Dreamslumber Incense. It’s a powerful incense made primarily from Spiritdew Bark, Silent Moth Dust, Moonshade Resin... and of course, Ghostshade Ferns.
As Langtian opened his eyes, he found himself lying on the bed again. His head hurt like hell.
Groggily, he sat up, one hand hugging his aching temple.
"Urrghhh... what just happened?"
Suddenly, he remembered.
’Oh shit... Senior Sister, she was—’
But the moment he turned, he met Yue Ling’s gaze. His Senior Sister was right there with him, sitting cross-legged on a stony stool, meditating in silence.
Yue Ling opened her eyes.
"Junior Brother, you’re awake. How are you feeling now?"
Langtian blinked, utterly confused.
Just moments ago, they were fighting. Both of them had been overwhelmed by demonic mental corruption... so much so that they ended up attacking each other.
He still remembered swinging his dadao at her again and again, even aiming for her neck at one point.
And Yue Ling... she had tried to kill him too, because he wouldn’t obey her command or surrender to the inner demon.
But now, here they were. He was lying on a bed. She was sitting calmly beside him.
Like nothing had ever happened.
"Here. I made this for you."
Yue Ling turned around. Langtian’s eyes widened as she brought out a small bowl filled with his childhood favorite dessert.
Spirit Lotus Sweet Soup.
It was probably made from the petals and seeds of the crimson lotuses from the pond which they recently visited.
But even then, Langtian just sat there, frozen. He stared at the bowl. Then at Yue Ling.
Still dazed. Still confused.
"Don’t worry. The demonic corruption might’ve affected the lotuses too, but it’s nothing like what you experienced from eating that wolf meat. You’ll be fine."
She brought the bowl closer to him.
"And while you’re eating, I’ll explain what really happened."
"O-Okay..." Langtian mumbled, hesitating as he accepted the bowl.
And slowly, he began to eat.
_________________________
The moment the first spoonful touched his tongue, Langtian froze.
A warm, gentle sweetness bloomed in his mouth.
The broth was smooth, sweet, and silky. The lotus petals melted the instant they touched his tongue, like silken candies. And the seeds—large and tender—released a rich, nutty flavor with every bite, perfectly balancing the sweetness of the soup.
"Wow!" Langtian exclaimed as the inside of his mouth tingled with a strange ache, almost painful, because the soup was just too good.
"Does it taste alright?" Yue Ling asked gently.
"Yeah, it’s really good!" he nodded.
He had eaten Spirit Lotus Sweet Soup before, also made by senior sister Shangguan. So, he half-expected this version to resemble that familiar flavor.
However, he was wrong.
While there were indeed similarities, the taste of this current version was far superior to the old one.
The previous soup had been light, not too sweet—like the gentle embrace of early spring.
But this one... this one was indulgent. Like a drug that filled his mind with warm, dizzying ecstasy.
It made him crave more with every bite.
In just seconds, Langtian had emptied the bowl.
"Hehe, I’m glad you liked it," Yue Ling said with a soft smile.
"You can have more, if you’d like. I made extra."
Langtian’s voice lifted cheerfully as he moved to hand over his bowl for a second serving.
"Actually... I... I’m good..." he hesitated.
After all, the lotuses here had been touched by demonic energy too.
He feared that if he ate too much of the soup, he might fall into that maddening state again... and what had happened earlier might repeat itself.
Yue Ling, as if reading his thoughts, gently took the bowl from his hands and offered him a calm smile.
"Don’t worry. Like I said, the sweet soup won’t cause madness. It’s actually one of the very few things here you can eat without risk. The calming effect of the lotuses naturally counters the demonic energy. You can safely have seconds, or even thirds. Fourths, if you really want."
Her eyes were so sure. So calm.
Langtian hesitated a little.
"T-Then... I’ll have another one, please."
"Good boy," Yue Ling said, smiling as she ruffled his hair again.
She stood up and walked out to get more of the delicious soup.
__________________________
Moments later, Yue Ling returned, not with just a bowl, but with an entire pot.
She poured one bowl for him, and one for herself as well.
There was enough of the sweet soup for both of them to eat ten bowls each.
Still, carefully, Langtian ate slowly. After each spoonful, he would stop to listen to his inner thoughts to see if there was anything wrong, while also silently chanting the Tranquil Heart Breathing mantra.
But just as his Senior Sister had said, the lotuses didn’t seem to drive him mad. If anything, they made his mind more clear... even a little energized.
"Now... Senior Sister, can you please tell me what happened earlier?"
"Oh, sure," Yue Ling said, setting her bowl down on the stone table with a soft clink.
She folded her hands in her lap.
"I was actually testing you."
"What? Testing... me?"
"Yes," she nodded. "Sorry I didn’t tell you in advance. If I had, you might’ve tried to prepare yourself... and then it wouldn’t have been real."
"I needed to see your raw, unfiltered reaction. How you’d face your inner demon when it surfaced. Just you... and the worst part of yourself."
At her words, Langtian froze. It took him a few seconds to process this.
"I see... so that was just a test..." he muttered eventually, shoulders sinking as he let out a long sigh of relief. "You were so scary... I really thought you’d lost control. Like, full-on Qi deviation or something."
"Well, demonic corruption is very similar to that," said Yue Ling with a faint smile.
She paused, then leaned forward slightly.
"Junior Brother," she said.
The air around her changed. Her tone grew serious.
"Before I explain more... I want you to answer a question for me."
Langtian straightened up instinctively.
"Yes?" he asked, eyes meeting hers.
"Why do you think no one has ever walked this cultivation path before?"