Chapter 13: Accident

"Have you ever kissed anyone?"

Junior Brother Bai Ming lowered his head. "Not before."

A glimmer of light appeared deep in Song Wanqing's eyes, and her lips curled into a beautiful arc. "I thought as much. Let's stop here for today."

The heavy iron door was shut, and the young man in the cell lowered his eyes, collapsing weakly to the floor.

Junior Brother Bai Ming's mind couldn't help but recall what had just happened.

It was like a dragonfly skimming the water, or a fish leaping above the surface.

Junior Brother Bai Ming's expression was complex as he fiercely pounded his chest, attempting to shake off this stifling feeling.

He felt ashamed of his reaction just now; in that moment, his heart had eased, and he had actually felt happy.

To feel joy towards someone who had tormented him for so long.

"What on earth is this?" Junior Brother Bai Ming lay on the floor, staring at the pitch-black ceiling.

Junior Brother Bai Ming's thoughts were in chaos—or rather, how could he not be in chaos in such a situation?

He couldn't understand any of Song Wanqing's actions, and her motives were completely unclear to him.

The figure of the woman in green kept appearing in the young man's mind.

After lying there for a long time, the discomfort caused by the strange sensation in his mind disappeared.

Junior Brother Bai Ming stood up and clenched his right fist.

Forget her; what's the use of caring about these things?

All he needed to do now was escape, to flee this place. For that, he would just follow her instructions; the rest had nothing to do with him.

What Song Wanqing wanted to do had nothing to do with him.

"Really, I still need to seize the time to cultivate as soon as possible."

Junior Brother Bai Ming gave up trying to understand the logic behind Song Wanqing's behavior and focused his mind on cultivation.

Wisps of pure spiritual energy entered his body, transforming into nourishment to help improve his cultivation.

A long time later, the night outside was dark, still holding the faint remnants of dusk. A young girl in a white dress, carrying a medicinal bucket for treatment, stepped lightly into a hidden secret chamber.

Xiaoxue smiled. "Young Master, how did it go? You didn't disobey the Young Miss today, did you?"

Junior Brother Bai Ming stopped his cultivation and slowly opened his eyes. His expression became complex when he thought about what happened today.

"Of course not." Junior Brother Bai Ming's eyes flashed with a sharp light. "Xiaoxue, quickly tell me about the surrounding environment."

Xiaoxue nodded her petite head slightly. "Very well, Young Master."

A crudely drawn map was brought out, marked with many symbols. Although rough, one could still see the care put into it by the creator.

Xiaoxue pointed with her small finger at a spot on the map. "This is the main gate of the Song family. It is heavily guarded, and it is almost impossible to escape from here."

Her nimble, small hand moved to another part of the map. "This is the back gate of the Song family. The security is relatively relaxed, but you will be questioned when leaving."

Junior Brother Bai Ming frowned as he looked at the markings on the map.

The Song family estate could be described as a walled city, with two layers of barriers inside and out. The only places to exit were the main gate and the back gate.

The rest was covered by barriers, with no possibility of escape. However, both exits were heavily guarded, and on his own, he would be delayed sooner or later.

Xiaoxue said gently, "Young Master, do not worry. We will leave from the back gate. Xiaoxue will cover for you when the time comes. I am quite familiar with the guards at the back gate, so it should not be a problem."

Junior Brother Bai Ming shook his head. "How can you cover for me? If the guards see a new face like me, they will definitely question me."

Xiaoxue pursed her lips. "How about this? Sometimes when I go out the back gate to purchase supplies, I carry a large box. How about you hide inside?"

Junior Brother Bai Ming covered his mouth with his right hand. "Won't it be discovered?"

"It won't. I've taken it out many times, and they don't even check anymore. It's just for buying some mortal goods, so there's nothing to check anyway."

Junior Brother Bai Ming thought for a moment. "Let's do that. When the time comes, I will use my own cultivation to conceal myself; it should be fine."

Xiaoxue's small mouth opened slightly. "Young Master knows such techniques?"

"A little."

Ever since Junior Brother Bai Ming began cultivating the Bingyan Art, he had been able to sense the uniqueness of this technique, even though he had never cultivated any other.

Without a specific point of reference, this technique still possessed many unique insights and ingenious ideas in terms of comprehensiveness, cultivation, and spellcasting.

Especially the Heart Fire; once mastered, it could serve as an unexpected trump card.

"That makes things easier." Xiaoxue pondered. "What is your current cultivation level, Young Master?"

"If nothing goes wrong, I will reach the Third Level of Qi Refining in three days."

Xiaoxue covered her mouth with her small hand. "So fast? Doesn't that mean you broke through to the Second Level of Qi Refining in just these few short days?"

Junior Brother Bai Ming was a bit puzzled. "How long does it take for a normal Cultivator to reach the Second Level of Qi Refining?"

Xiaoxue counted on her petite fingers. "Counting from the moment of drawing Qi into the body, it takes at least three to four months. Those with poor aptitude might even take six or seven months."

Junior Brother Bai Ming leaned forward slightly. "And what about reaching the Qi Refining Peak?"

"Four or five years. If one gets stuck at a small bottleneck, it takes even longer. Every three levels is equivalent to a step, and breaking through takes more time."

Junior Brother Bai Ming's eyes widened slightly; he hadn't expected this.

So that's the normal progress of cultivation. According to my estimates, I should be able to reach the Qi Refining Peak in one month.

And that's even after subtracting the time spent getting beaten during the day.

Junior Brother Bai Ming touched his lower abdomen, feeling the spiritual root within his body.

It seems my spiritual root aptitude is truly terrifying; my previous predictions were too conservative. Combined with its special, wonderful uses, I might just be able to carve out a path for myself in the outside world.

Thinking of this, Junior Brother Bai Ming gained some confidence, and his whole body was filled with fighting spirit.

And this Bingyan Art is also a top-tier technique.

That woman is so confident in her own strength.

Junior Brother Bai Ming recalled the details of his time with Song Wanqing. When his spiritual power hadn't been sealed, he could still release his spiritual sense.

He had had a few skirmishes with Song Wanqing back then. Now that he thought about it, Song Wanqing had possessed unfathomably deep spiritual power fluctuations at that time.

And that was likely only the effect without her intentionally releasing it.

What exactly is that woman's cultivation level?

It seems that even if I reach the Qi Refining Peak, it is better to avoid fighting as much as possible.

The cultivation time is still too short; it is impossible to compete with a young miss from an immortal family with such deep foundations like Song Wanqing.

Furthermore, this technique only has the Qi Refining portion, which clearly feels unfinished, and there is no record of the Foundation Establishment method; the latter part seems to have been deliberately erased.

"Two months."

Junior Brother Bai Ming's gaze sharpened. "I should be able to break through to the Qi Refining Peak in about two months."

Xiaoxue's expression shifted slightly. "When that time comes, Xiaoxue will look out for the best opportunity for you, Young Master."

"Sorry to trouble you, Xiaoxue."

Xiaoxue finished packing up the medicinal bucket. "Please forgive me, Young Master, I cannot stay long, or the Young Miss will become suspicious."

Xiaoxue closed the iron door and left the secret chamber, murmuring to herself, "Two months, huh?"

At this moment, the somewhat gloomy cell was left with only the young man once again.

Junior Brother Bai Ming immediately began to cultivate; at this moment, nothing could stop the thought of leaving from forming in his mind.

Let's just treat this morning's little episode as an accident.

Junior Brother Bai Ming relaxed his mind, trying his best not to think about that unexpected action from the morning, and focused his mind on cultivation.

"Today, I will first begin to learn this Heart Fire technique."

The spiritual root in his lower abdomen began to heat up, and as he inhaled and exhaled spiritual energy, a few tiny wisps of flame began to appear.

His internal organs began to warm up, and his limbs were also filled with warmth.