"Thump, thump..."
His heart stirred without knowing where it began, then broke into a pounding beat.
"What did you say?"
"I... I've been hoping for a day like this for a long time."
The girl's gentle murmur reached his ears, carrying a trace of warmth and an almost imperceptible heat.
"Since you're going into seclusion, don't go with regrets."
Shang Qingzheng rested against Jiang Yang's shoulder and boldly revealed her feelings. She dared not lift her head too far, afraid she would blush the moment she met his gaze.
"I've secretly looked into dual cultivation and things like that, too. It's... it's the only way I can help."
An odd look entered Jiang Yang's eyes at her words, and he asked:
"You even know about dual cultivation?"
"What's so difficult about it?"
Recalling the pictures in the scroll that had made her blush and her heart race, Shang Qingzheng stammered:
"I-it's only those few positions. You just... assume them and recite the formulas."
Her mind was a jumble, with half-understood terms such as "Dragon-Tiger Union," "Water-Fire Harmony," and "Yin-Yang Conjunction" surfacing within it.
Although she had secretly studied them on her own, she had not the slightest practical experience, so her words inevitably lacked conviction.
The atmosphere in Rain Xiang Mountain was not particularly strict, and Dawn Rain Peak was full of female cultivators. Naturally, there were stirrings of young love and disciples pursuing one another.
She had overseen the peak for quite some time. Even if she had never tasted it herself, she had seen it. Though few cultivators indulged in unrestrained debauchery, romantic entanglements were inevitable as people grew acquainted.
Understanding suddenly dawned on Jiang Yang. Shang Qingzheng was clearly talking about proper dual cultivation methods; he was the one whose mind had strayed.
But this also piqued