Once their clothes were off, they closed their eyes and slowly drew near, guided by their sense of each other's presence.
Deep among the flowers, moonlight filtered through gaps in the petals, scattering across their bare skin.
At last, they sat facing each other with their legs crossed, palms pressed together. The air was filled with flowers' fragrance, mingled with the faint warmth of their natural, human scent.
The moment their palms touched, Lin Xuan felt a cool current flow from them and spread through his body.
Lin Xuan slowly opened his eyes. The Yin Yang Deficit Supplementation Technique had heightened his senses far beyond those of ordinary people. Even in the night, Little Dragon Girl's graceful, curving figure was clear before him.
Her skin was fair as snow, gleaming softly in the moonlight like the finest white jade. Every inch of her radiated a purity and allure that made his heart stir. Her slender waist and lovely, full curves embodied the beauty of youth.
A rush of heat rose in Lin Xuan's heart, but her cool, untainted demeanor restrained it, leaving only pure admiration and a flutter he could hardly describe. Little Dragon Girl truly was a peerless beauty, far beyond any ordinary woman. Her coolness and purity only made her more captivating.
Little Dragon Girl's eyes remained clear, without a hint of distraction. She regarded Lin Xuan with nothing but detached curiosity, free of emotion.
Lin Xuan returned her gaze just as calmly, his heart devoted only to pursuing the pinnacle of martial arts.
"This sutra is about balancing yin and yang, letting each complement the other. The yang energy in me is strong, while you, Miss Long, have a gentle yin nature. We're perfectly suited to complement each other," Lin Xuan said solemnly.
"Later, I'll use my true qi to guide the energy in your body through your meridians. You only need to keep your mind clear and circulate your inner energy according to the sutra's instructions."
Little Dragon Girl nodded gently.
Lin Xuan held out his right hand, palm up, inviting Little Dragon Girl to rest her right palm lightly against his.
She followed his lead, raising an arm as smooth as a lotus root and laying her slender, fair hand gently against his palm.
The moment their skin touched, a faint, electric tingling spread from their palms, up their arms, and into their hearts. It was a sensation unlike anything they had felt before—cool, yet also touched with an indescribable warmth.
Lin Xuan focused his mind and silently recited the opening lines of the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra. As the words turned over in his thoughts, the true qi in his body began to move. Following the sutra's unusual circulation route, it flowed slowly to his fingertips and into Little Dragon Girl's palm.
Little Dragon Girl also gathered her thoughts and began following the instructions Lin Xuan had given her, trying to sense and guide the faint inner energy within her.
At first, their true qi moved awkwardly as it circulated through each other's bodies. Lin Xuan's energy was fierce and purely yang, while Little Dragon Girl's was gentle and ethereal. The two very different currents seemed to keep to their own paths through the meridians, struggling to merge.
Yet that was precisely where the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra's subtlety lay. Rather than simply mixing the two currents, it made clever use of the principles of yin and yang complementing each other and hardness blending with softness. The two currents formed a special, spiraling cycle, each drawing the other along.
With Lin Xuan's guidance and Little Dragon Girl's growing familiarity, their true qi began to find a rhythm within each other's bodies.
Lin Xuan's Innate True Qi was like a blazing fire, fierce and powerful. After circling through his body, it flowed into Little Dragon Girl, nourishing her gentle yin energy and quickening the circulation of her inner breath.
Little Dragon Girl felt wave after wave of warmth spreading through her limbs. Her normally cool body gradually grew warm, and even her skin took on a faint flush.
Little Dragon Girl's gentle inner breath, meanwhile, was like a cool spring. As it flowed through her body, it subtly calmed the agitation lurking in him from his excess yang energy, making his true qi more harmonious and pure.
Lin Xuan, too, felt cool currents flowing through him and washing his meridians. His normally heated body became wonderfully comfortable and balanced.
It was a sensation Lin Xuan had never experienced before. His Innate True Qi was already utterly pure and yang; now, nourished by Little Dragon Girl's gentle yin energy, it was like fire meeting water. Rather than being extinguished, it grew purer and more concentrated.
He felt his meridians quietly expanding and his true qi flowing faster. It was as if every inch of bone and every bit of flesh were being tempered by the nourishment of this yin-yang balance.
Little Dragon Girl experienced the same. Though her inner energy was weak, guided by Lin Xuan's formidable Innate True Qi, it was like a trickling stream meeting a mighty river.
She clearly felt that warm current flowing freely through her body, cleansing her meridians and nourishing her flesh. Her usually cool body grew warm and supple, and even her breathing became longer and deeper.
She even sensed that the Ancient Tomb Sect's internal cultivation she had practiced was resonating with Lin Xuan's true qi under the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra's guidance, circulating at a speed she had never known. It was many times faster than cultivating alone on the Cold Jade Bed.
Gradually, the two entered a state of complete absorption. Fragrance filled the sea of flowers, and moonlight filtered through the petals, dappling their bodies.
A gentle breeze stirred the flowers, as if nature itself were composing music for their unusual cultivation.
Their palms remained pressed together, like two magnets—drawing one another in while also pushing each other onward. An invisible field woven from true qi and intention enveloped them. In this perfect harmony of yin and yang, time seemed to lose all meaning.
After an unknown length of time, the last ray of moonlight filtered through the flowers and fell upon them. Lin Xuan slowly drew back his hand, and Little Dragon Girl opened her eyes at the same moment.
Both their faces held a faint blush. It wasn't from embarrassment, but from their abundant true qi and smooth circulation of blood.
Little Dragon Girl's eyes were still clear, but the detached, almost wooden look she had worn before was gone. In its place was a hint of liveliness, like morning stars washed clean by dew—bright and spirited.
Her skin was even more lustrous, gleaming faintly like jade after being nourished by flower dew. It looked healthy and rosy, with a soft elasticity that made it seem delicate and smooth to the touch.
Lin Xuan could feel how much his Innate True Qi had gained from their cultivation. Complemented by Little Dragon Girl's gentle yin energy, it had become more harmonious, its hardness and softness perfectly balanced.
Little Dragon Girl's improvement was even more astonishing. Though she had excellent natural ability, her cultivation had been slow because of her circumstances and the limitations of her techniques.
After practicing the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra with Lin Xuan for only half a day, her inner energy had grown by leaps and bounds—at least as much as she would have gained in several months of hard cultivation.
More importantly, her meridians had expanded and been nourished considerably, laying a firm foundation for her future path in martial arts. Her fair skin also seemed to have been bathed in warm water, glowing with healthy radiance like fine warm jade. Her breathing had grown longer and steadier, too.
"How do you feel, Miss Long?" Lin Xuan asked softly.
Little Dragon Girl breathed out gently, a flicker of surprise appearing in her eyes before she even realized it.
"My inner energy has improved a lot," she said. Her voice remained cool, but held a little more vitality. "It's much faster than before."
Lin Xuan smiled. "This sutra holds endless mysteries. We can practice it more often from now on."
Little Dragon Girl nodded without objection. She had accepted the technique and would practice it without hesitation.
The two quietly dressed and returned to their usual appearance.
By Day, They Practiced Swordsmanship; by Night, They Practiced the Flute
In the Ancient Tomb, Lin Xuan often sparred with the two women, having them join forces against him.
Their first matches had been disastrous. Li Mochou's sword techniques were fierce and sweeping, her blade stirring howling gusts of wind, but she repeatedly disrupted Little Dragon Girl's exquisite defense and left her scrambling.
Little Dragon Girl's swordplay was nimble, and her movements light as a swallow, but she was too restrained to support Li Mochou's unrelenting offense.
Their coordination was practically nonexistent, and several times they nearly injured each other. Li Mochou's sword tip almost grazed Little Dragon Girl's ear, while Little Dragon Girl once accidentally aimed at Li Mochou's vital points. Lin Xuan could only frown at the sight.
Lin Xuan criticized their teamwork, pinpointing the core flaws in their martial arts and the blind spots in their personalities.
"You're fellow disciples! You both inherited the Ancient Tomb Sect's teachings. Why can't you calm down and work together?"
He emphasized the words "fellow disciples" each time, quietly reminding them that neither had any other family. If they thought about it, perhaps they were the closest people in the world to each other.
With Lin Xuan's patient guidance, they finally began learning to cooperate instead of fighting separately.
Li Mochou's sword no longer hacked and slashed without order. Even in the midst of her fierce attacks, she left a subtle opening—a chance for Little Dragon Girl to join in.
Her blade traced fierce arcs through the air, but she no longer charged ahead alone. Instead, she subtly drew Little Dragon Girl into the rhythm of her attacks.
Little Dragon Girl's sword, too, was no longer used only for defense. She began to fill the gaps with her nimble swordplay as Li Mochou's attacks ran their course, or use clever force to redirect an opponent's attack toward Li Mochou, forming a clever partnership.
Her graceful figure wove through the swordlight like a dancing butterfly. She was no longer dancing alone; together, she and Li Mochou formed an impenetrable net that closed around Lin Xuan.
They still couldn't defeat Lin Xuan; his martial arts were far beyond theirs. He moved like a ghost and wielded his sword like a divine dragon, every strike carrying the might of heaven and earth and making them feel insignificant.
But compared with their first matches, when Lin Xuan easily subdued them in barely a dozen moves, they could now last fifty or eighty. At times, they even forced him to take them a little more seriously.
It was an enormous leap forward, owed in large part to the rapport they had gradually built and the unspoken understanding that, under Lin Xuan's watchful eye, they could no longer afford to hinder each other.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!" They were at it again, testing their combined techniques. Swordlight and shadows intertwined, and the crisp clash of weapons rang through the stone chamber.
Li Mochou's swordlight followed like a shadow, driving before it a vicious gust. Her tall, graceful figure moved through the blades with fierce precision. Little Dragon Girl's Jade Maiden Sword flashed like wind and lightning, nimble and precise, her spotless white robes fluttering in the drafts and adding to her otherworldly grace.
Their coordination was flawless, combining offense and defense, feints and solid strikes. They forced Lin Xuan to focus nearly all his attention on facing them. He felt their growing rapport and was deeply pleased.
At last, Lin Xuan spotted an opening. He moved like a ghost, slipping through their crossed blades. To the two women's astonishment, he brought his sword to a stop at their brows.
"You've improved quickly." Lin Xuan sheathed his sword, his voice carrying a hint of approval.
Li Mochou panted, fine beads of sweat on her forehead. A few strands of hair clung to her cool, beautiful face, leaving her somewhat disheveled but still valiant.
She glanced at Little Dragon Girl, who was panting just as hard. There was no trace of her former hatred in her eyes—only a hint of exhaustion and understanding, like that of someone who had just survived a crisis.
She even took the sword from Little Dragon Girl's hand without being asked. The gesture came so naturally that it might have been an ordinary occurrence.
Little Dragon Girl looked back at Li Mochou. A subtle emotion, one she had never felt before, glimmered in her cool eyes.
It was recognition of the bond they shared as fellow disciples.
She lifted a hand and gently brushed the dust from Li Mochou's shoulder. The gesture was natural, with a hint of closeness she scarcely seemed aware of.
"Senior Sister..." Little Dragon Girl called softly. Her voice held a touch of warmth, like the first hint of a thaw.
Li Mochou's body trembled slightly, her expression complicated.
It was the first time Little Dragon Girl had addressed her so warmly as "Senior Sister."
She stiffly returned a barely perceptible nod, her heart filled with tangled emotions she couldn't name. The old hatred had faded, diminished by Lin Xuan's strength, their shared goal, and the unique bond between fellow disciples.
The loneliness buried deep in her heart seemed to have eased, if only a little.
Night fell over a stone chamber in the Ancient Tomb.
Lin Xuan and Li Mochou were engaged in a private nighttime encounter.
Little Dragon Girl was resting in another chamber as usual, unaware of it all. Her world remained as pure as snow, untouched by the secrets hidden deep within the tomb.
Lin Xuan leaned lazily against the cold stone bed, his eyes closed as he savored the brief quiet and the sense of control.
The chill of the stone beneath him contrasted sharply with the heat building within him, adding to the intensity of the moment.
Before him, Li Mochou, dressed in an apricot-yellow Taoist robe, knelt respectfully. Her robes were neat and fastened close around her graceful figure, outlining her tall, shapely form.
Her long, straight legs were pressed together, her knees on the cold stone, though she seemed not to feel the chill. Her waist was slender, her hips rounded; beneath her robes, she had a restrained beauty. The formality of her clothing contrasted sharply with her submissive posture, giving the scene a forbidden tension.
Her black hair fell like a waterfall, veiling the cool, beautiful face that had once struck fear into the martial world.
As she moved, her smooth hair brushed the cold stone beside the bed, making a faint rustle that seemed unusually clear in the silence, like a whisper of inner struggle.
Her shoulders and back curved slightly, her slender waist forming a striking arc as she bent forward, like a new moon, both supple and strong.
Her long, rounded legs remained pressed together, their taut, flowing lines like two pillars supporting her posture. At that moment, she submitted completely to the man before her, making no resistance.
She said nothing, serving the man who controlled her fate with utter submission and silence.
Her slender hands, their fingers clearly defined, supported him. The warmth against her palms made her shiver.
The quiet chamber grew charged with an intimate tension. Its temperature seemed to rise, and the air grew close and heavy.
Lin Xuan kept his eyes closed and focused on the moment. He could sense every small movement Li Mochou made, every tremor in her breathing. He felt the stiffness in her body and the struggle deep inside her, but to him, these were merely part of the experience.
Li Mochou's lips trembled as she tried to comply with his demands, and his body tensed in response.
She followed his directions as best she could, while he savored the sensation. Her warm breath and quick, uneven breathing filled the still chamber, lending the scene an intimate, unsettling quality.
A faint, suppressed moan escaped her throat now and then. The sound was barely audible, like the first sigh of melting snow. It carried a trace of pain, yet was mixed with an involuntary willingness to endure. These contradictory feelings tangled violently within her, leaving her utterly confused.
Her tense body began to tremble despite herself, and her skin flushed an unhealthy pink—a sign of rising desire as well as inner conflict.
Sweat beaded on her smooth forehead, slid along her temples, and disappeared into her dark hair, dampening her cool, beautiful face.
Her breathing grew faster and faster, her chest rising and falling sharply. The fullness beneath her Taoist robes stirred with every breath, lending her the mature allure of a woman.
"Mochou, you're getting better at this," Lin Xuan said with satisfaction. In the cramped chamber, every word sounded painfully clear, each one like a blade driven into Li Mochou's heart.
Li Mochou shuddered violently, the humiliating praise filling her with shame and fury.
Her cheeks burned as if an unseen hand had slapped her hard.
Without realizing it, her movements took on an instinctive desire to please him, even a hint of coquettishness. She felt like a wild beast that had been tamed and was learning to please its master.
She had once been the proud Crimson Fairy. Now, before this cold stone bed, she humbly offered him everything.
Her cheeks flushed with shame and desire, like ripe apples, but she didn't dare look up. Instead, she bowed her head further, hiding her humiliation behind her dark hair.
She shut her eyes tightly, as though that could shut out everything around her—and shield her from her own shame and humiliation.
She knew resistance would only bring greater pain. Obedience might earn her a moment of peace, perhaps even an elusive, unwanted satisfaction.
She had once believed she could feel nothing for men but hatred. Now, an instinct deeper than hatred was beginning to overwhelm it.
Only when Lin Xuan's low groan rang out like an announcement did the moment end.
As he shuddered and his warmth spilled forth, Li Mochou slowly lifted her head. Her lips were swollen, and her eyes glistened with moisture. She could not tell whether it came from tears or exhaustion.
A burning ache lingered in her throat, but she could no longer bring herself to care.
Exhausted, she slumped across his legs, chest heaving. Her full chest rose and fell with each breath, and sweat trickled between her breasts, soaking into her Taoist robes.
She felt like a snake whose strength had been drained away. She no longer had the energy to resist; all she could do was breathe weakly and endure the overwhelming sensations inside and out.
Her body no longer seemed to belong to her. It felt utterly spent, leaving only emptiness and fatigue.
Night Visit to the Quanzhen Sect
Night fell over Zhongnan Mountain.
A shadow slipped quietly out from deep within the Ancient Tomb. It was as light as nothingness and as swift as a streak of light.
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