The Elder guarding the door saw Tian Wudi. The Elder flinched. He wanted to stop the pig, but he remembered that Elder Gu Hai was currently in the infirmary coughing up blood. So, the guard Elder suddenly became very interested in the clouds in the sky and pretended not to see anything.
Tian Wudi walked in.
The smell of old paper filled the air. Several disciples were browsing books. When they saw the pig, they quickly moved to the other side of the room, whispering.
Tian Wudi ignored them. He went to the "Body Refining" section.
He pulled out a blue book. "Iron Bull Skin."
He opened it. He read the first page.
"Consume iron sand. Beat the skin with wooden sticks for three years. Effect: Skin becomes hard as wood."
"Trash," Tian Wudi threw the book on the floor. "Eating iron sand destroys the stomach lining. Only an idiot wrote this."
He pulled another book. "Flowing River Fist."
"Meditate by the river. Punch water ten thousand times."
"Garbage," Tian Wudi scoffed loudly. "Water is soft. Fist is hard. This technique creates rheumatism in the joints. Who puts these harmful books here?"
He criticized every book he touched. He threw them into a pile. To him, these "secret manuals" were worse than toilet paper. In the Upper Realms, even a beggar would not wipe his ass with these techniques.
Then, he sensed a familiar scent.
It was the smell of orchids and cold winter snow.
He looked around the bookshelf.
There, sitting by a window, reading a scroll, was Mu Ling.
The Clan Beauty. The fiance of the guy whose ribs he broke.
She looked beautiful in the library light. Her profile was elegant. Her long black hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall. But her brow was furrowed in frustration.
Tian Wudi licked his lips. "Target acquired."
He walked quietly for a pig and stood behind her.
She was reading a scroll titled: "Blazing Sun Sword Art."
This was a high-grade Mortal technique. It was the pride of the Gu Clan.
"You are reading it wrong," a deep voice grunted near her ear.
Mu Ling jumped. She turned around and pressed her back against the bookshelf. Her hand went to her sword hilt.
"Zhu!" she hissed. Her face was a mix of anger and caution. "Why are you haunting me?"
Tian Wudi leaned one hand on the bookshelf, trapping her between his arm and the books. It was a classic dominant pose, unfortunately ruined slightly by the fact that his belly was pressing against her knees.
And he was not tall enough for her.
The moment got awkward for a moment.
"Ahem…I…I am not haunting you," Tian Wudi returned to his shamelessness and smirked. "I am saving you."
"Saving me?" Mu Ling sneered. "From what?" She slowly started to pull her sword.
"From destroying your own future," Tian Wudi pointed his chubby finger at the scroll. "The Blazing Sun Sword Art requires a 'Pure Yang' body type. You are a woman. Your body is naturally 'Yin'. If you practice this, the Fire Qi will clash with your Yin blood."
He looked into her eyes with intense seriousness.
"Tell me, every month when your 'moon cycle' comes, do you feel a stabbing pain in your lower abdomen? Does your cultivation regress for three days?"
Mu Ling froze. Her eyes widened in horror.
This was her deepest secret. Nobody knew. Not even her masters. She thought it was normal.
"How... how do you know?" she whispered as she looked around to make sure, none were looking at them or eavesdropping on them.
Tian Wudi stepped closer. The smell of his masculinity mixed with wine wafted over her. In this world, secret knowledge, money & power is sexy. And right now, this pig seemed to know the secrets of the Heavens.
"I am the Sovereign," he said mysteriously. "I can see your Qi flowing backwards. Look here."
He reached out. Mu Ling wanted to slap his hand away, but she was paralyzed by his knowledge.
Tian Wudi placed his hand on her shoulder. Then he slid it down to her collarbone.
"Hey! What are you doing?" She trembled, her face flushing red. She wanted to draw her sword but for some reason she didn't.
"Quiet. I am diagnosing," Tian Wudi scolded her. "Here. The celestial skylight point."
He pressed his finger firmly against her collarbone, right above the swell of her chest.
"Ah!" She suddenly let out a moan because of a strange sensation, like a jolt of electricity, shot through her body. It wasn't painful. It was... pleasant. It made her knees weak.
"See?" Tian Wudi smiled. "Blocked. Your Fire Qi is stuck here. If you keep forcing it, your chest will... well, it will never grow and mature, but it will hurt. And it will ruin your skin too."
He retracted his hand, but rubbed his fingers together as if savoring the texture & warmth of her skin.
"Smooth," he muttered. "A bit cold, though."
Mu Ling was breathing heavily. She felt violated, yet she also felt that the persistent ache in her shoulder had suddenly vanished. She was confused.
"Who... who are you really?" she asked, staring at the pig face. "You can't just be a pet pig."
"I told you," Tian Wudi leaned in, his wet nose almost touching her ear. "I am the man who will conquer the heavens. And you... you have potential to be my concubine."
"Concubine?!" Mu Ling's anger returned, she almost drew her sword. "I am the genius daughter of Mu Clan! I am engaged to Gu Bo!"
"Gu Bo is a cripple now,"
"Liar!"
"Maybe I am but he is a cripple in mind, he does not appreciate you or your type. He prefers older and mature ones, that's why he visits them regularly."
Mu Ling didn't deny this time as if she knew about this all along.
"A woman like you needs a strong mountain to rely on. Not a weak like Gu Bo. Look at this."
He opened the Elder's Spatial Pouch again. He pulled out a bottle of pills.
"Second Grade Fire Spirit Pills."