Chapter 166 | The Midnight Beggar*

Chapter 166: 166 | The Midnight Beggar*

Midnight had swallowed Alchemy Peak in silence.

The stone doors of the meditation chamber were sealed, while Tier-4 defensive arrays hummed along the walls. Inside, the air was blistering and foul, heavy with the stench of decay.

Upon a slab of profound-ice, Elder Liu sat cross-legged. The ice tempered her Verdant Flame Physique and suppressed the corruption spreading through her meridians. Her robes were soaked with sweat, and her pale face carried a sickly green-gold glow.

The Pill Toxicity had flared again.

"Nngh—"

A violent cough tore from her throat, and dark blood splashed onto the jade floor. The Phantom Burns had grown more vicious, attacking her already damaged meridians while impurities corrupted the Verdant Flame she had cultivated for decades.

Elder Liu forced her Core Formation Qi into circulation. If the toxicity reached her central Dantian, Qi deviation would become inevitable.

Her thoughts turned to Gu Yan.

He should have returned from the Myriad Herb Secret Realm by now. If he had obtained the Pure-Yang Lotus, it could suppress the Phantom Burns and buy her more time.

Before she could think further, the spiritual currents inside the chamber shifted.

Elder Liu’s eyes snapped open.

The Tier-4 arrays did not break or sound an alarm. A narrow gap appeared where two spiritual currents intersected, and a figure stepped through.

It was Lin Tian.

Elder Liu recognized the young Outer Sect disciple immediately.

"Lin Tian."

She forced herself upright, her expression turning cold. "You dare enter a Core Formation elder’s private chamber without permission?"

Lin Tian remained calm. "Your formation has a narrow weakness where its spiritual currents intersect. I found it and used it."

Elder Liu’s eyes narrowed. "Arrogant."

Despite her condition, she was still a Core Formation cultivator. She summoned a surge of Verdant Flame Qi toward him.

But the moment she forced her cultivation forward, the Phantom Burns erupted.

Her Verdant Flame flickered violently, and the attack shattered before reaching Lin Tian. Pain tore through her meridians, forcing her to stagger and cough more dark blood.

Lin Tian’s gaze sharpened at the worsening backlash.

He raised his right hand, and a jade box appeared in his palm. When it opened, pure Yang essence flooded the chamber.

Elder Liu froze.

Inside lay a flawless Pure-Yang Lotus, its golden-red petals glowing with concentrated Yang essence.

"The Pure-Yang Lotus..."

Her voice trembled.

She looked at Lin Tian. "Where did you get it? Where is Gu Yan?"

Lin Tian closed the box.

"They failed. The Lotus is mine."

"Give it to me!"

Elder Liu’s composure broke. "I can give you spirit stones, rare alchemical materials, or even arrange for you to become a Core Disciple."

"Name it, then."

A faint smile touched Lin Tian’s lips.

"System."

He lowered the Abyssal Shadow Veil by a fraction, keeping his true Middle Stage Foundation Establishment cultivation concealed, and activated Irresistible Yang Scent.

A dense wave of Yang aura spread through the chamber.

Elder Liu’s breath caught. Starved of clean Yang essence for years, her Verdant Flame Physique reacted immediately. The burning in her meridians eased, and the unstable flame gradually settled.

She gripped the profound-ice slab, trembling from the sudden relief.

"What... is this?"

Lin Tian took a slow step forward. "Your meridians are starving for pure Yang."

Elder Liu glared at him. "What are you doing to me?"

"Nothing. I’m only letting you feel the difference in my Yang Qi."

She could not deny the effect. Even the corrupted flame in her Dantian had calmed.

Lin Tian examined her meridians through his Insight Eye.

"The Pill Toxicity caused the original damage. The Phantom Burns worsened it with every flare-up. Now your meridians can no longer circulate enough Yang essence to keep your Verdant Flame stable."

Elder Liu’s expression grew grim.

Decades of pills and Yang-attributed herbs had only delayed the problem. The cycle had gone too far.

"Your orthodox alchemy is no longer enough," Lin Tian said. "The herbs you relied on have stopped arriving, and the damage inside your meridians keeps growing."

His gaze settled on the jade box.

"The Pure-Yang Lotus can suppress the Phantom Burns and stabilize you for a time. But it cannot restore what has already been damaged."

Elder Liu stared at him.

Lin Tian’s voice remained low and steady. "Your body is starving, Elder. Your orthodox alchemy is useless. Your disciples are useless. The pure-Yang herbs stopped arriving. You are drowning in your own toxic ash."

***

Lin Tian stopped directly before her.

"I don’t want your pills or your spirit stones." His voice dropped into a quiet rumble. "Those things are useless to me."

"Then what do you want?" Elder Liu looked up at him, her breathing still uneven from the Yang Qi lingering within her meridians. The pride of a four-star alchemist still burned fiercely in her eyes.

"I want Alchemy Peak," Lin Tian said calmly. "And I want you."

Her breath caught.

"You insolent junior." Her fingers tightened against the profound-ice slab. "I would rather shatter my own Core than bow to someone younger than me."

"Then do what you believe is right."

Lin Tian folded his arms, completely unmoved. "I came here with something you need. I won’t force it into your hands, and I won’t stay where my terms are refused."

He turned away.

Elder Liu’s pride screamed at her to remain silent, but the memory of his Yang Qi was still fresh within her meridians. She knew the relief would fade.

"Wait."

Lin Tian stopped and glanced back.

"You want the Lotus?"

"Yes..." Her voice was quiet now. "I need it."

"Then understand what you’re asking for. Your title doesn’t buy what I possess. You choose whether you’re willing to accept my terms."

Elder Liu stared at him. "What are your terms?"

"Trust me enough to receive my treatment."

Her gaze fell to the jade box in his hand.

After a long hesitation, her fingers moved to the golden sash around her outer robe. The knot loosened, and the verdant-green robe slipped from her shoulders onto the profound-ice, leaving her in a simple white inner garment.

Her cheeks burned, but she did not look away.

"I’ve agreed."

Lin Tian stepped closer. "Good."

He gently raised her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes.

Elder Liu’s breathing caught as the warmth of his palm touched her skin. His closeness made the difference between his Yang Qi and the corrupted energy within her impossible to ignore.

"Don’t resist."

His hand settled over her heart meridian, and a thin stream of condensed Yang Qi entered her body.

Elder Liu stiffened.

Warmth spread through her damaged channels. The Phantom Burns recoiled, the pressure in her chest eased, and her unstable Verdant Flame gradually settled.

Her fingers curled against the ice as the familiar pain faded.

A soft breath escaped her lips.

She had spent decades relying on pills and Yang-attributed herbs, yet his Yang Qi felt completely different. It moved through her meridians with an almost startling harmony.

Lin Tian carefully controlled the flow, giving her only what her damaged meridians could endure. After a short while, he withdrew his hand.

The warmth vanished.

Elder Liu’s eyes opened immediately.

The pain did not return at once, but the loss of that warmth was enough to make her hand move toward him before she stopped herself.

"Wait..."

Lin Tian stepped back.

"That was only a demonstration."

Elder Liu lowered her hand and examined her meridians with Divine Sense.

The result was undeniable.

The burning had eased, her Verdant Flame was calmer, and the crushing pressure in her chest had loosened. For those brief moments, she had experienced a relief that countless pills and herbs had failed to provide.

"How can your Yang Qi affect me like this?" she asked softly.

"Because your meridians can accept it." Lin Tian’s gaze remained fixed on her. "That is why this can work."

The ethereal blue interface flickered into his vision.

[Devotion: 12% → 25%]

[Current State: Desperate & Conflicted]

Lin Tian glanced at the notification before returning his attention to Elder Liu.

Her eyes drifted toward the jade box, then back to him. The Lotus was still important, but she could not forget the warmth that had just passed through her meridians.

Lin Tian lifted the jade box slightly.

"The Pure-Yang Lotus can stabilize you, but your meridians are too fragile to absorb its full power without preparation."

"Then what do you want me to do?"

His eyes held hers.

"Take the next step."

The words were quiet, but their meaning was unmistakable.

Elder Liu’s face warmed. She understood that he was no longer speaking of another pill or ordinary treatment.

Lin Tian moved closer again and stopped within her reach. This time, he did not touch her.

That restraint made the silence between them feel even more intimate.

Elder Liu could feel his warmth against her skin without a single point of contact. Her fingers curled into the edge of her inner garment as the Phantom Burns stirred faintly beneath her meridians, reminding her why she had stopped him from leaving.

She lifted her eyes to his.

"I understand."

Lin Tian said nothing.

He simply waited.

For the first time in more than a century, Elder Liu found herself anticipating another person’s touch not because she desired indulgence, but because she knew the warmth of his Yang Qi could quiet the pain inside her.

The realization sent another flush across her face.

Neither moved.

The transaction had just begun.