387 Strange
Jiang Huai still couldn’t sleep and continued to Hatch various schemes in his quilt.
The sixth level of the Overlord Art required the primogenital milk of demon beasts of at least the Seventh Realm. The higher the cultivation level and purer the bloodline, the better the effect. If the cultivation level was insufficient, one needed to drink more. The upper tier of the seventh level required pure fox saliva from a Fox Clan member of at least the Eighth Realm. The lower tier required dual cultivation with a female cultivator of at least the Eighth Realm more than fifty times. The eighth level required five demon beast inner cores of at least the Eighth Realm. The ninth level required a Dragon Heart. The Overlord True Person who passed down the Overlord Art to Jiang Huai had barely cultivated it to the Great Perfection of the Eighth Level, barely possessing the combat power of the Ninth Realm. He was unable to find the Dragon Heart required for the Ninth Realm and only obtained half a Dragon Pill to temper his physique.
The pain of the Overlord Art doubled. As soon as Jiang Huai recalled the previous pain in the valley, his body couldn’t help but twitch. His body still vaguely feared this pain. Even if he fainted from the pain, he would wake up again from it.
After leaving the Fan Hua Secret Realm, should he go and nuzzle in Bai Jin’s embrace and say he wanted to drink some milk? Or should he wait for Little Bai Li to enter the Seventh Realm… Jiang Huai was plagued by various strange thoughts, making him even more unable to sleep.
Fortunately, he didn’t toss and turn. There was no bonfire lit in the cave, and it was pitch dark. However, he vaguely heard very faint muffled groans.
He was slightly stunned and quietly opened his eyes in the darkness.
Su Qingyi sat at the entrance of the cave, cross-legged. Moonlight from outside the window filtered in through the vines. At this moment, she was holding a silver-plated sharp spike in her hand. Jiang Huai watched with his own eyes as she lifted her Daoist Robe to her thighs and the spike in her hand pierced her slender thigh. In that instant, he seemed to feel that pain, scaring him into a shiver.
But when Su Qingyi raised her hand, her wounds were quickly healed by her spiritual qi, and not even blood overflowed. However, her complexion was already extremely pale. She bit her lips slightly, and her eyes revealed a frenzied pleasure.
It seemed she was very rational. At least she knew that the smell of blood might attract demonic beasts. Even self-mutilation was done with such restraint.
Jiang Huai trembled with fear in his quilt. However, human beings’ instinctive curiosity towards bizarre scenes made him slightly open his eyes, watching Su Qingyi stab her leg again and again. Her lips were bitten until they bled slightly, but moments later, she licked them back with her tongue. This scene was too bizarre. Jiang Huai hesitated several times, but ultimately said nothing.
He had learned to understand and respect everyone’s preferences. He watched Su Qingyi’s straight back. Just as she once again stabbed her exquisite snow-white thigh with the spike, unable to help but gasp for breath, tilting her head back to feel the pain, she suddenly turned her head. Her eyes met those of Jiang Huai, who was tightly wrapped in his quilt, peeking out timidly.
The moment Su Qingyi turned her head, Jiang Huai closed his eyes and feigned death. Even though the cave was pitch black, with Su Qingyi’s spiritual vision, she naturally noticed. Her lips parted slightly, and she gasped for breath, saying softly, “You… saw it, didn’t you?”
Jiang Huai couldn’t keep feigning death. He poked his head out of the quilt and timidly replied, “I can pretend I didn’t see it. As long as you… like it.”
Su Qingyi was silent for a moment. The silver spike in her hand pierced her thigh again as if no one else was there. A hint of apology appeared in her eyes. Her voice, though suppressed by pain, was still cold and aloof as usual, “You’ve been troubled.”
“No trouble, no trouble,” Jiang Huai shook his head.
He already felt the atmosphere was incredibly bizarre, yet inexplicably rational. His head felt dizzy. He watched Su Qingyi stare at him unblinkingly. He felt he had to say something to ease the atmosphere. After a moment, he asked softly, “Can I ask… why you… do this?”
Actually, he vaguely guessed a little. After all, Qingyu was a precedent.
Human instinct is to fear pain. But there are things more terrifying than pain. If a person’s senses only leave them with emptiness, as if they have become a walking zombie, completely losing all emotions, then pain is no longer terrifying. Instead, pain becomes proof that a person is still alive, still exists. Many times, people would rather suffer pain than that boundless emptiness.
“Bored,” Su Qingyi replied softly. She wasn’t saying Jiang Huai’s question was boring; that was her answer.
She had maintained this habit for a long time, just like practicing swordsmanship every day. She relied on these pains to feel alive, to find a little solace from her numb life, to give her already exhausted body and mind a moment of relief. Only in the moment of pain was the world quiet. She didn’t have to think about anything, nor did she have to care about anything. The responsibilities of the Fox Clan seemed to no longer be on her shoulders. She was no longer the Grand Princess of the Fox Clan. All her worries were cast aside. In that moment of pain, she found proof that she was still alive.
“This… isn’t very good.”
“I know,” Su Qingyi nodded slightly. Then she replied, “I will heal myself, it doesn’t affect anything. It’s just my own preference. You don’t need to worry, and don’t overthink it.”
Jiang Huai didn’t say anything more. He knew that a few words couldn’t change a person’s habit. But then, he innocently blinked at her, sat up, took out a small lamp, and lit up the cave. He looked at Su Qingyi in front of him and asked, “Do you want to cultivate the Overlord Art?”
Su Qingyi was slightly stunned.
There were demon cultivators in the Monster Clan who had cultivated the Overlord Art, but the Overlord Art had long been lost. The formula used for cultivation was unknown where it had fallen. But now, in front of her, was a cultivator of the Overlord Art. Jiang Huai calmly took out five pills. He looked at Su Qingyi and said, “These are the cultivation pills for the first five levels of the Overlord Art.”
These were all refined and collected by Jiang Huai himself. The previous cultivation of the Overlord Art made him wish he were dead, but it was indeed powerful once cultivated. Out of curiosity for this secret technique, Jiang Huai specifically sought out the medicinal materials for the Overlord Art and modified some of the spirit medicines, so that the medicinal properties would not be so explosive. The pain would probably be reduced by a quarter, but the effect would be no less.
He was satisfied with his research and reaffirmed that he was indeed an extremely bored person.
Su Qingyi had originally thought that Jiang Huai would earnestly persuade her not to torture herself like this. This was also why she didn’t want Jiang Huai to tell this secret to others. If her mother knew, she would definitely worry, and then she wouldn’t be able to satisfy her hobby in secret late at night. But as a result, Jiang Huai only persuaded her a couple of times, and then handed her these five pills.
Compared to so-called comfort, it was Jiang Huai’s respect that made her impression of Jiang Huai slightly change.
Jiang Huai then took out the route of the Overlord Art cultivation that he had copied from memory. After taking the pills, one only needed to forcefully refine the medicinal power to the acupoints, and they would have cultivated the Overlord Art. The Overlord Art was simple, but the process was very painful. Jiang Huai always felt uneasy about Su Qingyi bringing him to the secret realm. Now, he was just returning a favor.
A hint of curiosity appeared in Su Qingyi’s eyes. She stood up, walked closer, and came to Jiang Huai’s side. She flipped through the small booklet of the Overlord Art cultivation that Jiang Huai had taken out. She picked up the pill for the first level of the Overlord Art, and her dark pupils were now filled with anticipation.
Jiang Huai calmly took out a soundproof array disk. This array disk could isolate all sounds within the cave. He huddled in a corner, looking at Su Qingyi in front of him, watching her pick up the first pill, and bring it to her lips.
“Wait, this is quite, quite painful. Be prepared.”
Su Qingyi looked up at him, but said softly, “Thank you.”
With that, she swallowed the pill.
A moment later, Su Qingyi’s whole body began to tremble and convulse.
The first level of Overlord Art cultivation felt like thousands of needles piercing the skin of the entire body. That kind of pain was something Jiang Huai never wanted to experience again, even in death. At this moment, Su Qingyi was trembling and convulsing all over, but her eyes became increasingly frenzied. She didn’t show any sign of the pain that Jiang Huai had felt before; instead, she seemed to particularly enjoy such pain.
Jiang Huai found it terrifying.
The cultivation of the Overlord Art was extremely fast, and the pain lasted only about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Su Qingyi, covered in sweat, slowly came to her senses and looked at the second pill. She picked it up without hesitation and put it in her mouth.
Watching her body tremble, Jiang Huai suddenly regretted not giving her the cultivation materials for the Overlord Art.
His original intention was to increase Su Qingyi’s strength as a reward for protecting him in this secret realm. But now, he felt very strange. Su Qingyi was drenched in sweat, and even her fox tail behind her couldn’t help but tremble.
After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Su Qingyi slowly regained consciousness and looked longingly at the third pill. Jiang Huai hurriedly grabbed her wrist. “Let’s cultivate step by step, shall we? Eat it next time?”
But Su Qingyi broke free from his hand. She looked up, leaned closer, and a hint of fierceness inexplicably appeared in her eyes. Moments later, she noticed this fierceness and her eyes softened. She said softly, “The last one for tonight.”
Jiang Huai had no choice but to stop controlling her. He watched her take the pill for the third level of the Overlord Art. Immediately, her shrill screams echoed throughout the cave. Jiang Huai covered his ears and watched as her fox tail and fox ears stood on end. He remembered that the third level of the Overlord Art was both itchy and painful. Back then, he had rolled around and wailed in the cave, crying and begging for mercy in a most pathetic manner, which was extremely embarrassing. But Su Qingyi only let out shrill screams. Her knuckles became sharp, and she began to tear at her green Daoist Robe. Her clothes were quickly torn into shreds.
Jiang Huai was stunned by this scene. It was only then that he snapped back to reality. When he first cultivated the third level of the Overlord Art, the True Person had restrained him, otherwise, he would have torn his own flesh and skin until it festered. Moments later, he reacted and took out the Form Restraining Talismans he had drawn yesterday. One was not enough, so Jiang Huai lit ten Form Restraining Talismans at once. Countless spiritual chains bound Su Qingyi’s body. But Su Qingyi continued to struggle. Seeing that the spiritual chains were about to break free, Jiang Huai leaned in and tightly embraced the slender Su Qingyi, tightly restraining her body. He whispered in her ear, “Endure.”
Because he didn’t want to recall the details of cultivating the Overlord Art back then, Jiang Huai had almost forgotten this part. If she continued to tear, she would eventually tear herself apart. But it seemed Su Qingyi’s ability to endure was much stronger than Jiang Huai’s back then. She seemed to have heard his words in her ear. Her struggles weakened significantly, but her body’s instincts still made her tremble and rub against Jiang Huai. Jiang Huai held her tightly. Soon, sweat dripped from her body and slightly moistened his.
After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Su Qingyi in his arms finally stopped struggling. Jiang Huai had already lost all his strength. He let out a long sigh and loosened his grip on Su Qingyi’s shoulders. But as he inadvertently lowered his head, he discovered that Su Qingyi’s clothes, torn by the spiritual chains and herself, had turned into a pile of fragments, now fragmentarily covering her snow-white body. And her snow-white thighs were now emitting a faint glow, looking smooth and slippery, unsure if it was sweat or something else.
Su Qingyi’s eyes became extremely hazy. Her body, weak from exhaustion, didn’t get up from Jiang Huai’s embrace. Instead, she curled up in his arms. After a moment, she slowly raised her hand, wrapped it around Jiang Huai’s neck, allowing her head to lift slightly. Her delicate pink lips came close to his ear and she whispered softly.
“Truly… good stuff.”
As soon as her words fell, her uncontrolled body convulsed and trembled again in Jiang Huai’s embrace. Jiang Huai patted her back uneasily. Suddenly, in that instant, he came to his senses. He looked down at Su Qingyi, who was now in his embrace, her clothes in tatters, her eyes hazy, her skin flushed, as if she had just experienced a passionate wave.
The scene was particularly… subtle.
Wait, Jiang Huai, how did it become like this?
How did it become strange again without him even realizing it?
