~~~

  “Indulge in every wicked thought that hides in the dark corners of your heart. Satisfy the perverse temptations that plague every moment of the waking mind. Witness all the wrongs and evils of Humanity, and rejoice at its sheer beauty and ecstasy.

  That is your right — the right of the strong.”

  — Creed of the Carnivores

  The Young Master walked back down the stairs, flanked by two Core Disciples on each side.

  For a mortal or lesser disciple, it might have been a sight to behold: Three powerful cultivators — each within the valorous prime of the Body Tempering Realm — descending the polished marbled steps of the hallow training ground, the burning flames of the building behind them casting shifting shadows upon their form. With the vibrant night sky set above and their bodies half-unclad and steeped in a cultivator’s refined beauty, it was a view that would have captivated any lesser man or woman.

  Until they got closer and heard the contents of their childish bickering, that was.

  “—indecisiveness wasted all of our time!” Brother Dai yelled, throwing his hands up. “What happened to all that talk about resisting temptation? You still ate both our livers anyway! And you call ME sanctimonious?!”

  “It’s your fault for offering your flesh as well!” Sister Jin countered with reddened cheeks. “I was fine just resisting the Young Master’s shameless proposition alone—”

  The Young Master winced at her words. He tried to interject: “Senior Sister Jin, it was merely an innocent offer, I didn’t know—”

  The words failed to reach her as Brother Dai launched another accusation…

  “You say that, but your drooling just now claims otherwise, you—!”

  … Which was then swiftly interrupted once more by the embarrassed disciple of the Split-Headed Carnivores.

  “—until you added your flesh to the pile! No sane woman is going to abstain from that—”

  “It would have been fine if you had just eaten the Young Master’s—”

  “It would have been improper—!”

  “Yet you still ate his in the end anyway!” Brother Dai yelled, disbelief clear on his face. “And mine too, you voracious hypocrite! Wait a minute, was this all a ploy?! Did you act coy so that we would both let our guards down and then—!”

  The Young Master sighed as the two Core Disciples continued their shouting match. After Sister Jin had eaten both their livers and had her qi reserves restored to the brim, the three of them dressed themselves as best they could and decided to head back to where Lingyu and the other foreign Core Disciple were waiting.

  The reason for this was due to Sister Jin’s present state of undress. She was not completely naked; the disciples of the Split-headed Carnivores wore a large, fang-rimmed jacket on top of their bodysuits. The more reserved outerwear served to clad their bodies when the skintight attire alone was improper, and the coat could be easily tossed aside before transforming — leaving it retrievable for wear afterwards when their primary attire became a ruin in the aftermath of their metamorphosis.

  The coat was no mere garment. Crafted from a combination of mountainous animal pelts and the cultivated furs of the ferocious Spirit Beast that dwelt within the treacherous ravines of the Fang Mountain, the coat boasted considerable defensive strength, on par with the monstrous hides of the creatures they once protected.

  The ones of the Core Disciples, like Sister Jin’s, were further strengthened with ice-fang talismans that lined the edges of their coat — trophies that proved their worth as the apex predators of their mountain, which shimmered like the crystalline jaws of some feral snow beast.

  Altogether, it was a rather impressive piece of raiment, one that spoke of the Carnivore’s primaeval might and beauty — valuable beyond the rare spirit beast materials that went into its craftsmanship. More importantly, they would provide some semblance of protection and modesty to an otherwise naked disciple after she shifted back from their transformed state.

  But it was only a semblance. The outerwear left Sister Jin’s legs bare, and its size was scarcely large enough to cover her upper body, largely due to the Carnivore’s natural height and… generous feminine proportions. There was no one who would deny she looked rather indecent at the moment.

  Feng and Dai had opted only to tie their robes around their waist, leaving themselves bare-chested in a bizarre display of solidarity to offset the Sister’s lone state of vulnerability. Even though the two were left disgruntled by her earlier act of blatant greed, neither would accept having her be uncomfortably ogled at alone by the rest of the Sect.

  Such a thing would be a prelude to disaster once the Sister’s patience wore off. The young males of the Sect already had enough nightmares from the voracious Carnivores. No point adding more fuel to the horror when Sect relations were already fragile enough as it was.

  Or perhaps the Sister would prove contrary to conventional thoughts and show herself to be appreciative of their stares. Lianshi once mentioned that the population of the Fang Mountain around her Sect were scant of healthy young men willing to satisfy their cravings, owing mostly to the Sect’s infamous reputation when involving their bedmates’ survival rates.

  Consequently, that meant that few within the Split-Headed Carnivore Sect were ever subjected to the genuine, adoring attention of a man whilst they resided near their monastery. It made the female disciples more receptive to the male gaze, though perhaps not for reasons that their suitors might hope.

  During the early days of their alliance, those few female disciples who were lucky enough to secure a delegation spot to the Beheaded Phoenix Sect found themselves swarmed by a tide of amorous advances from both mortal and male disciples alike. An unavoidable outcome given the Carnivores’ fabled beauty, enticing all to witness the delegation and see for themselves whether the legends matched reality.

  Woe to them, for if anything, the tales failed to prepare anyone for the unearthly loveliness displayed by the secluded women of the Split-Headed Carnivores Sect. Small wonder then that half of them fell to their knees and begged with propositions of illicit intentions the moment they witnessed their splendour.

  The delegates — who were more used to unwilling or horrified prey — were delighted by this change of events. The men, in turn, similarly rejoiced at the unusual receptiveness of such jade beauties. Soon, hordes of males flooded the delegates' dorms, whose doors the Carnivore left open to all.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  If they knew of the orgiastic nightmare that followed, perhaps the males might have been less inclined to participate.

  Faced with such receptive prey — and in such gluttonous abundance, no less — the Carnivores feasted with a voracious zeal that bordered on madness, their hunger driving them to eat with wild abandon. Every form of cannibalistic delight was savoured, each enacted a dozen times over hundreds of males.

  Some of the Carnivores bathed themselves in rivers of Spirit Wine and mortal blood, pale skin and serpentine fangs glistening under rapturous moonlight. Others supped on entrails from still-living cultivators day and night, their cloaks half-torn from the desperate struggles of the men beneath them.

  The delegate’s compound became filled with the desperate screams of prey and the ecstatic moans of Carnivores — a slice of the Fang Mountain’s winter nightmares mirrored upon the Beheaded Phoenix Sect.

  It didn’t last, thankfully. Half of the ‘willing tributes’ died from the first week alone, the majority being mortal men who lacked the superhuman resilience to survive the enthusiasm of the female disciples. Of the cultivators that died, all were either low-ranking Inner Disciples or Outer Disciples of the Beheaded Phoenix Sect, who expired too quickly before the proper Resurrection beheading could save them. No Core Disciples were killed; a small blessing in a sea of slaughter.

  The death of mortals was of little consequence, but the fatal incidents involving disciples nearly ruptured the nascent alliance between the Sects. Eventually, however, matters were settled diplomatically. The worst offenders among the female disciples were punished, reparations were made from the Split-Headed Carnivores Sect to the Beheaded Phoenix Sect, and appropriate measures were set in place to prevent such a shameful atrocity from occurring again.

  As such, the once adoring gazes directed at the female envoys were replaced with terror and awe. There was a time when it might have been different. Now the disciple knew better, or most of them did.

  Feng was aware of the rumours and hidden dealings. A bloodbath like those first nights would never happen again, but inevitably, illicit negotiations would be made between lustful or desperate disciples who starved for the touch of unearthly beauties.

  Pleasure paid with one’s own flesh. A simple transaction that satisfied all parties — in theory, at least. Some agreements might favour one party over the other, though such imbalances would only be discovered amidst the throes of flesh-devouring passion, once the prey has long stepped past the threshold of escape.

  It was not his place to judge, but sometimes, Feng wished the men of his Sect were less guided by bull-headed lust.

  Though, in all likelihood, he was in no position to criticise them.

  A few junior disciples and servants were off to the side of the walkway, staring wide-eyed at the group’s attics and blatant half-nudity, but the more experienced Inner Disciples and the Core Disciples barely gave them a glance as they passed by. At most, they might have walked away a little faster, embarrassed by their display and bickering. The more respectful few dipped their head in acknowledgement, or perhaps sympathy, at the Young Master and his entourage when they crossed paths.

  At a certain cultivation level, decorum and public decency became more of a suggestion than a necessity. Still, even cultivators needed to maintain a semblance of dignity. Without the bodysuit, Senior Sister Jin’s already-distracting figure was now in full glorious display, and while the Beast-skin Coat she carried with her helped block her more feminine features, there was still an unreasonable amount of skin exposed without her full proper Sect attire.

  Presumably, her fellow Core Disciple — Senior Sister Shao — or Young Miss Lingyu would have an extra set for her to wear.

  Halfway through Brother Dai’s and Sister Jin’s bickering, the female disciple sneezed.

  “Emperor’s teeth, it’s cold,” she murmured as she rubbed her bare shoulders beneath the coat. Brother Dai snorted derisively.

  “You are a cultivator. More than that, you are a Core Disciple who just had her qi stores fully replenished! Cold or not, you should be more resilient than this.”

  Sister Jin sneered at him. “It’s nearly winter, the sun has already gone down, and more than that, I’m still naked, you ass!”

  “You don't see me or the Young Master complaining.”

  “You are Phoenix-born! Your temperature runs higher! We split-headed Carnivores are chill-blooded and more sensitive to the cold. We need the bodysuit to keep us warm. Its properties help us absorb ambient Yang qi…”

  Feng frowned. Lianshi had mentioned this before, of how their Path leaves them extremely reliant on external Yang sources to stay warm and spiritually stable. It would not do to leave the Senior Sister in discomfort. The Young Master looked over her form, his gaze measuring her height and shoulder length, noting how her proportions roughly matched his. The female disciple caught his roaming gaze and blushed self-consciously.

  “A lady likes to know her body is appreciated, but too much blatant ogling can be detrimental to your reputation, Young Master,” she scolded half-heartedly.

  “You say that as if he doesn’t deserve a good look after he just tore out his liver for your consumption,” Brother Dai complained. Sister Jin’s blush deepened as she looked away in grudging agreement.

  “It isn’t… I was not looking because of that,” Feng interjected before their bickering commenced again. To their surprise, the Young Master untied the robe at his waist and handed it to her. Their velvet flame-gold hue marked them as the personal apparel of the Hei Clan Heir. “Here, wear this. Our bodies are about the same size, gender anatomy notwithstanding. The robes are woven from Yang-infused beast hide. It should keep you warm.”

  “Oh.” Sister Jin’s serpent eyes blinked owlishly before accepting the raiment. “Thank you.”

  “You probably shouldn’t give her that. It would cause more misunderstandings later, and—” Brother Dai cut off his words upon seeing the Young Master’s tired glare. The Senior Disciple sighed. “Fine, fine. Do what you want. You better pray that Lianshi is an understanding woman.”

  “She is, and she won’t care about this,” Feng said confidently. Brother Dai looked doubtful, but he eventually relented.

  “You two hang around and chat,” the male disciple said as he experimentally flexed his qi. It had not fully recovered, but a cultivator of his standing could still bear a degree of spiritual instability while using the Sect techniques. “I’ll go have a look around and see if I can find a spare robe lying around somewhere. I would offer you mine, Young Master, but, well…”

  He gestured to his torso, which was larger and broader than the Young Master’s leaner build. Feng gave an amused huff and nodded.

  “I would be grateful, Senior Brother.”

  Brother Dai sped away as he activated the Fiery Comet Step technique, leaving the two of them behind. Feng idly realised that he — an engaged Heir — was now naked with a female disciple from a foreign Sect, who herself was only half-dressed as well. It was not a good look.

  Well, they were both responsible adults. Surely nothing indecent could arise from this.

  Dual Cultivation, Part 3

  Despite their richness, organs are notoriously expensive to acquire for the ordinary cultivator and would typically only grace the tables of Elders or Clan Nobles. The usual disciple would subsist on Sect-given ‘meat rations’ instead. Cultivator muscle flesh is the most commonly cannibalised meat for dual cultivation, being of relative abundance and modest qi saturation.

  Sanguine bodily fluids are the cheapest to obtain and are often used as a quick way to temporarily revitalise qi, especially in combat. Blood vial ampoules are a common export of the Medical Pavilion, sold to finance their more esoteric curative studies and experiments. A quick injection of qi-rich blood would provide an immediate boost to spiritual stability, though in matters of satiation, they are horribly lacking.

  Other forms of bodily fluid, like bile or stomach acid, hold more applications in cultivator medicine rather than for consumption purposes. A key exception to this category would be a cultivator's reproductive fluids, which hold an exceptional amount of refined spiritual energy and possess properties that are heavily Yin or Yang aligned depending on gender — though their potency is a transient matter and rapidly loses effectively once outside the body, making them poor substitutes for blood (among other obvious reasons).

  Bones offer little spiritual energy, and are unpleasant and difficult to consume besides. The exception to this would be the marrow-bearing long bones of the body, especially the spinal fluid, which provides qi quantity comparable to organs.

  — Excerpt from To Those Worthy of the Eternal Banquet