Senior Sister Xia is truly the flower of Tianshi Mansion, Li Meng mused, his gaze lingering on her delicate features. I wonder how many martial brothers yearn to pluck this blossom. If she were to choose a companion, the resulting jealousy within their sect would likely make blood flow like rivers.

“Senior… how is it?”

A trace of shyness flashed in Xia Qian’s eyes. Didn’t he say he was reading my palm? Why is Senior touching my wrist?

Li Meng’s playful smile vanished instantly, replaced by a heavy, solemn gravity. He released the female cultivator’s slender, jade-like hand as if it were burning.

“Ominous clouds hover over your head. Your fortune is bleak,” Li Meng stated, his voice dropping to a serious tone. “If you do not reverse the heavens and stop your journey right here, I fear a disaster of bloodshed awaits you.”

Xia Qian’s face paled. “A disaster of bloodshed?”

Could it be that this trip is destined to fail?

Her expression shifted rapidly between fear and determination. This mission was of extreme importance; it concerned the very national fortune of the Qi Kingdom. They could not simply turn back empty-handed based on a single sentence from a wandering Daoist, no matter how profound he seemed. She could not explain such a failure to her Master or His Majesty.

Xia Qian stood up, suppressing her unease, and bowed respectfully. “Junior Xia Qian thanks Senior for the warning!”

She turned and walked back toward her companions, her steps heavy.

Watching her graceful silhouette retreat, Li Meng shook his head slightly.

Her Luck has dropped again.

The system interface in his mind showed the number plummeting from 500 to 350.

This is no longer just a disaster of bloodshed, Li Meng thought cynically. This is a Life-Death Tribulation.

Time flowed like the shifting sands.

Night fell quickly over Xiakou Lake. A full moon hung high in the ink-blue sky, spilling brilliant silver light over the earth and causing the rippling lake surface to glow with a faint, ethereal fluorescence.

Li Meng sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, regulating his breathing. In a dangerous place like the Western Desert, exhausting one’s Mana was a fatal mistake. While sword flight was swift, he had to ensure he retained at least seventy percent of his reserves to deal with sudden ambushes.

The night deepened, and the lakeshore fell into a profound silence.

Suddenly, the soft crunch of footsteps on sand broke the quiet surrounding Li Meng.

Li Meng withdrew from his meditative state but kept his eyes closed. The footsteps drew closer, hesitant but determined, until someone sat on the cushion beside him.

Bathed in the moonlight, Li Meng opened his eyes.

“Senior… is there a way to resolve this?”

Xia Qian’s voice was soft, trembling slightly in the cold desert air.

Li Meng turned his head. Meeting his calm gaze, Xia Qian’s cheeks flushed a faint pink.

“I… I can’t sleep. I’m scared.”

Since nightfall, the Senior’s warning had replayed in her mind like a curse. What if there really is a disaster of bloodshed? What if we all die here?

Li Meng did not speak immediately. Instead, his hand formed a seal.

With a casual flick of his sleeve, five golden talismans shot out, embedding themselves into the sand in a pentagonal formation around them.

Hum.

A faint array pattern lit up on the ground, and in an instant, the two of them vanished from the lakeside.

The surrounding scenery dissolved into a vast expanse of white mist. The lake, the horses, and her companions were gone.

Xia Qian stood up in a panic, looking around the white void.

“Senior?” she called out, her voice quivering.

Suddenly, the mist before her churned. A hand reached out, strong and undeniable, grasping her slender wrist.

“Ah!”

Xia Qian stumbled forward, falling through the mist and landing directly into a warm, broad embrace.

“Se… Senior?”

Focusing her gaze, she saw the Senior’s handsome face inches from her own. Li Meng held her tightly, his arm wrapped possessively around her soft, warm waist, his hand resting boldly on the curve of her hip.

“Senior, where is this?” Xia Qian’s face burned red. She struggled instinctively, her voluptuous body twisting against him, but his grip was like iron.

The masculine scent of the man enveloped her, making her knees weak. Her body betrayed her, turning limp and powerless as she collapsed against his chest.

Li Meng raised a hand, his fingers gently tracing the line of her jaw.

“This,” he whispered, his voice low and magnetic, “is a dream.”

“A dream?”

Xia Qian looked up, dazed, watching his face draw closer. What does Senior want to do?

Her heart hammered against her ribs, a sense of suffocation rising in her chest. She knew she should push him away, but her hands had lost all strength, resting uselessly against his robe.

She closed her eyes as Li Meng lowered his head and captured her red lips.

The mist swirled around them as two figures, faintly discernible, sank into the softness of the illusionary night.

The night deepened, then faded.

“Junior Sister! Wake up, wake up!”

A familiar, noisy voice shattered the peace.

Xia Qian opened her eyes, her mind blank. A rough, familiar face filled her vision.

Panic.

Subconsciously, she raised her hand and swung.

Slap!

A crisp sound echoed across the silent lakeshore.

“Junior Sister! You… what are you doing?”

Bu Shun clutched his cheek, looking at his usually gentle Junior Sister with utter grievance.

The confusion in Xia Qian’s eyes cleared, replaced by realization.

“Se… Senior Brother?”

She looked around wildly. She was back in the camp, sitting cross-legged on her soft cloth pad. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon.

Xia Qian stood up abruptly and looked toward the lakeside.

It was empty. The white-robed Senior was gone.

A trace of doubt and loss flashed in her eyes. She turned back to Bu Shun, her face flushing with apology.

“Senior Brother, I’m sorry. I… I had a nightmare!”

Bu Shun grinned, rubbing his cheek. “It’s fine, it’s fine! As long as it was a nightmare. I thought I had done something stupid to make you angry!”

Xia Qian glared at him. Am I usually that unreasonable?

“By the way, Senior Brother, where is the Senior?”

Bu Shun glanced at the empty spot by the lake. “He’s already left. Vanished before dawn.”

Xia Qian’s delicate brows furrowed.

Was last night… truly just a dream?

It had felt so real. Even now, she could feel a lingering, phantom tingling washing over her body, a memory of touch that made her legs weak.

“Junior Sister, it’s time to set off!”

It was getting late. The cultivators staying at Xiakou Lake were mostly gone, streaks of golden light soaring into the sky and disappearing into the horizon.

After packing up, the Tianshi Mansion team mounted their horses. The rumbling of hooves echoed toward the gorge, kicking up billows of yellow dust.

On horseback, Xia Qian looked back at Xiakou Lake one last time, her emotions a tangled mess.

Was it really a dream?

Her Primordial Yin was still intact. The Senior in the dream had been intimate, teasing her to the point of madness, yet he had not taken the final step to claim her body.

Will I ever see him again? And if I do… would I have the courage to ask about the dream?

Her face burned hot at the thought. How could I ever ask such a shameful thing?

Yet, between her brows, a trace of mature charm lingered, a subtle change brought about by the phantom pleasures of the night.

[System: +30 Affection] [System: +150 Sub-profession Experience]

On a desolate mountain ridge not far from Xiakou Lake, a figure in white robes stood watching the dust trail of the horse team.

Li Meng stroked his beard, a faint, satisfied smile playing on his lips.

“Very well. Since I have bullied you, I shall help you pass this Life-Death Tribulation and resolve the karma.”

That girl was certainly… delightful, he mused.

Last night, in the illusion array, he had almost lost control. It had taken considerable willpower to rein in at the precipice and not take her body completely. Instead, he had merely… teased her thoroughly.

[SUMMARY_START] Li Meng predicts a “disaster of bloodshed” for Xia Qian, seeing her Luck drop dangerously low to 350, indicating a Life-Death Tribulation. That night, a fearful Xia Qian approaches him for help. Li Meng uses an array to pull her into a realistic illusion where he tells her it is a “dream” and seduces her. They share an intimate night of heavy teasing, though Li Meng stops short of taking her Primordial Yin. Xia Qian wakes up confused, slapping her Senior Brother Bu Shun in a daze, and realizes Li Meng has vanished. As her team departs, she is left conflicted by the vivid, pleasurable memories. Li Meng watches from afar, deciding to intervene and save her team from their impending doom to balance the karma of his “bullying.” [SUMMARY_END]