Chapter 18
At the end of the countless rare treasures stood a stone tablet.
Two qilin statues flanked it.
They looked identical to the statue outside, except that these two were miniature versions. Even the patterns carved into their bodies were exactly the same.
Yu Tai knew this was the stone tablet concealing the object they sought.
She took her place beside Shu Li and looked up at it.
The tablet had a simple, ancient design and did not appear unusual.
Its only distinguishing feature was the magnificent peony carved across half its surface.
Yet beside such a vivid and breathtaking flower, there was no accompanying verse. The conspicuous blank space seemed a terrible pity.
“Is it asking us to compose a poem?” Yu Tai asked with a glance at Shu Li.
Shu Li nodded. Then, as though something had occurred to him, he turned to her and said, “My learning is too shallow. Junior Sister should do it.”
Yu Tai: ?
*So this is when you decide to show off your elegant humility?*
After holding his gaze for several seconds, she smiled like a blossoming flower, so radiant that even the incomparable peony seemed to pale beside her. “Since Senior Brother is so useless, I suppose I’ll do it.”
She nodded, mischief sparkling in her eyes. “But if we uncover some wonderful treasure, you won’t get a share.”
Shu Li seemed utterly unconcerned. He generously stepped aside and stood quietly watching her.
“Since the only thing carved on the tablet is a peony, the poem naturally has to be about peonies,” she analyzed with perfect confidence.
If she had not read the original novel, her first thought would probably have been the same as the original Shu Li’s.
*Of all flowers, only peonies possess true national beauty; when they bloom, the whole capital stirs.* Or perhaps, *Such beauty could topple a city; Heaven lets it bloom late to outshine every flower.*
In the original novel, Shu Li had written nearly every poem about peonies he could think of, but almost every line vanished from the tablet the moment he finished writing it, leaving no trace behind.
At last, in a desperate attempt to salvage the situation, he had written a random line-
Demonic qi gathered at Yu Tai’s fingertip, and she began carving the verse directly into the stone tablet.
Her wrist moved as each stroke appeared beneath her finger. From where Shu Li stood, he could clearly see everything she wrote.
*Die beneath the peonies, and even as a ghost, one can be a libertine.*
Her handwriting looked rather strange, as though some strokes were missing, but the words remained unmistakably legible.
At the sight of a verse so absurd it was nearly laughable, Shu Li’s brows shifted slightly.
The instant Yu Tai finished the final stroke, an enormous change swept over the stone tablet.
It began to melt, gradually shrinking until only a small fragment remained.
But no one paid the tablet any more attention. Yu Tai’s gaze had been completely captured by the golden pill at its center, its light restrained yet still breathtaking.
A qilin inner core.
In the original novel, Shu Li had swallowed it, allowing his Dao foundation-which had been torn out and left ruined-to repair itself.
Restoring a Dao foundation was impossible in any realm of the cultivation world.
If word spread that a Dao foundation could be restored, countless people whose foundations had been destroyed in accidents would go mad for it.
Yu Tai carefully picked up the pill. The instant she touched it, the surrounding air seemed to tremble.
It was as though she stood at the center of a spiritual qi vortex, every pore in her body opening in delight. Unfortunately, she was a demonic cultivator and could not absorb too much. If her demonic qi could not be converted into spiritual qi under the cover of her righteous qi fast enough, her body would explode.
If she swallowed this, she might break straight through Nascent Soul and charge into Spirit Transformation…
Enormous temptation lay before her, but Yu Tai restrained herself. She turned to Shu Li and asked, “Senior Brother, what do you think this is?”
Shu Li, who had just claimed his learning was shallow, stepped forward and glanced at the object whose very existence could shake the entire cultivation world. He explained placidly, “It should be an inner core left behind after a qilin’s death.”
Perhaps Yu Tai was imagining things, but the qilin inner core seemed to glow more brilliantly when Shu Li approached.
Xia Mo craned its head toward the inner core, drool spilling from its mouth as it pointed at the pill and cried out to Shu Li. It looked very much as though it wanted him to swallow it.
Yu Tai closed her fist around the qilin inner core, instantly concealing its radiance. She looked at Shu Li and said gently, “If Senior Brother ate this, perhaps your ruined Dao foundation could be restored.”
Shu Li nodded thoughtfully. “A qilin inner core is a divine treasure. It may indeed have such a miraculous effect.”
“But…”
“But?” Yu Tai prompted.
He met her gaze. He seemed to have little interest in the object in her hand as he explained evenly, “But Junior Sister solved the verse on the stone tablet, and you said any treasure we found would belong entirely to you. Since it is Junior Sister’s property, I naturally cannot covet it.”
Yu Tai narrowed her eyes. “All you have to do is swallow this qilin inner core, and your Dao foundation will be restored. You’ll be able to cultivate again, take up your sword, and cut down everyone who harmed you. You could even break free of me and take your revenge. Aren’t you tempted, Senior Brother?”
*With such a tremendous temptation before you, are you truly not tempted in the slightest?*
[…Here we go again,] the System said. Who was it that had declared with such determination that she would steal the male lead’s opportunity? What was she doing now?
“It already belongs to Junior Sister.” Even in the face of such overwhelming temptation, Shu Li remained unmoved. He even lifted the loudly protesting Xia Mo from Yu Tai’s shoulder, as though afraid it might disturb her.
Yu Tai was so angry that she laughed.
*Fine. You’re a saint. You’re a gentleman. You’re so impressive.*
[Qilin are auspicious beasts. I’m a demonic cultivator. Nothing will go wrong if I swallow a qilin inner core, right?]
[Unless something unexpected happens, probably not,] the System replied.
Yu Tai’s gaze turned resolute. After casting Shu Li a look of exasperation at his failure to seize the opportunity, she swallowed the qilin inner core without the slightest hesitation.
She should have found a safe place and set up a formation around herself first. Unfortunately, the qilin inner core had begun gradually losing spiritual qi the instant it was picked up. By the time Yu Tai finished making every preparation, it would probably have become a useless pill.
As soon as the inner core entered her body, Yu Tai’s relaxed expression changed abruptly.
Agony tore through her entire body as though every meridian were being ripped apart. Yu Tai collapsed to the ground and spat out a mouthful of blood.
Tears of pain blurred her vision. Dimly, she saw someone approach, carrying a faint, cool fragrance.
He crouched before her and took out a handkerchief, gently wiping away the blood that kept spilling from the corner of her mouth. His soft voice sounded almost indulgent. “Why were you in such a hurry to eat it, Junior Sister?”
Yu Tai was in too much pain to speak.
Shu Li rose and pointed out the chain connecting him to Yu Tai, saying something to Xia Mo.
Xia Mo had returned to its original size the moment Yu Tai swallowed the qilin inner core. Its eyes darted about. After pondering for a moment, it swatted the chain.
The chain that neither water nor fire could damage, the chain that had restricted Shu Li’s freedom, snapped instantly.
Shu Li smiled and stroked Xia Mo’s head. Then he picked it up and turned to leave.
Yu Tai’s consciousness was hazy. Apart from the pain wracking her body, her mind could barely function.
But when she caught sight of Shu Li’s back, some instinct told her that he intended to escape.
Summoning every last ounce of strength, she rose, pounced on Shu Li, and knocked him to the ground. Then she bit down on the junction of his neck and shoulder.
Shu Li let out a muffled grunt. At the sound, Yu Tai bit down harder and harder, as though determined to drag him into her suffering.
For every measure of pain she endured, Shu Li would suffer the same. Neither of them was getting off easy.
Shu Li’s eyes remained indifferent. Ignoring the pain in his neck and shoulder, he stroked Yu Tai’s hair as though soothing an injured beast.
Again and again, his hand caressed her hair before slowly sliding down to her long, slender neck. His grip was not tight, but the red-tinged black qi coiling around his hand radiated a bloodcurdling sense of danger.
Xia Mo watched as Shu Li’s pitch-black pupils turned scarlet in an instant. The familiar, terrifying sensation made every hair on its body stand on end.