Chapter Twelve: The Tyrant Soul Technique (Part One)

Bu Jingxian couldn’t help but laugh. “It seems I’m still missing something.” As he spoke, he leaned in to kiss her again, but Bai Yue gently pushed him away.

“I’ve just known a man for the first time; how could I endure this? If you lack enough remedy, go ask Bai Xing for more.”

Bu Jingxian chuckled, thinking she was only teasing him.

“What are you laughing at? Sooner or later, the window paper must be pierced, or neither of you will feel at ease. Little Xing isn’t shameless like me—she’d never take the initiative to approach a man. If you don’t go, are you going to let her remain uneasy forever? She knows I’ve come here tonight.”

“Hearing you speak so frankly of yourself makes me feel utterly ashamed.”

“It’s good that you know. Since you’re aware, you should be the one to take the initiative. Right now, you should go. I’m tired, I beg you, let me rest for a while, won’t you?” Bai Yue laughed coquettishly, pretending to get up and kneel. “Master, please have mercy and let your humble concubine rest for a night.”

“You’re being ridiculous.” Bu Jingxian couldn’t help but smile, embracing her as they lay down. After a moment’s thought, he nodded, “I’ve wronged you today. I truly shouldn’t have done this. I’ll go now.”

Once Bu Jingxian left, Bai Yue quickly tidied the bed, carefully putting away the blood-stained cloth. Then, feeling no trace of sleepiness, she dressed, smoothed her long hair, and sat cross-legged to meditate. As she circulated her energy, the crescent mark on her forehead began to glow with golden light. Gradually, the golden crescent turned ashen black, then a deep crimson bled into it.

Her face contorted in pain. An inexplicable agony tore through her meridians, and she felt her inner power draining away at a terrifying speed. Shocked and desperate, Bai Yue tried to halt her practice, but it was as if her body had fallen into demonic deviation; she could not stop. Blood and sweat seeped from her pores, and in moments, she was drenched in red.

The heat generated by her dissipating inner energy caused the temperature in the room to rise, so much so that steam began to form on the teacups.

As her strength ebbed to nothing, the thought of years of bitter cultivation vanishing in a single night overwhelmed her with grief and rage; she fainted on the bed in despair.

Bu Jingxian knocked on Bai Xing’s door. When she opened it and saw him, she was instantly flustered and shy.

“Where is... my sister?” Bai Xing tried to compose herself, but Bu Jingxian stepped in and wrapped his arms around her waist. His embrace felt hotter than ever, making her heart race with confusion.

“She’s asleep.”

Bai Yue had been gone awhile, and now, seeing her sister sleeping on the left side of the bed, Bai Xing guessed what had happened, and her cheeks burned with embarrassment.

“Aren’t you going to sleep?”

“I can’t. So I came for some elixir to help me rest.”

Bai Xing was puzzled. “A calming elixir? Why would I have—” She was cut off as Bu Jingxian silenced her lips with his own. Stunned, then mortified, her mind went blank as he pressed her onto the bed.

“You—you—you…” she stammered, unable to finish her sentence.

She dared not go on, fearing that if Zuo An truly stopped, he’d think she was unwilling. Once her defenses were stripped away, she found she no longer cared. Her thoughts drifted: ‘Since Sister has already accepted this, why should I cling to my own reservations?’ Yet she still worried that Zuo An might one day abandon her, and she couldn’t help but ask, “Zuo An, will you really marry me? I’m useless, not nearly as clever as Sister.”

“If you don’t mind our humble circumstances, then when we arrive at the Black Wolf Tribe, we’ll marry. But you must know, Bai Yue is older than you…”

“I don’t mind. Sister should be the elder. We’re not princesses—how can we expect such grandeur? Now, we’re all rootless wanderers. There’s no need to care about a lavish wedding. Zuo An, I… I like you very much. I’ve always wished to be with you for a lifetime. That day by the waterfall, when you told me your name, I felt it was fate. Perhaps you didn’t notice—we were standing on the left bank of the cold pool… Did you like me, then?”

At that time, Bu Jingxian had felt nothing, but now he wisely replied that he did, saying he liked her from the first glance but dared not hope for more. Bai Xing’s heart soared with happiness and teased him, saying he was silly for not seeing her feelings sooner.

Bai Xing was innocent in matters between men and women, entirely at Zuo An’s mercy. Lacking Bai Yue’s boldness and charm, she poured out her feelings with a sincerity that profoundly moved Bu Jingxian, who responded with extra tenderness. When he noticed Bai Xing growing tired, he stopped and spoke with her instead.

They talked for half an hour, by which time Bai Xing was so drowsy she could barely open her eyes. “I want to sleep,” she murmured, then, remembering Bai Yue, added, “I’m really tired. Please go accompany Sister. She may seem strong, but deep down, she fears loneliness. After tonight… she likely can’t sleep and needs you by her side.”

Seeing that Bai Xing was truly exhausted, Bu Jingxian agreed.

But when he returned, he found Bai Yue lying uncovered on the bed, the smell of blood thick in the air. Alarmed, he rushed to her side. There was no sign anyone else had been in the room, nor any visible wounds on Bai Yue. He quickly used his spirit sight to examine her, and what he saw left him stunned.

Bai Yue was like someone who’d lost all her martial prowess. The strength and inner power she’d gained from her cultivation at dusk were gone. In her meridians, a strange black energy churned, uncontrolled, wandering like a wild ghost.

“Bai Yue…”

With his massage, she slowly regained consciousness. As she opened her eyes and saw him, tears immediately welled up, though she fought not to sob aloud.

“My… my strength… it’s all gone…” She clung to him, weeping in silence, overwhelmed by pain.

Bu Jingxian’s thoughts raced in confusion. Suddenly, he remembered the time atop Beiling Mountain, when Ling Luo was punished with him in the water prison. Not long after, Ling Luo fell ill and her strength faded. The old master of Beiling had told him Ling Luo was contaminated by his foul energy…

The fear gripped him, but he forced himself to remain calm, channeling the energy of his soul technique into Bai Yue’s meridians to investigate. Instantly, the energy within her fused seamlessly with his, even becoming subject to his control, flowing wherever he willed.

“It’s my fault…” Bu Jingxian’s heart was like ashes. He never imagined his martial arts could so grievously harm the woman dearest to him. Bai Yue stared at him, speechless, her heart torn between resentment and helplessness, feeling utterly at the mercy of fate. How she wished she could end it all in a single blow!

She was a martial disciple, a proud master—how could Bai Yue live without her strength? She might as well be a cripple!

“Heaven’s will… perhaps this is fate…”

Bai Yue’s heart sank into utter despair, finding no reason to go on.

Bu Jingxian was filled with sorrow and remorse but knew that apologies were useless now, even if he were to take his own life. His mind worked frantically, combing through everything he’d learned about inner strength on Beiling Mountain, his spirit sight fixed on the energy within Bai Yue’s meridians.

Yet none of the knowledge could explain the bizarre phenomenon before him. Then he noticed that the energy in Bai Yue’s body was similar in nature to the eighth-level soul technique he practiced. If this energy had entered Bai Yue from him, it should have been impossible—because the amount was nearly equal to the total power of an eighth-level soul technique master!

A sudden thought flashed through his mind.

Bai Yue’s strength hadn’t been destroyed by the soul technique; it had been transformed into soul energy. And that energy still lingered within her meridians. If Bai Yue could master the soul technique, she should be able to harness it!

“Don’t despair—there’s a way!”