“There are three ways to be unfilial, and the worst of all is to have no descendants.”
The main branch of the Wang Family had a sparse lineage.
The eldest son, Wang Jinghong, was a natural genius who devoted himself entirely to cultivation.
To this day, he remained unmarried and without heirs.
The second brother, Wang Erdong, had died young.
Therefore, the heavy responsibility of continuing the family line naturally fell upon the shoulders of the Third Young Master, Wang Sandong.
“The greatest virtue of Heaven and Earth is the creation of life. This is an eternal truth,” Wang Sandong said with a solemn expression.
“I know my heart is willing but my body is weak, yet how can the heritage of the Wang Family be allowed to end?”
Yuan Di, who was sitting by the window, let out a scoff.
She flipped a page in her book before glancing sideways at Wang Sandong.
“That is a decent excuse.”
Wang Sandong almost lost his composure.
He suppressed a smile and sighed.
“Every word comes from the bottom of my heart.”
Yuan Di ignored him and returned her focus to her book.
Wang Sandong waited for a moment, feeling a bit anxious.
Just as he was about to say something more, Yuan Di reached into her robes, pulled out a small paper packet, and tossed it straight at him.
“This is a pill I specially refined for you. It can briefly protect your mind,” Yuan Di said without looking up from her book.
“It should allow you to endure actions that are not overly intense.”
Wang Sandong opened the paper packet and found a single pill inside, no larger than a soybean.
He instinctively gave it a sniff.
“Hmm, it smells quite good. What ingredients are needed? Is it difficult to refine?”
Yuan Di gave a dry chuckle.
“Aside from me, no one else can refine it.”
“Haha, my mistake. I was just curious and asked on a whim.”
Wang Sandong was thick-skinned enough not to feel embarrassed.
“Your body is far too weak, as hollow as foam. Relying solely on the pill to protect your mind still isn’t secure enough,” Yuan Di said.
“Have Yueniang take you to find Xingluo.”
Xingluo was the Top Courtesan of Fengyue Tower.
She was not only a peerless beauty with a seductive figure, but she was also a master of the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
Wang Sandong had seen her before, but they had never been alone together.
He feared he wouldn’t be able to withstand such temptation.
Rumor had it that Xingluo was a pure entertainer who sold her skills but not her body.
Of course, those were just rumors, and Wang Sandong didn’t believe them for a second.
“Find Xingluo? You mean…?”
Yuan Di replied, “Take the medicine first, then run the Huitian technique for one cycle. Once the medicinal effects kick in, only then can you do the good deed.”
Wang Sandong gave a short laugh and wasted no more words, immediately turning to hurry out of the room.
—
In the main hall, Yueniang had just finished attending to a distinguished guest.
When she turned and saw Wang Sandong beckoning her, she walked over with a smile.
“Third Young Master, what are your orders?”
Wang Sandong shot a glance toward Yuan Di’s room and asked, “Is Xingluo busy right now?”
Yueniang understood immediately.
She covered her mouth and giggled, asking in a low voice, “Did she give you the pill?”
“She did.”
“Hehe, congratulations, Third Young Master,” Yueniang said with a smile.
“Heh.”
Wang Sandong pulled out a silver ingot and tossed it to Yueniang.
Yueniang caught it deftly, tucked it into her robes with practiced ease, and then made a gesture for him to follow.
At another corner of the third floor was Xingluo’s room.
“Third Young Master, though Xingluo is wonderful, you must not overindulge,” Yueniang whispered a reminder.
“Just a small taste will suffice.”
“I understand.”
As Wang Sandong spoke, his face flushed slightly, and his heart rate had already begun to quicken.
Sixteen years…
Finally…
Just thinking about it filled him with excitement.
His breathing grew a bit ragged.
Noticing Yueniang’s teasing gaze, his heart tightened, and he quickly composed himself.
‘I haven’t even done anything yet, and I’m already losing my cool. I look like a commoner who can’t hide his impatience. How embarrassing.’
When they reached the door to Xingluo’s room, Yueniang knocked lightly and said softly, “Xingluo, Third Young Master Wang is here.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the door opened a crack.
Yueniang gave Wang Sandong a suggestive look.
“Take it easy, Young Master.”
With that, she left with a flirtatious laugh.
Wang Sandong took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
An exotic fragrance wafted over him.
By the window, the curtains swayed gently in the breeze.
A beautiful figure lay sideways on a couch near the window.
The light white silk she wore was nearly transparent, revealing glimpses of her skin.
The scattered sunlight bathed her graceful form in a blurred, ethereal glow.
“Young Master, take the medicine first, then circulate your power.”
Her voice was like a golden oriole, crisp and pleasant to the ear.
Wang Sandong stared at the stunning woman before him and swallowed hard.
He took out the pill and gulped it down.
Forcing down his chaotic thoughts, Wang Sandong walked to the edge of the couch, sat cross-legged, and focused on running the Huitian technique.
Once he completed one cycle of the Huitian technique, Wang Sandong clearly felt the medicinal effects of the pill taking hold.
A warmth spread through his body, making him feel incredibly comfortable.
His spirit and energy were significantly bolstered.
Specifically, in his lower abdomen, aside from the warmth, there seemed to be a force slowly wandering about.
‘This pill… is truly extraordinary.’
Even the Heart-Nurturing Pill couldn’t compare to this level of efficacy.
However…
‘Why does it feel like something is missing?’
While Wang Sandong was feeling suspicious, a warm and fragrant softness suddenly pressed against him.
A whisper reached his ear: “Young Master, I’m coming…”
As she spoke, her lips brushed lightly against the curve of his ear.
Simultaneously, a delicate hand began to wander over his body.
Wang Sandong immediately broke out in goosebumps.
He let out a dry, forced laugh, his throat tightening as he clenched his fists.
After sixteen years of suppression, he finally had the chance to vent.
And yet…
That feeling of “something missing” grew even stronger.
Perhaps it wasn’t just a feeling, but a physical realization!
Wang Sandong felt a wave of unease.
As Xingluo’s hand moved toward a key area, Wang Sandong quickly grabbed her wrist.
“Wait a moment, I… well… I like to be the active one. Lie down and close your eyes.”
As he spoke, he actually reached out and pulled up Xingluo’s gauzy skirt, draping it over her face to cover it.
Xingluo let out a giggle.
“You have such refined tastes, Young Master.”
With that, she lay down obediently.
Hearing the rustle of the curtains moving, she let out another soft moan.
“Young Master, hurry up…”
After waiting for a while, Xingluo didn’t experience any “active” behavior from Wang Sandong.
Instead, she heard the sound of the door opening.
—
It was early evening, and Fengyue Tower was bustling with customers.
Yueniang was laughing and chatting with the guests when she spotted Wang Sandong walking down from the upper floor.
She immediately went to greet him with a smile.
“Third Young Master, leaving already? Why not stay and play a bit longer?”
Wang Sandong seemed to be dazed and didn’t even notice her.
“Third Young Master?”
“Huh? Oh, Yueniang.”
“Your expression… something isn’t right.”
Yueniang, who had seen countless people in her time, immediately spotted his abnormality.
“Did the pill not work? Or is it…”
As she spoke, her eyes flickered downward.
Wang Sandong let out a weak sigh and opened his mouth, barely managing to squeeze out a smile.
“‘Hope’ is gone.”
Without caring if Yueniang understood, he walked away dejectedly.
Yueniang quickly caught up and whispered words of comfort.
“Don’t be discouraged, Young Master. Your body is weak, so it’s normal to have the heart but not the strength. I’ll have that person prepare some more pills for you later, and perhaps it will work then.”
Wang Sandong looked at Yueniang with vacant eyes.
Yueniang met his gaze and saw that his eyes were slightly red, with a hint of tears glistening.
She couldn’t help but make a pained expression.
“Oh dear, Third Young Master, seeing you look so pitiful really breaks my heart.”
She reached out and cupped his small face, her fingertips touching his soft, delicate skin.
Seeing those empty yet still charming large eyes, she couldn’t help but remark, “Tsk tsk, you really look more and more like a wo—”
She stopped herself abruptly, realizing that saying those words now would be too hurtful.
She quickly changed her tune.
“More and more handsome and dashing, with an extraordinary aura.”
Wang Sandong weakly pushed Yueniang’s hand away and left.
—
After leaving Fengyue Tower, Wang Sandong paused and looked back at the window on the corner of the third floor.
‘Yuan Di! That woman!’
‘One of the Five Emperors, a great demon!’
‘She absolutely cannot be trusted!’
Was the effect of the pill truly what she said?
Could she have played him?
Or was it just a fluke?
In any case, some things should probably be kept from her for now!
“Master, are you unhappy?”
Although Wang Tong wasn’t very bright, he wasn’t stupid.
He could tell at a glance that Wang Sandong was feeling deeply disappointed.
“No.”
Wang Sandong took a deep breath and climbed into the carriage with Wang Tong’s help.
He sat down heavily and stared blankly at the roof of the carriage.
“Master, back to the manor?”
Wang Tong asked from outside the curtain.
“No.”
Wang Sandong didn’t want to go home. He just wanted to sit quietly in this small carriage for a while.
“Go to the river and stay there for a bit.”
On the Junlin River that cut through the Old Capital, there were rows of painted boats sailing back and forth.
They moved from east to west and back again, never stopping throughout the night.
Occasionally, they would dock to pick up wealthy guests, and at other times, they would drift away from the noise, disappearing into the twilight.
As night fell, melodious zither music wafted from several of the passing boats.
The sounds intertwined, making it seem chaotic yet strangely pleasant to the ear.
Wang Sandong had visited a few of those boats before, but he found them quite boring.
The women on those boats loved to act superior.
They were even more pretentious than the girls in the brothels who called themselves “pure entertainers.”
Even after spending massive amounts of silver, all one got to do was listen to a few zither tunes and critique a few poems.
They couldn’t even manage to see a single dance in light clothing.
It was all hollow refinements with no substance.
Wang Sandong was a vulgar person at heart.
After being cheated a few times, he lost all interest in visiting the painted boats.
He just wanted to feel the evening breeze by the river to clear his troubled mind.
Sitting in the carriage, he pulled back the window curtain and let the cool wind brush against his face.
It felt as if all his worries could be carried away by the breeze.
“Hey, isn’t this Little Girl Wang?”
An abrupt, piercing voice suddenly rang out.
Normally, the only person who dared to call him that was Cui the Second.
But today was an exception.
Wang Sandong frowned and looked toward the source of the voice.
He saw a drunken young master standing not far away.
He let out a cold snort and barked angrily, “Cui San-er, are you tired of living?”
Cui San-er was not the Third Young Master Cui’s real name.
“Ha! What big words!”
Cui San-er scoffed and walked forward.
With drunken eyes, he looked Wang Sandong up and down.
“Tsk tsk, Little Girl Wang, I’ve noticed that you look even more seductive than many women.”
“Try saying that one more time!”
“Why? If the second brother can say it, why can’t I? Or is it true, as the rumors say, that you have a thing for my useless second brother?”
This Third Young Master of the Cui family was usually disrespectful, but he was at least restrained.
Today, he was clearly drunk.
It was unclear if he was about to board a boat or had just come off one.
He stared at Wang Sandong with a mocking look and said derisively, “I heard you’ve been frequenting Fengyue Tower lately? Tsk, with a body like yours, I’m afraid you can only watch from afar and wouldn’t dare to actually touch anyone, right?”
He suddenly reached out and grabbed Wang Sandong’s chin, a lewd smile on his face.
“I’ll tell you what, this master has played with countless women, but I’ve never tried a man who looks even prettier than a woman.”
This was a blatant humiliation!
In all his life, no one had ever been so bold as to say such a thing to the Third Young Master of the Wang Family!
It was strange.
Exactly how much had Cui San-er drunk today?
Saying something like this was practically a death wish!
Wang Sandong’s eyelids twitched rapidly, and he clenched his small fists.
From beneath his fingernails, black Demonic Qi actually began to seep out.
An uncontrollable surge of violence instantly clouded his mind. He glanced sideways at Cui San-er and suddenly broke into a bright smile.
“What? You want to try? Come on then, get in the carriage.”
This response was completely outside of Cui San-er’s expectations.
He froze for a moment, his drunken eyes narrowing as he wondered if Wang Sandong was playing a trick on him or if he had genuinely become lustful.
“Can that little body of yours handle it? I’m quite powerful, you know.”
“Tsk, if you’re too scared, then forget it.”
After saying that, Wang Sandong pulled the curtain shut.
Cui San-er was stunned, then he laughed.
“A provocation? I’ll play along today!”
With that, he quickly stepped onto the carriage frame and ducked into the cabin.
In the shadows nearby, Yuan Di walked over with a grave expression.
She glanced at Wang Tong, who was sitting on the driver’s bench with a red face, and patted his shoulder.
Then, using the momentum, she leaped lightly onto the carriage and entered the cabin.
Inside the carriage, Wang Sandong was slumped weakly in his seat.
Cui San-er was lying awkwardly—he was already dead.
Yuan Di looked coldly at Wang Sandong and said, “Emotions are a taboo in cultivation. You should exercise restraint.”
Wang Sandong gave a muffled grunt, replying with a mix of exhaustion and anger, “I cultivate precisely because I don’t want to restrain my emotions!”
He glanced at Cui San-er’s corpse and gritted his teeth.
“Scum like this deserved to die!”
Yuan Di simply shook her head gently.
“What? Does a demon have a heart of mercy?”
Wang Sandong asked with a half-smile.
Yuan Di shook her head again, then looked at Wang Sandong’s fingers.
On Wang Sandong’s pale little hands, the fingernails of all ten fingers had turned pitch black.
“Sigh.”
Yuan Di looked back at Cui San-er’s corpse and said, “It’s coming so soon.”
Suddenly, a sharp whistle echoed from a painted boat on the Junlin River.
It was a Demon-Slaying Whistle!
Once that whistle sounded, it meant that someone had discovered a Demonic Cultivator.