STNS: Chapter 512 (Patreon)

Even though Hóngyàn Shūshu had said that they would find another way to get the pill she needed, Yōuměi knew accomplishing this before her next battle was going to be next to impossible. Alchemy pills weren’t necessarily rare. However, difficult to make, high-tier alchemy pills like the Yin Ascendant Pill were so rare that cultivators would have more luck finding a unicorn hair in the middle of a lava pit.

That was why Yōuměi decided to visit Zhen Lian again. She went at night, after everyone else had gone to bed.

She remembered the way to the woman’s room. Even if she did not, she remembered that woman’s scent and could easily follow it. Yōuměi reached Zhen Lian’s room in short order. She had made sure no one had followed her. Hóngyàn Shūshu would get angry if he knew what she was doing.

Yōuměi raised her hand to knock on the door, but a voice echoed from beyond it before she could.

“Come in, little kitten.”

Nervously licking her lips, Yōuměi opened the door and made her way inside.

Zhen Lian, no longer in the bed, lounged on a loveseat with plush cushions and a backrest that gently rose behind it. The woman herself was stretched upon it. She barely wore any clothes, so she was practically naked. Her long and muscular legs flexed as she shifted ever so slightly.

“I was expecting Hóngyàn to visit me, not you.” She paused, lips curving into a low frown. “You failed to convince him, didn’t you?”

Yōuměi shuffled her feet and bowed her head. She did not know what to say. It was true. She had failed to convince Hóngyàn Shūshu to give Zhen Lian his seed.

“He doesn’t trust you,” Yōuměi said at last.

“Well, that doesn’t surprise me. Hóngyàn trusts no one but his own counsel, and he has a particular hatred of me, though I’ve no idea why. I have not done anything to him.”

Zhen Lian raised a hand to her lips, pursing them as though she was confused. Yōuměi hesitated to say something. However, nothing would get done if they remained like this. Her battle was coming up, and she needed that pill.

“He said… it’s because you’re unstable and power hungry.”

After blinking several times in surprise, Zhen Lian laughed. “Is that so?! I cannot believe that he, of all people, has the audacity to call me power hungry!” When all Yōuměi did was cock her head to the side, Zhen Lian smiled, though it lacked mirth. “He has not told you about himself, has he?”

Yōuměi shook her head.

Shifting against the loveseat, Zhen Lian turned around so she was facing Yōuměi, then placed a hand on her hip. The slit of her lingerie parted to reveal more leg and her underwear. It was just a piece of fabric attached to strings. Yōuměi thought it impractical. Was there even a point to wearing such little clothing?

“Hóngyàn is a powerful and ancient magical beast. Most of his kin prefer isolating themselves, but he ventured out into the world many eons ago. I do not know how he found himself in this Colosseum, but I do know that he is here by choice. I followed him all the way here when I found out.”

Yōuměi had to wonder why Zhen Lian had followed Hóngyàn Shūshu all the way to this Colosseum, but she was unable to ask, as the woman continued talking.

“Hóngyàn craves power even more than I do. The difference between us lies only in our personal philosophies and methods. I want power to protect myself. He wants power to maintain his freedom. I want to control everything in my sights to prevent others from harming me, while he only cares about being stronger than anyone else to maintain his autonomy. My methods are manipulative, which he does not like, but it is not as though I am unreasonable or monstrous. I simply want to become the single most powerful entity within the Colosseum. It is not so different from his own goals.”

Yōuměi tilted her head. “So you’re not trying to usurp power in the Colosseum?”

“Of course I am.” Zhen Lian snorted. “Being the most powerful person in the Colosseum doesn’t just mean achieving strength that no one can match. It means being in total control over every aspect of the Colosseum. I refuse to let even a single person stand above me.”

This must have been what Hóngyàn Shūshu meant when he spoke of Zhen Lian’s unchecked ambition.

“Why do you want to have control over the Colosseum?” asked Yōuměi.

“That is none of your business.” Zhen Lian sighed, then waved a hand as though dismissing a bug. “Anyway, you failed to achieve what I asked for, so I’ve no time to entertain you, and I won’t give you the Yin Ascendant Pill. Now leave.”

Yōuměi pursed her lips. “Yōu--I cannot leave.”

“You dare disobey me?”

Zhen Lian’s eyes flashed. An intense pressure charged the atmosphere between them. Yōuměi sucked in a deep breath as her knees buckled, threatening to send her topping to the floor. Sweat poured from Yōuměi’s forehead and face, drenching her clothes.

And yet…

She remained standing.

“Hmmm.” Zhen Lian’s eyes flashed with unknown emotion as the pressure pushing on Yōuměi slowly dissipated. “You really are quite desperate to gain strength, little one. Why is that?”

It was really none of this woman’s business. Yōuměi had learned from watching Master that it was usually not a good idea to reveal too much because someone might use that knowledge against you. That was why Yōuměi hesitated to say anything. However, she had good senses, and she sensed that this woman would not help her if she did not speak the truth. She also did not want to experience that pressure again.

After taking several deep breaths, she spoke. “My Master is injured. Yōu--I need to help find alchemy ingredients to heal him.”

Zhen Lian’s eyes lit up. “I see. Is that so? Hmmm. This is quite unexpected. So you have a master…”

She stood up, her light lingerie flowing about her. Moonlight filtered through the window and Yōuměi realized that her outfit was translucent. That confused her. Why wear something if people could just see through it?

Zhen Lian walked over to Yōuměi, then circled around her, eyes glinting like a predator. Yōuměi felt her hackles rise again. Her instincts warned her of danger, but they also warned her that doing anything that might be perceived as a threat would result in her death. She remained still as the smiling woman continued to circle her.

“Such dedication to your master. Such devotion. I am quite moved by your desire to help someone you cherish so much. Hmmm. I suppose I could help you…”

Yōuměi’s eyes almost lit up.

The woman’s next words made her still.

“But I won’t do it for nothing. I’m sure you know the phrase, yes? There is no such thing as a free lunch. If you want me to give you the Yin Ascendant Pill, you must do something for me in return.”

Yōuměi might not be smart, but she at least understood that she couldn’t expect someone she wasn’t close with to give her something she wanted for nothing in return. Traveling with Master for as long as she had taught her this. Master had met many people, and most of them wanted something in exchange for helping him.

“What do you want?”

Because she wanted to help master, Yōuměi was willing to go to great lengths to get what she needed. However, that didn’t mean she would do anything. There were some things she couldn’t do, and some things she wouldn’t do.

“Relax,” Zhen Lian said with a low chuckle. Yōuměi nearly hissed like a cat when the woman’s hands landed on her shoulders. “I’m not going to ask something that you are incapable of doing. I want you to find something for me.”

“Find something?” Yōuměi blinked. “What am I searching for?”

“There is a place not far from here called the Immortal Yin Caves. Legends say that, long ago, an immortal cultivator from a higher realm died there. Her blood stained the cavern and nourished the plants there. I don’t know if this is true or not, but I do know from research that this cavern is home to a unique flower called the Yinhua Lán. You will find this flower and bring it to me.”

“You just want me… to bring you this flower?” asked Yōuměi.

“That’s right. I would go myself, but that cavern is filled with Yin Chi, which is poison to those like myself. However, as a cultivator who practices the Dao of Shadows and Darkness, you will thrive in a place like that. You can also train there.”

“And you will give me the Yin Ascendant Pill if I agree to this?”

“We will swear an oath under heaven, but yes. Agree to find that flower and I will give you this pill right now.”

“I agree.”

Yōuměi was not the girl she had been. She had grown since coming to the Colosseum, and that was why she understood that her actions might be reckless, but she also knew that there were times when a person could not afford to hesitate.

“Quite the quick agreement. Very well then. We shall now swear an oath under heaven.”

They both swore an oath, Yōuměi that she would find this woman the flower she sought, and Zhen Lian that she would give Yōuměi the Yin Ascendant Pill. The heavens acknowledged their oath with crackling thunder. Zhen Lian glanced around, then smiled.

At that moment, the doors to her room burst open and Hóngyàn Shūshu stepped into the room. His eyes were wide and he looked slightly insane as he stared at the two.

“You are too late, Hóngyàn,” Zhen Lian said with a beautiful smile. “Yōu’er and I have just sworn an Oath Under Heaven. She and I must fulfill our side of the oath or we will both suffer the consequences.”

 Hóngyàn looked like he had swallowed something sour. His face was filled with so many emotions, though his skin was getting pale as though all the blood was being drained from it.

“Yōuměi… what have you done?” he asked.

Yōuměi felt guilty, but she couldn’t afford to stop now. “I need power. I need to get out of the Colosseum and find the alchemy ingredients for my master. I can’t stay here.”

She would do anything right now to get more powerful. Something that she had learned from her travels with Master was that nobody could obtain anything unless they had power. If she wanted to obtain her freedom and find the alchemy ingredients for Master, she needed to do whatever it took to achieve that.

“Well… I hate to interrupt this moment, but Yōu’er and I need to leave.”

“Why are you calling me that?”

“Because we are now close. Why we’re practically sisters.”

“We are nothing of the sort.”

“Mou…”

Zhen Lian stood behind Yōuměi and wrapped her arms around the girl. Hóngyàn took a single step forward, as though to try and stop them, but then the world around them shifted. Yōuměi could do little more than blink and look at their new surroundings as Zhen Lian let go of her.

“Welp, we are here,” the woman muttered, looking at the entrance to a large cave with absolute disgust. “I already feel like I’m going to vomit just standing by the entrance.” She then turned to Yōuměi and held out a hand. A small pill appeared on the surface, and grabbed Yōuměi’s hand, flipped her palm up, and placed the alchemy pill on it. “There. This is me keeping up my end of the bargain. Now I expect you to do yours. Head into that cave, find the Yinhua Lán, and bring it back.”

Yōuměi took one look at the pill, then at the entrance to the cave. It was round and almost perfectly smooth. Had the cave been formed naturally? She did not know, but if that was where she needed to go, then so be it.

“I’ll come back when I have the flower,” Yōuměi said before heading into the cave.