Su Wen carried Du Yue from the lakeside steps to the lodge. After sitting down, he gently loosened her legs from around his waist, turned her so her back faced him, and pulled her into his lap. Du Yue protested half-heartedly, but all resistance melted away when he wrapped his arms around her from behind and draped a blanket over the two of them. He leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her right cheek, silencing her complaints completely.
He took out the bottle of wine and drank directly from it. Then he held it to her lips. With her hands wrapped around his left arm beneath the blanket, she leaned forward, placed her cherry lips against the bottle, and drank contentedly, secretly sharing indirect kisses with him through the wine, a sweet smile curving her lips.
Su Wen felt as though he had married a precious treasure… cute and a little dumb, someone he wanted to cherish forever. He hugged her a little tighter, gently nibbled at her soft ear, and inhaled her intoxicating scent. Du Yue responded by holding his arm more tightly, closing her eyes as she felt his breath brush her cheek while he played with her ear.
After a few shared sips, they finished their first bottle of wine as husband and wife, their faces lightly flushed from the gentle intoxication.
After a moment, he finally emerged from the intoxicating haze… whether from the wine or from his wife, even he wasn't sure. Leaning close, he whispered softly into her ear,
"Wife, sit cross-legged and focus on your spirit cultivation. This wine is brewed from Grade 3 Spirit-Nurturing Grapes… it contains an enormous amount of spiritual qi."
He paused briefly, his tone turning gentler and more serious.
"You're already at the Peak Foundation Establishment. This wine could help you step into the Golden Core realm, but I don't recommend breaking through just yet. Your foundation is already strong, but your talent is far greater. If you break through now, you won't be able to fully utilize the potential of your Innate Pure Yin Immortal Physique."
His arms tightened slightly around her as he continued,
"If you suppress it for now, you can refine your foundation until it truly matches your talent. That will benefit you immensely in all your future breakthroughs."
Du Yue glanced sideways at him. His face was right next to hers. She wanted to give him a few kisses but held herself back… her husband was serious right now, thinking about her cultivation even at such a moment.
Her heart felt warm, as though she were living in her own little heaven. She didn't want to let him down, and deep inside, she felt genuinely happy because of his care.
She looked at him with her charming blue eyes and smiled sweetly, making him almost lose his composure.
"I will listen to husband."
She didn't come out from under the blanket. Instead, she sat cross-legged right on his lap.
Su Wen's heart trembled slightly, and he thought to himself, 'Damn… my dumb wife looks so cute with that smile. I want to spoil her so much.'
He forcefully suppressed the urge, maintained a calm expression, and said softly,
"Suppress your qi as much as you can. Since you practice body cultivation, your body can withstand a large amount of spiritual qi. The liquid qi in your dantian is already as vast as the ocean, but it can still be further compressed. Calm your mind first, then focus completely on your cultivation."
Du Yue gently nodded with a smile and closed her eyes, completely focusing on her cultivation and on the warmth at her back. She began practicing her soul cultivation technique, Silent Night Soul-Refinement Sutra, along with her spirit cultivation technique, Pure Yin Vein Resonance Method.
Seeing her gradually lose herself in cultivation, Su Wen also calmed his mind as he felt the surging spiritual qi within him. He activated his own techniques… the soul cultivation method Heaven's Will Mantra and the spirit cultivation art Dao of the Nine Heavens… to refine the excess qi.
Bit by bit, he too lost himself entirely in cultivation, only regaining awareness when the sky brightened and the morning sun rose, bathing the world in beautiful light.
Little Suzume had left his head earlier while he was lost in cultivation. She would return again at breakfast time.
Su Wen had also finished refining the spiritual qi from the wine. What had once been only a few liquefied drops in his dantian had now become a small pond. Overnight, he had reached the peak of Early-stage Foundation Establishment.
Du Yue, still resting in his arms, slowly opened her eyes. She looked at him with a gentle smile, gave him a soft peck on the cheek, and whispered,
"Husband… my spiritual qi ocean has become more condensed and heavier. I feel like I can still go further, and my strength seems to have increased."
Su Wen nodded and lightly pinched her nose. When he examined the qi in her dantian, he saw a raging, dark ocean… three times the size of a normal cultivator's spiritual-qi sea.
He smiled, patted her head, and said,
"Good job. Your true strength actually depends on your control and the quality of your spiritual qi. Now that your qi is heavier and more condensed, it will be far more powerful…"
He continued calmly,
"I've already planned a few training exercises to increase your control over spiritual qi and your mental sense.
You are not allowed to slack off from your cultivation and training."
Du Yue nodded and looked at her husband with a hint of admiration. Her blue eyes shone softly as she turned slightly and hugged him lightly, a sweet smile blooming on her lips.