Mao Ruoyu hurriedly covered her nose, her face flushed crimson as she turned away and avoided his gaze.
Yet her breathing was now rapid, her heart thrown into utter disarray.
"How—how could this be?!"
When she handed the jade flute back to Lin Tianlu, a warm current suddenly flowed into her palm and spread throughout her body.
Warm, pure, comfortable—
Mao Ruoyu felt as though she had ascended to an immortal realm, floating in bliss as if she were about to become an immortal. The yin qi coiled within her abruptly surged and transformed; nourished by that warm current, it rapidly grew stronger, circulating freely as it seeped through her entire body.
The Ghostcaster's realm had broken through on the spot!
The weakness and cold blood brought about by cultivating Ghost Yin Arts had also improved.
Mao Ruoyu pressed a hand against her pounding heart, utterly astonished.
How had this happened?
Could it be because she had leaned too close to Lin Tianlu and received nourishment from the yang qi radiating from his body?
But why had the yin qi within her not been restrained? On the contrary, this warm current had even caused her cultivation to soar. She had not needed to spend months slowly refining it as she had in the past; instead, the yin and yang had coexisted harmoniously within her body?
This bizarre phenomenon ran counter to every cultivation method she knew, leaving it impossible to understand.
The blood flowing from her nose slowly stopped, and her expression became slightly dazed.
Could it be... that Lin Tianlu had deliberately helped her in secret?
"Madam Mao, if you're feeling unwell, why not go rest for a while?"
A concerned voice sounded beside her. Mao Ruoyu's heart quivered faintly. She bit her vermilion lips tightly, and a rosy flush spread to the roots of her ears.
After hesitating for a moment, she seemed to force down her embarrassment before glancing back at him. Her eyes rippled, and her every movement brimmed with allure.
Then the beautiful madam gathered a little courage and said, "Mister, could you hold the jade flute with me again, hand in hand?"
"Of course."
Lin Tianlu extended his right hand, which still held the jade flute.
As though she had received a priceless treasure, Mao Ruoyu carefully clasped it with both hands.
Lowering her brows and eyes, her crescent-moon lashes trembled again and again as she let out a soft sigh in her heart.
So... blazing hot.
It seeped through her entire body as though cleansing and remolding her flesh and marrow. The immortal-mountain scene from yesterday seemed to flow into her heart once more, filling her with sudden joy. Unable to stop herself, she smiled warmly.
"The immortal I saw in my dream yesterday really was you—"
The tranquil flute music, the ethereal figure—it was all exactly what her heart yearned for. Though it had been no more than a dream lasting one night, it had left an indelible mark, haunting her dreams and tugging at her soul.
Now that she had confirmed it, Mao Ruoyu felt only sweetness and warmth in her heart, along with a touch of guilt and unease.
Meanwhile, Lin Tianlu, whose hand was being held tightly, was clearly somewhat dumbfounded.
Could this be some ancient etiquette he didn't know about?
Did that mean he was supposed to offer some sort of return courtesy now?
"Mister, could you let me come a little closer?" Mao Ruoyu murmured softly, her voice as gentle and alluring as water.
Lin Tianlu froze for a moment.
Then he suddenly came to himself and gave an awkward laugh.
"Madam Mao, I'm afraid that wouldn't be quite proper. In broad daylight, this really—"
Before he could finish, Mao Ruoyu leaned forward toward him. She raised her delicate head, her charming face seeming pure and bashful. Her full breasts rose and fell with each breath, and though a gauzy shawl wrapped around her body, it only accentuated her wasp waist and rounded hips. A subtle fragrance lingered in the air.
The great fullness straining against her bosom was impossible to conceal. Seen up close, it made the corner of Lin Tianlu's eye twitch.
This was... way too big!
"Mister Lin~"
As Mao Ruoyu murmured, her beautiful eyes closed. Her clasped hands gave her the appearance of a devout saintess.
But she suddenly trembled all over, letting out delicate, seductive moans as her body went limp and she collapsed into his arms.
Lin Tianlu instinctively wrapped his arms around the delicate, boneless body. His expression turned complicated as he was just about to speak.
However, he soon noticed something strange.
Why was the beauty in his arms so hot?
At the same time, Mao Ruoyu gradually came back to herself and let out a confused little sound.
She immediately widened her eyes, hurriedly wriggled free of his embrace, stood, and backed away to put some distance between them. Her pretty face flushed crimson as she stammered, "Just now, I was only a little dizzy... I-I'll go back and rest for a while! Mister Lin, please don't take this to heart. It truly wasn't what you think!"
With that, she turned and hurried away, covering her chest as she fled.
Yet as she ran, embarrassment nearly made her faint—
For that instant, she had actually lost herself and almost drowned in that embrace.
"Shameless! Shameless!"
She slapped her cheeks repeatedly, trying to calm her fluttering heart.
But the harder she forced herself to calm down, the more difficult it became to erase the sensation of their intimate embrace. Having tasted its marrow, she found the tingling unbearable.
Mao Ruoyu leaned against the wall and panted twice. After rubbing her forehead and pondering for a moment, her expression soon filled with shock.
"Th-this abnormal yang qi in my body has suddenly expanded to this extent?"
The perfect balance of yin and yang had been broken at some point.
That strange yang qi she could not fathom now filled her entire body, scorching hot like a furnace. Meanwhile, her meager yin qi had been pushed into some inconspicuous corner—she did not even know where.
"This is bad! I have to calm down! I'll use the well water to clear my head!"
She kept wiping the sweat from her face. When she spotted the water vat in the rear courtyard, she hesitated briefly before gritting her teeth and jumping in.
"What's going on—"
Lin Tianlu stared blankly at the beautiful madam who had run out of sight.
She had suddenly blushed and leaned into his arms, then suddenly run off on her own.
Was she making him guess a riddle?
Wait, perhaps it really was a riddle?
Madam Mao had come from a poor rural village. Perhaps this was some special custom passed down in the countryside, one he simply didn't know about, so he had failed to respond properly?
"Folk customs really are troublesome. I wonder where I can learn more about them."
A strange noise made the bewildered Lin Tianlu turn his head instinctively.
He then saw Hua Shuya, who had been practicing her movement technique in the courtyard, slam her head into the locust tree beside her.
"..."
"Ouch—"
Hua Shuya covered her forehead and staggered back two steps. She seemed to be seeing stars from the impact, and her feet were unsteady.
Lin Tianlu hurriedly rose and went over. "Miss Hua, how could you be so careless?"
"N-no, I'm fine. Senior, you don't need to come over." Hua Shuya's eyes brimmed with tears, but she quickly raised a hand to stop him. "I was just distracted for a moment, and my movement technique was unstable. That's why I accidentally ran into it."
"Does your forehead hurt?"
"N-no, it doesn't." Hua Shuya's voice gradually weakened as she mumbled, "I've practiced martial arts for many years, so I'm rough-skinned and hardy. A bump like this is nothing."
Lin Tianlu chuckled. "Miss Hua, how are you rough-skinned and hardy? You're clearly very delicate. Let me take a careful look. It wouldn't be good if it left a scar on your face."
"...Mm."
Hua Shuya hesitated briefly, but still nodded obediently and lifted the hair from her forehead.
Lin Tianlu carefully examined it. Her skin was only slightly red, with no bruising or abrasions.
The bang just now had clearly struck with considerable force. To remain completely unscathed after that, her forehead really was quite hard.
He smiled and rubbed her forehead. "Be more careful next time."
"Sorry for the trouble, Senior." Hua Shuya answered earnestly.
However, when she saw Lin Tianlu turn and walk back toward the pavilion, her gaze flickered uncertainly.
With the level her movement technique had reached after her insights, how could she have crashed into a tree for no reason?
Her distraction just now—
had only been because she had caught sight of Lin Tianlu and Mao Ruoyu embracing intimately.
"Senior is like an immortal who has attained the Dao, and his temperament is as gentle as jade. It's only natural for a woman to feel fondness for him. Madam Mao is also so beautiful and mature; she and Senior make a perfect pair."
Hua Shuya lightly pressed her forehead and sighed inwardly.
Even so, she felt somewhat sorrowful and dejected.
"...What am I thinking? I can't embarrass myself in front of Senior again! Acting like such a coy, flustered little girl really is irritating!"
Hua Shuya took a deep breath and lightly struck her chest, quickly regaining her spirit.
"I have to work harder and be more serious! Only then can I live up to Senior's patient guidance!"
With that thought, she immediately activated her movement technique again, darting and weaving back and forth through the courtyard. Even after sweat poured from her body, she did not stop, seeking only to give it everything she had.
Before you continue