If one’s body is too weak, they are not only barred from wine and women, but even fine delicacies become something they can only look at.
Being unable to handle supplements, fearing the cold, avoiding spicy or stimulating foods, and staying away from greasy or high-sugar dishes…
Wang Sandong discovered that, for him, anything delicious was harmful.
It seemed that such was life.
Aside from plain tea, fruit, and vegetables, there was little Wang Sandong could eat from the table full of delicacies.
He sat to the side like a tagalong guest, watching Wang Yunteng and Young Master Cui drink and eat to their hearts’ content.
When the craving became truly unbearable, he picked up a chicken bone with almost no meat on it and sucked on it once or twice.
To his surprise, it felt incredibly enjoyable.
For a rich second-generation youth to live like this was pathetic enough.
‘If my body ever recovers, I must have a vengeful, massive feast!’
“What flavor can a bone have?”
Young Master Cui, already one-third drunk, said mockingly.
“Here, here. This one is nice and greasy.”
As he spoke, he pointed his index finger at Wang Sandong.
He had just been gnawing on a large bone with his hands, and bits of meat and grease still clung to his finger.
Wang Sandong spat the chicken bone in his mouth toward Young Master Cui.
Young Master Cui laughed and dodged it before turning back to Wang Yunteng to continue their casual conversation.
“Brother Teng, have you noticed? In recent years, brothels, casinos, and the like have become increasingly popular.”
Wang Yunteng nodded.
“Peace has lasted a long time. People prefer seeking pleasure and lack the heart for training.”
He frowned and added with some emotion, “28 years ago, the Human Emperor founded the Righteous Alliance. It took ten years of bloodshed to wipe out the Demonic Cultivators. Now, everyone only knows how to enjoy themselves and has no desire to progress. If the Demonic Cultivators ever make a comeback, the human world will be finished.”
“That’s unlikely, isn’t it?”
Young Master Cui laughed.
“The Demonic Cultivators are completely finished. Even the likes of the Demon Emperor and Empress Yuan Di have turned to ash. Even if a few demon cubs remain, they won’t amount to much.”
Perhaps because he had a guilty conscience, Wang Sandong, who had been zoning out, immediately snapped back to attention upon hearing the two mention Demonic Cultivators and Empress Yuan Di.
Wang Yunteng said, “Neither the Demon Emperor nor Empress Yuan Di’s bodies were ever found.”
“Well, I’ve heard storytellers spin tales about the Demon Emperor and Empress Yuan Di faking their deaths to escape,” Young Master Cui said with a smile.
“But those are all just fabrications and imaginings. Setting the Demon Emperor aside, even regarding Empress Yuan Di… when that fiend was cornered and killed, Grandfather Wang was involved. There shouldn’t be any mistake.”
“One should be prepared for danger even in times of peace,” Wang Yunteng said.
“It’s never wrong.”
“Too much worry leads to too little joy.”
Young Master Cui chuckled and looked at Wang Sandong.
“Right, Little Lady?”
Wang Sandong gave a humored smirk and replied, “Be careful that your joy doesn’t turn into sorrow.”
After saying that, he picked up a handkerchief to wipe the corners of his mouth.
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of his fingers.
Inside the crevice of his thumbnail, there were tiny specks of black.
‘Dammit.’
‘Is the Demonic Qi leaking again?’
Though he felt tense inside, his expression remained unchanged.
He put down the handkerchief and directly put his thumb into his mouth, pretending to bite his nails.
At the same time, he couldn’t help but worry privately: ‘If this unpredictable leaking of Demonic Qi happens frequently, something is bound to go wrong sooner or later!’
Young Master Cui saw this and laughed loudly.
“Look at how hungry the Little Lady is.”
He then glanced at the food on the table, then at Wang Sandong’s pale face, and the smile on his face turned a bit bitter.
With a heavy sigh, Young Master Cui said, “A person lives one life just as grass lives one autumn. What’s the point of it all? Isn’t it just to be happy? In my opinion, Little Lady, you should just eat and drink your fill, then go to Fengyue Tower and call for ten or eight girls to have a wild time…”
His grand speech was interrupted by a wine-induced burp, but he continued, “As a man! How pitiful is it to die without ever touching a woman!”
Wang Yunteng’s brow furrowed at those words.
He remained silent for a moment before saying, “You’ve had too much to drink.”
“No, I’m just… sigh.”
Young Master Cui looked at Wang Sandong, who was still “biting his nails,” and seemed about to say something but stopped.
He simply picked up his wine cup and shared a drink with Wang Yunteng.
Wang Sandong actually agreed with Young Master Cui’s words.
In fact, he had thought that way before.
However, right now, with the Huitian technique keeping him alive, it was hard to say whether he would die or not.
Naturally, he couldn’t act recklessly.
He pretended to casually glance at his thumb and saw that the traces of Demonic Qi were gone.
Wang Sandong felt relieved.
He picked up his teacup and joined the two in a drink of tea.
He hadn’t eaten much, but he had filled himself with tea.
“Burp. I’m going to go drain the dragon. You two carry on.”
Wang Sandong stood up and headed toward the washroom.
This time, he remembered he was a man and did not sit on the commode like a woman to relieve himself.
Thinking about how, after practicing Huitian, he might one day lose the chance to stand while urinating, Wang Sandong felt an indescribable sense of regret.
Even if, at present, that thing seemed useless to keep.
And with his current appearance, he didn’t look like a man at all.
Still, the meaning was different.
It was like a spark of fire in the dark — as long as it remained, there was hope.
‘What if Empress Yuan Di’s improved Huitian version 2.0 isn’t successful and doesn’t turn me into a woman?’
One couldn’t say for sure.
However, he couldn’t only think of the bright side.
Anything was possible.
‘What if I transform before I even reach the Great Vehicle stage of Huitian?’
Wang Sandong’s thoughts wandered as he stood by the commode and unfastened his belt.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to him: ‘Maybe one day I’ll grope around and find nothing at all…’
Fortunately, today was not “that day.”
It was still there.
Hope remained.
Even if it might be temporary.
After grandly solving his physiological problem, Wang Sandong returned to the table to continue drinking tea and chatting.
Yet, perhaps it was a psychological issue, but Wang Sandong’s mind found it difficult to drift away from the concept of “hope.”
He was very worried that “hope” would suddenly vanish.
“Little Lady,” Young Master Cui asked Wang Sandong, “what kind of wedding gift do you want? I’ll give it to you.”
“Is that even a question? Aren’t you afraid I’ll ask for something outrageous?”
“Hahaha!”
Young Master Cui laughed, opening his folding fan and fanning himself dashingly.
“Go ahead and ask. Even if you want the moon in the sky, this master will pluck it for you!”
“Then go pluck it.”
“I was just using a figure of speech.”
“So bragging is called a ‘figure of speech’ now?”
Young Master Cui chuckled, then remembered something amusing, his smile growing even brighter.
“Let me tell you something. For some reason, my fiancée heard that I’ve been close with Little Lady Wang, and she actually suspects I have a preference for men! Hahaha! It’s killing me!”
Wang Yunteng gave a bitter smile.
Wang Sandong, meanwhile, rolled his eyes at Young Master Cui.
“Hurry up and die from laughter then!”
Having said that, he felt a bit uneasy and secretly touched himself through his clothes.
Only after confirming “hope” was still there did he feel at ease.
After laughing for a while, Young Master Cui turned serious.
“I heard that Miss Zheng has gone missing.”
Wang Yunteng wasn’t surprised by this; clearly, he had heard as well.
He simply said, “The Zheng Clan says the lady has been at home this whole time.”
“Logically, it should be a rumor,” Young Master Cui said.
“Otherwise, with the wedding date approaching, if there’s no bride, it’ll be a problem.”
He looked at Wang Sandong and said comfortingly, “Little Lady, it’s nothing. Even if that Miss Zheng ran away, so what? There are plenty of women in the world. Why should a great man worry about lacking a wife!”
Wang Sandong wasn’t “worried” at all.
After all, even if he married a wife, he couldn’t touch her.
The problem he cared about most was: “My brothers, tell me… if Miss Zheng really did run away but the Zheng Clan is keeping it under wraps, what would be their reason?”
After finishing, he confirmed the existence of “hope” once more.
Originally, if he hadn’t thought about it, it would have been fine.
But once the thought arose, it stayed in his heart, and he couldn’t suppress it.
It even grew stronger.
Wang Sandong had a strange sense of dread: ‘I feel like “hope” is going to disappear soon.’
“Well…”
Wang Yunteng and Young Master Cui exchanged a look, and Wang Yunteng said, “Perhaps… the Zheng Clan will choose another girl of the right age from their clan to act as the bride.”
Young Master Cui added, “It’s an alliance. The Zheng Clan doesn’t care which Miss Zheng it is, and the Wang Family doesn’t care either.”
He then looked at Wang Sandong.
“With your physical condition, you shouldn’t care either.”
Hearing this, Wang Sandong didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Those words were quite hurtful, but…
Indeed, there was no need to care.
Moreover, caring was useless.
His body was indeed too weak.
After just sitting for a long time, he began to show signs of fatigue.
Seeing this, Wang Yunteng and Young Master Cui stood up to take their leave.
As they exited Anzhi Courtyard, Young Master Cui looked back at the frail silhouette of Wang Sandong being supported back into the room by Wang Tong.
His expression twitched as he said to Wang Yunteng, “The day he dies, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.”
Wang Yunteng glanced at Young Master Cui, frowned, and said, “You two bicker every time you meet, yet your bond is so deep.”
Young Master Cui sighed with a smile as he walked side by side with Wang Yunteng toward the manor gate.
As they walked, he said, “My parents have always been biased, as you know. When I was 7 years old, just because I accidentally broke a vase, my father gave me a harsh lesson. I was just a kid, so I felt incredibly wronged and hid in the garden to cry.”
He gave a shameful smile, took a deep breath, and continued, “As I was crying, a little girl as delicate as carved jade appeared beside me without me noticing. She reached out to wipe my tears and said like she was coaxing a child: ‘Big brother, who bullied you? Tell me, I’ll help you get even.’ Haha. I was a grown boy, and being seen crying by a little girl felt humiliating. In a moment of heat, I pushed her away and ran.”
Wang Yunteng was stunned.
“Delicate as carved jade… you’re talking about my third sister, right? When you were 7, she was only a 4-year-old and was already weak. You actually pushed her?”
“That’s why she always needles me whenever she sees me later on,” Young Master Cui laughed.
“I was childish, too, always bickering with her. After all these years, I’ve gotten used to it.”
“Sigh.”
“Since then, I have never cried again.”
A smile remained on Young Master Cui’s face, but it carried a hint of melancholy and sorrow.
“And I won’t in the future. Because there won’t be anyone to wipe away my tears anymore.”
Wang Yunteng raised his hand and patted Young Master Cui’s shoulder, saying nothing more.
It was getting late.
For Wang Sandong, whether it was early or late meant nothing.
He always slept when he was tired and woke up when he was rested.
He went to sleep in the mid-afternoon and woke up in the middle of the night.
Wang Sandong had a dream.
He dreamt that he had become a woman and was bathing in a hot spring.
In the hot spring water, several young women with clear and beautiful features were laughing and splashing around.
Spring scenery filled his eyes; it was a feast for the senses.
Actually, this wasn’t a dream, but the actual past experience of Miss Zheng.
Staring at the ceiling, Wang Sandong reminisced for a moment and laughed in spite of himself.
‘What a waste.’
Too bad the Miss Zheng of that time had been entirely focused on how to practice the Noble Spirit Art and hadn’t properly appreciated the beautiful scenery in the hot spring.
Rousing his spirits, Wang Sandong sat up to meditate and circulate his Qi.
He discovered that practicing at night yielded better results.
By the early hours of the morning, he grew tired and slept again.
When he woke up at noon, he finally remembered the matter of the letter of annulment.
He quickly wrote one.
“Wang Tong, go call Hongxiu here. Say I have matters to entrust to her.”
As a young master, he naturally didn’t need to go personally to find a maidservant.
Even if Hongxiu’s status was not that of a simple maid.
Before long, Hongxiu arrived.
Wang Sandong handed the letter of annulment directly to Hongxiu and said, “Miss Zheng returned the bride price to me. Take this letter of annulment to the Zheng Clan on my behalf. Tell them that I, your young master, have no interest in their daughter.”
Holding the letter, Hongxiu frowned and said hesitantly, “Third Young Master, this… this isn’t appropriate, is it? The master and madam have already…”
“Tsk, listen, Hongxiu.”
Wang Sandong interrupted her.
Slumping in his chair, he stared into her eyes and asked, “Do you think it’s truly a good thing for someone like me to enter an alliance with the Zheng Clan?”
Hongxiu lowered her gaze, her lips curling up.
“To be able to marry the Third Young Master, Miss Zheng is indeed climbing high. If the Third Young Master feels wronged, you can simply marry a few more concubines in the future.”
Wang Sandong didn’t consider himself a mere teenager; he believed his life experience was quite rich.
However, he still couldn’t read any information from Hongxiu’s eyes.
‘Has Hongxiu actually discovered the Demonic Qi under my nails?’
Wang Sandong still couldn’t be certain.
Perhaps he was being overconfident.
Trying to test Hongxiu was not easy.
Taking a breath, Wang Sandong said lazily, “Alright, you’re dismissed.”
“Then… this letter of annulment…”
“Give it to the Zheng Clan.”
“Should I perhaps ask the master and madam for instructions first?”
“Fine.”
To Wang Sandong, this letter was just a formality.
He didn’t care who she asked or if it was even delivered to the Zheng Clan.
He certainly wasn’t going to argue with Hongxiu over this.
Watching Hongxiu leave, Wang Sandong frowned, wondering if he was being a bit paranoid.
Maybe Hongxiu hadn’t noticed anything, and he was just worrying over nothing.
Tsk.
‘What a shame.’
Too bad Soul Snatching could only seize memories after killing someone.
‘If I could seize memories without killing, that would be great.’
At that point, he would only need to take Hongxiu’s memories to know if she had discovered anything.
There would be no need for all this overthinking.
Speaking of “overthinking”…
Last night’s “dream” was truly erotic.
Recalling it now, the aftertaste was still lingering.
A “lingering aftertaste” meant he was feeling the heat.
Over the years, Wang Sandong rarely touched women and didn’t even dare to watch overly seductive dances for fear of getting worked up.
After all, it was easy to catch fire but hard to put it out.
Once the fire he had suppressed for 16 years flared up, it was somewhat hard to keep down.
“Wang Tong, prepare the carriage. To Fengyue Tower.”
He wanted to ask Empress Yuan Di if there were any miraculous pills that could allow him to act as a man while still keeping his life.
What that brat Cui Er said yesterday was right — as a man, it truly was pitiful to die without ever touching a woman!
Hiss…
What Cui Er said didn’t seem to be “a shame,” but “pitiful.”
Psh!
‘I’ve “technically” shared a hot spring with several beautiful young women… have you? And you’re the one who pities me?’