“Wait, are you serious, Xu!?” Merry would look in awe, “Your ring has inter-spatial capabilities as well!?”

  “Master, you really are something else,” Yuiren would remark, “to think that ring would be of use to you in all possible scenarios, including when it’s been corrupted by such foul magic…”, she would ponder for a while, when suddenly, “Oh, right, would the both of you like a change of clothes?”

  Mer Xia and I would look at each other, and as if synchronized, we would both say at the same time, “Yes, please!”

  She would then tell us to follow her to another room that would have it’s entrance covered by spider webs, “I’m sorry master, my summons must’ve blocked the entrance accidentally while playing around, I’ll have it sorted in a moment,” and with a wave of her hand, the silky threads would be absorbed inside her right sleeve, “there, please follow me inside.”

  “That… was kind of cool,” Mer Xia’s eyes would widen, “but are you sure you have clothing for me as well? I am no boy, you know?”

  “Ah, yes, I’ve always been one to prepare for every eventuality,” Yuiren would say with a sly grin, “master used to have many women around him, you see?”

  Merry would be slightly shocked by this revelation, “Xu!?”

  “Enough of that, Yuiren, not the time…” I would hurriedly stop whatever Mer Xia would be about to say, so as to not be embarrassed further, “I’m in need of a bath, it’s been quite some time since I couldn’t stop to bathe in the Demonic Grounds, the demons did not allow me any rest, you see.”

  “Good call, it’s been a while since I’ve had a good scrubbing” she would let out with a sigh while smelling her sweaty clothes and looking at her muddy shoes.

  “Not to worry, master’s quarters have been adjusted over the years, they now have a bathing pond with fresh mountain water being circulated through it…”, however Yuiren would cover her mouth and grin with a mischievous look, “though you would have to share it together since it has been created with a dual cultivation method in mind.”

  “D- d- d-dual c- c- cultivation!?” Mer Xia would yell in shock as she would not be ready for such a revelation.

  The land of Atris’ Empire rules are very clear, and one such rule mentions that you are not legally allowed to dual cultivate until the age of 21. Both I, and Mer Xia would happen to be of age, even though technically I am much older, if I were to take into consideration my previous reincarnations, my current body, after being stuck in the Demonic Realm for 5 years, is now at the age of 23.

  “Oh…” I would sigh, knowing that Merry is not ready at this time for a Dual Cultivation ritual, “don’t worry, I’ll find another way for us to bathe separately.”

  “N- … wait… I didn’t say that I wouldn’t do it, it’s just so sudden… ” Mer Xia would whisper with a timid look on her face.

  Yuiren’s eyes would sparkle with mischief as she would watch Merry’s reaction to the bathing pond, “Come now, master,” she would say, her voice dripping with sarcasm, “you know as well as I that you are not exactly in a position to be picky about your bathing arrangements.”

  Merry’s face would turn bright red, as she would look around nervously, trying to think of anything, but Yuiren would be relentless, “Besides,” she would continue, her voice with a hint of amusement, “I’m sure that you shall find it… enlightening, to experience a dual cultivation ritual together.”

  Merry’s eyes would widen as she would realize that Yuiren was suggesting more than just a simple cultivation technique, “W- wait… hold on now… you’re not suggesting we…”, but Yuiren would nod with her eyes closed and a quirky smile, “… in the bath?”, she would finish as Yuiren would abruptly push us both inside the bathing chamber, without us realizing that we were already at the place in question.

  “I shall be off now, be sure to enjoy yourselves!” Yuiren would exclaim on a playful tone, while turning around and waving her hand above her head.

  “Yikes, looks like we don’t really have a choice Merry…” I would sigh with a guilty look on my face, “I’m sorry, we really can’t be picky here… and we’re running out of time…”

  But Mer Xia would begin to express her clear and firm disdain, with her face in side her palms, “Ugh-… uuuuurrrgh… If only you weren’t the reason for LeiLei’s…”

  “You’re really enjoying this aren’t you, Yuiren?”, I would say with a mixture of annoyance and sadness, but Yuiren’s grin would only grow wider as she would turn around and widen her arms in a stance, as she were about to hug the air, “Of course, master! You know as well as I do, that the both of you are meant to be together, in more ways than one…”

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Mer Xia would roll her eyes, “Yuiren! You’re not helping here… at least let me breathe a little…”

  “Yes, we can’t let Yuiren’s antics distract us from the task at hand,” I would say, while grabbing Merry’s hand, reassuring her that he will save Lei Zhao from this predicament, “there is a way, let’s not forget we have her highness Avrora helping us.”

  “Y- you’re right… I’m sorry, it’s just that…”, Mer Xia would sigh, as Yuiren would leave us both alone, “alright, I’ll agree to this, but only because I’ve had feelings for you ever since we were little…”, her face would flush bright red as she would look down at her feet, “S- say something dummy…”, she would mumble, trying to hide her embarrassment.

  “I- I had no idea you felt that way about me…”, I would say with an eyebrow raised and a mix of curiosity and amusement.

  “Sh- shut up… I know you’ve been hiding your feelings this entire time too… I remember how you were looking at me before you left for the mountains…”

  I would chuckle and shake my head, “Make up your mind, will you? You’re so cute when you’re embarrassed,” I would say on a playful tone, but also with a slight attempt at teasing the flustered damsel. Her face would turn as red as the petals of the reddest Hundred Years Malorniya.

  “Shut up, Xu!” She would shout, her voice echoing off the walls of the bathing chamber, and I would just laugh and continue to teaser her, but eventually we would both settle down and discuss our plans moving forward.

  “You know you will have to take responsibility for both me and LeiLei now, right!?”

  I would turn serious and tell her, that this has always been the plan, “You don’t need to worry about that, I will bring her back,” however I would let her know that the implications to our dual cultivation are more serious than she would have ever thought, “We do however have a problem, since the dual cultivation ritual requires both of our energies to intermingle, this will also affect LeiLei’s soul which has been transferred into you…”

  “Wait, so… what are you saying here?” she would question, confused by the implications and how these would affect both her and Lei Zhao at the same time, “is the demonic energy the problem?”

  With a firm not I would further explain, “Because the demonic corruption in my body is too strong, it might change LeiLei’s soul, she might have to endure Demonization, similar to how I’ve had to, in the Demonic Realm.”

  But she would only scoff, “She’s a bhikkhuni, I’m sure she can expel the corruption, otherwise… ”, she would ponder for a second, with her hand on her chin, “what would that even mean for her?”

  “I don’t know yet…” I would sigh with a shrug, “If I could unlock the rest of my memories, this would be so much easier…”

  Merry would suddenly look at me and have the cutest smile, “We’ll figure it out somehow!”, a smile which would leave me with mixed emotions, as she would be trying to change the subject and hide the pain of having to decide the faith of our mutual friend.

  I would smile back as I would begin to slowly move my hand up and down on her shoulder, reassuring her that everything will be fine.

  “Should we light an aphrodisiac incense?” I would ask embarrassed.

  “Yes, please!” She would hurriedly reply.

  Minutes later, after we’ve both thoroughly rinsed our bodies, “Use your strongest breathing technique Merry, this will help you relax as well as provide the best possible outcome.”

  She would respond on a low tone, as she would look at me with an unprecedented passion which would leave me wanting more of her, “U- ugh- Agh- al- alright…”

  And so, the dual cultivation would begin, a steamy night, full of passion and struggles, a night which would lead to something unexpected in the future… and no going back. And as our energies would collide, my corrupt and demonic aura would penetrate into Lei Zhao’s soul, corrupting her divine technique and changing the very shape of her soul, as well as her bright yellow aura, into a dark and demonic purple.

  Feeling the effects of the changes in Lei Zhao’s soul, Mer Xia’s body would react, and her jade-green eyes would turn to a pitch black, which would mark the beginning of her “demonization” and the end of the Mer Xia known to the world.

  Without my knowledge, further into the future, this would affect the entire world as know it, as well as my destiny as one of the primordial gods.

  The next day, Mer Xia would leave, towards the Zhòuyǔ sect, with a smile on her face and her eyes returned to normal, as if the soul link had never happened. Although I would question her state of body and mind, there would be nothing I or Yuiren could do at this time.

  “Darn it… I really hope they’ll be ok… I can’t tell how much LeiLei’s soul has been affected by this,” I would scratch my head in deep thought and sighs of possible regret, “Yuiren, are you sure there’s nothing we can do to at least check that?”

  “Yes, master, I have already attempted to enter her inner world, but the energies within her are so chaotic that it is impossible,” she would reply while sorrowfully shaking her head, “this is past normal demonic energy and beyond my comprehension.”

  “I guess there really is no turning back now…” I would reply, while assuming the lotus position, “I guess it’s time I nurture my soul and focus on this spear breathing technique. Please let me know when the sect trials begin.”

  “Yes, master, I shall let you know a day in advance.”