Soft.
Drawing out the poison wasn’t exactly difficult for Cheng Huan. What she couldn’t quite understand was why Lu Qing’an had so firmly and resolutely refused help from her fellow disciples and teachers, yet when it came to her, Lu Qing’an agreed so quickly, as if afraid she might change her mind.
Cheng Huan pursed her lips, a hint of confusion creasing her brow.
She glanced at Gu Chuan and the others. The instant they met her gaze, their eyes darted away, suddenly pretending to be busy.
“…” Cheng Huan turned her head back. Seeing Lu Qing’an staring at her intently, a flicker of nervousness and guilt rose in her chest. “So… you really want me to do it?”
Lu Qing’an lifted her eyes. “If you are unwilling, there’s no need to force yourself.”
Her eyes wavered, her expression dimmed, and she said hoarsely, “I can just cut the flesh out. It will just hurt a little, and it might leave a scar. It’s… bearable.”
“…” Cheng Huan choked slightly. Seeing her in such a weak state made her heart feel uncomfortable.
“I didn’t say I was unwilling.” Cheng Huan touched her nose, then raised her hand to set up a shielding Barrier, blocking everyone’s view.
She looked at Lu Qing’an’s right arm. “Take it off.”
Lu Qing’an: “!!”
Her cheeks flushed red, and she stammered, “Wha… what?”
Cheng Huan blinked. “How am I supposed to draw out the poison if you don’t take it off?”
The blood from the wound had dried, sticking the fabric to her skin. It was a bit tricky to deal with.
She assumed Lu Qing’an was just shy. “I’ve set up a Barrier. No one else can see inside. We’re both women here; what do you have to be shy about?”
Lu Qing’an: “…”
Seeing that Lu Qing’an wasn’t moving, Cheng Huan decided to take matters into her own hands.
She expected Lu Qing’an to resist or evade, especially after being so shy just moments ago. Instead, Lu Qing’an simply sat there obediently, allowing Cheng Huan to untie her robes.
It was just that with every layer Cheng Huan loosened, the flush on Lu Qing’an’s face deepened.
Her previously pale, bloodless cheeks were now so red they looked about to burst.
Cheng Huan understood. Girls, after all, would naturally feel a bit shy when exposing their bodies.
But then she reconsidered. They were both women; their bodies were structured the same way. What was there to be shy or blush about?
Back when Cheng Huan did missions, she’d even bathed in public bathhouses.
The Little Hedgehog explained, [The Female Lead has lived alone on Jing’an Peak since childhood. She cultivates by herself. Perhaps she’s simply not used to such close contact with another?]
Cheng Huan nodded. “That makes sense.”
Wasn’t this exact “career focus” of the Female Lead the very reason Cheng Huan had chosen to support her in attaining the Dao and ascending?
Cheng Huan’s hands paused at the innermost garment. “Perhaps… you can manage the rest yourself? Just slip your right arm out.”
Lu Qing’an’s lips moved. “My arm… I can’t lift it.”
Cheng Huan sighed. “I’ll continue then. Tell me if anything feels uncomfortable.”
Lu Qing’an nodded.
Cheng Huan watched a stray strand of hair slide down, brushing past that blush-pink cheek, catching on Lu Qing’an’s long, curled eyelashes. The sight made her downcast gaze seem particularly alluring and pitiful in that instant.
The hand untying the garment lifted, tucking the fallen lock of hair behind Lu Qing’an’s ear. Her fingertips grazed the reddened earlobe.
Lu Qing’an’s body trembled slightly, her breathing thrown into disarray.
Cheng Huan felt the soft earlobe and chuckled lightly. “You’re quite an interesting person.”
Lu Qing’an looked up. “What?”
“How is it that every part of you suits my taste?” Cheng Huan gazed at her lustrous eyes, her smile undiminished. “Your hands are soft, your waist is soft. Even your ears are so soft, as if they have no bones.”
“You like that?” Lu Qing’an asked.
Cheng Huan finished untying the inner garment ties, carefully removing the clothing. “I don’t have many hobbies, but one of them is having zero resistance to soft, squishy things.”
“I’ve met many people, but none of them felt as soft and smooth as you do.”
Head lowered, Cheng Huan missed the expression on Lu Qing’an’s face as she continued on her own. “They say women are made of water. I never believed it before. But now that I’ve met you, I find some truth in that saying.”
“You like that?” Lu Qing’an’s clear voice came from above.
Cheng Huan glanced at the wound. The Floating Poison had saturated the Flesh and Blood; the edges were already blackening, looking rather gruesome.
“I do,” Seeing how fixated Lu Qing’an was on the question, Cheng Huan decided to tease her. “Will you let me touch you, then?”
Lu Qing’an looked directly into her smiling eyes and nodded. “You can.”
Cheng Huan’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “I was joking.”
Lu Qing’an: “I’ve taken it seriously.”
“…” Cheng Huan paused. A strange, indescribable feeling bubbled up in her heart. She licked her lips but didn’t respond to Lu Qing’an’s answer. Lu Qing’an didn’t press for a reply either.
They fell into a silent, unspoken understanding.
Cheng Huan rubbed her fingertips together a few times. The atmosphere felt subtly charged.
It was clearly a joke. Why did it make her feel a little flustered and at a loss?
“I’m going to draw the poison out now. Tell me if it hurts, don’t bear it silently.” Cheng Huan decided not to dwell on it. Detoxifying the Female Lead was the most important thing right now.
“What if it does hurt?” Lu Qing’an asked.
The question left Cheng Huan unsure of how to respond. “Do you want to cry out?”
Lu Qing’an lowered her eyes. “My throat is uncomfortable.”
“Then think of something happy? Distract yourself?”
Lu Qing’an: “Think of something happy?”
Cheng Huan noticed Lu Qing’an staring at her and asked, puzzled, “What is it?”
“Didn’t you tell me to think of something happy?” The corner of Lu Qing’an’s mouth lifted. “Meeting you, looking at you, makes me very happy.”
“Oh.” Cheng Huan blinked. “If you think looking at me will make you feel better, then go ahead and look.”
It’s not like she’d lose any flesh over it.
Cheng Huan leaned down and gave a verbal warning. “I’m starting.”
Lu Qing’an nodded. “Okay.”
Cheng Huan lowered her head, covered the wound with her mouth, and sucked hard. She felt the sticky sensation of blood flooding into her mouth.
She lifted her head, brows tightly furrowed, and spat the black blood to the side.
The blackish-red state of Lu Qing’an’s wound instantly looked much better, no longer as terrifying as before.
Cheng Huan leaned down again to continue drawing the poison. The instant her lips touched the skin, she felt a slight quiver and an attempt to flinch.
Was it very painful?
The Little Hedgehog explained, [Although the pain of extracting Floating Poison is less than the pain of cutting flesh, the moment the poison is forcibly removed, it still causes an uncontrollable agony, like a barb being pulled out of the body.]
When she’d been drawing the poison earlier, Cheng Huan hadn’t paid attention to Lu Qing’an’s state. She hadn’t expected this girl to truly endure the pain without making a sound.
Cheng Huan let out a soft sigh and looked up at Lu Qing’an. “Didn’t you say looking at me makes the pain go away?”
“Why are you trembling?”
Lu Qing’an answered with difficulty. “I’m cold.”
What a joke.
Her Barrier was completely sealed. How could Lu Qing’an possibly be shivering from cold?
Cheng Huan grasped Lu Qing’an’s wrist with her left hand while her right arm wrapped around Lu Qing’an’s waist, pulling her into an embrace. “Let me warm you up.”
This lie was far too obvious; she didn’t even feel like exposing it.
Lu Qing’an’s eyes widened. Her body was enveloped in a warm embrace. The hand on her waist continuously channeled Spiritual Power into her, soothing the pain away.
Cheng Huan lowered her head again and continued extracting the Floating Poison.
After several more draws, she finally finished removing the poison. Cheng Huan instinctively went to lick her lips, which had gone numb from the suction, but accidentally licked Lu Qing’an’s arm instead.
The person in her arms jolted.
Cheng Huan immediately said, “Sorry, that wasn’t intentional.”
Lu Qing’an shook her head, her voice hoarse. “It’s fine.”
Cheng Huan released her and gave her the four petals of the Linked Heart Spirit Flower. “After consuming these, refine them properly. You might even achieve a breakthrough in cultivation.”
Lu Qing’an nodded. “Alright.”
Cheng Huan saw her disheveled clothes. Her gaze inadvertently swept past Lu Qing’an’s chest. “Do you want to dress yoursel—”
Lu Qing’an: “Can you help me? I still don’t have any strength.”
Finish what you start.
Cheng Huan composed herself and helped Lu Qing’an back into her clothes. Only after watching her consume the Linked Heart Spirit Flower did she exit the Barrier.
Seeing Cheng Huan emerge, Gu Chuan immediately stepped forward to ask, “Is Qing’an better now?”
Cheng Huan: “The poison has been neutralized. She’s currently refining the Linked Heart Spirit Flower.”
Gu Chuan breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good to hear.”
After a moment of hesitation, he quickly added a word. “Thanks.”
Cheng Huan tilted her head. “What?”
She really hadn’t heard him clearly. She only saw Gu Chuan’s lips move.
Gu Chuan fidgeted. Taking a deep breath, he gritted his teeth and said, “I said, thank you for saving Qing’an.”
“No need for you to thank me,” Cheng Huan, feeling utterly drained, instructed him, “Just as long as you cause less trouble and keep your suicidal tendencies in check, I’ll be the one thanking you.”
Gu Chuan: “…”
You Luan approached Cheng Huan, bowed, and cupped his hands. “Many thanks to the Penglai Island Master for the rescue. For this life-saving grace, the Primordial Pavilion will surely repay it.”
Cheng Huan waved a hand dismissively. “I saved Lu Qing’an. I’m not seeking gratitude from your Primordial Pavilion.”
You Luan said seriously, “Whether the Penglai Island Master wants it or not is entirely your prerogative. However, this kindness is something the Primordial Pavilion must engrave in its heart.”
Cheng Huan looked at You Luan, her eyes swiveling. “Since Sect Master You wishes to repay this life-saving grace, how about agreeing to one request of mine? Would that be acceptable?”
You Luan: “Please, Penglai Island Master, speak.”
Cheng Huan: “Aside from Lu Qing’an, take the rest of your Primordial Pavilion members and leave the Oracle Mystic Realm immediately.”
You Luan’s expression shifted drastically. “What do you mean by this, Penglai Island Master?”
“The Immortal Legacy within the Oracle Mystic Realm is something I am determined to obtain,” Cheng Huan stated truthfully. “Does Sect Master You intend to compete with me for it?”
The cultivators who came to this Oracle Mystic Realm were ostensibly here to suppress the 100,000 Demon Cultists. In reality, they were all after the Immortal Legacy.
Sect Master You’s cultivation had been stuck at the Late Body Integration Stage for nearly a hundred years, stagnant. The Spiritual Power within his Spirit Sea was swelling and churning violently, clearly seeking a rupture point for release.
It was just that a breakthrough required a fated opportunity. Without one, all efforts were futile.
You Luan had thus set his sights on the Immortal Legacy of the Oracle Mystic Realm, planning to use its power to elevate his Cultivation Base and break through his realm.
However, absorbing an Immortal Legacy was extremely dangerous. So, You Luan had arranged for Guan Zhengping to protect him during the Tribulation Transcendence.
Guan Zhengping owed You Luan’s father a favor. He figured that once he finished this matter, he could leave the Primordial Pavilion and regain his freedom.
You Luan’s brow furrowed slightly, his expression one of hesitation. “Does the Penglai Island Master wish to use the Immortal Legacy to transcend that Heavenly Tribulation?”
The highest realm a cultivator could achieve was Tribulation Transcendence. To undergo it meant to face the Heavenly Tribulation. If successful, one could attain the Dao and ascend.
But to transcend the Heavenly Tribulation required not only fate but also strength.
The ancient Heavenly Tribulation was a heavenly punishment; nine out of ten who faced it perished.
Cheng Huan shook her head. “My ambitions do not lie there.”
You Luan asked, puzzled, “Then why is it?”
He paused, his eyes widening in disbelief. “You’re keeping Qing’an here for…”
Cheng Huan nodded. “Lu Qing’an must attain the Dao and ascend to immortality.”
“Anyone who blocks her path to ascension, I will destroy.”
Whoever blocked her path to retirement, she would definitely slaughter that person!
You Luan’s mind was in turmoil. He was caught between a rock and a hard place.
Cheng Huan could see You Luan’s internal conflict. “An Immortal Legacy may not necessarily solve your current predicament. It could even cost you your life.”
“I can give you a Heaven-Rank Grade One Lesser Yang Fruit to help you break through your realm. How about it?”
You Luan was shocked. “A Lesser Yang Fruit? Didn’t such Spirit Treasures disappear long ago?”
“I happened to find a stalk in the Ghost Flood Dragon Abyss,” Cheng Huan said. “For you, a Lesser Yang Fruit would be far more effective than an Immortal Legacy.”
“In this trade, you win without any risk.”
Cheng Huan laid it out plainly. “The Primordial Pavilion has suffered too heavily in the Oracle Mystic Realm. The remaining disciples are already barely clinging to life. If you press forward, will Sect Master You be able to protect them?”
You Luan’s lips trembled slightly. He let out a long sigh. “Thank you for the reminder, Penglai Island Master. Once we have rested and regrouped, we will depart from the Oracle Mystic Realm.”
Although You Luan wanted the Immortal Legacy, stopping the resurrection of the 100,000 Demon Cultists was also critically important. “But… the 100,000 Demon Cultists…”
Cheng Huan understood his worry. Dismissively, she replied, “With me here, they won’t live.”
You Luan steadied his heart, cupped his hands, and said, “Thank you.”
Lu Qing’an was still refining the Linked Heart Spirit Flower. Cheng Huan took the Lesser Yang Fruit from her Storage Ring and gave it to You Luan, who treated it as a priceless treasure.
After a short rest, the other disciples of the Primordial Pavilion were led away from the Oracle Mystic Realm by You Luan. Only Gu Chuan proved troublesome.
“Why isn’t Qing’an leaving with us?” Gu Chuan asked, astonished.
Cheng Huan internally: I am still counting on her to advance her cultivation quickly.
“Why are you leaving Qing’an alone in the Oracle Mystic Realm?” Gu Chuan asked, shocked.
Cheng Huan internally: What do you mean, alone? Am I not a person?!
“Why are you leaving Qing’an with… with this kind of person? Qing’an will be bullied by her!” Gu Chuan said, heartbroken and furious.
Cheng Huan internally: What do you mean, “this kind of person”? Care to explain yourself? Who’s bullying whom?
You Luan and Guan Zhengping both sensed Cheng Huan’s murderous intent. They immediately knocked Gu Chuan unconscious, shot Cheng Huan an apologetic look, and swiftly departed the Oracle Mystic Realm.
Cheng Huan retracted her killing aura and watched them leave until they were thousands of miles away.
