As for why he was caught between a rock and a hard place…

Just awakened, between hibernation and being under a curse, Yin Changli’s consciousness was confused.

The first memory he recovered was from the strand of divine consciousness he had left in the jade slip, informing him that the danger in Yin Sha had been resolved.

The memories from his hibernation period, however, remained blurry.

But his body’s condition told him that “he” had willingly initiated dual cultivation with her.

No, it was more like a one-sided treatment.

Her meridians were blocked, with severe blood and energy stagnation.

However, there was no absolute necessity to use this method. It only indicated that their current situation was dire, full of crisis, making this the only option.

Yin Changli was now extremely weak and needed time to recover, but his mind was now active and capable of finding solutions.

His concern was whether to continue clearing the remaining half of her meridians.

Stopping midway like this was worse than not starting at all. She might suffer a backlash, worsening her injuries and leaving her with a stubborn ailment that could never be completely cured.

But he was inwardly ashamed and angry, nearly losing his rationality.

His relationship with Xiang Haikui was merely transactional—he changed her fate, and she took care of him during his amnesia.

With his awakening, the transaction was complete, with neither owing the other anything.

He couldn’t understand why he still felt responsible for her, especially using a method he found completely unacceptable.

This was his mental dilemma.

As for his physical dilemma, Yin Changli’s sudden awakening had initially shocked him cold.

When she struggled, it triggered his male animal instincts. What had cooled off revived and stirred with desire.

It wasn’t that his self-control was insufficient; rather, having reached this point, his body was deeply aroused, his entire mind controlled by “desire.” Freshly awakened, he simply couldn’t resist.

To proceed was inappropriate, to withdraw was impossible. His already sweaty body now seemed as if it had been in a hot spring, with large beads of sweat continuously rolling down, causing Xiang Haikui’s back to suffer a flood as well.

He was caught in a tremendous inner conflict, unaware that Xiang Haikui couldn’t hold her breath and was about to faint from suffocation.

Only when her struggles grew increasingly feeble did Yin Changli suddenly realize and hurriedly release the hand gripping the back of her neck.

“Miss Xiang?” Yin Changli bent down, supporting her chin with his palm to lift her head.

His other hand patted her wet back.

Xiang Haikui awoke with a jolt, opening her black eyes wide.

After a moment of blankness lasting two or three seconds, her expression suddenly changed from fear to anger.

Extreme anger!

She was lying face down, still being pinned, making it difficult to punch him. Instead, she suddenly extended her arm and tightly grabbed a large handful of his hair near his left ear, her nails digging into his scalp.

Yin Changli, like a snake caught by its weak spot, let out a painful groan, his forehead pressing against the cushion as he heard her roar in his ear: “Fuck your mother, do you want to die?! Don’t you know I’m terrified of suffocation?”

Looking like a puppy, yet a dog never changes its habit of eating shit—showing his true nature when it came to this!

Xiang Haikui thought he was using this method to “stimulate” himself.

She had heard that a woman’s suffocation could bring immense pleasure to the other party.

The evidence proved this true. Originally, he could barely continue due to his waist injury, but after using the chokehold technique, he was able again, even more capable than before.

Xiang Haikui’s hand gripping his scalp grew increasingly forceful, pulling out a large strand of hair. She then tilted her head up, opened her mouth wide, and bit him nearby, drawing blood that stained all her teeth red.

Releasing her bite and loosening her grip, she sneered: “Looking for excitement? Is this exciting enough?”

From the moment his scalp was pulled, Yin Changli had been completely dazed.

Now, deeply frowning in pain, he suppressed the anger in his heart, slightly raised his head, tightened his jaw, and slowly turned to look at her.

There was no light inside the tree root. This narrow space was illuminated solely by a night pearl in the corner.

The light from the night pearl was shrouded in Turbid Qi, creating a hazy, dim atmosphere.

Xiang Haikui’s face was pale, but her lips, stained with blood, were as red as a cherry fallen into snow.

Their bodies were still connected. She was so small, covered beneath his wings, creating an extremely strange feeling.

Even though she was as rough as a fierce ghost, in his eyes, she somehow became a weak, helpless, pitiful person.

The anger in his heart vanished without a trace in an instant.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I didn’t mean to. I just…”

Xiang Haikui, still consumed by anger, didn’t notice his change: “If you can’t continue, just say so. I cut your waist myself—don’t you think I understand your condition? Would I mock you?”

Waist?

At her mention, Yin Changli realized that his waist did indeed feel somewhat heavy and swollen, as if it had suffered a severe injury.

Xiang Haikui gradually calmed down, her anger subsiding, and directed him: “Alright, let me take over. You just guide me and help clear my meridians!”

This torturous treatment needed to end quickly.

It was truly painful, like having one’s thigh sawed with a saw that never completed the cut.

Combined with her recent suffocation, she also felt somewhat nauseous.

“Get up,” she said. Now that he was completely lying on top of her, Xiang Haikui, in her injured state, felt as if she were carrying a pig weighing hundreds of kilograms. The feeling of suffocation was returning.

She struggled and twisted, “Hurry up, don’t waste time, you lie…”

Before she could finish, he unexpectedly began again, making her shudder.

“Don’t push yourself.” Xiang Haikui didn’t want to be choked again and warned him, “If you dare choke me again, I’ll break your sword!”

“You won’t have the chance,” Yin Changli whispered in her ear.

That cold laugh after his words suddenly made Xiang Haikui uneasy.

She didn’t suspect that Yin Changli had awakened. In her understanding, if it were his true self, he’d probably have killed her outright.

The puppy-like boss was currently at the edge of awakening, with a naturally fluctuating personality.

But she still instinctively tried to turn her head to look at him, only to have her eyes covered by the same hand that had choked her neck.

“You’re lying face down precisely because you don’t want to see me, so why look?”

Yin Changli’s other arm passed through her smooth waist, holding her tightly for better control.

Having made up his mind, his dilemma of being caught between a rock and a hard place transformed into a determined advance and retreat.

…

“I think I’m better now.”

“Mm.”

“I’m better.”

“I’m not yet.”

…

After the interruption and resumption, the doctor’s medical skill had improved significantly.

He seemed able to quickly locate the crux of her problems, and her meridians cleared much faster.

Her internal injuries healed rapidly, greatly reducing Xiang Haikui’s suffering.

But perhaps due to having his scalp pulled and being humiliated, the boss had become irritated. Unlike his previous gentleness, he now seemed to harbor resentment, becoming simple and rough.

From beginning to end, he maintained a single position, absolutely avoiding any unnecessary contact.

If he hadn’t been continuously healing her, Xiang Haikui would have felt like a mere tool for venting frustration.

Upon finishing, Yin Changli didn’t utter a word, immediately dressed himself, and sat aside to meditate and regulate his breath.

He had just emerged from hibernation, already extremely weak, and now, after excessive consumption, he was both physically and mentally exhausted.

Xiang Haikui, feeling as if her entire body was falling apart, struggled to get up, quietly dressed, and without disturbing him, sat down opposite to regulate her breath.

As she began this process, she was astonished.

She had directly advanced from the peak of the sixth rank to the peak of the eighth rank?!

Checking Tian Kuang sword again—holy crap! Before sleeping with her boss, it had just reached the sixth level with empty wild energy, but now it had jumped to the seventh level on its own, with the progress bar already half full!

Heavens! Xiang Haikui instantly felt that all the suffering she had endured was worth it.

Consider that previously, she had spent ten years killing monsters above her level across the entire map, only to achieve one percent of today’s progress.

Xiang Haikui looked at Yin Changli’s pale, delicate face, almost drooling.

It was over—once accustomed to luxury, it’s hard to return to frugality. She felt she might be heading down a path of no return.

But after the first time, a second time might not have the same effect.

So…

Xiang Haikui patted her face. Such evil thoughts!