A week after their return, Su Linyue found him in the archives. She didn't enter, merely stood in the doorway, her presence a pool of cold in the dusty warmth. The other disciples in the hall gave her a wide berth.
"Mission Hall," she said, her voice low. "Bandit-clearing. Willow Creek City. The reward is high."
Gu Xuan didn't look up from the scroll he was pretending to organize. "Bandits, Senior Sister? Is that not beneath a Foundation Establishment expert?"
"The leader is a Foundation Establishment rogue," she replied, a faint, private challenge in her tone. "The rest are Qi Condensation rabble. It's a high-risk mission. You said we should go on more of them."
Gu Xuan finally looked up, his face a mask of placid obedience. "As Senior Sister commands."
The journey to Willow Creek City took a full day. They traveled in the customary way: she walked ten paces ahead, the picture of an aloof genius, while he followed behind, the unremarkable attendant.
They spoke little, but the silence was no longer empty. It was charged with their shared secret, a taut string vibrating between them.
The "Red Scarf Bandits" were not hard to find. They had taken over the city's largest tavern, the "Drunken Boar."
When Su Linyue and Gu Xuan entered, the raucous laughter died. A burly man with a crimson scarf and a jagged scar on his face stood up, his aura flaring. Foundation Establishment, Initial Stage.
"Well, well," the bandit leader sneered, his eyes roving over Su Linyue's form. "The righteous sects are sending pretty dolls to do their dirty work now. And she brought a little servant boy."
Su Linyue didn't draw her sword. She simply raised her hand. The temperature in the tavern plummeted.
"Freeze," she commanded.
An explosion of silver-white Qi erupted from her. It wasn't a blade or a beam; it was a wave of pure, absolute cold.
The bandit leader's sneer froze on his face. In less than a second, he was a statue of solid ice, his eyes wide with a final, uncomprehending terror.
The other ten bandits, all in the Qi Condensation realm, stared in horror. Before they could even raise their weapons, Su Linyue shattered the ice statue with a flick of her wrist.
"Kill them," she ordered Gu Xuan, testing him.
"Ah!" Gu Xuan yelped, drawing his sword in a "panic." He "tripped" over a stool, flailing wildly.
His sword, however, moved with an "accidental" precision, sinking perfectly into the heart of one bandit.
As he scrambled up, he "stumbled" again, his elbow striking another bandit in the throat with enough force to crush his windpipe.
In the ensuing chaos, he dispatched the remaining rabble with a series of "lucky" and "clumsy" maneuvers, all while looking terrified for his life.
In thirty seconds, the fight was over. Su Linyue stood in the center of the room, untouched, while Gu Xuan panted, leaning on his sword as if exhausted.
"We should report to the city magistrate," Gu Xuan said, his voice breathy. "And... perhaps find an inn. That was... terrifying."
Su Linyue almost smiled. "Yes. We should rest."
The "Grateful Pine Inn" was the finest in Willow Creek City. The innkeeper, having heard of their deed, was obsequious.
He gave Su Linyue the best suite, and Gu Xuan a simple, adjoining room, just as Gu Xuan had quietly requested via a note he'd "dropped" at the magistrate's office.
Hours passed. The city outside grew quiet. Midnight came and went.
A soft, almost imperceptible tap-tap-tap sounded on the adjoining door that separated their rooms.
Su Linyue was not asleep. She rose from her bed and unlatched the door. Gu Xuan stood on the other side, clad only in his simple sleeping trousers.
The Veil of Mortal Dust was down. His true, handsome face was visible, his dark eyes holding a deep, knowing fire.
He stepped inside without a word, and the door clicked shut behind him. The air was thick with anticipation.
This was not the desperate, frantic coupling of the cave. This was a choice.
He reached out, his hand gently touching her face. She leaned into his palm, her eyes fluttering shut.
This simple, non-sexual touch was almost more intimate than what they had done before.
He slowly lowered his head, his lips finding hers. The kiss was slow, deep, and searching. It was a re-learning, a confirmation.
He carefully lifted her from her feet, mindful of the creaking floorboards, and carried her to the bed.
He laid her down and slowly, deliberately, pulled the thin silk of her nightgown up over her head.
Her body was revealed to him in the dim moonlight: the pale, heavy breasts, the slender waist, the soft triangle of hair between her legs.
"You are beautiful," he whispered, the words a stark contrast to his usual silence.
He lowered his head, his mouth closing over one of her breasts, sucking the hard nipple into his mouth.
Su Linyue's back arched, a low moan escaping her lips before she quickly muffled it with her hand.
The quiet, the need for secrecy, only heightened the sensation.
He licked and suckled, paying devoted attention to both peaks before his hand slid down, his fingers sinking into the wet, hot folds of her vagina.
She was already soaked for him. He circled her clitoris with his thumb, and her hips began to rock, a silent, desperate plea.
He positioned himself between her legs, his thick, erect penis pressing against her entrance. "We must be quiet," he murmured, his breath hot against her ear.
He pushed into her slowly, a long, controlled slide. Her tight vagina gripped him, welcoming him.
She bit her lip to keep from crying out, her eyes squeezing shut as he filled her completely.
He began to move, not with the frantic, pounding rhythm of the cave, but with a deep, slow, rocking motion.
It was a sensual friction, designed to maximize pleasure while minimizing sound.
The only noises were their soft, panting breaths and the slick, wet sound of their joining.
Gu Xuan closed his eyes, focusing on the Primal Chaos Union Scripture. This time, it was different.
As he moved within her, he felt their energies connect. Not as a clash, but as two rivers merging into one.
He could feel her trust, her acceptance, and her burgeoning desire for him. This was the "flux" the scripture spoke of.
With every slow, deep thrust, their combined Qi circulated, refining and purifying itself, the "divine steel" slowly being forged.
Su Linyue's legs were wrapped around his waist, her face buried in his shoulder to muffle her moans.
The pleasure was less of a storm and more of a deep, rising tide, and it was overwhelming.
"I can't..." she whimpered, her body tensing as her climax approached.
"Let go," he whispered, his own control breaking. He began to thrust faster, harder, the bed frame groaning in protest.
He covered her mouth with his, swallowing her cries as her orgasm hit, her inner walls clenching around his penis in a series in of breathtaking spasms.
The sensation pushed him over the edge. He drove deep one last time, his body shuddering as he released his essence into her.
They lay tangled in the darkness, panting, their bodies slick with sweat. He felt his new Foundation Establishment power, once slightly crude, now feel purer, more stable. This was the true path.
He stayed with her until the first hint of dawn, before slipping silently back into his own room, the pact between them sealed once more, stronger than ever.