"I'm going up the mountain to pay my respects to Young Master Ye."
Bai Suyi spoke.
She had indeed come to see Ye Qingyun.
Last time, she had accompanied Chi Yanyu to Floating Cloud Mountain, and Ye Qingyun had performed fire cupping on her.
It had now been exactly half a month.
Bai Suyi had come as agreed.
Shen Tianhua glanced at Bai Suyi and immediately saw that her cultivation was not high, only at the late Spirit Opening stage.
Her aptitude, however, was excellent. She was a born cultivator.
Even compared to Xiao Shi, she fell only slightly short.
Shen Tianhua could not help entertaining the thought of taking her as a disciple.
"Girl, whose disciple are you?"
Shen Tianhua asked.
Bai Suyi dared not be negligent and bowed.
"To be frank, Senior, this junior is a disciple of the Nine Spirits Sect."
Shen Tianhua nodded.
"Gongsun Yue's disciple. A pity. With such fine aptitude, studying under him is rather like squandering heaven's treasures."
Bai Suyi felt somewhat awkward.
She was, after all, a disciple of the Nine Spirits Sect, yet this white-haired old man before her was belittling her master, Gongsun Yue.
This displeased Bai Suyi somewhat.
"Senior, our sect may be small, but please mind your words."
Bai Suyi spoke up.
Xiao Shi curled her lip slightly.
"Do you know who my master is? A mere Nine Spirits Sect-even if your master Gongsun Yue stood here, he would have to call himself a junior before my master."
Bai Suyi grew a little angry.
"You two have insulted my sect. Even if my cultivation is meager, I must defend my sect's dignity!"
Xiao Shi was amused.
She was willful by nature, and now that she had met Bai Suyi, she found her displeasing for some reason.
Seeing Bai Suyi look ready to fight, she could hardly have asked for more.
"Heh, with your paltry cultivation? You dare show off in front of me?"
Xiao Shi's face was full of disdain.
She stepped forward, immediately revealing her Origin Gathering realm cultivation.
Bai Suyi's expression changed drastically.
The Origin Gathering realm!
That was a realm above the Spirit Opening realm.
Bai Suyi did indeed possess late Spirit Opening stage cultivation.
But against an Origin Gathering realm martial artist, she had absolutely no chance of winning. She would only be utterly crushed.
To think she's about my age, yet her cultivation is so high!
Bai Suyi was horrified.
Xiao Shi looked smugly at Bai Suyi, her gaze mocking.
"Well? Do you still dare fight me?"
Bai Suyi fell silent.
She still revealed her own cultivation.
The late Spirit Opening stage!
Compared to Xiao Shi's cultivation, it was naturally far inferior.
But Bai Suyi still did not back down.
Shen Tianhua did not intervene. He also wanted to see how much strength Bai Suyi possessed.
Just as the two women were about to fight.
A sudden thunderclap rang out in the sky.
The thunder shook heaven and earth.
All three of them were startled.
Then they looked up at the sky together.
The previously clear sky was suddenly blanketed with dark clouds.
It looked as though a torrential downpour was approaching.
Shen Tianhua frowned.
"Why has the weather changed so strangely?"
The next moment, Shen Tianhua understood why the sky had suddenly changed.
A true dragon was appearing and disappearing amid those dark clouds.
Stirring the winds and clouds!
Shen Tianhua was horrified.
This was the true dragon he had seen on his way up the mountain.
He had not expected it to still be among the clouds.
At the mountaintop, Ye Qingyun was also looking up at the sky in confusion.
"Why is it suddenly about to rain?"
He hurried out of the courtyard at a jog and hastily gathered the clothes he had hung out to dry.
Muffled thunder rolled, and the dark clouds grew ever denser.
Seemingly realizing something, Shen Tianhua hurriedly told Xiao Shi, "Let's leave at once. We must not stir up trouble."
Xiao Shi froze, somewhat puzzled.
But Shen Tianhua offered no further explanation. He grabbed Xiao Shi and flew away.
Seeing the two suddenly leave, Bai Suyi was surprised, but also breathed a sigh of relief.
After they left, the sky, which had been blanketed with dark clouds, suddenly cleared again.
It was as though the thunder and dark clouds had never appeared at all.
"What's going on?"
Ye Qingyun had only just brought the clothes inside when the sky cleared again.
Grumbling and cursing, he took the clothes back out to dry.
Before long.
Bai Suyi arrived at the mountaintop.
"Young Master Ye."
Standing outside the courtyard, she called out to him.
Ye Qingyun opened the door and came out. Seeing Bai Suyi, he immediately invited her inside.
Bai Suyi entered the house.
"Young Master Ye, after that treatment you gave me last time-what you called fire cupping-I've felt much better."
Bai Suyi spoke somewhat shyly.
Recalling the scene of Ye Qingyun treating her last time, her heart began to flutter wildly.
There had been other people present last time, after all, so the feeling had not been quite so strong.
But this time.
It was just her and Ye Qingyun.
A man and a woman, alone together in one room.
And he would be treating her with such an unusual method.
How could Bai Suyi not feel shy?
She had wanted to bring Chi Yanyu along, but Chi Yanyu had not been at Prince Pingxi's Manor lately.
With no other choice, Bai Suyi could only come by herself.
"As long as it's working. Let's continue today."
Ye Qingyun spoke casually.
He had already taken out all his fire-cupping equipment.
Bai Suyi felt somewhat awkward.
"Young Master Ye, please turn around first."
Ye Qingyun paused, then hurriedly turned around.
His breathing was a little rapid, and his heart was beating a little fast.
It could not be helped.
I'm a hot-blooded young man, too.
I'll still have the reactions I'm supposed to have.
Ye Qingyun, you have to control yourself.
You absolutely mustn't do anything rash. She's a disciple of the Nine Spirits Sect, someone you can't afford to offend!
Meanwhile, Bai Suyi was also struggling inwardly.
What if Young Master Ye wants to do something to me after I undress? What should I do?
Young Master Ye is an esteemed senior, someone even His Majesty the Martial Emperor visits in person.
If he really wants to do something to me, can I resist?
But if I submit, won't I seem too frivolous?
How about putting up a token resistance first, then yielding?
That seems more appropriate.
With such thoughts in mind, Bai Suyi's face flushed scarlet, and she soon lay face down there.
"Young Master Ye, I'm ready."
Bai Suyi spoke softly.
Ye Qingyun turned around.
Although he had seen it once before.
There had been other people present last time, after all.
The two experiences felt completely different.
"Ahem, I'll begin, then."
Keeping his gaze from straying, Ye Qingyun began concentrating on performing fire cupping on Bai Suyi.
Each harbored their own thoughts.
The atmosphere in the room was somewhat intimate.
And there was an even greater, indescribable awkwardness.
Soon, all eight bamboo cups were placed on Bai Suyi's back.
Ye Qingyun even thoughtfully covered Bai Suyi with a blanket.
Seeing that Ye Qingyun seemed to make no improper moves.
Bai Suyi breathed a sigh of relief, yet actually felt a little disappointed as well.
Ah, Young Master Ye truly is an expert beyond the mundane world. Perhaps, in his eyes, I'm no different from any ordinary woman.
Bai Suyi grumbled inwardly.
Half an hour later.
Ye Qingyun removed the bamboo cups.
Just as before, he scraped many tiny white worms out of them.
There were far fewer than last time.
"It looks like there aren't many poisonous worms left inside you, Miss Bai."
Ye Qingyun spoke with a smile.
But then he saw Bai Suyi's face suddenly turn deathly pale.
A mouthful of blood spurted from Bai Suyi's mouth.
She crumpled to the ground and lost consciousness.