Clear as Ever - Chapter 2

I had been so heartbroken that I’d shut myself inside my cave residence and done nothing but drink.

On the third day I skipped class, one of the culprits finally remembered I existed.

That afternoon, Feng Lanshu came knocking. He had clearly dressed with care, choosing a crimson brocade robe that showed off his broad shoulders and narrow waist.

“Senior Sister Xie, are you all right?” he asked, his concern half genuine and half feigned.

Without answering, I let him in.

He strode through the door without another thought—and nearly gagged on the overwhelming stench of alcohol. Demons had keen noses, and this particular phoenix was obsessed with cleanliness.

Empty wine jars lay everywhere. I had known he was coming but hadn’t even bothered to cast a cleaning spell, and his expression darkened.

“What is this supposed to mean?” he demanded. “I only asked you to break off an engagement. Is it really that difficult?”

When I remained silent, refusing even to explain, he grew more annoyed.

“Did you ignore everything I said? Is a fiancé you haven’t seen in eight hundred years really more important than—”

I cut him off. “Junior Brother, do you truly like me?”

His voice caught.

He coughed. “O-of course I do.”

“So you asked me to end my engagement because you love me, not because you wanted to prove how irresistible you are?”

Feng Lanshu never suspected a thing. He lied with perfect confidence. “Why else? If you don’t end it, how can we be together openly?”

I admired the flush that lying brought to his face.

Whatever else one might say, Feng Lanshu’s beauty was almost impossible to rival. His features were vivid without being vulgar, and the slight upward tilt of his red-rimmed eyes was just right. Every smile and glance could steal a soul.

With a face like that, no wonder I still obsessed over him after learning how rotten he was.

But why settle for obsession when I could simply drag him into bed?

I hooked a finger under his sash. “Want to sleep together?”

His eyes flew wide. He tried to snatch back his belt. “What nonsense are you spouting? I’m not as casual as you humans.”

Ignoring his feeble resistance, I shoved him onto my wine-reeking bedding.

“If you want me to break my engagement, you need to prove you’re better than my fiancé.”

I let my gaze drift downward, my tone turning doubtful. “Unless you lack confidence because you know you can’t compare…”

One look was all it took. The startled little bird became a furious great one.

His competitive spirit flared. “How could I possibly be inferior to him? Clearly, you’ve never had anything good.”

The dream had been right.

I truly possessed an Innate Sacred Dual-Cultivation Physique.

Phoenixes naturally ran hotter than humans, and when aroused, Feng Lanshu was like a bar of red-hot iron. I coveted his body; I had not volunteered for torture.

The first touch burned enough to make me consider retreating. Unfortunately, he regretted the decision before I did. The moment I hesitated, his wits returned and he remembered the importance of his chastity.

“No, no, this won’t do. Get off.”

He pushed at me awkwardly. “The phoenix clan values purity. If Mother Empress learns I lost mine before marriage, I’ll never have the face to go home.”

I laughed in disbelief. “Where was that sense of shame when you were seducing me?”

Then I stopped hesitating and committed myself in one decisive motion.

I had braced for pain.

Instead, it felt as though every blocked passage in my body burst open. My withered meridians revived, filling with spiritual energy in time with our dual cultivation.

One meal from him was worth two or three years of burying myself in ordinary practice.

The name Innate Sacred Dual-Cultivation Physique was no exaggeration.

I concentrated on the immense benefits flooding through me. Feng Lanshu, thoroughly bullied and ravaged, gradually recovered from his initial panic. His body burned hotter, and so did his gaze.

At last he stopped struggling, panting as he accepted his fate.

“Xie Qingru, now that I’ve given you my body, you have to take responsibility for me for the rest of your life.”

I closed my eyes and enjoyed myself. I couldn’t even be bothered to humor him. I pretended not to hear.