Day 2.
The rain was unaware of spring’s departure, but sunshine revealed summer’s depth.
Jiang Huai was woken by the light filtering through the window. The sun was scorching, so he turned over, intending to return to his pleasant dream. He vaguely recalled his Master pressing him down, her cheeks blushing, angrily cursing him for liking saliva, and that he had to swallow it all today.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t fall back asleep, so he rolled over and got up to make breakfast.
Today’s breakfast was the fragrant, soft, elastic, and smooth Shrimp and Egg Egg Roll Noodles.
After a full breakfast, Jiang Huai, seeing that Chu Xianning had no other instructions, got up and said, “Master, I’m going out.”
Chu Xianning nodded slightly.
She was always disinclined to ask too many questions.
The sunlight was intense and scorching. Cicadas chirped incessantly in the trees as Jiang Huai passed by. He arrived at Wen Wanwan’s courtyard gate, but for a moment before knocking, he hesitated.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see Wen Wanwan.
It was just that he had been thinking a lot lately and recalled that he seemed to have taken advantage of Wen Wanwan inadvertently every time he visited. Sometimes it was unintentional, and sometimes he initiated it. Every time he saw the gentle, soft look in Wen Wanwan’s eyes, his heart would itch with temptation, making him want to see her blushing.
“No, be pure, little Huai.”
He gently knocked on the room door. After three knocks, the door opened quickly. Behind it stood Wen Wanwan in a white dress, still holding her sword. Strands of hair clung lightly to her cheeks, and tiny sweat beads dotted her forehead.
“Practicing your sword?” Jiang Huai winked at her.
“Mm.”
Wen Wanwan welcomed Jiang Huai into the room. She fetched the porcelain bottle containing spring tea from the courtyard well. The cold-brewed spring tea was sweet and clear. Wen Wanwan added a few flower petals and honey.
“Keep practicing. I’ll help you see where you need to improve,” Jiang Huai said softly as he sat by the stone table.
Wen Wanwan nodded obediently and stood in the center of the courtyard with her Black Iron Sword. She was still diligently practicing the Mist Slash that Jiang Huai had taught her.
If Wen Wanwan’s initial attempt at Mist Slash was like a child playing house, and she was worse than Luo Qingyu’s casual sword swing after an hour of instruction, then her current Mist Slash was already quite presentable, possessing a certain flair.
“Mm? How long have you been practicing?”
“I’ve been practicing every day these past few days,” Wen Wanwan replied softly.
Jiang Huai was unaware that while he was away, the girl had been practicing in the courtyard, swinging her sword repeatedly. Many times, exhausted, she had lain on the bluestone in the courtyard, gazing at the boundless night sky for a long time before mustering the strength to get up and bathe.
She knew very well that she didn’t have much talent for sword practice.
Her cultivation level wasn’t high either; after many years in the Inner Sect, she had only just reached Late Stage Foundation Establishment. Many Inner Sect disciples fluctuated around the Early Stage Core Formation. Although diligence could compensate for lack of skill, sometimes, no matter how diligent one was, they couldn’t compare to those who had both resources and talent.
“Wanwan has encountered some confusion in her cultivation recently and wants to ask Senior Brother Jiang Huai.”
“Mm? Go on.”
“Wanwan’s speed of absorbing Spirit Stones has become much faster recently. Moreover, Wanwan didn’t cultivate her soul before, but recently, she has vaguely felt her soul being touched, though she can’t quite explain it.”
“Come, let me see,” Jiang Huai beckoned her over. Wen Wanwan obediently moved closer, but Jiang Huai expected her to sit on the chair opposite him. Instead, Wen Wanwan leaned in, and her soft, tender, snow-white buttocks suddenly sat on Jiang Huai’s lap.
Jiang Huai gazed at Wen Wanwan’s neck. Her earlobes seemed to have quietly turned red.
“You…” Jiang Huai was momentarily at a loss whether to laugh or cry. He reached out and gently grasped her wrist, probing her body with a faint Spiritual Qi. Jiang Huai had noticed when he had opened her acupoints before that, in reality, over the years, Wen Wanwan’s Grand Xuan Sacred Body had remained almost dormant.
This was because she had received too few cultivation resources. However, the fact that she could cultivate to her current realm with so little clearly demonstrated the miraculous nature of the Grand Xuan Sacred Body.
“Have you heard of the Grand Xuan Sacred Body?” Jiang Huai whispered in her ear.
He had intended to be pure when he knocked, but as soon as Wen Wanwan sat on him, he couldn’t help but want to tease her.
“No,” Wen Wanwan shook her head lightly. Because Jiang Huai was so close, the breaths falling on her ears made her instinctively shrug her shoulders like a little squirrel.
“The Grand Xuan Sacred Body is also a physique recorded in ancient scrolls. Because it is relatively rare, it is not very famous, but it is actually extremely powerful. Besides cultivating at an extremely fast speed, even if one does not deliberately cultivate the soul, its power will increase with the cultivation level. For so many years, your body had not been nourished by enough Spiritual Qi, so the Grand Xuan Sacred Body remained dormant. Recently, the Spirit Stones used for cultivation have been sufficient, and the Grand Xuan Sacred Body has slowly begun to awaken.”
Jiang Huai said this with a hint of confusion, “Mm? You’ve already reached the peak of Late Stage Foundation Establishment?”
“Mm,” Wen Wanwan nodded lightly.
“That’s good,” Jiang Huai took out the ancient scroll detailing various physiques from his System Backpack and found the page about the Grand Xuan Sacred Body, handing it to Wen Wanwan. Wen Wanwan obediently sat on his lap and began to read.
“The ancient scroll says… the Grand Xuan Sacred Body is also an excellent cauldron for Dual Cultivation. Is that true?” Wen Wanwan looked back at Jiang Huai.
“Everything written in this ancient scroll is quite true,” Jiang Huai lightly poked Wen Wanwan’s waist with his fingertip. “When do you plan to form your Core?”
Upon asking this question, Wen Wanwan fell silent for a while before looking back at Jiang Huai and softly saying, “In a while… the Daoji Ancestral Land will open again, and Wanwan wants to try.”
The Daoji Ancestral Land was a Secret Realm where Foundation Establishment cultivators went to seek opportunities to form their Core. It opened periodically. Jiang Huai had found Heavenly Dao spiritual energy there before, which had allowed him to form the Heavenly Dao Golden Core.
“So… I’d like to ask Senior Brother Jiang Huai to take care of my sister for a while then.”
Wen Wanwan’s expression seemed hesitant. Jiang Huai was startled and reached out to gently pinch her cheek. “Wanting to try is a good thing, but your expression looks worried?”
“No, it’s just that Wanwan originally just wanted to form an ordinary Golden Core.”
The process of forming a Golden Core from Foundation Establishment was a particularly important step in cultivation. Core formation was divided into Yellow Dao Golden Core, Xuan Dao Golden Core, Earth Dao Golden Core, and Heavenly Dao Golden Core. Most disciples in the Inner Sect chose to use Spirit Medicine to form a Xuan Dao Golden Core. Cultivators who could form an Earth Dao Golden Core were already rare. Among the younger generation in the entire Eastern Region, only four people, like Jiang Huai, had formed a Heavenly Dao Golden Core.
“Then why do you suddenly want to try?”
The moment he asked, Jiang Huai seemed to guess the answer.
“Because… I want to be closer to Senior Brother Jiang Huai,” Wen Wanwan replied softly, biting her lip.
Generally, forming a good Golden Core was a crucial step for future cultivation. Although some cultivators attempted to inject Heavenly Dao spiritual energy into their Golden Core and reshape it after reaching the Sixth or Seventh Realm, the process was too complicated and extremely difficult.
“I’m going down the mountain tomorrow and will be gone for about half a month. When I get back, I’ll accompany you,” Jiang Huai lightly held Wen Wanwan’s small hand, gently squeezing her fingertips. But Wen Wanwan shook her head, “No, you don’t need to trouble yourself, Senior Brother Jiang Huai…”
“Such an important matter naturally requires accompanying. If you encounter any danger inside, I can protect you. Even if not for yourself, you should think of your sister,” Jiang Huai nestled his cheek against hers, rubbing her soft, tender face. “Then it’s settled. I’ll accompany you to the Daoji Ancestral Land when I return.”
Wen Wanwan’s eyes still held an unspeakable unease. She seemed to want to say something else, but after a moment, she ultimately didn’t.
She stood up from Jiang Huai’s lap. Jiang Huai secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but the next second, Wen Wanwan turned around, straddled him, and pressed herself close. Her snow-white face drew nearer, her cheeks slightly raised, her lips lightly bitten as she looked at Jiang Huai. “Senior Brother Jiang Huai…”
“Mm?”
Jiang Huai was a little flustered.
If she had only been sitting on his back before, he could have remained composed. But now, with the girl straddling his lap, her snow-white legs pressed tightly against his waist, her body so close it was almost stuck to him, he began to falter.
Wen Wanwan didn’t quite know what to say.
She always practiced alone in the courtyard. She usually chatted a lot with her sister, but whenever she was with Jiang Huai, she couldn’t speak properly. Senior Brother Jiang Huai was always so good to her, but she didn’t know what words of thanks to say. No matter how she said it, her thanks felt insubstantial and too deliberate.
“The sun is so strong today,” Wen Wanwan mumbled softly.
“Indeed.”
“Wanwan was so hot while practicing her sword earlier…”
“Ah, is that so?”
“And… I don’t have much strength left…”
“Ah… So?”
“Senior Brother Jiang Huai… can you help Wanwan bathe?” Wen Wanwan’s voice became very, very small.
No emotion could be hidden from one’s eyes. Jiang Huai gazed into her dark pupils, which held many emotions: panic, shyness, unease, fear, and even shame.
“This is another test for Senior Brother Jiang Huai!” Jiang Huai gently poked her waist. Wen Wanwan’s waist curled up, like a cooked shrimp, pressing her body even closer.
“But… I really don’t have any strength left.”
“Then sit down and rest for a while. Bathe when you have the strength.”
Jiang Huai couldn’t guarantee he could remain detached if Wen Wanwan were truly in a bathhouse. He had been able to control himself with Luo Yueguan because she was Luo Qingyu’s mother, and if he had any improper thoughts, Luo Yueguan could crush him with a single finger. But Wen Wanwan wasn’t like that; her eyes were now full of tender charm, and her gaze was intoxicating.
“Okay,” Wen Wanwan nodded obediently, her voice carrying a trace of disappointment, but the unease in her eyes seemed to melt away.
“Oh, it’s Senior Brother Jiang Huai!” Wen Fufu pushed open the door, wearing a black dress. She stretched lazily, looking from afar at Jiang Huai sitting on the chair, and Wen Wanwan, flushed, straddling him.
Wen Fufu tilted her head. “It’s broad daylight…”
