That night.
Ye Luqing changed the soaked bedsheets, tucked the sleeping Pei Ruyi in, and walked out of the room, looking somewhat woodenly at the sky.
The rain had stopped. The night scenery of Azure Sky Peak was beautiful, stars hanging high in the heavens.
Tomorrow would be the first day of the Grand Tournament, and in the distance, she could still faintly hear the sounds of practicing on the White Jade Platform.
However, Ye Luqing’s mood was somewhat complicated.
This was her first intimate encounter—or perhaps Dual Cultivation was the more appropriate term—since arriving in this world.
Although she had utilized the Dual Cultivation Harvesting Technique, seeing Pei Ruyi so weakened, she instead pushed all the true qi back into Pei Ruyi’s body, attempting to mend her Sword Heart.
This method did prove somewhat effective, at least stabilizing Pei Ruyi’s cultivation at the Golden Core Stage, preventing it from dropping any further.
With her Sword Heart shattered, Pei Ruyi’s Sword Qi quality had now fallen to the Golden Core Stage, and her actual combat strength was only at the level of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
But unlike Ye Luqing, whose realm had genuinely dropped after her amnesia, Pei Ruyi’s Nascent Soul hadn’t dissipated.
Once her Sword Heart was remolded, Pei Ruyi could return to the Nascent Soul Stage at any time.
The entire process was very comfortable for both of them, especially for Pei Ruyi, who seemed to fully reveal her true nature, showing her most authentic self entirely to Ye Luqing.
It was also through this that Ye Luqing discovered Pei Ruyi’s original hair color wasn’t black, but a beautiful pale blue.
She restored Pei Ruyi’s hair to its original state, severing any remaining physical connection to Xiao Qingxuan’s appearance.
Pei Ruyi was Pei Ruyi, no longer anyone’s substitute or replacement.
Throughout the entire process, Ye Luqing, as the one in charge, had also enjoyed herself immensely.
This inexperienced Heavenly Sword Peak Direct Disciple was very tender, and very… slick.
Her slender body wasn’t stiff at all; it was like a water snake, supple and clingy.
Pei Ruyi’s initial awkwardness in this area was also part of her charm. After becoming more practiced, she gradually grew wilder, even leaving quite a few “marks” on Ye Luqing’s body.
Taking advantage of the Dual Cultivation, Ye Luqing even absorbed some of Pei Ruyi’s Sword Dao comprehension, making her progress in the One Qi Sword Art a bit faster—equivalent to a full day of her own practice.
It’s no wonder Dual Cultivation is considered a heretical path; such great harvests could be reaped in just a few hours.
This was still considering Pei Ruyi’s weakened state; Ye Luqing hadn’t unilaterally drained her but engaged in a reciprocal Dual Cultivation.
The only thing she found a bit hard to stomach was what Pei Ruyi called her during their Dual Cultivation.
The alternating sounds of “Hnnnngggg…” and “Mom, Mom, me…” nearly made her break character.
This fetish is way too weird…
She awkwardly played along, stiffly calling out “Good daughter” a few times. However, after she said that, Pei Ruyi’s bestial blood boiled over, and she very boldly pinned Ye Luqing down beneath her.
Moreover, Pei Ruyi’s Dual Cultivation efficiency reached its peak in this state. But overall, there were pros and cons.
Looking at Pei Ruyi’s gradually calming sleeping face, Ye Luqing rubbed her somewhat sore waist. She didn’t return to the master bedroom but went to a side room instead.
That way, even if Xiao Qingxuan or Ying Qianqian came for a nightly visit, she still had room for denial.
…
The next day, morning.
Pei Ruyi opened her bleary eyes.
Since breaking through to the Nascent Soul Stage, she hadn’t slept this deeply in a long while.
Just as she tried to get up, a soreness in her waist made her extremely uncomfortable.
“Ngh…”
Her expression immediately darkened. If her Sword Heart were still intact, this minor after-effect of Dual Cultivation would have healed instantly.
But thinking back to the passionate night before, her face instantly flushed bright red, and her legs involuntarily clamped around the blanket.
“Guu…”
She lay back down on the bed, curling her body. Her legs rubbed alternately against the blanket, her breathing gradually becoming heavier. Sniffing Ye Luqing’s scent on the bedding, her whole body trembled slightly, and her jade hand restlessly wandered downward.
“Mom…”
The next moment, a light cough came from the doorway.
“Cough, cough…”
Pei Ruyi’s entire body jolted violently, like a pilot aborting takeoff. She looked towards the doorway in flustered panic.
Ye Luqing was standing there, looking at her with a somewhat awkward expression.
Crimson rushed from her neck to her earlobes; her whole body was like a thoroughly cooked shrimp, steam practically rising from her head.
So embarrassing…
“Awake?”
Ye Luqing walked over to Pei Ruyi’s side.
Pei Ruyi nodded slightly, not daring to meet Ye Luqing’s eyes for a moment.
Ye Luqing didn’t say anything, simply and silently combing Pei Ruyi’s hair for her.
While tending to that beautiful head of pale cyan hair, she spoke:
“I’ve already got some ideas about remolding your Sword Heart.”
Before resting last night, she had used the System to look into matters related to the Sword Heart.
The so-called Sword Heart is essentially a sword cultivator’s Dao Heart, not something unique to sword cultivators.
Simply put, it’s the spiritual core of a cultivator.
The Pure Sword Heart Pei Ruyi pursued was one of internal and external unity, having no pretense. The sword was her everything, unable to be swayed by anything else.
But after being trained by her, Pei Ruyi started compromising step by step, giving up more and more to receive her commands. She began lying to Xiao Qingxuan; the dignity and justice of a sword cultivator she once upheld were easily defeated by her training.
These were all her guesses; she still needed to hear it from Pei Ruyi herself.
“A-Yi, are you confident you can remold your original Sword Heart on your own?”
Hearing this, Pei Ruyi gently shook her head and gave a faint, sad smile.
“It’s impossible.”
“This submissive image of myself is already deeply imprinted in my mind. Even just a simple sword swing will bring it back. My mental state can’t return to how it was.”
“As for the dignity and justice of a sword cultivator… those things have already been… trampled and shattered by Junior Sister Ye.”
If it were truly so easy to remold, she wouldn’t have been so desperate to die yesterday.
“Even the simple process of converting true qi into sword qi… I recall that wanton, pleasure-seeking image of myself beneath you.”
“How could someone so inherently promiscuous like me be worthy of holding an upright sword cultivator’s heart…”
From the second time Ye Luqing trained her, the Sword Heart she had long upheld was completely converted into feelings of pleasure and the thrill of moral transgression.
Ye Luqing nodded slightly. Hearing these words from Pei Ruyi, she had already formed a plan in her mind.
She turned Pei Ruyi’s face, forcing her to look directly at her.
The Six Desires Triggering Array silently activated, naturally amplifying Pei Ruyi’s emotions.
“A-Yi, you seem to have misunderstood something.”
“You aren’t inherently promiscuous. You only reveal such an indiscreet side in front of me.”
“As for things like justice, the dignity of a sword cultivator… those were just part of the game between the two of us.”
“I want you to remember: your sword is forever swung for me.”
“Abandon those things that trap you, and remember: your Sword Heart should be anchored upon me.”
Hearing these words, Pei Ruyi’s eyes were filled with confusion.
All her past experience told her this was contrary to the common sense of the Sword Dao. No sword cultivator anchored their Sword Heart onto a “person.”
That was equivalent to handing their life over to someone else.
Even parents, one’s Shizun, or one’s best friend could betray you. Just as she, as a child, was nearly sent by her family to the Southern Sky Sword Sect to be a furnace vessel.
As a sword cultivator, the only ones you could trust were yourself and the sword in your hand.
“A-Yi, look at me.”
Ye Luqing gently cupped Pei Ruyi’s face and said softly, “You just need to remember that I am different from others.”
“To you, I am the most special person. That’s why you reveal that liberated side to me, entrusting everything to me.”
“I forbid you from showing this face to anyone else. If you dare reveal this appearance elsewhere…”
Ye Luqing paused, a morbid flush staining her own face.
“I will kill you myself.”
