Wei Yufeng took a deep breath. He knew these two maids were utterly loyal to his stepmother and would never dare to falsely convey her orders. He stepped forward, his voice low and firm. "Stand aside! I am the Young Lord of the Immortal Palace, and I am currently in charge of all its affairs. I order you to open this courtyard gate immediately!"
"If anything happens to the Young Mistress, can you bear the responsibility?!" However, the two maids merely remained kneeling on the ground. Their bodies were trembling slightly, yet they still stubbornly blocked the door without saying a word.
Seeing this, the ominous premonition in Wei Yufeng's heart grew even stronger. He knew that the Cloud-Secluded Courtyard was protected by a barrier personally set by his stepmother. Unless she personally granted permission, it was impossible for any outsider to force their way in.
He tentatively sent out a wisp of his inner energy. The moment it touched the courtyard gate, it was repelled by a gentle yet unyielding ice-blue energy barrier.
This energy was all too familiar to him; it was the aura of the "Xuanhua Divine Art." It was just... for some reason, he felt that the barrier's aura today seemed to possess an indescribable... chaos and restlessness, as if beneath the extreme yin and coldness, a completely opposite, scorching undercurrent was hidden.
"What is Mother doing in there?" A cloud of doubt filled Wei Yufeng's mind. But no matter how he shouted or threatened, the two maids only kowtowed in silence.
And the barrier before him was like an insurmountable heavenly chasm, leaving him with no options. As the acting Palace Master, he held great power, yet he was barred from the entrance to his own stepmother's chambers.
After a long stalemate, Wei Yufeng knew that waiting any longer was pointless. He glanced at the tightly shut gate and could only slam his fist against the stone wall beside it in frustration.
"We're leaving!" he said, forcing the words out through gritted teeth. He then turned and strode away.
On the way back, Wei Yufeng remained silent. Wei Yuming followed behind him and asked anxiously, "Brother, what do we do now?"
Wei Yufeng stopped abruptly. He knew he couldn't afford to lose his composure anymore. He was the Young Lord of the Immortal Palace, the regent their father had appointed before he left. He had to calm down. He closed his eyes, took several deep breaths to compose himself, then said in a low voice, "Yuming."
"Yes!" Wei Yuming immediately responded.
"Go to the Black Armor Guard at once. Select twenty of the most skilled and agile scouts. You will lead them personally. Leave the palace immediately and follow the route Miaoshu might have taken. Search within a hundred mile radius of the Immortal Palace. Whether she left on her own or was taken out, she must have left a trace."
"Me?" Wei Yuming was stunned, then a look of timidity appeared on his face. "Brother, can... can I do it?"
"You have to!" Wei Yufeng's voice was unequivocal. "As the Young Lord, I must remain in the Immortal Palace to stabilize the situation. I cannot leave without authorization. You are Miaoshu's cousin, and the person I trust most. This task can only be entrusted to you!"
He stood up, walked to Wei Yuming, and placed his hands heavily on his shoulders, saying word by word, "Remember, this must be done in secret. To the outside, you are only pursuing a fugitive. Do not let a single word about the Young Palace Mistress's disappearance leak! If you find any clue, send it back immediately using the top-priority secret message. If you encounter any suspicious persons, you may capture them first and interrogate them later! If... if sister has truly met with misfortune..." His voice trembled slightly at this point. "No matter who they are, kill them all!"
Wei Yuming looked into his brother's eyes and nodded heavily. He puffed out his chest and replied with all his might, "Brother, don't worry! I will definitely bring our sister back safely!"
With that, he hesitated no longer. He took the command token Wei Yufeng gave him and turned to leave.
***
At the same time the two brothers were being denied entry…
The moonlight was as pale as frost. In the hot springs of the Cloud-Secluded Courtyard, the water rippled gently and steam rose. Ning Xuefei and Hu Hong maintained the same intimately familiar posture they had days prior. They were sitting closely together in the center of the pool.
Ning Xuefei's smooth, delicate back, as if carved from the finest white jade, was pressed against Hu Hong's firm, scorching chest.
Her black hair was loosely tied up with a simple jade hairpin. A few damp strands were clinging to her snow-white, tender neck and her full, sensual shoulders. It created a stark contrast of black and white that added an utterly bewitching and seductive charm.
Hu Hong's arms wrapped around her slender, lithe waist, his palms cupping and kneading the pair of full, bountiful, and fleshy mounds on her chest. The two snowy orbs were so plump they seemed about to overflow from between his fingers. With every breath, they created heart-stopping waves of flesh, shifting into various lewd shapes in his palms. The texture of her skin was as smooth as jade yet shockingly elastic, warm and tender.
After several days of dual cultivation, Ning Xuefei seemed to have gradually grown accustomed to this shameful posture. She was no longer as stiff and resistant as she was at the beginning, and their coordination had become much more seamless. Her delicate body appeared especially relaxed in the warm spring water, and she would even unconsciously let out one or two sweet, bone-melting moans under Hu Hong's mischievous large hands.
Her waist so supple as if boneless was arched backwards, causing her plump, rounded buttocks to rise higher. The ample, firm globes, moistened by the warm pool water, glistened with an alluring sheen. Those two perky, peach-like buttocks pressed tightly against Hu Hong's member, which was already as hard as iron, scorching hot, and menacing. With every circulation of the energy flow, she would unconsciously twist her waist slightly. And this subtle twisting caused the deep, moist crack between her buttocks to grind against his thick shaft with a soul-stirring friction.
"Mmm... ah..." Ning Xuefei's red lips parted slightly as she let out a suppressed, heavy moan. Streams of pure "Qinghua" energy were continuously surging into her body through Hu Hong's palms and lower body.
That scorching current of ultimate yang energy, like a rushing river, scoured the meridians in her body that had become blocked by the "Xuanshuang" cold energy. Pain and pleasure intertwined, coldness and heat danced together. Her pretty face was already flushed a captivating crimson, her eyes misty and seductive, her phoenix-like gaze hazy with moisture. Her long eyelashes trembled incessantly, and her full red lips bore the faint teeth marks she had inflicted herself.
For Hu Hong, these past few days of dual cultivation had been both an extreme torment and pleasure. The perfect, voluptuous body in his arms exuded a fatal temptation with every inch of skin, every curve. The pair of large breasts under his palms were incredibly elastic and their tender nipples had already hardened like pearls, repeatedly scraping and teasing against his palm. Following Ning Xuefei's orders, he dared not have any blasphemous thoughts, merely using his large glans to perform a torturously slow and deep grinding between those two thick, moist, and tender labia. With each slight thrust, the scorching crown of his glans would precisely scrape against her already swollen and erect clitoris, stirring up waves of uncontrollable, tingling pleasure. Crystal-clear love fluids uncontrollably trickled out from her closed petals, turning the private place where they were joined into a complete mess.
Ning Xuefei bit her lower lip, letting that soul-stirring sensation sweep over her body like a tide. Her pretty face was already flushed a captivating crimson, her eyes misty and seductive. Yet her heart remained cold and clear. She clearly sensed that as her own desires rose, the "Xuanshuang" cold energy in her body became unprecedentedly active, intertwining, merging, and harmonizing with the "Qinghua" yang energy flowing from Hu Hong's body with unprecedented efficiency.
She carefully guarded her spiritual clarity, reminding herself that this was merely cultivation. Healing Xing'er afterwards was her true goal.
After each cultivation session over the past few days, Ning Xuefei would carefully guide the refined true yuan, now infused with the Qinghua energy, into her dantian, then slowly channel it into Xingyun's body to nourish his damaged meridians and soul. Xingyuan's injuries were improving at a visible rate; his collapsed chest was gradually recovering, his pale face had regained some color, and his breathing had become steady and long.
However, no matter how she used this powerful energy to channel or call out Mo Xingyun's soul, it remained immersed in the deepest slumber as if shrouded by an invisible barrier, refusing to wake up.
"Xing'er... what is it that's hindering you?" Ning Xuefei called out anxiously in her heart.
However, the only response was still silence. The repeated attempts over the past few days filled Ning Xuefei's heart with frustration and anxiety. She knew that Xing'er's body was healing, but the slumber of his soul was the most critical problem. And this "Qinghua" energy, because it was channeled through an outsider like Hu Hong, seemed unable to exert its ultimate power to awaken a resonance in their bloodline.
Perhaps... perhaps a deeper, more thorough union of yin and yang was needed to truly break that barrier?
While Ning Xuefei was lost in thought, Hu Hong's other hand left her towering, swollen breasts and began to openly roam over her flawless, voluptuous body. He knew Ning Xuefei would not stop his lustful hand; in fact, this was also part of the close dual cultivation. Through the opportunity of physical caresses, the inner energies of both parties merged more intimately. His fingertips slowly slid down from her fragrant, fleshy shoulders, caressing the smooth, flawless skin of her back, feeling that jade-like fineness. He then continued down along the beautiful curve of her spine, lingering at her slender, lithe waist, feeling its suppleness and slenderness, before resting his palm on her plump buttocks. The two round, perky globes were firm yet full of amazing elasticity, glistening in the warm pool water and exuding a rich, intoxicating scent of a mature woman.
Hu Hong gently pressed and kneaded her meaty buttocks, his palm sinking deep into the tender, ass cheeks, feeling that soul-stirring softness and elasticity. The soft, fleshy fullness even overflowed from between his fingers.
Ning Xuefei remained lost in her thoughts, showing little reaction to such caresses on her sensitive, seductive body.
However, Hu Hong's movements became increasingly bold and unrestrained. His fingers repeatedly rubbed along the edge of the deep, moist cleft of her buttocks, even intentionally or unintentionally moving upward to lightly trace over the tender flesh of her cleft soaked by the pool water. He gently pressed and caressed her tender rosy bud, tracing an ambiguous circle there.
"Mmm..." A tingling pleasure, like a warm electric current, spread throughout her body from where his palm rested. This sudden, intense stimulus dragged Ning Xuefei back from her thoughts to reality.
Her willow-like brows, which had been slightly furrowed in thought, instantly relaxed. The man's fiery hand behind her was squeezing her plump buttocks into all sorts of enticing shapes. That mischievous finger was repeatedly circling her most shameful place. She instinctively wanted to struggle, but her body reacted more honestly than her mind. Her waist uncontrollably leaned back, her plump buttocks pressing tightly against his mischievous hand, and even the tender bud of her rear entrance, shamefully relaxed a little.
Hu Hong felt the change in her body. He brought his lips to her ear, his warm breath spraying against her sensitive earlobe, and whispered in a low, respectful voice, "Holy Empress... you seem to have something on your mind? If you are distracted during our dual cultivation, I fear it will be detrimental to the circulation of the technique."
Ning Xuefei, having her thoughts exposed and her heart stirred by his ambiguous actions, instantly flushed bright red. She fiercely pushed away the hand that was causing mischief between her plump buttocks and said, annoyed and embarrassed, "It is not your place to question my affairs! I allowed you to caress my body to aid the flow of true qi. Control your own hands and know your place!"
Hearing this, Hu Hong knew that having her private area touched had made her unbearably shy. The more she tried to appear stern, the more it proved that she had lost her composure. He chuckled softly, "The Holy Empress is right to admonish me. I was only thinking about your well-being. For our dual cultivation, we should maintain a clear mind and our hearts should be connected. If the Empress is always this distracted, I'm afraid it will greatly affect the healing of your injury and your cultivation."
Ning Xuefei was so angry her delicate body trembled, but she couldn't refute him. She knew he was speaking the truth. Her plump buttocks unconsciously clenched, the moist cleft enveloping his hard member, trying to hide her flooding private area.
*****
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