Chương 48: Vipers

To my eternal despair, Nana had drained me really good, not leaving a drop of milk to use on my new lover. I still had my mouth and hands, so it wasn't all bad. And having a Venerable beauty suck your balls is great too. As a joke, I had Lady Chen wear the robes backwards, and made her kneel at my feet, then stored the fish plate as the Formation ended.

"As I was saying, my lady. If you want to ascend again, Soul Transformation needs a single thing. You need to change. When you were duplicitous and backstabby, you must become loyal and trustworthy, at least to your friends. Where you fake compassion and understanding, now you must truly feel it. Love as well, if possible at all. The scorpion stings not for hate, but because it is its nature." I spoke like an old sage, and the woman blinked in confusion.

"Are you preaching the Dao, Pef Tian?" she asked to make sure.

"I am trying to save your life, Lady Chen. I told you what happens if you try the door without an oath. You want to test the Heavens... go ahead. I can't help you again, even my Immortal karma has limits." I complained like a victim. She didn't believe me, of course. Who would?

"Then I will test this karma. Watch me leave..." she spoke in a convinced voice and opened the door.

"Ehem. If you value your face, get back inside and fix your clothes. Just saying..." I said in a joking voice, and closed my eyes as the door closed rapidly.

"How? When did I..." she whispered as she found the memories lacking.

"That's how it starts, the erasure. Memories, clothes, maybe jewelry... it gets a bit more painful when you start missing limbs or your skin. Eyes too... having eyes and not seeing Mount Tai. That saying exists for a reason, you know?" I said with a dispassionate voice.

"I only remember the part about Soul Transformation... are you really an Immortal?" she asked a bit more convinced.

"You bathed your skin in my Immortal milk. How did it work for you? Does eternity feel a bit softer?" I asked instead... and opened my eyes with a thin smile. Her eyes flashed towards my pants.

"Milk?!" well, she was very smart, this woman.

"Lotus Milk, that's the proper nomenclature. And, it's not Immortal now... but some traces still linger. What would be the point to live as a mortal otherwise? Bully small children with my awesome powers? The Heavens are always watching..." I spoke with a bored voice, like an Immortal watching ants struggle. The woman sighed and knelt back at my feet.

"Are you taking disciples, Lord Immortal?" she asked in a defeated voice.

"I already did that, thousands of them. But I got bored. You probably trained a few disciples too. Same mistakes, same empty heads... could you do it for 70000 more years? And then start over and do it again? I won't. Maybe, if you want to be my woman, I will teach you a bit." I said with a careless voice, then took out a few fine dresses and expensive jewelry from my ring and dropped them in her lap. Worth a fortune, but not for an Immortal.

"Woman... so that's why you stay in this Frozen Pavilion. Lots of virgin women around..." she realized with a smile. Instead of answering, I took out some paper and wrote an oath.

"Fill in your name, and recite it aloud. If the Heavens are willing, you will live. Also... lying to the Heavens is a bit bad. They can see inside your heart, just so you know." I warned her, then relaxed in my chair. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

"..." the Venerable Ancestor hesitated, after reading the oath.

"It's so harsh!"

"Your choice. You do have pretty eyes too, but not for long. Could be one hour, could be much less..." I said with my bored voice.

"Damn it! I will say it!" she grumbled, then recited the harsh oath, and looked in awe as the heavenly will descended around her to check. A purple scorpion burst inside her chest, making her spit blood and become very pale. And that's why we take precautions, Tian! You never know what's hidden inside a woman's heart. The Sect Master was right to warn me. I walked over and picked Zhen Chen in my arms, and helped her rest on the bed.

"You know why the Heavens punished you right now, Zhen. I won't say it, but it's fine if you know it inside. If you are to be my woman, I expect love and loyalty. You also deserve to have a beautiful soul, not just a nice body. Kindness is the key, so meditate on that." I spoke gently and caressed her forehead, then turned and walked out. The Sect Master waited with some worry and trepidation, as I opened the door. She looked inside her room, then back at me.

"How the hell? Why are her robes inside out?" she whispered in awe.

"Take a guess, Sect Master. And prepare a red dress, of course. I might be a scumbag, but an honest one. I don't hit-and-run, like other heroes." I spoke in a valiant voice, then flew back towards my yard.

The old woman stared for a long minute after me.

"Minghue! No!... this scumbag!" she realized a bit later, and flew inside her Frozen Palace. Inside the Ice Hall, Minghue rested on her ice bed, and smiled with a strange face.

"Minghue! Please tell me. Are you also in love with that scumbag? Did he do anything bad to you?" the Sect Master pleaded in despair.

"Pef Tian? He only healed me, Master. My pure Yin is untouched." Minghue said with a clear conscience.

"I know that! But how? Did he use his dirty thing on you? Force you to eat something... strange?" the Sect Master asked in a worried voice. Minghue sighed. She couldn't tell the whole truth. Pef Tian could truly be in danger if word of his treasure came out.

"I am perfectly fine, Master. And a Core Realm boy cannot force me to do anything. Even injured, I can blast a dozen like him into ice shards."

"Oh. It's fine then. I was so worried! Somehow, Pef Tian also convinced that Venom Bitch from the Purple Sand to marry him. And was boasting about being an honest scumbag... Quinhue is already lost to love, Fenghue is still visiting his yard, even after she finished the treatment... and if you fall too, our sect may be destroyed from inside." the Sect Master spoke with suspicion.

"You worry too much, Master. Fenghue will never betray us, and especially not for a man. And I doubt Pef Tian is an evil man. He is always forthright and doing what he says. Too honest in fact. Other men... they pretend. They lie, and try to trick you into their bed. I think his wives all tricked him, just to drink his tasty milk..." Minghue spoke in a soft, but wise voice.

"..." the Sect Master sobbed inside. Minghue wouldn't tell her what happened. She was already protecting Pef Tian, as if she would hurt the boy. His alchemy was already saving dozens of lives, the White Stars project was doing beyond great, with no single death at Foundation... if they all reached the Core Realm too, the sect will need to change and copy the system which did work.

"So, another wedding? I think I can show up for a few minutes. Just to warn others our sect still has 5 Nascent Souls." Minghue said with a tired voice.

"It will be 6 soon. Na Gong is ascending right now. Sakura Zheng will be the next... once the boy makes another wonder pill." the old woman spoke in a flat voice.

"Pills... if his Tier 3 pills are so potent... what about Tier 4? Or stronger milk?" Minghue asked in a hopeful voice.

"... I know. Just rest and heal, Minghue. I'll go buy a red dress for that scorpion. Sister Ling will bite her viper tongue when she learns..." the Sect Master began to say, when she felt said viper sit beside her.

"My viper tongue, eh? What about you, snow lizard? You used to love my 'viper tongue' 900 years ago! What! Is my tongue too sharp for you now?" Venerable Ling protested like an angry snake being stepped on.

"Calm down, Ling! Minghue doesn't need to hear this." the Sect Master spoke peacefully.

"This sounds so interesting though. With the tongue?" Minghue spoke with a teasing voice, then coughed gently. It hurt a bit less, now that one lung had healed. Maybe she should also visit that yard and finish her treatment... after the wedding, of course.