Chapter 98: Han Yi

Pei Yu had already risen. She stood before a blurry mercury mirror, leisurely tidying her slightly disheveled crimson garments and long hair.

She changed into a new set of purple-red clothes, stylish yet elegant, her hair pinned up in a neat bun secured with a jade hairpin.

Her entire demeanor was one of satisfaction, refreshed and clear, like a cat that had basked in the sun, stretching lazily, a stark contrast to the mad state on the verge of collapse last night.

Only when she occasionally glanced at the curled-up figure on the bed was her gaze still scorching enough to make one’s heart pound.

In her heart, there was a sense of satisfaction from taking a precious thing into her palm and playing with it wantonly.

Shen Mo lay stiffly on his side inside the bed, his back to her, haphazardly covered with torn pieces of sleepwear and half a thin quilt.

He closed his eyes, long eyelashes casting shadows on his pale face.

Whether it was due to the morning chill or the shame of last night, his body was very cold.

Somewhere, after a night of forcibly suppressing it with spiritual power, the pain had penetrated to the marrow.

Although he repeatedly used “just rubbing” to hypnotize himself, the humiliation he had endured was too real to ignore.

“If you’re awake, stop pretending to sleep.” Pei Yu walked to the bedside and sat down.

Her fingers slipped under the thin quilt, accurately touching Shen Mo’s narrow waistline.

“Weren’t you quite obedient last night? What’s wrong? Now that dawn has broken, are you shy?”

Shen Mo’s body trembled. He bit his lower lip hard, neither opening his eyes nor responding.

Pei Yu didn’t mind. She continued on her own, her tone calm.

“I thought it over last night. You, a man, don’t hesitate to cross-dress and infiltrate this Jade Fragrance Garden of the Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion. You even willingly endured the scrutiny of someone as picky as Chu Yi, and later went to great lengths to participate in the Flower Queen Competition… I’m afraid it’s not as simple as just looking for relatives or experiencing the world, right?”

Her fingers pressed against his waist with moderate force.

“It’s for that bottle of ‘Purifying Soul Dragon Spine Liquid,’ isn’t it? You want to shine in the voting round of the Rivalry of the Blossoms, then take the opportunity to come into contact with the Hidden Treasure Pavilion and get the Dragon Spine Liquid?”

Shen Mo’s body tensed even more.

Pei Yu… had actually guessed it!

And so accurately!

“Not speaking means I’m right.” Pei Yu chuckled softly, with a hint of mockery.

“Not a bad idea. Using the rules of the Rivalry of the Blossoms to skip the tedious preliminary process and jump straight into the final competition.”

“With the appearance you’ve shown so far, your true face should only be stronger. If you dress up carefully, in certain settings, there’s indeed a chance you could attract some female cultivators to vote for you and gain entry.”

Her tone shifted. “But Shen Mo, you’re too naive. Do you think the Flower Queen Competition can be won with just a face and a bit of talent?”

Shen Mo finally couldn’t help but open his eyes and look at her.

“The Flower Queen of the Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion has never been just about beauty.”

“This stage, which supposedly gives a chance to those who didn’t register but are willing to show their beauty, is actually a setup for certain people with backgrounds and connections who, for various reasons, find it inconvenient or unwilling to go through the normal process.”

“For example, playthings sitting beside certain powerful figures, who were chosen on a whim and pushed forward; or the illegitimate children of some Peak Master or Elder; or secretly cultivated pawns of some noble clan; or descendants of old acquaintances with intricate ties to the pavilion’s higher-ups…”

Pei Yu coldly analyzed.

“Although the Rivalry of the Blossoms seems to give opportunities to solitary beauties, in reality, which of the powerful figures sitting in the front row of the viewing seats, holding the jade voting tokens, doesn’t have some backing?”

“You have some looks, but can you go against the entire unspoken rules of the Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion and the forces hidden behind the votes?”

Shen Mo’s lips lost their last trace of color.

Pei Yu’s words were bloodily despairing reality.

Yes, what did he have?

Besides this body he had to rely on and this Pure Yin Body vessel, he had nothing.

Qin Shuying couldn’t openly protect him.

Chu Yi was already completely offended, and Pei Yu was even more scheming.

“In the eyes of those female cultivators who truly have the right to vote, you’re just a pretty vase that can be appreciated but not worth them offending others. In fact, because your face is too flashy, you might become a target of public criticism, suppressed by a coalition.”

“So, even if you barely pass the voting stage and enter the subsequent competition, you will absolutely not make it to the end and won’t get the Dragon Spine Liquid.”

Pei Yu stood up, her tone one of control and composure.

She even added a hint of condescending kindness. “But… you’re lucky. You met me.”

Shen Mo turned his head sharply to look at her.

Pei Yu smiled slightly. “I can help you. With the connections I’ve built over the years in the Jade Fragrance Garden, my friendship with certain high-level managers of the Ten Thousand Flower Pavilion, and… my still relatively famous name among the Loose Cultivators of the Eastern Province, I can maneuver on your behalf, ensuring you get enough votes in the voting stage to qualify smoothly. I can even support you in the subsequent rounds of appearance, skill, and charm, helping you avoid unnecessary troubles.”

“I can also arrange for people to quietly build momentum for you, ensure certain key votes flow to you, and even… help you deal with potential opponents, making them withdraw voluntarily or perform poorly.”

Shen Mo’s heart began to race wildly.

Pei Yu’s promise was undoubtedly the most direct and powerful help he could access at the moment!

If she really could do it, then the hope of obtaining the Dragon Spine Liquid would greatly increase!

But…

“What’s the price?” he heard his own dry and hoarse voice ask.

There’s no free lunch in the world, especially Pei Yu’s lunch.

Pei Yu seemed to be waiting for this question.

“The price is simple.” She said slowly, word by word, extremely clear. “After the competition, no matter success or failure, you must come with me.”

She paused, then added the most crucial and cruel clause:

“And, I want you to pretend to be a woman for the rest of your life.”

“From now on, before me, before everyone, using the method I taught you last night, or with better pills and techniques, I want you to live as a woman in identity and appearance, forever stay by my side, and be Pei Yu’s person.”

Forever… pretend to be a woman?

Forever live as the Moonlight Fairy—Shen Yuebai?

That would mean he had to completely abandon the identity of “Shen Mo,” abandon the title with Su Wan’er, abandon everything as a man, and become a plaything that could only depend on Pei Yu, dressed and played according to her preferences, an effeminate plaything acting out her fantasy of a fellow cultivator?!

Shen Mo felt as if struck by lightning.

“What if… I refuse?”

The smile on Pei Yu’s face instantly vanished.

“If you refuse? That’s also simple. With the competition approaching, the Jade Fragrance Garden is a mix of fish and dragons. Accidents are always unavoidable. It’s perfectly reasonable for an unlucky guy to have his cultivation crippled, his hands and feet broken, and be thrown into some gutter by hooligans, isn’t it?”

With Pei Yu’s power and ruthless methods, if she really wanted to cause trouble, Shen Mo would have trouble even leaving alive, let alone participating in the competition.

Shen Mo’s face turned deathly pale.

“I… I need time to think…”

Pei Yu didn’t urge him.

She took out a delicate white jade bottle from her bosom, uncorked it, and poured out a pill the size of a longan, pure white, exuding rich medicinal fragrance and pure spiritual Qi.

She handed it to Shen Mo.

“You don’t have to answer immediately. You can take your time to consider. Just give me your answer before the competition starts.”

Pei Yu’s tone softened. “This Foundation Strengthening Pill is something I obtained in my early years. It’s quite effective for stabilizing your foundation and refining your cultivation. Take it first and regulate your breathing well. Last night… you consumed quite a bit. This pill will help you recover quickly and stabilize your aura.”

“More importantly…”

She smiled meaningfully, rolling the pill between her fingers, shaking it in front of his eyes.

“It will also help you better maintain your female state. After all, to keep the retracted Yang into the abdomen for a long time and disguise yourself flawlessly, you need sufficient spiritual power support and physical adaptation. This pill can be considered a little sincerity from big sister in advance. I don’t want to accidentally touch something I shouldn’t in the future and ruin the mood.”

“Eat it. I’ll leave once I see you finish.”

Shen Mo looked at the pill exuding an alluring glow, a mix of emotions in his heart.

The pill felt warm to the touch, its fragrance tempting.

He closed his eyes, stopped hesitating, and swallowed the pill.

The pill dissolved on his tongue, turning into a gentle yet vast medicinal power that quickly flowed into his limbs and bones, nourishing his dried-up meridians and Dantian.

The spiritual power consumed last night recovered rapidly, and even seemed to have improved slightly.

More strangely, the stagnation and dull pain in his lower abdomen caused by the forced disguise also slowly calmed under the nourishment of the medicinal power.

Sensing the changes in his body, Shen Mo felt no joy in his heart.

Pei Yu smiled, a bright smile that was like a venomous snake spitting its tongue.

She knew the prey had half a foot in the trap.

She leaned down and placed a soft kiss on Shen Mo’s closed eyelids.

“Be good, rest well. Big sister will come see you later.”

With that, she didn’t linger. She turned and disappeared out the door like a ghost, her crimson figure silent.

When Pei Yu left, she didn’t take the Child Talisman that belonged to Qin Shuying.

She casually tossed it on the small table beside the bed.

Carrying this child talisman with the mother talisman was no different from revealing one’s real-time location to the person holding the mother talisman.

Outside the window, the sky was gradually brightening. A new day was about to begin at the Jade Fragrance Garden.

He was staring at the canopy of the bed, his heart cold and numb, struggling with Pei Yu’s conditions, when an extremely subtle change in the air flow inside the room suddenly occurred.

A silver light rushed in from outside the room.

Upon landing, it quickly condensed into a small figure wearing a simple moon-white dress, barefoot, with messy hair and a small face marked with faint tear streaks and exhaustion.

“Han Yi?!” Shen Mo was both surprised and delighted. He abruptly stood up, but swayed slightly due to the discomfort in his body.

He remembered sensing her presence vaguely outside the Inviting Moon Pavilion last night, but later lost contact in the chaos.

Logically speaking, she should have been watching over him in secret all along.

But last night, when he was so humiliated by Pei Yu and nearly killed, she never appeared…

If she had been there, even just alerting others, Pei Yu might not have dared to be so unscrupulous…

Now, seeing Han Yi again, her aura was slightly disordered, her blood even paler than usual.

There was a gash on her left shoulder from a very sharp object, the edges faintly singed black.

Although there was no blood, she had clearly suffered some kind of injury.

“Han Yi? Where… where did you go last night?”