“Dual… cultivation?!”
Yun Hao froze in the middle of putting away the steaming drawer.
Although he had only just stepped into the world of immortal cultivation and didn’t understand many things, he still knew the common knowledge surrounding dual cultivation.
According to the records in ancient texts, aside from certain evil cultivators who used this method for harvesting yin or yang energy, dual cultivation was something only practiced between dao companions.
It was an extremely intimate cultivation method that allowed both the man and woman to benefit… But wasn’t this something only dao companions should do?!
Senior Sister was a personal disciple of the Proud Sword Sect.
She would never practice those depraved, evil arts like energy plundering.
That left only one possibility…
Yun Hao’s mind went into overdrive the moment Luo Shuiling spoke those words.
He even forgot to respond to her.
He was completely stunned, wondering if he had misheard her.
“Gulp…”
Yun Hao swallowed hard, his throat dry. He returned to the bed with some difficulty.
He timidly glanced at the figure beneath the osmanthus tree, wanting to ask if Senior Sister had said something wrong… but he was also afraid that he had simply misunderstood.
Setting everything else aside, asking a woman like Senior Sister about something like this would only make him seem vulgar and lowly…
The osmanthus cakes he had made had clearly been thrown away, which meant Senior Sister disliked them.
So why would she suddenly say she would teach him dual cultivation tonight?
Wasn’t this something only done between people who were very close?
Between him and Senior Sister… this was too strange…
A fierce battle raged in Yun Hao’s mind.
His originally fair skin was now tinged with a faint red, revealing how unsettled he felt.
His eyes darted about in confusion, and his hands unconsciously gripped the bedding tightly.
His handsome face turned as red as a boiled shrimp, as if steam might rise from it at any moment.
Yun Hao’s current appearance was no different from Lin Shengyu’s a few days ago.
The only difference was that Lin Shengyu’s reaction had been pure shyness and joy, while Yun Hao’s was filled with unease, hesitation, and a trace of anticipation.
Even the bitter feeling from the discarded osmanthus cakes seemed to have been swept away.
***
Beneath the osmanthus tree, Luo Shuiling narrowed her eyes as she stared at Yun Hao’s small wooden house.
Her pet still hadn’t replied to her…
How increasingly annoying!
She didn’t realize at all how much her earlier words had shaken Yun Hao.
Right now, she only wanted him to understand that she was the most important person in his heart.
She was the one who had bought him back from slavery.
In mortal terms, she was the master and Yun Hao was her possession.
Yet she had never treated him as a mere slave.
She respected him and had given him the kind of freedom he had never experienced in his sixteen years of life.
But this time, he had been gone for three full days without even sending word.
This clearly showed some disregard for her, which was not a good sign.
Moreover, during their earlier conversation, she had smelled a faint trace of a young girl’s rouge on his clothes.
Combined with what Lin Xian had said that day, it was obvious what Yun Hao had been doing for the past three days.
Heh…
Luo Shuiling felt she could use some form of punishment, but after thinking about Yun Hao’s face, she gave up on the idea.
There was no need.
This was his first offense, so she would forgive him this once.
It would also make her seem magnanimous.
Or so she told herself.
Her pet had picked up someone else’s scent.
All she needed to do was clean him up and reapply her own scent tonight.
There was no need to make a big fuss.
However, the mental images of Yun Hao spending time with Lin Shengyu grew clearer and clearer.
She knew that simply sitting together could not possibly make his clothes smell so strongly of rouge…
And now he still hadn’t replied to her…
The more Luo Shuiling thought about Yun Hao’s behavior, the tighter her jade-like hand gripped the teacup.
Crack!
She looked at the teacup that had shattered into porcelain pieces, her pretty face turning cold.
She tried hard to calm the irritation surging in her heart.
She wasn’t idle and had plenty of things to do, yet for some reason, anything involving Yun Hao could disturb her usually calm dao heart, causing her to unconsciously make time for him.
Just like the day Lin Xian contacted her, her first reaction had been to wonder if Yun Hao was hurt. She did care about him.
Why would she care about a disciple she had only known for half a month?
She had pondered this question as well.
In the end, she concluded that it was probably because in her twenty-two years of life, aside from her master, no one had ever stayed by her side.
Now that she had a pet who revolved around her every day, it was only natural that she would develop some feelings.
After a long while, she let out a breath and stopped caring that Yun Hao still hadn’t replied.
She prepared to return to her pavilion to adjust her condition.
The difference in cultivation between her and Yun Hao was simply too great.
If she truly performed dual cultivation with him using her Dao Integration realm physique, he would likely be drained dry in just a few breaths.
She had no intention of taking Yun Hao’s life.
She only wanted to teach him a small lesson while starting the plan early.
Thinking that Yun Hao would still be her pet and stay by her side afterward, Luo Shuiling’s anger subsided slightly.
She also needed to return and adjust her physique.
At the very least, she had to control the amount of spiritual power she absorbed.
Otherwise, Yun Hao might not live to see tomorrow’s sun.
She rose gracefully and walked with light steps back to her elegant pavilion.
***
As the sun set and the Xu period arrived…
Luo Shuiling slowly walked to the front of Yun Hao’s wooden house and knocked on the door.
Creak.
A somewhat reserved figure appeared before her. It was Yun Hao.
“Did you hear what I said this afternoon?”
“…I heard it.”
Luo Shuiling observed the strangely reserved and timid Yun Hao. Good.
He had changed his clothes; he was no longer wearing the set that carried the scent of rouge.
This small discovery brought her a trace of pleasure.
She then walked into the wooden house on her own.
Luo Shuiling’s beautiful eyes scanned the surroundings.
The house had been cleaned spotlessly, a world of difference from half a month ago.
The bedding was neatly folded, and the bed was tidy, giving off a clean and orderly impression.
Luo Shuiling nodded in satisfaction.
She had a slight obsession with cleanliness, and Yun Hao’s neat little house greatly pleased her.
She slowly walked over to the bed, sat down cross-legged, and gently called out to the still-confused Yun Hao,
“Come up.”
Hearing Senior Sister call him, Yun Hao tried his best to maintain a calm mind, but his body still trembled slightly, as if it wouldn’t obey him.
Are we… really going to dual cultivate with Senior Sister?
Excitement, fear, anticipation, nervousness, and confusion all intertwined in Yun Hao’s heart, leaving him completely disoriented.
After a moment, Yun Hao forcefully suppressed these emotions and tried to calm himself. He slowly climbed onto the bed.
Luo Shuiling had been wondering why Yun Hao was moving so slowly, but seeing that he had gotten on the bed, she decided not to ask any questions.
Tonight’s focus was dual cultivation.
Moreover, she had only just managed to suppress her Ice Jade Physique’s absorption of spiritual power, and she didn’t want to waste any time.
Once Yun Hao was on the bed, Luo Shuiling began to slowly explain the dual cultivation method to him.
In simple terms, one party would circulate their spiritual power through the other’s heavenly circuit, while the other party controlled their body to slowly absorb it.
This required at least one of the two participants to have extremely high compatibility with the other’s spiritual power.
Yun Hao was clearly capable of stirring her Ice Jade Physique and had provided benefits when she infused spiritual power into him before.
He met her requirements.
As for whether she could adapt to his spiritual power, that remained to be seen.
“Do you understand?”
Luo Shuiling looked at Yun Hao, who seemed a little distracted, and felt slightly dissatisfied.
The boy was getting distracted while she was explaining such an important cultivation method. It seemed his playful nature still hadn’t changed.
Hearing Luo Shuiling’s words, Yun Hao snapped back to attention and quickly indicated that he understood.
At the same time, relief washed over him, followed by a tiny trace of regret.
It can’t be like that!!
Yun Hao took a deep breath and pushed that small regret out of his mind.
This was a rare opportunity to repay Senior Sister. He couldn’t let such feelings disturb him.
Then he recalled his vulgar thoughts from the afternoon, and his face reddened again.
Luo Shuiling looked strangely at the suddenly blushing Yun Hao but decided not to dwell on it. She slowly turned her smooth, jade-like back toward him and said,
“Then let’s begin.”
Yun Hao gently placed his palm on Luo Shuiling’s jade-like back and began channeling his spiritual power.
Feeling the warm touch on her back, Luo Shuiling thought to herself,
Mm, it’s not too bad.
She then slowly began absorbing Yun Hao’s spiritual power.
A scorching sensation immediately appeared within her body.
Sensing this burning heat, Luo Shuiling pondered for a moment.
So it was indeed like this.
She had already guessed that the same feeling from last time might appear and had prepared in advance. It seemed her preparations were correct.
…Even with preparation, this feeling still appears. Perhaps because Yun Hao is actively channeling spiritual power into me this time.
A tingling, itchy sensation still spread through her lower abdomen, but unlike the uncontrollable storm from last time, this was like a gentle drizzle.
It made Luo Shuiling feel very comfortable and enjoyable.
Unknowingly, the slight dissatisfaction she had felt toward Yun Hao gradually disappeared, replaced by a soul-deep comfort.
Luo Shuiling felt as though she were soaking in a warm spiritual spring.
The spiritual water enveloped her entire body, cleansing her soul. She enjoyed it, becoming somewhat lost in the sensation.
Yun Hao felt that as he channeled his spiritual power, something else within his body seemed to be flowing out along with it.
He frowned slightly.
This was different from spiritual power.
It was something he didn’t fully understand but instinctively knew was very important.
And it seemed to be absorbed by Senior Sister.
After thinking for a moment, Yun Hao decided to continue channeling his spiritual power.
His life had been saved by Senior Sister.
Even if she truly wanted to take something from him, he would not refuse.
***
“Ha… ha…”
As time passed, Yun Hao became covered in sweat, his breathing growing rapid.
He felt like he could no longer hold on, but Luo Shuiling showed no signs of stopping.
Instead, she became increasingly forceful, almost as if she were seizing the spiritual power from his body.
Yet he still didn’t speak.
He continued channeling spiritual power for Senior Sister until, at a certain point, he could no longer endure it and collapsed forward in a faint.
The sudden interruption of spiritual power startled Luo Shuiling.
She then felt a heavy weight press down on her.
She was originally somewhat displeased, but when she turned around, she saw that it was Yun Hao who had fainted.
Looking at the unconscious Yun Hao, Luo Shuiling’s remaining displeasure vanished. Sweat had soaked his black hair and drenched his body.
She reached out with her jade-like hand to adjust his position after he had collapsed from exhaustion.
Thinking that he had become like this because of her, she felt both pleased and a trace of inexplicable heartache.
After thinking for a moment, Luo Shuiling cast a cleaning technique on Yun Hao, at least drying his clothes.
She looked at Yun Hao, who was still lying across her jade-like legs, then sensed the Northern Cold Mystic Ice in her qi sea that she had yet to fully absorb.
Gazing at Yun Hao’s handsome, sweat-covered face that was beginning to show signs of maturity, she suddenly felt a twinge of regret.
Perhaps the decision I made that night was a mistake.
But after a moment, she gently shook her head. It wasn’t entirely a mistake.
She could be a little greedy and have both the Northern Cold Mystic Ice and Yun Hao.
She had been the first to encounter Yun Hao. Given his personality, her position was very important.
As long as she occasionally gave him some sweetness, he would not be easily tempted by others.
Besides, staying by his master’s side was the duty a pet should fulfill.
Luo Shuiling found excuses for herself to feel at ease.
She then covered Yun Hao with a blanket and slowly left the wooden house…
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