Catch Thieves with Stolen Goods, Catch Adulterers in the Act

The frustration from the day and Ye Xinglan's sharp "lesson" seemed to have been cast to the back of their minds the moment they stepped into their familiar, cozy bedroom.

Under the soft lighting, Gu Yue shed the day's exhaustion and lounged against the headboard. Her loose hair made her snow-white skin appear even fairer.

Watching his wife's gentle expression, Tang Wulin felt the tension from being reprimanded by Ye Xinglan at the training grounds vanish completely. The tenderness and desire of a husband quietly rose within him.

He leaned closer, naturally wrapping an arm around Gu Yue's slim waist. His warm breath brushed against her sensitive ear. Gu Yue trembled slightly. The day's warning skimmed through her mind like a dragonfly touching water, only to be instantly scattered by her husband's familiar scent and tender touch. She melted into his embrace like a cat being stroked, letting out a satisfied sigh.

"Wulin..." Her voice carried a hint of husky allure.

That call completely ignited Tang Wulin's desire. All the rules from the day, along with Ye Xinglan's stern face, were tossed beyond the clouds. Twice a week? Restraint and moderation? In this intimate atmosphere, they seemed like nothing more than ridiculous shackles.

Their clothes were quickly discarded onto the carpet. The temperature in the room rose, and an ambiguous atmosphere spread through the air.

Yet their bodies honestly betrayed their passion.

Once they truly got down to it, Tang Wulin discovered that his body felt as heavy as if it had been filled with lead. Gu Yue also felt that familiar tingling sensation, the one that made her soul tremble, becoming faint and elusive, as though separated by a thick layer of cotton.

"Mmm..." Gu Yue shifted her waist in dissatisfaction, trying to find the feeling. "Why... can't I feel much...?"

Tang Wulin gritted his teeth and persisted, trying to use soul power to help things along. But he found that his already thick, sluggish soul power flowed through his meridians with even greater difficulty, instead bringing waves of dizzy, drained weakness. In less than half an hour, he was already panting heavily, cold sweat covering his forehead as his movements became mechanical.

"Honey... I'm a little... tired..." Tang Wulin's voice held both apology and barely concealed weakness.

Gu Yue found it equally dull. That unsatisfying, suspended feeling was even worse than doing nothing at all.

She opened her hazy eyes and saw her husband's pale face and slightly trembling arms. The exhaustion from the day crashed over her like a tidal wave.

"Forget... forget it..." she said dejectedly. "No energy."

Tang Wulin felt as though he had been granted a reprieve, though guilt still lingered in his heart. He hurriedly brought the anticlimactic "exercise" to an end. Neither of them had any thought of lingering afterward. They wiped themselves off haphazardly, then each collapsed onto a side of the bed and fell asleep almost as soon as their heads touched the pillows.

The cloying scent lingering in the bedroom silently spoke of an absurd night that had failed to reach satisfaction.

When the morning sunlight streamed through the gap in the curtains, Tang Wulin was awakened by a rapid knock on the door.

His head was splitting, and his whole body ached as though it had been dismantled and reassembled. His waist and lower abdomen in particular felt so weak and sore that he could barely lift himself. Gu Yue was curled up beside him, sleeping deeply, though her brows were faintly furrowed. She clearly had not rested well either.

"Who is it?" Tang Wulin called hoarsely. He struggled to get up, threw on some clothes, and dragged his heavy steps to the door.

The moment he opened it, Ye Xinglan's beautiful but frosty face appeared outside. She was wearing a neat athletic outfit today, with a timer in her hand. Her gaze swept past Tang Wulin like a searchlight and straight into the room.

Then her nose twitched slightly. Her sharp eyes narrowed at once, and a cold curve formed at the corner of her lips.

"Heh. What a strong... musky smell." Ye Xinglan's voice was not loud, yet it pierced Tang Wulin's eardrums like an ice pick. "Looks like someone treated my warning last night as empty wind."

Tang Wulin jolted, instantly waking up more than halfway. His expression turned a kaleidoscope of embarrassment and guilt. He instinctively tried to block Ye Xinglan's view, only to find it completely futile.

Gu Yue was also awakened by the commotion outside. Rubbing her eyes, she walked out—and froze the instant she saw Ye Xinglan. The absurd memories of last night came flooding back, and being caught red-handed at this very moment made her face flush crimson. She wished she could crawl into a crack in the ground.

"X-Xinglan? Why are you here so early..." Gu Yue's voice was barely louder than a mosquito's buzz.

"Early?" Ye Xinglan raised her wrist and glanced at her watch, then sneered. "According to the original plan, I was supposed to come at nine. But considering certain people have weak willpower and zero self-control, I deliberately came an hour early! Looks like my worries were unnecessary. You truly didn't disappoint me!"

She strode into the room and unapologetically pulled open the curtains. Bright sunlight illuminated the lingering intimate traces in the air, as well as the exhausted, overindulgent appearance of Tang Wulin and Gu Yue.

"Look at the two of you—ashen faces, dark circles under your eyes, practically floating when you walk! Is this your response to my 'twice a week'? Is this your determination to 'turn over a new leaf'?" Ye Xinglan's voice rose higher and higher, filled with thunderous fury. "You were so drained at the training grounds yesterday, then went home to recharge yourselves at night? Recharge, my ass! I'd say you're piling dirt onto your own graves!"

She walked to the coffee table, where half a glass of water from last night still sat. Ye Xinglan tapped the tabletop with a finger, producing a crisp sound. "Starting today, this place is your execution ground! Oh, no—your training ground! Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, remember this: every moment of indulgence you allow yourselves now is draining away the possibility of rebuilding your cultivation in the future! Want to spend the rest of your lives in bed? I don't mind granting that wish, provided you first copy out the plan I gave you yesterday one thousand times!"

Tang Wulin and Gu Yue hung their heads, not even daring to argue. Before Ye Xinglan's storm-ready momentum, the pitiful passion from last night had long since vanished, leaving only endless regret and... a strange urge to start cultivating immediately, just to escape Ye Xinglan's wrath.

"What are you standing around for?" Ye Xinglan barked. "Go wash up! Then immediately, right this instant, start the first day of Soul Power Revival Fundamentals Guidance! Today's goal is—sense even the slightest trace of elemental presence! If you can't do it, don't bother eating lunch!"