"He lied to you."
The woman clad in carmine long dress waved her round fan gently, and two brawny men stepped out of the doorway, standing like door gods on both sides of the guest room door. Subsequently, a faint blue light screen appeared out of nowhere.
Not too big or too small, it enclosed the entire guest room within it, leaving the two strong men isolated outside.
It was clearly some sort of soundproofing array.
"Since he's talked to you about me, he must have also told you that I'm the 'Heavenly Girl' who represents the Flower Offering Sect, right?"
"The main cultivation technique of the Flower Offering Sect is the Dual Cultivation Technique, yes, it's what you think it is."
"Rampant pleasure, beauties like clouds, wine pools, and meat forests."
"Every day's cultivation consists of a mix of gyrations and banana munching."
"He has a unique constitution. He was captured by the 'Flower Offering Sect' and used as a tonic for three months, so he shouldn't just know me, but be very familiar with me, after all... I favored him the most."
"..."
Chen Qiu looked expressionlessly towards Fat Long at his side, not speaking, just quietly sitting on the chair. He was judging the situation, which was a bit chaotic at the moment, so it was wise to remain silent for now.
"Why are you looking at me?"
Since his cover was already blown, Fat Long was somewhat annoyed and shouted loudly.
"Brother Chen Qiu, please think about it seriously. Isn't it reasonable for someone like me, with no significant background, who unfortunately landed on the 'Nine Ox Power' entry, to be captured by such a dual cultivation sect to be used as a tonic?"
"Think about it, is there a problem with this logic?"
"What could I do?"
"I thought about resisting, but the sect is full of experts. Who could I defeat? I didn't want to die, so what could I do?"
"It was with great difficulty that I escaped after three months, only to run into her here again!"
"This woman was the 'Heavenly Girl' of the 'Flower Offering Sect,' not often in the sect. After learning that the sect had captured me, an 'exotic tonic,' she specifically rushed back to torment me a dozen times, until finally, I came up with a strategy for her."
"It helped her earn more Spirit Stones, which I used to negotiate my escape from the Flower Offering Sect."
"Hmm."
Chen Qiu nodded in understanding. It seemed normal to think about it; if he were in charge of the Flower Offering Sect, he would certainly capture Fat Long as a tonic as well, but...
He furrowed his brows and pondered for a moment before looking gently at the woman before him and said, "Miss, although I'm not very familiar with Dual Cultivation Technique, I have heard a bit about it. I presume your level is much higher than that of my brother here, isn't it?"
"Is dual cultivation useful?"
"It seems that you really don't understand dual cultivation."
The woman shook her head, laughing with a tinkling sound, covering her mouth with her fan, "Dual cultivation is not a cultivation technique, it's a mental method. But you are right about one thing, if the cultivation levels are too disparate, it is indeed useless."
"If it's useless, then why..."
"Even if it's useless, it's still pleasurable."
"..."
Chen Qiu once again fell silent, and after a long while, tapped the table lightly with his index finger, "Let's not beat around the bush, since we're all clear-eyed people here. What brings you to my brother today? Do you wish to take him back as a tonic again?"
"Not at all."
The young lady shook her head again and then became serious, the smile on her face receding as she said, "This fellow might not be very decent, but he has done me a favor. I am here to urge him to leave this place as quickly as possible. Although I don't know why, after escaping from the 'Flower Offering Sect,' he would come to Fufeng City, hundreds of miles away."
"But one thing is very important."
"Fufeng City will soon erupt in a bloody conflict among several factions, resulting in widespread slaughter, affecting countless ordinary people. The market square will not be safe either, it's best to flee early."
"I cannot reveal the specifics to you."
"Consider this a word of warning."
"Lastly—"
The young lady suddenly giggled again, her provocative and flirtatious demeanor shone as she covered her mouth with her fan and gazed at Fat Long, her eyes bright with reluctance, she said softly, "If we meet again next time, I would still like to try that 'Nine Dragons Chasing the Sun' move you came up with."
"It's very unique; I've never seen anything like it in my life."
"You must survive, okay?"
As the words fell,
the light screen dissipated.
The girl turned and walked out of the guest room, and the brawny men standing at the doorway quickly followed suit, while the guest room's shopkeeper had already been at the door with a nod and a beaming smile, evidently having received a handsome compensation.
...
After the sudden intrusion by the woman, the previously harmonious atmosphere in the room gradually turned eerie.
"..."
After a long silence, Chen Qiu was the first to speak and break the tension, "So the reason you were so frail when we met yesterday was because you were tortured by the Flower Offering Sect for three months? It wasn't because cultivators at the sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm are naturally that frail?"
"Mhm...!"
Fat Long nodded with a mix of sadness and anger.
"Huh, no wonder."
Chen Qiu nodded in understanding. Fat Long had originally told him that all cultivators at the sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm were that frail, and only by breaking through to the seventh level would their physical condition significantly improve.
But neither the cultivators he had met in the Secret Realm last night at the sixth level, nor himself when he had just broken through to the sixth level, felt as weak as Fat Long did.
He had been somewhat puzzled, but now it made sense.
"May I venture to ask again, what is the Nine Dragons Chasing the Sun technique?"
"Hey, you're being even more presumptuous than last time!"
Fat Long said somewhat indignantly, "Stop asking, that experience is my shame!"
"When I was captured by the Flower Offering Sect, how many people did I ask for help along the way? Did even one person help me?"
"There are thousands of tonic cultivators in the Flower Offering Sect, and every so often they weed out those who have been drained. What could I do to avoid being drained and eliminated? I had to rack my brains to develop a series of techniques, so that when those witches indulged in them with me, they would become addicted!"
"Thus thinking of indulging once more, and because they couldn't bear to, they would control the intensity of the technique and not drain me."
"Let me tell you, Chen Qiu!"
"I will never forget these memories in my lifetime. The day I gain power, everyone from the Flower Offering Sect who humiliated me will not escape. I'll have them flayed and sliced a thousand times!!!"
"Why do you think I changed my name to Fat Long?"
"Every moment, I remind myself that every disgrace I face is a necessary part of the journey to success!"
"A person who is determined to reach the peak will never feel ashamed of yesterday's kneeling!"
"This name is to tell the world, to remind myself."
"I, Fat Long, am a fucking dragon lying in wait!"
"One day—"
"I will disperse these clouds, like a dragon emerging from the sea, and let the world see what a hero is!"
At this moment, Fat Long's neck veins bulged, his face flushed with anger, and his tone was forceful, filled with intense fury and defiance.
In that instant, Chen Qiu was slightly stunned; it seemed like he saw in Fat Long the image of someone who, for the sake of their aspirations, silently endured and bore the brunt of setbacks and hardships. Fat Long didn't seem as afraid of death as he had imagined.
Instead, he was unwilling to die a worthless death.
Murmuring as if in a trance, "If that's the case, why call yourself Fat Long, instead of something like Flood Dragon or Heroic Dragon?"
"Those names sound too arrogant..."
Fat Long suddenly softened his tone again, muttering under his breath, "I'm afraid that someone might get annoyed by such a name and casually kill me."
"I'm a bit afraid of dying."
"Aren't you?"