“I’m just watching? I’m not watching.”
Jiang Huai closed his eyes, deliberately avoiding the beautiful scenery before him, focusing all his attention on the sensations at his fingertips.
“You…” Tang Zhaoxue’s delicate face flushed slightly as she leaned back against the chair, a subtle trace of displeasure stirring within her.
In this world, ignoring a woman’s body itself could be seen as a form of disrespect and contempt.
It was outright disdain for women!
But at this moment, she needed his help, so she forced down her unease and let those warm fingers move.
The fingers stroked over the undulating textures, passing through fuzzy grass and climbing onto a dry patch of land.
Here, the yang energy was overwhelming, while the yin energy was parched.
At first, Tang Zhaoxue didn’t feel much physically, just quietly watching Jiang Huai’s focused expression and movements.
But soon, a strange pleasure, rooted in the psychological realm, quietly began to grow.
Seeing him serve her like this, a sense of control and being cared for naturally arose.
She even pessimistically thought that if she could never be healed in this life, perhaps she would end up on a path where the only comfort she could find was from this twisted psychological pleasure born of her crippled body.
Jiang Huai exerted all his strength to operate the Chaos Dao Platform, transforming his own pure Innate Primordial Qi into the purest life-giving yin energy.
Like a gentle stream, it flowed slowly and carefully toward the blocked area, attempting to warm and clear the dormant meridians.
This process was extremely taxing on him, and soon beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
After all, he was still only at the Foundation Establishment Stage, while Tang Zhaoxue was at the Nascent Soul Stage.
Even with her cooperation, manipulating yin and yang energy was very difficult for him.
“Tang Sect Leader, have you been injured before?” Jiang Huai suddenly asked.
At his words, Tang Zhaoxue leaned back and looked up at the sky, seemingly lost in thought.
“I’ve been injured many times.”
“As a Sect Leader, it’s impossible not to be injured.”
Being the strongest meant bearing everyone’s hopes and walking at the forefront.
The Five Provinces Continent still had the Immortal Realm to flee to, a chance to escape.
But here?
Tang Zhaoxue thought of the Xie Tide, thought of the Senior Sisters and Shi Mei who had died, and only one phrase remained in her heart—
Only a death battle.
Jiang Huai carefully felt the woman’s meridians before him, gently stroking, yet saw no sign of yin energy nourishment.
He asked, “Is this an old injury?”
He noticed that the yin energy’s depletion wasn’t purely innate but seemed more like a lingering illness left by an external trauma, blocking the flow of vitality.
“Long ago? I don’t remember.”
Accepting Jiang Huai’s massage using Innate Primordial Qi, Tang Zhaoxue felt very comfortable, a corner of her heart opening slightly, and said softly:
“I started cultivating when I was very young. It’s like this where we are.”
“Very young. As soon as talent for cultivation is confirmed, you’re sent away to train, saying goodbye to your parents and never seeing them again.”
“I was very young, and my talent was excellent. My Qi refinement was better than the other sisters’, so the sect valued me.”
“It seems from then on, I was led to confront the Xie Tide…”
“Injuries were common. The Xie Tide would sometimes breach defenses unexpectedly, and I was taken along to train and often got hurt.”
“Now that you say it, it feels like my first injury was a very long time ago, and those who accompanied me on those journeys have all left.”
Tang Zhaoxue murmured.
She heard the implication in Jiang Huai’s words—that her hidden illness might have originated from a serious past injury.
But she tried hard to recall and, because there were so many, couldn’t determine which one was the root of the trouble.
Too many.
Jiang Huai sighed, gaining a deeper understanding of this world’s cruelty.
He slowly opened his eyes, no longer avoiding, and focused more intently on activating the Chaos Dao Platform’s power.
He concentrated on several key acupoints, trying to dissolve the stagnation.
Seeing this, Tang Zhaoxue smiled.
“You’re willing to open your eyes now?”
“Is it that good to look at?”
This time Jiang Huai pressed his fingers accurately on several spots and began treatment.
He looked carefully and honestly shook his head, giving a blunt evaluation:
“Average. Not as good as my wife’s.”
“Nor as good as my concubine’s.”
At this, Tang Zhaoxue’s expression instantly darkened, wishing she could kick Jiang Huai away with a single blow.
What kind of words were those? What did he mean by not even as good as his concubine’s?
It’s one thing for a man to have a concubine, but what did it mean that she was worse than his concubine?
Was his concubine that impressive?
Jiang Huai, ignoring her mood, pushed himself to the limit, almost exhausting his spiritual power.
Just as he was about to collapse from fatigue, Tang Zhaoxue’s body suddenly trembled sharply, emitting a faint, incredulous sob.
“7……”
She clearly felt an extremely weak yet incredibly real warmth slowly seeping out from the depths that had been dry for countless years.
The overwhelming shock and joy instantly broke through her reason.
Almost instinctively and forgetting herself, she reached out with trembling fingers, pressing and massaging over Jiang Huai’s hand and her gauzy skirt, as if trying to confirm if it was just a hallucination.
“Uh!” Jiang Huai recoiled as if shocked by electricity and immediately turned away.
What was she doing? Why was she pressing on his hand trying to feel it?
Tang Zhaoxue didn’t care that Jiang Huai was right there; her slender fingers wrapped fervently like wrapping dumplings, trying to feel the warmth she’d never sensed before.
Then she raised her hand in disbelief, looking at a faint reflection before her, her heart bursting with joy.
God, she wasn’t withering anymore!
She could be a woman again!
She wanted nothing more than to grab Jiang Huai and kiss him passionately right now.
But soon, that precious warmth vanished like a fleeting bloom, quickly disappearing, everything returning to how it was.
Tang Zhaoxue kept massaging for a while longer, only to find it had returned to the previous state.
“This… is it gone again?”
She looked at Jiang Huai urgently, her voice full of disappointment and yearning.
Jiang Huai slowly turned back, wiped the sweat from his brow, and said helplessly,
“There’s nothing I can do. My cultivation is too shallow, and you’re already Nascent Soul. This is like a drop of water in the ocean; it can only be slowly nurtured.”
“That’s enough for today.”
Actually, he did have ways to speed up the progress.
But for now, he didn’t want to restore Tang Zhaoxue’s body too quickly.
Jiang Huai knew he was only at the Foundation Establishment Stage, and his ability to compete with Tang Zhaoxue depended on this skill.
Better to keep some cards in hand.
“How long until I can recover to normal?” Tang Zhaoxue finally spoke in an equal tone, no longer scornful or arrogant.
She didn’t ask to be great in bed—just normal.
If it was impossible, even a woman with premature ejaculation was acceptable, as long as she could still have intimacy.
Jiang Huai shrugged and stood up, ready to leave:
“I don’t know either. If my cultivation advances, maybe Tang Sect Leader will recover faster.”
He paused, thinking of Tang Zhaoxue’s responsibilities, then added,
“But I can promise you, you will definitely get better.”
After all, she was a hero of this world, a protector.
For such a person, Jiang Huai was unwilling to make an enemy.
Tang Zhaoxue nodded excitedly and insisted on seeing him off.
“I’ll send you out.”
“You have to come every day, every day!”
Come every day to massage!
“No need to see me off.” Jiang Huai waved his hand and left the secret chamber alone.
Back at his residence,
Just as Jiang Huai returned to the previously secluded Tingzhu Courtyard, he sensed the atmosphere was different from before.
The Chief Disciple, who had always been cold and businesslike toward him, was now waiting in the courtyard with several Outer Sect disciples.
At the sight of Jiang Huai, her face immediately lit up with an unprecedented, almost obsequious smile.
“Young Master Jiang, you’re back!”
She quickly approached, her tone extremely respectful.
“The Sect Master has ordered your and Miss Zhu’s residence to be changed.”
“The new residence is at Cloud Rest Pavilion near the Sect Master’s sleeping hall. The spiritual energy there is richer, quieter, and safer. Please follow me.”
Without waiting for a response, she instructed the disciples to help tidily.
In truth, there was little to arrange.
They practically swarmed Jiang Huai, escorting him all the way to a grander, more spacious pavilion, shrouded in mist-like spiritual energy.
Zhu Siyao was also brought over.
She watched coldly as this unfolded, eyeing the pavilion’s elegant furnishings, the few high-grade spirit fruits and pills on the table, and the Chief Disciple’s abrupt shift from arrogance to deference.
Once the Chief Disciple bowed and withdrew with many thanks, Zhu Siyao approached the table, her fingertips brushing over the precious Immortal Materials.
She looked at Jiang Huai with a bitter tone and asked,
“Why suddenly treat you so well?”
“You’ve been gone so long, and they even changed to such a good place, bringing all these good things.”
“Did you give them to her?”
Jiang Huai was stretching his aching wrists and paused, then, seeing Zhu Siyao’s jealous yet shy and annoyed expression, burst out laughing.
Why did she care so much about her chastity?
Jiang Huai deliberately shrugged, wearing a helpless expression:
“Nothing I can do, she insisted.”
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