Chapter 12: Fingers Interlaced

“Master, is the heat inside your body about to erupt?”

Mu Chenxi’s voice carried a hint of urgency.

Bai Yue nodded lightly.

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll help Master dissipate the heat inside your body right now.”

As she spoke, Mu Chenxi reached out and held Bai Yue’s jade hand.

Feeling Mu Chenxi’s cool small hand covering her own, Bai Yue couldn’t help but show surprise in her eyes.

“Why is Chenxi’s hand so cold? She clearly didn’t use spiritual energy.”

“Because I have an Ice Spiritual Root and a Cold Ice Profound Body, with both constitutions combined, my body temperature is lower than normal.”

Mu Chenxi explained softly.

“So that’s how it is.”

Bai Yue suddenly understood and nodded slowly.

As soon as she finished speaking, Mu Chenxi raised her hand and gently channeled her own icy spiritual energy into Bai Yue’s body, bit by bit dispersing the burning heat surging in her dantian.

While controlling her spiritual energy, she asked softly,

“Has Master had her strange illness examined by any seniors from Medicine King Valley before?”

“I have, but the senior couldn’t find the cause either.”

Bai Yue shook her head helplessly.

“Don’t worry, Master. I’ll definitely find a way to cure you in the future.”

Mu Chenxi’s tone was especially earnest.

Bai Yue gave a light “Mm”, but didn’t hold much hope in her heart.

She only wished it wouldn’t worsen further and could stay within a controllable range.

This strange illness of hers grew heavier by the day—burning hot at night, cold to the bone by day. If it went on, she feared she wouldn’t last.

Fortunately, Chenxi was by her side now, and with the Warm Sun Jade to protect her every day, she could endure a little longer. Perhaps one day, a solution would be found.

“Since Master can’t cultivate right now, just lie down and rest well.”

“Mm.”

Seeing Bai Yue nod, Mu Chenxi helped her lie down on the soft mat.

“Chenxi, I’m sorry for delaying your cultivation time again.”

Bai Yue’s tone held some guilt.

“It’s nothing, Master.”

Mu Chenxi sat beside her, still gently holding her hand.

“Actually, holding your hand like this, I feel my cultivation advances even faster, because my heart beats quicker than usual.”

She spoke seriously, not just to comfort.

“Does it really have such an effect?”

Bai Yue was stunned again, then suddenly realized.

Her own disciple’s feelings for her seemed to have long surpassed that of master and disciple—even such a simple hand-hold could stir her heart.

Thinking this, Bai Yue’s delicate face grew slightly warm, and the heat in her body surged again.

“Master?”

Mu Chenxi keenly noticed the change, doubt rising in her eyes.

“The heat in your body seems to have gotten heavier… Just now it was fine…”

“I don’t know why either.”

Bai Yue herself hadn’t noticed, only meeting Mu Chenxi’s gaze as she looked over.

When their eyes met, both master and disciple saw confusion in each other’s eyes.

“It’s fine, I can suppress it.”

Mu Chenxi was not a healer, so she didn’t press further.

She sent another strand of icy, pure spiritual energy into Bai Yue, dispersing the heat that had just risen.

A long-lost comfort spread through Bai Yue’s limbs, and she completely relaxed, lying on the soft blanket as drowsiness gradually overtook her.

Mu Chenxi also lay down beside her, her fingertips constantly infused with spiritual energy as she focused on sensing the changes within Bai Yue.

If the heat surged up again, she could suppress it at once, so she stopped cultivating altogether.

Such behavior was unusual for a cultivation fanatic like her.

However, Bai Yue’s emotions had calmed, and the heat within her body stabilized, no longer fluctuating violently.

Because of this, the spiritual energy Mu Chenxi channeled also became steady, requiring little effort to maintain.

Thus, she was able to spare some attention to feel Bai Yue’s hand in her palm.

That hand was warm and soft, delicate as jade, its touch making her heart race.

She looked up at Bai Yue and saw that Master had already fallen asleep, her sleeping face tranquil, her breath calm and gentle.

“Master falls asleep so quickly.”

Mu Chenxi murmured inwardly.

Sleeping Master looked less alluring than usual, replaced by a peaceful beauty untouched by the world.

Unconsciously, her gaze fell on Bai Yue’s tender red lips, and a sudden urge to lean in and kiss her rose within.

As soon as the thought emerged, Mu Chenxi hurriedly withdrew her gaze.

She was always proper and reserved—she would never overstep such boundaries without Master’s permission, especially while Master was asleep.

Besides, Master had said her first kiss should be reserved for her future Dao Companion…

At this thought, a sourness welled up in Mu Chenxi’s heart.

But then she remembered Master had also said she would consider kissing her.

She just didn’t know when that “consideration” would have an answer.

As she thought this, the sourness faded, replaced by a touch of anticipation.

While her thoughts swirled, Mu Chenxi suddenly sensed a fluctuation in her own spiritual power.

Her Sword Technique was running on its own, pounding at her bottleneck, before gradually settling down again.

She hadn’t done anything, hadn’t actively cultivated, only held Master’s hand and snuck a few glances at Master’s sleeping face—how could her strength have improved so noticeably?

Mu Chenxi couldn’t figure out the reason and felt completely at a loss.

Since she couldn’t make sense of it, she simply stopped dwelling on it and refocused her attention on the jade hand in her palm.

She slowly adjusted her posture, letting her fingertips slip through Bai Yue’s fingers.

Their slender, translucent fingers intertwined, the ten fingers gently locking together.

This position, with their fingers tightly clasped, made her heart beat even faster for some reason.

The soft touch from her palm grew more vivid, the warmth between their fingers seeming to seep into her very heart.

But for some reason, her heartbeat abruptly sped up, the fluttering in her chest growing stronger and stronger.

Mu Chenxi’s eyes widened in astonishment.

The next second, she felt the bottleneck that had troubled her for so long begin to crack amid the rapid heartbeat.

She was about to break through!

This time, she was really about to break through!

The surrounding spiritual energy instantly surged into her body, nearly draining away in a flash.

Fortunately, Mu Chenxi had already set up a Gathering Spirit Array here, with a Supreme-Grade Spirit Stone at its core.

The drained spiritual energy quickly replenished, maintaining balance.

As the Sword Technique’s bottleneck shattered, Mu Chenxi’s cultivation, which had already broken through once before, soared again.

Spiritual energy poured continuously into her dantian, circulating and settling madly within.

Her cultivation rose at a terrifying speed, swiftly crossing from mid Core Formation to late Core Formation, and showed no sign of stopping.

With her own spiritual power rampaging inside, her cultivation continued to climb, pushing straight from late Core Formation to the peak of Core Formation.

Mu Chenxi realized she was about to trigger a Heavenly Tribulation and attempt a breakthrough to Nascent Soul.

She hurriedly steadied her mind, forcibly suppressing her surging power, and stopped absorbing spiritual energy from the outside world.

She couldn’t break through here.

If a Heavenly Tribulation descended, it might attract powerful Demon Beasts outside—or Evil Cultivators with malicious intent.

If that happened, both she and Master Bai Yue would be in danger.

If she were alone, she might have risked breaking through.

Even if she encountered powerful Demon Beasts or Evil Cultivators, she had the confidence to face the Heavenly Tribulation while fending off enemies.

But ever since Bai Yue was by her side, she cared far more about Bai Yue’s safety.

She would never let Master Bai Yue fall into danger because of her own breakthrough.