Shi Yan’s gaze was sharp, fixed unswervingly on the graceful, enigmatic woman as she stepped across the lake surface, approaching the shore step by measured step.
A thin crimson line of blood suddenly leaked from the corner of her mouth. Her exquisitely graceful body gave a violent tremor, and a fleeting look of helplessness crossed her eyes, as clear and pure as the lake water itself.
Under Shi Yan’s scrutiny, the woman’s face grew progressively paler, her eyes unfocused. Just as she was about to step onto the bank, the mysterious woman shuddered once more and abruptly lost consciousness.
She must have been gravely wounded by Bei Ming Shang!
A thought flashed through Shi Yan’s mind; he instantly recognized the severity of her injuries.
A spark of inspiration ignited in his mind. Casting aside further thought, Shi Yan suddenly burst forward, leaping into the lake to catch the mysterious woman just as she began to sink.
Her full figure offered an exquisitely captivating texture upon contact. His heart fluttered, and he swiftly carried her to shore.
Shi Yan extended a finger beneath the mysterious woman’s nose, sensing her breath was even and steady, suggesting she wasn't gravely harmed. Furthermore, a strange, potent energy was slowly burgeoning within her body, seemingly nurturing her frame.
A torrent of bloodthirsty, frenzied desire surged violently from the depths of his heart. Shi Yan’s expression shifted; he realized the negative forces within his vital acupoints were about to erupt.
Today, he had absorbed too much negative power, and it was now at a critical juncture of purification, causing more and more negative emotions to spread from his meridians.
Holding this mysterious woman, Shi Yan’s expression flickered between light and shadow.
After a long moment, Shi Yan finally devised a plan.
He tore a strip of cloth from the corner of his robe and used it to completely conceal the peerlessly alluring face of the mysterious woman. Then, cradling her, he suddenly sprinted toward the nearest brothel.
The mysterious woman possessed terrifying cultivation at the Tian Wei realm, and this battle had left her severely wounded by Bei Ming Shang. Once she awoke, she would undoubtedly become the Bei Ming family’s most formidable enemy!
Within the Merchant Alliance, the Bei Ming family’s influence was too dominant; no other family could currently suppress them.
This woman’s origins were mysterious, and her cultivation realm exceptionally high. As long as she lived, she would cause Bei Ming Shang perpetual unrest.
Shi Yan was determined to keep her alive and well!
Tonight, Tian Yun City would surely descend into chaos, and Bei Ming Shang would dispatch experts to search for this mysterious woman. Shi Yan needed to ensure her safety until she woke up.
The negative aura within his body intensified, and embracing such an enchantingly beautiful creature, Shi Yan was close to losing control of the desire surging within him.
Yet, he knew absolutely that he could not touch this woman; otherwise, the Shi family might face utter annihilation the moment she awoke. A quarter of an hour later.
Shi Yan, still holding the mysterious woman whose face was covered by the cloth, burst directly into the Yan Yu Lou in the southern district of Tian Yun City. Upon entering, he bellowed, “Madam, quickly find me two fresh-faced girls! Hurry!”
“Swish! Swish!”
Purple crystal coins, glimmering with purple light, were drawn from Shi Yan’s pouch and entirely scattered across the counter on the first floor of Yan Yu Lou.
“Coming!”
A beautiful woman of about thirty, heavily made up and wearing a professional smile, peered down from upstairs.
A mere glance at the purple crystal coins on the counter made her smile bloom even wider. She called out loudly, “Esteemed Sir, please proceed to the third floor; I shall make arrangements immediately.”
“Mmm.”
Shi Yan nodded, carrying the mysterious woman, and followed the madam directly up to the third floor.
“Yan Yun, Rou’er, hurry up and get out here! Come to Room Three, and serve this lord well!” the madam cooed sweetly, leading Shi Yan into a private chamber before suddenly shouting.
“Madam, we’re coming right away!”
Two delicate, sweet voices responded from the adjacent rooms near the stairs.
Before long, two vibrant young women, their eyes filled with amorous expectation, approached gracefully and entered Shi Yan’s Room Three.
“Sir, you brought someone with you? What, do you find the ladies of Yan Yu Lou unsatisfying?” The madam stood in the room, her shrewd gaze lingering on the mysterious woman, causing her to giggle delightedly. “You truly are interesting; who brings their own companion to a pleasure house?”
“Cough, my needs are quite potent, and my tastes are particular. Bringing one along just makes things more amusing!” Shi Yan glanced coolly at the madam.
The madam continued to smile, her eyes sweeping over the mysterious woman, her mind perfectly clear.
She naturally assumed the mysterious woman had been abducted by Shi Yan and that he intended to indulge himself in the pleasure house, bringing a companion along only in case the woman couldn't handle him the first time, thus securing a substitute so he could fully satisfy himself.
The madam had witnessed such affairs before; it wasn't unusual. She nodded and instructed, “Yan Yun, Rou’er, serve this lord well. Use your true skills; you must ensure this lord leaves satisfied.”
“Madam, rest assured. This is our livelihood; of course, we know how to serve.” The girl named Yan Yun smiled enticingly at Shi Yan, lightly licking the tip of her tongue. “Sir, I will satisfy you.”
“You may leave now!” Shi Yan’s impulse grew harder to contain. He took a deep breath and commanded the madam in a low voice.
“Very well, Sir, take your time and enjoy yourselves. If you find you need more, just call out.” The madam swayed her hips, smiled knowingly, and retreated outside the door, closing it solicitously behind Shi Yan.
Only then did Shi Yan gently place the mysterious woman onto the soft carpet.
He reached out a hand to her back and discovered that the strange power within the woman’s body was gradually enveloping her entire being, steadily accelerating the circulation of jingyuan (vital essence) within her body.
Frowning in thought, Shi Yan immediately realized the woman must have ingested some rare, precious elixir. Even as she lay unconscious, that elixir was rapidly healing her injuries, making the jingyuan in her body cycle autonomously, ensuring she would awaken at the fastest possible rate.
“You two follow me.”
Traces of peculiar negative energy flowed out from his vital acupoints. Shi Yan could hold back no longer. He reached out, seizing both girls from Yan Yu Lou, and violently pushed them onto the large, red-quilted bed.
...
After a long, long while.
Shi Yan slowly awoke, his eyes regaining clarity. He distinctly felt streams of strange energy flowing out from the acupoints in his body.
Some of this strange energy dispersed throughout his flesh, sinews, and bones; some surged into the core gathering point located in his lower abdomen.
As the strange energies poured into his jingyuan, his essence became incredibly dense and potent.
Under Shi Yan’s mental control, the jingyuan churned through his body like a surging tide!
Holding his breath and concentrating, Shi Yan entered a state of emptiness. Not a single stray thought remained in his mind, allowing the jingyuan to rush freely throughout his body.
...
After an indeterminate amount of time, Shi Yan’s body suddenly jolted, and he awoke with a start.
His five senses felt fundamentally different.
With his eyes closed, Shi Yan could clearly perceive the yuanqi (primal energy) of heaven and earth. This energy was omnipresent, mixed in the air, something usually impossible to detect.
But at this moment, he could perceive the finest details!
The jingyuan within his body was also extraordinarily agile. With a mere thought, a wisp of jingyuan floated out from the middle finger of his left hand.
Under the transformation of his will, this jingyuan danced restlessly, as if possessing a strange life of its own. It shifted into the shape of a small blade of grass, then became a nimble spirit snake, and then swiftly condensed into a flying insect...
Perceiving the yuanqi of heaven and earth and refining it into all things—this was the Ren Wei (Human Rank) realm!
A strange smile curved Shi Yan’s lips. Feeling immensely refreshed and unburdened, he finally slowly rose from the bed.
After stepping down, Shi Yan glanced back behind him. The bed was a mess; two pale white bodies lay sprawled out, their faces still etched with expressions of utter satisfaction from their recent passion, both fast asleep.
These two women were not martial artists; their bodies could not seem to withstand the strange power he possessed. This time, when Shi Yan’s essence erupted, it did not carry any of that peculiar power, allowing him to absorb it entirely.
His expression paused for a moment, but Shi Yan turned away without any lingering attachment, slowly approaching the mysterious woman.
The moonlight outside the window was pure white; it was already deep into the night.
Shi Yan reached out and probed the mysterious woman’s back. He immediately discovered that the power within her body was recovering at an unimaginable speed!
At this rate, she should be awake by dawn.
Bei Ming Shang would likely be searching for her everywhere tonight, but Bei Ming Shang would never imagine she was hidden within a brothel.
After tonight, this mysterious woman’s injuries would recover by at least seventy to eighty percent. By then, she could go anywhere in Tian Yun City.
I wonder how Han Feng is doing?
Shi Yan suddenly thought of Han Feng. If Han Feng broke through the blockade set by Poison Dragon Valley’s Blood Hand, he would surely search for Shi Yan everywhere. If he couldn't find any trace of Shi Yan, he would naturally assume Shi Yan had been killed by the combined efforts of Li Han and Mo Qi.
After all, Han Feng did not know Shi Yan’s true strength, whereas Li Han was a martial artist at the Ren Wei realm!
Now that Shi Jian treated him as the Shi family’s greatest treasure, if he were to learn that Shi Yan had met with misfortune, who knew what irrational things Shi Jian might do?
After careful consideration, Shi Yan decided to leave immediately and return to the Shi family with all possible speed.
The large hand resting on the mysterious woman’s spine slowly moved, finally settling on the strip of cloth concealing her peerless face.
Lifting one corner of the cloth, Shi Yan looked at the mysterious woman’s lips, which had regained a rosy hue. He smiled suddenly, leaned closer, and unceremoniously kissed those cherry lips.
A soul-refreshing richness overflowed from the corner of the mysterious woman’s mouth...
Shi Yan took just one taste and felt his spirit instantly refreshed, the lingering sensation exquisitely wonderful, almost causing him to lose control of his inner impulse once more.
Reluctantly pulling his lips away, he looked up, gazing deeply at her, and murmured, “I saved your life; consider this kiss my repayment.”
With that, Shi Yan pushed open the half-closed window and leaped out into the night.
His body swayed briefly in the darkness, gradually disappearing into the moonlight, vanishing without a trace.