A Display of Might

Morning sunlight filtered through the gap in the curtains and fell across Tang Wulin's tense face.

He woke earlier than usual, not because he was full of energy, but because of an inexplicable anxiety and... vigilance. Gu Yue's words before leaving yesterday—"I might be back late tonight, so don't wait for me to eat"—still echoed in his ears. Combined with that "loving gift" in her hand, Tang Wulin felt that he had to take action.

He picked up his phone and called the community security team.

"Hello, this is Tang Wulin... Yes, I'd like to take an extended leave." He lowered his voice, trying to make it sound weak and convincing. "No, recently... cough, cough, my checkup found a minor problem. Kidney deficiency. The doctor told me to rest for a month and avoid overexertion. I'm worried that if I stare at surveillance monitors every day, I might lose focus and cause trouble... Yes, I need medicine to recover. All right, then it's settled. Thank you for understanding!"

After hanging up, Tang Wulin let out a long breath. His excuse for leave was perfectly respectable. It spared him from revealing exactly what "that" problem was while successfully freeing him from work under the noble banner of "rest and recovery." In truth... he glanced at the tightly shut master bedroom door. Only heaven and earth knew what he was really thinking.

Gu Yue went to work as usual, light on her feet and seemingly even more energetic than in the past few days. Before leaving, she deliberately walked over to the sofa, bent down, and pinched Tang Wulin's cheek. Her teasing tone carried a smile. "Young Master Kidney Deficiency, take your medicine and rest at home, okay? Don't miss me too much~" After saying that, she meaningfully patted the side of her handbag. It was bulging noticeably, clearly containing that "good companion."

Tang Wulin: "..." He forced out a smile uglier than crying and watched Gu Yue hum her way out the door.

The house instantly fell silent, leaving only Tang Wulin and the medicinal smell filling the rooms. He lay bored on the sofa with the television on, yet he could not take in a single word. The sounds he had heard last night, along with Gu Yue's final look of "complete satisfaction," kept surfacing uncontrollably in his mind.

Time became especially drawn out. Tang Wulin tried to follow the basic sensing method Ye Xinglan had left him and feel the wind element, but his thoughts were like wild horses breaking free of the reins, impossible to pull back. He began passing the time by counting the seconds. Whenever footsteps sounded in the hallway, he would nervously prick up his ears, only collapsing back onto the sofa in dejection after confirming that it was not Gu Yue.

On the evening of the third day, Gu Yue returned. She looked perfectly normal and even carried a hint of relaxed contentment. After dinner, she took a change of clothes into the bathroom as usual. Tang Wulin listened closely, but this time, the sounds he expected never came—perhaps Gu Yue still had a conscience and knew to spare him some dignity, or... perhaps she was simply too tired today?

However, that "peace" did not last long. On the fifth day, Tang Wulin pretended to read in the living room, but he clearly heard muffled moans and soft gasps coming from behind the master bedroom door, even more uninhibited than the first time. They were accompanied by regular vibrations and lasted... he secretly timed it—fifteen minutes. Five minutes shorter than the first time!

Tang Wulin was so furious that he nearly tore the book apart. Damn it, its efficiency had improved too?!

On the seventh day, he even heard Gu Yue's uncontrollable, sweet moans tinged with tears, followed by the faint sound of liquid splashing. This time, it had probably taken only twelve minutes.

Tang Wulin felt as if his heart had been soaked in aged vinegar, bubbling with sourness and turning bitter with astringency. He, Tang Wulin, had roamed the continent. What hadn't he seen? When had he ever suffered such humiliation? Losing to a... an industrial product? And in this manner, listening through a wall?

He began viciously cursing that rubber rod in his heart. Once I'm better, the first thing I'll do is chop you up and throw you in the trash! No, into a shredder! Let's see you act smug again! Let's see you take twelve minutes again! Let's see you make Gu Yue feel good again!

Every time Gu Yue emerged after her "exercise," her face would be rosy and her spirits high. Occasionally, she even had the lazy air of someone who had eaten and drunk her fill. When passing through the living room, she would deliberately sway around in front of Tang Wulin, flaunting how wonderful she felt.

"Hey, Mr. Kidney Deficiency, want some water?" Once, she even held a glass up to his lips, her eyes sparkling with provocation.

Tang Wulin nearly sprayed out a mouthful of water. He shot her a fierce glare and turned his head aside. "No! I'm already full from anger!"

Gu Yue giggled and walked away, leaving behind a captivating silhouette.

For Tang Wulin, these days were simply a double torment of mind and body. During the day, he still had to force himself to deal with Ye Xinglan's occasional video check-ins and report his supposed "cultivation progress." In truth, it was all water-element sensing; he did not dare touch the wind element at all, afraid it would remind him of Gu Yue. At night, he had to endure the increasingly record-breaking sounds of "high efficiency" from the room next door.

He grew quieter and more irritable by the day, and the way he looked at that bottle of Liuwei Dihuang Pills became more and more like the way he would look at an enemy. Meanwhile, Gu Yue became increasingly radiant. She went to and from work, enjoying her "private time" every few days. Each time she emerged, her face would be glowing, and sometimes she would "accidentally" leave that exquisite little box on the living room coffee table, using it to torment Tang Wulin's fragile nerves.

On the night of the tenth day, Tang Wulin finally could not endure any longer. While Gu Yue was showering, he slipped into the master bedroom and found the "culprit" casually tossed onto the bedside table.

He picked up the uniquely shaped, smooth rubber rod and weighed it in his hand. His eyes were dark and sinister, as if he were looking at a condemned prisoner.

"Good thing, huh? Efficient, huh?" he muttered under his breath. His fingers tightened, nearly crushing the thing out of shape. "Once my month is up, you're the first thing I'm tearing into eight pieces! I'll chop you into mush! Let's see you come out and bounce around again!"

He viciously put it back where it had been, then swore another poisonous oath in his heart.

As he walked out of the bedroom, he ran straight into Gu Yue, who had just finished showering and was wrapped in a bath towel. When she saw Tang Wulin coming out of the bedroom, she froze for a moment, then revealed an understanding smile. Not only was she not angry, she stepped closer and tapped his chest with a damp finger, her voice carrying the scent of water and temptation:

"What? Planning your 'revenge' already? Don't forget, a gentleman's revenge can wait ten years... Oh, no, we'll see the results in thirty days. I'll be waiting, Young Master Tang."

With that, she brushed past him in a graceful, alluring manner, leaving behind the fresh fragrance of shower gel and Tang Wulin's jealousy and fighting spirit, which were nearly bursting into flames where he stood.

When would this damned month, reeking of vinegar, finally come to an end?! Tang Wulin threw back his head and sighed toward the heavens, feeling that this was ten million times more painful than cultivating the Golden Dragon King's seal. His only thought now was to finish his medicine as quickly as possible, then let Gu Yue experience firsthand what a genuine, authentic, enduring "original product" truly was!

That rubber rod would absolutely not survive into next month! Tang Wulin made another vicious declaration in his heart—for the nth time.