"What do I have to do? Can’t you just say everything at once?” Zu An was frustrated at the way Mi Li was revealing bits and pieces of information, as if trying to reel him in.

Chu Chuyan also looked at Mi Li in anticipation. Needless to say, she would rather be able to recover her full ability to cultivate, rather than just her mobility.

With a gleam in her eyes, Mi Li asked, “Have you heard of ‘transcendent aptitude’ before?”

“Transcendent aptitude?” Chu Chuyan and Qiao Xueying exchanged glances. Both of them could see the doubt in each other’s eyes.

Qiao Xueying pondered for a moment before speaking. “Based on what I know, transcendent aptitude is just a legend. In fact, many doubt the veracity of its existence, as even the most talented cultivators in the world are only at Upper Jia (A+) aptitude. Even so, there are less than ten of them. Given this, how could transcendent aptitude really exist?”

Both Chu Chuyan and Qiao Xueying were already extremely talented individuals, but their aptitudes were only at Lower Jia (A-) level. Every step above it signified a huge difference, and so, even cultivators of Upper Jia aptitude were far beyond their reach, let alone one who could possess transcendent aptitude.

“You need not doubt the validity of its existence,” said Mi Li. She pointed to Zu An and continued, “That’s because he’s one of them.”

Chu Chuyan and Qiao Xueying could not hide their surprise.

The two of them turned to look at Zu An in unison. 

He possesses the legendary transcendent aptitude? How is that possible?!

The two women were extremely familiar with him, so they knew how much of a renowned wastrel he was in Brightmoon City. Back then, before taking Zu An in as her husband, Chu Chuyan had even secretly had his aptitude checked, and determined that it was at the Lower Ding (D-) level.

Even if he had been hiding his true skills and cultivation all this while, there was no way he could have concealed his aptitude as well, could he?

“He’s a transcendent aptitude cultivator? Elder, could you be mistaken?” asked Chu Chuyan. 

It was true that Zu An had impressed her with his skills recently, but she was still unable to fathom that he could be someone with the legendary transcendent aptitude. Even her Lower Jia (A-) aptitude was already enough for her to reach the sixth rank. With his potential, how could he possibly still only be at the third rank?

“I’m also perplexed by how weak he is, but there’s no way I could be mistaken about this. I came into contact with his blood earlier, and he definitely possesses transcendent aptitude,” replied Mi Li.

Feeling the gazes of the three women being centered on him, Zu An scratched his head in embarrassment and said, “I was intending to conceal my aptitude and blend in with the other ordinary folks like you, but it looks like I’ve been found out. Yes, I’m indeed someone who possesses the legendary transcendent aptitude. I hope that you won’t treat me any differently because of that in the future.”

Both Chu Chuyan and Qiao Xueying were utterly speechless.

The two of them were completely bewildered by his admission. What’s wrong with the world? How could a fellow like him actually possess transcendent aptitude?

Even with both Mi Li and Zu An confirming the matter, his casual demeanor still made them think that he was just joking with them.

“It’s common knowledge that transcendent aptitude cultivators grow swiftly, but that in itself is not enough to be considered transcendent. The key reason why they are considered transcendent is because their blood essence is top-notch nourishment to all cultivators. Those who consume the blood essence of a transcendent aptitude cultivator can greatly increase the speed of their cultivation and heal all their injuries. In fact, there are even rumors that, if one were to assimilate all of the blood essence a transcendent aptitude cultivator possesses, one can achieve true immortality,” said Mi Li.

“Big sis empress, can you stop licking your lips? You’re scaring me a little.” Zu An gulped fearfully as he finally understood why Jiang Luofu had given him such a weird look upon realizing that he was a transcendent-aptitude cultivator.

Aiyo, you should have just said it earlier. If my gorgeous principal needs my ‘essence’, I’d be more than willing to give it to her… Ah, wait a moment, we’re not talking about the same essence.

“Immortality?!” Chu Chuyan and Qiao Xueying exclaimed in astonishment.

Many cultivators in this world lived far longer than an ordinary human lifespan, but thus far, none of them had truly been able to escape death. Even in the case of Mi Li, they assumed that she had only been able to live this long because she had been turned into an undead creature, even if there were some things about her that were inconsistent.

Undead creatures traded their bodies and physical functions in order to attain a longer lifespan, so it was unheard of for any undead to be able to retain their beauty like Mi Li had.

“The part regarding immortality should be false,” said Mi Li with a shake of her head. “In the history of humankind, I’ve never heard of any transcendent-aptitude cultivator achieving true immortality before. Ying Zheng also tried pursuing immortality back then, resorting to all sorts of means, including capturing and assimilating a transcendent-aptitude cultivator. However, he wasn’t able to achieve his goal in the end.”

Chu Chuyan and Qiao Xueying looked confused. They clearly had never heard of Ying Zheng before.

Zu An, on the other hand, was appalled. As expected of Qin Shihuang! He actually had the ability to find a transcendent-aptitude cultivator and assimilate him. 

He felt sympathetic towards his ‘fellow comrade who possessed transcendent aptitude’, but at the same time, he found himself wondering what kind of state Mi Li was in at the moment. If even Qin Shihuang was unable to achieve immortality, it was hard for him to imagine how Mi Li had been able to survive the intervening millennia, albeit in a sealed state.

“Elder, you still haven’t told me what I have to do in order to restore Miss Chu’s ki meridians.” Qiao Xueying had always been short-tempered, and she noticed how Mi Li still hadn’t gotten to the crux of the matter despite blabbering on for so long.

“Haven’t I made it patently obvious by now?” Mi Li said with a frustrated snort. “He just has to infuse his blood essence and channel the Primordial Origin Sutra, along with his primordial ki, into her body. That would be sufficient to restore her ki meridians.”

“Blood essence?” Chu Chuyan was confused. “Do I have to drink his blood?”

Mi Li frowned. “Aren’t the two of you a couple? Why don’t you get anything at all?”

All of a sudden, Chu Chuyan was struck by a flash of realization, and the same thought surfaced in Qiao Xueying’s mind as well. The two of them quickly whispered to one another, and their faces reddened in embarrassment[1].

“B-but… How can that be drunk…” Chu Chuyan had never felt so embarrassed before. She had to squeeze out the very last bit of courage she had in her body in order to utter those words.

“Drunk?” Mi Li was stunned for a moment before realizing what Chu Chuyan was thinking of. A bizarre smile crept on her lips as she said, “It’s not wrong to put it that way, but you’re not ‘drinking’ it through those lips.”

Zu An was utterly speechless.

Big sis empress, you would surely have been a meme master, had you lived in the modern era.

Qiao Xueying and Chu Chuyan were maidens, but they weren’t so ignorant that they didn’t understand what Mi Li was talking about, especially since she had made it rather explicit. Their faces turned so red that they looked almost like ripe apples ready to be bitten into.

Mi Li also didn’t bother beating around the bush. “The blood essence of a transcendent aptitude cultivator possesses great life force and mystical energy, whereas the primordial ki is the purest substance in the whole world. You need the two of them in order to restore your ki meridians. I’ll impart to you a formula in order to draw in the ‘essence’ he’s pumping into you during the amalgamation of yin and yang later on, lest you end up wasting such precious energy and fail to make a full recovery.”

“H-how can I do that?!” Chu Chuyan’s face was completely red, and she was so nervous that she could hear her own heart pattering away frantically. She had never imagined that the cure would be something like this. 

While she and Zu An were considered a couple, it had always only been in name. It had been nothing more than a ruse to silence the mouths of the other powers.

She was touched that Zu An had put his life on the line to save her, and there was no doubt that she carried great goodwill towards him right now. Despite it all, this was still her first time encountering such a situation, and so it was inevitable that she would feel intimidated and frightened.

Meanwhile, Qiao Xueying pressed her lips together, a brooding look in her eyes. She had never expected things to turn out like that, and it left her feeling a little dazed.

“What’s wrong with this?” asked Mi Li in bewilderment. “The two of you are a couple… Hm? You’re still a maiden?”

She finally understood what the crux of the problem was. She turned to Zu An and exclaimed, “You’re unable to do it?”

How could a man be told to his face that he was ‘unable to do it’? Zu An immediately roared back, “What nonsense!”

His voice was a little shaky though, since he had indeed been impotent until just a little while ago… 

Nevertheless, his words reminded Mi Li of that tent in his pants that she’d seen while sleeping in the crystal coffin a moment ago, and the thought of it brought a hint of awkwardness to her face. I guess I misunderstood him. “Since you’re able to do it, why in the world have you been leaving your beautiful wife to wilt on her own?”

Zu An had no way to respond.

Sis, trust me. I want to do it too! I just… couldn’t!

“Forget it, you don’t have to say anything. I reckon there’s some sort of ridiculous melodrama at play here.” Mi Li suddenly sounded a little irritated. She turned to Chu Chuyan and said, “Based on what I’ve seen thus far, the two of you harbor mutual feelings for one another. I don’t understand your opposition, but are you certain that you would rather remain an ordinary human who can’t even raise your hands above your shoulders for the rest of your life?”

Qiao Xueying hesitated for a moment before offering her own advice. “Miss Chu, you know the terrible plight the Chu clan is in at the moment. You won’t be able to protect the Chu clan if you’re a cripple. Zu An nearly lost his life several times in order to save yours. Are you going to let his sacrifice and hard work be in vain?

“I know that someone of your caliber is bound to have high expectations for your future partner, but what’s done is done. Zu An is your husband, after all, and a day like this was always bound to come. Do you detest him so much as to reject him even when your future is at stake?”

“No, that’s not it… It’s just that…” Chu Chuyan’s eyelids fluttered, her heart riddled with conflict.

Mi Li shot a glance at Zu An and urged him on through voice transmission. “Are you a man or not? Why are you standing there in a daze?! Are you still expecting her to make the first move?”

Zu An finally snapped out of his stupor. He steeled his resolve before walking over to Chu Chuyan’s side, supporting her soft body up before whispering tenderly in her ears, “Am I not good enough?”

Chu Chuyan was taken aback by the sudden show of tenderness, leaving her even more flustered. “N-no, that’s not it. It’s just that…”

“Just listen to me this once. For both of our sakes…” said Zu An while gazing deep into her eyes.

Chu Chuyan had never seen such an earnest look on Zu An’s face before, and it made her face turn red. She hesitated for a long moment before finally giving him an almost-imperceptible nod. 

Qiao Xueying sighed deeply before walking out.

Mi Li quickly imparted a formula to Chu Chuyan before saying, “I hope you’ve memorized the formula. Make sure to use it later on.”

Before taking her leave, she noticed several terracotta soldiers sneaking glances at them, so she sneered and said, “Do the lot of you want to watch the show?”

The terracotta soldiers immediately turned their heads away and stood still, as though they had turned back into statues.

Mi Li gave another disdainful snort. With a flick of her sleeves, she formed a veil of ki around the altar.

Inside the veil, Zu An placed Chu Chuyan on top of the stone tablet and gently undid her belt, revealing her fair skin. 

The chilling sensation tingled Chu Chuyan’s skin, and she couldn’t help but hesitate. “W-wait a moment, Zu An! I… I don’t know…” 

Zu An sighed softly and said, “Do you hate me?”

“N-no, that’s not it…” Chu Chuyan couldn’t even meet Zu An’s gaze. She turned her head aside, and the redness in her cheeks slowly began to spread down to the rest of her body. “It’s just that… just that…”

Chu Chuyan was so flustered that she couldn’t say anything meaningful.

Zu An leaned in closer and gently sealed off her cherry lips with his own, causing Chu Chuyan’s eyes to widen. In that instant, her mind went blank.