Mei arrived at for their evening practice session carrying a stack of books that looked old, very old.
Lin Wei looked up from his meditation. "What are those?"
"Research." She set the books down carefully on the stone bench. "I've been digging through the restricted section of the library, most texts on dual cultivation were purged centuries ago but I found some references. Hidden in footnotes, disguised as academic critiques. I followed the breadcrumb trail."
She opened the top book—leather bound, pages were yellow with age.
"This is a pre-purge manual. 'Harmonious Cultivation: Methods for Compatible Practitioners' It was filed under—Discredited Theories' but the seal was never reinforced. No one's touched it in a hundred years."
Lin Wei moved closer to look, the text was dense, written in an archaic style but readable.
"Listen to this," Mei said, reading aloud. "'When two cultivators of compatible nature unite their energies through physical and spiritual harmony, they transcend the limitations of singular practice. What one cannot achieve alone, two can accomplish together. This is not perversion but partnership, not corruption but completion."
[FINALLY! Someone who gets it!]
Lú Tǐ's voice practically vibrated with excitement.
[I've been WAITING for you two to find proper documentation! Everything I've been telling you is in those texts!]
"You knew about these?" Lin Wei asked.
[Of course I knew! I'm a LUST CULTIVATION SYSTEM! But you humans need to discover things yourselves or you don't trust them. So I've been patient.. well, mostly patient. Okay, barely patient but NOW you have proof!]
Mei flipped through more pages. "There are diagrams here, Qi circulation patterns for paired cultivation, Energy exchange techniques, methods for achieving what they call Perfect Resonance."
She stopped on a particular page and her face went red.
"Oh."
"What?" Lin Wei leaned over to see.
The diagram showed two figures in intimate embrace, with detailed meridian pathways illustrated showing how Qi would flow between them during... well, during what was unmistakably sexual intercourse.
"Oh," Lin Wei echoed.
[THAT'S the advanced technique I've been building you up to! Full-body Qi circulation through complete physical union! It's the fastest way to achieve 100% synchronization!]
Mei closed the book quickly, face burning. "There are other techniques. Less... advanced, progressive stages."
She opened another book. "This one outlines a developmental path, starting with hand holding and synchronized breathing—which we've done. Moving to extended physical contact and energy circulation, we've done that too. Then..."
She trailed off, reading ahead.
"Then what?" Lin Wei asked.
"Then it gets progressively more intimate, each stage requires greater physical and emotional trust. The theory is that Qi synchronization mirrors relationship depth, the closer you are emotionally, the deeper the energy connection can go."
[Exactly! You can't fake this kind of cultivation! It requires GENUINE intimacy! That's why it works so well for compatible partners and fails completely for forced pairings!]
[It's also why the orthodox sects banned it. They couldn't control who was compatible with whom, couldn't arrange advantageous cultivation partnerships. So they declared the whole practice 'demonic' and suppressed it.]
Mei pulled out a jade slip. "I made notes, there are six traditional stages of dual cultivation:"
Stage 1: Breath Synchronization (Completed)
- Hand contact, aligned breathing, basic Qi resonance
Stage 2: Extended Contact (Completed)
- Full-body energy circuit, prolonged physical proximity, emotional sensing
Stage 3: Intimate Circulation (Not attempted)
- Close physical embrace, Qi flowing through major meridians, requires trust and vulnerability
Stage 4: Deep Resonance (Not attempted)
- Extended intimate contact, full meridian alignment, requires emotional commitment
Stage 5: Perfect Union (Not attempted)
- Complete physical and spiritual integration, maximum Qi synchronization, requires absolute trust
Stage 6: Transcendent Harmony (Theoretical)
- Legendary stage where partners can share consciousness and cultivation base permanently
Lin Wei stared at the list. "We're at Stage 2."
"Yes. And Stage 3 requires..." Mei checked her notes. "Intimate embrace for extended periods, skin to skin contact across major meridian points. The texts recommend starting with partial contact and building up to full circulation."
"How partial?"
She showed him a diagram.
It depicted two people in close embrace, arms around each other, bodies pressed together but still clothed. The meridian contact points were highlighted: chest to chest for heart meridian, stomach - to - stomach for core meridian, legs intertwined for kidney meridian.
"That's essentially... cuddling," Lin Wei said.
"Cultivation cuddling," Mei corrected. "With intent and energy circulation."
[It's INTIMATE cuddling! And it works! Host, your meridian healing rate would TRIPLE at Stage 3! Mei's fire Qi stabilization would be permanent! This is EXACTLY what you both need!]
Lin Wei looked at Mei. "What do you think?"
She bit her lip, thinking. "The logic is sound, our Qi signatures are highly compatible—we've proven that. The texts suggest progressive intimacy allows for gradual trust building, which makes the deeper stages safer."
"But you're hesitant."
"I'm thinking." She set down the books. "Lin Wei, this isn't just cultivation anymore. If we do this... if we progress through these stages, we're choosing to be intimate. Physically, emotionally. That's a big decision."
"I know."
"And there's the system aspect. Lú Tǐ will want us to create content from this eventually."
[Only if you're both comfortable! I'm not a monster! Private practice is fine! Though yes, EVENTUALLY, if you wanted to help other compatible practitioners by demonstrating techniques, that would be incredibly valuable—]
"Lú Tǐ, not helping." Lin Wei said.
[Right.. Shutting up.. Mostly..]
Mei paced across the cave. "Here's what I'm thinking, the texts are legitimate, the techniques are proven. Our compatibility is exceptional, and we both need this cultivation boost—you to heal your meridians permanently, me to stabilize my fire Qi."
"But?"
"But I need to know this isn't just pragmatic, I need to know we're doing this because we WANT to not just because the system is pushing us."
Lin Wei stood up and walked over to her.
"Mei, If there was no system, no missions, no content requirements—would you still want to try this? With me?"
She looked up at him, eyes serious behind her glasses.
"Yes," she said quietly. "I'm attracted to you, I enjoy spending time with you and I trust you. And yes, I'm curious about where this could go. The cultivation benefits are real, but that's not the only reason I'm considering this."
"Same," Lin Wei said. "I like you... A lot. I think about you when you're not here, I look forward to our practice sessions not just for the cultivation but because I want to see you. The system's involvement is complicated, but my interest in you is genuine."
Mei smiled—Shyly but genuine. "Okay, so we're both interested in each other as people, not just cultivation partners."
"Yes."
"And we're both curious about progressing to Stage 3."
"Yes."
"Then I think we should try it... slowly, with clear communication, we can stop at any point if either of us is uncomfortable."
[This is very mature and I'm proud of you both. Also, conveniently, I have a MISSION for exactly this!]
A notification appeared in both their visions.....