Chapter 90 The reckoning has only just begun! The cause of today, the effect of today…

"Waaaah~" Jiao Jiao sobbed as she jumped back onto Bai Ye's shoulder, rubbing her little head against her neck, her voice full of grievance, "She's so fierce! I still prefer Zhong Jiuli!"

Bai quickly reached out and covered her incessantly chattering mouth, lowering his voice to say, "Stop talking, Jiao. If you keep yelling, you'll really be made into turtle soup, and I won't be able to save you then."

Huo Lan smiled and quickened her pace, passing the man and the tortoise as she walked into the square.

Bai followed behind her, his gaze falling on her back and also on the square where thousands of lights were gathered.

Like rivers flowing into the sea, the river of lights flowing through the City of Blazing Fire eventually converges here.

Thousands of people stood silently, holding lanterns in their hands, looking up at the towering stone monument at the deepest part of the square.

The ancient monument gleamed faintly in the lamplight. At its summit, a figure in white stood with his back to the crowd, seemingly suspended in mid-air, his robes fluttering in the night wind.

She held a carving knife in her hand, intently chiseling at the stone tablet. Scattered stone chips fell like falling stars.

Bai also stared intently, feeling a strange familiarity with the figure. "That's... Lord Ling?"

"Mmm," Huo Lan replied softly.

What is she doing?

"To carve a stele."

Bai Ye's gaze fell on the stone tablet. With her eyesight, she could naturally see that countless names were recorded on the stone tablet.

"Is this the monument of Blazing City?"

Huo Lan shook her head. "The locals call it the Heroes' Monument."

Her voice was calm and clear, “What the city lord is inscribing now are the names of those who did not return from this sand hunt. These names will be preserved here forever.”

"As long as the city stands, the monument will stand."

If the city falls one day, this teleportation plaza should be the last stronghold for human cultivators.

The monument to the fallen heroes will be protected until the very last moment.

The night breeze ruffled their hair and carried the clear sound of carving stones from high above.

They stood silently with all the people, gazing up at that figure. They watched as she wielded her knife like a pen, engraving names one by one on the stone tablet. Only after a long time did the continuous "clinking" sound finally stop.

She did not turn to face the thousands of people beneath her feet, nor did she deliver any impassioned speech. She simply stood quietly, her gaze lowered, fixed on the newly carved names on the monument, still bearing traces of stone dust.

A moment later, she took out a jar of strong liquor, broke the mud seal, and the clear liquor overflowed from the mouth of the jar, flowing down from the sky.

Before the wine even hit the ground, thousands of lanterns held by the people below were released at the same time and rose into the air.

Thousands of lights transformed into the most dazzling galaxy, flowing towards the horizon.

Bai also looked up at the countless points of light in the sky, among which were their three lamps.

One lamp reflects the paw prints of a little turtle, another lamp has writing that looks like a dog's scratch, and yet another lamp is hidden among thousands of lights, its trace nowhere to be found.

She never got to see what Huolan had written on that lamp.

But all of that seems to have become unimportant.

At this moment, countless wishes have flown into the night sky, and her greatest wish is already standing beside her.

She and she stood side by side under this lamplight, having seen the same night sky, their hair intertwined in the wind, inseparable. That was enough.

The lanterns rose higher and higher until they became a tiny point of light in the night sky, and only then did the crowd in the square begin to disperse.

Bai also held Huo Lan's hand and walked out with the flow of people.

She looked down at their clasped hands and carefully said, "The sand hunt is over, and I'm leaving tomorrow."

"Where to?" Huo Lan asked calmly, her gaze still fixed on the road ahead.

Bai skipped the question and didn't answer it, instead changing the subject: "If I go to Zhongzhou, will I be able to find you?"

Huo Lan paused slightly, no longer concealing her identity, and directly addressed Bai Ye's question, "If you go, you will naturally find it."

"Then do you want to give me a token or something?" Bai Ye looked at her expectantly. "You know, the kind where you can just hold a token and enter the sect without anyone daring to stop you."

"Do you intend to approach me like that?" Huo Lan glanced at her sideways, "With the token, to quietly infiltrate the Sanqing Sect?"

"Then how do you want me to find you?" Bai asked, somewhat puzzled.

Huo Lan straightened her expression and said, "You should step into the Sanqing Sect with dignity and integrity before the world."

Bai nodded in realization and smiled, "Oh~ I understand now, Sect Leader Zhong doesn't allow people to use back channels, right?"

She straightened her back and assured him, "Don't worry, no matter how difficult it is to enter your Three Pure Ones Sect, or how high the threshold is, I will walk in with dignity from the mountain gate, step by step, and then find you."

"Mmm." Huo Lan responded softly. She knew that the little tiger could definitely do it.

"Then let's hurry back and take a bath." Bai also took her hand and walked back quickly. "We're leaving tomorrow, so we need to soak in the bath more tonight. We can't let any 'fire toxins' stay in our bodies."

Huo Lan let her pull her along, and the two of them and the tortoise made their way through the crowd, hurrying towards the city lord's mansion.

Upon returning to the city lord's mansion, the servants led them down into the deep underground palace.

As Bai passed by the central hall of the underground palace, he was also drawn to the remains of the Taiyin True Fire standing in the center of the hall.

It resembles a frozen white fiery mountain, still retaining the shape of its burning state, with a chilling aura seeping out from the fiery mountain and enveloping the entire underground palace.

If it were up to her usual nature, having come all this way, she would never leave empty-handed. She would definitely summon Little Fire and have her pay her respects to this senior; perhaps she could even gain some benefit from it.

After a year of honing his skills in the desert, Bai was no longer the greedy little tiger he once was.

She was very clear that if she destroyed this True Fire Relic or this precious Earth Fire Spring because of her own selfish desires, then where would the cultivators of Xizhou find another spiritual spring that could clear away the fire poison in the future?

Seeing that she was staring at the remains of the Taiyin True Fire, the attendant explained, "This Earth Fire Spring was found by our city lord after going to the Void and overcoming countless difficulties."

"The Void?" Bai also grasped the key point.

Huo Lan explained in a low voice, "The Void Land is far beyond the Nine Provinces. It is a vast and boundless land where mysterious and unpredictable things often appear, but it also holds tremendous opportunities. Many high-level cultivators venture into it to try their luck in immortality, and over time, people have come to call it the 'Void Land'."

"Your world is truly boundless," Bai sighed softly.

The attendant leading the way stopped in her tracks, reached out and pushed open a heavy stone door, bowed and said, "Gentlemen, we've arrived."

Bai Ye and Huo Lan entered side by side. A chill mixed with pure spiritual energy rushed towards them, giving them a jolt.

At the center of the room was an extremely spacious hot spring pool. The water in the pool was like solidified jade liquid, with a faint white mist rising from its surface. The chill and spiritual energy mingled and permeated the room.

To the left of the hot spring was a screen, behind which was a soft couch, presumably for bathers to change clothes and take a nap.

"The city lord specially prepared this hot spring for everyone from Burning Heaven Valley," the attendant said from outside the door. "It contains many rare and precious medicinal herbs, with mild effects, and is remarkably effective in clearing away fire poison."

After she finished speaking, she closed the heavy stone door again, leaving the two people and the tortoise in the room staring at each other.

Bai was also a little annoyed; why had she brought Jiaojiao, this burden, along again? What a wonderful opportunity she could have had to spend so much time with her wife!

Huo Lan's gaze shifted slightly, landing on Bai Ye's slightly furrowed brows. She couldn't help but chuckle and teased, "Stop frowning. Didn't you want to take a bath? Go and take off your clothes."

As she spoke, she went behind the screen and began to slowly and deliberately undress.

Bai stared at the pile of clothes on the screen and the hazy figure, then turned to look at Jiao Jiao, who was staring wide-eyed at the spirit spring. He was going through a fierce internal struggle.

Would you rather take a bath with your best friend, or just snuggle up with your wife? The answer is obvious: Bai chose his wife.

She leaned close to Jiaojiao's ear and whispered, "Jiaojiao, don't you think it's a bit too crowded for the three of us to take a bath together?"

Jiaojiao looked at her blankly and answered very honestly, "No, Yezai, this pool is so big, there's enough room for Jiaojiao to swim in."

"Oh, that's not how it is." Bai Ye's eyes darted around, and he immediately started to make up lies. "Think about it, you have the whole pool to yourself, all the medicinal power of the entire pool of spiritual spring is yours. You can absorb it however you want, drink it however you want, isn't that better?"

Jiaojiao's eyes lit up instantly; she thought Yezai made a lot of sense! It was indeed a bit crowded with the three of them together.

"Jiaojiao wants to take a bath by herself!"

"I'll take you there right away!" Bai Ye said with a beaming smile as he pushed open the heavy stone door with Jiao Jiao and addressed the servant waiting outside, "Could you please arrange a smaller pool for her to soak in? She's a bit shy and doesn't like bathing with three people!"

Jiaojiao shook her head, trying to argue that she wasn't shy. Bai, quick as a flash, pinched her mouth shut, preventing her from contradicting him.

The servant glanced at the gleaming golden tortoise in her hand and replied, "Of course."

"Great, then I'll leave it to you! You can stay with her from now on, we don't need to guard here anymore." Bai also put Jiaojiao into the servant's arms, and then quietly closed the door.

No matter how quietly she moved, the heavy sound of the stone door opening and closing could not escape Huo Lan's ears.

She was simply going with the flow; after all, the time she could spend alone with this little tiger was really limited.

Feeling guilty, Bai tiptoed back to the pond, glanced at the figure behind the screen, and began frantically untying his belt while organizing his thoughts in his mind.

If Huolan asks, she can just say that Jiaojiao doesn't want to take a bath with them, and that should be enough to fool her, right?

In no time at all, she stripped herself naked and stepped into the spring water, which was filled with a rich, cold, and spiritual aura.

The cool pool water enveloped her body, and the pure spiritual energy seeped into her body through every pore, cleansing the accumulated fire toxins in her meridians. She felt so comfortable that she couldn't help but sigh, "Ah~~ So comfortable, this trip was worthwhile."

The sighs ceased the moment the figure behind the screen stepped out.

Bai was stunned. The scene before him vaguely overlapped with the scenes he had experienced inside the Tower of Babel. Huo Lan, no, it should be Zhong Jiuli now, had returned to her original appearance.

Her jet-black hair cascaded down her shoulders, and her skin was as white as snow. The misty vapor blurred her features, but it only added to her captivating charm.

She wore only a very thin, plain white gauze dress, the fabric of which, damp with moisture, subtly outlined her exquisite curves. Barefoot, she walked step by step towards the pool on the cool stone floor.

Like a goddess stepping out of a painting, she possesses a cool and aloof demeanor with an unconscious allure.

Zhong Jiuli felt her ears burning from her intense gaze.

Without stopping, she walked straight to the edge of the pool. Instead of immediately entering the water, she bent down and reached out to block Bai Ye's view.

"Close your eyes." Her voice was lower than usual.

Deprived of her sight, Bai Ye's other senses instantly became incredibly sharp. She heard the faint rustling of fabric, as if a light gauze had fallen to the ground, followed by the sound of water rippling, the waves hitting her chest.

Only when they were in the hot spring, with the water covering most of their bodies, did Zhong Jiuli remove her hand from Bai Ye's eyes.

As light returned, the misty vapor blurred Bai Ye's vision, making the face so close to him even more alluring and mysterious.

She turned her head, her gaze lingering on the other person's lips, moistened by the water vapor, and the exquisite curves that were faintly visible underwater.

“Actually… given our relationship, it’s okay if we don’t block it.” Bai’s low, husky voice echoed in the stone chamber.

Before she finished speaking, she leaned down slightly and pressed her lips to his, lingering and caressing them.

Zhong Jiuli's words, which were yet to be spoken, were all silenced by her sudden kiss.

She hadn't expected that this person couldn't even wait a moment. At the very least, shouldn't he have waited until he had soaked in the spiritual spring and cleared away the burning fire poison in his body?

However, Bai didn't give her a chance to speak; his hot and urgent kiss carried an irresistible force.

He gently pried open her teeth and penetrated them, their bodies intertwined in a passionate embrace.

The coolness of the spring water contrasted wonderfully with the rapidly rising body temperature, and their breaths became hot and rapid as their lips and tongues intertwined.

The faint sound of water, accompanied by suppressed yet sweet breaths, echoed in the empty stone chamber. The misty air blurred the figures of the two people pressed closely together.

The cold pool water rippled, spreading out in concentric circles, crashing against the pool walls, breaking into sparkling droplets, and then falling back onto the surface.

"Wait..." Zhong Jiuli's breathing was slightly disordered. She tightened her grip on Bai Ye's shoulder and pushed her away a little. Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke, "Not here."

"Okay." Bai replied in a hoarse voice, raising his hand to stroke the face he had been longing for day and night. "I didn't really intend to do anything."

Zhong Jiuli glared at her, annoyed. "So what are you doing right now?"

I'm thinking of you.

Bai stared into her eyes and said, word by word, "I'm thinking of you, not just with my eyes, but with my thoughts, my heart, my body, everything about me is thinking of you."

Zhong Jiuli was slightly taken aback. She, too, was thinking about that stinky tiger day and night.

"You are too, aren't you?" Bai chuckled and pulled her into a deeper embrace.

"Mmm..." Zhong Jiuli hummed softly and obediently snuggled into her arms.

The moment their skin touched, the power of the moon and the sun was activated and began to operate spontaneously!

The pool of spiritual spring water instantly boiled, the misty vapor surged wildly, and the pure cold air and spiritual energy seemed to be summoned, rushing into the two people's bodies that were pressed together.

Under the cleansing force of this extreme energy, the fire toxins that had accumulated in the meridians over the past year were completely cleared away, the burning pain dissipated, leaving only the meridians that had been widened and tempered, becoming even more resilient and unobstructed.

After a long while, the boiling water in the pool gradually calmed down, and the rising white mist also became thinner.

"Alright, you can let go of me now." Zhong Jiuli gently patted Bai Ye's back.

"Do you think we can still separate now?" Bai asked in a low voice.

Indeed, they were inseparable. The intertwined forces of the sun and moon were tightly entwined, like vines, circulating within their bodies and bringing waves of indescribable tremors and heat.

"This time... what kind of dual cultivation method will you teach me?" Bai looked down at the person in his arms, her cheeks flushed, making her even more alluring.

"When did I say I wanted to cultivate with you?" Zhong Jiuli's rebuttal was so soft it lacked any strength.

"That's not up to you." Bai chuckled, his arms slipping under her knees and back, and with a little effort, he lifted her up horizontally. Water droplets rolled down their pressed skin and fell into the pool.

She stepped out of the hot spring and walked step by step toward the soft couch behind the screen.

Zhong Jiuli remained silent, only burying his burning cheeks against her neck.

Bai placed the person in her arms on the soft couch and leaned down to press her down. She half-supported herself, her full head of silver hair falling down, intertwining with the black hair of the person beneath her.

She asked in a low voice, "Sister, don't you want to teach me anymore?"

"Haven't you already learned it?" Zhong Jiuli's breathing quickened slightly, and she looked away in embarrassment and annoyance. Why did this stinky tiger always make her teach him?

"Then I'll just have to do my own thing."

Before she could finish speaking, Bai kissed her slightly parted lips again. At the same time, her fingertips traced the graceful curves of her lips downwards.

With a scorching heat, it caresses every inch of skin.

"Ugh!" Zhong Jiuli couldn't help but let out a soft gasp, her eyes instantly filled with misty tears, and her body trembled slightly.

When did this guy learn to use such a two-pronged approach?

"Is that so?" Bai asked breathlessly, his hot breath brushing against the other's neck.

........

"Zhong Jiuli, you're not saying anything. Is it because I did something wrong?" Bai asked, panting slightly.

"Then let's try a different technique, the one you taught me on the Starfall Battlefield last time..."

Her relentless questioning finally provoked Zhong Jiuli to become embarrassed and annoyed. She raised her hand, her fingertips tightening around the soft flesh of the other person's body...

This caused the person on top of her to let out a small gasp... Instead of feeling pain, they moved even closer to her palm.

"Does sister like it here?" Bai chuckled softly, a hint of coaxing in his voice. "I'm completely yours, you can pinch me however you want..."

"Shameless stinking tiger!" Zhong Jiuli scoffed, her ears turning completely red.

The woman in white leaned down with a smile, "Because I like it, I'm sure you like it too. Want to kiss me...?"

"Shut up..." Zhong Jiuli's instep tensed and curled slightly. She closed her eyes tightly and commanded, "Don't... say another word!"

"Okay... I'll listen to you," Bai whispered, and after saying that, he really didn't say anything more.

Her sudden increase in attack speed replaced her words.

The sudden and fierce attack caught Zhong Jiuli off guard; she felt as if she were being overwhelmed by the tide.

Sobs escaped her lips uncontrollably as she futilely pushed against Bai Ye's arm, trying to escape his overwhelming speed of attacks.

"This is just the beginning! What you did today will bring you today, so you'd better bear it well."

Zhong Jiuli suddenly opened her eyes wide, her eyes glistening with tears, silently questioning, with a mixture of shame and anger, when did this karmic debt come about?

Bai leaned down and chuckled softly in her ear: "Now, may I speak?"

"Hmm~"

"you say!"

"Do you remember back in the oasis?" Bai lingered on her neck, his voice low and tender. "You undressed in front of me."

"So what...?" Zhong Jiuli asked haltingly.

"Then let's count it as one time."

Bai Ye's voice held a hint of amusement as he intensified his attack, "So, we have to continue."

Zhong Jiuli had just recovered slightly from the extreme wave, and now she was almost powerless to resist the new round of fierce demands.

With each movement of her fingertips, a series of electric currents seemed to surge through her abdomen. She felt a flash of white light before her eyes, as if countless dazzling fireworks had exploded deep within her mind, so brilliant and captivating that they completely engulfed her in an endless wave...

Zhong Jiuli's eyes were red at the corners, and she pushed away the person on top of her with broken breath.

"Is it okay...is it really okay now?" Her soft, weak hand patted Bai Ye's arm, not as a push, but more as a reluctant yet welcoming touch.

Bai easily restrained her fidgeting wrist, lowered his head and chuckled as he bit her reddened earlobe, "And what else! That time you and Ye Rugo conspired to trick me, have you forgotten?"

"I...I already apologized for that!" Zhong Jiuli tried to struggle, but only received a deeper entanglement, which made her sob.

"Hmm!" Bai's muffled voice came from beside her neck, tinged with a triumphant smile. "I forgive you."

"Then why...why aren't you going to stop!?"

Zhong Jiuli's voice was almost trembling with tears, but her body involuntarily responded to the other person's rhythm, pressing closer and closer, as if she didn't want to leave even the slightest gap.

"But I'm a vengeful little tiger, and my favorite thing to do is bring up old grudges~"

Bai also raised his head, looking directly into her dazed eyes, his fingertips slowly tracing her flushed skin, "After all, I was really sad back then."

After she finished speaking, she sealed her lips, which were trying to argue, swallowing all her protests and sobs.

His voice blended into the mingled breaths: "Now... all you need to do is feel it."

"You!" All of Zhong Jiuli's anger and frustration finally turned into broken moans as she completely succumbed to the almost punishing pleasure given to her by the other party.

This is a dual cultivation practice that is so long that it makes one lose track of time.

Zhong Jiuli had no idea how much time had passed. Bai Ye, like a rogue, kept bringing up all the trivial little things in his memory.

These trivial matters became her excuses to demand more, dragging her into a deeper and more turbulent wave.

In the end, Zhong Jiuli stared unfocusedly at the roof.

She was no longer able to think about cause and effect, right and wrong, and only the most primal instincts remained, driving the Yin energy in her body to flow through her meridians.

As the scorching power of the sun... resonated with her, they plunged together into a dazzling and chaotic vortex of energy.

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Author's Note: [Hugs][Hugs][Hugs] Little White has finally stood up straight! [Fireworks][Fireworks][Fireworks]