Chapter 2: Dual Cultivation

The secret art of Yedu was renowned throughout the Three Realms as the supreme method, said to revive the dead, shatter cultivation bottlenecks, and pave the way to ascension as an immortal. It had been obtained by Yedu’s first lord before the collapse of the Underworld.

But these were nothing more than rumors from the outside world. The true nature of the art was known only to those of the Shang Family.

Lu Shiyuan had once been the pride of her sect, so she had naturally heard whispers of it. Yet even so, upon hearing the words “dual cultivation,” she couldn’t help averting her eyes, her expression turning subtly awkward.

Even though they were both women, the matter felt far too intimate for her tastes. Shang Si had only spoken of their grand wedding beforehand—nothing about this at all.

Lu Shiyuan’s shift in expression was plain to see, and Shang Si immediately discerned her thoughts. With a slight lift of her slender hand, the Gold Bell tinkled crisply. “It’s not what you’re imagining. The term originated in Yedu, but our first Ye Lord happened to apply this method with her spouse, which led later generations to misunderstand.”

In truth, the art was not limited to marital partners, nor did it require any physical intimacy between spouses.

As long as one possessed the technique, it only demanded that their divine senses merge, their minds align perfectly—and most crucially, that they receive the acknowledgment of the Yedu Imperial Vein.

This was also why Shang Si felt confident enough to promise Lu Shiyuan such a stroke of fortune.

She had examined Lu Shiyuan’s damaged Spiritual Root and the deep-seated injuries within her body long ago. With Yedu’s secret art, augmented by a few rare heavenly treasures as catalysts, full recovery would be no problem at all.

Easier said than done, however. For two people with no prior connection to achieve complete harmony of mind and heart was an entirely different challenge.

“Lu Shiyuan.” The secret art faltered for the second time, and Shang Si’s patience was nearly spent. Her elegant brows, shaped like distant mountains, furrowed faintly. This time, she used Lu Shiyuan’s full name, her tone stiff. “If you don’t trust me, there’s nothing I can do to help you.”

Performing the art took little effort on her part, but it did drain her mental energy.

The long night had already passed its midpoint, yet the bedding on the bridal couch—meticulously arranged by the maids—remained neatly folded and untouched.

The two women sat facing each other. A thin sheen of sweat gleamed on Lu Shiyuan’s forehead, and her lovely face had grown considerably paler than before.

Clearly, these two failed attempts had taken a heavy toll on her.

She kept her eyes downcast. At Shang Si’s words, her shoulders trembled faintly twice, her crow-feather lashes casting shadows that hid the emotions in her eyes.

“Let’s call it a night.” Seeing her like this, Shang Si moved to rise.

But—

“Wait, Female Lord!” In a moment of desperation, Lu Shiyuan reached out and clutched at Shang Si’s wedding robe.

The robe was a blazing red, bright and piercing.

Shang Si turned her head, gazing down at her in silence. Her beautiful phoenix eyes carried an oppressive weight when unsmiling—the natural authority of one born to rule.

“Shang Si… can we try just one more time?” Lu Shiyuan’s grip tightened on the fabric, her fingers clenching until her nails bit into her palms.

She bit her vermilion lips and declared firmly, “This time, I know I can do it.”

To fully open one’s spiritual sense was to hand over one’s life and deepest secrets to another. Especially when their cultivations differed so vastly, the weaker party became like a fish on the cutting board, helpless against the blade.

It was only natural to struggle once or twice, but Shang Si had little patience for such things.

Lu Shiyuan knew full well that she was the one begging for help here.

Would Shang Si take her life? What good would it even do?

All those fears were pointless.

“Then… one last try.” The refusal died on her lips, transforming into reluctant agreement.

Somewhat irritably, Shang Si raised her left hand. The crisp chime of the bell rang out once more.

Their spiritual senses unfurled within the chamber, brushed against each other, and merged. This time, it happened smoothly, without the slightest hitch.

Shang Si felt a flicker of surprise but pressed on, channeling the secret art to slowly mend the other’s crippled Spiritual Root.

Even so, when Lu Shiyuan sensed her spiritual sense fully enveloped and nourished by that unfamiliar aura, she couldn’t suppress a soft hum. The sensation was utterly unique—irresistible, yet laced every moment with an undercurrent of overwhelming power and latent threat.

“Shiyuan, don’t be afraid.” Shang Si’s voice echoed in her mind once again.

This was the second time that night she had addressed Lu Shiyuan so intimately.

The clear, cool timbre held a peculiar magic. Stripped of its earlier irritation and impatience, nothing remained but a low, gentle warmth that let Lu Shiyuan relax completely.

Only in that instant did Lu Shiyuan truly grasp the sheer terror of Shang Si’s cultivation. Even at the height of her own power, she would have been utterly insignificant before this Ye Capital Female Sovereign.

The latter half of the night slipped away unnoticed. When Lu Shiyuan awoke the next morning, Shang Si was already gone.

Attended by the maids, she changed clothes and washed up, finally experiencing firsthand the privileges afforded to the Consort of Yedu.

The servants attending her didn’t know whose orders they had received, but last night they had insisted on calling her “Sovereign Consort” and refused to change their tune. Today, however, they all switched to addressing her as “Miss.”

“Liuzhu, where is Shang Si?” After being nourished by Shang Si last night, Lu Shiyuan could clearly sense a subtle shift in her once-worthless spiritual root.

It was only a minor change, but something was better than nothing. Any improvement was welcome, so her mood was excellent. She wanted to thank Shang Si in person once more.

“The Three Realms have been unsettled lately. Earlier, over the matter of the Young Sovereign, the Female Lord flew into a thunderous rage. Then came the massive backlog of state affairs from preparing the grand wedding. She left for Dawn Splendor Hall before dawn today.” Whenever Liuzhu spoke of Shang Si, an inexplicable reverence appeared on her face.

She wasn’t the only one. Everyone in the Imperial City seemed to feel the same, a testament to how deeply their Female Lord was loved.

After finishing, Liuzhu seemed to suddenly remember something. She pulled a pitch-black token from her bosom and handed it to Lu Shiyuan. “Oh, right, Miss—this is the Ye Capital Black Iron Token the Female Lord left for you. She insisted you keep it on your person at all times. If you run into any trouble down the line, just flash it at anyone. Seeing the token is like seeing the Sovereign herself.”

“The Female Lord also said that if you’re feeling bored, Miss, you can take some attendants and wander around Yedu City. Our Yedu is quite lively, you know.”

Lu Shiyuan murmured her agreement, but her clear, bright eyes were fixed on the token in her hand as she examined it closely.

She was far more interested in this token from Shang Si than in going shopping.

seeing the token was like seeing the lord herself—what was that if not the imperial command arrow from all those TV dramas? Flash it anywhere, and whoosh—whoosh—whoosh, down goes a crowd on their knees!!

She had no idea if it would work quite like that, but holding the token gave Lu Shiyuan an odd sense of security, like she had powerful connections watching her back.

Without inspecting it further, she tucked the token away along with the other items Liuzhu had brought, storing them carefully in her spatial ring. Then she turned and asked, “Liuzhu, where were the people from my sect settled?”

~~~

The Ye Capital Female Sovereign’s grand wedding had been arranged in haste, but invitations had still gone out to the heads of the major families.

To outsiders, the match seemed utterly absurd, and it drew no small amount of private criticism across the Three Realms. Only a handful of elders who had lived through the great cataclysm a thousand years ago stirred slightly upon seeing Lu Shiyuan’s portrait, as if they suddenly understood why Shang Si had chosen a powerless mortal as her companion.

Evidently, though, no matter how the rumors swirled, Shang Si paid them no mind. In fact, to spare Lu Shiyuan’s feelings, she had gone so far as to send a gold-embossed wedding invitation directly to her sect, Sword Spirit Sect.

Truth be told, Sword Spirit Sect—a mere second-rate power among cultivation schools—had no business associating with Yedu.

But it was Lu Shiyuan’s home sect, after all.

From Liuzhu, she learned that the sect members had been housed in the East City Guesthouse. Lu Shiyuan left the Imperial City and headed straight east.

It had to be said that Shang Si’s Black Iron Token proved extremely useful. From the Imperial City gates onward, any patrolling guards who stopped her needed only a quick flash of the token, and she passed without hindrance.

Surprisingly, however, the moment Lu Shiyuan flew beyond the Imperial City’s walls, the sound transmission talisman on her body began flashing one message after another.

It was as if the entire Imperial City lay under some restriction that blocked external transmissions. Freed from it, the talisman lit up like a fireworks display.

Glowing dots raced across the paper in a frenzy. Lu Shiyuan tapped the topmost one—

“Senior Sister Lu!”

“We’re in trouble.”

It was her little junior brother’s voice, mingled with the raucous clamor from both ends of the street.

Lu Shiyuan froze for an instant, then gritted her teeth. She channeled her scant spiritual power to her feet and accelerated.

Yedu City was divided into five main districts. The southern and northern quarters teemed with all sorts of shady characters, drawing outsiders eager for under-the-table deals where hidden treasures might turn up.

The west side belonged to Yedu’s longtime residents—venerable old monsters with deep roots, whom no one in their right mind would provoke.

The east side lay closest to the central Imperial City.

This prime area fell under the vigilant watch of the city patrol forces. It housed numerous official residences for entertaining distinguished guests from afar and envoys from the great families.

Lu Shiyuan pushed her spiritual power to its limit, but she still arrived a step too late. By then, the Sword Spirit Sect group had clustered tightly together, shielding their wounded disciples in the center.

Facing them stood just two haughty noble youths in blue robes and jade crowns, their features sharp and flamboyantly handsome. Their most striking feature was a pair of silver pupils, luminous as polished jade.

“Silver Fox Clan.” Lu Shiyuan recognized them at a glance, and her voice turned cold.

One of the men opposite caught her low murmur. He arched a brow and shot her a lazy, teasing glance.

“Shiyuan.” Shen Guang quickly spotted Lu Shiyuan amid the crowd.

Lu Shiyuan pushed her way through the throng and stepped forward to examine the injured disciple’s wounds. Her delicate brows furrowed. “Senior Brother, what happened? Why were you fighting right here in Yedu?”

Shen Guang’s handsome face flushed beet red with rage. “It’s all because of those two stinking foxes! Not long ago, they showed up stirring up trouble and happened to run into one of our sect elders. They took a real beating for it. Today, they spotted us on the street, recognized us, and nursed that grudge. They started mouthing off and provoking us first, then kept harassing us after. We cultivators can’t just swallow an insult like that!”

In his fury, veins bulged across Shen Guang’s forehead.

But before he could even finish speaking, someone reacted faster. A sharp whoosh sliced through the air as the man opposite channeled a surge of profound spiritual power into a razor-sharp blade that hurtled toward them without mercy. “Keep calling us stinking foxes, huh? Looks like you haven’t learned your lesson yet!”

If that strike had landed on Shen Guang, he might not have died, but it would’ve been a close call. Lu Shiyuan reacted on instinct, hurling her personal magic tool to block it.

Moments later, the sound of the tool shattering rang out in midair.

“…” Well, that was the price of using a cheap no-name knockoff.

Lu Shiyuan watched in disbelief as her magic tool disintegrated into powder under the assault, the blade still barreling straight toward her.

But just as the blue glow closed in and she frantically calculated her odds of surviving the hit, a radiant circle of golden spiritual light erupted around her. It repelled the incoming blue energy, then coiled around it, crushing it effortlessly. A stray thread of power broke off and shot straight at the attacker.

It all happened in the blink of an eye. The man, who had been sneering with ruthless arrogance a moment before, had no time to react. The energy slammed into his chest, sending him tumbling to the ground in a heap. He spat out a mouthful of crimson blood.

The crowd fell utterly silent, holding their collective breath in stunned awe.

Soon, someone noticed the golden light had originated from the plain black token hanging at Lu Shiyuan’s waist.

“It’s the Black Iron Token!”

The ghost onlookers surrounding them finally betrayed a flicker of unease upon recognizing it.

At that moment, the crowd parted like a wave, forming a clear path. Rows of black-armored soldiers moved with disciplined precision, swiftly clearing the area.

Their leader strode forward with steady steps, his face concealed behind a fearsome ghost mask. His piercing eagle eyes swept over the scene before locking onto the Silver Fox Clan man who hadn’t lifted a finger yet. “Ling Yuan, your Silver Fox Clan has grown awfully bold lately. Daring to throw hands in Yedu—have you considered the consequences?”

“Just a misunderstanding,” Ling Yuan replied, snapping his fan shut. The lazy smirk finally faded from his face, replaced by a serious expression. “We didn’t mean to; couldn’t pull the strike. Nan Jin, I’m a distinguished guest you invited to Yedu for the ceremony. Sure, Yedu’s strong, but are you really ready to pick a fight with the entire Silver Fox Clan over a handful of mortal do-gooders?”

His words had barely landed when a vast divine sense unfurled from the heart of the Imperial City, blanketing every corner of the city. Everyone instinctively looked skyward.

Nan Jin’s ramrod-straight posture stiffened ever so slightly under the familiar pressure. He tilted his face upward, an inexplicable emotion blooming in his eyes.

Without a word, he glanced toward Lu Shiyuan.

In the next instant, a Sound Transmission Talisman of exceptional quality leaped from Lu Shiyuan’s storage space on its own. The paper talisman hovered in the air, dancing lightly as brilliant runes shimmered around it, awaiting her touch.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Lu Shiyuan reached out to it carefully.

Soon, Shang Si’s ethereal voice emanated from the talisman: “Shiyuan?”