Chapter 10: Dual Cultivation Technique

The next day, when Sang Ying woke up, the room was already empty, leaving only her alone. Outside, dusk had already fallen.

Her constitution was weak, requiring long periods of sleep to recover her energy. She usually enjoyed sleeping in. Last night, her menstrual period didn’t cause any pain, but she had been running around all day and was exhausted. Unsurprisingly, she ended up sleeping the entire day.

Xie Lingyu hadn’t woken her and had gone out alone, likely to investigate outside. A Restrictive Barrier had been set up outside the door, preventing outsiders from entering and her from leaving.

Sang Ying freshened up and changed her clothes.

While combing her hair, she raised her hand and once again saw the red mark on her wrist. Compared to yesterday, it seemed to have deepened in color, resembling a bright red berry.

Sang Ying found it strange. Had she bumped into something again yesterday?

On the table, a warm meal and medicinal soup were waiting. Having little appetite, Sang Ying picked at the food casually while holding the medicine bowl. As she drank, she took out the Glazed Mirror.

She had been drinking this medicine since she was twelve. Its taste was extremely bitter. At first, she was always reluctant in various ways, but over time, she gradually grew accustomed to the flavor and could even detect a hint of unique sweetness in its aftertaste.

The lockdown in Bei Yuan had been lifted. Sang Ying contacted Lengmian. As the head of the Wan Tong Merchant Guild had said, Lengmian was taken away by the Immortal Alliance upon arriving at the Yunshui Merchant Guild’s branch in Bei Yuan and was still detained there for investigation. The same applied to the Wan Tong and Xing Xiao Merchant Guilds.

After hearing Sang Ying’s account of yesterday’s events, Lengmian asked: 【So, these two merchant guilds are the masterminds behind this?】

Sang Ying: 【No. The dog that bites doesn’t bark.】

Among the three rival merchant guilds, the only one that hadn’t taken advantage of the situation to kick them while they were down was the Jin Xiu Merchant Guild, which, like Yunshui, primarily relied on Spirit Network sales channels.

Lengmian: 【Young Miss, there’s something I’ve been curious about for a long time. Why haven’t you told Sword Lord about the merchant guild’s affairs? For instance, with this incident, given Sword Lord’s reputation and a little manipulation, the merchant guild wouldn’t have been mired in negative public opinion, and you wouldn’t have had to work so hard.】

Sang Ying: 【Don’t worry about it. I have my own pace.】

Lengmian: 【Alright. Then, Young Miss, have you given away the Sword Tassel yet?】

Sang Ying: 【……】

Sang Ying ended the conversation.

As the saying goes, fortunes change over time—don’t underestimate a young woman’s potential. Before returning to the Wu Wen Sect to reclaim the position of sect leader in one fell swoop, she naturally had to lie low and conceal her strength. That was why she had founded the Yunshui Merchant Guild under an assumed name.

However… Sang Ying awkwardly averted her gaze. The initial reason she hadn’t told Xie Lingyu was that she felt it would be too embarrassing if she failed, so she wanted to wait until she had achieved something before telling him.

And then… the reputation of the head of the Yunshui Merchant Guild became that of a greedy, profit-driven, and ruthless old woman. Sang Ying found it incredibly difficult to bring it up, so she kept putting it off until now.

Sang Ying fell silent. She would tell Xie Lingyu when she had managed to improve her image a little.

After finishing the medicine, Xie Lingyu still hadn’t returned. Sang Ying lay back on the bed and opened the chat group she had joined earlier.

Over the past two days, they had chatted quite a bit. Cave Master Cai Xia’s story about catching her friend’s husband cheating had a follow-up. Both women wanted to divorce their husbands and had teamed up to expose the two male cultivators’ fraudulent marriages on the Spirit Network. Now, they were being widely criticized and condemned.

White Cat Swordsman was still searching for Sang Biao and had posted many messages in the group.

【Yesterday, a fairy from Yaochi pointed me in the right direction. I followed the trail and actually discovered a shady beast farm that specializes in capturing spirit beasts for breeding. I’ve already arrived at the entrance. I’m going in now to save Mimi!】

Sang Ying glanced at Sang Biao, who was happily chatting with a little female cat under a selfie avatar, and added Sang Biao to the group.

Sang Biao: 【Meow meow meow, what group is this?】

White Cat Swordsman instantly sent a message: 【Mimi! Don’t be afraid, I’ll protect your chastity!】

Sang Biao: 【What Mimi? I’m not Mimi, Wang Dasha, you’ve got the wrong person!】

White Cat Swordsman: 【Impossible, I’d recognize those two stubborn tufts of fur on your ears even if they turned to ashes. Wait, Mimi, you’re not at the black-hearted beast farm… Two minutes ago, a photo in the Daoist circle was geotagged at the Thousand Carp Pond in the Demon Realm. I’ll be right there!】

Sang Biao: 【!!!】

The man and the cat stopped talking, clearly playing another round of cat-and-mouse. The others in the group moved on to other topics, but Cave Master Cai Xia singled out Sang Ying: 【Daoist Sleepyhead, good evening】

This account was Sang Ying’s private one, and her username, Sleepyhead, was something she had casually chosen.

However, the group members thought it was her Daoist title and greeted her accordingly.

Hermit Tian Hu: 【Daoist Sleepyhead, good evening】

Delivery Heavenly Venerable: 【Sleep, good】

Daoist Bukong: 【+1】

Bixu Child: 【Daoist, your Daoist title shares a certain resonance with one of the seniors in this group. Perhaps you two would get along quite well @True Monarch Eternal Slumber】

True Monarch Eternal Slumber: 【Zzz (auto-reply)】

Sang Ying: “…”

Cave Master Cai Xia: 【Daoist Sleepyhead, how are things with your husband?】

After Sang Ying accidentally sent that message last time, the group had shared plenty of advice and analysis, but Sang Ying had been too busy to check.

Cave Master Cai Xia: 【I still stand by what I said: if you’ve been married for three years and still insist on sleeping in separate rooms, he’s either impotent or gay】

Hermit Tian Hu: 【Agreed】

Delivery Heavenly Venerable: 【Makes sense】

Daoist Bukong: 【+1】

Stock-Buying Demon Emperor: 【I don’t think so. Based on my years of reading experience, this is usually the typical opening of a “marriage first, love later” type of story—get married first, then develop feelings】

Hermit Tian Hu: 【Agreed】

Delivery Heavenly Venerable: 【Makes sense】

Daoist Bukong: 【+1】

Cave Master Cai Xia: 【…Which side are you fence-sitters on, anyway?】

Delivery Heavenly Venerable: 【Ah, Daoist Cai Xia, we just think all possibilities are plausible. Mainly, we haven’t heard the specifics from the Daoist in question, so we can only guess blindly】

Hermit Tian Hu: 【Agreed】

Daoist Bukong: 【+1】

After reading these chat logs, Sang Ying stared at the Stock-Buying Demon Emperor’s words, her ears tingling slightly with warmth.

She typed slowly: 【Actually, we used to be senior brother and junior sister.】

Stock-Buying Demon Emperor: 【What, childhood sweethearts too!】

Cave Master Cai Xia: 【Hold off on the fangirling for a moment. Daoist Sleepyhead, did you and your husband have feelings for each other and confess before getting married, or…?】

Sang Ying paused: 【I don’t know. We got married due to certain circumstances. After the wedding, he still calls me junior sister, and our relationship hasn’t changed from before.】

Cave Master Cai Xia immediately saw through Sang Ying’s feelings. Although she didn’t know the exact reason for their marriage, since they were already married, with Sang Ying’s personality, if she liked him, she should boldly try to pursue it.

So she said: 【Since you don’t know, then find a way to get the answer! Start with the separate sleeping arrangement issue—whether he’s impotent or gay, you’ll know once you test it.】

The other group members chimed in agreement.

Sang Ying had been puzzled by this phrase for a long time. It always sounded like it wasn’t something good. After hesitating for a moment, she still asked: 【What does “not capable” mean? And what is “cut sleeve”?】

The lively group suddenly fell silent.

Sang Ying grew a little nervous. Had she asked something wrong?

Cave Master Cai Xia took a deep breath. Just from these few sentences in their chat, Sang Ying had already formed the image of an innocent, inexperienced little sister in her mind.

She was completely different from the seasoned veterans in this group! She had to protect her properly and make sure these group friends who loved to talk nonsense would tone it down in the future.

She coughed and carefully chose her words: 【”Cut sleeve” refers to when a male cultivator’s romantic orientation is not toward female cultivators, but toward male cultivators of the same gender. It can also be called the “dragon yang preference.”】

Sang Ying understood—this was what Cave Master Cai Xia’s friend had experienced.

She had grown up on Minghua Mountain, surrounded only by a few senior brothers and speechless Talisman People. They had never spoken to her about such things.

After leaving Minghua Mountain, she married Xie Lingyu. In the three years since their marriage, she had been busy with the merchant guild’s affairs. Jingxi was gentle and reserved, while Lengmian spoke little. Neither of them were the type to chat with her about such gossip.

Sang Ying: 【Then how can you tell?】

Cave Master Cai Xia: 【Simple. Male cultivators with the “cut sleeve” preference have no interest in female cultivators and dislike intimate contact with them. You can tell just by interacting with him a little.】

Sang Ying recalled Xie Lingyu’s expression when they hugged last night. He didn’t seem disgusted. Thinking about it carefully, it was he who had suggested the method. If he disliked contact with female cultivators, he wouldn’t have brought it up.

So Sang Ying decisively answered that he was not.

Cave Master Cai Xia: 【Good, that eliminates one possibility. Then only the other one remains.】

The Glazed Mirror chimed—Cave Master Cai Xia had sent a private message. It was a voice message, her voice lowered and gentle.

【Um, little sister, do you know what Dual Cultivation is?】

Sang Ying: 【It sounds like a cultivation technique?】

【…Well, yes, that’s right. But unlike ordinary cultivation techniques, it requires one man and one woman to practice together. I’ll send you a Dual Cultivation manual. It has some… explanations inside. You’ll probably understand after reading it.】

Cave Master Cai Xia’s voice sounded hesitant. Puzzled, Sang Ying opened the images and text she had sent. A few seconds later, her little face flushed bright red.

…For the same reasons mentioned above, none of the people Sang Ying knew would talk to her about things like “cut sleeve,” let alone Dual Cultivation.

She had been very young when she married—a forced decision due to circumstances. Given the special situation, it was even less likely that anyone would teach her about such matters between men and women.

With a flushed face, Sang Ying skimmed through the manual. She was innocent but not foolish, and she quickly understood: 【So what you meant earlier by “sharing a room” is actually…】

【Yes, after a couple marries, they consummate their marriage through Dual Cultivation. This is the other situation I wanted to tell you about. Not all male cultivators are capable of Dual Cultivation. In this world, some male cultivators are “not capable.”】

Sang Ying touched her burning cheeks: 【”Not capable”?】

【That’s right. Male cultivators are naturally abundant in Yang Qi. Those who are “not capable” suffer from impotence. Such men show no reaction even when repeatedly teased or provoked by female cultivators.】

【So what you need to do is seduce him,

tease him, and see if he reacts. That way, you can determine whether he is one or not.】

The door suddenly swung open, startling Sang Ying. She fumbled to turn off the Glazed Mirror and shoved it under her pillow, then turned to look at the boy who had entered.

“X-Xie Lingyu, you’re back.”

The girl was flustered, her face tinged with an unusual blush.

Xie Lingyu frowned, walked over, and reached out to touch her forehead. “Did you catch a chill yesterday?”

Sang Ying was taken aback. “I’m not sick! It’s just… just a bit stuffy in here.”

Xie Lingyu examined her carefully and, confirming she hadn’t caught a cold, withdrew his hand. Standing so close, he took a clear look at the girl before him, and his gaze suddenly sharpened.

Her eyes were misty, glazed with a hazy moisture. She slightly turned her head away, avoiding his gaze.

Under the soft glow by the bedside, her slender, pale neck was exposed, utterly defenseless. A few strands of hair fell loosely, and her skin carried a faint pink hue, trailing down along the curve of her neck… Xie Lingyu abruptly averted his eyes and stood up.

“I’ll open the window.”

Sang Ying turned back and stole a glance at his retreating figure. Could Xie Lingyu… be incapable?

Maybe… she should give it a try?