Afterward, Qin Wanyuan collapsed on Lin Que’s chest.
Glancing at the mess in the room and the pair of black ice-silkworm stockings, now torn and tossed onto the floor, she bit Lin Que’s shoulder in protest. It wasn’t hard. More of a sulky gesture than real anger.
“Why is it that I always end up such a mess, while Lin Lang is always so composed?” she asked weakly.
“Everyone has a different constitution. Some differences are natural.”
As he spoke, Lin Que thought for a moment, then continued to reassure her. “Besides, you’ve already improved a lot. In the past, even getting through one round was tough for you. But now? You’ve done it, haven’t you?”
He hadn’t mentioned it before, worried it might hurt her pride. But now that Qin Wanyuan’s body was growing stronger by the day, he felt comfortable teasing her a little.
“Hmph, of course! Don’t forget, I’m Qin Wanyuan. A prodigy who reached the Core Formation stage in less than six years of cultivation. Just wait till I fully adjust. After a few hundred more rounds of practice, Lin Lang will be no match for me~”
Qin Wanyuan clearly enjoyed being praised. She let out a soft snort through her delicate nose, a little pride creeping into her tone.
“Alright, alright.”
Lin Que gently stroked her silky hair, like he was brushing a proud little cat. Seeing her smug expression made him feel happy, too.
“This really is just like practicing swordsmanship. No matter your natural talent, if you put in the work, you’ll always see results.”
“Oh~? So, does that mean Lin Lang practiced his ‘swordsmanship’ often with senior sisters back then? Is that how you got so good?”
Her tone had turned noticeably sour by this point.
It was a textbook trap of a question.
Lin Que realized it instantly and wisely chose not to answer.
But that didn’t work on Qin Wanyuan. She simply poked Lin Que’s solid arm and said, “Lin Lang, tell me, won’t you? I promise I won’t get mad.”
Yeah, right.
Lin Que thought to himself. Whether man or woman, anyone who truly loves someone will have a sense of possessiveness and jealousy. Qin Wanyuan might sound easygoing now, but if he said the wrong thing, there was no telling when she might start getting jealous.
“Come on, tell me~” Qin Wanyuan cooed sweetly, acting cute.
“My matters with Senior Sister are all in the past. I won’t look back. What I care about now is our future….yours and mine.”
Faced with a death trap of a question, Lin Que skillfully carved out a third option.
“That’s such a sly answer… but what can I say? I fall for it every time~”
Hearing that, Qin Wanyuan dropped the matter. After all, she could always peek into the truth through the Dream Share Talisman anyway.
But just thinking about that talisman made her heart ache a little.
Last time, she had seen a rather shocking scene. Jiang Moqing riding atop a young Lin Que. The sheer impact of it had shattered her composure and forced her to break off the dream abruptly, so she never saw what happened next.
As it stood, the dream had only progressed to the point where the two became cultivation partners and began their sweet romance.
As for what came after… that depended on whether the system would reward her with another Dream Share Talisman. Buying one was definitely out of the question.
Just thinking about the outrageous cost of 15,000 points made Qin Wanyuan wince in pain.
After chatting for a while, Lin Que carried Qin Wanyuan to the bath and cleaned up the room in the process.
Throughout, he kept his divine sense extended to make sure his sister-in-law Qin Qian’er didn’t walk in and accidentally witness something she shouldn’t, sparing everyone from an awkward misunderstanding or worse.
Back in bed again, Qin Wanyuan’s gaze was still fixed on Lin Que.
“Lin Lang.”
“What is it?”
“In a month… you’ll be signing the life-and-death agreement to fight the Holy Son of the Divine Sword Sect on the dueling platform, won’t you?” she asked, clearly worried.
“Mm. That’s the protocol. Signing the life-and-death agreement is inevitable.”
Lin Que nodded. “But don’t worry. No one’s going to die. I have a bit of a connection with the Holy Son of the Divine Sword Sect.”
He was telling the truth. Lin Que and Gu Minghao, the Holy Son of the Divine Sword Sect, were old acquaintances. Neither of them was likely to go all-out with killing intent. Besides, if Lin Que really did kill the Holy Son on the dueling platform, he’d have no way of explaining himself to Gu Minghao’s younger sister who just so happened to be the Divine Sword Sect’s Holy Maiden.
If that girl really got angry, she’d be a real headache to deal with.
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Really… really true?”
“Of course it’s true.”
Qin Wanyuan kept asking for reassurance, and Lin Que patiently answered each time without a hint of irritation.
She couldn’t be blamed. His words just now had stirred painful memories from her previous life. Back then, when demonic cultivators attacked and destroyed their sect, Lin Que had stayed behind to hold them off so she and her sister could escape.
She still remembered the last thing Lin Que had said to them:
Don’t worry. I’ll survive and catch up with you.
But in the end, what reached Qin Wanyuan wasn’t news of his survival but a cold, emotionless letter:
[Lin Que fought the demonic cultivators for half a day and died of exhaustion.]
Liar…
Qin Wanyuan’s nose stung with emotion. She clutched Lin Que’s arm tightly, and with great seriousness, she said:
“Then I’m going with you.”
She didn’t want to be left behind by him ever again.
Hearing her words, Lin Que nodded as well.
“Of course.”
After a brief pause, he grinned. “When the time comes, I’ll find you the best seat to watch from, so you can see how dashing your husband looks up on the stage.”
Seeing his confident expression, Qin Wanyuan couldn’t help but smile, and the heaviness in her heart eased a little.
“Then I’ll be very much looking forward to it~”
Just like that, the two talked by candlelight deep into the night and eventually fell asleep in each other’s arms.
***
Late at night.
Inside Jiang Moqing’s cave abode, the cold-faced fairy dressed in plain white sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, her willow brows slightly furrowed.
Before her stood a blurry black shadow. Its form was indistinct, only vaguely resembling a woman, and at this moment it was letting out uncontrollable laughter.
“Hehehe… so how does it feel now? Unwilling, aren’t you? Your thoughts are so dark on the inside, yet you still want to put on a righteous façade on the outside. Who exactly are you fooling?”
It was Jiang Moqing’s heart demon.
“Don’t think you can… disturb my Dao heart,” Jiang Moqing said coldly.
“If your heart isn’t in turmoil, then why am I growing stronger?”
The shadow of the heart demon circled around Jiang Moqing, its laughter unceasing. “Face the truth. This is who you are. Even if you cultivate the Heartless Valley’s technique, you won’t be able to escape it~ In this lifetime…you’ll never escape~”
At first, the heart demon had existed only as intermittent voices in her mind. Now, it had already developed a tangible form.
“Shut up!”
Jiang Moqing swept her arm outward. A fierce palm wind surged forth, sending the furnishings in the room toppling over, pages scattering everywhere, leaving the entire chamber in chaos….just like her state of mind at that very moment.
However …
The heart demon remained completely unaffected. Jiang Moqing’s attacks couldn’t touch her.
“Your emotions are fluctuating again. Didn’t you say the Heartless Valley’s cultivation method severs all attachments and abandons the seven emotions and six desires?”
She paused for a moment, then continued, “Just admit it. You can’t forget him! Love… how could it be so easily discarded? If true detachment were possible, those old nuns from Heartless Valley would’ve achieved it long ago! Instead, they’re just like a bunch of cowardly turtles, hiding away in Heartless Valley, shutting themselves off from the world!”
“Rather than stay stuck in this half-hearted state, why not give in to me? I’ll do what you don’t dare to. All you’ll have to do… is enjoy his affection~”
“……”
Jiang Moqing didn’t respond at first, but soon she rejected it firmly. “I won’t interfere with his happiness. And as for you… you’ll descend into the abyss with me.”
“Stubborn fool.”
The heart demon let out a cold snort and vanished into thin air, leaving Jiang Moqing alone to face the wreckage around her.
Cold moonlight streamed into the room, casting a hazy glow on the dust stirred into the air. For a moment, Jiang Moqing seemed to see the figure of someone once again.
She reached out…but grasped only emptiness.
“Junior Brother, don’t worry… once your arm is healed, I’ll leave. I’ll never interfere in your life again.”
Amid the dust, Jiang Moqing murmured softly to herself.
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