''Who is this, my cute little sister?'' asked Sheng Misa.
Sheng Yin didn't look directly at her step-sister and answered, ''A guest.''
''Hmm, is he really so…?'' Misa gazed at me.
She could clearly see my appearance. My face looked good, but only "good" in the eyes of hers which had been spoiled by handsome young masters. I was wearing a long brown robe, fitting for the atmosphere of this garden.
Sheng Misa didn't find anything out of the ordinary about how I looked other than the fact that I was completely unfazed by her rather long stare.
You see, there is a limit to how much one can stare at a stranger. Misa looked every inch of my body, I mean, covered body. Only when I frowned did she stop and asked her sister, ''Won't you introduce me to this guest then?''
Sheng Yin was the daughter of Sheng Aur's wife while Sheng Misa was just a concubine's daughter. However, as this step-sister was older and had a higher cultivation, Sheng Yin had to respect her.
The servants brought chairs outside and we sat on them, having some tea and casually chatting. Well, this 'big sister' was pretty suspicious. She was very bitchy about everything and seemed like the complete opposite of Sheng Yin.
We only talked for about half an hour and I could already judge her character. She was a karen, if said in modern terms. She bossed around and was very strict with the servants.
''What tea is this? Tastes like piss!''
'Oh I know that one…'
Misa threw her cup at a nearby manservant and wiped her fingers with her napkin. Then she put on that annoying smile and turned to Sheng Yin. ''How could you keep such incompetent servants around the mansion? I say we fire them all and bring in new ones from the main house.''
Her manner of speech was condescending.
''That's not for me to decide.'' Sheng Yin sipped her tea and didn't engage in any more talks.
''Ah, I'm bored. Maybe I'll go and get some sleep. You there,'' she called a maid, ''Go prepare my bed. This young lady is tired.''
She did a fake yawn and stood up. ''Boy, you are uninteresting.'' And made a bitchy comment before leaving.
Her walk was seductive but everything else told me that Karen was a sadist. I was spot on there as I heard a slapping sound and then a maid started crying. I was rather amused by this mortal's behaviour.
When all was quiet, Sheng Yin said, ''Sorry about that, she's like this.''
I coughed and let the matter disappear. There were no guards around us now. I had seen Misa make a secret gesture. They had followed her after that. I'd sensed three Meridian Opening practitioners during my stay here, though none of them were at the peak of this stage.
We both stood up at the same time, surprising ourselves.
There was a sitting ground under a tall cedar tree. This was one of the vegetation I recognized. I led Sheng Yin over there and we lay under the tree's shade. Birds were busy up at the tree's crown and insects walked on its trunk and branches.
I smelled the flowers in this garden and relaxed, lying down on the ground. Blades of lush grass gently grazed my clothes and my hair. Sheng Yin preferred to sit instead. The small trees ahead of us blocked our figures, so we couldn't be seen from the mansion windows.
She came closer to me and placed my head on her lap. Then, she started stroking my hair. I guessed this was another way of relaxation. I could feel her soft thighs, making for a better pillow than what I used to rest my head on.
Sheng Yin looked down, a smile on her face and intimacy in her eyes. She was happy, happy until I spoke.
''I will be leaving tomorrow,'' I said.
''What? So early!'' her mood instantly dampened.
''I can't stay here forever,'' I sighed.
How many days had it been since we came to this mansion? Two? Maybe three. I hadn't been in touch with Chunu and others since I started courting her. In these two months, I had rapidly increased my rank.
Qin Mao's deadline was coming up and I had to think of a reasonable bullshit to present to him. Then there was also the matter about Bina. She was still here, I knew, hiding somewhere.
''We will keep in touch.'' I opened my eyes and held her hand that had stopped stroking my hair. She was sad now.
''Yin,'' with a serious tone, I said, ''I am not strong enough currently. We cannot let others know that we are in a relationship.''
Now, this here was a rather cliché excuse that most story heroes used to abandon their lovers and die off somewhere. I, for one, wasn't willing to think of a creative explanation on why we had to 'separate.' What I said also had some truth in it.
If Sheng Yin went and said that she had a lover who was not a rich young master with powerful backing, that would spell doom for me instead. Then again, I wasn't interested in this marriage bullshit that was surely occupying her mind since she confessed.
I had to become stronger, yes, and until I reached the peak of Meridian Opening, I doubted I could take Sheng Yin as my harem member under the eyes of her family. There were suitors from other families as well and I wasn't willing to deal with them at the moment.
''Sheng Yin, you are mine and rest assured that I won't just leave you.'' This was true, so she really ought to stop clinging to me now.
I sighed. It all happened, yes. This love thing was real and I had also been like this when I first experienced it. But you get used to it, then it seems like a basic necessity, like food or water.
Sheng Yin was experiencing it for the first time, so it felt so new. There was real passion within her while I was only faking it. However, it had been a while since I had been subjected to such affection and it wasn't bad. Honestly, I would want more but not now.
That night, Sheng Yin and I slept together. We didn't have sex as she was still recovering from her virginity loss. Due to all that pounding last night, she wasn't able to walk properly.
Sheng Yin hugged me tight in her sleep. She was inside my room, a rather brave stunt she had pulled there while her big sister was still in this mansion.
Under the bed sheet, our naked bodies were entangled. Her soft melons were pressed against my chest while I sandwiched her thighs with mine, the sensation was sublime.
She took deep breaths while in her sleep, completely surrendering herself to me. I was awake, feeling her warmth while thinking about life.
This whole reincarnation, all these memories, and the obligation to participate in this contest. Just a little more than half a year ago, I was on earth, escaping my pursuers.
'And now, now I am here, in this ''mortal world'' where cultivation is a thing.'
Sometimes, I felt like I was dreaming. That desert, Pinchu town, Tuo Bao's flattery, my sister's gaze, Hu Shuo's face when he drank alcohol, Yaya's laughter, Gang Bing's concern, then the dead bodies of Gang family members… I suddenly felt a chill.
I had killed many more but those corpses with wide open eyes and foam leaking out of their mouths always haunted my newly formed memories. I may have done something wrong there but as a criminal, I was already a sinner.
I felt my forehead and shook my head. These were late night thoughts. I should just sleep.
Sheng Yin mumbled something in her sleep and hugged me tighter. The night was deep, stars covered the sky like always. No moon there, the goddess didn't like showing herself in this mortal sky, even though it was really beautiful.
Fwuuu~
A mildly temperate wind entered from the window that I had kept open. Summer was about to start and I was not in the Shang desert, the nights weren't cold anymore.
…
The very next day, I got on a carriage. I was leaving this mansion now and there was no need to go by carriage but Sheng Yin insisted that I do.
I would still be in the city so why this drama? I looked at her face. She put on a smile, a restrained smile that she hadn't learned to do properly.
Her step-sister Misa was also there. I hadn't talked to her much yesterday, only doing the formalities. I didn't care much about her at the moment.
The coachman was the same and he knew where to drop me.
I smiled back at Sheng Yin, a carefree smile and waved at the two ladies. As the horses started moving, the carriage was pulled. The gatekeepers opened the gate and bowed when the carriage passed by.
When I was out of Sheng family's private estate, I stopped waving and retracted my hands back. Too much acting. I turned around and faced the opposite seat, leaning comfortably.
''So then Bina, how did you bypass those guards? Can you tell me?'' I asked the woman sitting on that seat.. Her expression was neutral and her hands were folded below her gigantic breasts.