77: Special hobbies

Lu Yang walked out of the Bamboo Pavilion, his gaze falling upon Xia Yuxuan by the spiritual field, and he called out, "Junior Sister Xia, come in."

Upon hearing this, Xia Yuxuan's heart tightened slightly, and she stepped toward the Bamboo Pavilion.

Stepping into this familiar Bamboo Pavilion once more, the air seemed to still hold the lingering, disorienting scent from their last Dual Cultivation, along with the complex feelings that remained after the fact.

A trace of imperceptible panic quietly crept into her heart, and she subconsciously tightened her grip on her sleeves.

"Junior Sister Xia," Lu Yang's voice pulled her back from her chaotic thoughts, "How is your cultivation progress currently?"

Xia Yuxuan lowered her eyes and answered honestly, "Reporting to Senior Brother, it is still the Qi Refining Ninth Layer; I have yet to... yet to touch upon the opportunity for a Breakthrough." Her tone carried a hint of undisguisable frustration.

Hearing this, Lu Yang's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. He felt a bit puzzled in his heart.

It stood to reason that Xia Yuxuan had a single Water Spirit Root, her mother was the Master of Shuiyue Peak and the Grand Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall, and she possessed the Profound Yin Body; her talent was exceptional.

As her daughter, her cultivation should have been advancing by leaps and bounds, so why was her progress slower than that girl, Mu Wanqing?

Lu Yang remained calm and said in a peaceful tone, "Hmm, I understand. Later, I will carefully examine your physical condition to see if there are any blockages."

As he spoke, he walked toward the center of the Quiet Chamber, "Now, I will first refine a water spirit pill for your cultivation."

As his voice fell, he flicked his sleeves, and a golden Pill Furnace landed steadily on the ground. Spiritual light flickered from his fingertips, and flames immediately rose beneath the Pill Furnace.

With skillful movements, he began to add various Spiritual Plant Materials that shimmered with a water-blue halo, his expression focused.

Xia Yuxuan stood in place, feeling somewhat at a loss. Watching Lu Yang's busy figure in front of the Pill Furnace, the furnace fire reflecting on his focused profile, a clear medicinal fragrance gradually permeated the air.

A strange feeling, one she had never anticipated, quietly sprouted in the depths of her heart. She suddenly discovered that she was actually, vaguely... looking forward to what was about to happen?

This feeling surprised even herself. Once upon a time, she had only felt instinctive resistance and disgust toward Lu Yang's aged body.

But at this moment, watching his focused demeanor as he refined pills for her, and feeling the steady atmosphere in this Bamboo Pavilion brought about by him, an unprecedented warmth, bordering on reliance, quietly replaced her past resistance.

She even felt that this silent concern was more tangible and warmer than that of her high-and-mighty, neglectful mother. This subtle change in her state of mind silently touched a chord deep within her heart.

【Xia Yuxuan's Good and Evil Value + 20】

Half an hour later, the humming of the Pill Furnace gradually ceased, the fire subsided, leaving only a faint medicinal fragrance lingering.

Lu Yang lifted the lid of the furnace, took out a Medicinal Pill that was entirely ice-blue and radiated a rich aura of water spirit, and handed it to Xia Yuxuan, who was waiting quietly on the side. "Consume it." Lu Yang's tone was calm.

Xia Yuxuan did not hesitate in the slightest, took the Medicinal Pill, and swallowed it after tilting her head back. She paid no heed to the fact that the temperature of the Medicinal Pill had not yet dropped.

Lu Yang possessed a Fire Spirit Root, and having just finished refining the pill, he still had Fire Spiritual Power on his hands, so he naturally did not fear this temperature. However, Xia Yuxuan possessed neither a Fire Spirit Root, nor did she use her Spiritual Power to wrap the Medicinal Pill before consuming it. Consequently, Xia Yuxuan frowned from the heat.

"Hmm, try to refine it first." Xia Yuxuan immediately sat cross-legged and circulated her Cultivation Technique to refine the medicinal power.

Lu Yang observed from the side. He suddenly felt that Xia Yuxuan had become unusually... obedient. It was as if she had shed an invisible suit of armor, leaving only a near-instinctive sense of submission.

He asked her to wait before refining the pill, and she waited quietly; he asked her to consume the pill and refine it, and she did so immediately. A thought arose in Lu Yang's heart. He decided to test it once more.

"Junior Sister Xia," his voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached Xia Yuxuan's ears. Although Xia Yuxuan did not open her eyes, her head naturally tilted slightly, her delicate ear turning toward Lu Yang's direction, revealing a posture of focused listening.

Lu Yang's gaze fell upon her scattered dark hair, and he continued, "Tie up your hair."

Xia Yuxuan's movements were without the slightest hesitation. She did not even open her eyes; she simply raised her hand, skillfully untied the ribbon binding her hair, neatly gathered her dark hair, and re-tied it with the ribbon. The movement was fluid and natural, as if she were merely completing an ordinary instruction.

A flash of realization crossed Lu Yang's eyes. He stood up and spoke again, "Stop your cultivation, come here, and help me light up the Magic Treasure."

The Spiritual Power flowing around Xia Yuxuan ceased immediately. She opened her eyes, her gaze calm and unruffled, and she stood up obediently, walking softly to stand before Lu Yang.

Then, without any hesitation, she slowly bent her knees, lowered herself in a peaceful manner, and crouched meekly at Lu Yang's feet. Her beautiful head was slightly lowered, her eyelids half-closed, as docile as if she had found a place to belong.

There was not a shred of resistance, not even a flicker in her eyes, only a state of complete acceptance. 【Xia Yuxuan's Good and Evil Value + 10】

Hmm? The Good and Evil Value increased again? The System's cold prompt rang out in Lu Yang's Sea of Consciousness, but it caused even greater waves in his heart.

He looked at Xia Yuxuan, who was docile to the point of abnormality, and confusion replaced his previous realization. This could by no means be explained by simple submission or a transactional mindset.

Her lack of resistance, and even the faint, underlying sense of... satisfaction in her obedience, caused Lu Yang to involuntarily develop a somewhat absurd thought: Could this woman... perhaps have some peculiar predilections?

An hour later. Inside the Bamboo Pavilion, the lingering resonance of Spiritual Power gradually dispersed, and the Dual Cultivation ended.

Xia Yuxuan slowly opened her eyes, yet an inexplicable sense of loss welled up in her heart. The process of Dual Cultivation with Lu Yang could still bring about improvements in her cultivation, but she always felt... as if something were missing.

In her mind, the scene of Lu Yang commanding her earlier flashed involuntarily; that strange thrill brought about by being dominated and commanded, at this moment, she was even vaguely reminiscing about it, and even... a faint, absurd expectation flickered deep within her heart.

If only Lu Yang could be more forceful, like when he punished her with a whip back then... Thinking of this, Xia Yuxuan abruptly severed this dangerous thought, and an unnatural blush rose on her face.

However, this sense of loss was quickly replaced by another, stronger shock. When she calmed her mind and looked inward, clearly feeling the extent to which the medicinal power of the water spirit pill was surging through her Meridians and being refined and absorbed, she was completely stunned!

In the past, when she consumed the water spirit pill herself, limited by her Cultivation Technique and refining efficiency, she could only absorb thirty to forty percent of the medicinal power, with the majority being wasted in vain.

But this time, with the assistance of the Dual Cultivation guided by Lu Yang's Dual Cultivation Secret Method, the medicinal power was efficiently refined, and the absorption rate surged to a staggering seventy percent or so!

The surging Spiritual Power hardly needed deliberate guidance before it merged into her Water Spirit Root Origin on its own, and the stabilization and growth of her cultivation were clearly perceptible. This discovery caused her heart to tremble violently!

Merely a third-rank elixir with flaws, when combined with Lu Yang's secret method, could achieve such terrifying results. She could hardly imagine that if what Mu Wanqing consumed was a flawless third-rank elixir refined by Lu Yang himself, and she also received his full assistance in Dual Cultivation, how Heaven-Defying that cultivation speed would be?!

This was likely the true reason why Mu Wanqing could catch up from behind and be the first to achieve a Foundation Establishment Breakthrough!

At the same time, a deeper question that had once extremely puzzled her also suddenly became clear. She finally understood why the dignified and respected Martial Aunt Chi Rong would choose to lower herself to be with Lu Yang, this aged Cultivator.

It turned out that the Dual Cultivation Secret Method mastered by Lu Yang, along with his unfathomable Alchemy attainments, were simply a ladder to the heavens that could allow one to be reborn and change one's fate! This was not lowering herself at all; it was an absolutely wise choice.