344: Detoxification

She had once seen records in ancient texts passed down through her Family, stating that this poison was formed by a mutation of pure yang spiritual power. It was extremely yin and wicked, overwhelmingly potent. Even a Cultivator with profound Cultivation could not forcefully expel it using spiritual power. Only the method of harmonizing Yin and Yang could resolve it.

If delayed, the poisoned person would, at best, have their Cultivation completely crippled, becoming a useless person; at worst, their Meridians would shatter inch by inch, and their body would explode and perish.

And the detoxification method, written in black and white in the ancient text, made her cheeks instantly burn, and even her earlobes flushed red—it actually required Dual Cultivation with a woman, borrowing gentle yin power to neutralize the poison, and then guiding it with spiritual power to completely eradicate the poison's source.

This thought made Madame Xiangyu's heart race wildly, her fingertips unconsciously clutching her skirt, the brocade fabric crumpling into deep wrinkles.

As a married woman, she had upheld wifely virtues for ten years. Although her relationship with Steward Wang was in name only, she had never committed any transgressive acts.

But now, she had to perform such an act for a strange man. Once word got out, it would mean utter disgrace. Being divorced by her husband's Family would be the least of it; she feared she would be expelled from Qingshan Town, even drawing reprimands and punishments from her Family.

But if she did not save him, this man before her would not last half an hour.

By then, the poison's power would completely spiral out of control. The eruption of such a potent, sinister force would reduce the entire Wang residence to dust, and she would be the culprit.

Just as she hesitated, her heart in a fierce internal struggle, Situ Jun suddenly regained consciousness.

He abruptly grabbed her wrist, his eyes crimson like blood, filled with intense pleading yet also harboring barely suppressed agony. His voice was hoarse like a broken gong, yet carried an undeniable urgency:

"I beg you... help me... afterwards... I will surely repay you heavily..."

The poison's power had already eroded most of his reason. At this moment, only the most primitive instinct for survival remained, along with the scorching heat within him that threatened to devour him.

His palm was scalding hot, the temperature passing through her sleeve, making Madame Xiangyu shudder all over.

Looking at the interwoven pain and desire in his eyes, seeing how he, though clearly out of control, instinctively restrained his strength slightly when his fingertips touched her skin—this contradictory demeanor gradually replaced the struggle in her heart with resolve.

These ten years of loneliness and repression, this caged life, had long since made her weary.

Perhaps, this was the opportunity fate gave her, a chance to break the status quo.

"Come with me."

Gritting her teeth, she helped Situ Jun up, half-dragging, half-supporting him toward the inner wall of the side room.

Gathering spiritual power at her fingertip, she lightly tapped the wall. A hidden door slowly opened, revealing a secret chamber inside.

This was a Cultivation place she had specially requested a Cultivator to build when she married into the Wang Family.

Several Night-Luminescent Pearls were embedded in the Formation on the stone wall. Their soft light dispelled the darkness and could also block external spiritual power detection. It was the only private space in this mansion that truly belonged to her.

Gently placing Situ Jun on the stone bed in the center of the secret chamber, Madame Xiangyu turned to retrieve a Detoxification Pill from her Storage Pouch.

Although she knew the Medicinal Pill could not cure the lust poison, it could temporarily suppress the poison's power, buying them a little more buffer time.

But she had only taken two steps when her wrist was suddenly seized, a great force pulling her into his embrace.

A scalding embrace instantly enveloped her. The strong masculine scent mixed with the peculiar, cloyingly sweet smell of the poison's power rushed toward her.

Madame Xiangyu's whole body stiffened, her breathing even becoming rapid. The softness of her chest pressed against his firm chest, feeling his violently beating heart. The blush on her face grew more intense, even her neck tinged with crimson.

"Don't... don't go..."

Situ Jun's voice was slurred, his scorching breath spraying against her neck, stirring up a wave of fine tremors:

"Only... only Dual Cultivation... can detoxify..."

His hand unconsciously stroked her back, the movement carrying a sense of urgency and roughness. Yet when his fingertips brushed the skin beneath her Silk Dress, his remaining reason made him deliberately lighten his touch, appearing extremely contradictory.

Madame Xiangyu closed her eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly like butterflies about to take flight.

She could feel the violent heartbeat of the person in her arms, feel his burning body temperature passing through their clothes, feel the frantic, restless spiritual power within him.

A soft sigh escaped her heart; she had finally made her decision.

She raised her hand, slowly undoing the ties of her Silk Dress. The embroidered garment slipped away like flowing water, revealing skin as white and smooth as jade.

Her skin glowed with a faint halo under the Night-Luminescent Pearls' light, like fine mutton-fat jade, so delicate it seemed one could squeeze water from it. Her waist was slender, a mere handful. The curves of her chest were outlined under the soft light, forming an enticing arc.

"I will save you, but you must promise me two things."

Madame Xiangyu's voice carried a barely perceptible tremor, yet it was exceptionally firm. Her gaze fell on Situ Jun's crimson eyes:

"Afterwards, you must not reveal what happened today, and you must not entangle with me again in the future."

Situ Jun, at this moment, could hardly process complex words. Relying on instinct, he nodded, and his scalding lips covered her neck.

His kisses carried the searing heat of the poison's power and a hint of uncontrolled urgency. He gently nibbled her delicate skin, leaving faint red marks of varying depths.

Madame Xiangyu's whole body tensed, forcibly suppressing the shame, unease, and that unfamiliar flutter in her heart.

She circulated the only Qi Refining first-layer yin-soft spiritual power within her body, slowly infusing it into Situ Jun's body like a trickling stream.

At the moment the two powers first merged, Situ Jun felt a coolness like sweet rain pouring into his burning Meridians. He couldn't help but groan, but his movements grew even more urgent.

Although Madame Xiangyu's yin-soft spiritual power was meager, it happened to neutralize the lust poison within him. Like ice water dousing flames, it gradually calmed the frenzied Dragon-Phoenix Spiritual Power, no longer wildly tearing at his Meridians as before.

Within the secret chamber, the atmosphere gradually grew ambiguous and scorching.

On the stone bed, their figures intertwined. Situ Jun's Black Robe and Madame Xiangyu's embroidered Silk Dress lay scattered on the floor. The Night-Luminescent Pearls' light cast their silhouettes onto the stone wall, outlining entwined contours that swayed gently with their breathing.

Madame Xiangyu kept her eyes tightly shut, her eyelashes adorned with fine droplets of moisture, like morning dew.

She could clearly feel the vast yet no longer turbulent spiritual power within Situ Jun flowing through his Meridians, intertwining and merging with her own yin-soft spiritual power. It was like a great river accepting a stream, like the harmonious resonance of a qin and se.

His Cultivation was far above hers. That Soul Transformation Stage spiritual power was like a vast river and sea, while her spiritual power was merely a trickling stream. Yet, at this moment, it played a crucial harmonizing role.

Unfamiliar sensations, the thrill of spiritual power merging, the shame and unease in her heart, the confusion about the future—all these emotions intertwined, making her whole body tremble slightly.

She both longed to break free from this caged life and feared that this single transgression would bring catastrophic disaster; she felt a trace of gratitude toward this strange man before her, yet was also flustered by such intimate contact.

Her lips were tightly pressed, suppressing the soft moans in her throat. The blush on her cheeks lingered, her delicate, charming face appearing even more captivating in the soft light.

As the Dual Cultivation deepened, the crimson in Situ Jun's eyes gradually faded, and his dazed gaze regained some clarity.