Chapter 24: Burning in Flames

Mei Qing was startled, the flame of desire in his heart instantly extinguished. He quickly cupped Duo Yun’s face in his hands, gazing deeply into her eyes and asking, “Duo Yun, what exactly is the matter?”

Duo Yun lowered her head, murmuring something incoherently, her words too muffled to be understood clearly.

A sense of confusion filled Mei Qing’s heart. Suddenly, he noticed something odd about Duo Yun’s expression, and faintly detected an unusual scent at the tip of his nose. Now that he had successfully cultivated his Daoist techniques, his senses were sharper than ever. A realization dawned on him. He gently helped Duo Yun lie down, pulled the quilt over her, and leaned beside her, softly stroking her smooth face as he said, “You silly girl, is it that time of the month?”

Seeing how tenderly Mei Qing spoke and acted toward her, Duo Yun felt her tears well up uncontrollably, spilling over as she choked out, “I’m useless, these past days the Young Master has rested alone… and today, I finally wanted to… wanted to be with you, but I’m just so useless…”

Mei Qing smiled gently, saying, “You silly girl, what’s there to be useful or useless about? Isn’t this just how things are? You haven’t been feeling well these days, so don’t move around too much. I’ll have Wu Er bring a hot water bottle for you to lie on, and you just rest well. We’ve got plenty of time ahead, so what’s the difference of a day or two?”

Listening to Mei Qing’s gentle words, Duo Yun gradually stopped crying. Her eyes, still glistening with tears, stared at his caring expression as if entranced. When Mei Qing mentioned the hot water bottle, she couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh, saying, “I really don’t know how the Young Master thinks up such things—but it really does work well.”

“I was born knowing everything, of course it works. You don’t need to think too much—just rest well,” Mei Qing coaxed her gently.

After a while, he managed to soothe Duo Yun to sleep, but Mei Qing himself was consumed by a raging fire of desire, helpless and unable to do anything about it. Although he had momentarily forgotten his own urges when he saw her sadness, now that he was alone, the fire burned even more fiercely. He tossed and turned for a long time but couldn’t fall asleep.

With no other choice, Mei Qing gritted his teeth, sat up, and began practicing the meditation technique he had learned from the fat Daoist at the Taiqing Temple. Perhaps it would help. The Daoist had spoken at length about the principle of “cutting the threads of desire with a wise sword,” so it must have some effect.

He began regulating his breath, drawing his inner vision inward as taught, directing his consciousness to the dantian below, where the true qi spiraled gently. Neither clinging to it nor abandoning it, he simply warmed it with a still mind. Soon enough, he felt his emotions calming, gradually entering a state of neither presence nor absence.

Seeing that this method actually worked, Mei Qing couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy. But the moment his thoughts stirred, he lost that state of tranquility, and the heat surged through his body once again. Just then, he felt a sudden burst of purple flame outside his body, crackling and rushing inward. This time, the purple flame burned externally while desire raged internally, creating a double assault. The firestorm was even fiercer than before.

Helpless, Mei Qing steeled himself and endured, clenching his teeth. He reasoned that if maintaining focus and righteousness could quell his desires, and if the purple flame had always been manageable before, then he could handle both internal and external fires with the same method. Thus, he focused his mind, allowing the spiraling energy to slowly draw in the purple flame like silk threads being unraveled, dissolving it bit by bit. This practice took longer than usual. When the purple flame and desire were finally extinguished and his consciousness returned, he noticed that the sky outside had already turned bright.

Only then did Mei Qing realize that he had been sitting in meditation all night long. Despite the long duration, his body felt no discomfort, his legs showed no numbness, and the burning desire had completely vanished, leaving him feeling light and refreshed.

Delighted, Mei Qing thought to himself: If I had known it would be this effective, why did I have to endure the agony back at the Rensheng Palace, and suffer all the way here? It seems the cultivation method passed down by the fat Daoist, though not fully mastered, has its wonders. One day, I must return to the Taiqing Temple to personally thank the immortal for it, and perhaps even learn a deeper level of the technique, which must be even more miraculous.

Of course, if the fat Daoist in the imperial prison had known that Mei Qing was now grateful and determined to continue his cultivation under him, he would have run away in terror. After teaching the young master a little and receiving a few taels of silver, he had been thrown into the imperial prison, suffering a fate worse than death. If he taught him anything else, he might not even survive at all.

In a particularly good mood, Mei Qing comforted Duo Yun a bit more in the morning, then washed up and had breakfast before mounting the horse from the previous day and heading straight to the Rensheng Palace. Yesterday he had considered taking a sedan chair for official duties, but after last night’s successful test, he had full confidence in his technique and no longer considered changing his plans.

Feeling refreshed and invigorated, Mei Qing rode swiftly and soon arrived at the Rensheng Palace. This palace, dedicated to the Eastern Peak Emperor, was quite large, with two main halls called the Daiyue Hall and the Yude Hall. Behind the palace was a former royal retreat, elaborately built, and now the residence of Bi Zhen, as well as where Mei Qing organized his manuscripts.

As Mei Qing entered the courtyard, he saw Bi Zhen there with a young Daoist boy. He dared not look for long, gave her a quick greeting, and hurried into his room, completely missing the astonished expression behind him—Bi Zhen’s beautiful eyes wide open, her mouth slightly agape, her usually serene demeanor utterly shattered.

You see, Bi Zhen had been waiting in the courtyard early that morning, eager to see Mei Qing’s pitiful state. In her mind, the previous day Mei Qing had been thrown into confusion by her magic, and though he had amazing composure, his strange movements at departure had been clearly seen by her. She had also known of his beautiful concubine at home, and assumed that last night must have been filled with passionate encounters. For a novice like Mei Qing, just beginning his Daoist cultivation, the greatest danger was falling into lustful temptations. At best, his cultivation would suffer a setback; at worst, his foundation might be completely ruined.

Bi Zhen had no intention of harming Mei Qing, but the person she had made a bet with had clearly stated that this was not meant to harm him, but to save him. Though it sounded unbelievable, Bi Zhen trusted that the old man wouldn’t lie about something like this. After all, they were both Daoists, and testing each other with magical techniques wasn’t against the Daoist principles. Besides, the stakes in the bet had been too tempting to refuse, so she had taken winning this contest very seriously.

Judging from yesterday’s encounter, Mei Qing was clearly a complete novice in Daoism, unable to resist her techniques at all. She had expected to win easily, and even a Daoist like her couldn’t help feeling a bit proud. But who could have imagined that today, when she eagerly waited to see the fruits of her efforts, she would instead receive a heavy blow.

Mei Qing’s eyes were bright and full of spirit, his complexion smooth and radiant, his aura calm and steady—there was not a trace of depletion. Compared to yesterday, he actually seemed to have made progress in cultivation!

So that brat had been faking it all yesterday, pretending to be confused—what a fraud!

Bi Zhen was so angry that she nearly ground her teeth to dust. How could she, the great Xianzi, endure such humiliation? Her once calm Daoist heart was now rippling with emotion. She stomped her foot furiously and quickly chased after him, pushing open the door and calling out, “Mei Qing, you actually…”

Mei Qing had just begun preparing to work when he heard Bi Zhen’s voice. He quickly looked up and saw her angry face, his heart leaping in alarm. He immediately stood up and asked, “What is the matter, Immortal?”

Bi Zhen hesitated. After all, she couldn’t exactly accuse Mei Qing of anything. The whole thing had been her mission from someone else—to use magic to tempt Mei Qing into indulging in carnal pleasures. How could she possibly say that out loud?

Bi Zhen’s mind worked quickly. Her anger vanished in an instant, replaced by a playful glance. She smiled slightly and said, “Nothing,” then turned and walked away gracefully, glancing back at him with a final, seductive smile before leaving.

Good heavens! Mei Qing almost couldn’t catch his breath. It felt as if his entire body had been thrown into Laozi’s alchemical furnace, every one of his seventy-two orifices ready to burst into flames. A surge of fiery desire rushed straight to his crown, and certain parts of his body were already stirring dangerously.

Mei Qing silently called upon the Three Purities and the Bodhisattva for protection. Without hesitation, he quickly focused his gaze on his nose, then his heart, regulating his breath and calming his mind, forcibly reining in his wildly beating heart. Strangely enough, as soon as he sank into his inner consciousness, the purple flame that usually appeared only at night also surfaced, though not as all-encompassing as before—it flickered just beneath his skin. Mei Qing, now familiar with the process, calmly resumed his flame-dissolving technique, slowly and steadily working at it for more than half an hour before finally emerging from his meditative state.

After dealing with some manuscript work, it was already noon when a young Daoist boy brought him vegetarian food. Mei Qing finished his meal quickly, thinking of taking a short rest, when suddenly the door creaked open. He looked up and groaned inwardly—there she was again, the persistent beauty who haunted him like a ghost.

Bi Zhen couldn’t stop thinking about how Mei Qing had managed to neutralize her “Stillness Spell.” That spell, in truth, wasn’t a dark or evil technique at all. It was originally a visualization method used by dual cultivation sects to train one’s mind and spirit. Later, some unworthy disciples had misused it for promiscuous energy absorption, giving it the infamous name of the “Girl-Draining Technique,” which led to its abandonment by the world. Bi Zhen’s own cultivation path happened to include this method, though she had never used it on anyone before and wasn’t quite sure of its strength. She had been confident after her small test yesterday, but today’s failure only made her more determined. Early in the morning, she had already given Mei Qing a stronger dose.

After returning to her room, she still felt uneasy. So, after lunch, she used an excuse to visit Mei Qing’s room again to check things out.

But to her dismay, Mei Qing looked perfectly normal, showing no signs of distress. Seeing this, she knew her spell had been neutralized once again. Angered but expressionless, she repeated the same trick, this time smiling even more seductively, nearly making the young master leap out of his skin.

Even if Mei Qing wasn’t the brightest, he now clearly understood that Bi Zhen was playing tricks on him, stirring up his desire. But with no time to think deeply, he could only follow the same method, resuming his cultivation. This time, it took over an hour before the fire finally subsided.

That wasn’t all. When it was time to leave for home that evening, the beautiful Bi Zhen came to see him off once more, this time applying an even stronger dose of her magic. Poor Mei Qing, riding on the bumpy horse, couldn’t enter meditation or practice his techniques. He had no choice but to endure the same torment he had experienced the day before, all the way home, where he finally had the chance to cultivate and dispel the fire.

Mei Qing was startled, the flames of desire in his heart instantly cooled. He quickly cupped Duo Yun’s face in his hands, gazing deeply into her eyes as he asked, “Duo Yun, what’s going on?”

Duo Yun lowered her head, mumbling something incoherent.

Mei Qing felt a pang of suspicion. Suddenly, he noticed a slight change in Duo Yun’s complexion and caught a faint, peculiar scent. Having recently mastered his Daoist techniques, his senses were exceptionally sharp. Realizing what was happening, he gently helped Duo Yun lie down, pulling the blanket over her. He sat beside her, softly stroking her smooth cheek and said, “Silly girl, is it that time of the month?”

Hearing Mei Qing’s gentle tone and feeling his tender care, Duo Yun’s tears began to flow uncontrollably. She choked out, “Duo Yun is useless. These past few days, Young Master has been resting alone. Finally, today I wanted… wanted to, but I’m just not strong enough…”

Mei Qing chuckled softly, “Silly girl, it’s not about being strong or not. It’s just how things are. You’re not feeling well these days, so don’t overexert yourself. I’ll have Wu’er bring you the hot water bag to warm you up. Just rest well. We have plenty of time ahead of us; what’s one day or night?”

Listening to Mei Qing’s soothing words, Duo Yun gradually stopped crying. Her tear-filled eyes gazed at Mei Qing’s caring expression, as if entranced. When she heard him mention the hot water bag, she couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh, “I don’t know how Young Master thought of such a thing—but it really works.”

“Of course it works. I’m naturally wise. Don’t overthink it; just rest well,” Mei Qing coaxed her gently.

After a while, he managed to lull Duo Yun to sleep, but Mei Qing himself was now consumed by desire, with no way to relieve it. Though he had momentarily forgotten his own needs while comforting Duo Yun, now that he was alone, the fire within him burned even more fiercely. Tossing and turning for a long time, he still couldn’t fall asleep.

With no other option, Mei Qing gritted his teeth and sat up. He began to practice the meditation techniques he had learned from the portly Daoist at the Taiqing Palace, hoping they would help. The Daoist had spoken at length about the “Sword of Wisdom severing the threads of desire,” and Mei Qing thought there must be some truth to it.

After a few cycles of breathing, he focused his inner vision as the Daoist had taught, directing his consciousness to the swirling vortex of true energy in his lower dantian. He maintained a calm, steady focus, neither clinging nor letting go. After a while, he felt his emotions stabilize, gradually reaching a state of near-nothingness.

Seeing that this method was indeed effective, Mei Qing felt a surge of joy. However, as soon as his thoughts stirred, he could no longer maintain that serene state, and his body once again felt a wave of heat. At that moment, he also sensed a purple flame suddenly rise outside his body, scorching its way inward. This time, the purple flame burned externally while desire raged internally, creating a double assault that was far more intense than before.

With no other choice, Mei Qing steeled himself and endured. He reasoned that if maintaining focus could quell desire, and if he had previously managed to tame the purple flame, then he could handle both at once. He kept his mind steady, allowing the energy vortex to slowly dissolve the purple flame strand by strand. This time, the process took longer than usual. By the time the purple flame and desire were fully dissolved, and his consciousness returned to his body, he noticed that dawn had already broken outside.

Mei Qing realized he had been meditating in bed all night. Despite sitting for so long, he felt no discomfort, and his legs weren’t numb. The burning desire had completely vanished, leaving him feeling light and refreshed.

Overjoyed, Mei Qing thought to himself that if he had known this earlier, he wouldn’t have had to endure such torment at the Rensheng Palace and on the road. It seemed that the cultivation techniques taught by the portly Daoist, though incomplete, were indeed effective. He decided he must visit the Taiqing Palace again to thank the Daoist in person and perhaps learn deeper, more profound methods.

Little did Mei Qing know, if the portly Daoist in the imperial prison had known that Mei Qing felt grateful and was determined to study under him, he would have fled far away, wanting nothing to do with it. After all, he had only taught Mei Qing a little and received a few taels of silver in return, yet he had been thrown into the imperial prison, suffering a fate worse than death. If he were to teach Mei Qing anything more, he might end up completely obliterated.

In high spirits, Mei Qing got up in the morning, comforted Duo Yun a bit more, and after washing up and having breakfast, he mounted his horse from the previous day and headed straight for the Rensheng Palace. Yesterday, he had considered taking a sedan chair, but after last night’s success with his meditation, he felt confident in his method and didn’t think twice about it.

Feeling refreshed, Mei Qing rode swiftly and soon arrived at the Rensheng Palace. This temple, dedicated to the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak, was vast, with two main halls—the Daiyue Hall and the Yude Hall. The rear courtyard was a former imperial palace, exquisitely built and now the residence of Bi Zhen, where Mei Qing also worked on his manuscripts.

As Mei Qing entered the courtyard, he happened to see Bi Zhen with a young Daoist disciple. He didn’t dare look too long, quickly greeting them before heading to his room, completely unaware that behind him, Bi Zhen’s beautiful eyes were wide with shock, her lips slightly parted, her expression frozen—a far cry from her usual ethereal demeanor.

Bi Zhen had been waiting in the courtyard early that morning, eager to see the effects of her spell on Mei Qing. She had assumed that after being so thoroughly disoriented by her magic the previous day, Mei Qing, despite his remarkable composure, would have been unable to resist indulging in his desires. She knew he had a beautiful concubine at home and figured he would have spent the night in passionate abandon. For someone like Mei Qing, who had just begun his Daoist journey, succumbing to lust could severely damage his cultivation, if not outright ruin it.

Bi Zhen didn’t intend to harm Mei Qing, but the person who had made the bet with her had insisted that this was not to harm him but to save him. Though it sounded unbelievable, Bi Zhen trusted that the old man wouldn’t deceive her on such a matter. After all, as fellow Daoists, testing each other’s methods wasn’t against the rules. Moreover, the stakes of the bet were too tempting for her to refuse, so she was determined to win.

From what she had seen yesterday, Mei Qing was clearly a novice, completely defenseless against her magic. She had thought victory would be easy, and even as a seasoned cultivator, she couldn’t help but feel a little smug. But today, as she eagerly awaited the fruits of her labor, she was met with a harsh reality.

Mei Qing’s eyes were bright, his complexion smooth and radiant, his aura calm and steady—there was no sign of any damage to his cultivation. In fact, he seemed to have made progress since yesterday!

This brat, he was just putting on an act yesterday! He dared to deceive me, a celestial being!

Bi Zhen was so furious she could have ground her teeth to dust. As the esteemed Bi Zhen, she had never been treated like this! Her usually tranquil Daoist heart was now rippling with waves of anger. She stomped her foot and quickly followed Mei Qing, pushing open his door and exclaiming, “Mei Qing, you actually…”

Mei Qing, who had just started working, looked up at Bi Zhen’s angry face and quickly stood up, “What is it, Master?”

Bi Zhen was momentarily speechless. After all, she was the one who had been asked to cast a spell on Mei Qing to lure him into indulging in carnal desires. How could she possibly explain that?

Thinking quickly, Bi Zhen’s expression softened, and she smiled slightly, “Nothing.” With that, she turned and left, her figure swaying gracefully. Before she disappeared, she glanced back at Mei Qing with a seductive smile.

Oh heavens!—Mei Qing felt as if he had been thrown into Lao Jun’s alchemical furnace, every pore in his body ready to burst into flames. A surge of desire shot straight to his head, and certain parts of him were on the verge of eruption.

Mei Qing silently prayed to the Three Pure Ones and the Bodhisattva for help. He didn’t dare delay, immediately focusing on his breathing and calming his mind, forcibly reining in his restless heart. Strangely, as he sank into his inner consciousness, the purple flame that usually appeared only at night also emerged, though this time it didn’t engulf his entire body but hovered just beneath his skin. Mei Qing, now well-practiced, began the process of dissolving the flame, taking his time. It took him nearly an hour to finally emerge from his meditative state.

After finishing some work on his manuscripts, it was already noon, and a young Daoist disciple brought him a vegetarian meal. Mei Qing ate quickly and was about to rest when the door opened again. Looking up, he groaned inwardly—his persistent, beautiful nemesis had returned.

Bi Zhen couldn’t stop thinking about how Mei Qing had managed to dispel her “Restraining Desire” technique. This method wasn’t inherently evil; it was originally a practice from the dual cultivation school, meant to temper one’s mind. However, some unscrupulous disciples had used it for excessive indulgence, earning it the infamous name “Enchantress Technique,” which led to its abandonment by the Daoist community. Bi Zhen’s own cultivation aligned with this method, and though she had learned it, she had never used it on anyone before, so she wasn’t fully aware of its potency. Yesterday, when she had tested it on Mei Qing, she had been confident in her success. But today, faced with failure, she decided to double down, giving Mei Qing an even stronger dose in the morning.

Returning to her room, she still felt uneasy, so after noon, she found an excuse to visit Mei Qing’s room again to see what was going on.

To her surprise, Mei Qing seemed completely unaffected, showing no signs of distress. Realizing her technique had been neutralized again, Bi Zhen was furious but kept her composure. She repeated her method, this time with an even more alluring smile, nearly causing Mei Qing to jump out of his seat.

Even if Mei Qing was a fool, he could tell Bi Zhen was playing tricks on him, stoking his desires. But he didn’t have time to dwell on it; he simply followed the same routine, meditating for over an hour until the flames of desire subsided.

That wasn’t the end of it. When Mei Qing finished his work and was about to head home, Bi Zhen gracefully came to see him off, this time with an even stronger dose. Poor Mei Qing, unable to meditate while riding his horse, had to endure the same torment as the previous day, only finding relief when he returned home and could finally practice his techniques to dispel the flames.

“Damn you, Bi Zhen! Why are you messing with me? Fine, let’s see who’s tougher. I’ll play along!” Even the most patient person has their limits. Mei Qing, unaware of the bet behind the scenes, thought Bi Zhen was simply toying with him. No matter how calm his nature, he was still a young man, and he couldn’t bear to lose face in front of such a beauty. He silently vowed not to be defeated by this enchantress—even if she seemed completely devoid of any demonic aura.