It was the same old preachy act, an attempt to maintain his poise while feigning indifference.
At that moment, Chen Qingyang spoke up. "Senior Brother, since you're the one receiving us, surely you don't intend to just leave us standing here? If you have any tasks for us, you should go ahead and assign them."
Just then, a woman was seen walking toward the small courtyard from outside.
She moved with a graceful gait, clad in a goose-yellow long dress. Her full bosom was half-concealed, and her slender waist accentuated her figure. Her hair was adorned with gold and jade ornaments, and her exquisite face had a rather noble air.
Upon seeing her, Yao Jingzhi's smile became exceptionally gentle. He stood his ground, clasping one hand behind his back. "Senior Sister, you're back from your summons with Master Xuanwei?"
Chen Qingyang observed them covertly. 'This woman's Cultivation is very high, even greater than Jing Shu's. That means she's very likely in the Ninth Realm.'
'Yao Jingzhi's posture isn't how one normally acts toward a senior sister,' Chen Qingyang mused. 'Perhaps he already knows this is exactly the kind of act this woman falls for.'
"I'm back. The Master has given me some tasks, and I was just about to discuss the details with you... Oh, right. Are these two junior brothers and sisters new arrivals?"
The woman's demeanor fit perfectly with Chen Qingyang's stereotype of a Sun-piercing Peak disciple.
Noble, proud, and with a hint of looking down on everyone else.
It was Yao Jingzhi who answered her. "That's right. I'm in the middle of receiving them."
The woman nodded. "Mm, arrange for them to settle in first. They can wait for Master Xuanwei's unified orders later."
"Yes, Senior Sister."
Afterward, Yao Jingzhi summoned a Daoist Child from the temple to lead Chen Qingyang and Liu Tao to a small, adjacent courtyard to settle in.
Just as the Little Daoist Child was about to leave, Chen Qingyang stopped him. "Do you know where Master Xuanwei's residence is?"
The Little Daoist Child pointed upward. "I heard that the Master stays in that small courtyard on the mountainside. It's the quietest place, so no one will disturb the Master's Cultivation."
"Many thanks!"
He casually tossed him a few Spirit Stones, which were extremely precious items in a Daoist Temple with such thin Spiritual Qi.
The Daoist Child thanked him profusely before departing.
Liu Tao, who had been bottling up her curiosity the whole way, could finally ask, "What's the deal between you and that Yao fellow? I keep feeling like he's targeting you."
"You heard him. He's a disciple of Sun-piercing Peak, and I used to be a miscellaneous task disciple there—Li Qianxue's, to be specific. With that connection, you can probably figure out the rest."
"Sigh!" Liu Tao let out a breath. "I thought I was coming with you to enjoy an easy life, but I didn't expect trouble to follow us. If I'd known, I wouldn't have come!"
Chen Qingyang knew she was joking. "Didn't you see? Yao Jingzhi seems quite interested in you. He wanted to guide your Cultivation. If you had just accepted his offer, there wouldn't be any trouble!"
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey..." Liu Tao spat a few times. "Hmph, Chen Qingyang, if you keep talking about me like that, I'm going to get angry with you for real."
Chen Qingyang chuckled. "I've been putting up with my senior sister's attitude this whole trip. Can't I get a little of my own back?"
"Hmph! Then let me ask you, why did you ask where Master Xuanwei lives? Don't tell me you two have some history?"
Chen Qingyang shook his head. "How would I know? I was just curious. Senior Sister, we haven't had a proper rest this entire journey. Look, there's some Spiritual Qi here. Let's hurry up and meditate to conserve the Spirit Stones we have."
Liu Tao naturally assumed he was just tired. "Alright, I'll listen to you."
As soon as she said that, Chen Qingyang sat down and became still. What Liu Tao couldn't see was that his Conscious Fish had already flown out, heading toward the small courtyard from before.
With no Foundation Establishment Master present, who could possibly discover his trick?
He had seen it clearly earlier: there was another courtyard behind this one. Yao Jingzhi and that woman had both gone inside. He couldn't shake the feeling that the two of them were being flirty, that there was something more going on.
'Perhaps... this is a chance to acquire an Immortal Seedling. It might be a bit shameful to keep doing this, but it's not like I think I'm despicable.'
As soon as it landed outside the house, it heard their voices. The Conscious Fish slipped through the crack in the door.
Inside, the woman was standing, while Yao Jingzhi sat brazenly behind a table, holding a teacup. He cut a rather imposing figure.
"...Junior Brother, I can see your Cultivation is just a hair's breadth from a breakthrough. All you need to do is ask for an Elixir. Why are you so determined not to rush it...?"
The woman was facing him, muttering softly.
'He sat there brazenly, but his tone was exceedingly gentle, his voice deep and magnetic. I've seen his skills before; he really has a way with women.'
"It only took me two hundred years to reach my current realm. My speed isn't slow at all. If I can solidify my foundation, what's the harm in waiting a little longer? Senior Sister, you must understand, I'm doing this to ensure my path forward is longer."
It seemed the woman truly fell for his act, taking his words to heart. "That makes sense. My own path just hasn't taken me as far as yours. Half-Step Foundation Establishment feels so incredibly distant for me."
Yao Jingzhi lightly slapped the long table. "Nonsense. It's not distant. It's just a paper window you haven't pierced yet. If your Dao Heart isn't even firm enough, how can you ever hope to break through?"
The woman accepted his lecture obediently. "Yes, yes, I won't think like that anymore. I've noticed you've been very tired lately, Junior Brother. Why not just come back? You don't have to force your way into Master Miaoyou's circle."
Yao Jingzhi chuckled lightly. "Silly Senior Sister, what do you know? Not only can I not come back, but I must press even further... Forget it, I'll just be blunt with you."
"The reason I'm not breaking through with my Cultivation right now, and also why I'm getting close to Jian Yu, is because I want to sneak into Master Miaoyou's next sermon. Then, right when he's explaining something profound, I'll break through in front of everyone."
"A Master of his realm has long since grown indifferent to worldly matters. Almost nothing can catch his eye. If I can pull off a stunt like this, it will serve as my affirmation of his teachings, and he'll be sure to see me in a new light."
Hearing this, Chen Qingyang could only think one word: 'Brilliant.'
'Breaking through on the spot while listening to a Master's Dao lecture... Word of that would become a legendary tale. The Master would surely love it too, because everyone would know that listening to his sermons could lead to an on-the-spot breakthrough.'
Chen Qingyang admitted to himself that, with his mind at least, he would have struggled to come up with such a scheme.
"Mm, Junior Brother's plans are always so thorough." The woman stood behind him, kneading his shoulders.
'A Ninth Realm cultivator serving a Sixth Realm one. This Yao Jingzhi is really living the life!'
"By the way, Junior Brother, I heard you upset Jian Yu last time and were planning to save up some Spirit Stones to buy her a Flying Sword as a gift. If you're short, I have ten million here that I can give you?" The woman was truly good to him.
But Yao Jingzhi's tone was firm. "My doing this is already unfair to you. How could I possibly take your Spirit Stones now and make you even more upset?"
The woman's expression was dazed. "To be honest, I am a little upset... but seeing that you still think of me all the time, I'm content!"
Unexpectedly, Yao Jingzhi became quite harsh. "When I say I don't need it, I don't need it. I don't need you to teach me what to do. Do you understand me?"
"Junior Brother, don't be angry. I'll listen to you." The woman's voice became soft and gentle, as if she was growing even more fond of him.
'Three women, three different dynamics,' Chen Qingyang observed. 'But from what I've seen, Yao Jingzhi puts his genuine heart into his relationship with each one.'
After enjoying the moment for a bit, Yao Jingzhi said, "Forget it. Since you've already prepared them, just give them to me after you get back."
"Mm."
Perhaps because this senior sister was so obedient, his hands began to roam over her body, crossing the plains, scaling the mountains, and finally finding the flowing stream.
Soon, the two were stark naked, once again engaging in that Dual Cultivation Skill.
All of a sudden, Chen Qingyang came to a realization.
'Appetite and lust are both part of human nature.'
'Immortal Cultivation is for longevity, and longevity isn't for suffering. It's to stand at the crest of the tide, to be a man above men, to escape the three calamities and six harms, to break free from the cycle of life and death... or in other words, to find joy in one's heart.'
'The reason the woman likes Yao Jingzhi so much must be because he has a unique understanding of this matter, always allowing his partners to gain more from it. Perhaps in her hundred, or even thousand, years of cultivation, this is a unique kind of happiness she's finally experiencing.'
Yin and Yang intertwined, their Qi Mechanisms circulating.
Just as the two were lost in ecstasy, with no attention to spare for the outside world, a flicker of fire, barely perceptible to the naked eye, flashed gently. Both of their bodies began to tremble violently.
Chen Qingyang had listened to all their sweet nothings for so long precisely for this moment.
The two of them quickly stopped and separated, throwing on their clothes. Yao Jingzhi was exceedingly gentle with the woman, his eyes filled with confusion. "Senior Sister, are you alright?"
He first asked how she was, and only after getting a positive reply did he ask, "Why did that just happen? Did you let your focus wander?"
The woman said, "Whether it's my heart or my body, they belong to you alone. I wouldn't let my focus wander."
Yao Jingzhi fell silent.
Chen Qingyang guessed that he wasn't suspecting some other cause, but rather that something was wrong with himself.
'After all, he's tried it with two different women now, and the exact same problem occurred. Could it be that his virility is fading?'
[Acquired Immortal Seedling: 4131.]
Most of it was contributed by the woman. The Conscious Fish began to retreat.
This wasn't exactly an undeserved disaster for the woman.
Because Chen Qingyang could already guess that, due to her relationship with Yao Jingzhi, she would inevitably move against him. He just considered this collecting a little interest in advance.