Chapter Sixty-Two: Situ Yan

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Third update! Happy holidays to my friends!
A world awash in pink.
Pink draperies, pink beauties, pink tables and chairs, pink mist— even the wine in the cups was a soft rosy hue.
Lei Xiang had never understood why the Furnace Court of Dongyue Kingdom was always tinted in shades of pink. Back at the Lei Family Fortress, the Furnace Court had been decorated the same way. Now, Situ Hongji raised a pink wine cup high and laughed loudly, "Lei Xiang, such a spring night, such enchanting company—if not the wine, then beauty itself intoxicates. Come, let us lose ourselves together in this land of tenderness!" With that, he downed the cup in one swift motion.
Lei Xiang merely took a light sip. "Senior Situ, I’ve already had over a hundred cups. I truly can’t drink any more. If I do, I fear I’ll lose all control."
Situ Hongji burst out laughing. "Young Master Lei, you have a mighty tolerance. What’s a mere hundred cups? Besides, where’s the fun in music and dance without a little wine? Here, let’s switch to something lighter. Attendants!" At his command, two women in gauzy pink stepped forward, each holding a tray, and deftly switched out their wine.
Lei Xiang could not refuse any longer. He raised his cup. "Thank you, Senior Situ, for your hospitality. It would be rude of me to decline." He tilted back his head, letting the wine flow down his throat. It was indeed gentler than before, as warm and mellow as the morning sun.
Music and dance began anew. A group of girls, seventeen or eighteen years old, swayed and spun like celestial beings before them in the dance circle. Their radiant smiles seemed to stir something restless in Lei Xiang’s heart. Gazing at those girls, he could read in the tilt of their brows and the curve of their eyes a thousand charms, a myriad of spring’s delights.
Lei Xiang was drunk!
The wine was truly fine, for when he awoke, his head felt clear and free of pain—only his body tingled with a chill. He lifted himself slightly and found, upon his bare body, another naked figure undulating atop him.
Lei Xiang was, after all, a man—a perfectly normal man.
With swift reflexes, he rolled over and pinned the other person beneath him…
As their breaths slowly calmed, a faint smile played at Lei Xiang’s lips—the smile of a conqueror. Though he had not managed to see clearly the face of the one conquered, he could sense the exquisite pleasure of that body, and the sound of satisfied sighs.
Suddenly, the person beside him leapt up. A flash of white, and she was wrapped in a robe. Lei Xiang was about to admire her alluring form again when a pouch smacked into his face, followed by an abrupt statement: "Ten thousand spirit stones. Take them and go. You’re not getting a farewell."
Following the voice, Lei Xiang finally saw clearly the beauty he had spent the night with. His eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Situ Yan?"
Situ Yan elegantly straightened her white dress, a cold smirk on her lips. "Lei Xiang, surprised? Turns out you were the one who got slept with. This ten thousand spirit stones are more than enough compensation for you—now we’re even."
She paid him?
Did this Furnace Court do business in reverse? Had the world turned upside down?
Lei Xiang was utterly confused. Gazing at Situ Yan’s frosty smile, he seemed to read a hint of satisfaction there—sweet satisfaction, the joy of vengeance. Suddenly, he understood everything.
That day on Mount Hengyang, everyone had witnessed Situ Yan being bullied by Senior Brother Mu. After returning to Hongji Foundation Academy, Situ Hongji, in order to preserve his daughter’s reputation, had proposed marrying her to Lei Xiang. At the time, Lei Xiang had firmly refused. Now, she had come for revenge. "Heh, this little lass—so that’s how she gets her own back. If all girls avenged themselves this way, I’d gladly offer myself as their target."
"Situ Yan, you’re still young. Why subject yourself to this? The fault was never yours in the first place. Why make things harder for yourself, especially here in the Furnace Court..."
Lei Xiang wanted to go on, but Situ Yan cut him off sharply. "Shut up! Figure out who’s the ‘furnace’ here, will you? Ha, I’m the one who played you, got it? And just so you know, I’ve played dozens like you in the past six months. It’s just a matter of giving a little ‘compensation’ for the service. Men are all the same—whoever has the money gets the attention."

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Lei Xiang was left speechless by her words. Only after a long moment did he squeeze out, "Where’d you get so much money?"
"My father gave it to me. What of it?"
Lei Xiang’s eyes lit up. "How did Senior Situ come by so much cash? He’s only the head of Hongji Academy, hardly the type to throw money around. Did he embezzle? Take bribes? Even so, where would he get so many spirit stones?"
Situ Yan gave a proud smile. "The Emperor himself rewarded him. What’s it to you?"
"The Emperor?" Lei Xiang mulled over her words, his mind churning with thoughts. Sima Yan, mistaking his silence for fear, spoke with the air of a victor, "You’ve got your money. Get out. Or do you think it’s not enough?"
She said it twice and Lei Xiang still didn’t respond. Annoyed, Sima Yan could not stand his indifference. Lifting her little leather boot, she kicked him hard.
"Ouch!" Lei Xiang fell back, rolling his eyes at Situ Yan. "What, planning to murder your husband already?"
Situ Yan pouted. "Still trying to take advantage of me? I won’t be so polite." With a slap to her storage pouch, an amber-hued flying sword sprang out, circling above her head, ready to strike Lei Xiang.
Lei Xiang quickly waved his hands in surrender. "Enough, my dear lady, have mercy! Let me ask just one thing—just one, then I’ll leave. Is that not enough?"
Seeing him yield, Situ Yan sat down on a chair, keeping a considerable distance between them, her flying sword still hovering above. "Speak quickly. I’m busy."
Lei Xiang gave a wry smile. "You were there the day of the decisive battle with the Blood Fiend Alliance, weren’t you? I want to know what happened then. How did the Emperor of Dongyue die?"
Situ Yan looked at him, puzzled by his question, but since it was no secret, she replied, "It was chaos that day, a real mess. I saw five of the Blood Fiend Alliance’s Core Formation experts surround the Emperor and attack him fiercely. They seemed to know that to capture the king was to win the battle, so they ignored everyone else and focused solely on the Emperor."
Lei Xiang nodded thoughtfully. "And then?"
Situ Yan recalled, "Later… the imperial uncle led some Core cultivators to help, but the Blood Fiend Alliance blocked them with a secret formation. After half an hour of fierce fighting, they finally broke through, but by then the Emperor was already in grave danger. When they arrived, the Blood Fiend Alliance experts paid no heed and continued to chase the Emperor. In the end, one high-level Blood Fiend Alliance cultivator self-destructed, taking the Emperor with him."
"Oh," Lei Xiang murmured, lost in deep thought.
Situ Yan continued, "The imperial uncle and the others fought the remaining four. The army and people of Dongyue were out for revenge, so everyone was killing madly. The imperial uncle fought at the front, and managed to kill a mid-stage Core cultivator—that was Chen Junxi’s father. With everyone working together, none of the Blood Fiend Alliance’s Core cultivators escaped."
"How did you know Chen Junxi’s father was the Blood Fiend Alliance’s leader?"
Sima Yan replied, "At first, no one knew. But after the imperial uncle unexpectedly killed him, the other Blood Fiend Alliance cultivators cried out, ‘Leader!’ and scattered. That’s when we realized we’d killed their leader by accident."
Lei Xiang’s face showed no emotion. He asked lightly, "The imperial uncle, with only early-stage cultivation, killed a mid-stage Core cultivator? How did he manage that?"
Situ Yan thought for a moment. "He was fighting for his life at that point. I can’t say exactly how, but I saw him suddenly charge into the leader’s protective blood light, then retreat just as quickly—and the man fell dead right after. Hey... are you listening?"
Snapping out of his reverie, Lei Xiang flashed a mischievous grin. "I was just savoring the memory of our passionate night—such a sweet recollection."
"Courting death!" Situ Yan’s brows arched in anger. She pointed at her flying sword, and it quivered, sending a beam of light slashing toward Lei Xiang.

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But Lei Xiang’s foot slipped, four spinning wheels appeared beneath him, and he darted away like a streak of shadow, vanishing as if into thin air.
The entire nation was celebrating.
Lei Xiang floated slowly above Dongyue, looking down at the joyous crowds. His face betrayed no emotion—no joy, no sorrow, no anger. Ahead, a desolate mountain range appeared. He halted in midair, descended, and set up two arrays with a wave of his hand. Then he murmured a strange phrase:
"Bo po mo fo, de te ne le."
No sooner had he finished this incantation than a divine thought echoed in his mind: "Lei Xiang, why have you summoned this old man again? Isn’t the world at peace? The prince and princess are finally together. Why are you still making trouble? Hurry up and get on with your real task."
Lei Xiang understood well that the business Zhu Chi referred to was finding a way to break the Mark of Death. He replied mentally, "I haven’t forgotten my promise to you. Once things are settled here, I’ll look into it. By the way, you’ve been awake for a while now, haven’t you? Spying on my intimate moments—don’t tell me you have a voyeuristic streak."
"Of course not. How could I be so depraved? Ha! Still, Lei Xiang, you certainly have your share of luck with women. Such a beauty, and she paid you for the pleasure. If I still had a body, I…"
Lei Xiang cut him off. "If you had a body, you wouldn’t be seeing such sights. Look at you, leering like that. Do you really think I’m only after Sima Yan’s beauty?"
"Heh, aren’t you? Playing innocent after taking advantage. But honestly, you do know a thing or two about women. Are you really only nineteen? I think you’re lying about your age."
Lei Xiang sighed, then turned serious. "Senior Zhu, let’s stop bickering. I summoned you because I need your help with something important."
"Something important? What could possibly trouble our young master Lei? Is it about that little beauty? Ha!"
Lei Xiang did not smile. He spoke solemnly, "This is no trivial matter. I’m in deep trouble. If you don’t help, I might not make it out alive. And if I die, do you think you’ll survive?"
Zhu Chi gave a dismissive chuckle. "Stop trying to scare me. I’ve lived too long to be frightened. After these years hiding in your sea of consciousness, my spirit’s recovered nicely. The Soul-Killing Strike is usable, at least barely. But I don’t get it—the Blood Fiend Alliance was wiped out. What’s left here to haunt you? Who could possibly harm you?"
Lei Xiang spoke just five words: "The Blood Fiend Alliance leader."
Zhu Chi burst out laughing. "Lei Xiang, have you lost your mind? Wasn’t Chen Junxi’s father killed? How could there still be a Blood Fiend Alliance leader?"