“Ahem… Senior Sister, what did you just say?”
Lin Que suddenly coughed a few times. Dragon blood was still manageable. He could ask Ao Xinyu for some… but dragon tendons and dragon marrow…
That was not something he could just ask for!
“A dragon’s vitality is among the most robust. Drinking its blood and marrow, consuming its tendons and bones….each has the effect of reinforcing the body with similar properties.”
Jiang Moqing explained with a trace of regret showing in her expression. “True dragons are rare in the Eastern Region and hard to find. However, while flood dragons have weaker medicinal properties, they are still effective and can be used as substitutes.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Que let out a sigh of relief.
If this were the Jiang Moqing of the past, she might have immediately set her sights on Ao Xinyu. It seemed that all those years cultivating in Heartless Valley had indeed had some effect.
As he stepped out of the cultivation chamber, Lin Que looked up at the sky, then turned and said to Jiang Moqing who was just about to take off on her sword:
“It’s midday now. Why don’t you stay and have lunch before you go, Senior Sister?”
“…Alright.”
Jiang Moqing had clearly intended to leave, but the moment she heard Lin Que’s words, her feet simply wouldn’t move.
Lin Que went to the kitchen to cook. Jiang Moqing originally wanted to help, but Lin Que persuaded her not to, saying, “How can I let a guest help with cooking?” So, she ended up sitting alone in the pavilion, staring blankly in the direction of the kitchen.
Junior Brother… am I just a guest to you now…?
She should have known it would be like this. Yet when he said it out loud, she still couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow.
“Instead of sighing and lamenting here, why not just take action directly?”
The inner demon appeared again at the worst possible moment and with increasing frequency, growing harder and harder to suppress.
“You’re so indecisive, stuck in an in-between state. You might as well hand this body over to me and let me do it. All it takes is one opportunity to turn raw rice into cooked rice. Why make things so complicated?”
“I will not do such a thing. Moreover, I cultivated the Heartless Valley technique precisely to make a clean break with the past. I will not harbor even the slightest attachment to him again,” Jiang Moqing said coldly.
“Hah. You might fool outsiders with that, but do you really think you can fool me?”
The inner demon sneered.
“If you had truly severed ties with the past, then who was it just now, sitting in the pavilion staring blankly in his direction? And who was it, murmuring to herself in quiet sorrow?”
“That was your temptation….your influence. It’s all because of you that I’ve been acting so abnormally,” Jiang Moqing said without hesitation, placing all the blame for her recent behavior squarely on the inner demon.
“That statement is a classic case of reversing cause and effect,” the inner demon replied mockingly.
“If such thoughts weren’t already hidden in your heart, then how could I, as your inner demon, possibly use them to influence you at all?”
Seeing Jiang Moqing wavering more and more, the inner demon seized the opportunity and pressed the attack with a laugh.
“Besides… you just lied to your junior brother, didn’t you?”
“Don’t you dare slander me!”
A flicker of panic flashed in Jiang Moqing’s eyes.
“Slander?” The inner demon sneered.
“After teaching him the guiding technique, there was no longer any need for physical contact. Yet you, greedy for his touch, used ‘checking’ as an excuse to once again intertwine your fingers with his. Am I wrong?”
“…I didn’t. I was just worried something might go wrong while he was circulating the energy.”
Jiang Moqing argued stubbornly, even though the inner demon had clearly exposed the truth.
But her eyes, guilty and evasive, glanced in the direction of the kitchen where Lin Que was.
The inner demon didn’t push further. From her perspective, the goal had already been achieved. There was no need to say more.
“Take a good, hard look at yourself. Is it really me affecting you… or have you just never let go?”
With that, the voice disappeared.
“Inner demon… don’t you dare shake my heart.”
Jiang Moqing still repeated her familiar words.
But this time, her voice lacked the confidence it once held.
***
Once lunch was ready, Qin Wanyuan hurried back.
“Wanyuan, what took you so long this time?” Lin Que asked curiously.
He had originally thought she’d return right after sending off Qin Qian’er, but to his surprise, she had been gone the entire morning.
“Didn’t the sect master personally hold a Dao discourse today? I just joined the crowd and listened for a bit,” Qin Wanyuan replied with an apologetic smile.
“You’re still in the early stages of cultivation. Even if you listen to the teachings of an enlightened master, you won’t gain much,” Jiang Moqing said, offering a reminder.
Hearing this, Qin Wanyuan sneered inwardly.
If you hadn’t been holding onto Lin Lang’s hand the whole time, would I have needed to stall before coming back?
This morning, after escorting Qin Qian’er to her lessons, Qin Wanyuan had suddenly received system notifications indicating her point tally was steadily increasing. When she opened her panel, all she saw were notifications reading “Hand-holding +10 points”.
She didn’t even need to guess. It was obvious that Senior Sister Jiang was taking advantage of Lin Que under the pretense of treatment. Jealousy bubbled up in her heart, but she grit her teeth and held out until the task was marked complete before rushing back to Drunken Jade Peak.
Who would’ve thought Jiang Moqing still hadn’t let go of Lin Que’s hand? She just kept holding on endlessly, making Qin Wanyuan feel like she couldn’t even return home, while glowing “+10” signs kept appearing over her head.
So she ended up flying in circles on her sword over Drunken Jade Peak, waiting until the “+10” notifications finally stopped and the system ceased alerting her. Only then did she dare land and come back.
To be honest, it was a relief that it only ever showed “+10”. If it had changed to “+20” or “+100”, Qin Wanyuan might’ve really cried on the spot.
After all, those point values represented “kissing” and “intercourse”, respectively!
Fortunately, nothing like that had happened. Because if it had, Qin Wanyuan truly wouldn’t have known what to do. After all, according to the system’s description, if Lin Que and Jiang Moqing completed intercourse willingly and while sober, the capture (route) would be considered complete.
But just recalling the scene from her dream of Jiang Moqing straddling the young Lin Que made Qin Wanyuan break into a cold sweat.
Still, once the capture was complete, it would be time for her and Jiang Moqing to have their final showdown. Even if she had to stake her life on it, even while bearing the titles of Lin Que’s current partner and a fated rival, she absolutely could not lose.
Fortunately, it wasn’t all bad news. At the very least, she had earned 300 system points just that morning. She was one step closer to her goal!
As for the showdown with Jiang Moqing… that was a matter for the future.
Right now, the most important thing… was eating.
Today, Lin Que had prepared a full table of proper dishes, all made from rare and precious ingredients. Just the aroma wafting from them was enough to make one’s mouth water.
When it came to food, Lin Que had never been stingy. Especially not today, since Jiang Moqing had spent considerable mental effort helping him guide his spiritual essence. Naturally, she needed nourishment.
During the meal—
As she ate the delicious dishes laid out on the table, Jiang Moqing maintained her usual cold, expressionless demeanor. But in her heart, she was filled with emotion.
How long had it been since she last tasted food he had personally cooked?
And how long had it been since she sat this close to him, face to face like this?
What once had been a part of daily life, so easily within reach, had now become a distant, unattainable luxury.
In the next moment, a single tear slipped silently from the corner of her eye.
And that was only the beginning….pearl-sized tears began falling one after another, like broken beads rolling off a string, pattering softly onto the table.
“Senior Sister, what’s wrong?”
Lin Que and Qin Wanyuan asked at the same time, their voices filled with concern.
Jiang Moqing shook her head wordlessly. After a long pause, she finally murmured,
“It’s strange… what’s… happening to me?”
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