Chapter 42: The Die is Cast

The updates probably won’t be too stable before next Monday.

Old Ji will try his best, sighs, but he’s not entirely in control of the situation.

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The next day, when Mei Qing returned home, he gave everyone in the household quite a shock.

Why had their young master suddenly sent word the previous day that he wouldn’t be coming home that night, only to return early the next morning? And why had he ridden out on horseback and come back in a carriage? When he stepped down from the carriage, his face was pale and his steps unsteady—could he have fallen ill?

Those with sharp eyes among the servants noticed the two rows of faint teeth marks on Comrade Mei Qing’s neck, and their expressions turned quite colorful indeed. Whispering among themselves, some exchanged knowing glances and covertly pointed fingers, while others, as if enlightened, nodded rapidly like pecking chickens, mouths agape in realization.

Duo Yun was filled with both worry and shame; Zhong Shu, upon seeing the marks, felt a weight lift from his heart.

Duo Yun thought it must be because she herself couldn’t satisfy the young master, forcing him to seek solace elsewhere. Seeing how pale he looked, she was overwhelmed with guilt and aching sorrow—a mixture of sadness and heartfelt concern. Zhong Shu, however, mused to himself that Liu Zi truly possessed remarkable patience, waiting so long before finally making his move. He must indeed have had considerable skill. Originally, they had planned for the young master to indulge himself at home, but since that approach had failed, the other party must have decided to intervene directly. Indeed, he was quite committed.

Actually, Mei Qing had not suffered any serious depletion of his inner energy. Although he had engaged in a fierce battle with Bi Zhen, cultivators like him rarely sustain severe damage unless their core cultivation foundation is affected. However, the previous day, Mei Qing had recklessly used earth遁 (dùn)—an escape technique—despite his weak cultivation base. He had also sustained significant injuries from several clashes with the monster’s claws. At the time, the wounds had not seemed too severe, but once the crisis had passed, he inevitably felt extremely exhausted.

Moreover, because the Rensheng Palace had been completely destroyed during the magical duel the previous night, it needed urgent repairs, so Mei Qing couldn’t rest there and had no choice but to return home to recuperate.

Though utterly exhausted, Mei Qing’s mood was extraordinarily cheerful.

Why? Well, after all, he had just escaped a death sentence, so of course he was delighted. What? You think it’s because he defeated Bi Zhen? Of course not! How could our upright and noble young master Mei have such vulgar thoughts…

As for what Mei Qing was really thinking, only heaven knows.

As for why the Soul-Grasping Claw had struck Mei Qing directly without polluting his spirit or damaging his cultivation foundation, even Bi Zhen couldn’t explain it clearly. It wasn’t until their intimate moment, when their energies resonated and the two Daoist partners could sense each other’s inner states as one, that she realized Mei Qing’s core foundation remained intact, and the claw hadn’t truly harmed him.

After much analysis, Mei Qing could only conclude that maybe the spirit from the Ding Chou hour had been summoned late at night and was still half-asleep. After all, being disturbed during sleep could easily affect one’s skin, mood, and hormone levels—perhaps her vision was just a bit off at that moment.

Bi Zhen naturally pinched Mei Qing for quite a while after hearing his explanation, scolding him for having such a sharp tongue and saying he deserved to be nearly beaten to death by the claw.

Before sending Mei Qing home, Bi Zhen reminded him to come find her early the next day, saying there was something important to take care of.

What could it be? Mei Qing drifted into a peaceful sleep, filled with dreams of a wonderful tomorrow.

The next morning, as Mei Qing arrived at Rensheng Palace, he felt particularly refreshed and energetic, as if he could take flight at any moment. Looking at the sunlight filtering through the tall pines onto the path beneath his feet, and thinking of Bi Zhen’s smile, he felt as if he were in a dream.

Arriving at the garden terrace, he saw Bi Zhen practicing in the morning light. The endless rustling of the pines and the rising sun cast a familiar warmth, making the person before him seem even more endearing.

Looking at Bi Zhen’s wide Taoist robe, he couldn’t help but recall the curves hidden beneath it and how their limbs had intertwined the previous night. A surge of desire flared up inside him once again.

Indeed, there’s something irresistibly seductive about uniforms.

After finishing her practice, Bi Zhen turned to Mei Qing with a sweet smile. Suddenly, she leapt lightly into his arms. After the previous night’s encounter, their hearts and minds felt even more connected. As they embraced, both felt an overwhelming sense of sweetness.

Perhaps due to their cultivation, Bi Zhen lacked the coyness and pretense typical of worldly women. Her straightforwardness and boldness made Mei Qing cherish her all the more.

“Let’s go,” Bi Zhen finally said after a while. “We have something important to do today.”

“Where are we going?” Mei Qing asked from inside the carriage, feeling the gentle swaying as if they were heading south.

“To see the Emperor,” Bi Zhen replied, instantly shocking Mei Qing.

“But we’re cultivators—we should get permission from our elders before officially becoming Daoist partners, right?”

“Then… why aren’t we going to see your father, Lord Lu?” Mei Qing asked in surprise, since Lu Bing was Bi Zhen’s biological father.

A shadow of sorrow crossed Bi Zhen’s face as she sighed and began to recount her origins.

It turned out that Bi Zhen was not born to Lu Bing’s current wife. Her mother had also been a cultivator, a disciple of the Twin Cultivation sect of the Southern Golden Elixir School. Lu Bing had been her dual cultivation partner, just like Mei Qing and Bi Zhen were now.

Lu Bing had a deep relationship with the current Jiajing Emperor. His mother had been the Emperor’s wet nurse, and Lu Bing had been close friends with Jiajing since childhood, practically inseparable.

At that time, Jiajing had been the son of Prince Xianxian, and no one expected him to ascend the throne. However, since the previous emperor, Emperor Wuzong, had died without an heir, the senior minister Yang Tinghe proposed Jiajing as the successor, and he was enthroned.

When Jiajing entered the capital, naturally his most trusted friend Lu Bing accompanied him. But at that time, Bi Zhen’s mother was pregnant.

Though Twin Cultivation partners often shared a deeper bond than ordinary couples, pregnancy was extremely rare. Bi Zhen’s mother naturally wished for Lu Bing to stay with her and not leave. However, Lu Bing, though skilled in cultivation, still desired to pursue a career in the mortal world. Moreover, he and Jiajing were like brothers, and he couldn’t bear to abandon his friend at such a critical moment.

As a result, this Daoist couple grew distant, eventually separating forever.

At the time, Lu Bing was still young and impulsive. After helping Jiajing stabilize the court and gaining power, he couldn’t help but think of his ex-partner and their daughter. By then, Bi Zhen had already been born and was living in the sect with her mother, never having met her father.

Lu Bing visited several times, hoping to reconcile. Unfortunately, Bi Zhen’s mother said that cultivators value inner cultivation above all, and since they had already grown apart, forcing a reunion would only bring harm. She concluded that their fate had run its course and refused to return with Lu Bing.

Eventually, Lu Bing argued: “She’s still our daughter. Raising her alone while cultivating is already difficult enough. Do you really want her to spend her life in solitude among scriptures and dim lamps?”

His words moved Bi Zhen’s mother, and she finally agreed to let Lu Bing take Bi Zhen out of the mountains. By then, Lu Bing was already the Commander-in-Chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, holding immense power and trusted by Emperor Jiajing. Knowing that his ascension had caused his old friend’s separation, Jiajing showered Bi Zhen with affection and officially adopted her as his foster daughter.

However, Bi Zhen had never liked her father from a young age. When she entered the Lu household and saw that Lu Bing had already taken mortal wives, she disliked him even more. Their father-daughter relationship became increasingly strained, and eventually, she refused to live in the house, insisting on becoming a female cultivator and leaving home.

Lu Bing was furious but could do nothing. Eventually, the Emperor intervened, granting Bi Zhen a title and bestowing the Rensheng Palace as her cultivation site, finally bringing peace.

“Even so, why would we only see the Emperor and not your father?” Mei Qing, after hearing Bi Zhen’s story, couldn’t help but sigh at the twists and turns and still had doubts.

“You don’t know,” Bi Zhen replied, “that old man has had a grudge against you for some reason. You probably don’t know that it was him who ordered me to use the Guan Shi method to ruin your cultivation foundation.”

“Eh?” Mei Qing was greatly surprised. “I don’t recall offending your father. Why would he do this?”

“I don’t know either,” Bi Zhen said. “You should know that he even bet against you using Daoist techniques, which is why I agreed. At first, I thought you were some kind of lecherous villain.”

“How could that be?” Mei Qing protested. “How could your father misunderstand me like this?”

“He’s never been a good person,” Bi Zhen said without hesitation. “Do you think he hasn’t done worse? I’m telling you, he’s had it in for you for a long time. Otherwise, why would he do something so underhanded behind your back? If he finds out you’ve taken his daughter’s essence, at best, he’ll beat you so badly you can’t walk and seal your cultivation forever. At worst, he might just turn you into a eunuch and send you to the palace to serve.”

If Lu Bing had heard his beloved daughter speaking of him this way, he would probably have flown into a rage, shouting that daughters always side with their husbands, forgetting their fathers—even though Bi Zhen had never really respected him even before she had a husband.

Mei Qing still doubted slightly: “Surely it’s not that bad. After all, Lord Lu is a high-ranking official…”

Bi Zhen bluntly replied, “What do you mean not that bad? Don’t forget what he does—he’s the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard! How many murders, conspiracies, tortures, and unjust killings do you think he’s done? To him, killing a fifth-rank general like you would be no different than squashing an ant.”

A chill ran down Mei Qing’s spine as he recalled his future father-in-law’s identity. Perhaps because he had only dealt with people like Zhang Qizheng and Huang Fatso since joining the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the image of the ruthless and brutal guard had faded in his mind. Now he remembered clearly—his future father-in-law’s hands were likely stained so deeply in blood that there was nothing he wouldn’t do.

“So… what should we do?” Mei Qing asked helplessly.

“There have been some major events in court recently, so the old man is probably too busy to notice us. But it won’t stay that way for long,” Bi Zhen blushed slightly. “He’ll definitely find out eventually. We can only act before he does—go straight to the Emperor. After all, the Emperor is practically my adoptive father. Once he approves of you as his son-in-law, even the old man won’t be able to do anything.”

“But… is that appropriate?” Mei Qing hesitated.

“Am I not doing this for you? I’ve been cultivating since childhood, and now I’ve given up everything for you. Why are you hesitating?” Bi Zhen pouted. “In my current state, the old man will know the truth at a glance. If he investigates your little ‘achievements,’ everything will come out. What else can we do? You’ve already done it—do you think you can turn cooked rice back into raw grains now?”