Inside the ancient, vast, and exquisitely grand hall, emerald silk curtains hung down like delicate drapes, while pure white spiritual mist swirled around, casting a hazy glow over everything within.
“Heart as pure as ice, free from distractions…”
“True qi slowly revolves, all desires disperse…”
“Body and mind calm, untouched by worldly dust…”
“Clear mind, few desires, longevity lies ahead…”
The voice, wavering between high and low tones, sang softly and melodiously, drifting through the entire royal chamber.
It was none other than—the “Longevity Clear Mind Mantra”!
To prevent herself from slipping into the abyss of corruption under the constant temptation of karmic obstacles accumulated over time, Su Bai had taken out this very Clear Mind Mantra from the simulations of her previous life and recited it day and night.
“Master, are you even listening to me?” Zhou Xuan finished his analysis on the soul and body but saw that Su Bai, lying on the bed, wasn’t exactly indifferent—rather, she showed no reaction at all, as if saying, “You speak, I chant.”
Su Bai slowly opened those beautiful eyes, a trace of chill flickering within, and cast a faint glance at Zhou Xuan.
“Get lost.”
“Don’t even think about tempting me. If you’ve got the guts, give me some real pleasure.”
“Alright then, I didn’t expect Master’s determination in the Dao to be so firm.” Zhou Xuan shrugged.
“Then I won’t disturb you any longer.”
Saying that, he turned to leave, but just as he did, his left hand seemingly casually tapped the shoulder of the Empress dressed in a pale green imperial robe on the bed.
In an instant, an indescribable hunger surged violently from the shoulder Zhou Xuan touched, rushing through her body like a rising tide.
The delicate body beneath the imperial robe trembled slightly, her legs instinctively clenching tighter, her breathing turning a little rapid and erratic, her chest heaving faintly. The chanting of the Longevity Clear Mind Mantra grew louder as she desperately tried to suppress the desire this man had awakened.
Once Zhou Xuan walked away, the restraint in the Empress’s eyes instantly turned into shame, anger, and resentment. If a gaze could kill, Zhou Xuan would have been riddled with countless wounds at this moment!
“Karmic obstacle, you bastard!”
Su Bai gritted her teeth and cursed under her breath.
If Zhou Xuan’s usual “two light taps” were a certain kind of exercise, then the “first light tap” was the prelude—raising anticipation, escalating desire, building up a flood—while the “second light tap” was the floodgates opening, ascending to celestial bliss.
Right now, it was only the first tap, and without the second, it felt like making a man watch his favorite adult show, right at the most exciting moment, while binding his hands so he couldn’t move.
That unbearable feeling of yearning, like thousands of ants gnawing at her sanity, set her body ablaze, making it almost impossible to control herself.
…
“Clear mind, few desires, longevity lies ahead…”
“Clear mind, few desires, longevity lies ahead…”
“No, I really want it~~”
“Calm down, calm down~ I mustn’t give in~”
“I’m a fierce man, I’m a fierce man, I’m a fierce man…”
“Wuwu… Why wasn’t I born a girl? Then even if that karmic obstacle screwed me over, I wouldn’t have to bear the psychological burden.”
“…”
Reason and desire were like two mighty wrestlers unwilling to yield, and she felt as if she were the rope pulled harshly between them, dragged fiercely in two completely opposite directions.
One side was a swamp of temptation, where one could drown in pleasure and freedom; the other was a land of reason, allowing her to stay clear-headed and true to herself.
She craved desire, she was lustful, she was power-hungry.
All of this was desire, her desire, and it was these myriad desires that shaped who she was—Su Bai.
And Zhou Xuan, in the most direct way possible, had stirred up those hidden desires deep in her heart, letting that insatiable craving run rampant inside her.
At this moment, the bed trembled slightly, the pale green imperial robe had become disheveled and messy, revealing a large patch of skin on her chest. The spring light suddenly spilled forth, the snow-white, full contours faintly visible.
The Empress’s legs rubbed tightly together, her cheeks flushed crimson, her teeth biting her lower lip, and a faint, almost inaudible sound of swallowing escaped her mouth. She looked as if she was trying her best to endure but was on the verge of losing control.
“Blood body, when will you finish this premature birth?”
“I’m dying here~~”
“I want to too, but who told you to awaken me only now.”
Deep inside, a helpless voice echoed: “Hold on a bit longer, in about half a month, I’ll finish the premature birth.”
“I can’t anymore.” The Empress panted softly, silently reciting.
“The fragrance in this chamber is off; that karmic obstacle disciple of mine must have added something inside. Help me bear some of this desire.”
With these words, without waiting for a response, she opened the consciousness channel and threw half of her desire toward the other, as if by doing so she could free herself somewhat from this swamp of desire.
Meanwhile, in the Northern Plains, deep underground, tens of thousands of feet below.
The sea of blood boiled, gigantic waves roiled.
At the bottom of the blood sea, a placenta floated silently, and curled within it was a young girl.
Her eyes were tightly closed, her small body trembling slightly, blood-red hair scattered messily at her side, her skin pale almost to transparency, but with a faint, peculiar radiance. It seemed nourished by the blood sea, harboring some mysterious power.
As the blood sea boiled, waves crashed relentlessly against the placenta, yet it was like a mud ox plunging into the sea—completely swallowed up and transformed into nutrients nourishing the girl, leaving a faint halo around the placenta.
Gradually, the girl’s eyelashes fluttered gently, as if about to open her eyes and peer out into the world.
No one noticed that on the surface of the blood sea, a few drops of dazzlingly crimson blood silently drifted down, quietly merging into the blood sea, merging soundlessly into the placenta.
…
“Master…”
“Get lost.”
“Master…”
“Get lost.”
“Mas—”
“GET LOST!”
Day after day, day after day, tap after tap, Su Bai felt like she was going mad!!
Desire told her she needed it, she was hungry, she was restless;
Reason told her to hold on, stay calm, abstain;
Until one day, after Zhou Xuan tapped the first time, he didn’t leave but paused, then tapped the second time.
In an instant, the Empress, who had been chanting the Clear Mind Mantra on the bed, seemed to lose her backbone, collapsing onto the bed. Her body trembled uncontrollably, shaking as if desperately suppressing something, or unable to endure this fierce, strange surge of waves.
She grabbed the thin blanket beside her and covered her face, unwilling to let the person before her see such a pitiful and embarrassed state.
“Karmic obstacle, what do you want to do?!”
Thirty percent anger, seventy percent bashfulness, in the quiet space, it only added to the ambiguous and flustered atmosphere.
“Isn’t this what you want, Master?” Zhou Xuan reached out to embrace Su Bai, paying no mind to the water stains that had somehow appeared on the imperial robe, focusing only on feeling the trembling, delicate body in his arms.
“I can smell the scent of emotion in Master’s heart. It’s a strange scent. You want it now, don’t you? But you’re too shy to say it out loud.”