by Catofdreams
"Well, we did try selling it for a while, but people started getting addicted, which made us stop selling it right away… it was a disaster…", Wen Cheng recalled the past. As the first batch of the Purple Lotus Wine was successfully concocted, they tried to sell it to the public, but the alcohol ended up being too good. It came to a point where multiple sects started waging war against them just to obtain the recipe.
"Well, I can certainly see why they'd get addicted to this!", Lang Jie was enjoying the drink. He quickly poured himself another cup and felt himself starting to loosen up.
Yang Wei also downed a cup. He immediately realized why the two kept praising the drink.
"You should send us some of this, Brother Cheng! This is really good!", Yang Wei told Wen Cheng, who was also enjoying the drink.
"Alright! I will send you some when you get back, but don't share it with others! Keep it to yourselves or to people you can trust!", Wen Cheng felt extremely generous and agreed to send them some of the alcohol. He just hoped that the two will follow his words and keep the drinks to themselves. If the other sects happen to catch wind that they were still producing the liquor, he couldn't bear to deal with the consequences.
"No problem, Brother Cheng!", Yang Wei happily responded as he felt joyful after hearing that Wen Cheng agreed to send them some of the drink.
They continued chatting about nonsensical questions for an hour. After they consumed three gourds worth of liquor, the atmosphere suddenly turned into a serious one.
Lang Jie could feel his face buzzing. Yang Wei already felt his surroundings getting blurry. The two were already hit by the effects of alcohol. Wen Cheng, however, continued drinking as he watched the two men in front of him happily continuing to down their drinks.
"You two are quite the drinkers!", Wen Cheng truly felt impressed at the two youngsters. Mortals would usually end up passing out after drinking that much Purple Lotus Wine, but the two seemed to be able to hold their liquor well.
Yang Wei responded with an incorrigible sound as his face made its way towards the table.
*BANG*
As soon as Yang Wei's face made contact with the table, he started snoring loudly.
"Ah, I guess that's it for him, huh?", Wen Cheng looked at the first fallen soldier. Members of the Purple Lotus Clan quickly moved to carry Yang Wei into his room as carefully as they could.
Lang Jie was simply staring at the air. His expression was that of someone who was trying to hide feelings of despair. Wen Cheng immediately caught on and started to ask as he felt that the mood was right.
"So, what's the problem, Brother Jie?", Wen Cheng downed another cup of the liquor and looked at Lang Jie. He thought that his genius plan of putting the two together for Lang Jie's business trip would make them closer, but the effect didn't seem to be what he had expected.
Lang Jie let out a sigh.
"Brother Cheng, do you think I am a good man?", Lang Jie started mumbling as he continued staring at the air. Although Lang Jie's voice was faint, Wen Cheng was able to hear what he was saying.
"Of course, Brother Jie! I think you're quite charming!", Wen Cheng responded with a gentle smile as he poured Lang Jie another drink.
"B-but Xue Yan… she…", Lang Jie was about to let out his emotions, but he decided to down another cup before he continued. Wen Cheng saw that he might not be able to stay awake after that cup, and since he wanted to hear more about their story, he used his qi to separate the alcohol from the liquid content in the cup. Lang Jie downed his drink, but he didn't seem to notice anything wrong since he was too wasted to care.
"She might be bored with me…", Lang Jie continued speaking.
"Oh? What makes you say that?", Wen Cheng asked as he continued drinking.
"I… I can feel it…", Lang Jie took the groud from Wen Cheng's hands and poured himself another drink. Wen Cheng had to separate the alcohol once again as Lang Jie drank the liquor.
"I'm sure you're good with women, Brother Cheng!", Lang Jie exclaimed and let out a small burp right after.
"You're very successful, so you must be good with women! I need your guidance!", Lang Jie continued rambling.
Wen Cheng felt troubled by Lang Jie's statement. After all, throughout Wen Cheng's entire life, he had never met a woman and felt that kind of love. He had relations with some women, but there were no feelings involved, but as he looked at Lang Jie's poor expression, he couldn't let the man down.
"Y-yes! Of course! You can ask away!", Wen Cheng put on a confident expression as he was ready to hear Lang Jie out.
"W-well… Xue Yan… she…", Lang Jie was having a hard time talking, but he tried his best to continue.
"She… she's acting weird. It's as if she's not happy with me anymore…", Lang Jie managed to cough up the last few words that he wanted to say.
Wen Cheng nodded. He wanted to show confidence towards Lang Jie, so he had to act as if he had an understanding of the matter.
"When did this start? Did you do anything wrong recently?", Wen Cheng started asking questions, hoping that it would make him seem more credible.
"When she arrived here… and I don't think I have done anything…", Lang Jie felt that he was about to pass out, but he held on to his consciousness since he wanted to hear Wen Cheng's advice.
"I see… I have a vague idea on what it could be…", Wen Cheng stroked his beard as he told Lang Jie.
"R-really? What is it…?", Lang Jie asked as he started seeing his surroundings in a distorted way. It wasn't long before he was going to pass out.
"It's probably…", Wen Cheng decided to put a dramatic pause before he told Lang Jie the answer. He thought that if the atmosphere was a bit more serious, he would seem like a smart man to Lang Jie. He didn't know why he wanted to impress the man, but he felt that he had to.
"… that time of the month.", Wen Cheng continued.
"Ah… that time huh…", Lang Jie groggily responded.
"What you should do is bring her some napkins and a lot of chocolates. From my experience, those are the only things that a woman needs during that time…", Wen Cheng confidently gave Lang Jie advice. The experience he spoke of was non-existent as he never had to deal with a woman undergoing the experience. He had only heard about it from one of the sect's members as he told stories about how his lover consumes a lot of chocolate during that period.
"Ah… I'll go buy some then…", Lang Jie immediately stood up and started walking towards the exit, but before he could even reach halfway across the room, he fell to the ground. His body laid still as he started snoring loudly.
Wen Cheng looked at the young man who passed out with delight as he had a realization.
"Perhaps I really am quite good with the ladies…", he mumbled to himself as he recalled how smart he sounded when he gave Lang Jie advice.
CHAPTER 14 – “DEAR HUSBAND, I’M ACTUALLY A CULTIVATOR”
As Lang Jie drank with the others, Xue Yan made her way to a different island near the hotel and sat down on a cliff far from civilization. She watched the moon shine down on the ocean waters as its reflection becomes distorted with the waves. She told Lang Jie that she wanted to rest since she was tired, but in reality, she just wanted some time alone
Xue Yan looked up and saw countless stars in the skies. She was far from the closest city so there wasn't any sort of light pollution that was blocking the sky, making it look incredibly beautiful.
"Why am I being like this…"
Xue Yan mumbled to herself and sighed. She knew that it was her fault for being too emotional over things. As a cultivator, she felt ashamed as to why she was unable to control her own feelings. She had complete control over her body and her qi, but her heart seemed to be uncontrollable.
As she reflected on her actions, she realized that Lang Jie was probably worried about her. She was too absorbed in her own world that she didn't notice her husband looking uncomfortable around her.
She took a deep breath and got up. Even if she couldn't con
trol her own emotions, she should at least be able to keep her husband happy. If she couldn't do any of those, then what kind of an all-powerful being is she? She cultivated all her life, and now that she has finally found a purpose in her life, she had to make sure to go through with it.
"What kind of a wife am I?! Your husband is trying his best, yet you're here wasting time! Get yourself together!", she shouted towards the ground and slapped her face with her own two hands. She didn't hold back on her slap at all, which made her two cheeks swell. Her head also throbbed as she felt the pain that she delivered to herself permeate in her head.
As the throbbing stopped, she felt confidence starting to form within her.
"I won't wait anymore. I'll tell him as soon as I see him!"
The different scenarios that could come as a result of her telling Lang Jie once again ran in her imagination, but she didn't let it faze her. If Lang Jie really loved her, then it shouldn't be a problem at all! She tried to think positive and thought that if Lang Jie would still accept her, then she could freely use her powers. She no longer had to go through the trouble of suppressing her qi and act like a normal mortal, which was quite tiresome every time they went out together.
She jumped down the cliff and formed a thin layer of qi under her. As soon as her feet touched the water, the qi held her up, which, from the eyes of a mere mortal, made her look like she was standing on water.
"Fluttering Ghost Steps!"
She treaded through the ocean at an unfathomable speed.
As she continued moving, she noticed the dark clouds above her growing thicker and thicker. As she got closer to the island, the waves became larger and she was met with heavy rain and the sound of thunder coming from the skies. The entire island seemed to be engulfed in a storm.
"Tsk. What bad luck… Perhaps it's a sign…"
Xue Yan's negativity started forming thoughts in her head, but she shook it off. The feeling of determination in her heart will not waiver.
As she saw the Purple Lotus Hotel from a distance, she felt that something was off. As she got closer and closer, her eyes grew larger as a realization dawned upon her.
She couldn't feel Lang Jie's presence anywhere in the area.
She spread her qi out, trying to find his presence in an even larger area, but she couldn't find him at all.
She was completely soaked from the rain as soon as she stepped on land. As soon as she entered the hotel, the nearby staff immediately gave her attention, but as they approached her, they felt an intense chill run down their spines. The air around them suddenly felt suffocating, and their bodies refused to move. They didn't know what was happening at first, but as soon as they saw Xue Yan's expression, they immediately knew that they were in a dangerous position.
"Where's my husband?", Xue Yan asked them. Her voice sounded calm since she was trying to suppress her anger and worry, but the people around her could immediately notice that her façade was on the verge of breaking.
"What's going on?!", Wen Cheng came rushing towards the reception area as soon as he felt the familiar vicious aura enter the premises.
"Where's Lang Jie?", Xue Yan's voice still sounded calm, but her brows were starting to wrinkle. Wen Cheng gulped as he once again faced another calamity that threatened his clan's existence.
"C-calm down first…", Wen Cheng told Xue Yan as he called upon one of his sect's members, who immediately approached him.
"Where is he? Didn't you escort him to his room?", Wen Cheng asked the man.
"Patriarch, on the way to his room, he insisted that he wanted to go out to buy napkins and chocolates for his wife. He refused to listen to us, so a few of us decided to accompany him to a nearby store, but it's already been more than an hour since then…", the man responded.
"Why didn't you tell me?!", Wen Cheng angrily responded. He felt his head hurt as he thought about how diligent Lang Jie was. Even when he was drunk, he still tried to follow Wen Cheng's advice just to please his wife.
"P-patriarch, we weren't worried since the closest store is just a few steps down the road. We thought it was close enough for you to sense if anything was wrong…", the man immediately realized that they had a lapse of judgment as he explained their train of thought to Wen Cheng.
"Idiots! Even if it is within an area where my qi could reach, you knew that I was drinking!", Wen Cheng angrily scolded the man. He was indeed powerful, but even the strongest couldn't help but feel their senses become muddled with enough alcohol.
The man immediately bowed towards Wen Cheng to apologize, but he knew that their slight mistake could cost them their entire sect.
Wen Cheng knew that Xue Yan was listening, so he had to make a swift decision before her decision making is clouded by her anger and worry.
"Summon every member of the clan! Everyone, dispatch, and scout the area! Report any discrepancies back to me as soon as you can!", he shouted as loud as he could. The members of the clan immediately moved out, leaving both Xue Yan and Wen Cheng alone in the reception area.
"Forgive me. This lowly one has made a big mistake.", Wen Cheng immediately kneeled down and kowtowed towards her.
"Mind telling this Venerable One how this situation came to be? My husband isn't one to suddenly have an urge to go out to buy random things.", she angrily glared at Wen Cheng.
"It is this lowly one's fault! He told me that he wanted advice about women since he felt that you were unhappy with him, oh Venerable One, so I told him that it might've been just a woman's time of the month! I wanted to maintain his image of you as a normal woman!", Wen Cheng continued kowtowing as he explained to Xue Yan, who only sighed in response.
"Forget it then. Our priority now is to find him.", Xue Yan dropped the subject. As she heard that Lang Jie was being reckless for her, she felt a bit of happiness in her heart, but the worry she felt still overpowered every other emotion inside her.
Not long after, a member of the Purple Lotus Clan came back to report to Wen Cheng, who immediately felt glad as soon as he saw him, but Wen Cheng's expression turned grim as soon he saw that the man was carrying another injured clan member on his shoulder.
"Patriarch, bad news! Lang Jie was kidnapped!", the man exclaimed.
Wen Cheng rushed towards them and tended to the injured man's wounds.
"Speak! What happened?!", Wen Cheng was confused about the situation. Xue Yan told them that only the Purple Lotus Clan knew that she was married, so there should be absolutely no reason why anyone would kidnap Lang Jie.
The injured man felt the pain in his body slowly going away. Moments later, he was able to open his mouth and start talking.
"P-patriarch… it was the Heavenly Duan Sect… they thought that Lang Jie was an important member of our clan since he was being protected by our members…", the injured man explained the situation.
"The Heavenly Duan Sect? Why would they be here?", Wen Cheng asked. He felt extremely flustered as he heard about who the culprit was. Sects around the world normally didn't have good relations with each other, but they would also never attack other sects as long as they don't get attacked first!
"Apparently, the company that you took over was under the Heavenly Duan Sect's wing…", the injured man answered Wen Cheng's questions, which immediately cleared up all misunderstandings.
"Ah… in the end, it's still my own fault…", Wen Cheng sighed as he felt his head throb. He realized that he rushed things too much and didn't even bother investigating the company before he took over.
"So, where are they now?", Wen Cheng asked the man. Before he could reflect on his mistakes, he had to focus on the problem at hand.
"Our men are chasing them as we speak. They seem to be moving towards the seaport.", the man replied.
Wen Cheng wanted to speak to Xue Yan and formulate a plan, but before he could do so, Xue Yan already disappeared.
Xue Yan quickly made her way towards the seaport. She couldn't spare any second as she realized the Lang Jie's life was in danger.
The heavy rain continued pouring on the area. The residents knew that the rain would go on for a few more days since it was on the forecast, but a strange sight could be seen in the middle of the city.
A ray of light pierced the dark clouds in the skies, coming straight from the Purple Lotus Hotel. The light continued to pierce through the clouds above the city in a straight line. The rain stopped falling underneath the light, making the rain look like it was split in two.
"I think we hit the jackpot! They're chasing us relentlessly, so this guy must be really important!", a member of the Heavenly Duan Sect rejoiced as he carried an unconscious Lang Jie over his shoulder.