“Have you heard that the young master has been asleep for the entire day?”

“Really!?”

“Yeah! And apparently, he’s been sleeping during the day and waking during the night…”

“Is he practicing some type of cultivation?”

“From what I heard from the other maids, I think so. I heard he even talks when he’s asleep during the day.”

“What does he say?”

“I’m not quite sure but I think it sounds like he’s in a conversation with someone.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know but I constantly hear the word Yihang? Or was it Yihen?”

“No way!?”

“What is it? Do you recognize it?”

“It must be Yiheng! That’s the young master’s shi-ge before he became the owner of Bi An Island!”

The two whispering maids gasped in shock, covering their mouths with their hands.

“Poor young master…”

“Yeah… still thinking of his shi-ge after he was kicked out and treated like that…”

“Aww, I wish I had someone who could be like that to me—”

“What are you two talking about?” A head suddenly popped in between their conversation.

The maids immediately dropped on the floor, kneeling apologetically. “Sorry! We will get back to work!”

The man who suddenly showed up smiled at the maids and covered his mouth with a black fan. “Hehehe, gossip is inevitable. Let me in on it next time.”

The maids smiled nervously. 

“Carry on.” The man commanded. He strolled down the hall and took a right, coming into a long corridor that showed the beautiful garden of Bi An on one side. The corridor was heavily scented with the smell of plants and nectar, a wondrous spot to relax and admire the scenery.

At the end of the corridor, the man turned right and came in front of a giant door. He carefully ajar the door, peeking inside. Behind a tapestry screen, a figure was asleep on the bed.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, how far are you going to take this, Lanyue? A dream will always be a dream, no matter how hard you try.”

“What?” Yuelong looked at the woman standing in front of him. “A demon boy?”

The woman was in her early twenties. She had a hand on her hip and spun a menacing looking dagger in the other. She had an incredible body, long slim legs, hourglass shaped body, and wore just enough to cover up her privates. Yuelong was surprised she wasn’t a popsicle yet in this autumn weather.

“Need I repeat myself? You, demon boy, stop,” she said, emphasizing the word boy.

“What’s going on here?” Mengjun came out of the small room followed by Xiao-Kai.

Xiao-Kai’s face blushed immensely at the sight of the woman’s chest. The woman smirked.

“Look at this little cutie!” She exclaimed, reaching towards Xiao-kai, completely ignoring Yuelong.

Mengjun stepped in between them at the last moment. “Can I help you?”

“Oh… Another pretty boy!” She licked her lips.

“What do you want?” Yuelong demanded, a slight annoyance in his voice.

Without looking at him, the woman pointed her knife at Yuelong. “Explain why you are here in a human village, demon.”

“I’m not a demon,” Yuelong answered, even more annoyed. “If you are here to purposely harass us, I’m afraid you’ve come to the wrong—”

“No, I’m in the right place,” She looked at Yuelong. “I can smell that demonic aura from you a mile away.”

She circled around Yuelong, examining him from top to bottom. “You have good taste, demon, I’ll give that to you. Possessing a handsome boy like this truly would be a good strategy. Who wouldn’t want a handsome boy?”

“I’m afraid you got this wrong. I'm not a demon, nor do I possess a demonic—” The bottle’s contents came into his mind. 

He took out the half-filled bottle and examined it in the morning sun. The woman’s eyes widened at the bottle. She moved like a flash of lightning and snatched the bottle in a blink of an eye.

“You!” Yuelong pointed Cangming at her. “Give that back!”

The woman raised the bottle to the sun and studied the dark green liquid. “Do you know what this is?”

“Does that matter?”

“Well, I do.”

Yuelong was lost for words. His brows furrowed.

“What is it?”

“Nothing comes for free, my dear boy, especially knowledge.” She suddenly let go of the bottle and it remained suspended in the air.

“How much do you want?” Mengjun suddenly butted in.

The woman chuckled. She pointed at Yuelong with one finger. Mengjun instantly knew what she meant and who she was.

He stepped in between Yuelong and the woman with a smirk. “I’ll do it in his place.”

“What? Do what?” Yuelong asked. “What does she want?”

“Soooo sweet!” The woman shrilled.

“It’s nothing, Yiheng. Just stay here with Xiao-Kai. I can handle this,” Mengjun said confidently. “Trust me.”

Yuelong would have rejected his offer but seeing the determination in his eyes, Yuelong felt he should let Mengjun go. But nonetheless, he still felt unease in his guts. It was like the aftertaste of an orange peel candy, bitter and annoying.

Yuelong watched Mengjun disappear into the crowd with the unknown woman. He didn’t know why, but his fist tightened at the sight of the two.

Bam!

The woman slammed the wooden door. She had brought Mengjun into a brothel room, extravagantly decorated with lavish tapestries and jewelries. 

He felt a tender hand crawl up his back.

“Well built, aren’t we?” She whispered into his ear, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Expressionless, Mengjun looked around the room, he noticed that in the four corners of the room were jade lanterns with lighted candles. 

“Candles during the day?” He thought to himself.

He felt something soft slither down his chest, gently rubbing against his skin. He felt another hand slowly unlayering him. 

The soft hand gently teased his bare, white chest. Rubbing gently against his nipple. The hands slowly slithered downwards.

“I will tell you the contents of the bottle after I receive my payment,” She said breathly in his ear.

Annoyed, Mengjun said in a cold voice, “Do you know who I am?”

The woman smirked. “I don’t know, and I don’t care. Oh!”

Mengjun felt something touch his man parts.

“What a surprise!” The woman exclaimed.

Mengjun sighed. Completely unbothered, he reached up and pulled back his hair. With one hand he pulled two thin needles out from the back of his head. Instantaneously, Mengjun’s face changed, revealing a completely different face.

“Now do you know who I am?”

The woman looked up, slightly puzzled. Then her eyes went wide and dropped kneeling in front of him.

“This man! No! He’s not human, he’s-he’s a demon!” The woman thought to herself.

The room was suddenly overwhelmed with the immense demonic aura of the man. Even the floor, wall, and windows creaked from the enormous pressure.

Mengjun felt a sense of satisfaction when he saw her eyes nearly popping out from her head. He made his way to the table and sat down on a chair. He rested an arm on the table and the other on his lap, his chest, still exposed.

“Where’s the enthusiasm you had one moment ago?” Mengjun questioned.

“I-I’m so terribly sorry,” her voice stuttered. “If I had known it was y-you…”

Mengjun responded with a “hmph”. 

The woman immediately shut her mouth.

“How about this, you exchange the information about the contents, and I will spare your life?”

“Really!?” The woman looked up. She instantly regretted her decision. The murderous intent that this man harboured immoblized her with one glance. 

“Sure, of course!” Mengjun knelt down and grabbed the woman’s chin, tilting her to the right and left. “Why would I harm a cute animal like yourself?”

Thunderstruck by his words, she let out a faint whimper. “How is this possible? He knows what I am?”

“Qingqiu plains are extremely far from here. What is an animal like you doing here this north?” Mengjun patted her head. “Anyways, I’m not interested in your family feuds. So, tell me about the contents of the bottle…”

The candles of the room gradually burnt out, leaving the only light source coming from the windows. Mengjun’s face grew grimmer as the woman told the story of the mysterious liquid. 

“So that’s how she died…” Mengjun murmured, a sad look in his eyes.

He pulled up the bottle and swirled it around.

“Careful!” The woman stuttered. “One drop and it can be deadly…”

Mengjun grasped the bottle tightly in his hands. “Oh, and one more thing.”

Her body trembled. The beating of her heart echoed through her mind. She could feel every single drop of sweat perspiring from her body. She heard the crinkle of paper.

Mengjun folded a slip of paper and placed it on the table. He tapped on the note and said, “You’re useful and your skills will be needed in the future. If you’re sick of this brothel, and absorbing essences from men—” Mengjun looked around the room. “—Then go to an island off the east coast and give this note to the people there, they will take you in.”

Baffled by the man in front of her, she senselessly watched the man’s face revert back to his innocent look as he inserted two needles in the back of his head. Without turning back, Mengjun exited the room. The woman picked up the slip of paper and held it close to her chest, gently sobbing.

Yuelong stood with his arms crossed on the rocking boat. He looked up at the sky, despite having the sun directly over him, he felt no warmth nor heat from the golden rays. Rather, he was cold with anxiety. Anxious for the identity of the mysterious liquid. And anxious for Mengjun. Not too long ago, he felt a sudden large burst of demonic energy from the town. He almost charged into the city if it weren’t for Xiao-Kai who was suddenly down with a cold and needed rest.

He looked once again at the docks, which was now a sea of people going about their businesses, completely unaware of the upcoming danger. A familiar hand stuck out from the crowd, waving frantically in Yuelong’s direction. As the figure came closer, a smile formed on Yuelong’s lips.

“Yiheng! I know what it is!” Mengjun called out.

Seeing a healthy Mengjun return made Yuelong’s heart sink with relief. But his smile quickly faded as he noticed the stern look on Mengjun’s face.

“This,” Mengjun held out the bottle. “It’s not good news.”

“What? What is it?” Yuelong inquired.

“This can destroy an entire city!”