Chapter 167: Striving Not to Be Drained

I’ve only come across two cultivation manuals: Nine Revolutions of Heaven and Earth and this Mysterious Escape Art, both d*mn well written by Niu Shisan!  

Who the hell is this guy? 

One’s about domineering True Qi purification, the other’s for escaping. What kind of person is he?  

Too bad Mei’er knows little about human cultivators, or I could ask her.  

I’ll check Demon-Slaying Web’s forums when I have time.  

Niu Shisan left a few words after his signature. Looking closely, I understood why that old man carried such an important manual.  

The later pages of Mysterious Escape Art wouldn’t open due to insufficient cultivation. Once your level’s high enough, you can unlock another page and learn new techniques.  

That old man, at Stellar Vortex beginner stage, could only open one page. Why can I, at half-step Lunar Reflection, also only open one?  

No way, I’ve got to try again!  

I picked up Mysterious Escape Art, increased True Qi output, and sure enough, the next page opened. Holding it under sunlight, I looked at the ceiling projection.  

“Last year I bought a watch!” I cursed at the projection. Niu Shisan’s such a troll.  

It read: “You actually turned the page? Idiot!”  

D*mn! This guy’s got a twisted sense of humor!  

If that old man knew the next page was like this, he’d probably die with regrets.  

Since I’ve memorized Mysterious Escape Art, there’s no need to keep it.  

I tried tearing it, but it wouldn’t budge.  

No choice—I used my black dagger, sliced it into pieces, and tossed them in the trash.  

Taking a deep breath, I followed the manual’s energy path, reversing True Qi.  

“D*mn!” The moment True Qi reversed, my chest ached.  

After a pause, I tried again, and it flowed smoother.  

Reversing True Qi is a sign of cultivation deviation, but Niu Shisan’s method caused no harm, let alone deviation.  

As it reversed, True Qi coated my body, blending me perfectly with the room’s scenery.  

Holy crap! Mind-blowing!  

After some practice, I realized reversing True Qi isn’t truly going against the flow—it’s just a different way of circulating. Still risky, though—one wrong move, and it’s deviation.  

I stretched and headed to the living room.  

It was empty, sunset approaching, almost dinnertime.  

Testing the technique made time fly. If I went into secluded cultivation, Sister Lin and the others might be old hags by the time I emerged.  

Sister Lin had afternoon classes, but she should be back by now, right?  

Curious, I went upstairs.  

Mei’er and Sister Lin share a room, which drives me nuts. Originally, Mei’er was supposed to room with me, and once my cultivation advanced, we could… you know!  

But Sister Lin, that pain in the ass, dragged Mei’er to her room. So frustrating!  

Pushing open Sister Lin’s door, I saw Mei’er alone on the bed. Sister Lin wasn’t back.  

Can I curse? Damn it! Why do Sister Lin and Mei’er’s room have just one bed? One bed!  

Do they sleep together? Even if they’re both women, I can’t accept it! Doesn’t everyone know how common same-s9x relationships are these days?  

Wait… no, it’s mostly guy-on-guy stuff now. I haven’t seen many lesb!ans. Am I overthinking?  

Besides, Mei’er’s from centuries ago. Even with limited knowledge, she’d know only men and women fall in love, right?  

Yeah, I’m overthinking. Comforting myself, I looked at Mei’er on the bed and got playful.  

I gently blew on her earlobe.  

They say women have a few sensitive spots. I’ve kissed her lips, accidentally touched her chest—now let’s try blowing on her ear. Will Mei’er react? If she does, heh… hahaha!  

As I blew, Mei’er opened her eyes, looking at me groggily. “Xia Tian… what are you doing? It tickles…”  

Tickles? That word got little Xia Tian excited.  

“I’m hungry, so I came to find my girlfriend for a bite!” I teased.  

“Even with your breakthrough, I’m at four-tail strength. We still can’t… you know…” Mei’er’s face flushed, making me even more excited.  

“If that’s the case, does that mean we can never…?” I said helplessly.  

Mei’er blushed, lowering her head. “I could slow my seal’s release… but I don’t control it. The fourth tail’s seal broke on its own.”  

Her words touched me deeply. But touched or not, if we can’t, am I doomed to stay a virgin forever?  

“Are all cultivation partners equal in strength?” I asked, puzzled.  

I always felt Mei’er’s explanation was off, but I couldn’t pinpoint why. Maybe it’s a guy’s less reliable sixth sense.  

Mei’er shook her head, looking guilty. “No, it’s just my situation.”  

Seeing me silent, she continued, “Humans often call fox demons ‘lewd,’ and it’s not baseless. We’re not lewd—we just absorb men’s essence to boost our strength…”  

“What! Mei’er, don’t tell me you’re not a v!rgin!” I panicked. She was once nine-tailed—how many men’s essence would it take to reach that level?  

My world felt like it was collapsing!  

Mei’er froze, her face beet red, and she pushed me lightly. “My strength didn’t come from absorbing essence! Besides, fox demon royals don’t need such low methods to advance!”  

I kissed her hard. “Phew, you scared me!”  

I’m such an idiot. Someone as pure as Mei’er couldn’t possibly be impure. 

Qin Mengdie was right—I should stop browsing those pointless forums. They’re making me paranoid.  

Thinking Mei’er was mad, I quickly said, “Sorry!”  

“I don’t mind. It’s understandable you’d think that after what I said.” Mei’er smiled. “Royals don’t need to steal essence, but as fox demons, if we couple with a weaker human, we can’t help but drain their essence completely…”  

“Drain… completely?” I drooled, half-wishing Mei’er would drain me.  

“It means sucking their life force dry, leaving a husk!” Mei’er frowned, correcting my misunderstanding.  

D*mn! A husk? Nope, I’m too handsome for that!  

“I’ll work hard to raise my cultivation so I won’t be drained!” I declared, vowing to grow stronger and claim Mei’er soon.  

“Ugh… you’re annoying…” Mei’er blushed, looking down.  

Pretending to be upset, I said, “You dare call me annoying? Watch me gobble you up!” I pinned her down and k!ssed her lips.  

Just as I did, the door opened, and Sister Lin walked in.  

I sat up fast, the awkwardness unbearable.  

Sister Lin gave a dry laugh. “Uh, carry on…”  

Carry on, my ass! She always ruins the moment! What’s wrong with this scriptwriter? Always screwing things up! (G: at this point, it’s not even funny.)