Fevered Temptation

The wind was cold atop the cliff, but Tang Meiyin barely noticed. Her gaze was fixed on the fog-draped horizon, yet her thoughts had drifted far into the past.

Behind her, the rustle of leaves accompanied the soft clink of metal. Tang Xian, the man who had traveled with her, took a slow drink from his alcohol jug."We've lost him," he muttered. "The boy's nowhere to be found."

Meiyin didn't respond right away. She closed her eyes.

Jiho…

In her memory, he was still a thin, sickly figure clad in loose robes, shivering under the daily burden of toxins coursing through his veins. Day after day, needle after needle. Tonic after tonic. Each more invasive, more destructive than the last.

Two years ago, she had only just take over. A young brilliant apprentice. A silent observer replacing the former alchemist. But even then, she had harbored quiet doubts.And there was one poison she could never forget.

No. 13 — Azure Bloom Venom.

Officially, it was labeled a "qi-reactive stimulant," designed to test mental endurance. But hidden in the footnotes—scribbled in the old alchemist's personal shorthand—was the real effect: extreme arousal, loss of inhibition, and an uncontrollable rise in libido under qi deviation.

Meiyin pressed the middle of her eyebrow.

She had witnessed the results firsthand. One of the early test subjects—a girl—had torn at her own robes in a frenzied haze, scratching wildly at the guards before collapsing in exhaustion.They called it a failed batch.And moved on.

But Jiho…He had survived.No outbursts. No madness.

And yet… the venom never left his body.Dormant. Sleeping.Waiting.

Now, if her instincts were right—if he had truly suffered a deviation recently…

Meiyin's eyes darkened.

If that venom activates… and there's a woman nearby—someone close enough…

She shuddered.

He wouldn't be himself.The venom would devour reason, override shame, erase restraint.

Lustful Animal.

Meiyin clenched her fists. Her nails dug into her palms.

I should've destroyed that formula. I should've never let him leave without a purge.

Tang Xian noticed her silence and glanced her way."Young Miss?"

"…It's nothing," she replied quietly, turning away. "Let's head back. We can't afford to wander aimlessly any longer. I need to resume my experiments at the sect."

"What about his Venom-Forged Body? The secret manual?" Tang Xian asked.

"Just report it to Father," Meiyin said coldly. "We are not hounds meant to chase prey across the ends of the world. Others can do the hunting."

Her voice turned sharp.

"We have more important things to do at the sect."

---

The rain had stopped by the time the merchant carriage rolled out again. The sky remained gray, and the road was still damp with puddles, but the worst had passed.

Jiho sat slumped in a corner of the carriage, his breath uneven, face pale with a faint sheen of sweat. His eyes remained half-lidded, still dazed—trapped somewhere between pain and unconsciousness.

Across from him sat the young woman, quietly observing him with an unreadable expression.

"Please, make yourself comfortable," the merchant said kindly, glancing between the two of them. "It's the least I can do after what you did. Without your help… I might have lost everything."

The young woman gave a polite nod. "We're grateful, sir."

The merchant chuckled nervously. "No, no. I should be the one saying that. Bandit nowadays sure are fierce. You must be… a martial artist of some kind?"

She didn't answer that. Instead, her gaze returned to Jiho, who stirred slightly but didn't wake.

The merchant followed her line of sight, then lowered his voice. "Is he going to be alright?"

A pause. Then she replied, "For now, he's stable. His qi is wild but hasn't spiraled out of control again. As long as we reach a safe place soon, I can try to stabilize him properly."

The merchant nodded. "We'll reach Nirae City before sundown, if the roads stay clear."

Nirae City…

A place far enough from the mountain valleys. Crowded enough to disappear in. Somewhere to start over—or to hide.

The girl exhaled quietly. Her hand brushed against Jiho's forehead, checking his temperature. Still warm. Still erratic.

Whatever poison or imbalance was raging in him, it wasn't something she could fix with mere herbs or basic techniques. She needed silence. A bed. A sealed room, if possible.

And time.

She clenched her jaw slightly.

Just hold on a little longer… stranger.

Her thoughts flickered back to what he had muttered to her before:

"You… dragged me into this… all for a single steamed bun…"

A breath escaped her lips—half amusement, half disbelief.She almost laughed.

Well… you act like you don't care, but turns out you're strong. And kind, too.

---

Nirae City stood tall beneath the dimming sky, its walls etched with age and stories. The caravan passed through the gates without trouble—thanks to the merchant's credentials—and soon found its way to a quiet district on the eastern side of the city.

The merchant's residence wasn't grand, but it was spacious and discreet. A two-story abode with solid wood doors, curtained windows, and the comforting scent of medicinal herbs in the air.

"You may use the guest room upstairs," the merchant said, gesturing to the staircase. "It's quiet. He'll be safe there. I'll have hot water and food sent up shortly."

The young woman gave a grateful nod. "Thank you, truly."

With care, she guided the unconscious young man—still barely responsive—up the stairs and into the room. She laid him down for a moment, checking his pulse. Still unstable, but at least no longer erratic.

I need to stabilize his qi flow before this spreads deeper...

She helped him into a seated position, his body limp but pliant. Positioning herself behind him on the bed, she took a deep breath and placed both palms gently against his back, where the qi meridians were closest to the surface.

She began to transfer her qi into him.

As a woman, her qi naturally leaned toward yin. It was soft, cooling, stable—ideal for easing turbulent qi and guiding deviation back into alignment.

But the moment it entered him, something changed.

At first, it was subtle. A warmth, a shift in air pressure.

Then, smoke began to curl from his skin—thin wisps, almost invisible, carrying a faint but intoxicating scent. Floral, yet laced with something heady. Something wrong.

She blinked, confused, then inhaled by accident—and froze.

Her body reacted instantly.

A flush spread across her skin. Her pulse quickened. A slow, creeping heat coiled in her belly, drawing downwards.

She clenched her jaw. No. This isn't… this isn't natural.

She tried to pull her hands back, but Jiho's body trembled—and something about his expression, his breath, the rising heat from his skin… it all told her she couldn't stop now. Not yet.

"I have to stabilize him first," she whispered, trying to control her breathing.

But the scent—whatever that smoke was—it muddled her thoughts. Her limbs felt heavy, sensitive. Her thighs pressed together unconsciously.

She recognized this. Not the smoke itself, but the reaction.

Arousal.

Unwelcome, powerful, uncontrollable.

Her qi was supposed to calm him—but something inside his body had triggered a reversal.

A passive venom? A latent toxin?

She bit her lip hard, trying to ground herself. "This… this is wrong. This is dangerous."

Jiho's breathing grew ragged. His back arched slightly toward her touch, a low, restrained groan escaping his throat.

She gasped softly, realization dawning in full.

This isn't just a reaction. This is a trap. A venom laid dormant… and my qi activated it.

She shut her eyes tight.

"I need to stop. Now."

But even as she tried to cut off the flow of her qi, she felt it: her own energy being pulled—not pushed. Something inside Jiho was drawing it in, feeding on it. Not with malice, but with need.

And in response, her body betrayed her.

Heat. Desire. Shame.

She clutched at his shoulders, struggling to stay upright.