IVYSCP - Chapter 48
Chapter 48
Ling Qingyue had not expected Nie Wenxiao to agree so readily. She was surprised for a moment, then bowed solemnly. "Sect Leader Nie! Truly kindhearted! Thank you!"
Nie Wenxiao: "..."
Ling Qingyue watched Sect Leader Nie, the kindhearted one, rub her temple and turn toward the East Courtyard.
She returned to the West Courtyard as well. Xue Zizai had found her footing yesterday and had risen early this morning to sit in meditation and practice breathing exercises. Lu Yao and Lin Zhao were still leaning together brewing medicine, but Ling Qingyue noticed with a careful eye that Lin Zhao's mind would wander from time to time.
"Lin Zhao."
Lin Zhao snapped back to attention at the sound of her name. She looked up and saw Ah Xi waving her over.
Ling Qingyue stood by the pond, a handful of fish food in her hand, watching the red carp swimming through the water. She tossed in a little food, and the carp scrambled for it, their tails rising up, quite beautiful.
Once Lin Zhao walked over, Ling Qingyue asked softly, "Something on your mind?"
Lin Zhao did not hide it. She nodded.
"Last night Xue Zizai taught me how to draw qi into my body. We're the only ones left from Linshui Town. We need to grow stronger, and then avenge them." Lin Zhao's voice trembled a little. "But, but I just can't sense it. I can't sense the spiritual qi she described. Ah Xi, I know not everyone can cultivate, and even among those who can, talent varies. I have hatred too. I want to take revenge myself. I want to be of some use. But right now, besides brewing medicine, it seems I can't do anything."
Ling Qingyue lowered her eyes. The fish food stayed in her hand for a long time without being thrown.
"Lin Zhao..."
Lin Zhao's eyes brimmed with tears. She turned her head and smiled at Ling Qingyue. "Ah Xi, you don't need to worry too much. I just need to think it over on my own. Can you help me with something?"
Ling Qingyue nodded. "Name it."
Lin Zhao dried her tears, took a little fish food from her hand, and tossed it into the pond. "I've found that the herbs here are completely different from what I knew before. Could you help me find a few medical texts? I want to study them."
Relief loosened in Ling Qingyue's heart at those words. She had truly feared Lin Zhao might take it too hard and give up on herself.
Xue Zizai had only been able to draw qi into her body so smoothly because someone had forcibly opened her meridians. That method was far too dangerous. The slightest misstep would shatter the meridians and cost her life. Lin Zhao's natural talent for cultivation was indeed somewhat lacking, but since she was willing to study medicine, that was also a good thing.
"I can do that." Ling Qingyue agreed.
She would go find Sect Leader Nie in a moment.
After feeding the fish, Lu Yao's medicine was done brewing as well. Ling Qingyue took Pei Si's portion along with it.
The moment she stepped in, she saw Pei Si sitting cross-legged on the bed, pale gold spiritual energy slowly circulating around her. The elegant and refined person sat straight and upright, every detail perfectly aligned, like a meticulously carved jade statue.
Ling Qingyue had always liked pretty, fragrant things. Seeing Pei Si now, she liked her even more, so much she could hardly stand it.
She set down the two medicine bowls, walked over with light steps, saw that Pei Si was still regulating her breath and had not returned to full awareness, and boldly leaned in and kissed her cheek.
After kissing, she felt she had come up short. She had already kissed her; what was one more?
Triumphantly she pressed her lips to Pei Si's. Cool and soft to the touch. She licked once without thinking, and Ling Qingyue's ears went red as she prepared to pull back.
Who knew that when she opened her eyes, she would meet a pair of smiling ones. Ling Qingyue jumped in fright. Before she could retreat, a hand locked around her waist and pressed her down. She stumbled and fell into Pei Si's arms.
Their parted lips met again. Pei Si's kiss was urgent, restrained with suppression. She wanted to kiss deeper, but was mindful of Ling Qingyue, gently kissing open the corner of her mouth bit by bit before beginning to deepen it.
Ling Qingyue bore it passively. She lay against Pei Si's chest with no strength, only able to wrap her arms around the woman's neck to stop herself from sliding down.
The soft licking and sucking, the weak, breathy moans, all of it heated both their bodies, as if no amount of kissing could ever be enough.
A long while later, their slightly swollen lips parted. Ling Qingyue half-opened her eyes, her gaze hazy and dazed, and instinctively tilted her head up to chase after another kiss.
Pei Si laughed softly, pressed her forehead to Ling Qingyue's, and said in a hoarse voice, "The medicine is going to get cold."
Ling Qingyue came back to herself, hurriedly scrambled out of her arms, and out of the corner of her eye saw the front of Pei Si's robes had been rumpled by her. Her ears burned again.
She cleared her throat twice to cover it up, then walked over and brought the medicine.
Warm to the touch. How was it going to get cold? This wasn't the mortal realm. How was it going to get cold!
A dissatisfied hum escaped Ling Qingyue. The tip of her tongue licked her lips, and she tasted a faint sweetness and fragrance. Pei Si's flavor.
The two of them sat on the edge of the bed drinking their medicine. This time Ling Qingyue drank hers very decisively, earning several glances from Pei Si.
One after the other, they finished. Pei Si was just about to take a candy to feed her when her vision suddenly darkened. A pair of hands cupped her face, and right after, warmth pressed against her lips.
Ling Qingyue kissed her and mumbled indistinctly, "This medicine is so bitter. You... lend me some help to press down the bitterness."
Laughter flowed through Pei Si's eyes. Then she slowly closed her eyes and met Ling Qingyue's kiss.
They kissed until they were both panting before Ling Qingyue reluctantly let her go, her eyes bright. "I think you work better than candy."
Pei Si pressed her lips together, her breathing unsteady. "Is that so."
Very soft, not really a question, just an acknowledgment.
Ling Qingyue caught one of her hands and played with it as she said, "In half a month the Ancient Yao Forest Realm opens. I want to go, so I may need to go into secluded cultivation."
Pei Si furrowed her brow slightly.
Ling Qingyue was not cultivating for the first time. She was recovering her cultivation. Going from Foundation Establishment to Core Formation in half a month was not impossible, but that Lightning Tribulation...
The Core Formation Lightning Tribulation had nine strikes, fiercer and more vicious than the Foundation Establishment one.
Ling Qingyue lifted her eyes to look at her. How could she not see the worry there? "I'm just telling you about the seclusion. This time I'll choose the tribulation site well and make full preparations. It won't be like last time, and you must not again..."
"Ling Qingyue." Pei Si suddenly called her by her full name.
Ling Qingyue's heart trembled. She tensed up. "Wh-what is it?"
Pei Si looked at her with a serious expression. "You said you would form a Dao Bond with me. Even if we have not yet held the Bonding Ceremony, we bowed to heaven and earth in the mortal realm. You are my wife. Your Lightning Tribulation is related to me."
You are my wife...
Ling Qingyue leaned a little closer to Pei Si, nestled into her arms, then reached out and hugged her, her tone soft and gentle. "Alright. I said the wrong thing. Let's prepare together, okay? But you must not think about taking the heavenly lightning for me again. You are my wife too, and I don't want to see you get hurt either."
Pei Si's fingertips smoothed through her hair. She asked, "When will you enter seclusion?"
"As soon as possible. Half a month is a bit rushed. I'm not sure if I can break through before the realm opens." Ling Qingyue was just thinking about how to quickly raise her cultivation when she suddenly recalled what Gu Huai had said.
Dual Cultivation.
Her ears burned. Ling Qingyue buried her head deeper.
Pei Si felt her breath suddenly turn scorching hot and asked quietly, "What is it?"
"Nothing."
Ling Qingyue took a deep breath and pushed down those messy thoughts.
She scolded herself inwardly. Ling Qingyue, your head is truly stuffed with lust. Just Foundation Establishment to Core Formation and you're already thinking of shortcuts through Dual Cultivation. What will you become in the future?
The two did not linger long in the room. Foundation Establishment seclusion did not mean staying shut in the room the whole time. It required fasting from water and food, and preparations had to be made in advance.
Hearing that Ling Qingyue was going into seclusion, Lu Yao's first reaction was: what about her medicine? She hadn't finished it yet.
Ling Qingyue was so angry she glared at her several times. What was so great about that miserable medicine? Gu Huai was deliberately getting revenge. Medicinal pills would clearly heal her faster, yet she had to drink such bitter medicinal soup.
In the end, Nie Wenxiao stepped in to mediate, and only then did Gu Huai reluctantly change the medicinal soup to medicinal pills.
That night, Pei Si set up a formation in the room to help gather spiritual qi, which would benefit Ling Qingyue's recovery of her cultivation.
Thinking that she would be in seclusion for so long, Ling Qingyue felt a little lonely and sad at heart.
She wouldn't see Pei Si. Sad. Unhappy.
"Pei Si, will you really not keep me company in seclusion?" Ling Qingyue sprawled over the table watching her set up the formation with practiced ease.
Pei Si had her back to her and asked with a soft laugh, "Did you need company during seclusion before?"
"No." Ling Qingyue frowned.
How strange. Before, she could stay in seclusion for a year or half a year and never thought anything of it.
"Focus on your seclusion." Pei Si finished the formation, came over, and rubbed her head. "Every evening from now on I'll come bring you something tasty."
Ling Qingyue brightened a little. She lifted her head and smiled at her. "Alright."
Pei Si looked at her smile, her heart stirring. She bent down and kissed her.
From that light, shallow kiss, Ling Qingyue could also feel Pei Si's reluctance to part.
She narrowed her eyes, entirely satisfied.
Ling Qingyue began her seclusion. Lu Yao also intensified her cultivation. If she too could break through before the Ancient Yao Forest Realm opened, Nie Wenxiao would add her to the list of trial disciples.
The Ancient Yao Forest Realm was one of the longest-preserved realms. It contained a great number of ancient yao beast remains and spiritual plants that had long gone extinct in the Immortal Realm. The yao beast remains could be made into artifacts, and if one encountered a living one, its entire body was a treasure. Thus the Ancient Yao Forest Realm was a place the various immortal sects scrambled over.
The realm was already unstable. To prevent it from collapsing, the sects had long ago reached a consensus. For realms like the Ancient Yao Forest, each sect could only send ten people, and cultivation levels were also restricted.
This time, the Ancient Yao Forest Realm was opening in the southern territory of the Piaomiao Sect. Most of the immortal sects would have to pass through Piaomiao Sect, including Lingxu Immortal Palace and Shangtianqiong Sect.
By the seventh day of seclusion, Ling Qingyue's cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds, already reaching mid Foundation Establishment. Immortal sects kept passing through the territory, and Piaomiao Sect was livelier than before.
Pei Si brought dishes Ling Qingyue loved and told her which immortal sects might pass through Piaomiao Sect.
Hearing Shangtianqiong, Ling Qingyue scooped up a mouthful of rice, chewed and chewed, swallowed it, and said irritably, "They should just charge them a toll."
Pei Si looked at her, amused. "Aren't you from Shangtianqiong too?"
Ling Qingyue curled her lip and gave a light snort. "It's not like Shangtianqiong is short on toll money. Besides..."
Her eyes swiveled, a sly smile forming. "I haven't gone back yet, have I? Right now, I'm from Cangshan."
The corner of Pei Si's mouth lifted.
Always knowing how to say things that pleased her.
With her stomach filled, Ling Qingyue did not rush back to seclusion. Instead, she pulled Pei Si over to discuss how to handle the Lightning Tribulation.
The tribulation site was easy to find. There were a few uninhabited barren mountains within Piaomiao Sect. She could go there to undergo the tribulation without hurting anyone.
Although Nie Wenxiao had said before that she could borrow the Nine-Tribulation Lotus from Linglong Pavilion, the Nine-Tribulation Lotus was their supreme treasure after all. Ling Qingyue did not place her hopes on that.
She held out her fingers to count. "If I endure six heavenly lightning strikes with my body alone, I'll only need a magical artifact to withstand three."
Pei Si heard her words and quietly watched her hand.
"Six strikes?"
She had seen the power of that heavenly lightning with her own eyes. With Ling Qingyue's body, if she really endured six strikes, she would probably be gone with a puff of wind.
Ling Qingyue pressed her lips together and slowly changed the six-finger gesture to three. "Three. Three."
Only then did Pei Si shift her gaze away and give a soft "Mn."
That still left six strikes.
Ling Qingyue had never thought there would come a day when she would be scratching her head over a Core Formation Lightning Tribulation.
Pei Si was thinking about what Little Cangshan had that could be used, ideally something that could withstand all nine heavenly lightning strikes head-on.
When Nie Wenxiao came in, she saw the two sitting quietly together. And in just a few short days, the Immortal Venerable's Dao companion had already reached mid Foundation Establishment and was faintly approaching late Foundation Establishment.
She quietly drew a breath. At this speed, the person would likely go straight through to Soul Formation in less than a year.
Ling Qingyue's eyes lit up when she saw Nie Wenxiao. "Sect Leader Nie!"
Nie Wenxiao nodded, sat down before them, and raised her hand to place the Nine-Tribulation Lotus on the table.
Pei Si was slightly surprised. She really had borrowed it.
Ling Qingyue's eyes went wide. She stared at the multicolored radiance overflowing from the Nine-Tribulation Lotus before her and excitedly grabbed Pei Si's hand and shook it. "The Nine-Tribulation Lotus! It really is the Nine-Tribulation Lotus!"
Having said that, she lifted her head again and looked at Nie Wenxiao with burning eyes. "Sect Leader Nie, how did you manage it?!"
Linglong Pavilion was the largest trading ground in the Immortal Realm, with every kind of magical artifact available. They only did business; they did not trade on personal feelings.
Nie Wenxiao coughed twice, a little uncomfortable. "Keep it safe. It needs to be returned."
Ling Qingyue nodded and put the Nine-Tribulation Lotus into her Qiankun Pouch.
"I just received a message. The Seventy-Two Sects will all gather at Piaomiao Sect this time. Once the Yue Family determines the exact location where the Ancient Yao Forest will open, we will set out together." Nie Wenxiao sighed. "Though Piaomiao Sect has withdrawn from the Immortal Alliance, we are still among the Seventy-Two Sects."
Pei Si narrowed her eyes. "Guard Water Cloud Dwelling well."
Ling Qingyue instantly grasped the meaning behind her words.
"The one pulling strings behind the scenes will use this chance to strike?!"
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