After chatting a bit more, Lin Yuhe left with light, cheerful steps, humming a tune.
Shen Mu took out the cauldron and the alchemy book, following the recorded methods to begin learning alchemy from the stage of condensing pill flames.
Dusk.
Shen Mu extinguished the crimson pill flame in his palm, glancing at the red clouds and setting sun outside the window, figuring she’d be arriving soon.
“Today’s practice went pretty well. A few more days of getting the hang of it, and I’ll officially step into the path of alchemy.”
He brushed his hand lightly, storing the cauldron away.
Soon after.
“Senior Brother… I’m here.”
Accompanied by a soft, youthful voice, Tang Yueyao arrived as promised, stepping into Shen Mu’s open-door room.
“Mm, same as yesterday. Let’s get started.”
Shen Mu was already seated on the meditation cushion, ready and waiting.
Tang Yueyao obediently sat across from him…
But the next moment, her stomach let out an untimely “gurgle gurgle”, making her lower her face instantly, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
“You’re hungry?”
“Mm…”
Tang Yueyao’s voice was barely a whisper, her face burning with shame.
Her stomach growling at a time like this? How mortifying.
Shen Mu didn’t show much surprise. After all, in the original story, she had a bit of a foodie streak.
“Here, I’ve got a few fasting pills left. Take them.” He handed her a pill bottle.
It wouldn’t feel right to let her cultivate on an empty stomach.
“…Thank you, Senior Brother.”
Tang Yueyao gratefully took the bottle, popped out the five fasting pills, and swallowed them all in one go, not leaving a single one.
“How hungry are you?”
One fasting pill was enough for him to last a day, and she’d downed them all like a glutton.
Wait a second! What’s today’s date?
Shen Mu suddenly realized something, quickly calculating the date.
Damn, it’s the first of the month—exactly when she starts needing a ton of yang qi…
*Is my luck really *that* bad?*
“Nom nom…”
Gulp…
After swallowing the fasting pills, Tang Yueyao felt her hunger subside significantly, perking up to face him. “I can’t help it. Every ten days or so, I just feel like I can’t eat enough…”
“Probably because of your special physique.”
Shen Mu muttered inwardly: What you need is a ton of yang-rich stuff. Regular food satisfying you? Fat chance.
“Mm… my special physique…”
Tang Yueyao’s clear, innocent eyes flickered with thought.
“Exactly, so don’t overthink it. Let’s start.”
“Once your cultivation level rises, it’ll all sort itself out.”
“…Alright.”
Seeing her naive, unworldly expression, Shen Mu couldn’t help but feel a wave of worry.
Hopefully, these next few days won’t bring any trouble.
Midnight.
Beads of sweat dotted Shen Mu’s forehead, his eyes twitching slightly, his body steaming with faint white vapor, his face flushed and feverish, as if he’d been boiled.
In contrast, Tang Yueyao looked serene and comfortable, her face radiant, even tinged with a subtle, alluring pink flush.
However, a faint blue, icy glow emanated from her lower abdomen, vaguely outlining an odd, blurry pattern.
“Ugh…”
Shen Mu felt like a scorching surge of pure yang qi was coursing through him, his blood and organs burning as if ignited…
It was as if he were being roasted under a blazing sun, unbearable.
Damn…
I knew I shouldn’t have jinxed myself…
Though he didn’t fully understand what was happening, even a fool could tell it was tied to her special physique!
“Ugh…”
I can’t… I need to stop…
If this keeps up, my body’s gonna explode!
Gritting his teeth, Shen Mu opened his bloodshot eyes, hurriedly withdrawing his hands and halting the practice, panting heavily.
“Ha… ha… ha…”
He glanced up at her, glowing with a rosy flush, and was even more certain this was due to her being in that special period.
“Hm? What’s wrong, Senior Brother?” Tang Yueyao, feeling the pleasant sensation stop, slowly opened her peach-blossom eyes, still tinged with a charming flush.
“Ha… ha…”
Shen Mu caught his breath, raising his head and waving a hand. “Nothing… just my spiritual energy growing too fast. I’ll be fine after a breather.”
“Oh…”
Gurgle~ Gurgle~
At that moment, Tang Yueyao’s stomach growled again, out of place.
“What’s going on… It was fine just a moment ago…” She clutched her flat stomach, murmuring in confusion.
She didn’t understand why she felt fine during dual cultivation but got “hungry” the moment they stopped.
“…”
Shen Mu’s brow furrowed, his eyes thoughtful, as if piecing something together.
He exhaled, calming himself. “Let’s continue.”
“Senior Brother, are you sure you’re okay?”
Tang Yueyao looked worried. She didn’t want anything to happen to this person who treated her so well.
“Mm, think of it as tempering my body and mind.”
Whoosh!
Shen Mu formed hand seals again, resuming the practice to test his theory.
A quarter of an hour later.
“Junior Sister Yueyao… how do you feel?”
“Mm… much better.”
Tang Yueyao responded with a soft, alluring moan, clearly feeling her hunger vanish, her body and mind filled with that pleasant sensation again.
“Good…”
Sensing her aura’s changes, Shen Mu’s hypothesis was confirmed.
As I thought…
During the new and full moon phases each month, her pure yin qi becomes especially active and dense, requiring a large amount of yang-rich substances to balance and suppress it.
Her increased appetite was likely her body’s way of expressing this need for yang qi.
As long as her pure yin qi was guided and resolved through dual cultivation, her need for yang qi—and thus her appetite—would subside.
The catch…
Was the increasingly intense pure yang qi now coursing through his body.
“…”
I need to make use of this pure yang qi quickly, or it’s not just a waste—it’ll make my body explode sooner or later.
While pure yang qi was essential for cultivators of yang-based techniques, to Shen Mu, it was like a high-purity energy bomb.
If mishandled, it’d blow him to bloody bits.
But if handled well, it’d be a unique opportunity.
“Ha…”
Shen Mu exhaled a scorching breath, reversing the Heavy Heaven Technique from back to front, gradually converting the pure yang qi into innate vital qi…
Then, he guided this vital qi from his body and mind into his soul, nurturing and enhancing his life cultivation, strengthening himself comprehensively.
This was a cultivation method unlocked in the game after mastering the Heavy Heaven Technique to its 108th level.
It was also the source of his “invincible” stats in the late game.