73 Artificial Infatuation

*Things like sexism and racism are purely for worldbuilding and to make it more realistic. Thank you for your understanding.*

Qing Fang still waited patiently on the carcasses of the two beasts that seemed like a throne due to his magnificent aura.

Being so shallow in the marshes, the beasts were pitifully weak. It was rare to even see a Stage 3 cultivation beast, let alone something even close to Qing Fang. Every single being, sentient or not, seemed to naturally sense the danger in the air and hid with frozen bodies.

He was still only a couple of kilometres from the city walls, however, Qing Fang didn't imagine another human cultivator coming out for a while. After all, the territory of this side of the city belonged to Baron Kang, and Qing Fang assumed he wouldn't let his subordinates venture out easily knowing that he was still there.

Other than that, it was a rarity that humans ventured into the marshes at all. Nu Li had told him that he had seen a few humans in the shallows of the marshes, collecting plants and materials. But, none so deep as to reach the location of Qing Fang's lair in the lake.

The elders of the major forces probably prohibited cultivators from coming far out for a few reasons. Firstly, the danger. Secondly, the outrageous thought that it might attract the ire of the Catsiths and attract a disaster.

Ironic.

However, Qing Fang thought that not many humans knew of the existence of the Catsiths. Only the stronger and more influential cultivators would be privileged to know the secrets behind the Cage of Beasts.

A little while later, a large red figure appeared on the horizon to the east.

Looking over, with his eyelids closed to seal his bloodline power, Qing Fang saw a dragonman. However, even though it was called a "dragon", it looked anything but majestic. Naturally, it was Nu Li.

Currently, the slave was hunched over pathetically as his entire body was bursting with veins and was several shades redder than normal. He took one step at a time painfully slowly, with his hands seemingly struck with gravity and hanging to the floor heavily.

Qing Fang looked over and saw a large silver bracelet that had a golden jewel embedded in the centre. Nu Li was exerting his maximum strength carrying it over, and the sheer weight of it nearly pulled his entire body to the ground.

It was merely one of the five spatial rings that Qing Fang had thrown in his direction.

The thing looked to be as large as a bracelet in Nu Li's little hands as it had enlarged to the size of Qing Fang's huge fingers. The size difference between them was just that huge. The thing could easily fit on Nu Li's wrist, though he might not get it over his hand.

Qing Fang didn't get up and help Nu Li. After all, why would he? What was the point in having a slave if he did everything himself? He intended to give Nu Li a purpose, otherwise, the dragoman would just be a waste of life as well as the money spent to purchase him.

Well, other than that, Nu Li's mixed bloodline disgusted Qing Fang.

Now an existence similar to a cultivation beast with a strong bloodline as well as bloodline powers, Qing Fang came to relish purity. And seeing Nu Li's Fire Dragon bloodline stained with the weakness of a human bloodline, the smell itself made Qing Fang itch.

Beasts with strong bloodlines were more sensitive to bloodlines themselves, while humans ignored them outright unless they were breeding slaves such as Nu Li.

It was quite funny as the way Qing Fang saw it, every being had bloodlines as well as some greater than others in this universe. And that did not exclude humans either, he thought. Maybe the way to determine the purity of a human's bloodline was physical strength, intelligence as well as cultivation of talent.

A combination of the three would result in the greatest calibre of humans.

Qing Fang had actually heard of some famous figures in the Clan that had greater strength than their peers despite having the same stature. Others were famed for their superb intelligence. And they all had amazing cultivation talent.

Who knows? Maybe talent was hereditary, merely a strong bloodline. After all, how often was it that the descendants of huge figures came to be weak? If that wasn't the case, then how would Clans come to exist at all?

Because after the death of the founding expert, how would his lineage continue if he couldn't pass down his talent? The Qing Clan had a Stage 7 expert at all times during their reign, even several during the era of the founder. Surely they would've either declined or risen if talent was merely chance, right?

Qing Fang was merely guessing.

But when it came to his Blood path lineage, did it stem from his parents? He never knew them, and they had died when he was merely two years old. After that, his sister, Qing Bai, had aimed to raise him herself.

She also had amazing talent, being lower Stage 5 at merely forty years of age. But then again, it would be forty-one now, wouldn't it?

Now that Qing Fang had awakened to his true talent, he also possessed monstrous talent, having experienced no bottlenecks at all until now. The only bottleneck was time.

It made him wonder about his parents and what sort of figures they were, as he didn't know much about them, not even their cultivation realms when they had still lived. Qing Bai must have thought it was something he didn't need to know, and Qing Fang had never asked as he didn't see the point until now.

However, these thoughts soon left him.

Qing Fang turned his head away lazily from the pathetically struggling, although approaching slowly, figure of Nu Li. He was still a little tired from his fight with the female Catsith, but he could confidently say there were absolutely huge gains.

Not necessarily from the blood of the two lower Stage 5 Catsiths, but all the blood from the hundreds of Stage 4 humans that they had killed. When Qing Fang had channelled them into the rings previously, he had clearly felt that the amount of Blood Law fragments contained within that sea of red was more than ten times what currently composed his Dao Body.

And that was not an overstatement.

Since Qing Fang's real cultivation was lower Stage 3, the blood of Stage 4s and 5s should be out of his reach realistically. Yet, his physical capabilities granted by his bloodline let him be a little more...effective in gathering blood.

For an estimate, even with the natural treasure wooden crown, Qing Fang could cultivate for around two years with that amount of blood. As for what realm he would reach after consuming it all, he couldn't know.

After all, in his three-month seclusion, he had traversed from middle Stage 2 all the way to lower Stage 3.

Qing Fang thought these things relaxedly while Nu Li was spluttering, exposing his draconic maw as he gasped for air. All the exertion had made him overheat exponentially, and he was ready to collapse.

Eventually, Qing Fang heard the splashes of water near him and he could feel the heavy vibrations of the earth with every step Nu Li took. To convert into mortal standards, it was similar to Nu Li carrying two hundred kilograms of weight for three kilometres without rest. It was undoubtedly tiring, yet Qing Fang gave no pity nor praise.

On one hand, it was expected of Nu Li. On the other hand, Nu Li had made Qing Fang wait for a long time. So long, that Baron Kang arrived before he did, which was something Qing Fang did not anticipate. However, he handled that human accordingly.

"Hah...hah...hah..." The grating sound of Nu Li's heaving snapped Qing Fang out of his reverie and brought him back to the present.

Nu Li's body had collapsed into a kneeling posture before the two huge Catsith carcasses that Qing Fang was seated atop. His head was lowered as he gasped huge amounts of air that flooded between his sharp teeth and even whistled as it was dragged into his lungs.

"You had made me wait a long time." Qing Fang spoke with his eyes shut.

"...S-sorry master..." Nu Li struggled to say between his heaving. Dragons couldn't sweat, so at least he didn't look that disgusting before Qing Fang. Speaking of that, Qing Fang had fur, albeit fine fur, so he couldn't sweat either.

"I saw the rings descend from the sky and fall right next to me... The impact was quite monstrous so I had a few injuries and couldn't come right away..." Nu Li said with a helpless smile as he thought back to the five rings falling from the sky like meteors right towards him.

Nu Li then looked to the two huge beasts under Qing Fang, only giving them a hard stare now. They looked to be similar to the Catsith kitten Qing Fang had spoken of that time, and Nu Li knew what that meant.

He lowered his gaze with unknown intentions hidden away from Qing Fang's sight.

Snorting at Nu Li, Qing Fang could guess what he was thinking right now. The pathetic slave felt sadness at the death of these beasts, as they were lured out from the death of their kitten and then executed themselves. All for no reason, but for his master's cultivation.

He thought it to be selfish, and inhumane. At least other paths could cultivate without taking too much from the world. However, his master fed off the lifeblood of living beings. It was really a detestable thing, as the Great Dao valued harmony.

But then again, life and death were harmonious. The blood of the beings was returning to the earth in the form of Qing Fang's cultivation, which belonged to the Great Dao. It was returning the Laws it stole from Heaven to Heaven itself in the form of another's cultivation.

Such was Qing Fang's view, but Nu Li simply couldn't see it that way. A scourge to righteousness and the earth; that's what Nu Li thought of Qing Fang, the monster.

A silence ensued between the two, and Qing Fang suddenly had a thought.

"Nu Li."

The dragonman's name came from his master's mouth, which was very rare. He normally either called him "slave" or addressed him indirectly, which Nu Li scorned. However, now that Nu Li had heard himself being called, he naturally raised his head to look into his master's eyes.

And he saw a blinding red light much brighter than the sun staring back at him. It was so warm, and powerful. Nu Li could feel his master from the light and strange feelings started to well up in him.

His gaze changed as he began to stare at the light in childish fantasy, as if being hypnotized by its beauty.

His master's beauty.

At that moment, all the scornful and hateful thoughts of his master dissipated into thin air as if they had never existed. He looked into the blinding red light, Qing Fang's eyes, with great likeness and even affection that gripped his mind!

"Y-yes master..." Nu Li said dazedly as he thought back to the sound of his master's voice. It was so pleasant and lovely to listen to. He spoke as if he was absent-minded and occupied with starting into Qing Fang's eyes almost lovingly...

Seeing the reaction of Nu Li after he was inflicted with his bloodline power, Qing Fang was satisfied and, to be honest, stupefied at its power. With Nu Li being so inferior in cultivation, and also being of a tainted bloodline, he was thoroughly stricken with it.

'Hmm. It seems that the effect of evoking terror was not an entirely accurate assessment. More like...the emotions of the subject are to my whims. If I am directing killing intent and the want for them to fear, they will fear. However, if I look upon them normally, the subject will have feelings of extreme goodwill, or familiarity for a better term.

In any case, it can be broadened to something like to manipulation, or control. Not necessarily mind-control like the unlocked soul can perform, but a control of emotions...

I can see this being extremely helpful.' Qing Fang thought musingly as he couldn't help but laugh a little seeing Nu Li staring at him with pure adoration. The slave even smiled brightly hearing Qing Fang's laughter, showing that he was simply infatuated.

So, Qing Fang decided to play with him a little.

"Nu Li?" Qing Fang asked inquisitively.

"Yes?" An instant response, full of the intent to do anything wished of him. Not because he was being controlled, but because Nu Li simply adored the one asking him to bounds that had simply surpassed normal emotion.

"What do you think of me, Nu Li?" Qing Fang asked generally and awaited Nu Li's honest answers.

Nu Li had an unimaginably bright smile upon his draconic face as he answered Qing Fang with freaky piety.

"Oh, master! Honestly, I had thought master to be a little cold and callous and I had feared for my own life because of master's unpredictability. I had even imagined master ordering me to die for no other reason but master's entertainment!" Nu Li professed grandly, and his words made Qing Fang ponder.

Not about the content of the words, he couldn't care less about that. But about the fact that Nu Li remembered his feelings of hatred and fear despite being so loving towards him right now. So it was as it seemed, Nu Li just became more agreeable, not a different person.

"However, I had stuck by master as he is my master. Master's bloodline is so pure and his strength is so great, so how could I know better? Master's words gave always been on my mind, because master should know better. Master is stronger and smarter than Nu Li, after all." Nu Li continued with a blazing grin and his words made Qing Fang raise a metaphoric eyebrow.

"And because I wanted to ask master to purify Nu Li's bloodline!" Nu Li spoke and his words truly interested Qing Fang now.

"Oh? Purify your bloodline? What do you mean?" Qing Fang asked as a father would to his toddler that had muddled thoughts.

"Nu Li has seen master control the blood, and my own bloodline has always concerned me! Nu Li wanted to beg master to purify his bloodline so I can become stronger!" Nu Li spoke about himself in third person, which the lowest slaves often did.

"Ah, I see." Qing Fang said with understanding. He had also thought about this previously, but didn't have the time to test it out. Not that he would even know where to start.

It was true that he now had a heightened sensitivity to bloodlines and could the composition easily, as most beasts with bloodline powers could. However, as to how to expel the human bloodline, Qing Fang had no clue. And it was something he couldn't see himself doing soon. After all, tampering with bloodlines was more profound than one thought.

"Okay, that's enough." Qing Fang suddenly spoke as he closed his eyes and the glaring red light receded out of view. Other than that, Qing Fang was now observing Nu Li's condition.

He didn't seem to change much, nor frown, but Qing Fang could tell he had become less agreeable and had returned to normal. Since it was a change in his emotions, not his mind, everything stemmed from Nu Li in reality.

If Qing Fang asked him the same questions he just had, he wouldn't get the same answers.

However, the scary thing was that Nu Li was oblivious to his own influencing. Naturally, he second-guessed himself as to why he would suddenly see his master in a different light, however they were his own thoughts and they didn't just vanish because Qing Fang had receded his bloodline power.

So to speak, Nu Li was still influenced by the power, he just wasn't influenced by it further. The lingering feelings of adoration were born of his own thoughts and they wouldn't vanish.

Thus, the power was technically altering the very character of Nu Li, to which he wouldn't know what he was before. After all, how would he?

It wasn't just an "on and off" power. Nu Li had essentially changed his view of his master, however, it was not like those feelings of hatred changed into love. He still hated his master, however, in that short time frame he was influenced, he simply told Qing Fang because he was asked. He was being agreeable.

It wasn't as complicated nor powerful as it sounded. It was simply that the power wasn't mind-control, but making Nu Li more truthful and agreeable to instruction while it lasted. Which was normal, considering it influenced his emotions.

For example: Baron Kang. Those feelings of wariness that he felt from the power wouldn't just vanish as soon as he turned his head. It was a feeling evoked from his own thoughts and would stay with him.

'Anyway...' Qing Fang took enough from subjecting Nu Li to his power, and had learned a bit about it. It was a strong and useful power, both in battle when influencing fear and terror and in miscellaneous tasks when he could make people look upon him with goodwill.

After that, Qing Fang took the spatial ring from Nu Li and put the carcasses of the two Catsiths, and all the unfortunate humans that were in their stomachs, into it. Putting it on his finger, he made Nu Li direct him to the other rings and collected them without any hassle.

Qing Fang trotted back to the underwater cave with the agreeable Nu Li in tow and placed the rings there safely. He didn't find the act of lugging them around everywhere with him too appealing as they were simply too heavy, even for him.

Then, Qing Fang rested for a while and recovered from his tiredness and lingering internal injuries.

*3,071/3,000 words*