Cultivating Immortality, Starting from Childhood Sweethearts

Chapter 177

“Speak, what method do you have to help me regulate the qi and spiritual energy within my body?”

Xu Ming looked at Mo Zhuer, who was still bound tightly.

“If I just tell you, what’s stopping you from killing me afterward to silence me?” Mo Zhuer’s charming eyes blinked. Even though her life was hanging by a thread, her tone always seemed light and carefree.

“If you tell me, I won’t kill you this time. I promise to let you go. But next time we meet, all bets are off,” Xu Ming replied.

“Why should I believe you?” Mo Zhuer tilted her head playfully.

“Then what do you want?” Xu Ming asked.

“It’s simple~” Mo Zhuer’s lips curved into a sly smile. “Just give me the antidote to the poison, untie these ropes, and I’ll tell you the method.”

“You’re dreaming,” Xu Ming frowned.

“Well, then there’s no deal. I won’t tell you,” Mo Zhuer sighed as if truly regretting the situation. “People like us have been deceived too many times. Trust doesn’t come easy anymore.”

“Of course~” Mo Zhuer’s eyes curved mischievously. “At worst, I die. For cultivators like us, death is always a possibility. Nothing surprising about it.”

“Or~” Mo Zhuer leaned closer to Xu Ming, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks. “Or you could do something… unpleasant to me. If that’s the case, well, I don’t mind. Just be gentle; I’m afraid of pain. But, of course, you’d have to take responsibility afterward.”

“Afraid of pain, huh?” Xu Ming sneered.

“Huh?”

Before Mo Zhuer could react, Xu Ming grabbed a dragon tendon whip—long since cleaned of blood—and hoisted her up to the ceiling beam.

“Sheng Sheng, bring me two candles,” Xu Ming ordered, turning to Shen Shengsheng.

“Oh!”

Shen Shengsheng jumped off the bed with a little “thud,” her tiny legs moving quickly as she left the room. Moments later, she returned, carrying two large candles.

“What are you planning to do!” A bad feeling rose in Mo Zhuer’s mind.

Xu Ming chuckled coldly. “What do you think I’m going to do?”

“Sheng Sheng, step outside for a bit,” Xu Ming said.

What he was about to do was not suitable for children. He couldn’t risk leaving a bad impression on her.

“Awoo…”

Shen Shengsheng pouted slightly, not wanting to leave her “big brother.” But since he insisted, she obediently left the room.

“Have you ever played with candles?” Xu Ming asked.

Mo Zhuer had never played with them, but she certainly knew what “playing with candles” implied. “What are you talking about, sir? I don’t understand.”

Her heartbeat quickened.

“Don’t understand?” Xu Ming tilted the candle, letting the melted wax drip.

The hot red wax landed drop by drop onto Mo Zhuer’s smooth, snowy white thighs, cooling and solidifying slowly.

…

Outside in the courtyard, Shen Shengsheng watched ants crawling along the ground. Growing bored, she turned her attention to the cicadas in the trees. After a while, she opened her mouth wide and—”Ah-woo!”—devoured a cicada in one bite.

Crunch. Tastes like chicken.

Strange sounds occasionally drifted out from the room behind her. Curious, Shen Shengsheng wanted to take a peek but was afraid of upsetting her “big brother.” So, she kept herself entertained by watching ants again.

Creak.

The door to the room opened. Hearing it, Shen Shengsheng quickly ran over with her little legs.

Xu Ming patted her on the head. “Keep an eye on her for me. I need to step out for a bit.”

“Awuu.” Shen Shengsheng nodded firmly, patting her small chest as if to say, “Leave it to me.”

She ran into the room and saw the hateful big sister still half-suspended in the air. However, the big sister’s legs were now marked with patches of red here and there.

“Xu Ming!!!” Mo Zhuer bit her thin lips tightly, her voice filled with rage. “I will kill you for this humiliation!”

—

The North Sea.

In this boundless expanse of ocean, numerous islands were scattered across the waters.

These islands were collectively known as the Ten Thousand Islands Nation. Each island had its own lord, who also served as the ruler of the island’s people.

However, all these lords pledged allegiance to one person alone.

Beneath the vast expanse of the North Sea lay a massive palace.

Patrolling the palace’s perimeter were serpentine dragons, hornless dragons, and giant whales. They guarded this royal palace, which was ten times larger than the imperial palace of the Wu Kingdom.

The palace was divided into an outer palace and an inner palace.

The outer palace was filled with shrimp soldiers and crab generals, led by commanding dragons and brimming with elite guards.

The inner palace, on the other hand, housed only women—clam maidens and merfolk—whose laughter and chatter echoed continuously within its walls.

At the very center of the palace was a coral garden.

Although it was situated deep under the sea, sunlight inexplicably filtered down, illuminating the entire palace as brightly as if it were broad daylight on land. It was nothing short of miraculous.

In the garden, a woman sat on a chair, gazing up toward the surface of the sea.

She wore a deep sea blue imperial robe, and the sunlight spilling across her exquisite and radiant face made her beauty shine like liquid silver, enhancing her unparalleled elegance.

Even though the imperial robe obscured her legs, one could still sense their long, slender, and perfectly proportioned shape from the way the hem of her skirt draped against her thighs.

A wave of sea breeze swept through like the wind, causing her waist-length hair to dance gently before it fell back into place.

Amber-colored, otherworldly pupils; long, curled lashes; flawless, translucent skin; and a cold, detached gaze that seemed to suggest the affairs of the world were of no concern to her.

The scent emanating from her was unique and unforgettable—eternal, pure, and icy.

The icy blue star-shaped earrings dangling from her earlobes added to her unapproachable aura, while the silver bracelet on her wrist, adorned with tiny diamonds, reflected sunlight into a dazzling rainbow, adding an extraordinary allure.

Noble, elegant, regal, and majestic.

These four words found their perfect embodiment in her. It was as if her very existence had given meaning to these words.

This woman was one of the only four true dragons in existence and the ruler of the North Sea. For countless millennia, she had held the top spot on the Beauty Rankings.

Although a female monk had recently appeared and pushed her to second place, in the hearts of countless people, this woman would forever be the number one.

She was Longyue Qiao, the Eternal Dragon Empress of the North Sea.

For the past half hour, the Eternal Dragon Empress had not moved a muscle. If not for the occasional blink of her eyes, one might suspect that a master craftsman had poured their life’s work into carving this exquisite statue.

“Your Majesty.”

A clam maiden dressed in palace attire approached the Dragon Empress and bowed respectfully.

“A total of 1,100 virgin boys and girls have been delivered.”