A Heart in Chaos

Mao Ruoyu quickly covered her nose, her face flushed red as she turned away to avoid his gaze.

But now, her breathing was rapid, and her heart was in turmoil.

"How, how could this be?!"

As she handed the jade flute back to Lin Tianlu, a surge of warmth flowed into her palm and spread throughout her body.

Warm, pure, comfortable--

Mao Ruoyu felt as if she had ascended to paradise, a blissful sensation akin to floating amongst the immortals. The yin energy that had been coiled within her body suddenly surged and transformed. Nourished by the warm current, it rapidly grew stronger, circulating freely and permeating her entire being.

The realm of a Ghost Master... had immediately broken through!

The symptoms of physical weakness and cold blood that came with practicing Ghost Yin Arts also showed improvement.

Mao Ruoyu pressed her hand against her rapidly beating chest, feeling utterly bewildered.

How could such a thing happen?

Could it be because she was leaning too close to Lin Tianlu, absorbing the yang energy radiating from him?

But why didn't her yin energy become suppressed? On the contrary, this warm current had actually greatly boosted her cultivation. Without needing months of slow refinement as before, the yin and yang now coexisted harmoniously within her body?

This peculiar phenomenon went against all the cultivation methods she knew, making it difficult to comprehend.

The blood flowing from her nose slowly stopped, and her expression was one of slight confusion.

Could it be... that Lin Tianlu had intentionally helped her in secret?

"Madam Mao, if you're feeling unwell, perhaps you should rest for a moment?"

A concerned voice sounded by her ear. Mao Ruoyu's heart trembled slightly, and she bit her red lips, a blush spreading to the roots of her ears.

After a moment of hesitation, she seemed to muster her courage, suppressing her shyness as she turned back to look at him. Her eyes flickered, exuding a captivating charm.

Then, the beautiful woman's heart swelled with a bit of bravery: "Mister, could you hold the jade flute with me again?"

"Of course, no problem."

Lin Tianlu extended his right hand, which was holding the jade flute.

Mao Ruoyu carefully cupped her hands around it as if receiving a precious treasure.

Lowering her gaze, her crescent-shaped eyelashes trembled repeatedly as she let out a soft sigh in her heart.

So... intense.

It felt like a cleansing of marrow and washing of bones, permeating her entire body. The ethereal mountain imagery from yesterday seemed to re-enter her heart, bringing her sudden joy and a warm smile:

"The Immortal I saw in my dream yesterday, it was indeed you--"

That serene flute melody, that ethereal figure, was exactly what her heart yearned for. Even though it was just a dream from one night, it had left an indelible mark, haunting her thoughts.

Now that it was confirmed, Mao Ruoyu's heart was filled with sweetness and warmth, along with a touch of guilt and unease.

Lin Tianlu, whose hand was being held tightly, was clearly a bit stunned.

Was this some ancient etiquette he wasn't aware of?

Did he need to reciprocate in some way now?

"Mister, could I get a little closer?" Mao Ruoyu murmured softly, her voice as gentle and charming as flowing water.

Lin Tianlu paused for a moment.

Then, he suddenly snapped back to reality and chuckled awkwardly:

"Madam Mao, this might be a bit inappropriate. In broad daylight, it's really--"

But before he could finish speaking, Mao Ruoyu leaned forward, her head tilted slightly upward. Her charming face looked both innocent and shy, her full breasts rising and falling with her breath. The light gauze draped over her shoulders only accentuated her slender waist and shapely hips, exuding a faint fragrance.

The full, ample curves tightly pressed against her chest were so close that Lin Tianlu's eyes twitched.

This is... too big!

"Mister Lin~"

As Mao Ruoyu whispered, her beautiful eyes closed, her clasped hands resembling those of a devout saint.

But then, she suddenly trembled all over, letting out soft, charming moans as her body went limp and she leaned into his embrace.

Lin Tianlu instinctively wrapped his arms around the soft, boneless figure, his expression subtle as he was about to speak.

However, he soon noticed something unusual.

Why was the body of the beauty in his arms feeling so hot?

At the same time, Mao Ruoyu gradually regained her senses, letting out a soft "Oh?" with a hint of bewilderment.

Her eyes widened immediately, and she quickly pulled herself out of his embrace. Standing up, she retreated, creating distance between them. Her pretty face flushed crimson as she stammered, "I, I was just feeling a bit dizzy... I'll, I'll go back and rest! Mister Lin, please don't take this to heart, it's really not what you think!"

With that, she turned and fled hastily, clutching her chest.

But as she ran, her heart was so overwhelmed with shyness that she felt like she might faint--

In that moment, she had lost herself, almost intoxicated by his embrace.

"Shameless! Shameless!"

She repeatedly patted her cheeks, trying to calm her fluttering heart.

But the harder she tried to calm down, the more the feeling of being held close lingered, a maddening, tingling sensation like tasting something forbidden.

Mao Ruoyu leaned against the wall, panting softly for a moment, then pressed a hand to her forehead in thought. Soon, her expression turned to alarm: "This... this abnormal yang energy within me has suddenly expanded to this extent?"

The originally perfect balance of yin and yang had been broken at some unknown time.

That strange yang energy, which she couldn't fathom, was now filling her entire body, burning like a furnace. Her own meager yin energy didn't even know where it had been squeezed off to.

"This is bad! This humble one must go calm down! I'll use well water to clear my head!"

She kept wiping the sweat from her face and, spotting the water vat in the backyard, hesitated for a moment before gritting her teeth and jumping in.

"What in the world--?"

Lin Tianlu stared blankly at the beautiful woman who had disappeared.

She had suddenly leaned into his embrace with a flushed face, and then just as suddenly, run off on her own.

Was she playing some kind of guessing game?

Wait, maybe it was a guessing game?

Madam Mao came from a poor rural background. Perhaps it was some special custom passed down in the countryside that he simply didn't know about and therefore hadn't responded appropriately?

"Folk customs can be quite troublesome. I wonder where I could go to learn about them."

A sudden noise made Lin Tianlu, who was full of confusion, instinctively turn his head.

Immediately, he saw Hua Shuya, who had been practicing her movements in the courtyard, run headfirst into a nearby locust tree.

"..."

"Ow, that hurts--"

Hua Shuya clutched her forehead and stumbled a couple of steps, as if she were seeing stars from the impact, her steps unsteady.

Lin Tianlu quickly got up and went over: "Miss Hua, how could you be so careless?"

"N-no, it's fine, Senior. You don't need to come over." Hua Shuya's eyes welled up with tears, but she quickly raised a hand to stop him: "I was just a bit distracted earlier, and my footwork was unstable, so I accidentally bumped into it."

"Does your forehead hurt?"

"N-no, it doesn't hurt." Hua Shuya's voice gradually weakened as she mumbled, "I've been practicing martial arts for many years, and I'm quite tough and thick-skinned. Bumping into something like this doesn't matter."

Lin Tianlu chuckled: "Miss Hua, you're hardly tough and thick-skinned; you're clearly quite delicate. Let me take a careful look. If a scar is left on your face, it might not be appropriate."

"...Okay."

Hua Shuya hesitated for a moment, but then obediently nodded and pushed aside the hair from her forehead.

Lin Tianlu examined it closely. It was only slightly red, with no bruising or abrasions.

The "thump" just now had clearly been quite forceful, yet she was completely unharmed. It seemed her forehead was indeed quite hard.

He smiled and rubbed the young woman's forehead: "Be more careful next time."

"Thank you for your trouble, Senior." Hua Shuya responded earnestly.

However, when she saw Lin Tianlu turn back towards the pavilion, her gaze seemed to flicker.

With her current understanding of movement techniques, how could she have possibly run into a tree for no reason?

And her distraction earlier--

It was simply because she had caught a glimpse of Lin Tianlu and Mao Ruoyu embracing intimately.

"Senior is like an enlightened Immortal, and his temperament is as gentle as jade. It's natural for women to develop feelings for him. And Madam Mao is so beautiful and mature; they make quite a fitting couple."

Hua Shuya gently pressed her forehead, sighing inwardly.

Deep down, there was a sense of sorrow and loss.

"...What am I thinking! I absolutely cannot show such a clumsy display in front of Senior again! This kind of timid, girlish behavior is truly annoying!"

Hua Shuya took a deep breath and lightly punched her chest, quickly regaining her spirits.

"I must train harder, be more diligent! Only then can I be worthy of Senior's patient guidance!"

With this thought, she immediately resumed her movement techniques, darting back and forth across the courtyard. Even though sweat poured down her body, she didn't stop, determined to give her all.