Wang Jianqiang felt a sudden chill course through his body. Instinctively, he stepped back and forced a smile."Fighting is forbidden within the Hehuan Sect. I assume you wouldn't want to break the rules here, right?"
"Hehe… Since you're so good at guessing," Yan Qingxuan's lips curved in a mischievous smile, "why don't you guess again—if I kill you now, would anyone know it was me?"
Before he could respond, Wang Jianqiang realized the surroundings had begun to blur.
The walls, the bed, the tables and chairs—everything was fading, dissolving into nothingness.It was as if this space itself was being stripped away from reality.
In the blink of an eye, he was standing within a boundless void, endless emptiness stretching out in all directions.Yet one thing remained unchanged—the figure in scarlet before him, utterly still, never moving an inch.
Wang Jianqiang's gaze flickered with suspicion and unease.Illusion? Formation? Some kind of spell?
Whatever it was, the truth was clear: her strength was far beyond his own.The thought made his throat dry, and he swallowed with difficulty.
"Young as I am, I have never offended you, Senior," he said carefully. "Might I know the reason for your visit?"
"It's nothing serious." Yan Qingxuan's eyes roamed over him with a strange glimmer. "I simply found you… interesting, so I came to take a look."
She had begun paying attention to him ever since she noticed the unusual favor Dong Yue showed him.For days now, she had lingered near the outer sect, secretly investigating Wang Jianqiang.
The results had shocked her.
Wang Jianqiang—nearly ninety-six years of age, a man of laughably poor talent, burdened with five crippled spiritual roots, trash among trash.After seventy years of cultivation, his level was only the third stage of Qi Refining.
That was what most of the outer disciples believed.
Yet, from a few rare mouths, she had learned something different: that Wang Jianqiang had, late in life, awakened a peculiar gift in alchemy. He could refine flawless pills—perfect, without even the slightest trace of pill toxin.
Perfect pills. A legendary concept.
Even the greatest alchemy master of the Hehuan Sect could not produce such a thing.
But this so-called waste of the outer sect could make them with ease.How in the world had he achieved it?
Now, stripped bare, Wang Jianqiang squirmed under her gaze, feeling her scrutiny like needles across his skin.
At last, Yan Qingxuan withdrew her eyes. With a casual wave of her hand, the illusion vanished.The walls, the bed, the furnishings—all returned to normal.
She turned her wrist, and with a flick, a jade bottle on the nearby table leapt into her palm. A tap of her finger, and a flawless, lustrous pill flew from the bottle.
"They say you can refine perfect pills without poison," she said softly. "This must be one, yes?"
She studied the pill, her expression soon shifting to wonder.
"How peculiar. The medicinal essence is perfectly restrained. Even at my cultivation, I can sense its strength, but not its effect."
Without waiting for his reply, she lifted the pill toward her lips.
"Senior, wait!" Wang Jianqiang blurted, panic flashing in his eyes.
"What is it?" She arched a brow. "Are you so stingy you cannot part with a mere first-grade pill?"
"No…" He shook his head quickly.
"Hmph. Just a first-grade pill. Even if it's poisonous, it hardly matters." She sneered, moving to swallow it.
"Wait!" Wang Jianqiang stopped her again, gritting his teeth.
Her brows drew together, her eyes turning cold. His repeated obstruction had clearly worn away her patience.
Wang Jianqiang's heart skipped a beat, and he forced a dry laugh. "Senior… this pill was obtained by chance. Its effects are uncertain. Better that you take this one instead."
He produced another flawless Cloud Mist Pill. "Not only is its effect stronger, its taste is finer."
"No need. This one will do."
Yan Qingxuan gave a disdainful smile—and swallowed the first pill in one gulp.
As if he thought she valued the medicine? A mere first-grade pill, even flawless, meant nothing to her cultivation. She had only wished to taste its flavor.
A mocking thought had just crossed her mind when her body suddenly faltered. A flush swept across her face. She stumbled backward.
Instinctively, Wang Jianqiang reached out to catch her—only to find the soft warmth of her body falling into his arms.
To his shock, she did not push him away. Instead, her arms coiled around his neck, pulling him close.
Her breath was hot and uneven. A soft, half-angry, half-teasing murmur spilled from her lips:"Hmph… you little thief, you dare… to poison me…"
Her tone was icy, yet trembled with something else entirely.
The next instant, the fiery woman in scarlet turned the tables, shoving Wang Jianqiang onto the bed beneath her.
"Since this is your fault… you will take responsibility."
Her eyes blazed, cold and scorching at once, as if torn between fury and desire.
"Senior, this isn't proper—"
But before he could finish, her lips silenced his words—fierce, demanding, unrelenting.
His eyes widened. He dared not move recklessly.Inside, he cursed bitterly. This isn't a gain—it's a tiger baring its fangs to devour me alive!
Yan Qingxuan gave him no chance to resist. Spirit power rippled faintly around her, every motion pressing down with domineering weight.
Was she masking her own loss of control through aggression? Or did the drug's fire drive her to vent in the only way she knew?
The bed creaked. Incense smoke scattered.
For the time it takes half a stick of incense to burn, Wang Jianqiang could do nothing but endure.He even wondered if the next breath would be his last, drained utterly by this blazing enchantress.
…
At last, her breathing slowed. Yan Qingxuan released him and, with practiced calm, tapped several points across her body, suppressing the raging drug within.
Her lips pressed together. Her eyes, once smoldering, grew sharp with ice.
"What happened today… never happened."
Her voice was cold, though tinged with breathless tremor.
With a flick of her hand, she changed into a fresh scarlet robe. Casting one final, frosty glance at Wang Jianqiang, she turned and swept from the room.
Only the bed remained—along with Wang Jianqiang, sprawled across it, his face the picture of misery.
When she was gone, he finally exhaled, long and hard.
What the hell had just happened?Wasn't he the victim here?
Not only was his pill stolen, but his fingers ached as if wrung dry, his whole body trembling on the verge of collapse.
And somehow, he was the one left looking guilty.
Thank the heavens she had some sense left.Had she grown angry and killed him in the aftermath, who would he complain to then?
In the end, weakness was the original sin.
If he were a Nascent Soul ancestor, would he need to fear her wrath?He could have crushed or toyed with her at will.If anyone dared act unreasonable, he would "reason" with them however he pleased.
"Cultivate!"
Wang Jianqiang clenched his teeth. His thirst for power burned stronger than ever.
…
Ten days later.
His body trembled as his aura surged. A foul, greasy stench seeped from his pores as impurities forced their way out.
Opening his eyes, joy flickered across his face."The tenth stage of Qi Refining!"
A tremor of spiritual energy swept over him, cleansing the grime from his skin.
He sat quietly, feeling the newfound strength coursing through his body, then closed his eyes again to resume cultivation.
An hour later, he exhaled and reopened them.
"My speed really has slowed again…"
At this pace, to reach the very peak of the Qi Refining stage—Qi Refining Perfection—would take at least three more months of bitter cultivation.
But he had already expected this.
Three months was long, yes, but not unbearable.
He lowered his eyes, sinking into deep thought.