Meditation methods and Battle Aura codices were the two most fundamental paths of cultivation for any Transcendent — the former refined the spirit and mana, the latter tempered the body and martial force. Both fell within the domain of Sequence 9 Transcendent knowledge, born from the all-encompassing Laws of the world, yet each carrying a deeply personal character — a window into the practitioner's own perception and understanding of those Laws.
Under the binding constraints of the Laws, Meditation methods possessed a quality of exclusivity. Even a high-Sequence Transcendent who decided to start over — switching to a different method or creating a new one from scratch — would find that every benefit gained from their previous practice vanished without a trace. Mana would wither, Intelligence would decline, and the price paid would be severe.
For that reason, mages had always chosen their Meditation method with the utmost care and deliberation. Li Fei was no exception.
Her choice of the Meditation method created by Bai Mengtian was not merely an act of showing off — the method genuinely suited her better than anything else available. The Five Elements Meditation wasn't particularly alarming when you looked at any single one of its bonuses in isolation. Its true strength lay in its extraordinary comprehensiveness. No weak points. No blind spots. For anyone who could actually master it, the result was a perfectly hexagonal mage-girl.
The vast majority of Meditation methods provided bonuses limited to a single alignment — something like "Nature-alignment spell effects +10%" — and methods boosting two alignments simultaneously were not uncommon. Three-alignment methods were genuinely rare. But the Five Elements Meditation, which amplified spells across all five alignments, was utterly without parallel in the known world.
For most people, the Five Elements Meditation might have been more flash than substance. Even an Archwizard — a once-in-an-age prodigy — specialized in at most three alignments, which meant two of the method's five boosts would go entirely to waste. But the star courtesan was a different case entirely. With this method, she could spend her Potential Points however she pleased, in whatever direction she chose, without a single point wasted.
In truth, when she had received the method at noon and read the System's description for the first time, Li Fei had been seized by a powerful urge to immediately dump all her Potential Points into it on the spot — to make a grand, dramatic show of her stats. But that would have been far too conspicuous, and the star courtesan had just barely managed to rein in the impulse.
With my current stats — even if I banned the Mammoth— ah, I mean, even if I took Dragon's Might, the Guardian Mage Robe, and the poison-tipped crossbow bolts off the table — I should already be able to hold my own against a Knowledge Sequence Transcendent at Sequence 9. Assuming I've got at least two reliable spells under my belt, of course.
Li Fei muttered to herself, quietly running the numbers on her own combat power.
The Guardian Mage Robe and Dragon's Might were basically exploits — with those two in play, a Sequence 9 Transcendent didn't even get to raise their hand before it was over. And the crossbow-plus-poison strategy was, she had to admit, a little undignified.
In the past, she'd had no choice but to rely on dirty tricks and equipment advantages. Now that her level had finally climbed to something respectable, the star courtesan felt a rising confidence in her own abilities — a genuine, restless itch for a proper fight.
I'll find a chance to test that theory sometime.
She murmured the thought to herself, cast a quick Cleanse to scrub the grime from her body, and set off on the road home beneath a sky full of stars, her steps lighter now that her Charisma had ticked up to 199.
She was definitely going to be late for work — but that was fine. Tonight's client was that insufferable little sister of hers, the one who was absolutely not a lady. Let her wait.
...
Bang bang bang!
"Li Fei, Li Fei, I want Li Fei!"
Inside a private room at the Golden Kumquat Tavern, a golden-haired loli was standing on the sofa, pounding the table with wild abandon, her childish voice rising in shrill, impatient demands. Behind her, a fluffy fox tail swayed back and forth with restless energy.
Then she stopped abruptly. Her soft fox ears shot straight up, pivoting to track the sound of footsteps approaching down the corridor outside.
"I'm here, stop your yelling."
The road-weary star courtesan shoved the door open and fixed the room's occupant with a cold stare.
She had already used a Cleanse spell back at the wolf den, but restoring spent physical energy was a different matter entirely. Li Fei had trudged back to the city through the hazy moonlight, one foot sinking and the other catching on the uneven ground, and despite her best efforts, her deerskin boots and trouser cuffs had inevitably picked up a few smears of mud. Her shirt was damp with sweat and clinging to her skin.
For any other client, the star courtesan would have insisted on a proper flower-petal bath first, changed into a proper little dress, and made herself presentable no matter how late it made her — because a fragrant, beautifully turned-out star courtesan slipping into someone's arms could dissolve even the most furious temper into pure tenderness.
But this was Margaret. A clumsy, pawing, perpetually infuriating little fox who wagged her tail with the most obscene enthusiasm whenever she got scolded. For her, Li Fei had not only skipped the bath — she hadn't even bothered to fix her expression, arriving with a face that radiated pure, unfiltered disdain.
"You're late. Three cups as penalty!"
Margaret announced this from her perch on the sofa.
"I'm on my period. Not drinking."
Li Fei closed the door, yanked her cloak off her shoulders, and walked straight toward the sofa.
"You said that last time too."
The golden-haired loli puffed out her cheeks and called the lie without a second's hesitation, her large, dewy eyes boring into Li Fei with the full force of an accusation, clearly hoping to provoke some measure of guilt.
"I'm irregular."
Li Fei offered this with absolute zero sincerity, dropped onto the sofa, and sank a good ten centimeters into the cushions. The soft, enveloping warmth of the black-striped tiger pelt beneath her drew a low, involuntary sound of relief from the exhausted star courtesan.
"Liar."
Margaret balled her fists. Her tail slapped the sofa with sharp, indignant smacks, leaving a trail of shallow impressions in the fabric.
"Believe what you like."
Li Fei stretched her legs out straight, propping her calves on the table's edge, her long, sleek lines drawing an expression of naked envy from the little loli.
Margaret's eyes darted sideways. She shuffled across the sofa on her knees until she was right beside Li Fei, produced a pink vial from her spatial ring, and held it up with sparkling eyes.
"I brought medicine. Cures absolutely any ailment."
Li Fei glanced at it. Her fingertip brushed the cold surface of the vessel.
[Margaret's Love Potion]
Potion Rating: Full Moon
Effect: Feelings develop gradually over time.
Analysis complete. Not a single drop of knockout drug in there…
Li Fei's eyebrow twitched upward. She'd known perfectly well that whatever Margaret produced would be something outrageous — but a Full Moon rating was genuinely absurd. Li Fei herself was still rationing Firefly-grade mana potions.
"Keep it for yourself. Go find a few vixens and breed some cubs."
She turned to her client and placed her order.
"I'm hungry. I want stir-fried tiger liver, mermaid sashimi, tomato beef stew… and two bottles of Moon Candy."
"I won't."
Margaret turned away in a huff, presenting Li Fei with a view of her tail.
"Oh?"
Li Fei's gaze settled on that swaying tail.
She had to admit — it was a remarkably lovely tail. The golden fur was fluffy and smooth, the tip fading to a soft cream color, warm to the touch, and every bit as silken as that brilliant golden hair.
The star courtesan gathered the tail into her arms with practiced ease, stroking it at a leisurely pace — occasionally circling the tips of all five fingers around the warm base, scratching lightly.
Public relations was not merely a matter of moving one's lips. As a once-in-a-generation talent, the star courtesan possessed a masterful technique that she had arrived at entirely on her own, without a single lesson.
Before long, the fox-eared loli had collapsed backward into Li Fei's arms, her golden hair spilling in disarray, her breath coming in shallow little gasps, her small face flushed as red as an apple — utterly at her mercy.
Her body was slight and delicate. That prettily carved face looked nothing but pure and sweet, her irises a warm, glowing gold — like candlelight kindling in the dark, aching to be cherished.
What a perfectly lovely fox-eared loli. She looked completely harmless. What a pity she was crude, depraved, and had a pronounced masochistic streak.
The star courtesan let her lashes fall, exhaling a quiet, inward sigh.
"Ears… the ears too…"
Margaret gazed up with glazed, unfocused eyes, her voice soft and pleading.
Li Fei smiled with the particular amusement of someone who held all the cards. She leaned down, gently pinched one beast ear between her fingers, and breathed a soft puff of air directly into the pink inner canal — and with every deliberate press and roll of her fingertips, the small beast-eared girl in her arms shivered.
Good. Trial portion concluded.
The star courtesan withdrew her hands with unhurried calm.
"I'm hungry. No energy left."
Mmm…
Margaret wobbled upright, clutching at Li Fei's sleeve, the cream-tipped tail scrubbing frantically back and forth across the sofa cushion in agitated desperation.
"Just a little longer… just a little more…"
Li Fei stared at her own fingers, ignoring the plea entirely.
The loli panicked. She gathered her tail in both hands and pressed it toward Li Fei's lips. The star courtesan's brow furrowed, her voice dropping to a cold, withering drawl:
"Don't let that filthy tail anywhere near me. Heaven only knows what unspeakable things you've used it for."
Margaret spun in anxious circles before finally coming back to herself. She lunged toward the table, shook the service bell vigorously, and called out:
"Bring two bottles — five bottles of Moon Candy!"
Five bottles?
The star courtesan's eyebrow climbed.
It seemed tonight had real potential to set a new personal sales record.
Margaret turned around. Those large eyes fixed on Li Fei with the most woebegone expression imaginable.
"Take a proper look. The tail is actually quite cute."
Li Fei ruffled the smooth, silken gold of the loli's hair, her gaze deep and unreadable.
Then, without warning, she reached out and closed her hand around the fox tail — all five fingers pressing in tight. Margaret went rigid with a sharp jolt of pain, but adapted to the force quickly enough, the tension draining from her body degree by degree as she sank forward and settled across Li Fei's lap.
...
In a quiet room elsewhere in the city, Qin Zhihua's hand trembled. The dropper discharged a splash of clear, viscous fluid.
The liquid fell into the transparent vessel below. The potion inside, which had been a warm amber-orange, immediately turned murky.
"Failed again…"
Qin Zhihua let out a soft, forlorn sigh.
On the shelf beside her, an entire row of amber-orange reject vials had accumulated.
Creak —
The closed door suddenly swung open. A woman in an elegant, richly draped gown stepped in carrying a food tray and made her way to Qin Zhihua's side.
"Zhihua — it's this late already and you still haven't eaten."
The woman's voice carried a gentle reproach.
"I got absorbed in the alchemy."
Qin Zhihua smiled.
"Thank you for the trouble, sister-in-law."
"Alchemy is a deep and demanding discipline — it can't be rushed. Don't wear yourself out."
The woman glanced at the nearly depleted materials on the workbench and asked:
"What made you decide to study the enhanced Lucky Potion?"
"My master gave me the formula for the 'Smile of the Goddess of Fortune' today," Qin Zhihua answered. "She suggested I start with the enhanced Lucky Potion as practice."
The woman clearly knew of the potion by reputation. She let out a long, impressed breath.
"The legendary elixir that can seize fortune from the heavens themselves, reverse the course of fate, and permanently increase one's Luck… If you truly manage to produce it, Qin's Apothecary's name will rise to a whole new level of renown."
Qin Zhihua dipped her head with modest grace — but in the back of her mind, the image surfaced, unbidden: a dark-haired girl, cheeks puffed up in that adorable little sulk, quietly dejected over her own disappointing Fortune readings.
I wonder… could the Smile of the Goddess of Fortune coax a real smile out of her?
"The teleportation passage to Viranean has been opened," the woman said, pulling Qin Zhihua back to the present. "We've reached an agreement with the Mercenary Guild. Once the personnel arrangements are sorted, you'll need to make the trip and gather some medicinal materials."
"Understood."
Qin Zhihua gave a quiet nod.
...
After a generous, leisurely meal on the client's tab, Li Fei set down her chopsticks and said, with undisguised distaste:
"How long are you planning to sit in my lap?"
Margaret was perched in Li Fei's lap, cradling a cup of wine. The occasional splash of spilled liquor left faint watermarks on Li Fei's shirt.
"I'm the client! I'll sit as long as I please!"
The loli tilted her head back, utterly shameless.
"If you don't satisfy me, I'll go complain to Lady Gneia."
"There is absolutely no obligation to indulge a client who cannot conduct herself like a lady."
Li Fei said coldly.
"You are the worst-tempered hostess I have ever encountered!"
Margaret leveled the accusation with great feeling.
"You'll regret this."
"Make me regret it?"
Li Fei let out a derisive snort.
"I'd love to see what a client can actually do."
Margaret extracted herself from Li Fei's arms, planted her hands on her hips, and announced:
"I was going to discuss a business arrangement with you. But now — the deal is off!"
"Ha."
Li Fei gave a cold laugh.
She did, in fact, have business plans in motion — like acquiring a mana-mercury workshop or a bakery, to give her fairy daughters a platform to demonstrate their worth. But that sort of thing only required a word to her best friend to arrange.
Beyond that, Qin Zhihua was already asking her master to line up a batch of potion appraisal commissions on her behalf.
Neither of those ventures required any outside involvement whatsoever. And as for anything else — Li Fei simply didn't have the bandwidth. Between attending classes, selling wine, and grinding EXP, she was already running at full capacity.
And Margaret thought she could threaten her with some vague, probably nonexistent business deal?
Not even slightly intimidating.
Little fox-eared loli. How utterly laughable.
Thwack.
Margaret slapped a Spell Contract down on the table.
"Hmph. My dear little disciple came to visit me bright and early this morning — specifically to beg me to discuss a potion appraisal arrangement with a certain hostess."
Margaret grinned with self-satisfied triumph, her fox tails swinging side to side.
Ah…
The smile froze on the star courtesan's face.
Even as a complete outsider to the field, Li Fei knew perfectly well that Margaret was a renowned Grandmaster Alchemist. She had encountered [Margaret's Healing Potion], [Margaret's Antidote], and [Margaret's Mana Recovery Potion] more than once.
What she had not seen coming — not even remotely — was that Margaret was Qin Zhihua's master.
She finally understood why Qin Zhihua had always been so conspicuously reluctant to mention her teacher. For a well-bred, impeccably mannered young lady from a distinguished family, having a depraved little fox loli as your master was not exactly something you led with in conversation.
"Tch."
The star courtesan turned her head away in displeasure, refusing to look at the fox-eared loli whose tail was practically wagging itself up to the ceiling.
"So — do you still want to do business or not!"
Margaret stood with her hands on her hips, her enormous fluffy tail swinging with gleeful energy.
"Just say what you want."
The star courtesan still clung to the last shreds of her dignity, attempting to earn the money while remaining standing.
"Is that any way to ask someone for a favor?"
Margaret straightened up and thrust out her chest with an expression of imperious pride — as if showing off an airstrip.
"Fine, then we won't do it at all."
The star courtesan doubled down.
"Oh, is that so?"
Margaret leaned in close to Li Fei's ear and delivered her words in a low, enchanting murmur, like a fairy weaving a siren's spell:
"I generate upward of a thousand reject-batch vials every single day…"
"…What exactly do you want."
The client was offering simply too much. A tremor entered the star courtesan's voice.
"I need a side dish to go with my wine."
Margaret revealed her hand at last. She grabbed hold of one of Li Fei's legs and lifted it — the length of it nearly matching her own height.
The star courtesan gave a small shudder. Her lower lip clenched between her teeth, conflict flashing in her eyes.
But when she thought of the returns that over a thousand potion vials per day could provide — Li Fei closed her eyes and arranged herself into a posture of silent acquiescence.
"Hehe."
Margaret seized the deerskin ankle boot and wrenched it off, then tossed it carelessly onto the floor — as abrupt and graceless as someone tearing the lid off a can of luncheon meat.
With the boot removed, a foot clad in a short white cotton sock was exposed to the open air, still emanating a damp, flushed warmth.
The pure white cotton had been pressed damp against the creases between each curled toe, with faint translucent moisture marks at the tips and the sole — the warm pink of skin visible beneath the thin fabric.
The cool air against her skin made Li Fei's arch instinctively tighten, her toes curling inward.
Margaret cradled the slender, shapely foot in both hands. Her expression was one of entranced reverence — the look of someone studying a work of breathtaking art. She ran her palm slowly across the fabric, savoring the warmth radiating through the white cotton, then pressed her face against it with firm deliberateness.
The star courtesan reflexively pulled her leg back.
"Stop squirming."
Margaret pinched the slender ankle and gave the top of the foot a brisk, reprimanding pat, her voice muffled.
You rotten little fox. I am going to remember this.
Li Fei opened her eyes. Her face was ice-cold, her tone saturated with contempt and revulsion:
"When you're done, get out."
Margaret paused — then her fluffy fox tail began to wag with even greater enthusiasm than before.
____
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