Lady Rot Rose did not speak further after her earlier words. Instead, she simply looked at Han Yu, her gaze steady, calm, and far too knowing. Then, almost lazily, she shifted her eyes toward a seat placed across from her.
It was not a command.
Yet it might as well have been one.
Han Yu understood imdiately.
He stepped forward without hesitation and took the seat she indicated. His movents were smooth, controlled, neither hurried nor overly cautious. Even as he sat, his senses remained stretched to their limits, quietly observing every detail within the pavilion.
Lady Rot Rose watched him settle, her fingers idly turning the slender pipe in her hand.
Then she gave it a light twist.
The effect was imdiate.
SHUA
From sowhere within the pavilion, a crystalline bottle rose into the air, moving as though guided by an invisible hand. It drifted gracefully across the open space and ca to rest on the table before Han Yu.
The bottle was exquisite.
Its surface was clear, yet faint patterns resembling blooming roses were etched within its structure. Inside, a deep red liquid shimred softly, almost as if it possessed a life of its own.
Han Yu did not need to sll it to know.
It was wine.
"As the first one to arrive, accept my hospitality," Lady Rot Rose said.
Her voice carried a soft, sultry quality that seed to slip past defenses rather than confront them. It was not overwhelming like Mistress Love Wine’s charm, which assaulted the senses and dominated attention. This was subtler, refined with experience, and far more dangerous.
Han Yu felt his throat tighten for the briefest mont.
Then he regained control.
He inclined his head slightly.
"I am honored."
Rejecting the offer was not an option.
Not here.
Not from her.
He reached for the bottle and poured himself a cup. The liquid flowed smoothly, its color deep and rich, catching the faint light in a way that made it seem almost alive.
And then the scent reached him.
It was deep. Like freshly plucked roses, still carrying the moisture of early morning dew, yet beneath that sweetness lay sothing sharper, sothing darker. A faint bitterness lingered beneath the fragrance, subtle yet undeniable.
Han Yu’s eyes flickered for an instant.
’Not simple.’
"Its my personal brew," Lady Rot Rose said. "I call it the Rose Life Wine."
Han Yu raised the cup slightly in acknowledgnt before bringing it to his lips.
The mont the wine touched his tongue, he felt it.
The taste was exquisite.
Sweet at first, blooming gently across his senses, then turning sharper, more intense. The bitterness followed, not unpleasant, but grounding the sweetness, preventing it from becoming overwhelming.
It was balanced.
Perfectly so.
Then the real effect began.
As the wine traveled down his throat and reached his stomach, a surge of energy spread through his body. It was not violent or chaotic. Instead, it unfolded smoothly, releasing both Blood Qi and Wood Qi in a harmonious blend.
The Blood Qi was potent, dense, and rich.
The Wood Qi was refreshing, stabilizing, and nurturing.
Together, they created a sensation that was both invigorating and calming at the sa ti.
Han Yu’s ridians responded instinctively, guiding the energy through his body. His cultivation technique activated without conscious effort, processing the influx with ease.
He understood imdiately.
For an ordinary cultivator, this would be overwhelming.
The Blood Qi alone would be enough to destabilize their internal balance, and combined with the Wood Qi, it could easily lead to backlash or even internal rupture. Only soone with a strong foundation and compatible cultivation could handle it.
Soone like him.
Soone who had cultivated the Moon Conquering Divine Art.
Han Yu finished the cup without hesitation and set it down calmly.
"It is excellent," he said. "Worthy of being crafted by your hands."
Lady Rot Rose smiled faintly.
"You are excellent too," she replied.
Han Yu allowed a slight smile to form.
"My Lady is being polite."
"Not at all," she said.
Her eyes remained on him, sharp beneath the softness of her expression.
"If it were anyone else, they would have been overwheld by it. Only a few can drink it with ease."
Han Yu raised a brow slightly.
"Is that so?"
He could already sense it.
This was no longer simple hospitality.
The wine had been a test.
And she had just confird it.
Lady Rot Rose leaned back slightly, her posture relaxed, yet the atmosphere around her seed to tighten subtly.
"You’ve learned the Moon Conquering Divine Art, haven’t you?"
The words ca without warning.
Direct and unadorned.
Han Yu felt the shift imdiately. For a fraction of a second, instinct urged him to respond, to correct, to deny. But years of caution held him back. His expression did not change. His breathing remained steady.
He t her gaze calmly.
"My Lady is surely jesting," he said. "That technique is reserved for the highest ranks of the sect. I would not dare claim such fortune. Besides, I cultivate the Freezing Abyss Glacial Art."
His tone was respectful, asured, carrying just enough humility to sound convincing. But Lady Rot Rose did not react as one might expect. She did not press. She did not argue. She simply smiled.
"Don’t worry," she said calmly. "You are a Legacy Disciple. That technique is fit for you."
The ease with which she spoke those words made Han Yu’s mind tighten.
She was not probing anymore.
She was stating.
"Besides," she continued, her gaze sharpening slightly, "I saw the Qi pathways when the wine was being absorbed. It matches the Moon Conquering Divine Art."
That was it.
Confirmation.
Not assumption.
Not suspicion.
Observation.
Han Yu’s fingers tightened ever so slightly against the table before relaxing again.
Inside, his thoughts turned cold.
She had been testing him from the mont he arrived.
The wine had never been just hospitality.
It had been a key.
A tool.
A thod to reveal what lay beneath his surface.
And he had walked straight into it.
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