As Qi Zhimu had said, in order to transplant his elixir organ into Jingliu, he had modified almost his entire body.
「In other words, Jingliu is like flesh cut from Lord Zhimu that cannot be regenerated; if a person is incomplete, their subconscious will want to make up for it...」
「You could... understand it that way.」 Qi Zhimu gritted his teeth hard.
Jingliu understood as well.
No wonder she was so sensitive to her Master's scent; even if they were far apart or a long time had passed, as long as it wasn't deliberately erased, she could always sense it.
No wonder she craved his body, his everything... not only longing to be close to Master and embrace him without any gap, but even... wanting to merge more deeply... because Master had become the shape that suited her best, the person who fit her most perfectly.
But could she say this was a sin committed by Master and that he must take responsibility for it?
She couldn't.
Master had already been responsible enough for her, even willing to give her the very foundation of his life without the slightest hesitation.
Having received an affection willing to pay with its life, how could she possibly ask Master to give more?
It should be her giving to Master, giving him all the love of her remaining life, but he had deceived her, and there was more than one lie!
「Is there any way we can help you?」
As soon as Sleeping Snow asked, Clear Cold had already moved closer to Qi Zhimu, tilting her head back to reveal her snowy-white neck.
「...Lord Zhimu, our blood might be able to temporarily suppress the side effects of the moon-eroding calamity.」
In the past, many major cases of Short-Lived Species stealing Longevity had occurred on the Xianzhou, including those who drank the blood of Xianzhou people to obtain Longevity.
This proved that the blood of Xianzhou people contained far more powerful energy than that of Short-Lived Species, as well as the blessing of abundance.
Thick saliva dripped from the corners of his mouth; Qi Zhimu felt like he was about to lose control and had no time for other thoughts.
「Sleeping Snow, if I lose my mind and show signs of being lost in bloodthirsty desire, then you must act.」
「Understood!!」
As soon as he finished speaking, Clear Cold pulled back the spikes that had pierced Qi Zhimu and stood on her tiptoes to throw herself into his embrace.
Sharp teeth broke through skin and the carotid artery, followed by the clear and heart-palpitating sound of swallowing.
Clear Cold subconsciously furrowed her brows, feeling her entire body go numb and tingly.
Blood was constantly being lost, while the elixir organ continuously released new energy to accelerate blood production.
Fundamentally, what was being consumed was the Power of Abundance accumulated within the body.
A full half-hour passed, and Qi Zhimu still hadn't stopped... feeding.
Watching the entire process, Sleeping Snow's face was filled with tension.
She didn't know if Qi Zhimu had lost his mind, but she could see that Clear Cold's current state was still relatively stable, though the rosiness of her cheeks had faded a bit.
The two figures embraced tightly, with the woman's faint muffled groans sounding from time to time.
Another half-hour passed, and a trace of paleness began to appear on Clear Cold's face.
Just as Sleeping Snow grew more tense, weighing when she should step in to interrupt, Qi Zhimu suddenly raised his head, ending this special feeding session.
His face was still pale, with little color to be seen.
Fortunately, his fangs had retracted, and his expression appeared much more relaxed.
「...Sorry, Clear Cold.」 Qi Zhimu said softly.
「It's no matter, as long as I can help Lord Zhimu.」
Despite her heart craving his embrace, Clear Cold restrained herself and let go, only for her legs to go soft, nearly causing her to fall before being caught in time by Qi Zhimu.
Their eyes met.
Qi Zhimu's lips moved slightly as if he wanted to say something, but at that moment, an abrupt movement instantly drew their attention.
Jingliu unconsciously tilted her head slightly, her eyelashes trembling from time to time.
She was about to wake up.
Qi Zhimu quickly changed his pierced clothes, cleared away any traces that shouldn't exist, and came to Jingliu's side to wait quietly.
About five minutes later, the cold beauty who had been asleep for decades finally returned to the path she pursued.
「...Mas...ter...?」
「Mm, it's good you're awake.」 He spoke calmly, as if everything were normal.
"..."
Jingliu closed her eyes weakly.
She remembered this scene.
Why did she see her Master covered in the scent of blood, yet with a face so terrifyingly pale, when she woke up?
This was the answer buried in the years past.
He had just gone through a slaughter and had to endure the torment of the aftereffects.
Jingliu still remembered those years after returning to Yaoqing.
No wonder Master no longer required her to participate in medium-sized battles, nor did he stop her from joining large-scale ones; instead, he had her compete for the championship in the Martial Examination to be promoted to Vanguard.
No wonder Master suddenly doubled her training volume; it was because his elixir organ was now inside her body.
「Master, I feel like I've become much stronger. Did you do something to me while I was asleep?」
「Why ask so much? You will know in the future.」
The strict Master didn't even raise his gaze, his tone neither warm nor cold, yet seemingly carrying a trace of undetectable impatience, giving her a direct rebuff.
"So this is the form that 'you will know in the future' took...?"
Jingliu touched her abdomen, stroking the area where the elixir organ was located, her eyes flowing with many complex emotions.
For a moment, how she wished the Regenerative Power of the Xianzhou people wasn't so strong.
That way... the proof of Master giving everything for her could be preserved.
That way... the evidence to expose Master's lies could be preserved.
That way... she could know Master's silent love for her... After exceeding the training targets Master had assigned—
「Master, I'm back.」
「Mm.」
A calm, indifferent hum, without any of the emotion she expected.
「Master, I've completed all the training targets, and I've doubled them all!」
「I know.」
Master's tone was still flat; he didn't ask a single question about the process, simply saying that she would officially follow him to learn the Eight Extremes Fist tomorrow before walking back to his room.
At that time, she only saw Sleeping Snow follow Master inside.
She was only confused why, despite working so hard and doing even better... Master's attitude towards her remained unchanged.
She could only feel her nose tingle with sourness, secretly jealous of why the sisters Sleeping Snow and Clear Cold could go in.
She could only keep telling herself: as long as I become stronger, I will definitely get Master's recognition.
Besides that, there was nothing else, and she could see nothing.
She couldn't see Master in the room uncontrollably revealing his fangs, uncontrollably piercing Sleeping Snow's neck, and swallowing greedily.
Now that Master is gone... she is finally able to see all of this.
「Lord Zhimu... how do you feel now?」
「Too close... if she had come a few centimeters closer, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to stop myself from eating her.」
Qi Zhimu showed a pained expression.
「Right now, I am no different from a Borisin in human skin—no, I am a purer Abomination, relying on drinking large amounts of your blood every day to suppress the urge to devour.」
「Since the destruction of Azure City, Lord Zhimu has been helping us; we finally have something we can do for you, so... please don't feel guilty.」
Sleeping Snow shook her head, not minding at all.
As fellow individuals who activated The Self-Actualization Aspect and plundered many blessings of abundance, their bodies had been strengthened, and the effects of their blood were far better than those of ordinary Abominations.
The two of them taking turns to provide was enough to satisfy Lord Zhimu's needs.
Only... as Lord Zhimu's strength increased, it also meant that the abundance scourge was growing stronger simultaneously.
I'm afraid... the bloodthirsty desire will also become more intense.
They must also become stronger to continue helping him.
「...This cannot be a long-term solution; I can't keep hiding far away from Jingliu every day.」