earth and mold, and every scrape of my knees against the rough stone sent jolts of pain up my legs.
But hey, better than being Wuji's prisoner.
Mei Ling was ahead of me, her gray servant robes hiked up a bit from the crawl, giving me a view I wasn't exactly complaining about.
Her ass swayed with each movement—round, firm, the kind of curves that made you forget you were in a life-or-death situation. Those hips were wide and juicy, pressing against the thin fabric like they were begging to be grabbed.
Even in the dim light filtering through cracks in the walls, I could see the way her thighs flexed, strong from years of hard work and that hidden cultivation of hers.
Fuck, she was built like a goddess trapped in a maid's outfit—full, perky tits straining against her top as she pushed forward, and that ass... damn, it was hypnotizing, jiggling just enough to make my blood run hot despite the cold tunnel.
I shook my head, trying to focus. Now wasn't the time to get distracted, but shit, the system was probably loving this.
"Your Majesty," Mei Ling whispered ahead, her voice echoing softly off the walls. She didn't stop crawling, but I could hear the worry in her tone. "My brother... he's still in the palace dungeons. If they find out I helped you escape, they'll kill him. He's just a boy, only twelve. They already beat him half to death to make me... to make me poison you."
I grunted, keeping my eyes on the path—or trying to. "Don't worry about him. I can save him. Once we're out of here, we'll circle back. I've got ways to get him out without Wuji even knowing."
She halted suddenly, her body freezing in place. "You... you really mean that? How? He's guarded day and night—"
Her stop was so abrupt that I didn't have time to react. My face slammed right into her ass, burying into those soft, plump cheeks.
The fabric was thin, and I could feel the warmth of her skin, the faint scent of her sweat mixed with something sweeter, more feminine.
It was like diving into heaven for a split second—firm yet yielding, the kind of ass that made you want to bite down and never let go.
Mei Ling yelped, scrambling forward a bit and twisting around in the tight space.
Her face was flushed red, even in the low light, and she looked mortified. "F-Forgive me, Your Majesty! I didn't mean to stop so suddenly. It was improper—I shouldn't have... oh gods, please don't be angry!"
She was babbling, her hands fluttering like she didn't know what to do with them, her big eyes wide with panic. That only made her look hotter, all flustered and vulnerable.
I reached out and grabbed her hand to steady her. The moment our skin touched again, that electric spark shot through us.
[Task Completed: Establish Physical Contact with Primary Partner]
[Vitality Points +20]
[Host Vitality: 65/100]
[Harem Points +15]
[Beginner's Package Unlocked: Basic Health Restoration Complete]
The blue screen flashed in my vision, and I felt another rush of energy flood my body.
Muscles that had been wasting away for years tightened up, my skin smoothed out a bit, and even my gray hair felt less brittle.
I wasn't young again, but I sure as hell didn't feel like a dying old man anymore.
Mei Ling trembled, her hand shaking in mine as she felt the same surge. Her eyes went wide, darting to my face in complete surprise. "W-What was that? Your Majesty, I felt... something flowing through me again. Like fire in my veins. And you... you look different. Stronger. How is this possible?"
I turned my gaze to her fully now, taking in the sight.
She was on her knees in the tunnel, her robes disheveled from the crawl—torn at the hem, exposing those long, smooth legs that curved up to that incredible ass I'd just face-planted into.
Her tits heaved with each panicked breath, full and heavy, nipples hard against the thin fabric from the cold or maybe the adrenaline.
Sweat glistened on her neck, trailing down into her cleavage, and her lips were parted, plump and inviting.
Raw as fuck—she was the kind of woman who could make a man lose his mind, all natural curves and that innocent face hiding a body built for sin.
But my cock was dead... Yeah. So no text, just a 20-year-old young teenage brain looking and processing but not twitching between the legs.
"Sigh, Let's go, Mei."