Rustling sounds echoed softly in the room.
Li Yin didn’t leave. Instead, she knelt face-to-face before the beauty.
He seemed just like he was asleep. Li Yin brushed aside the hair at the side of his face and tapped his earring with her fingertip, but he showed no reaction.
“Ci Yuan.” She deliberately called out softly, yet he remained seated with his eyes closed, offering no response.
Another bout of rustling sounds followed as she brushed away the invisible, secretive incense. The two shadows projected on the curtain drew closer to one another.
The shadows merged together. She leaned in too close, her eyelashes fluttering like the alert yet lively tail feathers of a bird as she continuously examined his serene and tranquil features.
She wore her most common innocent expression, her black-and-white eyes lifting slightly to gaze at him, both the black and white hues soaked in moisture. The dim light in the room melted into sparkling brilliance in her eyes.
“Ci Yuan?” She counted his eyelashes one by one, parting her lips to call his name in what sounded like an intimate whisper.
Her breath brushed against his face, but the beauty remained utterly still. She stared at him for a moment longer before her eyes suddenly curved, and she let out a soft chuckle.
She tilted her head up slightly, her lips easily brushing against the side of his face for a kiss.
His cool body temperature imprinted on her lips, while her own warm heat transferred to him.
Only a single shadow remained on the curtain.
Kissing just his cheek clearly wasn’t enough to satisfy her. The warm, soft touch shifted slightly, landing on the corner of his mouth. It was cold too, which struck her as novel.
She pecked two kisses there. With no reaction, her boldness grew, and she began to explore his body.
Her gaze fell on his lips. The beauty’s lips weren’t deeply colored—just a thin layer of red, cool and pure without being pale. She let loose now, pressing her lips directly against his.
It started with a gentle touch, then she pressed harder. There was no response, nor any resistance. He allowed her to take as she pleased. This silent indulgence made her even bolder, and the tip of her tongue quietly pried open the seam of his lips.
Warm, wet heat soaked into his pale red lips. She tasted the flavor between his teeth, which surprisingly carried a faint fragrance—not sweet, but slightly bitter, like sipping tea or medicine.
She was especially curious about his poisonous bodily fluids. She extended the tip of her tongue to lick, but detected no poison, let alone dying from it.
After licking back and forth, she pressed against the beauty’s lips for another kiss, ravaging them thoroughly. His pried-open lips parted slightly, the originally pale red now ground into a deeper crimson, glistening with traces of moisture.
The dim light around them dissolved into the wet sheen on his lips, adorning the silent beauty like a statue—eyes closed, head bowed, his ink-black hair cascading down, accentuating his pale skin. His posture exuded wordless coldness and solitude. Even without his sharp thorns, he was not someone to be profaned.
Yet Li Yin laid her hands on him anyway. After kissing her fill, she kindly closed his lips for him.
Her gaze drifted downward, scrutinizing his clothes and the body beneath.
He wore two layers: a black inner lining and a deep purple outer robe, which made his skin appear even paler. The inner lining had no sash, just a drawstring at the waist to cinch it tight. The outer robe had straight lapels and was loose, revealing the cinched waist beneath.
The silk fabric was smooth. She examined it carefully several times, figuring out how his clothes were worn, before reaching out to touch.
The intersecting collar of the inner lining exposed a bit of his chest. She didn’t go wild, merely pressing her fingers there to feel, compressing that bit of muscle and outline. Even his heart area felt slightly cool.
Her hands grew restless, soon sliding downward to the drawstring at his waist.
Should she untie it…?
She glanced at the drawstring, then up at his face, then reached out to stroke his chest again, hesitating as her hands roamed up and down.
As if startled by her actions, the serenely seated beauty suddenly lost his balance, slowly toppling backward.
Li Yin jumped in fright and pulled at him in time, not too hard—just enough to cushion. He ended up on the ground, looking for all the world like she’d pushed him over.
She watched his face warily, but saw no signs of him waking.
Even if he did wake, she actually had nothing to fear.
He was the one who’d lied first about their loving marriage as past-life partners. What she was doing now was merely getting intimate with her supposedly affectionate former dao companion from a previous life. Who asked him to have such an outstanding appearance?
Cultivators in the Cultivation World were worldly and experienced. If she were truly a local Golden Core Realm cultivator from the Cultivation World, she’d definitely seize this pie falling from the heavens.
What a steal!
Her daytime wariness toward him stemmed from worry that he was lying to deceive her. But sneaking touches at night? That was his fault for having such an impressive background and looks, tempting this little cultivator to take the risk…
She had excuses aplenty—plenty to justify it. Worst case, she had props and the Little Roaming Immortal Gu for escape. Li Yin wasn’t panicking. She waited quietly for a moment, but the beauty lying on the ground remained still, his brows and eyes serene.
The game continued.
The clothing’s knot wasn’t tied securely. With a gentle tug, the inner lining fell open. She parted the fabric covering his body on both sides, revealing the view that belonged to her.
It hadn’t changed much from the physique she’d seen in her save files. The only difference was that this body before her bore no scars—its well-proportioned muscles undulated flawlessly.
Its owner must have meticulously removed scars and maintained it. It was far more exquisite than what she’d glimpsed in the save files, like a perfectly preserved jade body or porcelain, without a single bump or flaw.
After unfastening his clothes, she admired it for a few moments before tentatively pressing her hand to the dip at his waist. If she were to place a Supplementation Seal, she’d put it right here.
But she couldn’t leave one now.
Demonic cultivators were stirring outside the valley, and the demon heads were hunting her. They’d surely fixate on Myriad Beasts Sect and never imagine she’d already been snatched away first—to Medical Poison Valley, millions of miles distant.
She could supplement him when she left. For now, she’d test the waters, make up for a little regret. If things truly went south, she could always bail then…
Mulling over her plans, Li Yin couldn’t help but caress the spot twice, subconsciously glancing at his brows and eyes.
Still no movement. Li Yin fully relaxed.
Rustling fabric sounds filled the air as she toyed with him up and down, as if trying to understand what made this poisonous body different from a normal one.
At a glance, aside from his pale skin, certain areas were unusually dark. As she played with and studied them, the colors deepened further under her hands.
Subtle changes gradually emerged under her touch. After a few prods and pokes, she didn’t dare go further.
She wasn’t a medical cultivator or from Medical Poison Valley. She had no idea if this fleshly body from Gu Transformation Cultivation could react.
She wasn’t worried about producing some toxic fluid, but he was a poison cultivator, so he likely knew medicine too. In other words, he’d be extremely sensitive to changes in his body. As a Mahayana cultivator, he’d probably notice even the slightest loss of essence or qi.
She stopped there for the time being.
Considering his toxicity, she’d been meticulous. She first cast a spell to purify her hands, cleaning away the evidence, before carefully redressing him, helping him sit up straight again in his original meditative posture.
She meticulously straightened his collar and hair, treating him like an exquisitely beautiful porcelain doll. It was as if those dirty deeds from moments ago had nothing to do with her—as if she hadn’t profaned this statue of beauty at all.
The only pity was that she couldn’t see those eerie, glamorous purple eyes of his.
After a moment, with every detail tidied, Li Yin noticed that the change down there hadn’t subsided. Even through the loose clothing, the outline was faintly visible.
After some thought, she invoked a skill from Pill Cauldron Sect, pressing an acupoint at the small of the beauty’s back.
Pressing here should…
She pondered, staring at his brows and eyes, carefully trying it a few times in succession. When she checked again, the change had finally receded.
Problem solved, the girl breathed a sigh of relief.
Having played her fill, she was barely satisfied. She turned to leave, then paused, leaning down for one last kiss on the corner of the beauty’s mouth before retreating on light feet.
…
The room fell into utter silence. After a long while, the seated figure suddenly stirred.
His eyes snapped open, those gorgeous purple eyes overwhelming his stunning features. The cold, serene expression on his face abruptly shifted to one of displeasure.
Ci Yuan lowered his gaze to inspect himself. His clothes were still fairly neat—she’d been thorough in restoring him, leaving not a single suspicious trace.
Gazing at the freshly retied hem, darkness flickered indeterminately in his eyes. It seemed he’d been groped and fondled, putting him in especially foul spirits…
Or perhaps it was those acupoint presses of hers that soured his mood.
With a soft hum, some thought crossed his mind, and his expression clearly improved. His fingertip brushed his lips and the corner of his mouth.
She was just like before…
She liked his face.
If there were traces, they were in his mouth—the taste of someone else, a faint wetness. How could he possibly not sense it?
Fool.
If you’re going to do it, do it all the way. Half-assing it like this, leaving half undone—did she think there’d be a next time?
As if a Mahayana cultivator would obediently lie there playing dead for her.
He readjusted his collar, then coldly wiped the corner of his mouth, like a dish that had only been sampled. Who knew what exactly he was dissatisfied with.
Was it being tasted, or not being devoured clean?
Suddenly, Ci Yuan’s expression shifted again—and improved once more.
The man’s hand fell to his waist, his gaze sinking as he looked over the other areas she’d caressed multiple times. He remembered exactly where.
She must be satisfied with his body.
Hmph.
Lustful little fiend.
–
Dawn broke, and the night had passed peacefully.
Li Yin pretended to have cultivated steadily through the night, doing nothing at all—except for the Purification Gu dangling conspicuously around her neck.
Seeing no man come demanding an explanation, she settled her heart and paced casually around her quarters as if nothing had happened.
Neither Valley Master Ci Yuan nor Doctor Wen appeared. With time on her hands, Li Yin took stock of her possessions. Her cat and mouse were deep in slumber, leaving only the Seven Star Sword Flower to chat with her.
Seven Star didn’t talk much. When she brought up its blooming, it said it would nurture a new strand of high-grade sword qi in a few more days.
Sword qi was a good thing. Li Yin praised it several times, and the plant shook its leaves happily and proudly.
Once the conversation ended and quiet returned, she lasted only a short while before she couldn’t hold back anymore. She got up to “visit” Valley Master Ci Yuan.
She didn’t believe her methods had been so meticulous and brilliant that a lofty Mahayana cultivator hadn’t noticed a thing.
Yet he hadn’t come looking for her—not even to probe. It left her overthinking.
In the save files, more than just him had dropped to 0 favorability. Figuring out Valley Master Ci Yuan’s thoughts might help her understand the other capture targets’ mindsets too.
What she could confirm now was that even if favorability hit 0 in the save files, her former capture targets weren’t truly indifferent to her.
Otherwise, Valley Master Ci Yuan would’ve poisoned or gu-ed her long ago. Why bring her back, deceive her about their good relationship in the previous life, and have a Mahayana cultivator personally cook for her? Stating that aloud would randomly scare some Cultivation World passerby to death.
The baffled player put on an act, wandering around Eternal Law Pavilion until she “unwittingly” passed by Valley Master Ci Yuan’s cultivation spot.
She knocked and called out politely, but no one answered. Li Yin cautiously pushed the door open for a peek— the room seemed empty.
The door suddenly swung wide. She openly scanned the room, but the man wasn’t there.
Before she could recall where else he might be, a chill suddenly approached from behind, silently pressing against her back.
Li Yin first heard a soft hum right by her ear. She whipped her head around. The man towered over her, his purple eyes looking down at her from above.
He’d approached her without a sound. Like a startled girl, she quickly stepped back half a pace. “Valley Master Ci Yuan.”
As she spoke, her eyes flicked, taking in his attire. It was no different from what he’d worn during the day before.
“What are you doing here? I told you, if you have business, go find Elder Wen.” Ci Yuan brushed past her, his expression normal as he ignited the room’s incense with a spell.
“I’m just curious about what happened in our previous life.” Li Yin looked innocent as she brought up the old matter again.
Fragrant smoke wafted up. The man moved naturally, turning to glance at the girl by the door. “…These next few days, I’ll be continuing my Gu Transformation Cultivation. It’ll take days and nights at least. I don’t have time for your trivial matters. If you’re that curious, wait until I’m done cultivating.”
Seeing her nod hesitantly and murmur “Okay,” seemingly cowed by his neither polite nor gentle tone, Ci Yuan added, “Close the door properly when you leave.”
His attitude brooked no argument. Li Yin shut the door for him. As the gap closed, the man by the curtain seemed to quirk his lips and mouth, “Thank you, wife.”
The door slammed shut.
The man’s stunning face vanished from view. Li Yin’s heart skipped a beat. She’d suddenly recalled a detail—this room had incense.
Although the scent was very faint, Li Yin had spent quite some time there last night and hadn’t paid attention to whether any of the fragrance had rubbed off on her.
She returned to her residence, lowered her head, and sniffed her collar. Sure enough, there was an extremely faint scent—barely perceptible.
But he had just lit the incense again. Made from spiritual materials, the fragrance lingered for a long time. She had no idea if this smell had just rubbed off on her or if it was from last night.
There was no point in dwelling on it. She raised her hand, cast a cleansing spell, and removed the scent from her body.
The real question was whether she should go to Valley Master Ci Yuan’s place tonight.
To go or not to go?
Just as the Player was making her choice, a golden rainbow streaked across the sky outside Medical Poison Valley.