Chapter 15 Anti-Shen Alliance: A tiny black mole next to the Adam's apple.
"Your cultivation speed is faster than I expected. You will break through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment within three days."
In the brightly lit room, the sect leader observed the state of the lanterns and nodded in satisfaction.
Whether in terms of talent or comprehension, Hua Deng far surpasses his other disciples. Even when he was cultivating hundreds of years ago, his progress was not this rapid.
"It just so happens that your fifth uncle has come out of seclusion. I'll take you to him to get some pills to solidify your foundation after your breakthrough," the sect leader added.
"Thank you, Master."
Hua Deng followed behind him, teleporting to Fifth Uncle's attic.
In the original novel, the Fifth Elder is not described in much detail. He only appears once when he takes up a spear and goes into battle, and that is with the sect leader.
He had been in seclusion, missing Hua Deng's apprenticeship ceremony and never meeting Shen Zhou.
Therefore, when Hua Deng saw his eyes, she felt a long-lost sense of nausea, and when she received the pill, she almost threw it away on the spot.
Sect Leader: "..." Oh no.
Feeling guilty, he looked around to make sure there was no sign of Shen Zhou before quickly finding an excuse to let Hua Deng leave, while he stayed behind to chat with the Fifth Elder.
"Fifth Senior Brother, you've been in seclusion for seven whole years. There are probably some things you don't know yet." He winked suggestively.
The Fifth Elder stroked his beard slowly and said with a faint smile, "You mean that disciple named Shen Ye? I've heard about him. You should have been determined to stop such an arrogant junior from entering Yaoqing Peak, instead of showing mercy and letting him pass the test and enter my Yaoqing Sect."
Sect Leader: "Well, actually..."
"It seems you've become lazy during my years of seclusion, having long forgotten your master's instructions," the Fifth Elder said arrogantly. "Now that I've emerged from seclusion, I'm determined to rectify the atmosphere of the Medicine Purification Sect!"
Sect Leader: "Ah, right, right, right! Our Medicine Purification Sect is counting on you, Senior Brother!"
Seeing that he was sensible, the Fifth Elder nodded slightly, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and smiled meaningfully: "That girl named Hua Deng, is she your new disciple? She has good talent and is clever. I like her quite a bit, and I may personally teach her for a few days."
"Are you crazy?!" To everyone's surprise, the sect leader exclaimed in shock, "You can't mention those two words!"
The Fifth Elder was taken aback: "What two words?"
Soon, he couldn't get any more questions out.
With a whoosh, the tightly closed door was blown open by the cold wind, and a dark figure slowly approached from afar.
The Fifth Elder's hair stood on end; he felt as if fate had been ruthlessly seized by the back of his neck.
The sect leader shrank under the table, covering his ears in sympathy, but the pig-like screams still rang out.
"Aow! Who are you! How dare you speak to me—Aow!"
*
Hua Deng left the Fifth Elder's residence carrying the medicine bottle. On his way back, he happened to pass by the alchemy hall and sold the pills for a good price.
She had no shortage of even the best pills, let alone those given by the Fifth Elder, which she absolutely could not consume.
When she returned to her room, it was already dark. Shen Zhou was meditating and cultivating as usual, almost exactly the same as when she left that morning.
Hua Deng walked to the side to change her clothes.
She glanced at Chen Zhou while holding her nightgown, but the latter seemed oblivious. Of course, it was more likely that he hadn't even considered the question.
She remembered that Shen Zhou had mentioned that sometimes when he practiced, he would open his third eye. In this state, the world was only black and white in his eyes. The black was the human body, and the white was the spiritual veins. Everyone's face was blurred.
Hua Deng twitched her lips, thinking that there was really nothing to worry about with this dark, indistinct thing. She quickly changed her clothes, removed all her hairpins and jewelry, and let her black hair fall softly down her back.
She took a break to eat some pastries, then returned to bed contentedly, assuming the same posture as Shen Zhou to concentrate on her cultivation, hoping to break through today.
However, her thinking was inevitably a bit too eager for quick success, and she made a careless move that caused her to lose her balance. One of her spiritual meridians began to spasm violently, and she was instantly covered in cold sweat from the pain.
"It hurts so much! Chen Zhou, Chen Zhou, help me, help me, help me—"
No sooner had she finished speaking than a hand was placed on her shoulder.
Hua Deng grinned and turned her head. Shen Zhou had come over at some point and infused her with a wisp of true energy through his fingertips.
This wisp of true energy guided the flow of Qi within her body, like lava being poured into cold water; the scalding sensation was a hundred times more unbearable than a spasm in her spiritual veins.
"Wow, it's so hot! You did this on purpose, didn't you?!"
"My true energy can only go this far," Shen Zhou said coldly. "Bear with it, or don't come looking for me."
Hua Deng cursed the scoundrel under her breath, then reluctantly said, "...Then you can continue."
After a while, the girl's angry voice rang out again in the room: "Can't you go a little slower? You're drying out my spiritual energy, it really hurts!"
Shen Zhou responded, continuing to do as he pleased. Despite this, there was no sign of impatience on his face.
He has always been patient, but he always seems uninterested, which makes him seem perfunctory.
"If you need anything in the future, call the sect leader, don't come to me." He said mercilessly while speeding up the flow of his inner energy, "You're too weak."
Hua Deng grumbled, "Can't you just be a little gentler and slower? I can't keep up with your pace."
Before he could finish speaking, there was a soft sound by the window. Hua Deng asked in confusion, "Are there still cats in Haitang Garden?"
Shen Zhou didn't even look up: "It's your senior sister, what's her name? Yan something."
"Sui Xiuyan? What's she doing here... How come so many of you came in all at once? Get out of there, you bastard!"
Shen Zhou remained unmoved: "This is the last step. Just bear with it and you won't have to come back tomorrow." His words were as cold as a high school homeroom teacher's.
Fifteen minutes later, Shen Zhou's expression remained normal, but she felt as if her body was falling apart, and her teeth were chattering.
Shen Zhou looked down and was quite satisfied with his results: "If you become my disciple now, I will accept you as my first apprentice."
Hua Deng didn't even have the strength to raise his hand; he shakily raised a single finger and said, "Get lost."
Shen Zhou glanced at her with an ambiguous look, then slowly returned to his bed to cultivate.
A moment later, a girl's weak voice came from behind the screen: "Could you help me up first?"
Shen Zhou said, "They've already gone far away."
"I repent, I deeply repent," Hua Deng said in a deep voice. "I am the one who should get out. Please have mercy on me. I really can't move at all."
Shen Zhou: "Two hundred spirit stones."
Hua Deng gritted her teeth: "Of course, you deserve it."
He then slowly got up, walked around the screen, stood with his arms crossed, admired her for a while under her increasingly angry gaze, and reached out to support her waist.
The streetlights were as still as salted fish that had lost their moisture.
Shen Zhou had clearly supported her waist, but for some reason, he paused for a moment.
In the past, he had guided Jinze's spiritual veins in the same way, but he never cared about what happened afterward. Most of the time, Jinze would climb back into the house by himself.
The moment his palm touched Hua Deng's waist, he felt a stark contrast to Jin Ze. The force that was just right for Jin Ze was excessive for Hua Deng; it felt more like a light pinch.
Hua Deng: "...?"
She gave a fake smile: "How does it feel?"
Shen Zhou recalled: "It was similar to a recently deceased corpse."
Hua Deng choked on her breath, and with all the strength she had managed to muster, she became emboldened and slapped him on the waist.
It's a pity I just couldn't muster the energy, otherwise I could have turned things around.
Shen Zhou lowered his eyes: "What are you doing?"
Hua Deng nervously held her hands together and muttered softly, "Your hands don't feel good at all, like a corpse that's been dead for three days."
"Hmm?" Shen Zhou humbly inquired, "What does a corpse that has been dead for three days feel like?"
Hua Deng had no idea and said haphazardly, "Anyway, it's very hard and doesn't feel comfortable to touch."
"How hard?" Shen Zhou raised an eyebrow and pressed for an answer.
"As hard as a corpse that has been dead for three days."
Shen Zhou was about to continue when Hua Deng quickly interrupted him: "Can we end this pointless topic?"
Shen Zhou shrugged slightly and released his hand from her arm. The next second, Hua Deng collapsed as if she were paralyzed from the waist down, crying out urgently, "Help me up! I'm going to hit my head on a pillar!"
Before she could finish speaking, a thud resounded as the bedpost struck her squarely on the temple. Although it didn't hurt, a murderous urge still flashed in her eyes.
"Oh, I didn't notice." Shen Zhou apologized insincerely, and helped her sit up straight. "How about this?"
"Don't you think it's an awkward position to step on your right foot with your left foot?" Hua Deng said, suppressing her anger with her eyes closed.
Shen Zhou didn't realize it, but he still adjusted her posture.
The distance between the two closed again, and Shen Zhou's tall body almost encircled her entire body. She only needed to raise her head slightly to see the faint blue veins on his neck, his prominent Adam's apple, and a tiny black mole next to it.
Hua Deng hurriedly lowered her eyes, but although she couldn't see him, she could still smell his faint scent.
Tranquil and refreshing, like the roselle wine she usually drinks—it has a subtle presence, yet it is deeply soothing.
She remembered that this was the perfume she had secretly sprayed on Chen Zhou's clothes this morning. He seemed disgusted at the time, but she didn't expect him to still be wearing it tonight.
Shen Zhou moved his hand to her spine. Although there was no direct contact, but rather a layer of spiritual energy between them, his warm hand seemed to penetrate the air and transmit its temperature, making her feel as if she were on a summer night.
Hua Deng began to regret it; she shouldn't have let Chen Zhou come.
She overestimated the condition of this body; even just the scent of his breath brushing past her ear was enough to send a shiver down her spine.
She bit her lip, her eyelashes fluttering uncontrollably.
"Are you hot?" Chen Zhou asked casually, noticing her flushed ears.
"Yes, that's right." Hua Deng forced a breath and replied with a straight face, "Your technique is terrible, can you hurry up?"
"Right away." Seeing that she kept picking and choosing, complaining that every position was uncomfortable, Shen Zhou frowned slightly. "Why is your body so stiff? Have you been slacking off in your training again?"
"I'm a medical cultivator, not a physical cultivator," Hua Deng muttered, but his words made his body even hotter, and the blush from his ears spread all the way to his cheeks.
Unbeknownst to Chen Zhou, he moved even closer. A few strands of hair fell with his movements, the ends gently brushing against her collarbone and chest, bringing an undeniable ticklish sensation.
Hua Deng groaned impatiently, suddenly recalling the opening of the novel, which stated that those who were moved by the sacred body of the Hehuan would smell a fragrance that made them unable to control their emotions.
With her eyes closed, she suddenly asked, "Can you smell anything?"
Shen Zhou said, "Yes."
Hua Deng's heart skipped a beat, and she opened her eyes in disbelief.
Then Shen Zhou continued, "The incense burner smells too strong, can't you smell it?"
Hua Deng: "..."
Her heart, which had been pounding, relaxed again. With a blank expression, she said, "I understand. I'll have Crescent Moon take it away tomorrow."
This was just changed into this morning, and she seems to like it quite a bit.
"Do as you please, don't worry about me," Shen Zhou said, seemingly having finally positioned her in a suitable position, and then swiftly moved away.
The streetlights looked down and saw their own imposing sitting posture: "?"
"Never mind," she sighed numbly. "Let it be."
Shen Zhou spoke up: "If you're not satisfied, I can—"
"No, no!" she quickly refused.
"Ding, system notification."
Just then, an untimely mechanical sound rang out.
"Host, you have two tasks in progress. One of them has only one day left to complete. Please complete it as soon as possible, otherwise twenty years of your lifespan will be deducted."
What a swindler!
Hua Deng roared inwardly, his face ashen.
Oh no, do I really have to target a junior brother?
The streetlights suddenly trembled.
So, it seems that Shen Zhou is also hers...
No, no, Shen Zhou will kill her!
She was extremely conflicted, her face alternating between pale and dark, while on the other side, Sui Xiuyan, who had secretly left, was not much better off.
She pressed her wildly beating heart, quickly dodged into a bush, and turned on the communication disc with her backhand.
The first thing I saw was a group chat called "Anti-Sinking Dog Alliance".
A message popped up above.
[Duan Yi (Online daily from 9 AM to 3 PM)]: Didn't I go with my junior sister to gather intelligence? Why haven't we received a reply yet?
He took a deep breath and wrote with mixed feelings.
[Past Events Fade Away]: I'm back.
The group chat immediately became lively, with those who had been lurking coming forward to ask her if anything had happened.
With tears in her eyes, she replied, her sleeves billowing smoke.
[Past Events Fade Away]: They were indeed true Daoist partners, living and working together in the same place.
The group was filled with sighs and lamentations.
[Duan Yi (listening to music)]: No! This isn't real!
[For alchemy, look for Senior Brother Xu]: Let's all disperse. Although he's not good-looking and has a bad temper, Junior Sister Hua seems to really like him.
[Single looking for a soulmate]: He beat up the Fifth Elder today, are we just going to let it go like this?
[A carefree wanderer of the martial world]: He even beat up the Fifth Elder, what's a few of us to him?
[Past events fade like smoke]: But.
Sui Xiuyan continued typing.
[Past Events Fade Away]: I don't think Hua Shimei and him have a good relationship.
[Duan Yi (listening to music)]: Junior sister, have you noticed anything amiss?
Recalling the sounds she had just heard, Sui Xiuyan felt a moment of disorientation. She hadn't intended to pry into other people's privacy, so she had only kept her distance, intending to just take a few glances, but she never expected to hear such... such unbearable cries.
Things like "It's so hot," "Bear with it," "Slow down," "I can't keep up with your pace"...
Sui Xiuyan, who had never experienced romantic love before, blushed with the cigarette but forced herself to remain calm as she wrote.
[Past Events Fade Away]: Anyway, Shen Ye is no good person. He was very rude to Hua Shimei and even asked her for money.
The group members immediately erupted in uproar, and the peaceful chat was instantly overshadowed by the smell of gunpowder.
[Single looking for their soulmate]: Outrageous! Brothers, get him!
[Duan Yi (practicing martial arts)]: Let's get him!
In an instant, fury filled the entire Yaoqing Sect.
Shen Zhou, who was standing casually by the bed, noticed the commotion, but he just lazily lifted his eyelids and then listlessly withdrew his consciousness, not taking it seriously.
No matter how many useless people there are, they are still just a bunch of useless people, utterly boring.
"Keep cultivating, and you'll break through tonight."
He tossed that sentence at the streetlights, rubbed his wrist, and turned to leave.
However, after taking only one step, his sleeve was gently tugged. The force was like an ant to him, but he stopped and looked over.
Hua Deng's body had not yet recovered, and it seemed as if she had used a lot of strength to barely reach out.
She tilted her head back, her long hair cascading down to her waist, her dark eyes gleaming on her snow-white face, revealing a panic and...shyness that he couldn't understand.
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