After dozens of attempts, Deng Tianyu had finally fully mastered the terrifying speed of 【Soaring Tempest】. However, he still hadn’t comprehended that Kun Peng Dao Charm from it.
According to his speculation, comprehending this Dao Charm would require him to reach the King-Sealing Realm and gain some mastery over the spatial power of Heaven and Earth before he could progress further.
By now, the white at the edge of the sky had vanished, the curtain of night slowly taking its place.
After cultivating for a while longer, Deng Tianyu prepared to go to Xiaoxiang Elegant Garden for his daily routine of helping Aunt Rong refine the Baleful Yang Energy within the Sleep-Sealing Curse Mark inside her body.
“Ying~ Ying!”
Just then, a snowy-white figure darted out from the herb garden and instantly burrowed into his arms, extending a tiny pink tongue to lick his face.
Deng Tianyu asked: “You want to come too?”
“Ying~ Ying!” The Little Fox nodded her head like a chick pecking at grain.
She had long since noticed that whenever Deng Tianyu went out at this time, he was generally heading to Xiaoxiang Elegant Garden.
Therefore, she would always tag along to find Hongxue, Moxue, and Bai Zhi to play!
Deng Tianyu smiled at this and didn’t refuse. He rubbed the Little Fox’s furry little head, summoned his Dharma Boat, and headed towards Xuan City.
Bathed in the cool night breeze, they arrived at Xiaoxiang Elegant Garden in no time.
The moment they entered, the Little Fox Yingying jumped from Deng Tianyu’s arms and ran inside with practiced ease, clearly heading off to find the two little ones and Bai Zhi.
Deng Tianyu passed through the long corridor and entered the inner courtyard. As he walked beside the waterside pavilion, he spotted Aunt Rong’s figure.
The current her was dressed in a snow-white palace gown, her long hair pinned up. A breathtakingly beautiful smile lingered on her lips. Her slender fingers flipped through the Cloud Carved Stone Album on the table.
When the light in front of her was blocked by a shadow, she finally raised her head and met a pair of warm, gentle eyes.
Deng Tianyu sat down and called out softly: “Aunt Rong!”
Qu Qirong cast a gentle glance at him and handed over the Cloud Carved Stone Album: “Tianyu, you came at just the right time. Take a look at this stone album!”
Deng Tianyu took it and began flipping through.
As the pages turned, one could see the scenes inside change like a revolving lantern.
And the people inside were only two.
One was him, the other was Aunt Rong.
Everything the two of them had experienced, as he flipped through the stone pages, felt like reliving it all over again, evoking a warm, sweet feeling.
But as he flipped further, only his figure remained in the stone album’s illustrations. Aunt Rong’s was not there.
Deng Tianyu smiled slightly, remembering his earlier promise to Aunt Rong to complete it. He began to use the 【Cloud Carved Stone Carving】 technique.
As graceful, moving outlines took form one after another, beside the youth’s figure on the stone pages, the silhouette of an elegant, refined, and mature noblewoman quickly appeared.
At times she smiled gently, at other times she pursed her bright, alluring red lips with a look of doting.
In her eyes was only his reflection. Within his eyes was also the reflection of her face.
The stone pages were soon filled in completely, from their journey to West Rime Lake, to the incident at Cosmos Sect…
After a long while, Deng Tianyu looked at the mature beauty before him and said: “Aunt Rong, it’s done!”
A shimmering, watery light swirled within Qu Qirong’s beautiful eyes. She took the Cloud Carved Stone Album and began to slowly flip through it.
As the stone pages turned, the smile on that breathtakingly beautiful face grew increasingly radiant.
Qu Qirong’s ivory-white finger paused on a blank page of the stone album and said softly: “Tianyu, everything in this stone album was carved after you and I experienced it.”
“I want to try a different way of carving.”
Deng Tianyu was puzzled for only a moment before understanding: “Aunt Rong, do you mean carving simultaneously while you and I are experiencing something?”
“Mm.” Qu Qirong nodded, her gaze burning brightly as she looked at him.
Deng Tianyu pondered briefly. His gaze shifted from the waterside pavilion to the outside, towards the endless night sky, then back to the small lake in front of the pavilion. An idea immediately sprang to mind.
“Aunt Rong, have you had your evening meal?”
“Not yet!”
Deng Tianyu suggested with a smile: “That works out perfectly. We can change locations for our meal!”
Qu Qirong was a bit puzzled: “Change to where?”
Under Aunt Rong’s curious gaze, Deng Tianyu prepared his Dharma Boat and placed it on the small lake.
He then placed a small table on it, went to the kitchen, and personally prepared a few exquisite dishes.
Leaning into the beautiful night scenery, the two sat facing each other on the Dharma Boat and began their evening meal.
After a few cups of Peach Blossom Wine, Qu Qirong’s beautiful face was slightly flushed, like a flawless piece of warm, lustrous jade: “Does Tianyu want to depict this scene?”
This was her first time dining in the middle of the small lake. It truly had a unique flavor.
Hearing this, Deng Tianyu didn’t answer directly, but instead said: “Aunt Rong, try lying down to look.”
“Lie down?”
Qu Qirong was briefly stunned, but still did as her Tianyu said, lying down on a prepared mat nearby.
Now, lifting her eyes to gaze up…
The Starry River rippled brilliantly. A bright moon hung high, dotted by glittering stars that shone with a soft, intoxicating radiance.
As a streak of clear moonlight spilled down, the lake’s surface became a smooth mirror, perfectly reflecting the dazzling stars and bright moon.
Qu Qirong stared, entranced by the shimmering Starry River. An unusual radiance rippled in her beautiful eyes.
Seeing this, Deng Tianyu moved aside the small table with the dishes and lay down beside her.
He then took out the Cloud Carved Stone Album and said: “Aunt Rong, we can start carving now!”
“Mm!”
Qu Qirong responded subconsciously, leaning against her Tianyu’s shoulder. Her brows and eyes held a smile as she began to carve.
But shortly after she started, she realized something was missing and looked towards the person beside her.
Deng Tianyu understood her meaning. He reached out and held her delicate, boneless hand, then began to carve that shimmering Starry River!
The tip of her nose filled with her Tianyu’s scent. Feeling his heartbeat, Qu Qirong’s heart felt wrapped in tenderness, causing her to drown in the feeling.
Under their joint, concerted effort, the boundless, endless Starry River, that cold, clear bright moon, the stars dotting the night sky, and the lake’s water mirror reflecting everything gradually emerged onto the stone page.
After they carved each other’s figures, Deng Tianyu picked up a brush and wrote on the stone page: 【Drunk, I know not the sky is in the water; A boat full of clear dreams presses upon the starry river.】
Gazing at this incredibly fitting line of verse, Qu Qirong turned her head. Her hazy gaze rested on her Tianyu’s profile, speechless for a long while.
“Aunt Rong, the carving is done!”
Just then, Deng Tianyu finished the final strokes. He turned his head to look at the mature, elegant woman beside him.
In the next instant, a scene that felt familiar occurred once more.
Their lips pressed together at some point. The warm breaths from each other’s noses brushed against the other’s cheek.
Qu Qirong’s expression was dazed, ripples stirring in her heart. Her slender fingers clutched Deng Tianyu’s clothes as she responded with deep emotion.
This wasn’t her first kiss with her Tianyu, but it was the first time they kissed in such a beautifully poetic environment.
At this very moment, as their lips and teeth intertwined, both Deng Tianyu and Qu Qirong felt as if they were eating sweet preserves, a sweetness permeating deep into their hearts.
She tried to blend the tender affection in her heart into this kiss, exchanging the feelings belonging to each of them, letting the other clearly sense them…
