Withdrawal

...So cold.

Su Li curled up beneath the quilt. The cold seeped deep into her bones and frozen meridians, savagely gnawing at her consciousness. She huddled into a tight ball, her knees pressed against her chest, her nine tails instinctively wrapping around her body, yet they failed to retain even a shred of warmth.

Only two empty cups of warm liquor remained by her side. The slightly warm liquid had slid down her throat, but instead of soothing the freezing chill throughout her body, it set off waves of burning pain in her stomach. Heat and cold clashed violently inside her, as if her body had become a battlefield for two warring armies.

Why was her mind so clear? Whenever her withdrawal from the calamity seeds had flared up in the past, her consciousness would always grow hazy, allowing her to sleep through the worst of the discomfort. She had never suffered through such excruciating agony like this before.

An answer gradually formed in Su Li's mind—it was the restriction Du Qi had placed on her. It had forcefully locked away her drowsiness, keeping her wide awake to experience every single shred of agony.

That damned bastard!

She clenched her jaw, her teeth chattering so hard that the metallic taste of blood seeped from her gums. Only half a portion of a calamity seed remained in her storage bag, but that was reserved for emergencies to save her life. She absolutely could not use it to alleviate her withdrawal.

Just as the cold slowly receded and Su Li let out a breath of relief, a dry heat surged up from her dantian. No, this was wrong. The withdrawal from the ice calamity seed was entirely different from the reaction of the fire calamity seed. She had also used the ice calamity seed that Bai Cen had given her, and now, both were rebounding at the same time. She kicked away the quilt and tore open the collar of her thin red gossamer robe. A raging fire seemed to sweep through her, burning her internal organs. Her ice-attributed calamity seeds were completely depleted, leaving her with absolutely nothing to suppress this dual backlash. She didn't even have a single sliver of hope left to cling to.

Despite being tortured to this extent by the withdrawal, Su Li had never regretted using the calamity seeds. Though the items were dangerous and overbearing, they had forcefully helped her leap across two minor realms of cultivation within a single year, propelling her straight from the eighth level of Soul Transformation into half-step Void Refinement.

She had long known that the calamity seeds carried the risk of addiction. But as long as she could break through the shackles of her cultivation, she was willing to bear the consequences, even if it meant becoming addicted or suffering mental damage. As long as—as long as she could become stronger and reach a higher cultivation level, she would finally have a voice in this world...

Yet the price had come so quickly and so fiercely. The agonizing withdrawal, now at its absolute peak, gnawed at her bones and corroded her flesh, nearly wiping out her remaining sanity.

“Huff... huff...”

Cold sweat soaked the sheets beneath her as waves of pain pulsed through every nerve in her body. Su Li gripped the quilt with a death lock, her fingernails cracking and oozing blood. The intense pain in her fingertips shot straight to her heart, causing her entire body to spasm. Her nine fox tails, which had been neatly tucked away, flared out uncontrollably and thrashed violently against the wooden bed. Her damp fox ears drooped weakly atop her sweat-drenched head, the soft fur at the tips clumped together by perspiration. Marshaling every ounce of her mental strength, she endured the agonizing torment, biting down so hard on a corner of the bedsheet that she tore a hole right through it.

A knock came from the door, followed by the sound of someone speaking. Her mind was so hazy from the pain that she could barely muster her fading senses. Summoning every last bit of her strength, she screamed toward the door, “Get out!” She couldn't make out what was being said, nor did she know who it was, but she knew with absolute certainty that she could not let them in.

As soon as the words left her mouth, the door was pushed open.

Su Li was unaware that he had entered. Her consciousness drifted in a sea of agony. Her vision had grown completely blurry, leaving her to rely entirely on her senses. She felt something draw near. Suddenly, her burning, unbearable body felt as if it had been immersed in a pool of cool spring water, and the excruciating pain rapidly receded.

Su Li's breathing gradually stabilized. Her fox tails lowered one by one, and her ears stopped twitching. Overwhelming fatigue and drowsiness washed over her, pulling her into a deep, heavy slumber that lasted until dawn the next day.

Su Li had no idea how long she had slept. The burning pain had completely vanished, leaving her entire body feeling relaxed and at ease. The quilt, once soaked in sweat, had been dried by her body heat, leaving it dry and carrying a faint, clean scent of soap locust. Mmh... It had been a long time since she had slept this soundly. She didn't want to wake up; she wanted to sleep a little longer, even if just for a moment.

However, her consciousness slowly returned. Su Li blearily opened her eyes, but her vision was still a blur. Closing them again, she lazily swung her arm through the air, wanting to stretch her stiff muscles.

Her palm struck something cool and soft. Su Li froze. Her fingers instinctively squeezed the object—it was soft, slightly elastic, and felt a bit prickly further down. It felt like... a face.

Her brain was still half-asleep. She wondered, What is this? A human face? Whose face?

She gave it a pinch.

It was soft. A bit cool. Her fingertips brushed against a fine, prickly stubble. Her hand froze.

Su Li snapped her eyes open, her pupils shrinking to tiny pinpricks. Du Qi's face was less than a foot away from her own, staring back with a pair of dead-fish eyes. The skin beneath them was dark and heavily bruised with exhaustion.

Su Li's hand was still resting on his face. Her fingers curled slightly, and she gave his cheek another pinch. Du Qi didn't even try to dodge. The two stared blankly at each other from a mere foot apart, close enough to see the bloodshot veins in each other's eyes. The morning light leaked through the gaps in the curtains, casting half of their faces in light and the other half in shadow. Su Li's fox ears were still standing straight up on her head, while Du Qi's dark circles were so heavy he looked as if he had been punched twice in the face. Time seemed to freeze. If someone were to paint this scene, it would undoubtedly be hailed as a masterpiece of the century.

Gulp. Su Li parted her lips, wanting to speak, but nothing came out. She swallowed hard, her throat feeling as dry and scratchy as sandpaper. She pulled her hand back from Du Qi's face, hiding it behind her back like a child caught misbehaving. The lingering warmth of his cheek on her fingertips robbed her of the courage to look him in the eye.

Watching Su Li's reaction, the corner of Du Qi's mouth twitched. “Oh, good morning. Well, or good afternoon, I suppose.”

Su Li's fox ears twitched involuntarily. Shoot, I overslept. Wait, that's not right. Who the hell does he think he is? Why should he care when I wake up? I can sleep for as long as I want, it's none of his business! Just as she was about to snap back, she turned her head and caught sight of Du Qi's haggard face—clearly the result of pulling an all-nighter. The words she was about to say shattered instantly, and she swallowed them right back down.

“So,” Du Qi said, “how are you going to make up for what happened last night?”