Chapter 133 Reconciliation & Omens
I've done my reading.
Not just the usual surface-level stuff either. Before coming here, I made it a point to study everything the Empire had on the Promised Dunes: their history, politics, economy, and culture. If I were going to walk into another nation's lands with a target on my back and a bunch of Phoenix Guard warriors at my side, I figured I should at least know why people might want to stab me.
So I knew why Queen Liu Yana was angry. Her outburst back at the table wasn't just about what Jin Yi said, though that certainly helped light the fuse. No, this went deeper.
The Kingdom of Promised Dunes had long suffered under a certain… reputation.
Back in the day, this place was considered a paradise for the flesh. The slave trade thrived here. So did prostitution. Their desert elixirs, crafted from rare herbs only found in their lands, were famously potent in enhancing vitality, passion, and, well… libido. If you wanted to feel young again, last longer, or charm the robes off a courtesan, you came here.
And people did.
Even after the Promised Dunes joined the Martial Alliance and pledged to walk the path of righteousness, the old shadows clung tight. The Queen and her council managed to kill off the slave trade, which was no small feat. But the businesses of flesh: the dancers, the courtesans, and the pleasure halls… those only thrived further, legitimized and refined into high art. Their pharmaceutical technology even improved, pushing their aphrodisiac game to terrifying new heights. An awkward victory, maybe, but a victory nonetheless.
Their cities were known for beauty, seduction, and scandal. And now, with a Queen on the throne, unmarried no less, governing a land synonymous with lust and indulgence?
Yeah.
I could imagine how many lecherous old lords whispered about her behind palace walls. I could see why she'd want to throttle anyone who even hinted at validating those rumors. And I definitely understood why Jin Yi's mention of my so-called vacation with concubines rubbed her the wrong way.
That's why, when she made her demand, I wasn't entirely surprised.
"I will permit your group to stay," Queen Liu Yana declared, her voice echoing beneath the high-vaulted ceiling of her audience chamber, "and allow you to traverse our sacred dunes. But only under one condition."
She looked me dead in the eyes. "A hundred ships. The likes of the Soaring Dragons you rode in on."
Jin Yi made a noise that was somewhere between a gasp and a choking laugh.
Even Xue Xin blinked.
Bai Zheme just smiled to himself like he'd seen this sort of thing before.
As for me? I tilted my head. "You want a hundred warships?"
"Yes."
"Fully functional?"
"Naturally."
"Equipped with formations, runes, warp powers, the whole deal?"
She didn't even flinch. "Exactly that."
I raised an eyebrow. "You realize that's enough to arm a small nation?"
"Then arm us," she replied, crossing her legs beneath those billowing robes. "You came here under the banner of luxury and leisure, Lord Da Wei. If you want your pleasure, pay the toll."
I let silence sit for a bit. Let her believe she'd stunned me.
In truth, I was stunned, but not because of the demand. No, what caught me off guard was how desperate it sounded beneath the polish. Queen Liu Yana was posturing, throwing a price so high it could only mean one thing: leverage. She needed ships. Power. Recognition. The Martial Alliance didn't take her seriously, and the Empire? Well, they likely looked at her kingdom like an awkward mistress they had to pretend not to visit.
She was starving to prove herself.
This wasn't about a hundred ships. It was about status.
"I see," I said at last. "You want power."
She said nothing.
"You want to show the Martial Alliance that your kingdom isn't just the place with pretty dancers and miracle tonics."
Her eyes narrowed.
"You want legitimacy."
At that, her jaw tightened. Slightly.
Jin Yi looked like he wanted to vanish.
"Let's not pretend I'm stupid, Your Radiance," I said with a calm smile. "You're ruling a land still healing from its past. You're trying to steer it toward a better future. But the world isn't patient, and your throne isn't heavy with respect. So you ask for ships. Not because you need them immediately, but because they would change your position at the table."
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table like I was back in my classroom, explaining something to a stubborn student. "But a hundred ships is insane. You know that. I know that. And more importantly, your people know that."
Queen Liu Yana didn't speak for a long while. The silence stretched like desert wind before a sandstorm.
Finally, she said, "Then counter."
I grinned. "Now we're talking."
She gave me a look that suggested I'd only barely earned that right.
Jin Yi kept his silence.
I wasn't sure if it was out of fear, wisdom, or sheer disbelief that I'd managed to defuse the Queen's fury with half a smirk and some conversational aikido. Either way, I appreciated the open floor. His retreat meant this was mine to handle.
Good. I'd already been here… sort of. Not in the flesh, sure, but in theory.
Back in the Imperial Palace, Nongmin had run me through this exact situation. Coaching, lectures, mock negotiations. He even had a script written for me: formal wording, respectful tone, and just enough flexibility to shift if things went south.
Which, given Jin Yi's earlier blunder, they very nearly had.
I felt sorry for Jin Yi though, since his blunder was most likely and pretty much a part of Nongmin's scheme to make me look competent… or something like that.
Why? I have no idea…
Still, I'd cooperated. I played along, not because I loved the pageantry or respected his grand schemes, but because I needed to be here. My quest to find and revive my fallen friends depended on not being blocked at every border. The less chaos I caused, the easier the journey. That was the deal.
And now it was time to say what needed saying.
I rose from my seat, adjusted my outer robe, and clasped my hands politely in front of me. "Your Radiance," I said, voice measured but firm. "The upcoming World Summit presents a unique opportunity."
Queen Liu Yana tilted her head. Her expression cooled, but curiosity flickered in her gaze.
"If you're truly seeking recognition," I continued, "why not aim higher than ship counts or toll fees? The Grand Ascension Empire will have a seat at the summit. I'll be attending by His Heavenly Majesty's side."
I didn't bother masking the implication. Nongmin wanted me there, wanted me seen. He called it diplomacy. I called it damage control. Still, the influence was real, and Liu Yana knew it.
"If you wish," I added, "you can sit at the table beside the Emperor and the Martial Alliance… neither behind nor beneath them."
The Martial Alliance would have representatives… and the Queen would definitely not be one of them. However, the Emperor could make it a reality or so he claimed.
Her fingers, gloved in sheer silk, tapped the edge of her throne. She was listening, but conflicted.
"Of course," I said with a wry smile, "you're free to align with the Alliance's bloc, if that's more your style. Cozy up to them, trade favors, make alliances. No one's stopping you. But a seat at the summit… that changes everything. Visibility. Legitimacy. Leverage."
I paused for effect, letting the weight of those words settle.
"You want your kingdom taken seriously?" I asked. "This is how you do it. Ships help, but diplomacy moves empires."
She didn't answer immediately. Her eyes searched me, like she was trying to spot the trap in my words. I didn't blame her. If someone offered me everything I wanted on a silver platter, I'd check it twice too.
But I wasn't done.
"There's more," I said. "A proposition."
I gestured to Jin Yi, who stiffened slightly. "I'll be leaving him here with you. He's more than just a mouthpiece… he's a direct liaison to the Empire. Through him, we can open talks of technological exchange."
Queen Liu Yana raised a delicate brow. "Exchange?"
"Warship schematics, formation designs, propulsion techniques," I listed casually. "You give us research on your herbal technologies, your pharmaceutical advancements… maybe even your pleasure elixirs."
She gave me a flat look at that last one, and I raised my hands in surrender. "Purely medicinal, I promise."
That almost earned a smile. Almost.
"In return," I went on, "General Bai, Captain Xue, and I will depart. We'll leave your fine castle undisturbed, and the rest of my entourage will enjoy the land in the spirit of peace and luxury." I gave a brief, sheepish smile. "As promised in our… initial declaration."
Of course, I couldn't tell her what I was really here for. I couldn't share the truth: that I was searching for my comrades, and that somewhere in this desert kingdom, Lu Gao, one of my disciples was alive, in hiding, and waiting for me.
Nongmin had been uncharacteristically firm on that point. Keep their existence hidden. Conceal their names. When I asked why, he'd only furrowed his brow and muttered something about a "bad feeling."
Hah~! Almost reminded me of Gu Jie.
Coming from him, that meant something.
So I stuck to the script.
I offered legitimacy, power, and partnership. I left out the personal truth, buried deep behind my words.
Queen Liu Yana leaned back in her throne. The gold trim of her robes shimmered in the light, her expression unreadable.
But her silence wasn't hostile now. It was contemplative.
And that, I could work with.
Moments after a few more formalities were exchanged and the barest sheen of diplomacy wrapped up our talk with Queen Liu Yana, we were off.
Just like that.
It felt almost anticlimactic, considering the tension just an hour ago, but I wasn't about to complain. The fewer obstacles between me and my goal, the better. We departed with a single Soaring Dragon warship: sleek, elongated, and brimming with refined qi arrays. Its prow shimmered with subtle blue talismans that pulsed with rhythm, like a heartbeat.
The rest of the boats stayed behind at the military outpost, left in the capable hands of the Formation Specialists for much-needed repairs. Apparently, spamming the Bless Spell like a madman to force our warps had a few minor side effects… like warping the rune channels, overcharging the cores, and slightly cracking the keels. You know. Nothing serious.
The engineers and artisans were already hard at work when we left. They looked somewhere between furious and inspired. A few of them cursed under their breath when they saw the damage. One even wept silently when he examined the spiritual lattice.
"Good news," I had told them with a grin. "It held together."
"Bad news," muttered one of the specialists, "it held together."
We left them to it.
The Soaring Dragon we took was the fastest of the lot, newly reinforced and stripped of unnecessary bulk. It was elegant, lean, and ready to tear across the skies like a golden arrow. The phoenix emblem on its prow shimmered as it caught the desert sun.
Our new travel party was compact and efficient.
I had General Bai Zheme on one side… still looking half asleep, as if war was just something to fill the afternoon with when there was nothing else to do. His massive war fan was strapped lazily to his back, but the sheer pressure he gave off kept everyone at a polite distance.
Captain Xue Xin stood at the bow, arms crossed, eyes sharp. Her crimson cloak billowed even without wind, her aura as commanding as ever. Second only to me in terms of sheer authority, though I wouldn't say that out loud.
Then there was Hei Yuan and Jin Wen.
They would be fine.
Two Formation Specialists came along to monitor the boat's stability and make mid-flight adjustments if things went haywire again. Given my spell habits, that wasn't a "maybe"—it was a "when."
And finally, the remaining three were from the Phoenix Guard, handpicked elites. All three had cultivation just beneath Xue Xin's level, formidable in their own right. Their armor gleamed with inscribed runes, and their faces were stoic, disciplined. I hadn't learned their names yet, but I respected them all the same.
As the boat ascended, slicing through the bright desert sky, I felt a weird mix of relief and anticipation.
This was the part I liked.
Not the meetings. Not the politics. Not even the carefully worded back-and-forths where everyone pretended not to threaten each other.
This. Moving. Searching. Flying toward the unknown with a mission ahead and good people at my back.
I leaned on the rail, the wind brushing through my hair, eyes fixed on the horizon.
Lu Gao was out there. Somewhere.
And I was coming.
I waited until the others were asleep or pretending to be. The desert wind moaned outside the hull, and the ship creaked like an old man stretching his bones. The Soaring Dragon boat had quieted down after a full day's flight, and now only the glowing formation plates kept things aloft, humming in their steady rhythm.
This was the best time to try again.
I closed the cabin door, drew the power from within, and fed a gentle stream of qi and mana into my existence. The special ability flickered, then stabilized.
Voice Chat, activate.
My thoughts flicked toward Alice.
Nothing.
Then Joan.
Still nothing.
I frowned. That wasn't normal.
"Lu Gao," I called out in my mind.
Static answered. Then a flicker.
And then…
"Master?!" came the desperate cry through the link. "Is that you?!"
My breath caught. Relief rushed in before caution could take over.
"Lu Gao! Yeah, it's me! Where are you? How are you doing?"
I expected a joke. Maybe something like 'Doing swell, Master… if swell meant dying slowly in a hellhole.' Something sarcastic. Something Lu Gao.
But what I got wasn't even close.
His voice was steady, quiet, and cracked around the edges like glass stretched too thin.
"I am sorry, Master."
I froze.
"…What?" I asked. "Lu Gao, what do you mean by 'sorry'? Sorry for what?"
But the line was already cracking.
A low rumble like distant thunder echoed through the Voice Chat, then the sound warped… pulled and distorted like someone yanking the connection away.
"Lu Gao?!"
The Voice Chat shattered.
The power inside me blackened, smoke curling from the edges of my mind. The scent of scorched brain matter reached my nose. My heitened senses now knew what was the taste of scorched brain matter.
I wiped my nose.
"Chunky, gooey, and very… disgusting."
I used Blessed Regeneration on myself.
I stared at my index finger with the bloody pus, heart thudding against my ribs.
That wasn't a weak connection. That was someone, or something, cutting me off.
A warning?
A trap?
A goodbye?
"…Ah, crap," I muttered.
I pressed a hand against the table, trying to steady my thoughts. There wasn't enough information, but what I did know was enough.
Lu Gao was alive.
But something was very, very wrong.
Chapter 134 The Black Knight in the Dunes
It had been days since Lu Gao was flung across the continent by the violent tear of a Great Teleportation scroll.
He didn't know where he was. He didn't even know if he was still on the same continent, let alone the same world. All he had were sun-scorched skies, winds that howled like ghosts, and sand… sand in his boots, his clothes, his ears, and his teeth.
The suit Mistress Aili Si had forced onto him was in shambles. A once dignified thing, black with clean silver stitching, made for imposing bodyguards with square shoulders and unspoken threat, now hung limply around his frame like a funeral shroud. The wind had torn through it in places, and grit worked its way between the layers like angry ants.
It was better than nothing, but only barely.
His lips cracked every time he exhaled. His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. Every swallow was dry and fruitless. He was thirsty. Beyond that, he felt like dying. Not once. Not twice. But ten times over. He had considered collapsing into the dunes more than once.
Only pride and the blood link Aili Si had made, kept him upright.
She had tasted his blood. That meant she'd come find him.
Eventually.
Hopefully.
He'd cursed her name more than once under his breath, but never aloud.
"Stupid mistress," he muttered one night, dragging his legs through the sand. His voice was raspy and broken. "Stupid scroll. Stupid sky."
Night was when he moved.
The sun during the day was unforgiving, less like a celestial body and more like a blade, hovering just above his head, slicing into his skin with every passing hour. So he would hide beneath dunes during the worst of it, climbing to the leeward side of tall sand hills and digging just enough to lie half-buried in their shade.
The nights weren't much kinder.
Winds picked up, biting and cold. His fingers would stiffen, and each gust carried a whisper that sounded too much like mockery.
His cultivation helped… somewhat. Without it, he'd be dead a dozen times over. With it, he was just almost dead.
But he was still moving.
Sometimes, as he walked, he thought about food. Real food. He'd imagine Cho An's awkward smile, Aili Si's sharp eyes, and Da Wei's calm voice giving him some absurd food to try. Pizza, Da Wei once called it. Cheese, meat, bread, oil.
"Gods," he groaned, staggering to a stop and clutching his stomach. "I'd kill a sand beast for a bite."
But there were no sand beasts here. No oases. No birds overhead. No signs of life at all. Only shifting dunes that moved behind his back as if mocking his sense of direction.
Sometimes, when he crested a high dune at night, he would drop to his knees and scan the horizon. Hoping. Praying.
Once, he thought he saw lights. A glow against the curve of the world. But it vanished the moment he blinked.
"Mistress better find me soon…" he murmured, voice hoarse. "Or I'll find her first and die just to haunt her."
Then he chuckled… a dry, cracked thing that sounded more like coughing. Still, the moment passed.
Lu Gao pressed onward.
Each step sank deep. Each breath felt like inhaling powdered stone. The stars above, dim and strange in this world, watched in silence. He could barely remember what day it was. What time it was. He only moved forward now.
And hoped he was not walking in circles.
Lu Gao trudged through the sand, shoulders hunched, every step a burden.
The desert was endless.
And worse… it was shapeless.
The dunes shifted, rose and fell, the wind carving new paths behind his back. He had tried to mark his trail, drew lines with his boot heel, left scraps of fabric from his ruined coat, but each time he looked back, there was nothing. Just wind-smoothed earth and silence.
One of his greatest fears wasn't dying.
It was dying stupidly.
Like a fool who walked in circles in an empty desert. Alone. Forgotten. Nothing but a sun-bleached skeleton for the vultures that never came.
"This isn't a battlefield," he rasped. "This isn't a glorious death…"
He paused, shoulders trembling, and stared at the footprints he had just made.
Then looked ahead.
Then looked behind.
A sinking feeling gripped his gut.
The tracks curved. Slightly. Almost imperceptibly. But… curved.
"No," he said. "No. No. No—!"
He spun, turning in a slow circle, kicking sand. The desert didn't care. The sky didn't care. The world gave no answer.
He had been walking in circles.
"DAMN IT!" he screamed, falling to his knees.
The impact sent his face slamming into the hot, dry grit. His skin burned where it touched the ground. But he didn't move.
He just lay there. Breathing. Broken.
And then… the dreams came.
There was music.
Soft. Like wind chimes and silver bells.
He stood in a place without sand or sun. A ballroom of shifting stars and mirrored glass, wrapped in fog. And before him danced a woman.
She was beautiful.
She wore a dress of shadows and starlight. Her body shimmered as though not quite real, not quite present. But she had no face.
No mouth. No eyes. No voice.
And yet… she sang.
He could hear her… feel her. Not in his ears, but in his bones.
She reached out to him, and he took her hand. They danced. Slowly, fluidly, like they'd done it a thousand times. He didn't know the steps. But somehow, he followed.
They spun. They laughed. And then… they kissed.
Her lips were soft. Cold. Like water that had never known the sun.
And then her voice whispered through the veil:
"Do you want power?"
He stiffened.
"Do you want life?"
His mouth trembled.
"How about a long life?"
"An eternal life?"
Something inside him cracked.
"I… I don't want to die," Lu Gao whispered. "Not yet."
His chest tightened. His breath caught.
"I am… sorry, Master," he added quietly. "I was weak…"
The woman didn't reply. Instead, she began to rot.
Her skin peeled, cracked, and turned black. Her body crumbled like old ash. Her once-lovely dress burned with black flame, the fire curling upward, hungrily.
It caught him, too.
The flames spread along his limbs, his chest, his heart… burning, searing, whispering promises he didn't understand. He screamed, tried to run, but he couldn't move. His feet had turned to obsidian. His voice cracked like shattering glass.
And then…
A knight appeared.
Clad in black armor, faceless and silent. He stood with one foot in the fire and did not burn.
The flames obeyed him.
He reached toward Lu Gao, not with a hand, but with a single black sword. Its blade was jagged, old, worn from use. Yet it pulsed… alive.
Lu Gao stared into the knight's blank visor and felt something behind it watching him.
And then the knight asked, voice like steel dragging on stone:
"Will you walk forward?"
Lu Gao gasped and sat up.
His body was half-buried in sand. The wind had covered him. The sun had not yet risen. But the chill in his spine remained.
He clutched his chest, still feeling the phantom heat of black flames.
He looked up.
No stars. No ballroom. No knight.
Just dunes. And darkness.
But something had changed.
He stood, legs shaking. Looked around.
Then he took a step.
Forward.
Lu Gao's breath was shallow, his eyes twitching beneath closed lids as if still scanning a battlefield. He stirred beneath the half-buried folds of his ragged clothes, the desert's chill seeping into his bones despite the sun that had long since risen. And yet… he was no longer thirsty.
His lips were no longer cracked. His skin no longer burned.
He was whole.
And that terrified him more than any nightmare.
He sat up slowly. No sand clung to him. No aches in his joints. He touched his chest where the black flames had once danced… nothing. Just flesh, breath, and a strange silence.
"…Was it all a dream?" he whispered.
The wind didn't answer.
Instead, a gentle scent drifted toward him. Familiar. Sweet. Like moon blossoms after rain.
He turned.
There she was… standing atop the dunes like she had never left.
Aili Si.
Mistress. Teacher. Warlock.
Her dark gown fluttered in the breeze, though there was no wind. Her face bore a wistful smile, one that reached her eyes, though there was an odd weight behind it.
"Lu Gao," she said warmly, approaching. "I finally found you."
He blinked. "M-Mistress?"
His voice cracked… not from thirst, but emotion. He hadn't seen her since the moment she forced the teleportation scroll into his palm and cast him away.
She stopped before him. Looked him over. And then, to his complete surprise, she hugged him.
Warm. Close. Motherly.
Too real.
"What… is this about?" he asked nervously, arms half-raised, unsure if he should return the embrace. "I… I mean… why now?"
She let go and gave him a gentle pat on the chest. "Cho An is waiting for us," she said softly. "We shouldn't keep her long."
Lu Gao blinked rapidly. "Wait, Cho An? She's okay?"
Aili Si smiled again, that same dreamy, heavy-lidded smile. "Of course, silly. Everything's okay now."
Lu Gao didn't move. A part of him wanted to believe it. Desperately. He'd been through too much. Alone, lost, hunted by a demon in his sleep. And now… safety? Reunion?
But something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Because hanging from Aili Si's waist, tucked between two scrolls and tied with a strip of her black cloth, was a floating skull.
One that had been obnoxiously perverted the last time they met.
It opened its mouth.
"Motherfucker."
Lu Gao flinched.
"You're still dreaming, you fucking idiot!" the skull bellowed. "Wake! The fuck! Up!"
The illusion shattered like a mirror hit by a hammer.
Aili Si's face cracked. Her body turned to wax and caved inward, eyes melting like ink across parchment. The dunes split open and revealed a hollow sky, dripping blood instead of light. The skull caught fire, laughing madly as the earth beneath Lu Gao's feet gave way into blackness.
And then…
Lu Gao woke screaming, back in the real desert, coughing up sand.
His lips were dry again.
His throat was sore.
And the knight's shadow loomed in the distance, watching from the horizon. Silent. Waiting.
Lu Gao blinked, the sun stabbing his eyes like tiny daggers. His mouth tasted of ash and grit, and every breath was a punishment. But worse than the sun, the sand, or even his shriveled stomach…
…was the presence he felt looming nearby.
It stood tall and unmoving on the edge of the dunes, the same way it had in his dreams. The black knight… armor made of obsidian smoke and ancient bone, its helm a twisted imitation of a man's face frozen in a silent scream. A single greatsword rested on its shoulder like an extension of its will.
Cold dread gripped Lu Gao's spine.
Then something floated into view beside him.
"Oi, dick-for-brains. Get up and stop playing corpse, we've got company."
The skull.
It floated casually beside Lu Gao, its cracked bone surface decorated with crude etchings and offensive runes. Two azure flames burned where eyes should have been, and they narrowed toward the distant knight with absolute disgust.
"I called dibs on this kid, you oversized hunk of metal."
The skull spat the words like poison, somehow managing to float aggressively as if trying to puff up its nonexistent chest.
The knight didn't flinch. Didn't move. Just stared.
Lu Gao, still on his knees, turned to the skull. "What the hell… how are you even here? The last time I saw you, Mistress Aili Si had you sealed in her shadow."
The skull rotated to face him, flame-eyes rolling like a teenager forced to explain basic math.
"Of course I'm here. What, you think I'm some low-tier artifact who gets sealed once and gives up? I downloaded myself into your arm before we parted, obviously. Left a clone behind in the Mistress's shadow. That one's probably still screaming about her underwear or something."
Lu Gao's eye twitched. "You… downloaded yourself?"
"Yeah, welcome to SkullNet, bitch." The floating menace cackled, then turned back toward the knight. "Honestly, you're lucky I'm here. Otherwise you'd already be a soul popsicle in that bastard's collection."
Lu Gao swallowed thickly, eyes darting between the immobile black knight and the surprisingly loyal skull. "Wait, what does it want? It's just… standing there."
The skull turned to him, suddenly dead serious.
"What does it want?" It floated closer, until Lu Gao could practically feel the heat of its soulflames. "You made a contract, dumbass."
Lu Gao blinked. "...What?"
The skull groaned.
"In your delirium. In your half-dead, hallucinating, emotionally repressed sand-drenched misery… you cried out to the void for power. For life. Remember the faceless lady? The kiss? Yeah, that was him, dumbass."
Lu Gao felt cold.
"That… no, that wasn't real. That was a dream."
"Yeah, and dreams are just invitations in the demon world. You said yes, buddy. You sang and danced with your damn soul. You told it you didn't want to die."
"…I mean, I don't…"
"Too late!" The skull clattered with laughter. "You're now half a hair away from becoming Demon Knight Number Two. Congratulations! Your Master would be so proud."
Lu Gao paled. "I didn't mean to…"
"They never do." The skull sighed. "Look, if we're fast, I might be able to firewall that bastard off before the contract anchors fully. But you gotta stop dreaming about faceless chicks and start listening to me."
The black knight took one step forward.
Sand exploded beneath its foot. The wind howled. The sky flickered like a dying lantern.
Lu Gao's heart thundered.
"…I'm listening," he said.
"Okay, here's the deal," the skull said, floating just inches from Lu Gao's face. "You're gonna make a contract with me."
Lu Gao recoiled. "No way!"
The skull groaned. "Ugh, why so stubborn? Listen here, you absolute blister on the foot of fate… Just like your Master and the two Mistresses of Pain I so dearly adore, I'm an Outsider too, but like, on the good side. So you can put more trust in me than that Silent Stalker of Soul-Depths you're about to be turned into a finger puppet by!"
"I don't even know what an Outsider is!" shouted Lu Gao, gripping the side of his head. "And I definitely don't trust you!"
"Big words for someone who's about to become demon chow," the skull snapped back.
As if on cue, the sky above them cracked like fragile glass. Dark clouds boiled into existence from nowhere, swirling like ink dropped into water. Thunder did not roar, but it growled: low and slow, as if savoring the dread building below.
"What's happening?!" Lu Gao cried, shielding his eyes from the sand kicking up all around him.
The earth vibrated.
Then… whispers.
Hundreds. Thousands.
They hissed like dying voices, speaking no language, yet felt like promises broken in every tongue.
The sand trembled and began rising in defiance of gravity, gathering into a slowly coalescing shape. A figure. The black knight's outline was returning, sculpted from dust and dread, its presence sharpening the very air into razors.
The skull spun toward it and shouted, "Great! Now you've done it! If you tarry any longer, we'll be up against a demon on par with the Eleventh Realm! That's Realm Eleven, kid! We'll be sand jam in seconds!"
Lu Gao's knees buckled. "What are the terms?!" he shouted, voice cracking.
"Right, contract terms!" The skull straightened midair, floating with the solemnity of a high priest. "One: no sex… don't even think about it. Two: no meat… spiritual or otherwise. Three: accept change when change comes."
"What the hell does that even mean?!" Lu Gao shouted.
"You'll find out when it hurts!" the skull answered cheerily.
The sand figure raised its arm. A jagged blade, too massive to be real, formed from the desert and pointed directly at Lu Gao's chest.
"I ACCEPT!!!" screamed Lu Gao at the top of his lungs.
At that moment, the world bent.
It bent around him… space, sound, soul.
Mana erupted from every pore in his body, a geyser of raw potential. His qi, once inexistent, sluggish, and starved, flared with it, caught in the tide of alien energy. Together, they twisted.
"Prepare yourself," warned the Skull. "It's known with many names: True Qi, Immortal Qi, Divine Power, Quintessence, etc… Remember this, Lu Gao! The threshold between immortality and godhood!"
Purple flames roared around him. They weren't hot, but hungry. They devoured doubt, fear, and uncertainty. They drank from his exhaustion.
His eyes rolled back as visions of unfamiliar constellations flashed through his mind… creatures without names, planes without borders.
And then…
He collapsed, the fire consuming everything.
The sand knight stopped mid-strike, its blade shattering into harmless glass.
And Lu Gao lay unconscious in the desert, a faint halo of violet smoke curling from his skin.
Chapter 135 Blushes and Bewilderment
The first thing Lu Gao felt was the warm sway of something beneath him, rocking gently like a cradle. His eyes cracked open to a world painted gold… dunes stretching far in all directions, glittering under the merciless sun. Above him fluttered a canopy of silk dyed orange and crimson, shielding him from the harsh light.
He blinked, dazed. The last thing he remembered was screaming at the top of his lungs, purple flames, and… a contract with a skull?
"Oh, you woke up."
A melodic voice greeted him, and Lu Gao turned his head groggily. A woman leaned over him, elegant, poised, and dressed in fine desert robes that clung like water to her figure. She wore translucent silks embroidered with golden thread, a veil tied loosely around her neck instead of over her face. Her almond eyes sparkled with mischief, and her smile promised both danger and delight.
Lu Gao's throat dried all over again.
There were more of them. Four, maybe five other women lounged nearby atop the giant sand beast… an enormous creature with scales like polished amber and a thick, slow-moving tail that left deep trails in the dunes. The caravan was traveling through the desert at a casual pace, pulled by the beast's plodding gait and surrounded by sleek wagons filled with ornate goods.
"Oh my heavens," another woman whispered playfully, brushing hair from his face, "You got the look of a lost puppy."
Lu Gao scrambled to sit up, heart pounding. The silk cushions under him rustled as he tried to move without touching anyone, which proved impossible. An arm grazed him. Then a soft thigh. Then a brush of a hip.
"I… uh… I'm sorry. I didn't…"
"Easy there," the first woman cooed, her fingers brushing his shoulder. "You've been asleep for two days. We thought you might not wake up at all." She giggled and added, "But now that you have, perhaps you can repay us properly?"
Her voice dripped with teasing. A lock of her hair bounced against her cheek as she leaned forward, and Lu Gao's eyes darted away, only for them to catch a flash of side boob glancing his knuckles.
"W-We're moving?" he stammered, eyes wide.
"We just arrived," she said with a wink. "Perfect timing. We're entering the gates of the City of Healing Garden as we speak."
Behind her, the sandstone walls of a desert city came into view: high and ancient, like they'd grown from the earth itself. Pillars flanked the arched gates, adorned with banners fluttering in the hot breeze. Watchtowers stood tall with guards peering down, their armor reflecting sunlight like bronze mirrors.
Lu Gao's heart was racing. His dream, his nightmare, with Mistress Aili Si, the demon, the contract… was it all real?
He lifted his arm. His veins shimmered faintly beneath his skin with a purple hue, as if fire still burned in his blood.
"Still shaken?" one of the women asked softly, pressing a clay cup into his hand. "Drink. It's sweetwater with lotus honey."
Lu Gao accepted it with trembling fingers, taking a small sip. Coolness spread across his tongue. The sweetness made his eyes water.
"Aww, she's blushing again," one of the girls teased, leaning in close enough for Lu Gao to smell jasmine oil in her hair.
"I… I'm not used to this!" he blurted, voice cracking. "Wait a sec… she?"
"You're just too cute," one of the women said, leaning close with a teasing grin. "And with such a mature body, too. You must be killing all the girls back home, sister."
Lu Gao froze.
…Sister?
He turned to look at her, lips parting to say something, anything… but his voice caught in his throat. Slowly, cautiously, as if fearing the truth, he looked down at his hands.
They were slender. Smooth. Feminine.
"…No," he whispered, raising them further into the light. His fingers trembled as he rotated them, stared at his wrists, his arms, until finally, finally, he looked down at his chest.
His eye twitched.
"…No."
Soft.
Definitely not muscle.
Definitely not his.
Lu Gao slapped his hands over his chest and screamed internally.
"That fucking skull!" he hissed under his breath, face twisting in a mix of betrayal and horror. "I knew he was planning something. I knew it!"
The women around him didn't notice the growing storm inside his soul. No, they were too busy giggling and gossiping, practically treating him like a new favorite doll.
Before Lu Gao could launch into a full-blown existential crisis, a voice barked from one of the wagons ahead.
"We're here!" called one of the guards, a short woman in sand-colored armor, her long hair tied back and half her face covered with a scarf. "City of the Healing Garden! Get your things ready!"
Lu Gao peeked past the canopy. Through the heat-haze shimmer, he saw it: a city carved from rose-tinted stone, surrounded by lush greenery that had no right to exist in the desert. Water flowed in carefully sculpted aqueducts between buildings. Statues of serene figures stood watch at the gates. Even the air here felt cooler, infused with mist and the faint scent of lotus flowers.
The wagon rocked as the caravan slowed, sand shifting beneath the beast's feet. Lu Gao gripped the side for balance as another figure stepped up beside the cart. She was tall, tanned, and weathered like worn leather. A scar ran from her cheek to her ear, and her eyes held the calm weight of someone who'd seen far too much.
"I'll escort you lot until Purple Blossom," she said, voice raspy. "After that, you're someone else's problem."
"Much appreciated, Sister Jin," one of the women replied cheerfully, waving.
As the beast stopped, a pair of delicate hands wrapped around Lu Gao's own. He flinched, his skin still felt too wrong, but didn't pull away.
"You've got a great figure," the woman said, her voice low and sultry. "With a bit of training, you could be a real heart-stealer in Purple Blossom."
Lu Gao blinked. "P-Purple Blossom?"
"It's a pleasure house," she said with a wink. "But we don't just sell our bodies, darling… we sell poetry, dance, art, fantasy. You've got the kind of mystery that rich nobles love."
Lu Gao paled.
He tried to say I'm a man, but all that came out was a high-pitched squeak. His own voice betrayed him.
He wasn't sure what was worse anymore: the fact he had been cursed into a woman's body by that damned skull, or the fact that, in some twisted way… he did have the kind of grace they were looking for.
"I'm going to kill that skull," he muttered under his breath.
And from somewhere, he swore, he heard distant laughter echo in the wind.
A few days had passed since Lu Gao arrived in the City of the Healing Garden, and each one had been a special kind of torment.
Not the kind where sand scoured your skin or your throat cracked from thirst. No, this was psychological. Slow. Humiliating.
He sat at the edge of a lotus pond in the Purple Blossom's inner courtyard, dressed in flowing silks and clutching a tray with trembling hands. The fragrant scent of incense curled in the air, drifting over murals of dancing immortals and perfumed courtesans.
Lu Gao wore makeup.
He'd lost count of how many times he'd cursed his life in the past three days.
The worst part?
He was in debt.
"Apparently, that medicine we gave you wasn't cheap, sweetheart," one of the matriarchs of the house had said with a silky tone and a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "We couldn't just leave you rotting on the back of the sand beast, could we? We're a house of beauty and healing, after all."
And so, Lu Gao… one of Da Wei's disciples, wielder of powerful arts, cultivator of considerable standing… was now a waitress.
Not a courtesan.
He'd made that absolutely clear.
The first time someone even suggested it, he'd nearly smashed a vase and tried to bolt through the window in his borrowed dress.
"If I ever become a courtesan, I'll wish myself dead," Lu Gao had muttered, clutching a broom with shaking hands as if it were a weapon. "I'm a warrior, damn it!"
It was… embarrassing. The skirts. The soft shoes. The daily etiquette lessons from a retired dancer who insisted his walk lacked grace. And worse, much worse, was how his body still refused to revert.
He had tried meditating. Circulating his qi. Slapping himself. Screaming into pillows.
His cultivation kept sputtering like a broken artifact… one moment present, the next flickering into nothing. No breakthroughs, no clarity, no strength to break whatever curse had been laid upon him.
And the Skull? The one responsible for all this?
Nowhere to be found.
That damnable floating skull, so proud and boastful before, had vanished the moment the contract was sealed. Not a whisper, not a smirk, not a mocking laugh.
"I swear… if I ever see him again…" Lu Gao muttered as he placed cups of flower tea before three noble ladies who were far too interested in 'her' hips swaying when she walked away.
He returned to the kitchen and slammed the tray on the counter, nearly upending a pot of lotus stew.
"Careful, darling. You're not paid enough to break things," said Mei Xue, one of the older courtesans, her eyes lined with kohl as she lazily sipped tea in the corner. "You know, if you just embraced it a little more, you'd have enough admirers to buy back your freedom in a week."
"I'd rather sell my soul to a demon," Lu Gao grumbled.
"You already did, didn't you?" she chuckled.
Lu Gao stiffened. Technically, she was not wrong.
"...Tch."
At night, in the privacy of the small room they'd given him, filled with floral cushions and perfume he didn't ask for, he would stare at the mirror, willing his face to become familiar again. His fingers would clutch at the edges of his robe, and he'd whisper:
"Just hold on. Master will find me… or I'll find him. I won't stay like this. I refuse."
But the mirror only showed the soft curves and sad eyes of someone caught in a joke they didn't understand, wearing clothes that never fit their soul.
It had been a terrible ordeal.
And it wasn't over yet.
While Lu Gao did long to see his Master again, if only to complain, beg, and possibly throw a sandal at him, he also knew deep in his shriveling, bitter heart that being found here, of all places, would be the absolute end of him.
Not even Da Wei's strange sense of humor could salvage it.
He imagined it now… his Master walking into Purple Blossom, smirking while sipping tea, seeing him dolled up in makeup and serving fruit slices. Lu Gao could already hear the jokes.
"Is that you, Lu Gao?" Da Wei would say, pretending not to laugh. "I didn't know my disciple had such… potential."
That thought alone was enough to push Lu Gao toward insanity.
"I have to get out of here," he muttered, sitting cross-legged on a balcony overlooking the bustling bazaar. "Maybe hunting beast cores... If I sell a few mid-grade ones, I can pay the debt, buy some real clothes, and…" He paused, looking down at his hands. "…figure out what the hell this body even is anymore."
It wasn't a great plan, but it was a plan.
Until the next morning came, and with it, chaos.
"Lu Ling!" called one of the senior hostesses.
Lu Gao winced. That damned alias again...
"Yes, I'm here," he replied flatly, descending from the upper floor while fixing the sash of his pale violet robe.
He was met at the inner hall by Madam Yun, the house matriarch, who stood dressed in her formal layers, every pin and comb in place like a general readying for war.
"We've received a writ," she announced, waving a golden document with the seal of a blooming flower encircled by three swords. "A client under direct patronage of Her Majesty the Queen of the Promised Dunes."
That got everyone's attention.
The chatter stopped. A fan dropped. One of the courtesans gasped.
Lu Gao, who was planning to sneak out that night, felt his stomach twist. "That's... not just nobility," he whispered to himself. "That's royalty."
"A VVIP," said Madam Yun, eyes sweeping across them all. "He has requested our finest. Everyone is to be present. Everyone will receive three times their daily pay, plus a bonus if selected for individual attendance."
Lu Gao opened his mouth. Closed it. Then hesitantly raised a hand.
"Yes?" Madam Yun asked, already bracing herself.
"Does this include me?" Lu Gao asked with the caution of a man poking a spirit beast with a stick.
"You've been resting on our coin, drinking our medicine, and wearing our robes," she replied sweetly. "Yes, dear. Especially you."
He wanted to scream, but the words three times the pay echoed in his head like divine scripture.
He bowed instead. "Understood, Matriarch."
—
Later, after being forcefully bathed, powdered, perfumed, and shoved into a new outfit with sheer sleeves and a silken sash that clung a little too well to his waist, Lu Gao stood stiffly among the rows of beauties.
They were strategically arranged across the reception hall… by skin tone, height, even the way their hair caught the candlelight. He was placed near the center, somewhere between "exotic elegance" and "mysterious and quiet."
"Smile more," one of the girls beside him whispered. "You'll draw more attention."
"I don't want attention," he hissed.
She giggled. "That's what makes you so charming."
Lu Gao glared at the wide bronze doors at the end of the chamber, already dreading whoever stepped through them. If his Master walked in right now, he'd fake a coma on the spot. If the Skull returned, he'd strangle him with a hair ribbon.
And if this VVIP turned out to be a total creep?
Well…
He'd smile, pour some tea, and pray no one recognized him before he regained his cultivation.
The air in the grand hall was thick with perfumes and expectation. Long silk banners swayed gently overhead while incense burned from dragon-mouthed censers. Lu Gao stood among the painted blossoms of Purple Blossom Pavilion, a reluctant flower in full bloom.
His eye twitched.
Then came the announcement.
"Presenting the honored guests, holders of the Queen's Writ!" declared Jin, the scar-faced mercenary woman who had escorted them through the dunes. Today, she wore formal clothes: sturdy, ceremonial armor laced with royal purple and copper-thread embroidery. Even she had been made to look presentable, like a bronze statue freshly polished and given a courtly sheen.
Lu Gao's eyes narrowed as she opened the great doors.
In stepped an elderly man, hunched but regal, with a large war fan slung over his back. His face was carved by the desert winds, every wrinkle a scar of war and time. His eyes, however, were sharp. Calculating.
Lu Gao blinked. "That man… I've seen him before." But no matter how hard he tried, the name danced just out of reach in his mind.
Then he came.
Emerald jade robes. Black hair. A calm, unbothered walk as if the world belonged to him and no one had told him otherwise. He bore no weapons, only a killer smile that would have made any ladies shake on there legs.
His smile was suave. Effortless.
Lu Gao's heart dropped into his stomach.
"What the fuck?!"
He hiccupped, accidentally drawing the attention of the sister behind him.
"Shhh!" she hissed, elbowing him gently in the ribs. "Look pretty! You're up front, idiot!"
Lu Gao straightened his spine on instinct, but his soul had already fled. His jaw clenched. Sweat beaded on his brow despite the cool air of the pavilion.
His Master… Da Wei the Unpredictable, Da Wei the Eccentric, Da Wei the Why-Is-He-Here-Of-All-Places… was strolling through the lines of women like a tourist admiring silk paintings.
As Da Wei passed, courtesans offered playful glances, graceful bows, and subtle fans of their sleeves.
"My Lord looks tired. Would you like a shoulder to lean on?" cooed one.
"I have a song prepared just for someone with your eyes," said another.
Da Wei smiled at them all with practiced ease, nodding kindly, offering the faintest compliments in return.
"Oh no," Lu Gao whispered, praying he would go unnoticed. "Keep walking. Don't look. Just go. Please, go."
But Da Wei paused.
His gaze swept toward the central arrangement of hostesses.
And his eyes fell directly on Lu Gao.
There was a moment… brief, silent, but immense… where student and master locked eyes.
Da Wei's eyebrow lifted.
Lu Gao's soul died.
"Hmm," Da Wei murmured aloud, tapping his chin theatrically. "Now this one looks familiar…"
Lu Gao smiled.
It was the kind of smile one gave before being executed.
The sister behind him whispered, "He noticed you! Lucky!"
"Lucky my ass," Lu Gao screamed in his heart. "If I die here, bury me face-down so I don't have to look at him ever again!"
Chapter 136 A Delicate Encounter
I'm like… dude, what happened to you?
Seriously, it took everything in me not to say that out loud the moment I laid eyes on Lu Gao.
I'd come to Healing Garden's famed Purple Blossom establishment because Nongmin, of all people, had insisted I make it my first stop. "There's someone important you'll find there," he'd said. "You'll know him when you see her. Now, go, your disciple is waiting for you."
I thought he was making a bad pun. I didn't realize it was a warning.
I strolled past silken curtains and overly sweet incense, catching flirtatious smiles and flowery phrases thrown my way like petals on a breeze. My skin itched from the attention. These courtesans weren't subtle… Charming, sure, but like a spiritual beast in heat, they honed in the moment they sensed a good wallet and clean teeth.
Of course, I had respect for their livelihood. Just being a good listener meant the world to people.
But then… There he was.
Lu Gao.
Except not.
More hips. More chest. Softer features. Delicate fingers clutching the hem of a robe like a deer about to bolt.
If I didn't know any better, I'd have thought he was a stranger.
But my Divine Sense never lies. Qi patterns don't lie. Soul imprints? Definitely don't lie.
That was Lu Gao.
And he was absolutely, unmistakably, painfully pretending he wasn't.
I coughed, fake, dramatic, and unnecessary. Just enough to signal I knew.
Tried using Voice Chat. Nothing.
That was weird. Voice Chat always worked. I imagined I could use it even through dimensional rifts, during spatial collapses, even while being swallowed by a sandworm.
But here?
Nothing.
Alright, fallback plan: plain old Qi Speech.
Still silence.
Double weird.
"It looks like it wasn't my imagination then."
So not only was he looking like he stepped out of a Xianxia-themed hostess simulator, but something was actively jamming our communication. That wasn't a good sign.
I couldn't just go: "Hey bro, what's up with the new curves and that dress that could kill a monk's vows from fifty paces?" Not here. Not with all these eyes watching.
So I did the next best thing.
I raised an eyebrow, turned up the arrogance, and said, "You. Serve me tea."
His face contorted, mortification and disbelief dancing across his expression like duelists.
Still, he bowed and scurried off like the trained waitress he probably wasn't. That was... troubling. I turned to the matriarch of the house, a woman cloaked in silk and subtle menace, and offered a half-smile.
"Private room," I said simply. "Please."
"Of course, Honored Guest," she replied with a bow deeper than most nobles ever gave me. "We'll prepare the Joy Chamber."
Joy Chamber?
Just a normal room would do… Uuhh… On second thought, whatever this chamber was, might be preferable, since I'd want complete privacy.
"Lead the way," I said.
I could feel Lu Gao's soul trying to leave his body as I followed the matriarch down the hallway, heels clicking like a countdown.
It was going to be a very long conversation.
The hallway to the private chambers was a blur of gauzy curtains and perfumed air. The matriarch led the way, her every step radiating the smug poise of someone who ran the most exclusive establishment in the region… and knew it.
"Honored Guest," she purred, glancing over her shoulder, "would you like me to send more girls to serve you? We have several specialists trained in various... disciplines."
I offered a noncommittal shrug. "No need."
She didn't take the hint.
"We have a few top girls who would be thrilled to attend to someone like yourself. Lu Ling is new. Just became a waitress, in fact. Her hands are still untrained in the finer arts of hosting." She gave me a look that said you deserve more.
"She's quite shy too," the matriarch added slyly. "Some men enjoy that. But still, if you're looking for a truly unforgettable experience, might I suggest…"
She launched into an impressively poetic sales pitch about her girls, listing their specialties like one might list rare treasures at auction.
"One is an expert harpist, another was taught by a courtesan from the Flowing Moon Pavilion. One can balance a wine jug on her…"
"I'm here more for the pleasure of conversation," I interrupted gently, turning on just enough charm to sound genuine. "And astrology, actually. Horoscopes. Moon cycles. You know, compatibility signs."
She blinked. "Ah. Of course. Compatibility signs."
There was a beat of silence.
Then she bowed again, somehow not laughing, which I respected. "We've prepared the Joy Chamber. Your tea will be brought shortly."
The chamber lived up to its name. Warm lighting, plush seating, incense burning in slow curls from a lotus-shaped burner in the corner. The whole room felt like it had been crafted for sensual poetry readings or awkward noble trysts.
And there she came.
Lu Gao. Or rather, Lu Ling.
His—her?—face was calm, if stiff, carefully avoiding eye contact. The blush on her cheeks could've been from shame or rouge. She carried the teapot like it weighed a thousand jin, kneeling too gracefully to pour my cup.
I watched the tea stream into porcelain, a thin wisp of steam rising with the scent of jasmine.
"Thank you," I said, voice low.
Lu Ling didn't look up. "Yes, esteemed guest."
My lips twitched.
I could feel it, how much he wanted to crawl into a hole and die. And yet, he poured the tea perfectly, hands steady despite everything. The outfit, the makeup, the polite submissive posture… it was all theater. Unwilling theater.
And he was stuck in it.
I took a sip.
"Delightful," I murmured.
He winced.
Yup. That was definitely Lu Gao.
We were finally alone.
Just me, my disciple dressed in silks, and enough scented incense to make a grown monk weep.
I sat cross-legged on a cushion that was far too plush, trying not to focus on how sweet the air tasted. It wasn't just jasmine. Something thick. Subtle… dangerous. I knew this feeling. Someone had laced the incense with aphrodisiac powder. Strong, too. My thoughts started slowing down, and I could already feel it stirring under.
Shit.
Across from me, Lu Gao… Lu Ling, as he was apparently calling himself now, was kneeling demurely as he poured me another cup. His cheeks were pink. His fingers trembled just slightly on the teapot handle.
I felt a stab of guilt. This wasn't right.
I reached up, pinched the burning end of the incense stick between two fingers, and snuffed it out with a sharp flick. The scent died instantly. Then, under my breath, I murmured Cleanse, once for myself, then again for him.
The fog cleared from my head like a wave breaking against stone. Lu Gao blinked. He straightened a little, as if a weight had lifted.
Then, without a word, he… or rather, she… reached up and slid her robe off one shoulder.
I spat out my tea.
"Dude." I coughed. "I know it's you, Lu Gao."
It was a bit tricky switching pronouns in my head, but this sure was awkward.
Lu Gao tilted his head, lashes fluttering like some kind of helpless flower. "But my name is Lu Ling, esteemed guest…"
I stared at him. "Are you… Are you trying to gaslight me right now?"
"Why would I gaslight you, Esteemed Guest?" he asked with perfect innocence. Too perfect.
I narrowed my eyes. For a second, I really considered whether he'd been hit on the head or had developed some sort of amnesia. But I didn't need to guess. I could feel the lie. His words tasted sour in my Divine Sense.
I reached forward and pulled the robe back over his shoulder. He flinched, but I gave him a flat look.
"You do know that traditional courtesans don't immediately start disrobing after pouring tea, right?"
He blinked. "They… don't?"
"No, Lu Gao. They don't."
He looked down at the floor, cheeks fully flushed now. It was somewhere between shame and mortification. Maybe both. Probably more.
I leaned back and sighed. "You've got a lot of explaining to do."
He nodded. Still refused to meet my eyes.
Lu Gao stared at me, confused and maybe a little defensive. "How do you even know that courtesans don't disrobe? This is basically a brothel, isn't it? How else are they supposed to… You know, do the deed?"
I paused, staring into my now-cold tea. This wasn't a question I ever expected from Lu Gao.
"Well," I began, leaning forward and folding my hands over my knee, "in my short time with Xin Yune, we, uh… let's just say we wrecked enough brothels and caused enough noble scandals to know how courtesans usually act."
Lu Gao blinked. "You wrecked brothels?"
"It's a long story that happened in the span of one night," I replied, waving a hand. "I was drunk as hell back then, so my memories might be blurry. Huh? I think I might have said something rude to some lord's son who had a thing for bunny ears and a whip. But that's beside the point."
I looked him in the eye. "The important thing is this: human beings… yes, even courtesans… have something they call self-respect. Not everyone in this kind of establishment is here just to tumble with every customer that walks in. The term prostitute is usually derogatory, but courtesan? Entertainer? Those carry a very different meaning, especially in a country like this."
He looked down, face flushed, clearly mulling that over.
I continued, softer now, "Most people in this line of work don't just offer the pleasures of the flesh. They master the arts: music, painting, storytelling, and even politics sometimes. Do you think the Purple Blossom girls dress like that just for show? Their dance routines could rival martial arts. Their conversation is more refined than half the so-called scholars I've met. At least that's how I remembered it back in the Imperial Capital."
He tilted his head slightly, listening now instead of reacting.
I chuckled, more to myself. "Actually, if I think about it… considering my old life—music, arts, dance—I probably relate more to the courtesans and entertainers than I do the so-called teachers or sages."
He raised an eyebrow. "So you're saying… you're one of them?"
I grinned. "Nah. I just said I relate more. They teach people how to dream. Most teachers just make people memorize things."
Lu Gao gave a reluctant smile. "That… actually makes sense."
"Of course it does," I said, leaning back. "I've been there, just saying…"
He rolled his eyes, and for a moment, I could see the old Lu Gao in there: sarcastic, grounded, and just a little tired.
The tension broke, if only slightly. But I could tell he was still holding something back.
And I had a feeling we were just scratching the surface of whatever hell he'd been dragged into.
"Okay," I said, setting the tea down and straightening my robe. "Let's get to it."
Lu Gao looked at me, dead serious, and asked, "Should I disrobe?"
I nearly flipped the tea tray off the table.
"Idiot," I snapped, smacking the back of his head lightly. "Why is that the first thing your brain jumps to? Get your head out of the gutter."
He rubbed the back of his head with a pout that looked entirely wrong on his current face. "Sorry, sorry. It's the incense, I swear."
"No, it's your lack of mental discipline. Even if you're stuck like this, don't let it mess with your brain."
"Easy for you to say, Master," he muttered, folding his arms under… his new chest. "You're more handsome than usual today."
I narrowed my eyes. "Not addressing that. Moving on."
He smirked, and for a moment, I had a brief vision of strangling him with the silk sash off his own robe. I took a deep breath and sat back down.
"All right. Jokes aside… what happened? Where are Alice and Joan? And what's going on with your condition?"
"That's the thing," he said, his voice dropping into something conflicted. "I… don't know."
I frowned. "Elaborate."
He scratched his cheek, looking anywhere but at me. "I remember dreaming. It was like I saw Aili Si… er, I can't pronounce her name right. I remember her yelling. Then suddenly, she forced me to use a Great Teleportation Scroll."
"What?"
"I didn't even have time to think," he said, his voice a little shaky. "The scroll was in my hand. I activated it. And the next thing I knew… I was face-down in the middle of a burning desert, dying of thirst, and threatened by a very real possibility of death."
That tracked. I crossed my arms and listened as he went on.
"I wandered for a while. Nearly got eaten by a beast twice. Next thing I remember is being hauled onto some kind of sand creature with a caravan of women dressed like… well, like this."
He gestured to his current attire with no small amount of shame.
"And you were… like this when you woke up?"
He nodded. "Yeah. I think it was that damned floating skull. It must've done something before ditching me. I can't even channel Qi consistently. It comes and goes like a broken faucet."
I winced. "And the girls from Purple Blossom helped you?"
"Yeah. And now I'm in debt. Big debt."
I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Of course you are."
So Alice had somehow thrown him to safety… with a Great Teleportation Scroll, no less. That meant she was in danger, real danger, and fast enough to not be able to explain. And Lu Gao's condition… Qi disruption, forced transformation, loss of contact with Voice Chat… all of it pointed toward something foul.
Something deliberate.
I stared at Lu Gao, or rather, "Lu Ling," and felt the pit in my stomach grow heavier.
There were more pieces to this puzzle. And I didn't like the shape it was starting to take.
I sighed and leaned forward, folding my hands. "Okay. Here's the deal."
Lu Gao straightened a little, looking unsure.
"You're going to tell me everything. No skipping. No vague statements. I want it from the start."
He swallowed, glanced toward the incense burner I had already snuffed out earlier, and then nodded.
"Fine," he said. "It started during our travels… back from Yellow Dragon City. I didn't say anything then, but I've been having these… nightmares. Ever since we passed through the southern ridge, something's been inside my head."
I frowned. "Nightmares?"
"Yeah. Like… something whispering to me while I sleep. No matter how much I cultivated or meditated, I couldn't shake it. It persisted even after I learned Mana Road Cultivation. I thought it was stress. Maybe guilt. But then it got worse in the desert. The heat didn't help. I was disoriented. Delirious. And that's when I heard its voice clearly."
He shuddered slightly. "It offered me a deal. Said it would save me. I thought it was just heat madness. I mean, I was dying out there, hallucinating. So I agreed."
"You signed a contract," I said grimly.
"Yeah," he admitted, voice low. "I think I did. Not with blood or anything like that. It was… like my soul burned and something locked into place. After that, I blacked out. Next thing I knew, that floating skull had scared away a black-armored demon thing. He said I owed him now. He said it'd keep me safe in exchange for a little 'mortal freedom' and a few 'small spiritual concessions.'"
"That thing made you sign a soul-binding pact and turned you into this for his own amusement," I muttered, angry now. "That explains the Qi sputtering. And your gender lock."
"It's been… rough," Lu Gao said, eyes dropping. "Especially since the skull vanished right after. Haven't seen him since. Can't undo anything. Can't cultivate properly. I'm stuck like this."
I let out a long, low breath.
All right. I knew what this was.
Another soul-battle. Another parasite clinging to someone close to me. These damn creatures… entities older than reason… loved hitching rides in my people.
But this time, I wasn't unprepared.
I already had experience.
I looked Lu Gao in the eye. "I know what I have to do."
He looked up, hopeful. "You're going to fight it?"
"Yeah. I'm going in. Direct soul invasion. I'll confront the contract directly and rip the damn thing out."
His eyes lit up with excitement. "So we're doing it again? Like the time with Gu Jie?"
"I should be able to finish this in a jiffy. Just stay still. Don't resist. This'll be smoother if you're cooperative."
I placed my palm against his forehead, my Qi Sense reaching through the layers of soul energy and twisted bindings already starting to manifest.
"Are you ready, Lu Gao?"
He clenched both fists and shouted, "Do it, Master! Get inside me!"
I froze.
My hand just hovered there.
I stared at him.
"…What's your problem, dude? Context. Context!"
He blinked innocently. "What?"
"Say 'enter my soulscape' or something! Not… not that."
He turned red in the face. "You knew what I meant!"
"Yeah, but did the walls know? Spirits are listening!"
We sat in awkward silence for a beat.
Then I closed my eyes and activated the soul projection.
"Let's just get this over with."
Divine Possession!
Chapter 137 Blue Flames and Old Bones
I opened my eyes, and the first thing I saw was darkness. There was neither light nor warmth. Just that silent and oppressive stillness that makes you feel like you've been buried alive.
I stayed there for a moment, breathing steadily, until I sent out my Divine Sense in every direction.
Rocks. Dirt. Some kind of mineral veins, dull and dry. The air was still and stale. I was underground, definitely a cave. The aura was calm but laced with that faint, almost metallic buzz you get from long-sealed space.
Then, ahead of me, I saw it.
A dim blue glow. Faint, like a dying lantern's wick, flickering through the cave's shadows. I started walking. No flashy teleportation, no spells… just my footsteps echoing in the silence. Whatever this place was, subtlety felt safer than showmanship.
Didn't take long before I reached the source.
A skeleton, wreathed in lazy tongues of blue fire, was calmly hacking away at the cave wall with a rusted pickaxe. The sound was steady—tap, chip, tap—almost rhythmic.
I blinked.
"You," I said, taking a slow step forward. "You're that perverted Skull back in the Black Forest, aren't you?"
The skeleton didn't turn right away. He set the pickaxe down gently against the wall, stretched his bony arms with a slow creak, then finally looked at me. His sockets flared a little brighter, and that damned familiar voice came out. It was dry and a bit too amused, with just enough smugness to make my hand twitch.
"Ah," he said, "finally. Took you long enough. Your disciple's body's about to get stolen by a devil knight, and you decide to appear only now? Back in my days, Masters had more standards they held themselves to…"
I folded my arms. "Start talking. What do you mean Lu Gao's body is being taken over? I need to hear your side of the story before I decide whether to destroy you or not."
He floated back a little, bones rattling lazily, and gestured to the wall he'd been digging. "I am using my own soul power to fight off the darn devil… and guess what it did? It trapped me in this enclosed space. I am not really a fan of caves, you know?"
"And the pickaxe?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's what little power I could conjure in this world," he said, his flaming sockets narrowing in irritation. "And as you can see, I am struggling. Not exactly the glorious undead life I imagined for myself, to be honest."
I extended my Divine Sense, letting it wash over the pickaxe, the skeleton, the residual traces of soul-forging magic hanging in the air like old incense smoke.
"It all checks out, right?" he said smugly. "I am not lying or anything."
Yep. The perverted skull wasn't lying.
"Doesn't mean I like you," I muttered.
He laughed, bones shaking like wind chimes. "Wouldn't be any fun if you did."
The skeleton sighed dramatically and dispelled his pickaxe into wisps of pale-blue fire. He stretched his arms like someone waking from a nap, bones creaking as though savoring the motion.
"I've been stuck in here for too long," he said, rolling his flaming eyes. "Could've been enjoying myself, you know. Maybe spend a few decades with my dear Mistresses of Pain…"
I narrowed my eyes. "The who now?"
"Oh, you know," he replied with an exaggerated shrug, "two charming sisters. One a bloody demon and the other a virtuous lady. Both cultivators of the same origins as yours? One specialized in pain, the other in more pain. Real artists, those two. They really has potential, you know?"
The Skull was definitely referring to Alice and Joan.
But... They weren't even blood-related.
I felt my expression tighten. "Are they… still around?"
"I'd like to believe so," he said wistfully. "If fate is kind, perhaps they're running a brothel somewhere. You know…" His sockets brightened with that familiar, lecherous glow. "You could do me a solid, bring me by a house of ill repute or two? The Promised Dunes were always rather famous for their women, if memory serves…"
I stared at him, deadpan.
"You do know I could destroy you with a flick of my finger, right?" I said calmly. "Reduce you to bone dust and scatter what's left into the void. I suggest you stop with your fantasies."
He raised his hands in mock surrender, though the amused tilt in his skull remained. "Oh, I don't doubt it, young master. I've seen what you could do with your disciple's body in all sorts of fun ways. Those motions. Devastating. Rather admirable finger control, actually."
I sighed, more annoyed at myself than him. Because the truth was… I had intended to destroy him.
Undead were a problem. Unstable, unpredictable, and often malicious. And worse, this one was a known degenerate. Lu Gao had mentioned it, and from the way the skeleton talked, he wasn't denying anything.
But then again…
Hei Mao had been an unknown too. A misfit, a mistake of fate that clung to life through hate and instinct. And yet, I'd helped him. Gave him a shot. Because sometimes it's not about what someone was, but what they could become.
So I folded my arms and looked at the flickering flames in his sockets.
"Tell me," I said slowly, "why shouldn't I exorcise you right now?"
He tilted his head. "Because if you do, the devil knight takes possession of your disciple's body with little to no resistance," he said flatly. "Right now, I'm the lock on the door. Remove me, and you'll come back to find a massacre."
…Okay. Fair point.
"Cunning little bastard," I muttered. "You've been alive a long time, haven't you?"
"Oh, I've been dead a long time," he corrected. "But yes, I've lived quite a bit. Too much, perhaps. Seen empires rise and fall, lovers cheat and swear eternal loyalty in the same breath, saints become tyrants, and tyrants become jokes. It's all very poetic."
"How old are you?" I asked.
He made a thoughtful noise. "Hmm. You ever seen the Sapphire Moon crack open and rain down lightning roses for three nights?"
"No."
"Ah. Then probably before your time." He chuckled. "Let's just say… I remember when dragons still used to apply for territory rights, and mortals could actually refuse them."
I wasn't even from around here…
I didn't reply right away. I just stared at him, watching the way his flames flickered, watching the signs of decay beneath the showmanship. This skeleton, this perverted skull, might've been more than he appeared.
Not trustworthy. Not safe. But useful.
"Alright then," I said at last. "You get to live."
He let out a dramatic gasp. "You honor me, my lord."
"Shut up," I replied, walking toward the cracked wall, the Skull making little progress. "Next perverted comment and I'm sending you to a temple full of bald monks for spiritual cleansing."
"…You drive a hard bargain," he muttered, floating behind me. "But I'm game."
"Do you know any dreamwalking techniques?" I asked, stepping closer, arms behind my back.
The skull tilted ever so slightly, his jaw clacking once in curiosity. "Dreamwalking, eh? Now that's a term I haven't heard in a few dozen decades. Why? Hoping to visit a lover's dreamscape and whisper sweet nothings?"
I didn't humor him. "No. I need to reach the darn parasite in Lu Gao's soul without damaging his body. This devil… seems averse to a direct confrontation. If he's smart, he's hiding behind mental barriers or soul traps. Same way the Heavenly Demon did when I fought his fragment in Gu Jie."
At that time, the Heavenly Demon had no choice but to confront me, because if I succeeded in bearing Gu Jie's misfortune, the Heavenly Demon would be left with nothing to ressurect itself.
"Ah, the Heavenly Demon," the skull murmured. "Now there's a spicy name. You crossed fists with her?"
Her? Hmmm… he must've been referring to a Heavenly Demon of a different generation… Just how old was this skull?
"Sort of," I replied. "He was possessing Gu Jie. I used a principle from a Buddhist technique I read in the Cloud Mist Sect's scrolls… absorbed her misfortune and redirected it through my own existence. That allowed me to manifest inside her and punch him in the face."
"...You're insane," he said admiringly.
"Thank you."
He hovered closer, firelight dancing across the walls. "So what's in it for me?"
I raised an eyebrow. "How about I make your exorcism painless?"
"No deal." He didn't even blink, though of course, he couldn't.
"What do you want then?"
"Alright," he said with a sigh, "I sense that Lu Gao's cultivation method is… rather unique and touches a different facet of the Great Path. I want to learn it."
"No deal," I shot back.
"Killjoy."
I rubbed my chin and looked at the dim wall behind him, starting to glow faintly with soul suppression glyphs I recognized from the few times I skimmed books from the Grand Ascension Library. I needed to get in without damaging anything. Which meant I needed this degenerate undead on my side. Even if I didn't like it.
"How about this?" I offered. "You get inside me."
There was a pause. Then he floated back half a meter. "Sorry, kid. I'm flattered, really, but I'm not into... guys."
I stared at him. "I didn't mean it literally, you ancient pervert."
"Just clarifying."
"I'm talking about spiritual inheritance," I said, holding back the urge to rub my temples. "I inherit Lu Gao's contract with you. That way, you're not stuck in this cave, in Lu Gao's soul, and you get a fair shot at possessing my body."
He blinked. Or rather, the flames in his eye sockets pulsed. "Contract? What contract?"
I narrowed my gaze. "Don't play dumb. Lu Gao told me everything. Even your nature as an Outsider, so it feels genuinely weird to me how in the world you are acting so much like a native."
The skull went still for a moment. Then a faint rattle passed through his bones, like wind through dried reeds. "Huh. He remembered that old thing. Thought he'd forgotten it. Or maybe just misunderstood."
"So it does exist?"
"Well… in a manner of speaking." He scratched the top of his skull with one bony finger. "I gave him a fragment of my spiritual brand to stabilize his cultivation, which is now very much under attack by the devil. Technically, that counts as a contract, but I didn't exactly write it up on silk with golden ink."
"Good enough for me," I said. "So. Do we have a deal?"
He looked at me for a long moment. The flames in his eyes narrowed and flickered.
"You're not like most cultivators I've met," he said quietly. "Not like most Outsiders too…"
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"You shouldn't," he muttered. "But fine. I'll guide you. Just don't blame me if the devil inside decides to chew on your spine."
"Don't worry," I said with a faint grin. "If I die, I'm haunting you first."
He chuckled. "Deal."
Jokes aside, there was something I wasn't going to let slide. Not anymore.
"Once this is done, we're definitely going to talk about your nature as an Outsider," I said, folding my arms and fixing him with a look. "You can play the fool all you want, but we're gonna have that talk, whether you want to or not."
The skull gave me a dramatic shrug, bones rattling like an old maraca. "It's nothing special," he replied. Then made a fart noise with his mouthless jaw… don't ask me how. "Pbbbt."
I closed my eyes and breathed in through my nose.
This was going to be painful for my mental health.
Allowing the soul of an ancient flaming skull to live in my head definitely seemed reckless. And, to be honest, it probably was. But let's do the math: for this guy to take control of my body, he'd have to beat not just me, but the eldritch thing-y that had taken residence in my core that caused my transmigration… and also David_69.
Yes. That David_69, my Holy Spirit.
Even I didn't mess with that guy unless I had to.
I feared the current David_69 had evolved to the point even Shenyuan would find trouble picking a fight with him.
Of course, I wasn't going to tell the skull any of that.
I tilted my head, arms still crossed. "Alright, before we make things official, let's start with proper introductions."
"Formality? With undead?" the skull scoffed. "I am superbly flattered!"
"It's called manners. You don't just hop into someone's soul without shaking hands first."
The flames in his sockets flickered with what I assumed was amusement. "Fine, fine. Be boring about it."
I straightened up a bit. "Da Wei," I said simply. "Former elementary school teacher. Current headache collector."
He floated in a slow circle, as if sizing me up one last time. Then bowed slightly, skull tilting forward, chinless grin still wide.
"Jue Bu," he said. "Once called the Flame of Ten Thousand Tombs. Now mostly known as 'Hey, you horny skull!' Or 'Stop, you pervert!' But Jue Bu's the name. Just a quick ask, what's an elementary school teacher?"
"Charming," I said dryly. "And a pleasure, I guess. And no, I feel too lazy to explain what an elementary school teacher is."
"Boring... But hey, give it time. You'll fall for me."
"Doubtful."
I extended a hand, not physically, but with a thread of Divine Sense, letting it pulse with just enough spiritual signature to signal agreement. A handshake of sorts. The skull didn't hesitate. One flicker of soul fire reached back, brushing against my energy with the faint sting of age and madness, like incense smoke curling around bone.
In that moment, a deal was made.
I'd probably regret it later.
But for now?
Let's go save a disciple.