As they flew out of the Wuyue Palace gates, Li Fei felt an exhilarating sense of freedom. For the first time, no elders were accompanying her. She stretched her arms wide, relishing this long-forgotten feeling.
“Where shall we go first?” she asked, turning to smile at Lei Xiuyuan. With a month left before the gathering at Lu Gong Town and countless exciting places to explore, she suddenly found herself at a loss for where to begin.
Lei Xiuyuan remained mysterious, saying only, “Just follow me.”
Standing side by side on the spinning turtle shell, Li Fei gazed at the scenery stretching out before them. With just the two of them, even familiar landscapes took on a new charm. The vast sky, the round sun, and the verdant mountains extended as far as the eye could see. This world seemed just like when they first met six years ago.
Unexpectedly, Lei Xiuyuan asked, “Have you learned dual cultivation yet?”
Li Fei’s breath caught in her throat. He always liked to launch these sudden attacks. The mention of dual cultivation reminded her of Zhao Minshi’s parting words. Four months ago, their masters had approved their union as Dao companions. However, the usually informal Chongyi Zhenren suddenly became particular about propriety and refused to teach her the dual cultivation technique. Upon returning to Wuyue Palace, she had been busy refining magical treasures and forgot to inquire further. It wasn’t until today, when bidding farewell to her senior sister, that she was pulled aside and carefully instructed in the art of dual cultivation. Her senior sister had also warned, “Although dual cultivation can enhance the cultivation of Dao companions, beginners often become lost in passion. Don’t lose yourselves too much.”
These words left Li Fei at a loss for how to respond. Now, with Lei Xiuyuan standing beside her and bringing up dual cultivation, she grew increasingly nervous. After clearing her throat, she mustered the courage to reply as naturally as possible, “Yes, I’ve more or less learned it.”
Lei Xiuyuan seemed to chuckle but said nothing for a while. His sleeves fluttered in the wind, lightly brushing against her arm. He carried a cool, fragrant scent, reminiscent of the incense often burned in the bronze tripods of the main hall. Li Fei felt a bit dazed. The pale green youth who had once plucked a peach blossom for her on Yaoguang Peak had grown so much. In the blink of an eye, they had become Dao companions, destined to walk side by side, never to part.
“You’re amazing. I haven’t learned it yet,” Lei Xiuyuan said languidly.
Li Fei was taken aback. “It’s… not that difficult.”
She had grasped it after hearing it once. How could someone as intelligent as him not have learned it?
“Is that so?” He leaned down and blew a breath on her face. “Then you’ll have to teach me carefully later.”
Li Fei covered her face and stumbled back several steps, nearly falling off the spinning turtle shell. Lei Xiuyuan caught her, but she frantically pushed him away. Her face flushed red as she jumped onto the Xi’s Horn, keeping her distance. He was teasing her again!
“Can’t you talk about something else?” Li Fei glared at him angrily.
Lei Xiuyuan cupped his ear and said curiously, “What did you say? The wind is too loud, I can’t hear clearly.”
She moved a bit closer and shouted, “I said, can’t you talk about something else?”
“I still can’t hear clearly.”
Li Fei moved even closer, suddenly realizing his trick. She immediately steered the Xi’s Horn away from him again. “You’re full of mischief!”
Lei Xiuyuan burst into laughter. It had been a long time since she had seen him laugh so freely and happily. For a moment, she forgot her embarrassment and quietly watched his smiling face from her perch on the Xi’s Horn. Noticing his gaze fixed on her, Li Fei couldn’t help but smile back, saying softly, “You should be like this more often.”
Lei Xiuyuan suddenly leaped onto her Xi’s Horn, sitting beside her. He blew another breath on her face, but this time his tone was less playful: “I’ll try.”
Li Fei leaned on his shoulder as they chatted about everything under the sun, from dawn till dusk. As they talked until their mouths were dry, she looked around curiously and asked, “Where exactly are we going? We’ve been flying for so long.”
Their magical treasures were much faster than cloud-riding, and they had been flying for an entire afternoon. Was he planning to cross the entire Central Plains? Lei Xiuyuan gently pressed her head onto his shoulder. “If you’re tired, just sleep. I’ll wake you when we arrive.”
Li Fei shook her head. They hadn’t seen any towns along the way, so there was likely no inn to rest at. Camping in the wilderness would be too dangerous for two junior disciples, especially with the recent large-scale migration of demon beasts. If they accidentally encountered them, they might not even leave intact corpses. She couldn’t let him exhaust himself by traveling alone.
And so they flew on… for another entire night. Li Fei had been focusing on refining magical treasures for three months with little sleep. Now that she was out with Lei Xiuyuan, away from the sect, she could barely keep her eyes open. Dozing off against him, she vaguely heard Lei Xiuyuan say softly, “We’ve shaken off those annoying tails. Sit tight, we’re almost there.”
Tails? Li Fei suddenly felt the spinning turtle shell accelerate, moving much faster than before. After a few twists and turns, they landed on a low cliff. Below, clusters of villages can be seen. It was lunchtime, and wisps of smoke rose from the peaceful, tranquil village. Li Fei stretched and gazed at this long-unseen mortal scenery, sighing, “I can’t go on… Wherever we are, let me sleep first.”
Lei Xiuyuan carried her down from the spinning turtle shell and led her down the mountain. The rural path was winding and rugged. By the end, everything looked like a green blur to Li Fei, as if she were dreaming. In her daze, she felt they had arrived at a courtyard that seemed uninhabited for years. The walls were covered in old green vines, weeds grew everywhere, and debris was scattered about.
She heard Lei Xiuyuan say with a hint of resignation, “Looks like we need to clean up a bit.”
Li Fei instinctively rolled up her sleeves. “I’ll help.”
The next moment, she was picked up and gently placed in a corner. Lei Xiuyuan patted her head and said softly, “Sleep here first. Don’t worry about anything.”
Underestimating her? Li Fei forced her eyes wide open, refusing to sleep. She heard a series of clattering and banging sounds from the courtyard. When Lei Xiuyuan came back and saw her still struggling to keep her eyes open, even he couldn’t help but admire her determination. He pulled her up, saying, “Alright, come on, you little pig.”
Li Fei couldn’t remember how or where she fell asleep. She slept until the middle of the night, waking up on a hard bed with no mattress, blanket, or pillow. Her body ached from the discomfort. She opened her eyes in confusion, seeing a faint candlelight flickering nearby. Lei Xiuyuan was sitting by the light, his head lowered, looking at something.
“Xiuyuan,” she called out softly.
Lei Xiuyuan put down what he was holding and walked over, teasing, “Awake? I can’t believe you slept this long on a bare bed.”
Li Fei rubbed her eyes and sat up, looking around. They were in an ordinary civilian house with a simple wooden bed and furniture, but everything was clean. An old calendar hung on the wall, depicting a majestic immortal wielding a sword to slay demons. Judging by the attire, it seemed to be in the style of the Xingzheng Hall.
Curious, she went closer to examine it. The calendar showed the year of Guisi. Guisi year?! Eight years ago?!
Li Fei slowly got off the bed and walked a few steps barefoot. She noticed a large wooden box on the table, with its contents half spilled out. Most were books, along with a few worn undergarments that looked small as if meant for a child. Several folded red papers lay nearby, likely couplets hung on doors during mortal festivals.
She slowly unfolded one of the couplets. The handwriting, though childish, was neat and orderly. She read it aloud: “Spring returns, the land is beautiful; Blessings fill the world, joy abounds… Is this your handwriting?”
Lei Xiuyuan’s handwriting was distinctive, with each stroke characteristically upturned, showing an unyielding spirit. The writing on the couplet was childish and hard to recognize, but that unyielding quality remained unchanged. She put down the couplet, gradually realizing. She turned to look at Lei Xiuyuan, both surprised and delighted. “Is this where you used to live with Brother Lu?”
Lei Xiuyuan gave her head a hard tap. “You’ve only just figured it out? Hopeless.”
Li Fei laughed, playfully punching him back. “Who told you to be so mysterious? Always keeping secrets!”
She quickly looked around the room, then pushed open the door. The once overgrown and messy courtyard had been cleaned up. There were two rooms in the yard: the main room where they were and a kitchen. Even the small well behind the kitchen had been cleaned thoroughly. Outside the yard, a concealment spell had been cast. Further away, tall mountains rose and fell in the night, with a large gap in one – likely where Xingzheng Hall was located.
They had flown for a day and a night to reach this controversial place near Xingzheng Hall.
“Xiuyuan, how long did you live here before?” Li Fei closed the door and walked back into the room. She suddenly noticed Lei Xiuyuan laying new bedding on the wooden bed and skillfully hanging bed curtains. She instinctively felt something was amiss and looked around. There seemed to be… only one bed…
She grew nervous again, not knowing where to put her hands and feet. She shuffled to the table and sat down, noticing a cup of tea. She picked it up and took a large gulp, nearly scalding herself to tears.
“I lived here for three years. After Brother Lu passed away, I left this place,” Lei Xiuyuan replied.
Li Fei watched him wash his hands and face, then casually remove his outer robe and bend down to take off his shoes. She could no longer sit still and abruptly stood up, her body stiff as she mumbled, “I’ll… go out and look around some more.”
Suddenly, a light breeze blew from behind, extinguishing the candle. The room plunged into darkness, and Li Fei’s heart leaped into her throat. She heard Lei Xiuyuan rustling as he got into bed, his voice calm: “Come here, I have something to tell you.”
Something to tell her? Li Fei walked over, completely off guard. “What is it…”
Before she could finish, she was pulled onto the bed. Li Fei fell heavily onto the soft bedding, feeling the world spin. Lei Xiuyuan grabbed one of her feet and quickly removed her shoe. She cried out in surprise, “What are you doing?!”
He said nothing, removing both shoes before moving to untie her belt. Li Fei panicked and instinctively struggled hard. She felt her outer robe being swiftly removed, then she was tucked into the blanket. Lei Xiuyuan let out a long sigh and hugged her, saying softly, “Alright, let’s sleep.”
Sleep… Li Fei remained frozen for a while. He lay motionless beside her, quiet and still. The earlier frenzy of removing shoes and clothes seemed like an illusion.
He had tricked her again.
Li Fei was furious. She wanted to stomp on him, from left to right, flattening him to vent her frustration. How could there be such an annoying person in the world? The most infuriating part was that this person made her care so much. Even more infuriating was that when he was good, he was incredibly good, but when he was vexing, he was unbearably so.
He seemed to know exactly where the line was between truly angering her and not. Too cunning.
“Are you angry?” Lei Xiuyuan’s finger gently pinched her chin, shaking it slightly.
Li Fei opened her mouth and bit down hard on his finger. Lei Xiuyuan hissed but didn’t move, leaving his finger in her mouth for her to bite. Suddenly, his other arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer. He lowered his head, his lips meeting her half-open ones.
Li Fei quickly released his finger, but it remained, pinching her chin as he kissed her deeply. Their lips and tongues intertwined, and the once-calm atmosphere suddenly became hot and dry. His warm, soft lips and unique scent seemed to pierce through her closed-off world. In an instant, her senses were filled with only him, as if he had replaced her entire world.
She couldn’t help but let out a trembling gasp. This kiss, full of passion, with just the two of them here – he was no longer holding back. It was as if he wanted to devour her, to possess every secret hidden in her lips.
His burning hand had already slipped under her thin inner robe, roaming and kneading her bare skin. His moist lips suddenly left hers, trailing light bites down her neck. Li Fei felt dizzy. She was gasping for air, yet it felt as if she couldn’t breathe. An immense emptiness seized her once again. She was sinking into the depths of this soft bed, falling endlessly.