Jiang Moqing eventually forgot what she and Lin Que talked about afterward, and even how she returned to her own room.
She simply lay on the bed, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling, the stabbing pain in her heart and the hollow feeling as if a piece had been forcibly torn away growing stronger and stronger.
“It hurts so much…” Jiang Moqing gradually curled into a ball, as if trying to hold on to something, but in the end, could only cling tightly to the quilt.
The frustration and bitterness in her heart could only be released through other means.
She looked down at her hands. After a day of recovery, they had returned to their usual soft, fair, and flawless state, showing no sign of injury.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have dared to take off her gloves that night and interlock fingers with Lin Que.
“If he found out, he’d definitely hate me… After all, I’m that kind of person.”
She felt deeply disappointed in herself, scolding herself for her actions. Even though they had already parted ways, she still found herself in the quiet of night yearning for the beautiful times she had shared with Lin Que, fantasizing about his large, warm hands soothing every inch of… her soul.
Or so she told herself. But her fingertips…the same ones that had once interlaced with Lin Que’s were now honestly caressing the soft skin beneath her clothes. With her other hand, she raised it and set up a soundproofing formation.
Her eyes grew hazy once more.
With gentle strokes and soft pressure, shallow at first and then deeper, the rhythm grew more urgent, rising and falling as if even her soul resonated with it.
When the act was over, Jiang Moqing lay on her side facing the wall, breathing heavily. Just on the other side of that wall was the person she yearned for the most.
She couldn’t help but stealthily extend her divine sense to peek through…faintly and obscurely. That was all her current state allowed. Any clearer, and Lin Que would surely notice.
Lin Que was also still awake at that moment. He sat upright at the table, seemingly reading by candlelight, his eyes focused intently on the book in front of him.
“Even late at night, my junior brother remains so diligent and hardworking… and here I am, doing nothing but wasting time, going through empty motions…”
Her self-reproach only lasted a moment before the fire she had just extinguished reignited into a burning heat.
“This isn’t enough at all… I need… something more fulfilling… Junior Brother… Junior Brother…” Jiang Moqing’s voice carried a hint of sobbing.
Her emotions gradually grew more desperate, and once again, desire overtook reason and seized control.
And so, one “performance” followed another. In her hazy, blurred state of mind, it was as if she had left reality behind and returned to that dream world where she and Lin Que were living happily together.
By the time she came back to her senses, daylight was already breaking outside the window.
“Another night wasted like this…”
Gazing at the sliver of sunlight casting into the room from the sky outside, Jiang Moqing rose, changed into a fresh set of clothes, and washed herself with a quick bath using the tub. Then, she took the soaked bedsheets and quilt and stored them in her storage ring, planning to find a place to burn them later.
She, of course, took care of the aftermath thoroughly. Just as she had the previous night.
As for the cost of the bedding, she would naturally pay for it before leaving, making sure Lin Que wouldn’t find out.
She was terrified that her junior brother might overthink it… and discover her strange behavior.
“If he found out that his upright senior sister was actually this kind of woman behind closed doors, he’d definitely be disappointed in me…”
After indulging in her desires, Jiang Moqing once again fell into a state of self-reproach.
Heh, do you know who made your body like this? Do you really think he doesn’t know? Let me tell you…no one knows your body better than he does. And the reverse is just as true!
The inner demon let out a mocking laugh.
You know perfectly well that this is nothing more than scratching an itch through a boot. It solves nothing and is a complete waste of time. Why not just face your true desires and let yourself live a little more happily?
“What makes humans human is precisely the ability to restrain themselves. If one only indulges in their impulses, how are they any different from mindless beasts?”
Looking at the mess you are now, no one would be convinced by that argument.
The inner demon retorted, unfazed and even more sarcastic.
“Hmph…”
Jiang Moqing snorted coldly. Though the fire in her heart was hard to extinguish, she could still suppress it. As long as she didn’t lose control and embarrass herself in front of Lin Que, that was enough.
At the same time, there was someone else who, like Jiang Moqing, found it difficult to fall asleep.
It was Qin Wanyuan, who had stayed behind at the cave residence.
The night before, she had a terrible nightmare. One where she was tied to a chair, helplessly watching as Jiang Moqing boldly straddled Lin Que right in front of her.
And it wasn’t just Jiang Moqing. Ao Xinyu was there too, waiting for her turn in line.
In the dream, she cried and screamed, but nothing she did could stop them. On the contrary, her cries seemed to add fuel to the fire, making them move even faster.
Then, Qin Wanyuan woke up. She was startled, drenched in cold sweat.
The dream had felt far too real, as if it had played out right before her eyes.
It was probably the impact of that scene she had witnessed in Lin Que and Jiang Moqing’s shared dream that had left such a deep impression….so deep that even after all this time, she still couldn’t forget it.
“Come to think of it, this might be the first time Lin Lang has gone on a long trip since I was reborn.”
Looking at the empty spot beside her pillow, Qin Wanyuan felt a strange emptiness in her heart.
“It’s fine… he’ll be back in a few days anyway… together with Jiang Moqing.”
At that thought, Qin Wanyuan opened her system interface and found that her points had increased significantly again. But all of them were the +10 points from hand-holding. She guessed it was most likely due to Jiang Moqing helping Lin Que heal the meridians in his right arm.
“I didn’t expect that even after a whole day, Senior Sister’s still been this well-behaved.”
Qin Wanyuan was honestly a bit surprised. She had originally assumed that, being alone with Lin Que on a trip, Jiang Moqing would definitely take the chance to make a move.
Even though she didn’t want Jiang Moqing to actually go that far, the capture still needed to progress and she had already mentally prepared herself for it. So now, seeing Jiang Moqing unexpectedly staying so restrained, Qin Wanyuan actually started to feel a bit anxious.
Time was tight and the mission was pressing. With each passing day, the looming disaster drew closer. If she and Lin Que didn’t grow stronger, even surviving the demonic cultivators’ massacre wouldn’t guarantee their survival in the chaotic times to come.
No matter what, they had to become stronger.
Qin Wanyuan took a deep breath, patted her cheeks, and stopped dwelling on the nightmare from last night. Since she was already awake early, she might as well start sword practice.
“When Lin Lang comes back and sees how much I’ve improved, he’ll definitely be shocked…then he’ll praise me a lot, won’t he?”
With a bright smile, Qin Wanyuan got out of bed and stepped into the courtyard to begin practicing her swordsmanship.
***
After having breakfast, Lin Que and Jiang Moqing flew swiftly on their swords without rest and finally arrived at the outskirts of Evil Dragon Pool by sunset.
Bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun, what came into view was a swamp shrouded in thick miasma. Only the rough outlines of the outer forest could be vaguely seen, while the deeper areas were completely obscured from sight.
Although Evil Dragon Pool was called a “swamp,” in reality, it covered a vast expanse. The end of the miasma was nowhere in sight, and even divine sense couldn’t fully penetrate it.
“Just like the records said, the miasma in Evil Dragon Pool really is extraordinary. Even divine sense gets distorted,” Lin Que said with wonder after closing his eyes to sense the surroundings.
As a perception that exists beyond the five senses and belongs solely to cultivators, divine sense was typically unhindered. Very few things could interfere with its probing ability. One of the rare effective counters to divine sense was, in fact, divine sense itself.
Only divine sense could resist divine sense. That’s why when cultivators at higher realms observed those at lower realms, the latter often couldn’t even detect it.
To think that on this trip, they would encounter a miasma capable of obstructing divine sense…no wonder a mere late-stage Nascent Soul demonic flood dragon could wreak havoc here for years without being punished.
With the advantage of its home territory, it truly wouldn’t be difficult for the flood dragon to maneuver throughout the vast Evil Dragon Pool. If it wanted to flee, even a cultivator at the Soul Formation stage might struggle to catch it.
“Senior Sister, let’s rest here for the night and recover. We can head into Evil Dragon Pool tomorrow during the day,” Lin Que said, glancing sideways at Jiang Moqing.
“Alright.” Jiang Moqing naturally had no objections. Being able to spend even one more night with Lin Que was more than welcome.
“But there’s no city or settlement nearby, so I’m afraid you’ll have to rough it with me out here. Or, if you’d prefer, there’s a small town a hundred li from here. You could spend the night there and return in the morning.”
Lin Que pointed out the route on a map, but Jiang Moqing declined.
“In a place this dangerous, it’s best we don’t split up.”
“You’re right.”
Lin Que nodded, then found a cave below. He lit a fire outside and traced a circle around the campsite with his sword intent. It was resistant to both water and fire and would keep beasts and insects at bay.
“The setup’s a bit rough. I hope you don’t mind, Senior Sister. I’ll keep watch tonight.” As he spoke, he handed her a sleeping bag.
He clearly had no intention of sleeping, but Jiang Moqing suddenly grew flustered.
If Junior Brother stands guard outside all night… then how am I supposed to quell my desire and fire?
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