Her entire body ached as if tender blossoms had been ravaged by a violent storm.
Yet the dark clouds had dissipated, revealing the full moon's glow. But what of her?
Her eyes brimmed with tears, their crystalline depths reflecting disbelief at what had transpired.
"Ice Heart Art!"
The technique circulated through her, but it couldn't suppress her crumbling emotions. She clutched the garment covering her body, its scent unmistakably his...
As she slowly rose, Lou Mengyu discovered the man lying sound asleep beside her!
She sprang to her feet, fury and hatred burning in her eyes.
"Kill! Kill..." Lou Mengyu gritted her teeth, raising her hand.
If only time could reverse itself...
The events of the night flooded her mind - every touch, every word, every violation.
"Using the Dragon's Might once more will likely send me back into slumber. Why must this wretched fate be mine? How could I have forgotten to tell that boy he needs his own blood to awaken me...?"
Dragon Jade muttered in frustration, though his attention remained fixed on Lou Mengyu. Should she strike, he'd have no choice but to employ the Dragon's Might again, rendering her unconscious.
As for who would awaken first - that remained in the hands of fate.
"What's wrong with me? Why can't I bring myself to strike?" Lou Mengyu's hand trembled mid-air, frozen in its suspended position.
"Haven't I always wanted to kill him?" For a moment, she wondered if her Ice Heart Art had failed, or perhaps this was her true inner desire all along?
"Impossible! Impossible!"
Lou Mengyu shook her head violently, once again channeling her true qi, but still couldn't bring herself to attack.
After a long moment, she cast one last, lingering glance at Qin Yang before turning and leaving.
"It seems this old dragon won't need to sleep after all..." Dragon Jade sighed in relief as he watched Lou Mengyu depart. But just as he relaxed, a fist-sized rock whizzed toward him!
The stone struck the ground beside Qin Yang's head, shattering into several pieces. Fortunately, the aim had been poor - Qin Yang remained completely unharmed.
This spectacle terrified Dragon Jade. Dragon might, it seems, is utterly useless against rocks...
"Ah! What a wonderful rest!"
When Qin Yang awoke, the sky was already bright.
He stretched lazily and yawned, then suddenly remembered the events of the previous day, nearly twisting his waist in surprise.
Gazing at the shattered remains of the rock - still roughly the size of a human head - Qin Yang couldn't suppress a shiver.
Yet moments later, he began chuckling heartily.
"How can you still smile? You nearly severed the Qin family's bloodline!" Dragon Jade said irritably.
Qin Yang grinned. "They wanted to kill me but didn't. Why dwell on it?"
What bothered Qin Yang more was why the other party was so conflicted!
"Stop daydreaming. The way she looks, she'd eat your heart raw," Dragon Jade said contemptuously.
Qin Yang shrugged, acting like he hadn't heard. He hurried back to Tiger Run Peak, changed into clean clothes at his residence, and headed to the Mission Hall.
Along the way, he noticed the Outer Sect disciples acting strangely. They all greeted him warmly.
"What's going on?" Qin Yang asked.
One disciple replied, "Yesterday at the Mission Hall, you accepted a task to gather Black Moon Flowers from the rear mountains. Did you go?"
Qin Yang slapped his forehead. He had seen plenty of Black Moon Flowers before the rainstorm, but who would pick them in such weather?
Seeing Qin Yang's expression, the disciple misunderstood and sighed in relief. "Thankfully you didn't go. Last night, a beast attacked the rear mountains. Many Outer Sect disciples died. Rumor has it Zhou Shi's lackeys were all devoured by the beast overnight!"
"Hm? A demonic beast?" Qin Yang paused, startled.
The Outer Sect disciple continued, "The Black-faced Manager went to investigate. You're really lucky. Plus, the Mission Hall suspended tasks for three days—essentially giving us all a break."
"That's great!" Qin Yang exclaimed, delighted.
But then the Outer Sect disciple added, "We may be off duty, but your punishment of sweeping the mountain gates still stands."
Qin Yang's face darkened with frustration. At least he wouldn't have to do any other tasks.
At the foot of Thousand Bamboo Peak, Qin Yang swept the stone steps while pondering.
Why did they say the beast ate the people when I clearly killed them?
And why did the Black-faced Manager investigate like it was some major incident?
Suddenly, voices drifted around the mountain path's bend.
"Did you kill those people?" came the Black-faced Manager's voice.
"No," replied Lou Mengyu.
"But some died from Wind Piercing Finger attacks."
"I swear I didn't do it."
"Even if you did, it doesn't matter. The bodies were truly devoured by the beast. I only found clues from the remains."
"Real demonic beasts? It seems the beast tide is coming."
Qin Yang stood at the corner, listening intently, but the words only made him more confused. Beast tide? What beast tide?
The Dragon Jade spoke within Qin Yang's mind: "Every hundred years since a thousand years ago, there's a beast tide that lasts ten years."
Qin Yang waited quietly for more, but the story abruptly ended.
"And then?" Qin Yang asked.
"You know too much. That's not good."
Qin Yang's teeth itched with anger, and he nearly pulled out the Dragon Jade to smash it on the ground.
"What are you doing here?" the Black-faced Manager's voice came from in front.
He and Lou Mengyu turned the corner, only to find Qin Yang standing there with a broom, eavesdropping.
"Isn't this the punishment you gave me? Sweeping the mountain gate for a month?" Qin Yang waved the broom in his hand, looking at Lou Mengyu.
Lou Mengyu felt like she'd been struck by lightning, never expecting to see Qin Yang here!
She didn't know how to react. In the end, she remained silent, as if she didn't recognize Qin Yang, as if nothing had happened last night.
"You two know each other?" The Black-faced Manager stared at Lou Mengyu and Qin Yang with surprise.
"We do," Qin Yang nodded.
"We don't," Lou Mengyu immediately denied.
The two spoke in unison, yet gave different answers.
"Fascinating." The Black-faced Manager pointed at Qin Yang. "This is the young man I mentioned from the Outer Sect. His talent is decent enough."
Before he could finish, the manager's eyes widened as he stared at Qin Yang. "You've broken through? When?"
"Last night," Qin Yang replied.
At the mention of last night, Lou Mengyu's body involuntarily shuddered.
The Black-faced Manager burst into laughter. "Excellent, now that's more like it. Come, let me introduce you. This is Lou Mengyu. She might become your senior sister in the future."
Qin Yang omitted the "might" and bowed respectfully. "Since she's younger than me, I'll call her junior sister. Junior sister, nice to meet you!"
"Wait, junior sister?" Qin Yang frowned. "Shouldn't I call her junior sister in cultivation?"
The Black-faced Manager snorted, "Do you really think we're from the Thousand Hidden Sect? That minor sect's leader barely reaches the Grandmaster realm, and their Inner Sect disciples are only at the peak of the Qi Gathering Realm. A mere Qi Sea Realm cultivator claiming to be an elder..."
His words dripped with natural superiority, as if he came from a place of great renown.
"Then who are you..." Qin Yang began.
"Listen carefully, I'm Martial Heaven, teacher at Celestial Academy!" the Black-faced Manager declared proudly.
Martial Heaven waited expectantly, but no admiration or awe came from Qin Yang.
Instead, Qin Yang stared blankly at Martial Heaven and muttered, "And?"
Martial Heaven's anger flared momentarily before dissipating. "True enough. In this backwater place, where even the sect's dregs don't qualify as major, it's understandable for an Outer Sect disciple like you to be so ignorant."
"Clean the mountain gates thoroughly this month," Martial Heaven ordered. "Many guests will be arriving."
With that, he descended the mountain accompanied by Lou Mengyu.
"You're just going to leave like that?" Qin Yang called out.
Lou Mengyu's body tensed instantly, too afraid to turn back.
Martial Heaven squinted and turned around. "You brat, are you talking to me?"
Qin Yang shook his head repeatedly.
Martial Heaven looked at Lou Mengyu with a strange expression. "Is he calling you?"
Lou Mengyu bit her lip and hurried down the mountain. "No, I don't know him!"
"You're being too heartless. Last night we still..." Before he could finish, Lou Mengyu rushed over like a gust of wind and covered Qin Yang's mouth.
The familiar fragrance once again intoxicated Qin Yang. He tried to speak, moving his lips as if kissing Lou Mengyu's delicate hand.
Struck as if by lightning, Lou Mengyu exclaimed, "Shameless!"
"It seems you really do know each other," Martial Heaven mused. Last night? Could this be connected to the dead Outer Sect disciples?
Shaking his head, he had more important matters to attend to. The deaths of a few insignificant people weren't worth wasting his energy on.
"You don't need to see me off. Focus on your affairs. Though your cultivation has improved, it's still far from enough to secure a better ranking in the future."
With these words of advice, Martial Heaven descended the mountain alone.