Chapter 31

That evening, the Second in Command took her back up to the captain’s cabin. The mouthwatering smell of grilled meat still hung in the air as he lounged on a hanging chair, fastened to the ceiling. She was left with him alone as the door slammed shut behind her. Fu Yilan knew she could run circles around everyone on this boat, but this was the chance to try something.

“Yes, you really are an exquisite find,” the captain said. He swirled some wine in a cup in his hand, taking a sip while his eyes drifted along the curves of her body. “Come on, give me a twirl. You don’t want to know what happens if you don’t.”

Fu Yilan activated the Bewitching Fox Steps and let her hips sway slowly as she twirled around for him. Still dressed in the skimpy outfit she’d used for her escape, it wasn’t just that everything was visible for him; instead, the dress enhanced her assets. Tits were pressed together, deep cleavage pulling and binding the gaze. Skintight, it hugged her figure, accentuating the delectable femininity. Fu Yilan could feel how the dress didn’t cover her entire ass. It gave a glimpse of what lay below, whetting the appetite.

“Mhm, yes yes yes!” He drained his cup, then placed it on the ground. “Good wine. The type you can only dream of tasting without serious money.” A content sigh escaped his lips as he leaned back. His eyes hadn’t left her figure once.

“Alright. Keep dancing.”

The Bewitching Fox Steps continued working, and she could tell his focus was solely on her. His breath was even and steady, yet heavier than a minute prior. With slow, smooth steps, Fu Yilan stalked closer. The chair rocked back as she leaned onto him, hand on his crotch, rubbing the bulge that had sprung up. A throaty moan escaped her as she purred into his ear, feeling a twitch between his legs in response.

Then she got up and pulled him with her. He seemed so defenseless at the moment. Still, there was something else he’d be good for. Fu Yilan pushed him onto the bed and freed a rock-hard dick. A smooth motion had her on top of him. She avoided his most sensitive spots. He was supposed to last for as long as possible.

It was so much easier getting his vital yang energy out of him that Fu Yilan giggled. It started as a drop, then turned into a steady stream. Her yin energy, refined and strengthened by her being at the fifth stage of the earth realm, barely had to struggle with his vital yang. His eyes were glazed beneath her as Fu Yilan rocked her hips without giving him enough pleasure to let him cum, keeping him mesmerized.

Fu Yilan started moaning, her hands squeezing her chest. It was ecstatic, feeling his life flow into her. The Void Lotus Demoness art had been meant for this, meant to drain everything out of its victim. Cheeks that had seemed healthy five minutes ago were now sinking into his face while all color was draining from his features. All that stayed strong was the erection. His panting turned ragged until it stopped entirely, a drained corpse lying below her.

Fu Yilan got up elegantly. So much energy! But she wouldn’t stop here. Her heels were slid back on as she walked out onto the hallway. Bewitching Fox Steps were activated at full force as she walked along the ship. A mortal man saw her, and she gently pulled him into a corner and started sucking his dick. He was drained in a minute.

A room, smaller than the captain’s and closer to the deck was the first mate’s. He didn’t fare much better than the captain, though he came in the middle of it. Fu Yilan had pulled her qi back up again and he had to find out that he in fact was not stronger than the dainty fifth-stage woman sitting on his dick, half drained as he was. He struggled futilely but met his end anyway.

Fu Yilan was like a demoness as she walked through the halls, the sound of her heels preceding her and the ragged, dying breaths of drained men were left in her wake. Hammocks were strung up everywhere below deck. They didn’t wake from her high heels on the wood, so she had to throw every one of them out of bed. It had taken more than two hours, taking care of every single one. When she stepped onto the deck, the light of the moon shimmering on the waters of the Tsutang had the river looking like streaks of silver were running through its dark waters.

Two men back, she had drained enough energy to break through to the sixth realm. It was exciting, growing so quickly while avenging all the poor people that had been sold by them, for why else would a merchant vessel need jail cells.

Fu Yilan still wore the skimpy dress she’d stolen from the brothel, but it was doing its job nicely. It drew the eyes of all who saw it, making it easier for her art to wrap around their minds. The first man she saw was shoved to the ground, a cultivator in the first realm. It didn’t matter. Her tongue slithered out, wrapping around the dick in front of her face, before she sucked him into her throat. Vital Yang poured out of him as he moaned in pleasure. It would only last three minutes. The last few men on the boat were drained quickly enough. She smiled up at the heavens. She was coming for them.

Fu Yilan dragged all the corpses onto deck, then started looking through the cargo hold for something flammable. A few barrels of oil got the job done. The rest was alcohol; both wine as well as types she didn’t recognize. She poured the strongest alcohol she could find through the walkways.

Lastly, she decided to take a look at the captain’s quarters. Going through the drawers, firmly held in place so they wouldn’t fly open with every storm, she found nothing much of worth. That couldn’t be right. Where else would he keep his valuables? Turning in place, she scanned the room.

She ripped the first animal hide from the wall. Then the second. The fifth one came off easier, and she pulled open a hidden compartment. Within a box, silver and gold coins, as well as twenty gold taels. It was less than she’d expected, if she was honest. There was another, smaller pouch in the compartment as well though. It wasn’t particularly heavy when she lifted it up. Looking inside though, a magical sparkle laughed up at her. She started shaking some out onto the table, and the stones kept coming. In the end, small pile of spirit stones sat before her. How had they all fit inside that single bag?

Fu Yilan tried putting some gold in instead, but it didn’t work, the magical space only opening for spirit stones. It made sense in a way. After all, she hadn’t seen anyone even in the sect carry around crates of spirit stones. She put them back in the little bag, then pushed the remainder into a separate, unenchanted bag. It was considerably heavier, despite not being that much larger in size. Her dress, as well as her umbrella and the beads and beetle were still in her cell and she changed outfits, finally leaving the slutty dress of the brothel behind.

She hesitated when she held beetle and anal plugs in her hand but slipped them inside after all. She had gotten accustomed to not needing to use the toilet, and there was an odd absence in her rectum after having gotten used to it. The beetle she kept as well. It was a reminder that the Old Demon was dead, while she had survived, outliving him and the terror inflicted upon her. It started buzzing slightly as she slipped it in. Something made her pack the brothel’s lewd dress as well, though she didn’t know what. In a way, it held part of her history as well.

There was no soft sword among the weapons on the ship, but she took a short dagger anyway. She wouldn’t be engaging in any direct fighting, but stabbing someone without a dagger art should still hurt them. Just as an emergency measure until she could buy a new soft sword. Now fully set, a slim pack slung across her pack holding some food, the money, and her dagger, she grabbed a lantern and chucked it at the oil-soaked pile of bodies. A large fire roared to life as she threw a small rowboat stowed on the deck into the water, grabbed an oar, and jumped into it smoothly. Like a small sun, the big boat burned as her little one quietly parted the waters, speeding towards the Thousand Sheared-Off Mountains.

The water parted like silver-streaked ink before her boat as Fu Yilan rowed. Her eyes slid over the vast length of the Tsutang, sixth-stage qi flowing through her meridians. Setting down the oar, she stepped over the side. Her foot touched the water and didn’t sink as Bewitching Fox, Flowing Steps let her keep going. Each step left ripples in the water as she started running across it. She had never felt so light, so free. Like a fairy, she ran across the waters of the river. Her concentration didn’t slip once as she pushed her movement art to its current maximum. Flames painted the water orange as the boat kept burning. Fu Yilan didn’t look back.

…

Fu Yilan crested the last step and walked into the small mountain village. Having travelled the Thousand Sheared-Off Mountains, finding a path after two days and following it for another. Steps carved into the mountainside took her to the assortment of huts built on one of the even plateaus on the side of the mountain. Her clothes were slightly dusty, yet her appearance was flawless.

She looked up at the face of the steep wall rising into the clouds above and smiled at the goats seemingly glued to the wall, hooves finding the thinnest ledges and hanging on, all in search of salty minerals and small shrubs. A kindly looking older man with patterned robes in blues and greens walked over. Two women were peeking out of huts, while a group of children stopped their ball game and stared at the beautiful cultivator that had come to their town.

“How can we assist the esteemed cultivator?” His voice was gravelly, similar to the beggars used to smoking. His bow was deep, and Fu Yilan waved him off.

“No need for all of that. I just wish for a place to sleep and a map of the area. Maybe a meal.”

“That will be of no issue. This Village Elder Deng will ensure your needs are met. Though we don’t have a map. I will send my son with you, and he will lead you to the next greater town in the area.”

“That would be great, thank you.”

Fu Yilan got a used set of clothes matching their colorful dresses, patterns with the color of the path of the mountain, and blues of the sky. Dinner was a delicious goat stew. She ate with the family of the village elder, more numerous than she’d expected. He had three wives, each with at least two children and grandchildren. She was told that several were not here at the moment, either out herding goats, daughters married off, or on several day long herb gathering trips. Still, it was very lively at the dinner table, and Fu Yilan was bombarded with questions about what she’d seen and where she planned on going.

They didn’t have a map, but maybe she’d find one there, in the town she’d be led to. It made sense that they wouldn’t see the need, being simple goat farmers. Routes were shared orally or shown by taking the inheritor along.

It felt good, taking part in their meal, stealing a glimpse at their family. She’d never truly had one, an often-seen bandit raid taking both her parents away from her at an early age, forcing her out onto the streets. Society had looked at her with pity, yet only as long as she was clean. And staying clean while living in the dirt was impossible, so their looks quickly shifted to apprehension and disgust.

They all slept together in a large room, furs spread out on the ground. Having spent the evening together, with Fu Yilan dressed in their clothes, they had forgotten that she was a cultivator at the end of the day, alcohol having been poured. Fu Yilan didn’t remind them either. The warmth of the evening had soaked into her, warming her weary self. She had been on the run for so long, always careful, faking warmth for those stronger than her, those that wanted to possess her. She had a restful night, warmed by hospitality.

The next morning, everyone was up early. Breakfast was warmed goat milk with a grain she didn’t know. The second son, Deng Hai, had started packing his pack, but Fu Yilan stopped him.

“Wait. Would it be alright if I stayed with you for a while?” She felt oddly vulnerable, asking it. There was no way for them to refuse, and yet their reactions, amateurishly hidden behind smiles and courtesy, would tell her if they truly minded having her among them. There was a moment of hesitation. The next, Village Elder Deng smiled kindly and assured her she would be welcome for as long as she wished.