The cause of her injuries was the usual mess created when someone recklessly tried to force a breakthrough and got slapped by the backlash instead.
Yun Wuji figured from her condition that she had probably tried to reach the third level of the Limitless Sword Arts. She had only reached the second level not long ago and even that was barely stable, so rushing for the third level like this was completely reckless.
"Thanks," Hua Qingying opened her eyes and gave him a weak smile as she thanked him. She stood up and wiped the blood from her face before saying, "I messed up badly this time. I would've been in serious trouble if you didn't come."
"What were you thinking, trying something this dangerous in the first place?" Yun Wuji flicked her forehead and scolded her. "Do you know what would've happened if I didn't come right now?"
"Ouch! that hurts!" Hua Qingying grabbed her forehead in pain. Even with her cultivation, his flick actually hurt. "I knew you would come if something happened to me." After all, he had set up a formation that would activate the moment her life was in danger.
"Seriously, you are progressing incredibly fast, so why did you do this?" Yun Wuji asked. The Limitless Sword Arts were incredibly powerful and just as difficult to cultivate. A gifted person could spend their entire life on it and still fail to master it, yet she reached the second level in a very short time. She had absolutely no reason to rush.
She was not some young and impulsive girl either. She had lived for tens of thousands of years and should have been far calmer and steadier.
"I don't know, I just felt like it," Hua Qingying answered without giving him anything clear, offering nothing more than a mysterious smile. She then suddenly asked, "You seem a little bit too worried about me, don't you think?"
"Of course I would," Yun Wuji said. He reached out and tapped her shoulder, letting a stream of his profound energy enter her body and flow through all her profound entrances. "For doing something this reckless, I will punish you by sealing your cultivation until further notice!"
During this recent period, the two had grown close enough to laugh and tease each other, but even so, he felt she deserved a proper punishment for something this reckless.
"Why not spank her?" Hei Xiaolian suddenly asked, then immediately realized the problem. "Yeah, that would not count as punishment for her if she enjoyed it!"
"..." Li Suo rolled her eyes at the perverted spirit, though she had to admit the point was valid.
"Wait! You can't seal my cultivation!" Hua Qingying tried to mobilize her profound energy, but she immediately felt a foreign power inside her, completely suppressing her own energy and making it impossible to move. The sudden weakness, something she had not experienced in who knows how long, made her feel at loss.
"Of course I can," Yun Wuji said with a casual shrug. "If your niece Hua Caili made the same mistake, would you seal her cultivation as punishment?"
Hua Qingying clenched her fist, grateful that her physical strength was still intact, then replied, "If I thought it was necessary, I would probably do it. But that is not the same thing!"
"It is for me. If I don't punish you this time, who knows what you might do just because you feel like it," Yun Wuji said with a stern expression. At the same time, he was already thinking of how to use this situation to further push their relationship. He would not be Yun Wuji if he let any opportunity to achieve his goals slip by.
"So you mean you care for me as much as I care for Caili?" Hua Qingying seemed to accept that her cultivation was sealed. Instead of arguing, she leaned in closer and asked.
Yun Wuji did not answer right away. He stayed quiet for a moment before saying, "I don't know the extent of your care for her, but I guess you can take it that way."
"Good, in that case, I'll accept my punishment then!" Her expression brightened and she spoke with a bright smile. She looked just like a fox who had succeeded in her little scheme. The reason she did something this stupid was precisely to test how deep Yun Wuji's feelings ran and how much he actually cared about her.
Although the two of them had grown very close during this period, Hua Qingying still felt uncertain about him. When he first started teaching her, he had been proactive, teasing her, feeding her, and playing with her, but then he suddenly became cold and distant. Even after he became attentive again, she worried that everything he did might have been just for fun. She feared that if she pressed the wrong button, he could turn cold toward her all over again.
It was deeply ironic that she, who had spent her entire life treating everyone coldly, was now worried about a man doing the same to her. For the first time, she finally understood the feelings of those simps who had been relentlessly chasing her for thousands of years.
"You are acting strange," Yun Wuji said, blinking at her sudden change in mood.
"Yes, I am acting strange, so strange that I can hardly recognize myself anymore," Hua Qingying replied, leaning closer and speaking in a soft tone. The transformation she had undergone after abandoning the Ruthless Sword and attaining enlightenment on her own heart was so profound that she herself could hardly believe the person she had become was truly her.
If her brother or niece were to see her at this moment, she doubted they would recognize her right away.
"Say, Wuji," She was now just an inch away from him. Looking up, her eyes locked onto his, she asked, "If a beautiful woman were to suddenly confess to you, would you accept her feelings?"
Although the two of them had spent time together and grown very close, Hua Qingying, inexperienced in matters of men and women, was not sure if he was truly attracted to her. Every time she entertained the thought, memories of him beating her ruthlessly whenever she challenged him immediately came to mind.
That man showed no mercy to the softer gender; his hands were gender neutral.
But now, after he had passed her 'test', she finally felt the courage to confront him directly. As a swordswoman, she was braver than most women and preferred to strike straight to the point.
"She said it! She said it! You hadn't even started, but she beat you to it!" Hei Xiaolian shouted excitedly. Yun Wuji had been trying to rizz this woman for over two years, the longest he had ever spent on seducing anyone, and she felt a sense of achievement seeing her finally fall.
"I told you, you'll get pushed even more, cowardly hypocrite," she added, making sure to provoke Li Suo as well.
"..." Li Suo did not bother to reply.
Yun Wuji stared into her eyes. "If she truly harbored feelings for me, of course, I would. I live by the motto of never letting down a woman's feelings." He added narcissistically, "Though I am certain there are millions who are in love with me..."
His words were cut short as another pair of lips pressed against his. With her eyes closed and hands clenched nervously, Hua Qingying gathered all her courage, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed him. When she pulled back, she asked, "Would you accept mine then?" Her tone was calm, but from this close, Yun Wuji could clearly hear the rapid beat of her heart.
"I am really tempted to turn you down," Yun Wuji said, reaching out to wipe the beads of sweat forming on her forehead before lifting her chin. "Just so I can confess first."
He had been on the receiving end of confessions from women lately, which felt great and proved his unparalleled charm, but he also wanted to be the one taking the initiative. Should he try to seduce Pan Xiaodie? Or perhaps some other woman deeply in love with her man, someone who might actually resist his charm.
'Maybe Jie Yuan is more suitable. Her man is dead, too, so no unfortunate man would be hurt. I could also give Hong'er and You'er the father they need,' Yun Wuji thought suddenly. 'Ni Xuan should be thanking me in the afterlife. I am not only taking care of his daughters but also his wife.'
"How silly, who told you to be so slow?" Hua Qingying said with a slight smile. "Usually you are very fast."
"Mind your phrasing, please," Yun Wuji's face suddenly darkened. What did she mean by saying he was very fast? Did she want him to show her just how fast he could be?
Hua Qingying looked confused at first, but quickly realized her mistake and corrected herself. "My bad, I mean... Time efficient."
"That's even worse!" Yun Wuji thought. Was this his punishment for thinking of other women while accepting her confession?
...
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