The radiant rays of Baby Defiant shone upon a delightful, peaceful, and grateful region on planet New Everlore. The air was fresh and satisfying to breathe, not the slightest stench of blood or signs of chaos marred its qualities. The prosperity was infectious with rising good health and cities developing new traditions, holidays, and an entirely new societal culture.
A fascinating culture built upon the deft principles and firm mindset of a single mortal man with the holidays and traditions established with the beautiful mind of a glorious woman. While they didn't aspire to build a utopia, the greatest things were born from the most natural of wants. Neo-Dawn Defiance Era, Year 1.
Sitting leisurely upon a small dirt mound, the mortal man revered by the Neo-Dawn Empire's citizens and foreigners as their Emperor had a singular piece of wheat straw in his mouth, chewing while eyeing the rich farmland that stretched for miles. Farmers were working the fields in tandem, harvesting all sorts of crops. Each crop was of the astral-grade, all high quality with great benefits to general health infused nourishing energies.
As the harvesters worked their hardest, exerting their cultivation bases to perform astonishing methods, there were those waiting at canopies with baskets of pastes, elixirs, and clear pills with plant seeds firmly contained within. They were ready to replant the fields after all was done with prepared alchemical materials. Not only would these allow crops to grow beyond their season, but their overall health, consistency, quality, and taste would be elevated greatly.
These were alchemical products sent down from the Hepta-Dawn Alchemic Corps lower-ranking members, but not a single one was impure or low-quality, all at the high-quality or greater. This was a set standard that their Hepta-Dawn Alchemic Corps refused to back down on when it came to their safe zones. Meanwhile, external farms and fields run by the various clans or sects could bulk purchase low-quality products at a low price.
There was one thing most, not all, but most of the Neo-Dawn Starfield experienced the least: Starvation. Food and clean water were plenty, and if there was a deficit elsewhere, such as non-safe zones, even beyond the Neo-Dawn Starfield, the future Ascendant Empress publicly provided transport and cheap goods to those regions using the Ascendants and the Neo-Dawn Empire's name.
The praise for all three was often spoken of heavily by the common citizen. The insignia of the Neo-Dawn was worshiped, and mortals would often etch the symbol into their door mats to welcome good fortune, a tradition that had been born sheerly out of stories of the Neo-Dawn Empire's continued blessings. While it was not too much, in regards to what was provided, it was enough to make starvation and dehydration within the last two years the top three least common deaths among the Neo-Dawn Starfield.
"The halsen farmlands is doing well," a woman with freckles said smilingly as she sat comfortably next to the Ascendant Emperor of Neo-Dawn. There was no strangeness in her tone or awkwardness in her posture as she sat directly beside him, looking out into the fields. Her voice wasn't like a lovely lark or difficult to tolerate like a screeching owl, and it felt more grounded, more natural. A deep-toned feminine sound that could placate the thoughts, not forceful or valiant yet not too girly and high-pitched.
"It really is," Wei Wuyin commented with a hint of a smile, but his silver eyes contained unspoken and uncertain emotions. Unlike most rulers, Wei Wuyin was deeply aware of all of the moving parts in his empire through various reports, even the undercurrents unseen by most.
His second mind loved filtering and organizing various incoming reports the most, condensing them into bite-sized relevant pieces of information with various suggestions. The act of turning bits and pieces of fragmented information into a coherent story was highly addictive, like solving a puzzle.
Wei Wuyin would then send them back to the palace and Xue Yifei. This eased her situation of running the empire and dealing with any unpredictable, often missed situations. That said, with his current powers, he could oversee the entire empire's situation, past and potential future, with a little effort.
After observing the active farm for a few minutes, the woman rubbed her thighs, saying: "You've never been the talkative sort, but I expected a lot more after not seeing each other for so long."
"..." Wei Wuyin subtly glanced at the only woman he'd called 'Boss' in his lifetime-Mei Mei.
Mei Mei used her hand as a makeshift shade to block some of the solar star's beaming rays from her eyes. "The last time we met was just before leaving the Myriad Yore Continent, huh?"
"..." Wei Wuyin slowly nodded. The last time they 'met' was then, but it was not the last time Wei Wuyin had seen her.
Mei Mei moistened her pink lips with her tongue a little, "After we were brought to the Myriad Monarch Sect's territory by Fairy Blessed Spirit, I ended up failing the Myriad Nascent Dao Pagoda. I couldn't get past the first few floors. I always knew I wasn't really talented, but I didn't think I was so far below the standard."
Mei Mei seemed to want to ignite a conversation, so she casually began speaking on the topic of their last real meeting and their separation. While Wei Wuyin went off as a well-regarded Alchemic King, Mei Mei was unable to pass the simple tower. She was unlike Wu Mingna or Lian Yu at the time who had a great background and even greater talent. Moreover, her situation made it very difficult for Wei Wuyin to assist her as she was promised to be married to Wu Chen and they swore to the heavens to be Dao Companions.
Unfortunately for Wu Chen, Wei Wuyin existed, and the karmic links of the past that tethered to Mei Mei were unable to be severed. He lost his lifetime of cultivation and eventually his life. Meanwhile, his failure didn't affect her at all. The Heavenly Daos were not fair, despite the telling of stories and myths.
"I spent some time traveling the new world since I didn't have any real way to return. A plight that many like me suffered. Some descended into madness, others were reduced to slaves, and even I had my fair share of struggles." Mei Mei's tone grew gentler by the last portion of her sentence.
She lowered her head and saw her thighs. They weren't thin nor fat, but plump enough to act as soft pillows, and her slender stomach and relatively average bust size that wouldn't provoke envy or scorn from members of her gender, weren't particularly outstanding. She was once captured and nearly forced into servitude by stronger cultivators. They weren't particularly strong, and they didn't even have any Astral Core Realm cultivators amongst them. After all, there were barely five million of them throughout the entirety of the Everlore Starfield which had a population of tens of trillions.
"Thank you."
"..." Wei Wuyin looked up at the sky thoughtfully. With a soft throat grumble of acknowledgment, he nodded.
Mei Mei slowly felt her fingers dig into her thigh as she applied a bit more pressure. Nearly a dozen seconds later, she smilingly said with bright eyes, "Do you remember Grandma Vivi's Apple Pies? I miss them."
Wei Wuyin's lips tugged into a smile slightly, "I don't miss her bargaining tactic for them though. She would always ask for just a bit more each time, always saying-"
"Every day prices change on good things." They both said together, in almost perfect harmony.
"Haha," Mei Mei laughed with her head tilted back. "The old hag of a scammer."
"Indeed," Wei Wuyin shook his head with a bitterly amused smile and a chuckle.
Mei Mei eyed Wei Wuyin brightly, "See. It's not too hard to speak to me, is it?" If she told the world that Wei Wuyin, their Ascendant Emperor, the one who dominated the Born True Starfield, the one who defined the new standards for talents of an era, the one who surpassed the alchemic feats of King of Everlore as a mere mortal, and the one who defeated Tian Taizong before the world, was a little speechless before a fairly ordinary looking woman who worked on a farm for a living, no one would dare believe her.
"It's not," Wei Wuyin admitted with a short, exhaled breath. "I just have a lot to say yet a lot that doesn't need to be said."
"Yeah," Mei Mei understood those words more than anyone at this very moment. "I'm sorry for not believing in you then. I should've trusted you."
"It's not your fault. I would've done the same thing," Wei Wuyin said.
"You wouldn't have," Mei Mei flatly stared.
"I wouldn't have..." Wei Wuyin closed his eyes as the rays of Baby Defiant caressed his skin, feeling at ease in both heart and soul.
All those years ago, Wei Wuyin's subordinate, Han Yu, had self-detonated and nearly killed Mei Mei in the Core Disciple competition. Wei Wuyin hadn't foreseen him being charmed by Ling Ya, a terrifying vixen. Her schemes hadn't just nearly killed Mei Mei, but she had allowed Qu Gui to seize her Core Disciple spot after she narrowly survived the attempt on her life.
It didn't end there as even Qu Gui had been manipulated to give her life up in an attempt to kill Wei Wuyin during his cultivation shortly after. Ling Ya's schemes had not only eliminated two of Wei Wuyin's promising members, severed his trust and connection with Mei Mei but tried to kill him too.
If she succeeded, then the world would have found out that Qu Gu's family member had been brutally molested by Wei Wuyin and held a death grudge for the longest time thinking he was responsible, slowly working her way up to seize revenge. Although that was all a frame job, and with Wei Wuyin alive, and the truth not being so, there was no tangible way to follow through with that vicious plan of character destruction.
However, even in that situation, Wei Wuyin wouldn't have made the same decision as Mei Mei had. He would have trusted her to his dying breath. He owed her far too much not to and he would have been willing to lay his life down for her.
Mei Mei's reply was linked with her earlier thanks. If Wei Wuyin had wanted Mei Mei dead, if he was unfit for true, unconditional trust, he wouldn't have watched over her all these decades since he entered the Myriad Yore Continent. He wouldn't have kept his distance, respecting her choice all those years ago, quietly allowing her to live her own life how she wanted. The act reeked of guilt.
"I failed then," Wei Wuyin said firmly. He had indeed failed then, and it almost cost Mei Mei her life. If it wasn't for Mei Yang and Wei Si's unique blood, she might not have never recovered during his ten years of memory loss, and likely died before he got a chance to explain himself. It was his subordinate and his failure to properly ensure they weren't corrupted by external machinations.
Unfortunately, he was preoccupied with the Violet Moon Sect's hunting mission while all this went down, leaving a gargantuan opening for Ling Ya.
"You sure as hell did," Mei Mei agreed wholeheartedly. Wei Wuyin had shit the bed and it nearly killed her. She was thankful and she was apologetic, but she wasn't the slightest shy about pointing out Wei Wuyin's near-fatal errors. It had almost killed Wei Wuyin. If not for Lin Ziyan's timely interference...
"There were many things you did amazing in. You handled almost every matter perfectly, and your schemes and counterplans were all exceptional and a wonder to see unfold, but the Violet Moon Sect's mission had somehow distracted you. It created too much of an opening," Mei Mei commented with words she had always wanted to say since long ago.
"..." Wei Wuyin knew she was telling the truth. The Violet Moon Sect was his first time with a conundrum like Na Xinyi, and he had acted like a literal saint, letting Na Xinyi leave with two Primal Yins. Shortly after, he was almost plotted against by his subordinate and fell to lust and lies, having to behead that woman and slaughter his treacherous sectmate.
Then, he met that silver-haired, black-eyed figure that bit into him, giving him the Bloodline of Sin. He was distracted and hadn't done much of his due diligence while on his chase of the Violet Moon Sect's remnant forces.
"..." The two silently basked in their memories of old.
"At the very least, you haven't forgotten what I've taught you all these years." After that long silence, Mei Mei's smile returned as she said proudly. "Your execution with handling the Divine Emperor was spectacular."
"How could I? You had beaten it into me that I couldn't forget even if I tried."
Mei Mei nodded approvingly, smacking her thighs with a lively gleam in her eyes. "Idle enemies defeated never bring much respect from the world. Forgotten legends are dismissed if dealt with, their weakness attributed to their golden age long overdue. But-"
Wei Wuyin interjected with a grin, "The more you honor your enemies, the larger the stage you set them on, the more legendary the feats you give them, the greater you become for being their conqueror."
"Indeed! Indeed!" Mei Mei laughed. "I've heard how the Divine Emperor faced off against foreign invaders that had terrified the entire world, stealing planets with reckless abandon, plundering lives and resources indiscriminately, and they had experts at the level far surpassing the past era's standards! Worldly Saints, they said! The entire world thought themselves finished and the so-called Divine Emperor's legend was dry and over with only hope in their hearts for a savior.
"But that legend resurfaced at such a critical moment with power far surpassing his era, re-establishing his legend by fighting the strongest experts with unparalleled might and supremacy. The Divine Emperor was still divine! I heard they said those things all over.
"And then here you go, waltzing in and not only forcing that legend that was gripping the hearts of the masses in a vice-grip, but at the height of the situation where the Divine Emperor's victory might as well just be a forgone conclusion in the eyes of those who could see it or heard of it, you force that legend to kneel before you and executed him with the utmost dominance. All that was his glory, is yours. And those foreign invaders that brought unimaginable fear? Told to fuck off! And they did! It was truly magnificent!" Mei Mei was like a proud teacher as she clapped and laughed invigoratingly between sentences. Wei Wuyin had taken a page from her book as she had earned her reputation despite her lacking talents through a similar fashion, by crushing someone's legend and ensuring that those stronger than her, richer than her, more connected than her, thought thrice before acting against her.
Wei Wuyin took it a step further and conquered the world! The entire world!
Mei Mei stood up and stretched her arm and spine. She didn't have exceptional curves or a voluptuous body that could cause men to droll, but the way the sun glistened on her skin was particularly radiant. "To think that sniveling silver-eyed brat with only a good face to his name would become the Ascendant Emperor of Neo-Dawn! A Worldly Saint Alchemist! A powerful cultivator feared by everyone! Foreigners from far beyond the stars included!" Her aura fluctuated slightly in her excitement, revealing that she was at the Sky Ruler Phase, the Second Stage of the Astral Core Realm.
Hearing the heavy praise, Wei Wuyin felt slightly stunned by how far he'd come. He was genuinely just a little boy who'd lost his family all those years ago. If not for Mei Mei back then finding him interesting and slightly pitiful, teaching him things that compounded his principles and morals, helping him cultivate and be there for him when he got his revenge as an emotional pillar, he wouldn't be who he was today. He might not have even freed Na Xinyi that day. He might not even be alive.
"Ah! Harvesting is hard work! I could take a break," Mei Mei said after finishing her stretch. "Come on. I could use some cardio after all this sitting," she said without the slightest bit of shyness.
Wei Wuyin watched as Mei Mei trudged off toward a group of residences. Among them, definitely her home. That familiar saying brought back many, many memories. To put it lightly, a sweaty exercise was being offered. To put it directly, Mei Mei wanted to ride the dragon's lap once more.
Wei Wuyin chuckled and rose up from the dirt mound. There were a lot of things he wanted to say, but not everything needed to be said.
At least not now.
"You coming or not?!" Mei Mei exclaimed.
"We both will in a bit, Boss." Wei Wuyin joked as he followed.

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