Chapter 199: The Truth Concealed in the Details

“Last night, you took all the liberties, and now you dare to be so fierce?” Tianqing Ji leaped up and shouted, brimming with a fierce air.

Qian Ye couldn’t help but pause, his voice lowering as he asked, “What… what liberties did I take?”

“You drank the white fruit wine, hmpf! What other liberties could there be?”

Tianqing Ji rushed over, smacked away Qian Ye’s hand, and dragged Kuanglan Li back to her side, scolding, “In this state, what else do you fear from him? At worst, we can leave on our own, without relying on him for shelter at night.”

Kuanglan Li bit her lip, silent.

Seeing that the initiative had returned to Tianqing Ji, Qian Ye was somewhat at a loss. He knew that if he continued to ask Kuanglan Li, she would be interrupted, so he said, “Then why did you give me the white fruit wine?”

Tianqing Ji glared at him, with a look that seemed to say, “You ungrateful wretch,” and coldly said, “The wine I gave you wasn’t the garbage we scavenged. The jars of wine I fed you were ones I kept inside my body, nurturing their medicinal power with secret methods, mixing in the essence of my own life. The elixir I made is almost as potent as a prime crystal. Anyone who drinks it will greatly enhance their constitution. Do you think it’s easy to come by? Every drop I produce consumes my original force cultivation!”

Qian Ye gasped, never having imagined that the wine Tianqing Ji had given him was so meticulously prepared. This secret method of nurturing, which consumed her own original force, must be of extremely high grade, and the elixir produced must be extraordinary.

Upon waking this time, Qian Ye indeed found that his strength had increased, and there was an additional layer of mysterious energy within his flesh. It seemed that this was the effect of the elixir.

Something so precious, Tianqing Ji giving it to him, naturally couldn’t be with ill intent. As for not being able to control the surging desires, ultimately, it was still Qian Ye’s responsibility, as it was a lack of self-control on his part.

However, Qian Ye had no words to express his dilemma. His blood vitality was growing stronger, and the Dawn Enlightenment could only barely keep it in check. If his blood vitality erupted fully, it might be beyond his control. Although Qian Ye’s willpower was among the best in the Empire, the environment in the Great Maelstrom hit his weak spot, and his self-control was not much better than that of ordinary strong men.

Thinking of this, Qian Ye felt a deep sense of guilt. Softening his tone, he said, “Tianqing, such a good elixir doesn’t need to be given to me. My body is already very strong.”

Tianqing Ji snorted, “Ungrateful! You think your body is already strong enough? And you’re satisfied? In the future, when crossing the Divine General’s Celestial Barrier and aiming for the Heavenly King’s Peak, the stronger your body, the easier it will be. No matter how powerful you are, it’s never enough. Moreover, many secret techniques require a robust body to unleash their full potential. You know nothing!”

Saying this, Tianqing Ji pulled out a jade tablet and threw it to Qian Ye, saying, “Take a look at this. Otherwise, you’ll embarrass yourself when you go out.”

Qian Ye took the jade tablet and saw it was densely inscribed with small characters, clearly a secret cultivation technique. The opening line was written in symbolic language: “Mountain Opening Force.”

He glanced over it quickly, realizing it was a secret technique that manipulated the original force and greatly enhanced the power of strikes. Though he had only briefly browsed through it, Qian Ye already sensed its profound mysteries, requiring careful study to fully understand.

Though the secret technique was excellent, Qian Ye handed the jade tablet back, saying, “This should be your core inheritance; I cannot accept it.”

Tianqing Ji’s physical qualities were not outstanding, and her explosive original force wasn’t particularly strong, but when she truly acted, her every move carried great power, likely due to this Mountain Opening Force. Having already received her elixir, and now taking the Mountain Opening Force, the debt of gratitude would be too immense.

Tianqing Ji didn’t take it back, saying, “If you have any conscience, remember you owe me. When you become more powerful and a great figure, don’t pretend not to know me when I come to you for help.”

Since Tianqing Ji had spoken to this extent, Qian Ye could only put away the jade tablet, otherwise, who knew how many more reasons and arguments awaited him.

Actually, this secret technique was very suitable for Qian Ye. As the name suggested, the Mountain Opening Force, when operated, was like wielding an axe to split a mountain, the greater the force, the stronger the recoil. The stronger the user’s body, the more powerful the strike. Tianqing Ji’s physical attributes were far inferior to Qian Ye’s, and she could only exert half of the technique’s potential.

Seeing Qian Ye accept it, Tianqing Ji’s expression improved slightly, saying, “Hmph, feeding you a mouthful of elixir nearly cost me half my life. How dare you complain?”

Qian Ye was immediately filled with shame, saying, “This elixir is so hard to come by; it should be reserved for more significant uses. Why waste it on me?”

Tianqing Ji smiled, “Ha, just joking! It’s not that difficult. I only nurtured three mouthfuls in total, one for myself, one for Kuanglan, and the other… hmph, fed to the dog!”

Qian Ye felt even more guilty upon hearing this. Despite Tianqing Ji’s light-hearted words, just from the effect of this elixir, capable of further enhancing the ancient bloodline’s body, he knew it was anything but cheap. Compared to this, a jar of white fruit wine was insignificant.

But Qian Ye also felt a bit worried. He had already received such a precious elixir and the Mountain Opening Force, making the debt of gratitude enormous. Given Tianqing Ji’s nature, it would be difficult to repay her in the future.

Additionally, the way Tianqing Ji fed him the elixir seemed to have a deeper meaning, but Qian Ye didn’t want to think about it too deeply.

However, Qian Ye still had a knot in his heart. After drinking the elixir, he completely lost his memory, which was too overwhelming.

Glancing at the two women, Qian Ye cautiously asked, “What did I do after drinking the elixir?”

Kuanglan Li turned away, while Tianqing Ji rolled her eyes, saying, “What good could there have been? You obviously turned into a beast right then and there! I never thought you were such a person, wanting to do such unspeakable things to Kuanglan. She refused, but you saw her as an easy target and tried to force her. Of course, she didn’t comply, but with your brute strength and skill at undressing people, you managed to strip her of her outer armor and clothes in no time. If it weren’t for the resilience of her inner armor, you might have torn it to shreds to do that shameful deed! And you didn’t stop there…”

Her tale became more outrageous, like a storyteller. Qian Ye’s face alternated between pale and flushed, feeling something was amiss but unable to recall it. Kuanglan Li couldn’t bear it anymore and pounced to cover Tianqing Ji’s mouth.

Tianqing Ji laughed and dodged, saying, “Alright, alright, I’ll tell the truth. If you keep fussing, you can tell him yourself.”

Kuanglan Li’s face turned slightly red, and she stopped reluctantly.

Tianqing Ji’s smile faded, and she said, “The desire-inducing properties of the elixir are much stronger than the white fruit wine. This might be its only flaw. Drinking the elixir, you were naturally dominated by primal desires, wanting to do that kind of thing with Kuanglan. She, being somewhat slow, fell into your clutches. I intervened, but you didn’t even spare me. To prevent you from doing anything, I had no choice but to knock you unconscious first.”

This explanation was reasonable, and Qian Ye’s face turned bright red, feeling ashamed of his lack of self-control. But he still had a doubt: if what Tianqing Ji said was true, then the fault was entirely his, so why did Kuanglan Li’s expression show not only alarm but also some unease?

It was a small flaw, but often, the truth lay in these minor details.

Tianqing Ji, perceptive as she was, saw what Qian Ye was thinking and said, “Don’t trouble Kuanglan anymore. I merely restrained you last night, but the black kick that knocked you out was hers.”

Kuanglan Li’s face turned red again, and she turned away, unwilling to look at Qian Ye.

Qian Ye nodded, saying, “I was in the wrong. I wouldn’t blame her. It’s just… sigh!”

“Just what? Regretting not getting your way?” Tianqing Ji asked with a half-smile.

Qian Ye hurriedly said, “I just feel, well, my self-control is truly poor. I couldn’t resist the drug’s effects. Fortunately, you were there, or I might have made a grave mistake.”

Tianqing Ji smiled, “Is that so? You must feel that before, she was willing to do anything. But when you finally made your move, she kicked you unconscious, leaving you quite disappointed, right?”

This girl really dared to say anything. Qian Ye quickly denied it, and he genuinely didn’t have those thoughts.

Unable to resist, Qian Ye said, “Why did you give me the elixir at that moment? Look, it almost went wrong.”

Tianqing Ji sighed, “You fool, do you think there’s a ready-made formula for such an elixir? Not to mention, the white fruit wine has never existed before. Where could I get the formula for such an elixir?”

Seeing Qian Ye’s humble acceptance, Tianqing Ji said, “I drank those jars of wine to test the medicinal properties and then finalized the formula. But this method, which I came up with in a day, was not perfect, so let’s call it the White Fruit Elixir. The White Fruit Elixir is too potent and unstable, and even in a secret environment, it can’t last more than a day before the medicinal properties dissipate. So, it was a lucky break for you. Besides, there won’t be more of this in the future. Any more, and it would affect my future breakthrough.”

Although Tianqing Ji didn’t explicitly say it, her words revealed hidden concern. Qian Ye was deeply moved.

“Enough talk, let’s focus on our cultivation. Actually, this Cold and Silent Night is a good time to cultivate.”

The three sat down, each focusing on their cultivation.

The Cold and Silent Night, though harsh, had its benefits. In a state of slowing vitality, the instinct to survive would drive the cultivation method to run faster. The characteristics of the Cold and Silent Night also prevented deviations, eliminating the risk of mishaps. On the other hand, secret techniques like the Song Ancestral Scrolls would run faster at night.

Though the Cold and Silent Night here was milder, the boost to the cultivation method was correspondingly reduced. It was easy to imagine that in the initial region, the Great Maelstrom’s effect on the cultivation method would be limited. For Qian Ye, this was the perfect time to cultivate, and missing it would mean a missed opportunity.

As midnight approached, the night grew colder, and Qian Ye’s mind was as serene as an icy lake. This was the ideal state for the Song Ancestral Scrolls, and in the center of the vortex, droplets of Dawn Enlightenment continuously formed, merging into the newly created original force vortex.