For several days, Mo Li secluded himself inside his simple cultivation room. It was little more than a cramped stone chamber with a straw mat and a few flickering spirit lamps, but the heavy, pungent air — thick with the remnants of dual cultivation — was perfect for him.
He sat shirtless, legs crossed, dark veins of demonic qi pulsing faintly across his sculpted torso. His eyes were closed, breaths drawn slow and deep as he cycled his art — a savage yang cultivation that greedily devoured the yin he'd stolen from Xinyao and Qin Rou.
So different from my past body… but already, it surpasses what this trash physique could've hoped for.
Each rotation of his meridians felt more stable, more fierce. When he finally opened his eyes, a faint swirl of dark crimson danced across his irises before settling back into black.
He clenched a fist, feeling the strength coil through his tendons. Even at just the 4th layer of Qi Condensation, he could easily slaughter most outer disciples and give many inner disciples reason to pause.
All thanks to the potent yin I've siphoned. A Frost Yin Body… a Yin Furnace Body… this is just the beginning.
As he stepped out into the corridor, adjusting his simple robes, he found Lin Xinyao waiting.
She stood there in pale blue inner disciple robes, the Azure Frost crest embroidered elegantly at her shoulder. Her long hair was tied into a high, regal tail, showing off the smooth line of her neck. Her hands were clasped primly before her — but her fingers twisted ever so slightly, betraying her tension.
Her frosty expression didn't quite reach her eyes, which darted over his form with a quick, hungry flick before snapping away.
"Finally deigned to appear, junior?" she sniffed, her nose tilting up imperiously. "Loafing about your little hovel for days like some lazy pig."
Mo Li merely smiled, stepping closer. Her breath hitched, chest rising just a bit too fast.
"Senior Sister Xinyao must have missed me dearly, to be waiting outside my door."
Her face went scarlet in an instant. She spun slightly to the side, crossing her arms.
"D-Don't flatter yourself! The sect has issued a mission for me. I require… an assistant. Someone to carry supplies and perform menial tasks. Naturally, I thought of you."
He didn't call out the obvious lie. Her aura — normally cold and slicing — trembled faintly, especially when he stepped close enough for their shoulders to brush. He caught a delicate shiver run through her.
Still embarrassed after last time. So proud… yet her body remembers me well.
He gave her a light, courteous bow.
"Of course. It would be my honor to assist Senior Sister."
She sniffed again, trying to maintain her lofty airs, though her cheeks still glowed pink.
"See that you don't embarrass me. The task is a simple one, beneath my level, but it is a matter of sect duty. A village to the east has suffered attacks — livestock devoured, several peasants bitten. They traced it to a snake demon that's taken residence near their forests."
Her voice wavered just a fraction at 'snake demon.' Mo Li's lips curled.
"Ah, so Senior Sister seeks to slay the creature and earn more merit. How diligent."
She shot him a narrow look, flustered.
"Of course. It's a mere beast — nothing that could trouble me. You'll simply carry my gear and stand aside. Understood?"
But Mo Li knew better. The sect likely dispatched inner disciples on such trivial hunts as training. Xinyao could have chosen any outer disciple as porter. She could have even demanded two or three.
Instead, she'd come herself, waiting awkwardly outside his room.
Her mouth says I'm just a convenience. Her legs nearly tremble when I stand near.
He stepped close enough to murmur near her ear, voice dropping low.
"As my Senior Sister commands. But do remember… if you find yourself trembling again like before, I'll be right behind you."
Xinyao went rigid. A small gasp escaped her lips, her thighs pressing together under her robes. Her eyes flared wide — and then she whipped around, storming ahead down the corridor.
"Hmph! Move along! Stop wasting time with your vulgar words."
But Mo Li didn't miss the slight way her steps stuttered, or how her hands briefly pressed to her lower belly as if trying to calm something traitorous.
They left the sect gates at dawn, moving through misty pine forests. Xinyao walked ahead, her back straight, projecting that cold noble arrogance that made most disciples fall silent or bow quickly out of her way.
Mo Li trailed behind, shouldering her pack easily. His eyes often dropped to the sway of her hips, the way her long legs peeked out with each step over roots and stones. More than once, he caught her glancing back at him, quickly jerking her head forward when their eyes met.
They spoke little of personal things, only discussing details of the snake demon. According to the villagers' report, the creature was roughly three meters long, with faint spiritual fluctuations around its maw. A low-grade demon beast — dangerous to mortals, troublesome to unprepared cultivators, but well within Xinyao's capabilities.
A fine first mission for her new level, Mo Li thought.And if she falters… I'll catch her. In more ways than one.
As they neared the edge of the mission zone, Xinyao finally slowed. Her breath was steady, but her fingers kept flexing at her sides. Mo Li stepped closer.
"Senior Sister seems tense. Worried about the snake demon? Or perhaps… worried about something else that might come coiling up behind her?"
Her eyes widened, and then narrowed with a huff.
"Y-You're insufferable. Just keep your crude fantasies to yourself."
He merely grinned, savoring the way her composure cracked each time he teased her.
I'll let her play at being aloof for now. Once we've slain the beast… I'll give her a private lesson she won't soon forget.