30 You're too noisy

Two hours ago,

Lian crept into Ming's cell, the night's darkness cloaking her movements. A solitary torch flickered in the distance, casting long, eerie shadows that danced on the cold stone walls. In the quiet, she could hear Ming's steady breathing, a rhythmic sound that somehow grounded her in this dark place.

"Ming," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Ming's eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the darkness. He squinted, making out Lian's silhouette against the dimly lit background. He smiled a playful glint in his eye, despite his grim situation.

'I guess my ability still works even with this trashy state I'm in.' Ming thought with a smile he hid under his stoic exterior.

"You came," he murmured, his tone teasing. "I was starting to think you wouldn't."

She ignored his words, her expression hardened. "I came to say my goodbyes, not to engage in small talk." She walked over to the wall, pulling out a hidden key she had procured earlier.

Ming watched her silently, his heart pounding in his chest. He had hoped she would come, had used every ounce of his remaining strength to influence her, to plant the seed of doubt in her mind. And now, she was here, ready to risk her position for him. Ming couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction, a cruel sense of accomplishment.

His hands traced the side of her face before brushing against her hair, lingering there for a moment before resting on her hip. "You really do care for me," he murmured, a playful grin on his face. "Even after all that has happened."

Lian stiffened at his touch but didn't pull away. "Of course, I care for you," she replied coolly. "But that doesn't mean I'm willing to put my ambitions above any mission."

"Unlock my restraints." His faint whisper had her stiffen for a moment before she nodded her head in obedience.

As she unlocked his chains, Ming's eyes met hers, and he saw a void in her gaze. It was pure, innocent, naive—traits he had long since forgotten. He swallowed the bitter taste in his mouth, the guilt momentarily gnawing at his conscience. But he quickly pushed it aside. This was a survival game, and he was willing to do whatever it took.

Ming chuckled softly as he pushed Lian onto the cold stone floor and climbed atop her body. He brushed her hair aside to get a better look at her face before he leaned in and placed a kiss on her lips. She resisted at first but then opened up to him, allowing him to kiss her deeply. His hand traveled down her chest, cupping her breast as his mouth moved across her neck.

'Give me your essence!' Ming subconsciously demanded as his hand touched Lian's covered breast, his thoughts returning to the conversation he had had with his spirit a few days ago. 'Let me consume your essence.' His words were directed inward but came out as incoherent whispers that filled Lian's ears.

Lian bit her lip, her body heating up with his touch. As he trailed kisses down her neck and shoulder, she shivered with anticipation as his hand drifted lower, finally wrapping around her thigh. She closed her eyes as she felt him push her dress up with his fingers. A warm heat rushed through her veins as he rubbed against her crotch through her silky panties, sending goosebumps racing along her skin.

He slid one hand under her dress to caress her bare stomach while the other continued to massage her breast, causing a tingling sensation to pool in her core. "Do you feel that?" Ming whispered against her skin. "How your blood is burning with desire?" He continued his assault on her sensitive flesh as she moaned out his name in response. "Your essence is flowing like a river." His hands pressed against the material of her dress, finding their way underneath it to tease her body.

"I...I don't want to do this," she muttered, her breath growing ragged the moment she could partly perceive what she was doing.

"You want it," Ming purred as he shifted his body to align himself between her legs. His hands slid along her smooth skin, over her waist and hips, until they finally rested on her bare thighs. "You need it," he added, running his fingertips lightly along her slit. He kept his voice soft, but his eyes were dead set on hers, demanding she acknowledge his words as truth.

"Stop," she pleaded, raising her hand to push him away. "Please." She shook her head as she tried to force back tears that threatened to escape her eyes.

'Aid my goal, take my essence!' he demanded again as he buried himself into her slit with a single thrust of his hips. Her body went rigid in surprise and pain as he filled her up inside. She clenched her eyes shut as she endured his initial penetration.

He forced himself further inside, forcing her thighs apart to get better leverage, all the while grinding his hips against hers so that her body slapped against the floor hard enough that it made a sound.

Lian squeezed her eyes shut in response as she bit down on her lip as she endured the pain. She tried to push him away by using every bit of strength she had left in her body but still, he continued to thrust himself into her until she could no longer move her body against the floor. She began to whimper in agony as she struggled to find the will to fight against him.

Ming looked into her eyes, seeing them shimmering with tears as she panted for breath between gritted teeth. He pulled himself out of her and knelt over her body, stroking her cheek with his fingertips.

"You're stronger than this," he whispered as he rubbed circles along her face. He continued to stroke her cheeks tenderly as he spoke. "You have nothing to fear. I only desire your essence." His hands trailed down to cup her chin as he lifted her head slightly. "Let me show you what it's like." He pressed his lips to hers in a soft kiss, then leaned down again to continue where he had left off. He felt a slight resistance before he slipped back inside her slick warmth.

*****

Huo had barely stood in front of the dungeon's door, his hand hovering over the knob while hearing grunts and whimpers coming from inside. His expression turned from worry to shock when he heard Lian scream out loud in pain. He immediately unlocked the door and rushed inside only to come face-to-face with Ming standing over Lian's prone body as he was smacking her ass with his palm.

Ming turned his head towards Huo and smirked at the stunned expression on the man's face. "It's good that you came," he said with a smile as he turned back to continue his assault on Lian's ass.

"What are you doing?!" Huo exclaimed as he rushed towards them both and stopped just short of them when he felt a force prevent him from doing so. "Get off her! What do you think you're doing?" he demanded again.

Ming looked at him with an amused look on his face as he continued to smack Lian's ass with one hand and teased her clit with the other. "This is called dual cultivation, I don't know if you've heard of such concepts," he said casually as he pressed his fingers into her entrance. "I'm preparing her for a deeper experience." He continued to speak in a soft voice while keeping up his assault on Lian. "I need her to relax so she can accept my energy," he explained as he thrust harder into Lian's tight walls.

Huo could see that she was in a lot of pain as Ming's fingers burrowed deeper into her tight entrance. "Stop this!" he demanded once more as he pushed against that same force that had prevented him from reaching them moments ago. He was met with silence this time, causing him to pause for a moment as he stared at the two of them intently.

He could see that Lian's eyes were squeezed shut and her mouth was clamped tight, but she didn't utter a single sound. Her body suddenly convulsed as she released her Yin Qi which was quickly absorbed by Ming, who immediately filled her core with his Yang Qi.

Ming looked down at Lian and smirked at the way she was squirming beneath him as she tried to push him away. He slid his fingers out of her body and grabbed a fistful of her hair, forcing her to look up at him with pleading eyes as she opened her mouth to speak.

"You won't get away with this," she cried out in desperation, "there's no way you can leave–"

'Leave the palace?" Ming finished for her as he held his palm against her forehead, pressing his thumb into her lower eyelid, "I am leaving this palace today."

Her eyes widened in shock as he began to chant in a foreign language that she didn't recognize before placing his palm against her chest over her heart, "Let your heart guide me." His hand glowed briefly before he dropped it onto her stomach, watching as she took in a sharp breath and released a shuddering moan at the sudden feeling of warmth flowing through her body.

"Nooo! Let her go!" Huo screamed as he reached toward them only to have his hand stopped by that same force once again. "I'll kill you!" he yelled as he watched Lian's eyes roll into the back of her head.

"Lian! Lian!" he begged her desperately as he continued to struggle against that force that wouldn't let him reach them. "Lian!" he cried out again as she lost consciousness and slumped limply in Ming's arms.

Ming released his grip on Lian's hair and laid her gently on the floor before turning towards Huo who was still struggling against his invisible barrier. "Calm yourself," he said calmly as he stood up and approached Huo, "I would have loved for you to join me, but you're too noisy."

"You won't last long!" Huo growled as he tried to step forward once again, "I'm going to kill you! How dare you manipulate her like that?!" he shouted as he reached for Lian again, only to be met by the same force once more that stopped him from reaching them.

"Oh? Do you really think that you can defeat me?" Ming asked in an amused voice as he stepped towards Huo, "Did you perhaps have some sort of feelings for her? My rank far surpasses your puny rank." He looked at Huo with a smirk before looking back down at Lian who had now opened her eyes and was looking at him with uncertainty.

The mark that had appeared on Ming's chest was slowly fading away until it was gone completely.

"That's impossible!" Huo gasped out in disbelief as he watched his mark fade away.

Ming clicked his tongue and stepped out of the room as he placed Lian's unconscious body on the ground next to him. He glanced back at Huo who was still watching him and patted his shoulder.

Once he had gotten to the exit he gave one final look at both parties, "Tell the black haired one to find me where we first met. She should see your sorry crispy body soon. Ahh... I meant Lian by the way."

"What? Who?" Huo cried out in confusion as Ming vanished into the night.

Lian pushed herself up into a sitting position with her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands. She let out a long exhale and looked up at Huo who had pulled off his shirt to wrap around her naked frame, "are you alright?" she asked nervously as she pushed herself up onto her knees.

Huo's eyes widened in shock, shaking his head. "Why did you–"

His words were cut short when he could see the morbid fear and desperation in Lian's eyes as she slowly backed away from the glowing outline on his body. "H... he–"

*****

Back to the present,

Without another word, Mason raced towards the door, leaving Fiona and Bai stunned in the wake of his abrupt departure. His mind was filled with horrifying possibilities, images of prisoners escaping, and the impending chaos that would ensue. He needed to investigate and prepare for the worst-case scenario.

Fiona and Bai exchanged a look before racing after him, their hearts pounding in their chests. As they raced through the palace corridors, each passing moment seemed to stretch into eternity. The palace, usually filled with life and merriment, was now eerily silent, save for the occasional distant echo of chaos.

They reached the dungeons just as the last echoes of the explosion were fading, but the damage had been done. Mason halted at the entrance, his breath hitching at the scene of carnage before him.

Blood splatters painted the once pristine walls, a grotesque canvas of death and destruction. Body parts lay scattered across the floor, the remnants of the guards assigned to this forsaken place. The explosion had ripped through the solid stone and iron of the dungeon, leaving nothing but death and chaos in its wake.

Fiona stifled a gasp at the sight, her hand flying up to cover her mouth. She had never seen such brutality, such heartless destruction. Even Bai, who was hardened by the years spent wandering the vast valleys of Paragon, found herself paralyzed by the gruesome sight.

Amidst the scene of devastation, a cell stood out like a gaping wound. The bars had been blasted away, leaving nothing but a hollow cavity where he had once been shackled. It was clear that the explosion had originated from this cell.

In the heart of this chaos, they saw a figure lying on the ground. It was Lian. She was battered and bruised, but still breathing. She had somehow managed to survive the blast. She was weak and clearly in pain, but her eyes were wide with terror.

She was trying to crawl in their direction, her movements slow and agonizing. Each movement seemed to cost her greatly, but she persisted, driven by sheer desperation. Her voice, weak and hoarse, echoed throughout the silent dungeon. "Help... please…"