Chapter 20

When the hot water finally made Pei Yuhan's body feel a bit warm, she finally let go of Lin Yi.

"Xiao Yi." Pei Yuhan looked at Lin Yi with gentle eyes, "I will help you…"

[Pei Yuhan: 90/100 (Lover) → 91/100 (Lover)]

"No matter what you plan to do… or how you do it… I will help you…"

[Pei Yuhan: 91/100 (Lover) → 93/100 (Lover)]

"Yuhan."

Pei Yuhan reached out and pressed her index finger against Lin Yi's lips.

Her other hand was soaked in the hot water; Lin Yi blinked, then bit down on Pei Yuhan's index finger.

Pei Yuhan no longer had the heart to care about such things. Her brows furrowed slightly before slowly relaxing, her expression becoming calm and gentle, no longer possessing her usual coldness and indifference.

Lin Yi hugged Pei Yuhan's waist, the Fairy's delicate fragrance filling his nostrils at this moment.

"Whether it is Lu Jiajing, Ji Chanxi, or even that Xia Qianzhen… I will help you, Xiao Yi…"

[Pei Yuhan: 93/100 (Lover) → 95/100 (Lover)]

"I know," Lin Yi replied in a somewhat muffled voice.

"No… you don't know." Pei Yuhan shook her head gently. She pressed her hand against Lin Yi's chest and frowned, shaking her head again. "You don't know…"

Pei Yuhan had never felt such pleasure as she did at this moment. It was a feeling of immense joy in both body and soul.

The Dao of the Sword?

The Sword Sect?

Let them go.

At this moment, in Pei Yuhan's heart and eyes, there was only the Lin Yi before her.

She looked up, watching in a daze as the ceiling above turned into a hazy blur amidst the mist, and then became damp due to the alternating heat and cold.

She suddenly turned her head to look down. Lin Yi gently held her arms, and the strength in his grip brought her back to reality.

A faint clicking sound rang out.

Pei Yuhan gently rested her head on Lin Yi's chest, feeling as though she were immersed in a warm glow.

"I have reached the Transcendent Realm," Pei Yuhan finally spoke after a long while.

Lin Yi lifted Pei Yuhan's beautiful head. "Congratulations."

"So… when are we going to go and snatch Lu Jiajing and the others back?" A trace of a smile appeared on Pei Yuhan's flushed face as she looked at Lin Yi and spoke in a low voice.

Lin Yi blinked, thinking he had misheard. How could his elegant Fairy Master say something so bandit-like?

"Or… should we snatch Ji Chanxi first? Xia Qianzhen might be a bit troublesome." Pei Yuhan seemed to have misinterpreted Lin Yi's expression.

"But… Xia Qianzhen… hmm…"

Chapter 35: Stuck at a Level

Half a month later, on a certain night, Lin Yi and the others were spending the night in the wilderness. The group had only stayed in that city for two days.

After teaching Li Tiaodeng Daoist scriptures and sword techniques, they continued their journey.

[Pei Yuhan: 95/100 (Lover) → 99/100 (Lover)]

Lin Yi scrolled through the System interface. He had thought Pei Yuhan's affection would hit 100 in one go, but it unexpectedly got stuck right at 99.

Hey, Xiao Ai, why is my wife's affection level stuck?

Although the Trash System lacked intelligence, it would occasionally answer some of Lin Yi's questions.

As for why he called it Xiao Ai… it was the pure love modulation system, after all. Otherwise, he could call it Xiao Zhi? Forget it, he'd just call it Silly Thing.

[…]

[Please host complete the mission "Heart of a Teacher, Dream of a Disciple (Conclusion)".]

The System's mechanical voice came through. Compared to before, the voice sounded much more pleasant this time.

Lin Yi nodded. So the mission was stuck. It was normal, just like in some games where you couldn't complete subsequent missions without reaching a certain level.

It was just reversed here.

Then why hasn't that "Sword Pavilion Tiaodeng" mission been completed yet?

Lin Yi glanced at the young girl who was diligently practicing her sword by the campfire, then reached out to squeeze Su Lingshu's jade-like hand.

He thought for a moment, then leaned over and rested in Su Lingshu's embrace, lying on her slender yet plump thighs. With his head toward Su Lingshu's lower abdomen, Lin Yi nuzzled her with his nose, and a rich fragrance from Su Lingshu's body filled his nostrils.

Su Lingshu's face turned slightly red, though it wasn't very noticeable in the glow of the fire. She glanced at Lin Yi in her lap; she was truly helpless against him.

After glancing at Pei Yuhan and the others, she felt a slight sense of relief. Previously, she hadn't cared much about their opinions, but after "reconciling" with Lin Yi half a month ago, she had started to care a little.

Wait!

Lin Yi!

You bastard!!

Lin Yi had now buried his head deep into Su Lingshu's abdomen. Perhaps because he had tasted a Fairy's wonder… he even let out a gentle puff of hot air!

Su Lingshu desperately wanted to grab Lin Yi and throw him out!

Her body was stiff, and it wasn't until she felt the hot air Lin Yi exhaled gradually dissipate that her body slowly softened.

814903798

Tsk… little thief!

Su Lingshu's brow furrowed slightly. She slowly took a breath of cold air, and the sudden heat that had risen in her body also gradually faded.

She felt like she was sick. Every time Lin Yi touched her, she felt her body start to lose control and become sensitive… even her five senses were much sharper than usual.

She suspected Lin Yi had cast some kind of spell on her, but she had no evidence.

Lin Yi didn't think that much; he simply felt that Su Lingshu's body fragrance smelled good.

Identifying a woman by her scent.

This thought flashed through his mind.

He continued to look at the System panel.

The "Sword Pavilion Tiaodeng" mission was still hanging there.

He had already taken Li Tiaodeng as his disciple and taught her the Dao of the Sword. Over the past half month, she had already entered the second Realm of the sword, yet there was still no sign of the mission being completed.

[…]

[The System does not know either.]

Lin Yi's face darkened when he saw this answer!

Didn't you issue the mission? How do you not know?

[…]

The System didn't respond again. Lin Yi asked several questions in a row, but it would only send a string of ellipses, as if the entire System had crashed.

It really is a useless System.

Lin Yi curled his lip and sat up from Su Lingshu's embrace. Su Lingshu breathed a sigh of relief. During the time Lin Yi was in her lap, her whole body had been tense, for fear that he would exhale another puff of hot air.

Exhaling air was one thing, but she was mainly afraid that he would discover her body's involuntary reactions… she was not very willing to show such an embarrassing side of herself in front of Lin Yi.

Even though she had already shown even more embarrassing sides of herself…

"Master, how many days are left until we reach Chengtian City?" Lin Yi asked Pei Yuhan, who was meditating with her eyes closed.

Pei Yuhan did not open her eyes. Her beautiful face carried a hint of coldness. "At our current speed, about three days."

Her voice, however, was extremely gentle.

Lin Yi nodded. "Tiaodeng."

Li Tiaodeng sheathed her sword and stood to the side. There were slight beads of sweat on her forehead, and her thin long robe was already damp with a layer of mist, making her appear even more otherworldly.

"I see you have already practiced this sword technique to perfection. From tomorrow onwards, you can set this technique aside for a bit. The Dao is the priority, while techniques are secondary."

Lin Yi hadn't personally taught this disciple much; it was always Yu Xiaotang demonstrating for Li Tiaodeng, who then integrated everything with her super talent as a Natural Sword Body.

By now, she was already vaguely on the verge of overtaking Yu Xiaotang's sword Realm.

Yu Xiaotang also felt a sense of crisis. She, who used to fish for three days and dry nets for two, had become more diligent.

He didn't know if it was the effect of the Great Sun Scripture, but Lin Yi found that every time Yu Xiaotang sought him out for some fun, she would always suddenly have an Epiphany during her cultivation…

Lin Yi felt a bit strange. The Cultivation Technique he practiced was beneficial to others… could he have been turned into a Cauldron by the Great Sun Scripture?

Could it be that Pei Yuhan's Breakthrough to the Transcendent Realm was also due to his Cultivation Technique?

Lin Yi was very suspicious of this.

"Yes, Master." Li Tiaodeng bowed her head. "Then tonight…"

"You can rest tonight. Diligence can make up for lack of talent, but moderation is best." The "lack of talent" Lin Yi referred to was Li Tiaodeng's older age, as it was already a bit late for her to start practicing the Dao.

When Yu Xiaotang was seven or eight years old, she had already been taught the Daoist scriptures of the Cold Palace Sword Sect. By the age of twelve, she had already begun drawing Qi into her body.

As for why there was such a long gap in between… Lin Yi had spoiled her. Normally, he was the one to supervise Yu Xiaotang. The original plan was two years of literacy and one year of Qi practice, so she could enter the Qi Refining Stage after the age of ten.

Yu Xiaotang was young, after all, and loved to play. At that time, Lin Yi had not yet awakened the memories of his past life. He figured he could suffer a bit himself, practice his sword techniques a few more times, and perform a few more spiritual energy cycles, so that when he became powerful in the future, he could carry the Cold Palace Sword Sect on his own.

Unfortunately, when it came to his Junior Sister, he couldn't bring himself to be harsh.

And so, until now, Yu Xiaotang was only at the tenth level of Qi Refining; her great talent had been completely wasted.

These days, in order to make up for Yu Xiaotang's lack of effort over the years, Lin Yi had sacrificed himself quite a bit.

With a carrot and a big stick—a double reward—Yu Xiaotang was now on the verge of entering the Foundation Establishment Stage.

"Yes, Master." Li Tiaodeng nodded and breathed a slight sigh of relief. Practicing the sword was indeed hard work. These days, she had even sacrificed her sleep, traveling during the day, practicing the sword during breaks, and studying Daoist scriptures at night.

This was the first time Lin Yi had said she could rest…

Chapter 36: Junior Sister, I'll Give You a Fireworks Show

Three days later, Lin Yi's group of five finally entered Chengtian City. They had only stopped at a few large Sects along the way to challenge them.

It was already night.

The lights were flowing, and the entire Chengtian City was like a brilliant and magnificent painting.

Beautiful Fairies carrying flower baskets scattered flower rain—reds and pinks—all the way from the city gates to the street corners. Tall painted pillars were carved with rare and exotic beasts, and palanquins carried by no one swayed as they passed along the streets…

Compared to the desolate scenery Lin Yi had seen these past few days… it was somewhat ironic.

The marketplace was a scene of bustling activity. Lin Yi held back the curious Yu Xiaotang and Li Tiaodeng. Su Lingshu and Pei Yuhan, having seen much of such worldly trivialities, showed a hint of boredom.

But Yu Xiaotang and Li Tiaodeng had never seen such a brilliant and lively scene. Yu Xiaotang pulled on Lin Yi's arm, her face full of excitement, pointing at the acrobatic acts passing by them and calling out, "Senior Brother, Senior Brother…"

The moment Lin Yi grabbed her small hand, Li Tiaodeng's body froze. The excitement in her heart cooled rapidly, while the warmth of Lin Yi's palm was quickly perceived by her.

Li Tiaodeng pursed her lips and looked sideways. Lin Yi had a gentle expression, responding to Yu Xiaotang's words from time to time, or pulling out some silver and copper coins from his storage ring to buy some snacks and trinkets for Yu Xiaotang.

"Tiaodeng."

Li Tiaodeng blankly took a stick of candied haws handed to her by Lin Yi.

She recognized this. Back when she was the Eldest Young Miss of the Li family, she often sent her maids to the street to buy them. It was just… that was a long time ago.

Li Tiaodeng took a bite of the candied haws. It was icy, sweet, and sour; the taste was very good.

She could no longer remember what the candied haws she ate last time tasted like, but she felt that they were probably not as delicious as this one.

"Xiao Tang, let's go. Stop looking."

"Alright… Oh! Senior Brother! Come over and look at this!!"

Yu Xiaotang pulled Lin Yi to a small stall selling jewelry.

There was no concept of a curfew in Chengtian City. Because the New Year was approaching, the flow of people in the city had become increasingly heavy.

Lin Yi even saw many suspicious-looking people blending into the crowd.