Chapter 55: Coaxing Sister Bao to Take the Initiative in Dual Cultivation

As soon as these words were spoken, the various sect leaders and family heads of the Cultivation World were stunned.

Regarding Sang Ying, they actually had some impression of her—the daughter left behind by the former sect leader of the Wu Wen Sect, lacking talent for cultivation, frail and sickly, living in seclusion on the mountain year-round, rarely seen by others.

After Sang Jing Ming’s death, this sickly daughter became an object of contention for everyone. No one could forget the large-scale marriage proposals that took place three years ago.

Three years ago, under the protection of the former Immortal Alliance leader, Bai Lao, this daughter married Sang Jing Ming’s personal disciple and subsequently vanished without a trace. No one even knew where she lived.

Although the Wu Wen Sect currently had no sect leader, everyone understood that the Grand Elder had long taken full control of the sect, his status no different from that of a sect leader.

None of those present had expected that Sang Jing Ming’s sickly daughter would be the mysterious head behind the Yunshui Merchant Guild and would also have significant connections with both the Demon Realm and the Devil Realm.

Even less had they expected her to return three years later to vie for the position of sect leader of the Wu Wen Sect.

But then…

What did this have to do with them?

Holding the mindset of staying aloof from matters that didn’t concern them, the other sect leaders and family heads present remained utterly silent, their Spiritual Sense focused entirely on Grand Elder Xu Bin and Sang Ying, waiting to watch the drama unfold.

The Grand Elder remained silent for a few seconds before raising his head. His eyes beneath his brows were dark and sharp, yet they stared vacantly into the air. “So it’s Little Sang. It’s been years since we last met. Has your health improved?”

Sang Ying replied, “Thank you for your concern, Elder. I’ve recovered quite a bit over the past few years.”

The Grand Elder swept his Spiritual Sense over her and nodded. “Eighth Layer of Foundation Establishment. Not bad.”

Those around them stroked their chins thoughtfully. Previously, it was said that her talent was poor and entirely unsuited for cultivation, but looking at her now, she didn’t seem so bad after all.

The Grand Elder shifted the topic. “However, Little Sang, cultivators with such a cultivation base are a dime a dozen in the Cultivation World. There are countless who are more powerful than you, and even many disciples within the sect have a higher cultivation base than yours. If you were to take over the sect now, I’m afraid it would be difficult to gain the respect of the masses.”

Sang Ying remained neither humble nor arrogant. “Grand Elder, in my humble opinion, managing a sect relies on wisdom, the ability to handle affairs, and competence, not brute force. Throughout history, those sects that relied solely on brute force to establish themselves have long since vanished without a trace.”

The Grand Elder stared at her intently for several breaths, but Sang Ying showed no fear.

After a long while, he suddenly smiled. “Little Sang has indeed grown up and matured a great deal. In that case, you shall take charge of this matter. At my age, it’s time for me to rest.”

“Baishen, you’ve been staying within the sect these past few years and are more familiar with its affairs. You shall assist Little Sang in handling this incident together.”

Behind him, Xu Baishen nodded. “Yes.”

Sang Ying was taken aback, not expecting things to go so smoothly. With just a few words, the Grand Elder had already delegated authority to her.

With the Wu Wen Sect issue resolved, the rest proceeded much more smoothly. The other sect leaders and family heads signed the peace treaty one after another.

According to Sang Ying’s plan, the Demon Realm would provide medicinal ingredients, the Cultivation World would refine the medicine, and the Devil Realm would supply manpower. The medicine would be transported using the merchant guild’s venues and routes.

The matter of the medicine was temporarily settled, but the root problem remained unresolved.

The urgent task at hand was how to detoxify the contaminated spiritual veins underground. Additionally, who was the mastermind behind this? This also needed to be investigated.

However, these were not issues that could be resolved immediately. The meeting was temporarily adjourned, to be continued at a later time.

Devil Lord Wei Yao pushed his son in front of Sang Ying, saying, “Whatever manpower or help you need, just let this kid handle it. He’s been idle lately with nothing to do, so put him to work more often—it’ll keep him from tearing the house apart.”

With that, he vanished in a flash, leaving no trace behind, likely off fishing somewhere again.

Sang Ying didn’t mind. She had only intended to borrow some help from him based on the favor she owed from last time, and his appearance alone was already a generous gesture.

Wei Li clicked his tongue, crossing his arms as he turned to look at Sang Ying and Xie Lingyu beside her. His gaze fell on their clasped hands, and he made a disgusted expression.

“You two are together now, fine, but do you have to be so clingy?”

Sang Ying was taken aback, only then realizing they were still holding hands. Her ears flushed red, and she quickly let go. Beside her, the young man frowned almost imperceptibly.

Just as Wei Li was about to speak again, a sudden chill crept up his spine. He glanced up at the young man and was instantly reminded of the sword wound he’d received earlier, freezing stiff.

“Ah, well—you need manpower, right? I’ll go find more people. See you later—”

With the Devil Lord gone, the others also relaxed and began to disperse.

Xu Baishen walked over, smiling gently. “Junior Sister Sang.”

Sang Ying’s feelings toward Xu Baishen had softened considerably; she no longer felt as hostile toward him.

During the tree demon timeline last time, he had been in the same timeline as her and hadn’t attacked her. Instead, he had helped her a great deal.

Just as Sang Ying was about to speak, the young man beside her spoke calmly, “Thank you, Fellow Daoist Xu, for looking after my wife in the secret realm last time.”

Xu Baishen was momentarily stunned, then chuckled. “So you have a proper title now, not just a lover?”

Xie Lingyu replied calmly, “My wife has a playful nature. Please forgive her.”

Sang Ying: “…”

Just that one time—did he really have to keep bringing it up to torment her?

Sang Ying covered her face, coughing lightly. “Well, Senior Brother Xu, let’s discuss the important matters.”

Xu Baishen also grew serious. “Yes, Junior Sister Sang. The current situation in the sect is like this…”

Another half-month passed, and the first batch of medicine to seal the qi meridians was successfully refined. Following Sang Ying’s plan, it was distributed to the poisoned cultivators.

Some issues arose along the way—remote areas with unfamiliar terrain made transportation difficult. Just as they were worrying, the two established merchant guilds proactively shared their years of transportation experience and sent their own workers to assist locally.

It was then that Sang Ying realized that while shopping on the Spirit Network was indeed convenient and fast, physical merchant guilds were also indispensable.

In many remote areas, the Spirit Network was not widely accessible for various reasons, making physical guilds essential for providing daily necessities and goods to these people.

Sang Ying lowered her gaze, deep in thought.

Was this why Jin Xiu Merchant Guild, which had always been at odds with Yun Shui, continued to support the established guilds?

Finally done with her tasks, Sang Ying returned early today. As soon as she entered Xie Lingyu’s room, she heard the sound of water.

Sang Ying paused, then walked into the inner chamber. Behind the screen, a faint shadow was visible, dragon horns glimmering with light, and a Dragon Tail resting beside the bathtub.

…Was Xie Lingyu bathing?

Sang Ying had no habit of peeking at others while they bathed, so she turned to head back to the couch. But then she suddenly heard him cough twice, muffled, as if sinking deeper into the water.

Sang Ying suddenly noticed there was no steam rising in the air. Instead, she felt a faint chill. Worried, she hurried over and peered around the screen.

The young man leaned in the bathtub, his snow-white inner robe soaked and clinging to his body. One hand rested over his eyes, revealing a pale half-face.

Sensing her approach, he lowered his hand, his vacant dark eyes turning toward her, and let out a soft laugh. “Is my junior sister now so brazen about watching others bathe?”

Sang Ying ignored his remark, walked over, and reached her hand into the water. The biting chill made her shiver involuntarily.

Immediately, anger flared. She pulled him out of the bathtub and draped a blanket over him. “Xie Lingyu, are you out of your mind? Even if you liked bathing like this before, how can you take a cold bath while you’re sick?”

Sang Ying furiously toweled his hair, scolding him all the while. The young man looked listless, water dripping from his jaw and the ends of his hair. His low voice fell like droplets onto the back of her hand.

“It’s not that I like it. It’s the Tide Heat Period.”

Sang Ying’s hands paused mid-motion, followed by a flush spreading to the tips of her ears. Her voice dropped to a murmur. “Then you could have just told me.”

The young man’s tone was indifferent. “I wanted to, but you’ve been busy until late every night lately, collapsing into sleep as soon as you return.”

“You’re back so early today—have you finished your work?”

Sang Ying nodded. “There was a bit left, but that White Alliance Leader insisted on taking over the tasks. The rest is left to the Immortal Alliance, so I’m resting now.”

“Um, you…”

Sang Ying fidgeted with her fingers, glancing at his pale face, and whispered, “In your current state… can you still manage?”

The air around them noticeably chilled.

But Sang Ying didn’t notice, assuming it was just the cold air from the icy bathwater nearby.

Just as Xie Lingyu was about to reach out and lift her up to prove a point, the young girl in front of him mumbled softly, “Maybe… I can help you?”

His raised hand immediately dropped back. His expression remained weary as he let out a soft “Mm.” “Then I’ll trouble you, junior sister.”

Since they were already husband and wife, helping one’s Dao Companion through the difficult Tide Heat Period was a necessary duty. Moreover, he was currently ill and weak—without proper comfort, he would surely suffer greatly.

Sang Ying took a deep breath, suppressing her embarrassment, and helped him dry the water droplets from his body. She led him back to the bed, sitting him down.

She untied the bed curtains, letting layers of sheer gauze cascade down, creating a quiet, intimate space. The faint, warm glow of pearls seeped through, hazy and indistinct, revealing only the outline of the young man leaning against the bed.

Sang Ying also removed her outer robe and slipped inside, sitting beside him.

This was her first time doing something like this, completely inexperienced. Just looking at his calm face and breathing in the familiar scent of white sandalwood on him made her unbearably nervous.

At this moment, Sang Ying felt a hint of relief—at least he couldn’t see her flushed face or the faint sweat beading at her temples.

She patted her cheeks to compose herself, wearing an expression as if marching to her doom. Through his clothes, she firmly grasped the dragon tail.

The young man sucked in a sharp breath. “Junior sister is starting from here?”

Sang Ying looked up, puzzled. “Isn’t that right?”

“It’s not wrong, I just didn’t expect junior sister to be so…”

Xie Lingyu paused. “Direct.”

The Azure Jade Dragon Tail lying to the side curled its tip, about to wrap around her waist. Oblivious, the girl pulled the dragon tail and placed it in his arms. “Alright, hold your own tail for now. It keeps swaying and distracting me.”

Xie Lingyu: “…”

Sang Ying lifted the clothes and fished out the dragon tail. Averting her gaze, she slowly stroked the tip of the tail. “I saw it in the book Aunt Rongrong gave me. As long as we do that, it won’t be so uncomfortable anymore. Just wait—once it’s done, you can rest.”

It was only then that Xie Lingyu understood what she meant by “help.”

Humans are always greedy creatures, and dragons even more so.

If it were before, he would have been pleased with her helping him like this. But having tasted something better, he grew unsatisfied with this kind of assistance.

“Is this all Shimei plans to do?”

Sang Ying let out an “Mm,” her expression utterly matter-of-fact. “What else? You’re sick right now, your body is so weak—how could we possibly Dual Cultivate?”

Her other free hand reached up to touch his forehead. “Your head is still burning hot, and so is your body.”

With his vision plunged into darkness, unable to see, his senses grew sharper.

Her breathing, the softness of her fingers, and her warmth.

To him, it felt like a cool piece of jade. The hand resting on his forehead soothed and relaxed him, but the hand holding his dragon tail kept him unbearably tense. This slight coolness not only failed to lower his temperature but instead made it burn even hotter.

These two completely opposite extremes made him let out a muffled groan. The dragon tail twitched in response, tapping against her palm.

Sang Ying was startled, then a little curious. After hesitating for a moment, she remembered he couldn’t see and slowly turned her gaze, letting it fall upon the dragon tail.

The dragon tail looked obedient, lying in her palm, a pale pinkish-white color with faint veins visible. Yet it didn’t seem particularly cute—utterly elusive.

Suddenly, she recalled that night when he had bullied her. She had been sitting in his lap, and he had taken her hand to touch that section of dragon tail, saying she hadn’t finished it.

…How could she possibly finish it? She had already been stuffed to the brim, unable to take another bite.

Thinking of it this way, it seemed this section of dragon tail would be neglected from now on. Sang Ying felt a pang of pity and slid her thumb to the base of the tail, soothingly stroking it.

But she accidentally brushed against something round. Puzzled, she explored further and touched the dragon’s spiritual pearl.

The young man before her suddenly let out a muffled groan, and the dragon tail coiled around her waist.

Sang Ying looked up and saw his dark eyes veiled in a thin mist. His blind, unfocused gaze resembled that of a lost little beast, paired with his pale, weak face—it looked as though she were bullying him.

Though not exactly moral, a flicker of satisfaction rose in Sang Ying’s heart.

Usually, he was the one bullying her, making her cry pitifully. Finally, the tables had turned.

But this satisfaction lasted only half an hour before it was completely exhausted.

Sang Ying’s wrist ached unbearably, almost cramping. Her small face scrunched up as she rested her head against his shoulder, feeling gloomy. “Why isn’t it…”

The young man’s hand covered hers, massaging her wrist. “Shimei lacks experience. You’re not skilled enough, and your movements are too gentle.”

Sang Ying bumped her head against him. “I was afraid of hurting you. You’re like a porcelain doll right now—a little too much force and you’d shatter.”

The young man suddenly chuckled. “That should describe Shimei—a little too much force and you cry, soaking the pillow… Mmph.”

“…Shut up.”

Sang Ying covered his mouth, staring at her own limp hand, feeling listless. “Then how much longer will it take?”

“The Dual Cultivation of the dragon clan naturally takes a long time. With your current pace, it will likely last until tomorrow morning.”

?!

Sang Ying suddenly lifted her head, her small face filled with shock. Outside, the sky had just begun to darken, and there were still four or five hours until tomorrow morning.

Her hands were already about to give out after just half an hour—how could she possibly last until morning? No, absolutely not.

As if sensing her desire to give up, the young man softly spoke, “Is junior sister already unable to continue?”

“…”

Damn it, a provocation. Sang Ying could tell he was deliberately saying this, but she couldn’t swallow her pride. She snorted, “How could that be?”

As she spoke, she tried to lift her hand, but her arm went limp and fell back down. The soreness and pain in her arm muscles made her small face scrunch up.

“Ouch!”

Xie Lingyu took the opportunity to pull her slender arm back, continuing to massage it with just the right amount of pressure. “Why doesn’t junior sister try another method?”

The soreness in her arm eased considerably. Sang Ying looked up, “Another method? That would only leave Dual Cultivation, but you’re not up for it right now.”

Warm knuckles lifted her small face, and scorching breath, carrying the scent of White Sandalwood, brushed against her cheek. His thumb slowly stroked her lips.

“Then why not let junior sister take the initiative?”