Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 38: Prying into the White-clothed Sword Immortal's Unknown Side

Yan Yaoyao transformed into a streak of purple light, darting through the clouds. Then, her eyes locked onto a bamboo forest with a gurgling stream.

The scent of Peng Sword Immortal, the one she longed for, was coming from within.

'The night is deep, and the banquet has already begun. Why isn't Peng Sword Immortal drinking at the manor? What's he doing in such a secluded, quiet place?'

Yan Yaoyao's eyes narrowed. Worldly as she was, an incredible possibility quickly came to her mind.

'Could it be? This seemingly upright and old-fashioned Sword Cultivator, Peng Sword Immortal, also understands the pleasure of a secret tryst in the woods?'

'So, which Fairy is by his side right now? Is it that Cyan-robed Fairy from dusk, the one with the unbelievably deep cleavage?'

'Tch. So it seems that much-lauded tale of a Sword Immortal and his Dao Companion was just a joke after all—their supposedly sincere and unwavering love, said to transcend even the pursuit of the Great Dao.'

It was strange. Although Yan Yaoyao had hoped to tempt this noble White-clothed Sword Immortal into a pit of carnal indulgence, seeing him actually fall from grace—seeing him no longer as pure as she'd imagined—made her feel a pang of unease.

It was like an idol whose mystique had been stripped away, revealing something tawdry underneath and betraying the perfect image she held in her mind.

Yan Yaoyao felt a deep sense of irritation. Even though Pei Yuhang had nothing to do with her, she still felt the sour sting of betrayal.

A bitter taste filled her throat, and she found herself hoping, for some reason, that her suspicions were just her imagination running wild.

The esteemed Cold Sun Sword Immortal was probably just taking a walk in this serene bamboo forest.

'Even if a Fairy was with him... maybe they were just playing chess?'

Yan Yaoyao comforted herself with these thoughts as she suppressed her aura and descended slowly into the bamboo forest.

Her graceful figure moved like a thief, creeping cautiously through the trees, terrified of making the slightest sound.

The farther she advanced, the more her heart rose into her throat, and the bitter taste there only intensified.

Yet beneath this stifling trepidation, she also felt an extraordinary excitement.

'I'm... about to lift Peng Sword Immortal's veil of mystery.'

'I'm about to see the ugliest side of the man of my dreams!'

Yan Yaoyao gently parted the last bamboo leaves obscuring her view. She cast several aura- and sound-concealing Magic spells to make sure she wouldn't give herself away.

Peering through a gap in the bamboo, she saw a stone pavilion not far off, nestled in the heart of the forest.

A cool breeze swept through the grove, and the bamboo leaves rustled with a soft, SHHH SHHH, like the prelude just before a grand curtain rises.

Perhaps it was because the sky over Guoxin Island was utterly cloudless tonight. The Moonlight cast from the Moon Star was so brilliant that the white-robed figure inside the pavilion stood out starkly, almost seeming to glow.

Spying on someone for the first time, Yan Yaoyao's eyes went wide, and her breathing quickened.

'So... this is the unknown side of the White-clothed Sword Immortal.'

......

Shang Miaoyan shot an imperceptible glance toward a corner of the nearby bamboo forest.

But she didn't expose the little peeping mouse. Her time with Xiaohan was more important right now; how could she ruin this wonderful mood just to shoo away a rat?

Besides, the stone pavilion was protected by an Array and an Illusion Technique that blurred her features, so Shang Miaoyan wasn't worried about her identity being exposed.

'I'll deal with that rat after we're finished.'

Shang Miaoyan thought, unconcerned, and refocused on feeding wine to her dear Xiaohan.

"Drink slowly, now. When it comes to Spirit Wine, Miaoyan has plenty. There's no need to drink so hastily, Xiaohan. Hehe~

This wine was all brewed from rare Spirit Fruits. Once you refine it all, your cultivation level will soon reach a new height, won't it, Xiaohan?"

As she spoke, Shang Miaoyan produced a white silk handkerchief from her cleavage and gently wiped the wine trickling from the corner of Pei Yuhang's mouth. She chided playfully,

"Xiaohan, you're so careless."

Pei Yuhang's expression was glacial. He remained silent.

'For the next month,' he thought, 'I won't even be worthy of kissing my Dao Companion.'

'Even speaking to her would feel like I'm disrespecting Liyuan.'

Although the Beauty Foot Bathing Wine he had been forced to drink had no off-putting taste—in fact, it was fragrant and sweet—he felt bile rise in his stomach.

"Don't you dare vomit, Xiaohan~ This is all good stuff that will help you return to the Divinity Transformation realm sooner."

As she spoke, Shang Miaoyan placed a hand on Pei Yuhang's shoulder, circulating her Spiritual Qi to help clear his meridians.

Cultivators who practiced the Yin Yang Dao were exceptionally efficient at refining Spiritual Qi. Moreover, Pei Yuhang had dual-cultivated with Shang Miaoyan for countless days and nights. As soon as they began circulating their Spiritual Qi, their bodies achieved a near-perfect resonance.

As Shang Miaoyan's Spiritual Qi flowed into Pei Yuhang, his body, guided by hers, began to refine it automatically.

Now, he couldn't have vomited up the Saintess's foot-bathing wine even if he'd wanted to.

"..."

A vigorous tide of Spiritual Qi flowed through Pei Yuhang's body, greedily absorbed by the Nascent Soul in his Sea of Consciousness and the Golden Core in his Dantian.

As the Spirit Wine was rapidly assimilated, the drunken flush on Pei Yuhang's face faded, and wisps of hot vapor steamed from his pores.

Shang Miaoyan hadn't been lying about one thing: the wine she provided was indeed a rare, top-shelf treasure. Just a few flagons had caused Pei Yuhang's Cultivation to skyrocket, equivalent to at least three months of his previous bitter training.

A treasured wine capable of so significantly boosting a Nascent Soul Cultivator's Cultivation would undoubtedly incite a mad scramble, even bloodshed, if it ever appeared in the outside world.

But in Shang Miaoyan's hands, it was nothing more than an accessory for her flirtations.

'As expected of the Saintess of the Yin Yang Dao Sect,' he thought, 'so ridiculously extravagant.'

"So? Can you feel how much your Cultivation has grown?"

Shang Miaoyan beamed at Pei Yuhang, her head tilted slightly down like a little girl waiting for a pat on the head and a word of praise.

"Hmph. I'd rather not increase my Cultivation this way!"

Pei Yuhang said bluntly.

He stood, smoothing the wrinkles from his white robes. "Business Saintess," he said coolly, "if you've had your fun, then I will be leaving."

"Hold on."

Shang Miaoyan's voice reached Pei Yuhang's ears, and he froze mid-step.

As he came to his senses, the White-clothed Sword Immortal realized he wasn't currently being controlled by the Demon-Planting Mark.

'I'm subconsciously obeying this woman?!'

Pei Yuhang was horrified. Uneasy ripples disturbed his Dao Heart.

"Before we part, let's have one last kiss."

Shang Miaoyan said, her narrowed, fox-like eyes still gazing at him adoringly.

Come to think of it, Pei Yuhang realized her gaze hadn't left him for a single moment since he'd arrived.

It was the terrifying thrill of being watched by a predator...

Seeing Pei Yuhang's silence, Shang Miaoyan's lips curved into a triumphant smile.

'Since he didn't refuse at once,' she thought, 'the outcome is already clear.'

She glided to Pei Yuhang's side, placing her perfect lips close to his ear to whisper.

Her voice was like a decadent siren song, meant to bewitch an innocent lamb.

"Xiaohan, it's just a kiss. It's nothing to make a fuss about.

One kiss, and your nightmare tonight will be over. You can return to the Cold Palace Sword Mansion and see your Fairy Ye.

Perhaps Fairy Ye is eagerly waiting for you right now, with a nice pot of sobering tea all ready for your return. You wouldn't want to keep Fairy Ye waiting, now would you~?"

Watching the struggle in Pei Yuhang's eyes, a scarlet glint flashed once more in Shang Miaoyan's narrowed, fox-like eyes.

'Hehe. Our first kiss without the Demon-Planting Mark's control...

...will be the first step in your fall, my dear Xiaohan.'