"What took you so long?"
Shy and reproachful, Tang Yuehua could not help complaining.
Did this wretch really not want to see me at all?
Yesterday, her melon had ripened and fallen from its stem; having tasted the marrow, she craved more. Never had she found a night so long.
If only this wretch had been a little more considerate.
Once he was done, he should have come to steal fragrance and jade, instead of sauntering over only today, leaving me grinding my teeth.
"I came to take inventory of Moonlight Pavilion's assets."
Ning Xuan smiled as he closed the office door, then casually picked a sofa and sat down.
"Just to take inventory?"
Tang Yuehua rolled her eyes at him.
She slowly rose and emerged from behind the desk, revealing a pair of long, snow-white legs beneath her court gown.
And her bare, crystalline feet...
The sight surprised Ning Xuan, and he could not help stealing a few more looks.
Only then did he finally notice.
Tang Yuehua had tied two large knots in the hem of her court gown, turning it into something like a short skirt and exposing great stretches of her long, snow-white legs.
And this way, as long as she remained seated behind the desk.
No one could tell.
It was simply...
Brilliant!
Remembering her usual dignity and elegance, Ning Xuan found the stark contrast so stimulating that his brain practically crashed on the spot.
He even began questioning his own tastes.
So what if Liu Erlong had a smoking-hot figure and fiery passion?
Against such an absolute contrast, she paled utterly!
Besides, could she give him more than Tang Yuehua did?
This was a true treasure of a beautiful mature woman.
Ning Xuan's appetite stirred, heat filling his heart. With a slight tug, he pulled Tang Yuehua into his arms and could not resist grasping one of her crystalline feet.
"Let go of me."
But Tang Yuehua suddenly struggled, only going still with a shiver after Ning Xuan slapped her rounded bottom.
"Hmph."
"Since you're here to take inventory, let's get down to business."
Tang Yuehua persisted.
Hearing the complaint in her words, Ning Xuan smiled, his palm gently stroking her.
"You're one of my assets now, too."
"If I'm taking inventory, I'll start with you!"
"Hmph."
Tang Yuehua rolled her eyes again.
Yet she gently turned in his arms and wound her arms around his neck, murmuring as though in a dream,
"Then be gentle, all right?"
"From yesterday..."
"It still hurts a little..."
Ning Xuan burst out laughing.
He swept Tang Yuehua into his arms and strode toward the desk.
=(:з"∠)
Through wind and rain, bravely scaling lofty peaks, following winding paths into secluded depths; fierce winds and sudden rain, rain beating on banana leaves, until the wind stilled and the rain ceased...
A full four hours had passed...
"All of Moonlight Pavilion is yours now."
"I'll go out and announce it to them in a little while, then."
After the wind and rain had settled into harmony, the two nestled against each other, sweet as honey blended with oil, as Tang Yuehua spoke tenderly.
"There's no rush."
Ning Xuan shook his head.
Given his current relationship with Tang Yuehua, there was no real problem with leaving Moonlight Pavilion's ownership unannounced.
Most importantly, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect already wielded great influence within the Heaven Dou Empire. Absorbing Moonlight Pavilion as well might arouse the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's wariness.
"Whatever you say."
Tang Yuehua spoke with a beaming smile.
Then she tipped her head up slightly, looking at Ning Xuan as she continued,
"Don't leave just yet. Could you stand guard for me?"
"You didn't take that Immortal Herb yesterday?"
Ning Xuan asked after a moment of surprise.
"No. I wanted to wait until you came before starting. I'd feel more at ease that way."
Although she had obtained the Immortal Herb, taking it remained a matter of utmost importance. Tang Yuehua dared not be careless.
So she had wanted to wait until Ning Xuan arrived.
Having him watch over her would be better.
"Sure, don't worry. The Ice Muscle Jade Immortal Bone's medicinal properties aren't particularly fierce. There won't be any side effects."
Ning Xuan nodded with a smile.
After their many exchanges, both deep and shallow, he had come to understand something of Tang Yuehua's thoughts.
Only after receiving Ning Xuan's reassurance once more did Tang Yuehua take out the Ice Muscle Jade Immortal Bone again. Feeling the strange presence emanating from the Immortal Herb, her eyes shimmered with brilliant light.
She found a sofa and sat cross-legged on it.
Then, under Ning Xuan's guidance, she consumed the Ice Muscle Jade Immortal Bone.
Not long after taking the Ice Muscle Jade Immortal Bone.
A jade-colored glow began pouring out of Tang Yuehua's entire body from within, completely enveloping her, and her presence gradually began to change.
The entire process of refining the Immortal Herb went smoothly and caused little pain, but it did take a considerable amount of time.
Ning Xuan sat in Tang Yuehua's office.
Only when the sun sank in the west and night gradually descended once more did Ning Xuan sense Tang Yuehua's presence beginning to grow dramatically.
Rank ten...
Rank fifteen...
Rank seventeen...
Rank nineteen...
Only when the fluctuations of Tang Yuehua's Soul Power had risen to rank twenty-three did they quietly stop, then draw inward and subside.
Until nothing unusual could be detected anymore.
Tang Yuehua abruptly opened her eyes. After a moment of bewilderment, she instinctively looked down...
They really...
Seemed a little bigger...
This was her most immediate sensation after taking the Immortal Herb: a heaviness she had never experienced before, which made her instinctively look down.
They really had grown a size larger...
[Note: this is one of the Immortal Herb's effects in the original work. Zhu Zhuqing originally took this Immortal Herb, after which Ning Rongrong blocked everyone's view and gave her a squeeze, telling her it was real and she wasn't dreaming...]
"How do you feel?"
Ning Xuan asked with a smile.
Tang Yuehua did not answer. Instead, she closed her eyes again and carefully sensed the changes in her Soul Power.
When she opened her eyes again, delight appeared on her face.
"I really have broken through my Martial Soul Shackles."
The next instant, the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul condensed in her palm.
[I checked the information. Some online say Tang Yuehua's Martial Soul mutated into the Ruyi Ring, while others say it is still the Clear Sky Hammer, only with her Soul Power restricted to rank nine, so we'll stick with the Clear Sky Hammer.]
At the same time, a ring shimmering with bright colors slowly revolved around the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul.
It was the Ruyi Ring.
It was precisely this mutation of Tang Yuehua's Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul that had confined her Soul Power cultivation to rank nine, leaving her unable to advance an inch.
Yet now, the Ruyi Ring still existed.
But Tang Yuehua's Soul Power cultivation had already broken through to rank twenty-three.
"Congratulations on your Martial Soul's breakthrough."
Overwhelmed with surprise and joy, Tang Yuehua threw herself straight into Ning Xuan's arms at his words.
"I really broke through."
"Yes."
Feeling two soft mounds pressing against his chest, Ning Xuan could not help being stirred.
As though sensing his heated change.
Tang Yuehua pulled free and asked, lightly biting her red lip,
"They've grown a little bigger now. Want to try?"
"Just what I wished for, though I dared not ask!"
Ning Xuan roared with laughter.
The bow was drawn full as the moon, the arrow set upon the string!!!
That night, in the student dormitories below Moonlight Pavilion's fifth floor, there were always some who heard thumping sounds coming from the pavilion mistress's office on the fifth floor.
Fierce winds and sudden rain...
Moistening all things without a sound...