"Yarrow."
He had been lost in his thoughts when Tao Hu's voice cut through the quiet, soft and close to his ear.
"Hm?" Yarrow turned his head slightly, barely registering her presence.
"This evil spirit's arrival is... strange," Tao Hu said, her voice taking on a more serious tone. "We'll need some proper exorcising tools to suppress the baleful aura."
Yarrow yawned, not bothering to mask his exhaustion. "Then you can come with me to the city later. Serina's alchemy equipment is almost ready, and we need to confirm the order today."
"Sure." Tao Hu nodded.
A pause lingered in the air for a moment before Tao Hu asked again, her curiosity piqued. "Did you have a nightmare just now?"
Yarrow sighed, still staring at the ceiling. "I guess."
"Want to tell me about it? I could help you interpret it."
Yarrow turned his head slightly, his gaze distant. "I dreamed that I turned into a zombie... and was killed by a gourd."
Tao Hu blinked. "…Uh... My cultivation's too low. I don't really understand."
"Eh, it's nothing. I was just talking nonsense. Go to sleep."
A silence settled between them. After a moment, Tao Hu spoke again, her tone softer.
"Yarrow."
"What is it now?" he groaned, irritated yet intrigued.
"My cultivation... hasn't improved at all," Tao Hu said in a quiet, almost dejected voice.
Yarrow, still half-dazed, gave a casual shrug. "It hasn't been long. Just give it time."
Tao Hu looked down, the words heavy in the quiet room. "That's true. But… I'm exploring this world alone. No master, no sect, no cultivation techniques… Just me."
She raised her gaze again, a bittersweet smile tugging at her lips. "But, I'm not entirely alone. I have you, Yarrow. As my Dao companion."
Yarrow felt a strange tightness in his chest. He turned his head to her, his expression half-confused, half-exasperated. "No… do you actually know what 'Dao companion' means?"
"A companion who cultivates together. What's wrong?" Tao Hu said, her brow furrowing slightly in confusion.
"Well… that's one meaning," Yarrow hesitated, unsure how to explain it. "But there's another kind of Dao companion…"
He paused, gathering his thoughts carefully. "It's also used for people who engage in dual cultivation together."
Tao Hu stared at him for a long moment before speaking, her voice calm and almost too casual. "Then let's do it. Dual cultivation."
Yarrow froze. He blinked a few times. "…Do you know what dual cultivation actually means?"
Tao Hu thought for a moment before answering, her voice serious. "Not exactly, but… shouldn't you castrate yourself first?"
Yarrow's face flushed a deep crimson, and he buried his face in his hands. "I told you, that's the Sunflower Manual!"
He groaned, rolling over. "Forget it, let's go to sleep. We still need to go to the city tomorrow."
Tao Hu's voice was quiet, almost too soft to hear. "I really don't understand a lot of things. It feels like you know so much more than I do."
She looked up at him again, her eyes wide with something between innocence and curiosity. "If you know, Yarrow… can you teach me? How does dual cultivation work?"
The words, whispered in the dark, floated in the air between them. Tao Hu's breath was warm against his ear, a soft, almost intoxicating scent filling the space. Yarrow couldn't help but feel a stirring in his chest—this little fox was too tempting tonight.
His gaze flicked over to her, raising an eyebrow. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
Tao Hu didn't hesitate. "I want to do it."
Yarrow's eyes slowly shifted to the ceiling. "Teaching a pure little fox demon dual cultivation… this feels like a plotline from one of those old Liu Bei stories…"
With a heavy sigh, he turned toward her, meeting her gaze directly. Tao Hu immediately felt her heart race, her breath caught in her throat as she leaned back in instinctive hesitation.
Yarrow reached out, his fingers brushing against Tao Hu's delicate face, and her skin burned at the touch. Her face flushed, and she quickly pulled away, her back hitting the wall with a soft thud.
"Ya-Ya-Yarrow! What are you doing?" Tao Hu stammered, her face now bright red with embarrassment. "I— I'm a girl! You can't just... touch me like that! There has to be some sense of distance between men and women!"
Yarrow blinked, unable to suppress a grin. "Wait. Didn't you ask me to teach you dual cultivation? And you crawled into my bed while saying there should be a difference between men and women? Doesn't that sound a little... contradictory?"
Tao Hu widened her eyes slightly, clearly baffled by his response. "Wait… Does... does dual cultivation involve… intimacy between men and women?"
Yarrow stared at her in disbelief. "What did you think dual cultivation was?"
"I thought… it was when two Dao companions, like, sing together, or play games, or… recite scriptures?" Tao Hu's voice trailed off as she looked around sheepishly, avoiding his gaze.
Yarrow blinked. "What kind of Baby Bus version of dual cultivation is that?"
Tao Hu shifted uncomfortably. "I didn't know, okay?"
He let out a breath, then turned to face the ceiling. "Alright, if you don't want to do this, then let's just go to sleep."
But Tao Hu didn't back down. She reached out, grabbing his shirt with one small, trembling hand.
"No… I still want to try…" Her voice wavered slightly, a hint of nervousness creeping through.
She looked at him, her lips slightly parted in a shy pout.
Yarrow stared at her for a long moment, conflicted and unsure of how to respond.
"Can we start with the simplest thing?" Tao Hu added, her voice barely above a whisper.
Yarrow furrowed his brow. "What do you mean by the simplest thing?"
Tao Hu held out her small, fair hand. "Hold hands first."
Yarrow blinked. "…That's too simple."
Looking at Tao Hu's cute, determined expression, Yarrow couldn't help but find it a little amusing. Despite the tension, there was something endearing about her earnestness.
He turned back toward her and gently took Tao Hu's soft, delicate hand in his.
"Is this okay?" he asked, his voice a little uncertain, despite the calmness of the situation.
Tao Hu's gaze dropped to their joined hands, and she tilted her head slightly, a soft blush creeping across her cheeks.
"Mm," she nodded gently, her eyes half-closed, a quiet hum of contentment escaping her.
[Tao Hu's affection increased by 30]
Yarrow felt the heat of her skin through his callused fingers. "Yarrow's hands are so rough, so many calluses," Tao Hu thought, her heart fluttering at the warmth they radiated.
"After all, I spend a lot of time training with a sword and other stuff," Yarrow said, yawning lazily. "Alright, go to sleep."
Tao Hu watched him for a while before inching a little closer, her soft breath brushing his face as she closed her eyes. She nestled into the sheets, her hand still in his, and soon, the rhythmic sound of her even breathing lulled him toward sleep.
Ding ding ding! Ding ding ding!
The harsh, life-threatening ringtones sliced through the stillness, waking Yarrow with a jolt. He shot up in bed, his heart racing as if an explosion was about to rock the house.
His hands scrambled in the dark, finding the phone on the bedside table. He fumbled to turn off the alarm, his mind still hazy from sleep.
"Ugh, I forgot to set the alarm last night... but that ringtone is way too terrifying."
With a tired groan, he tossed the phone aside.
"Is it already morning?" he muttered to himself, rubbing his eyes.
Tao Hu stirred beside him, her long pink hair a messy tangle, her face still dazed with sleep. The strap of her pajamas had slipped off her shoulder, and she let out a sleepy yawn. When she turned her head and saw Yarrow, her eyes snapped open in surprise.
"Ah, ah, ah? Yarrow? Why, why, why are you in my room?"
The little fox quickly yanked the blanket up to cover her half-exposed form, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
Yarrow stared at her, a little exasperated. "Are you a fish? Didn't you say last night that there was an evil spirit in the house trying to absorb my yang energy? This is my room."
Tao Hu blinked, the memory slowly resurfacing. She scratched her head sheepishly.
"Yes, yes… I forgot after I fell asleep."
Then, her eyes widened as she suddenly remembered. She shot up from the bed and grabbed Yarrow's arm.
"That's right! The evil spirit! Yarrow, we need to go to the city early today to buy some exorcism supplies!"
Yarrow yawned again, his exhaustion lingering. "I know. Let's go after breakfast. Go wash up."
At that moment, Ji Xiaofei's familiar morning crowing rang out from the kitchen.
"Yarrow, Yarrow! Look! Little Gray's belly is so big! Is she pregnant with bunny babies?"
From the kitchen, Ji Xiaofei held up the chubby gray rabbit, which now resembled a little piglet.
Yarrow had always intended to use the rabbit as a food reserve, but after Ji Xiaofei had taken care of it, she'd named it "Little Gray."
"That's just because she's fat from eating too much. There are no other rabbits around, so how could she be pregnant?" Yarrow said, flipping eggs in the pan.
Ji Xiaofei tilted her head, her expression innocent. "Well, there's you..."
Yarrow raised the spatula, a mock warning in his eyes. "You want another beating?"
Ji Xiaofei, laughing, quickly scampered away, holding the rabbit protectively.
Serena came downstairs next, rubbing her eyes. She'd been up late translating and still looked a bit tired. After sitting down, she grabbed a slice of bread and took a bite.
"Serena, I'm going into the city today. We need to finalize your alchemy order. It's going to be delivered tomorrow. Tao Hu also has some errands," Yarrow said, while cracking more eggs.
Despite not having seen any sign of the evil spirits Tao Hu mentioned that morning, Yarrow didn't want to burst her bubble, especially since she seemed so invested in the idea.
"Got it. I'll do the translation work myself today," Serena replied, though her tone held a hint of resentment.
After breakfast, Yarrow and Tao Hu packed up and left for the main city.
"Yarrow," Tao Hu called softly, her voice a little hesitant as she walked beside him.
"Hmm?"
"The dual cultivation from last night... Can we continue it today?"
Her face flushed slightly, and she stretched out her hand to him, her eyes filled with a quiet expectation.
Yarrow hesitated for a moment, but ultimately, he took her hand.
Tao Hu smiled brightly and skipped a few steps to snuggle up to his side.
"I feel like I'm taking a child out to play," Yarrow thought, unable to suppress a small smile.
As they walked together, a pop-up window appeared in front of him, blocking his thoughts momentarily:
[Heartbeat Challenge: Go on a perfect date with Tao Hu! Reward: Tokens X40]
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