The Evil Tiger and Spirit Cat Intertwine...

"Thank you!"

Zhu Zhuqing was touched. She bit her rosy lip; no one seemed to have treated her this well before.

She reached out a delicate hand, took the food and chopsticks, and began eating in small bites with her head lowered.

She ate quietly, like a well-behaved kitten.

She was not picky, either. She ate whatever she was given.

Still,

Fang Fan knew Zhu Zhuqing liked fish, so he had a maid bring her boneless fish.

He guessed she had quietly resolved to train hard, not hold him back, and not embarrass him.

That was just how she was. When she used Martial Soul Possession, two little horns appeared on her head. She could turn into a little leopard-rabbit or a little leopard-dog, and even her little nose was adorable!

She soon finished a bowl of rice and picked up her bowl and chopsticks to wash them.

"The maids will wash those!"

Fang Fan reminded Zhu Zhuqing,

"You're not on your own anymore!"

"Mm!"

Zhu Zhuqing paused at his words, then nodded and set down the bowl and chopsticks.

A maid came over to clear them away.

Zhu Zhuqing wiped her mouth and prepared to sit down and cultivate.

"Zhuqing, training like that won't help you improve quickly. Want to try a new method?"

Fang Fan had known she would want to cultivate as soon as she finished eating—

Proud and cool on the outside but warm within, she was the sort of girl who would simply put her head down and work herself to the bone.

"What method?"

Zhu Zhuqing stopped and looked up at him.

"Spirit Fusion Dual Cultivation, of course!"

With a thought, Fang Fan summoned the Netherworld Evil Tiger Martial Soul behind him.

"Can you feel how compatible my Martial Soul is with yours?"

"Mm. Mine is so excited it wants to come out and play with yours!"

Zhu Zhuqing was a little surprised, but she did not release it. Afraid the two might do something children should not see, she said with a faint blush,

"How does Spirit Fusion Dual Cultivation work?"

"Don't you already know?"

Fang Fan grinned mischievously. "But my method is different from Dai Zhu's."

"Oh? How is it different?"

Zhu Zhuqing was curious.

"Want to try it?"

Fang Fan shrugged as he looked at her beautiful face.

Zhu Zhuqing nodded lightly.

The moment Fang Fan's warm palm touched her lower back,

she began to wonder—Was this really a proper way to cultivate?

"Relax."

He spoke softly, his breath brushing past her ear.

Her entire body tensed like a fully drawn bow.

Fang Fan did not rush her. He slowly pressed his palm along either side of her spine, letting Soul Power seep into her meridians through the Gate of Life Acupoint.

She clutched the bedding beneath her.

The Soul Power was warm. No, it was more than warm.

It seemed to have a will of its own, moving and spreading through her meridians. Every muscle it passed first tightened, then softened.

Her breathing faltered. Without thinking, she leaned back and bumped against his chest.

Fang Fan did not move away. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her and drew her fully into his embrace.

The back of her head rested against his collarbone, and she could feel his steady heartbeat.

"Follow my Soul Power."

His voice was lower than usual, edged with a restrained rasp.

She closed her eyes and tried to guide the foreign Soul Power through her body.

But whenever that warm current passed near her Dantian, it sent a tingling sensation through her.

Her legs began to weaken, and her thoughts grew hazy.

"Fang Fan..." Her voice trembled.

"Mm."

He answered, but instead of letting go, he slowly moved his hand an inch up her waist.

Through the thin fabric, his fingertips traced the curve of her lower back.

Zhu Zhuqing let out a muffled gasp and pressed her forehead against his arm.

The cycle began.

After the Soul Power circulated through her body, it flowed back into his through his other hand at her waist, then returned to her with greater force.

Each cycle was like a wave, washing her thoughts further away.

The Soul Power within both of them grew purer.

She could not remember when she had gone limp against him. She only remembered the body behind her growing warmer and the arms around her drawing tighter.

At one point, she tried vaguely to pull away. She had barely moved when he gently held her in place.

"Don't move."

His voice was impossibly hoarse, his lips almost touching the tip of her ear.

"You're about to break through."

She bit her lip and swallowed a soft cry.

But her body betrayed her—the tremors brought on by the Soul Power spread from her spine to her limbs.

In that instant, something inside her seemed to shatter, and her Soul Power surged.

Exhausted, she fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning,

Zhu Zhuqing woke feeling weak.

She pushed herself up from the bed, only for a pair of hands to catch her securely.

Fang Fan helped her lean against him. When he looked down at her, a faint smile glimmered in his eyes.

Zhu Zhuqing wanted to glare at him, but even that seemed beyond her strength.

She hung limply from his arm, her ears burning red.

Flashes of the previous night returned to her—

the rhythm of his Soul Power coursing through her, how close she had come to losing control, and the faint warmth of his breath at the back of her neck.

"...Next time," she began hoarsely, her voice so soft that none of her usual coolness remained,

"let's try... a different position."

Fang Fan froze for a moment, then chuckled.

The auras of the Netherworld Evil Tiger and Hell Spirit Cat seemed to have grown stronger, and some impurities had vanished, but their two Martial Souls had failed to fuse.

"All right."

He lowered his head and lightly touched his lips to the tip of her burning ear.

What surprised Zhu Zhuqing was how effective their Spirit Fusion Dual Cultivation had been the night before.

Their two Martial Souls were so compatible that they had nearly fused.

They had come so close. She could hardly believe it.

Her Soul Power had also risen by half a level.

The effect was almost unimaginable.

It was just a pity that cultivating this way took so much out of her.

Fang Fan, meanwhile, was bursting with energy, which annoyed her.

"By the way, what do you think about getting married tonight?"

Fang Fan helped her to the dining table and spoke as they ate breakfast. "We've gotten pretty close already. All that's left is for our souls and..."

"Stop. Did His Holiness the Pope suggest this?"

Zhu Zhuqing nearly spat out her porridge.

"Yes, but I still wanted to ask what you think!"

Fang Fan spoke sincerely, curiosity and anticipation in his eyes.

"Yes!"

Zhu Zhuqing agreed without a second thought.

"Uh... do you want a big wedding or a small one?"

Fang Fan continued.

"You... A small one!"

At the thought of a grand wedding, Zhu Zhuqing imagined the whole world finding out. Better to keep it low-key.

"Zhuqing, you're so thoughtful.

Then I'll be honest with you.

Though my Netherworld Evil Tiger Martial Soul became extremely powerful after it mutated, an evil impulse affects me.

Whenever the moon is full, I become unusually violent and want to destroy everything I see...

My master read in an ancient text at the Library Pavilion that if you and I marry and our Martial Souls intertwine, it might drive that evil impulse away."

Fang Fan explained everything. He did not want to hide it from her.

"If it can't be driven away, you won't abandon..." Fang Fan interrupted Zhu Zhuqing before she could finish.

"How could I? Of course I'll cherish the woman I love...

We'll grow stronger together and enjoy a wonderful life together!"

Fang Fan spoke earnestly and wrapped an arm around Zhu Zhuqing's slender waist. Her fragrance drifted over him, and her body was warm and soft against his.

Zhu Zhuqing blushed and promptly pulled away.