“To me, Shizun has long been family, just like my Mother Consort.”
Already turned into a sandwich biscuit, surrounded by rich, milky fragrance, Deng Tianyu’s voice came out muffled.
As he said, Shizun was an incredibly special existence to him, so special that almost no one could take her place.
“Tianyu is so greedy!”
“Treating me as both Shizun and Mother Consort this whole time!”
The warm breath struck her full chest, causing Ning Wan’s peach-blossom-like face to flush red.
Though she spoke this way, she actively placed Deng Tianyu’s hands around her graceful waist and hugged him even tighter.
“Mother Consort wants to hear Tianyu call out to me!”
“Mother Consort!”
“Call me again!”
“Mother Consort!”
Ning Wan’s beautiful eyes were brimming with intense maternal love. The special feeling in her heart was being satisfied in a peculiar way, and she wished she could melt Deng Tianyu right into her own body.
Although it was comfortable, surviving in the tight space was difficult, so Deng Tianyu had to speak up: “A little hard to breathe!”
“Tianyu feels so comfortable to hug!”
“Just like a piece of warm jade. Mother Consort wants to hold you like this for a lifetime. Is that okay?”
Lightly sniffing the familiar scent, Ning Wan released Deng Tianyu’s head. Her refined, delicate nose gently rubbed against the tip of his nose, her sensual red lips parting slightly as she breathed out a scent like orchids.
“If that is what Mother Consort wants!” Deng Tianyu smiled and nodded!
As a filial son, what was this small request?
“Tianyu is so filial. Mother Consort will give you a gift!”
Seeing her own reflection in those clear, gentle eyes, Ning Wan’s heart trembled. She softly pecked his lips and then took a Jade Slip from her Storage Ring, placing it in his hand.
Deng Tianyu took the Jade Slip, somewhat puzzled. “What is this?”
Ning Wan explained, “While Tianyu was refining in the Spirit Treasure Pavilion, Mother Consort saw a unique divine ability at the auction house. It will be very useful for you!”
“Tianyu, you can use your Divine Soul to enter the Jade Slip. Then you’ll know what’s so special about this divine ability!”
“A divine ability useful for me?” Deng Tianyu was taken aback.
Then, under the watery, meaningful gaze of Ning Wan, he sent his Divine Soul into the Jade Slip.
Instantly, streams of text coalesced into long rainbows and merged into his mind.
And the name of this divine ability was revealed at this moment: ‘Primordial Yang Reflux Art‘!
At first glance, this divine ability sounded a bit off, even improper.
But in reality… it was indeed off!
‘Primordial Yang Reflux Art,’ as its name implied, was a divine ability allowing the Primordial Yang to flow back. Of course, what flowed back wasn’t the sticky substance itself, but rather, by locking in the Primal Yang Essence contained within, it achieved a reflux effect.
For ordinary people, this divine ability was practically useless. But for those who cultivated special techniques where they absolutely couldn’t lose their Primordial Yang, it was an extremely precious treasure!
Coincidentally, Deng Tianyu fell exactly into the category of ‘those who cultivate special techniques.’
“Tianyu, you must diligently cultivate this divine ability. Mother Consort will check your progress regularly.”
“If Tianyu slacks off, there will be corresponding punishments!”
Seeing him open his eyes, clearly having gained some insight, Ning Wan’s red lips lightly landed near his neck, and she whispered seductively.
That warm, moist breath made Deng Tianyu’s body involuntarily shudder.
Truth be told, he actually “resisted” this kind of improper divine ability deep down.
As for why he would cultivate it, there were two reasons.
First: He did not want to disappoint Ning Wan’s kind intentions.
Second: He was embarking on this exploration with a critical mindset.
At this moment, Ning Wan faced forward, letting Deng Tianyu wrap his arms around her waist from behind. She then reached out her slender hands and held the backs of his hands.
Through the gaps between their fingers, their hands were tightly woven together, feeling each other’s warmth.
A gentle breeze blew past, lifting Ning Wan’s long, dark hair. Deng Tianyu could smell the delicate fragrance of her hair.
In this scene, a classic movie scene from his previous life surfaced in his mind.
In the movie, the male and female leads were on a cruise ship, facing a boundless ocean.
Now, the male and female leads were him and Ning Wan, on a Dharma Boat, facing a beautiful night sky dotted with stars and the moon.
……
Meanwhile, inside the Spirit Treasure Pavilion.
“Knock! Knock!”
“Enter!”
The door at the very end of the corridor was knocked on, and a melodious voice came from within.
The attendant Qing’er walked in holding a Jade Slip and bowed respectfully:
“Madam, a Transmission Jade Slip for you from the clan!”
Qu Qirong, who was reading a book, furrowed her brows and took the Jade Slip.
A long while later, she raised her head, a look of sarcasm on her face:
“As expected, I am nothing more than a tool for the clan to obtain profit!”
The content inside was simple. Because her nominal husband had died, the two factions—the Tongbao Merchant Guild and the Mysterious Spirit Sect—had been at odds for over twenty years, causing severe internal friction.
Now, the two factions had reached a consensus: a competition would be held to determine the new Sect Leader.
The competition for Sect Leader was divided into two parts!
The first part was a contest of commerce.
In the eyes of the two factions, a major reason the Spirit Treasure Sect could stand firm in the cultivation world and grow increasingly powerful was its financial strength.
Therefore, the first contest would have each faction choose one of its industries to represent them in a commercial duel.
The rules of the duel were simple: with a one-month time limit, whichever side earned the greatest profit for the sect would be the victor.
Naturally, the clan had set its sights on Qu Qirong, who possessed commercial talent, to plan things from behind the scenes.
The reason it had to be behind the scenes was simply because her status as the “Sect Master’s Wife” was too sensitive.
“Back then, to stabilize the relationship between the two factions, my lifelong happiness was traded away like cargo.”
“Now, for this struggle over the Sect Leader position, they want me to contribute again. How ironic.”
“Is this what they call familial affection?”
Qu Qirong felt a profound sense of sorrow in her heart.
She was unwilling and didn’t want to spend her entire life being a chess piece that only benefited the family.
Because once she could no longer create value, she would definitely be discarded, or once again traded away as goods.
Back then, even though her nominal, never-before-seen husband had died unexpectedly, she still had to marry his spirit tablet. How utterly desolate and miserable was that?
If she didn’t want history to repeat itself, she had to seize power!
But she was just a woman with shallow cultivation. Before a powerful clan, what waves could she possibly stir?
A long while later, Qu Qirong suppressed the thoughts in her heart and looked at the attendant Qing’er. Her crimson lips parted:
“Qing’er, starting tomorrow, have all the Spirit Wood obtained from that Secret Realm refined into ‘Deeply Rooted Affection’ and ‘Tender Affection.'”
“Second, purchase large quantities of the materials needed to refine ‘Unyielding Devotion’ from all cities in Youzhou. Also, accelerate the pace of its refinement.”
“Yes, Madam!” Qing’er acknowledged and turned to leave the room.
After the attendant left, Qu Qirong opened the Jade Slip. Using her finger as a pen, she wrote upon it:
“This consort can agree to participate in this commercial struggle and can guarantee victory, but on one condition.”
“From this day forward, all Spirit Treasure Pavilions within Xuan City will be handed over to this consort to manage!”
“If you do not agree, speak no more of this matter!”
She believed the clan would agree to this condition, because this struggle over the Sect Leader position was far too important—important enough that the clan would pay any price for it.
And as long as she controlled these industries in Youzhou, she could cultivate people loyal to her and finally grasp a certain degree of influence!
