Consciousness slowly surfaced like a sunken ship rising from the depths.
The first thing Jiang Huai felt was the weighty, astonishing softness and warmth nestled in the crook of his arm, as if he were holding a piece of warm jade.
He tilted his head slightly.
In the faint morning light, Zhuxin was resting her head on his arm, her delicate forehead buried deep in the hollow of his shoulder, sleeping without any defense, shedding all the pride and sharpness of a sect leader.
Her thin, cicada-wing-like scarlet silk robe was already disheveled in her sleep, barely serving any purpose as clothing.
Large patches of healthy, enticingly fair skin were exposed to the cool air, shimmering with a pearly, delicate sheen under the morning light.
That mature, voluptuous figure was now pressed tightly against him without reserve.
Her proud, full peaks were squeezed against his chest, and through the thin fabric, the astonishing elasticity and weight were palpably clear.
Below her flat, firm abdomen was the suddenly cinched yet full and undulating curve of her waist and hips, brimming with the allure of a mature woman.
A long, firm, powerfully toned leg, now carrying a lazy possessiveness, arrogantly draped over his waist, wrapping tightly around him.
Her breathing was even and warm, carrying a faint and unique scent that mingled with the lingering ambiguous aroma from last night, threading delicately into Jiang Huai’s nostrils.
Memories of last night rushed back—pain and struggle, the two women’s open and covert contest, and the exhaustion and surrender forged in that fleeting moment atop the Chaos Dao Platform.
Jiang Huai held his breath, his gaze lingering involuntarily.
Her noble brows, softened in sleep, lost some of their sharpness and gained a languid charm.
Her red lips parted slightly, exhaling a fragrance like orchids, exuding an unguarded seduction.
A few strands of hair stuck to the side of her neck and her ample chest, adding to the messy sexiness.
He instinctively moved his arm slightly.
“Mm…” Zhuxin murmured in dissatisfaction in her sleep.
Not only did she not pull away, but she also curled even closer into his embrace, her cheek unconsciously rubbing against his shoulder hollow, as if seeking a more comfortable position.
Qin Qingyue was not here.
Su Yingman was not here either.
The empty room had become a secret refuge.
Just as Jiang Huai bent down to admire her, the person in his arms fluttered her long lashes like a startled butterfly, trembling violently a few times.
Zhuxin woke up.
“Uh…”
As consciousness returned, an intense soreness and an indescribable hollow yearning, like being hollowed out from deep within, suddenly swept through her body.
She had barely begun to lift herself when her body plummeted heavily back into Jiang Huai’s embrace, even closer than before.
Her swollen softness slammed fiercely against Jiang Huai’s chest.
A Qi Refining realm cultivator breaking through to Foundation Establishment causing such a state to a Great Ascension stage cultivator.
Instinctively, she struggled to push away the man who had taken her Yin Yuan and made her body feel so strange.
But her arms felt weak and soft, unable to exert any strength; her pushing was less resistance and more of a teasing, reluctant acceptance.
Jiang Huai clearly felt the trembling of the delicate body in his arms, along with its astonishing heat and softness.
He did not loosen his hold; instead, he pulled her tighter, his palm pressing against her smooth, firm back.
“Are you uncomfortable?”
This intimate confinement and concerned question made Zhuxin’s body stiffen, then strangely soften.
The unique scent of the man beside her wrapped around her nose, relaxing her tense nerves.
She stopped resisting, even unconsciously pressed closer to him, her gaze becoming somewhat dazed, as if intoxicated by the scent.
Jiang Huai lowered his head, meeting Zhuxin’s slightly shy yet moist and misty beautiful eyes, still carrying the lingering color of spring.
Their eyes locked, and the air thickened with a silent, sticky intimacy.
Zhuxin was flustered by his gaze, wanting to look away but seemingly unable to pull free, biting her lower lip as she endured his gaze’s baptism.
She felt the burning heat and contours pressing between them growing harder to ignore.
“Don’t… don’t look at me…”
Once calm, Zhuxin leaned against him, feeling the loss of her Yin Yuan deep inside—a crushing emptiness engulfed her.
She was broken. Not only was her combat power greatly reduced, her cultivation could no longer advance in the slightest.
The Blazing Sect’s Technique was like this—once practiced, there was no turning back.
Either you followed desire, but lost your cultivation.
Or you increased power and cultivation but lost the most basic human desires.
With no chance to improve her strength, thinking of her daughter, Zhuxin’s worry deepened.
She had to find a stronger backing for her daughter, someone far more powerful than herself.
Having seen Qin Qingyue and Wu Zhaohua’s strength, Zhuxin not only yearned but also wanted to find a pillar of support for her daughter.
“Jiang… Husband Lord.”
Zhuxin’s voice trembled with pleading.
“What is it?” Jiang Huai blinked slightly, watching the complex emotions swirling in her eyes.
Zhuxin took a deep breath, as if gathering all her strength, ignoring the intense shame and fluttering heartbeat caused by their close contact, and turned her face slightly.
Her burning lips, carrying a faint fragrance, brushed close to Jiang Huai’s ear.
The warm breath, tinged with a scorching heat, grazed his earlobe, making his body involuntarily tense.
“My cultivation cannot improve anymore. My combat power is also far weaker than before. The Blazing Sect’s Technique is basically useless.”
“My daughter, Zhu Siyao… I heard you have met her, right?”
“Yes.” Jiang Huai nodded, replying softly.
He had naturally heard of Zhuxin and her daughter from Qin Qingyue.
The two women looked very much alike, though their temperaments and figures were completely different.
“If you meet my daughter in the secret realm, please, I beg you, watch over her well.”
“She’s not just my daughter anymore, she is…” Zhuxin’s voice lowered as she stared intently at the man before her, her words trailing off.
Zhu Siyao finally had a father.
“She can be willful, presumptuous, and temperamental sometimes.”
“You can discipline her, but please take care of her, protect her well.”
“I… I will do my best.” Her final words turned into a suppressed sob, dissolving between their closely pressed necks.
Zhuxin buried her burning cheeks deep in Jiang Huai’s shoulder hollow, close to this gentle man, staying in his embrace.
She had never imagined in this life that she would really lose her Yin Yuan and truly have a man of her own.
Jiang Huai felt the mature, voluptuous, and enticing yet now fragile body in his arms, sensing the burning warmth and slight trembling transmitted through the thin clothing.
The Pure Yang Body was indeed scorching; he had experienced it deeply last night.
A sense of responsibility and a peculiar tenderness quietly blossomed in Jiang Huai’s heart.
“I will take good care of Siyao. You can entrust this to me.”
“And you don’t have to be so downcast.” Jiang Huai pinched her cheek.
“What?” Zhuxin looked up in confusion.
“You should give up the Blazing Sect’s Technique now and turn to cultivate another fire-based Gongfa.”
“As for the root foundation problem, don’t worry. I’ll help you resolve it when the time comes,” Jiang Huai promised.
Yin and Yang bodies harmonize all things.
He was fully capable and confident in helping her consolidate, even rebuild her root foundation, and reach new heights.
Zhuxin stared blankly at Jiang Huai’s profile so close at hand, seeing the certainty and confidence in his eyes, and suddenly a spark of hope flared in her heart.
Could her cultivation still advance? Could it really?
She parted her lips, quietly shifting her body, and added, “Husband Lord, I have one more request.”
“What?”
“Next time, could you please not let that Enchantment Spirit… Su Yingman stay with me again?”