Not long after Pei Yuhang emerged from the secret chamber, his disciple, who had been waiting outside like a flower on a cliff, came forward to greet him.
"Master."
Qing Yueqiu came to Pei Yuhang's side, her pert nose wrinkling slightly. She caught the familiar, elegant scent of tea on him—the same scent as her Mistress. Behind her back, her slender, fair fingers couldn't help but clench tight.
'Master must have just been embracing Mistress... That's right, they're Dao Companions, after all. Isn't it normal for them to hug? Even dual cultivation would be perfectly justified.'
'It's my own filthy thoughts about Master that deserve to be condemned by all.'
Qing Yueqiu's ruby-like pupils dimmed slightly, but she quickly cast her chaotic thoughts aside. She noticed that Pei Yuhang was walking hunched over, his face flushed with an unnatural ruddiness.
'Don't tell me Master just used his Original Spiritual Qi to heal Mistress again?!'
At this thought, Qing Yueqiu rushed to support Pei Yuhang, her voice laced with pain. "Master, your Cultivation has already dropped to the Early-stage Nascent Soul! You really can't keep depleting your own origin to heal Mistress!"
Pei Yuhang was already struggling, continuously chanting the Calming Spell and circulating his Cold Attribute Spiritual Energy to suppress the Evil Yang Fire that was constantly welling up inside him like a spring.
Although suppressing the fire was arduous, he had at least managed to achieve a balance. All he needed to do now was successfully immerse himself in the Cold Earth Spring, and he would likely make it through this ordeal.
That lasted until Qing Yueqiu's body, soft as jade, suddenly pressed against him. Her pure, virginal scent was like a hook cast into Pei Yuhang's senses, stirring the Evil Yang Fire Qi inside him.
This instantly rendered all of Pei Yuhang's previous efforts useless. The balance was shattered on the spot!
The Evil Yang Fire surged to his head, causing a sickly flush to appear on Pei Yuhang's face as two lines of blood trickled from his nose.
Being closest to Pei Yuhang, Qing Yueqiu felt it most acutely. Her Master now felt like a great furnace, melting the age-old frost that never dissipated within the Cold Palace Sword Mansion.
Beyond that… her Master was also emitting a fragrance she had never smelled before. It was an indescribable scent, one that made her head feel groggy and made her want to lose herself in it completely.
"Master… you smell so good…"
'I want to get closer...'
'I want to feel more of the warmth radiating from my Master.'
'I want Master to warm me—'
Qing Yueqiu's eyes glazed over, her long eyelashes trembling. Her body went from actively supporting her Master to her limbs suddenly growing weak, causing her to lean directly into his firm, fiery embrace.
Her consciousness gradually faded. Like a newborn instinctively seeking its mother's milk, she continuously tried to burrow into Pei Yuhang's chest.
But while his good-for-nothing head disciple had lost her senses, he, her master, was still holding on!
"Yueqiu… you, get away! Don't touch me!"
Hunched over, Pei Yuhang pushed Qing Yueqiu's slender body away. His hands flew through a series of seals, activating the Meditation Cold Jade around his neck to clear his mind.
This Meditation Cold Jade was a divine object gifted to Pei Yuhang by his own master. It was specifically meant to suppress the evil fire within his body in emergencies, preventing him from being overwhelmed by lust and turning into a beast.
The originally cyan-white Jade Pendant was gradually tainted with a murky, dark red. The unnatural flush on Pei Yuhang's face began to recede, and clarity returned to his starkly black-and-white eyes.
The special fragrance he emitted, potent enough to stir the lust of any woman in the world, also gradually dissipated.
However, although the fragrance from the Giant Sun Saint Body had dispersed, remnants of it still lingered within Qing Yueqiu.
"Master, why did you push me away… Is it because I did something wrong? Am I not working hard enough?"
Her eyes still glazed over, Qing Yueqiu stumbled back toward him. Her stunning, youthful face was filled with sorrow, and she mumbled infatuated nonsense from her glistening, pink lips.
Pei Yuhang held his disciple's fragrant shoulders, pinched her lips open, and forcibly fed her several detoxifying and mind-clearing Elixirs. He then infused Spiritual Qi into her body to make the medicine take effect quickly throughout her system.
A moment later, clarity returned to Qing Yueqiu's eyes.
"Master, I…"
This famous, cold, and proud Female Sword Cultivator from the younger generation of the Xuanyuan Dao Sect stood there at a loss, like a child who had done something wrong. Overcome with shame, she didn't even dare to meet her Master's gaze.
'Just now… what did I do?!'
'I actually crossed a line and acted so disrespectfully toward Master! And right outside Mistress's secret chamber!'
Qing Yueqiu felt she had wronged her Master, and even more so, her Mistress. 'And something just happened to Mistress not long ago…'
The female disciple, the Flower on the Cliff, was busy criticizing herself. But she didn't notice, or perhaps refused to notice, that deep down, a few threads of sweet, secret joy had actually sprouted.
Pei Yuhang looked at his head disciple, her face a mixture of guilt and shame, and said with a sigh,
"This wasn't your fault. Your Cultivation is limited right now, so it's perfectly normal that you couldn't resist."
Qing Yueqiu hadn't expected her Master to forgive her after she had just acted so offensively, and she breathed a small sigh of relief.
But just then, Pei Yuhang's tone shifted, returning to its usual sternness.
"However, strength is one thing, but willpower is another."
"Sword Cultivators are supposed to be the Cultivators with the most resilient wills. Yueqiu, you are hailed as the foremost figure in Sword Dao among the younger generation of the Xuanyuan Dao Sect! I thought you'd be able to resist it at least a little, but who knew your willpower was so weak that you were devoured by desire in an instant!
And to think you practice the Supreme Heartless Sword Skill! If you're so easily swayed by external influences that it affects your Dao Heart, how can you possibly master the Supreme Heartless Sword!"
Hearing her Master's reprimand, Qing Yueqiu was overwhelmed with shame.
'That's right, what is wrong with me?'
'I had decided to spend the rest of my life only with my sword, to sever all the desires and emotional ties of the Mortal World. Why was I still so easily swayed by desire?'
'Someone like me, how am I worthy of even mentioning my Master's name to others!'
Seeing Qing Yueqiu seriously reflecting, Pei Yuhang suddenly said, "Yueqiu, actually, from what I've known of you growing up, the path of the Supreme Heartless Sword isn't right for you.
You may intentionally hide your emotions, but I know you are not an indifferent person. While your Sword Dao is still in its infancy, it would actually be better for you to switch to another path."
"If I don't practice the Supreme Heartless Sword, does that mean Master will introduce me to a Dao Companion in the future…?"
"I won't proactively interfere in your love life. I believe the fate of a Dao Companion is destined by the heavens."
"But seeing you all alone, your Mistress will probably try to arrange something for you…"
"Then I won't switch. I'm going to practice the Supreme Heartless Sword."
'I have no desire to find anyone else to be my Dao Companion.'
Qing Yueqiu thought stubbornly.
"Alright. Since it's your choice, you must prepare yourself to be supremely heartless, lest you birth a Dao Heart Demon later on.
You may go and cultivate for now."
As Pei Yuhang spoke, he stood up, still hunched over.
Seeing her Master still hunched, Qing Yueqiu couldn't help but ask, "Master, why are you walking hunched over?"
"…It's because I suffered a small internal injury while healing your Mistress. But don't worry, it's not a fundamental injury, just a minor one. I'll be fine after a soak in the Cold Earth Spring."
At this, Pei Yuhang suddenly looked at Qing Yueqiu with a serious expression.
"Yueqiu, you must keep what happened today a secret. Especially from your Mistress…"
"Yes, Yueqiu understands."
Qing Yueqiu nodded, a small flicker of joy igniting in her heart. She finally had a secret that belonged only to her and her Master!