Volume One: A Beauty’s Bane Chapter 37: Joyous Union Powder

It had been less than half a stick of incense since Murong Hai forced the medicinal pill into Qin Yumei’s lips when she finally began to stir. During this time, Murong Hai had remained seated by the bedside, staring at her with a greedy, unblinking gaze, never once leaving her side. Had it not been for Han Yuancheng’s assurance before his departure that she would wake soon, Murong Hai might have already lost his patience and taken action.

Qin Yumei slowly opened her eyes. Upon recognizing the man before her, she could not help but cry out, "Murong Hai! Why are you in my room?"

"Yumei, you’re finally awake! You have kept this young master waiting quite a while!" Murong Hai’s eyes burned with intensity, a lewd grin hanging on his lips.

"Xiaotao! Xiaotao! Someone, help—" Seeing the strange look in Murong Hai’s eyes, Qin Yumei instinctively screamed for help, yet no matter how loudly she called, no one came.

"Haha! Scream all you want, Yumei. Even if you scream until your throat tears, no one will come to save you," Murong Hai laughed brazenly.

"This is not the Myriad Treasures Pavilion!" Qin Yumei suddenly realized, panic rising in her voice. "Murong Hai, where have you taken me?" She hurriedly tried to circulate her spiritual energy, only to find it completely ineffective. Her inner strength seemed to have dissipated, leaving her as helpless as a commoner. "How could my spiritual energy be gone? This is impossible!" She stared at her hands in disbelief, her face pale, unable to detect even a flicker of power.

Beside the bed, Murong Hai watched her with a lascivious smile. He slowly stepped forward, grabbed her delicate hands, and said softly, "My great beauty, it was I who sent Uncle Han to bring you here from the Myriad Treasures Pavilion. Don't you remember any of this? Haha..."

Qin Yumei frowned, a wave of pain shooting through her head as the memories returned. She lashed out in fury, "Murong Hai! You have a lot of nerve to commit such a base and despicable act! Do you know the consequences if my father finds out?" She desperately invoked her father’s name, hoping to intimidate him. In the entire Southern Xia Kingdom, who did not know that Qin Jiantang, the master of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, treated his daughter Qin Yumei as the apple of his eye? Over the years, countless noble heirs had pursued her, but none dared to cross the line. After all, no one possessed the courage to face a master at the peak of the Spirit Pill Realm, let alone the wrath of the man who controlled the kingdom's largest auction house.

"True! If Uncle Qin were to find out, I would indeed have a hard time. Even my father, the Prince of Zhenbei, must show him some respect," Murong Hai replied with a straight face, though his eyes showed no trace of fear. "But so what?"

His words struck fear into Qin Yumei’s heart. She quickly changed her tone, attempting to persuade him, "Murong Hai, if you know that, then you understand! If you let me go now, I promise not to make things difficult for you." At this moment, she had already chosen to compromise.

"Haha! Ridiculous!" Murong Hai laughed boisterously. "Since I dared to do this, I do not fear your retaliation! As for Uncle Qin, once we have made things official today, even if he opposes it, there will be nothing he can do!" He wore a sinister, calculating smile.

Qin Yumei was consumed by rage. "Murong Hai! You beast, you scum! You have brought absolute shame upon the Prince of Zhenbei’s estate!"

"Shame?" Murong Hai chuckled with disdain. "Do you think I wanted this? But all these years, have you ever truly acknowledged my pursuit? No matter what I did, you ignored me! In your eyes, I was no different from those good-for-nothing playboys. Even so, I never once laid a hand on you or did anything untoward! But a few days ago, my father met with the Queen and decreed that I must guard the Zhenbei Pass for three years to inherit his title! Three years! Yumei, do you know what that means? Three whole years! The Zhenbei Pass is the furthest outpost in the kingdom; it takes half a month of hard riding just to reach the capital, let alone coming to the distant Yongan City to see you! At that moment, I realized I could not wait that long. Even if I couldn't have your heart, I would have your body! So, I persuaded Uncle Han to bypass my father and sneak here to find you. My only goal in coming here was to possess you by any means necessary!"

As he spoke, his expression grew increasingly lewd, like a beast about to be unleashed, while Qin Yumei looked like a beauty about to be ravaged. Her heart pounded with terror, but she summoned her remaining courage to curse him. "Murong Hai! You unfilial son! Your father’s lifelong reputation will be ruined by a wretch like you! If you dare to touch me today, I, Qin Yumei, will never let you go, even as a ghost!"

"Haha! You still dare to threaten me?" The more she cursed, the more excited Murong Hai became. "My beauty, keep on cursing. I want to see how much strength you have left to resist. Believe me, before long, you won't be cursing me anymore; you will be begging me to take off your clothes and stroke every inch of your skin." He could not help but reach out to caress her exquisite face.

Qin Yumei had long since lost the power to resist. With her spiritual energy sealed by Han Yuancheng, she was no match for him, like a snow-white lamb waiting to be toyed with.

"Murong Hai, you are not human!" Under such humiliation, tears rolled down her cheeks—clear, glistening, and heart-wrenchingly beautiful—making Murong Hai’s mouth water.

"Why hasn't the effect of the pill kicked in yet? I can't wait any longer!" He was restless, but the desire to conquer kept him in check; he wanted to see her beg him for it.

At that moment, Qin Yumei suddenly felt a surge of heat in her chest, rapidly spreading through her body. She felt as if she were losing control of herself. Her consciousness began to blur, and a hazy, intoxicating sensation took hold.

"Murong Hai... what... what did you give me?" she asked, her voice trembling and laced with an involuntary, seductive lilt as she struggled to maintain a shred of reason.

"Damn! I didn't expect the medicine to be this potent. That arrogant, cold beauty is now so bewitchingly charming!" Seeing her lose control, Murong Hai felt his own pulse quicken. "Yumei, we have reached this point, so I won't hide it from you. The pill I gave you is the Hehuan Powder!"

"Hehuan... Powder..." Qin Yumei was already being eroded by desire, but the name struck terror into her. The Hehuan Powder was a fourth-grade forbidden drug. It caused one to lose their sense of self in a fog of lust, as if trapped in an endless dream. It awakened the deepest desires, wrapping around every nerve until one was drowning in a vortex of passion. Once consumed, the victim must achieve yin-yang union within half an hour, or they would bleed from their seven orifices and die!

"How could you... have this?" she gasped, her voice intermittent and alluring. As the daughter of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion, she knew the horror of such a substance, though it had never been sold in the Southern Xia Kingdom. It was a contraband item, yet here it was, in Murong Hai’s hands, used upon her.

Her thoughts were now scattered, her eyes clouded. She lay languidly on the bed like a bewitching flower, radiating an irresistible charm. Her skin glowed softly in the candlelight, as clear and enticing as a mountain spring under the moon. Her long hair, silky and loose, framed her elegant features. She shifted slightly, her slender fingers idly brushing against her hair, her eyes gleaming with a provocative, starry light.

Before Murong Hai could answer, a faint, subconscious smile tugged at her lips, as if she were silently summoning him. In that moment, she was as soft as a willow in the spring breeze, her every movement dripping with a temptation that made Murong Hai’s heart surge with uncontrollable heat. Perhaps even she did not realize what she was doing; the power of the drug had completely taken hold.

"Yumei, once you are my woman, I will tell you all about it!" Murong Hai let out a lewd laugh, gazing at the captivating woman on the bed.

"Murong Hai... don't come over..." she whispered, her voice weak. "Don't... don't come any closer..."