The room fell silent.

The atmosphere suddenly turned strange.

Luo Xiu looked away. "Do you have to take it this far?"

He felt the drunken Sun Li had become a completely different person—wild and unrestrained, bold and speaking without a filter.

Sun Li's cheeks puffed out. "Hurry up! Stop dawdling. You're not some saint yourself, so why act all pure and innocent with me?"

With that, she began to take off her own clothes.

"Xiu, do you know why I've been sticking so close to you? I'll be blunt. I just want to sleep with you! I've never seen you as a friend; I purely want to sleep with you. And I know you and Lin Xiyue are going to get divorced sooner or later. You're just a shield she's using to dodge the marriage arrangement with the Cao Family."

As she spoke, she walked right up to Luo Xiu and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Sleeping with you for a lifetime is impossible, I know. But even if it's just for one night, I don't want to have any regrets. Since I was a little girl, Sun Li has never failed to get what she wants!"

Luo Xiu sighed softly.

Things having come to this, he decided to grant her wish.

She had already lit the fire. Besides, he had drunk a fair bit himself and was feeling the heat. The alcohol made a feverish warmth spread through his body.

Sun Li tilted her face up slightly, gazing at him with love-struck eyes. "I'll go first."

With that, she slowly sank to one knee.

「The next day.」

It was around nine in the morning when Sun Li woke up groggily in bed.

The room was a total mess, with torn pieces of clothing scattered all over the floor.

"Hiss..." The unspeakable pain made her suck in a sharp breath.

Glancing at Luo Xiu, who was still sound asleep beside her, Sun Li froze. Her eyes flew wide, and she slapped a palm to her forehead, letting out a long, silent sigh.

"Oh my God... What in the world did I do last night? Did I really sleep with Xiu? This is insane! What on earth did I say to him?"

Her heart pounded in her chest as she rubbed her forehead, desperately trying to recall the blurry images from the night before.

She vaguely remembered that they had both gone wild. Luo Xiu, in particular, had been an absolute animal—more relentless than a farm mule!

"Ouch... It hurts like hell. That guy is a beast, absolutely terrifying. Poor Lin Xiyue... She must have it rough."

She gazed at Luo Xiu with a mixture of resentment and tenderness, muttering her complaints softly. The memory of his frightening enormity sent a shiver of fear through her; she didn't want to face it a second time.

After a little while, once she had recovered some strength, she gritted her teeth and forced herself out of bed, hastily grabbing clothes from the floor and putting them on.

This is too embarrassing. I have to get out of here before he wakes up.

After tidying up as best she could, Sun Li quickly fled.

However, just moments after she left, the soundly sleeping Luo Xiu opened his eyes.

In truth, he had been awake when Sun Li stirred, but he had feigned sleep to avoid the awkwardness.

He climbed out of bed and stood beside it, looking down at the wrinkled sheets. The dried, damp patches and that one conspicuous crimson stain looked like the most tragically beautiful landscape in the world.

He stood there for a long time before he finally snapped out of it.

In the bathroom, Luo Xiu braced his hands on the sink and looked at his reflection, letting out a self-deprecating laugh.

His shoulders were covered in bite marks and scratches, and his neck was dotted with several large red marks. He was a complete mess.

After washing up, he left the hotel.

「Noon. Sea City Riviera, Villa Number One.」

On the spacious lawn, Lin Xiyue had changed into a black yoga outfit, her long hair tied back in a ponytail.

The yoga pants clung tightly to her slender legs. Sections of the pants were made of lace, allowing her snow-white skin to peek through, creating a mysterious and alluring effect. The designer's intent, however, was likely breathability and sweat-wicking, not seduction.

Watching Luo Xiu organize a set of Silver Needles, she felt something was off about him today, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She wanted to ask where he had been last night, but on second thought, she didn't feel she had the right.

A moment later, after arranging the box of Silver Needles, Luo Xiu glanced at her and teased, "How am I supposed to focus on teaching you when you're dressed like that?"

Lin Xiyue's expression was cool as she replied nonchalantly, "This is what I usually wear when I work out at home."

Luo Xiu pinched his chin. "Great figure."

Lin Xiyue huffed. "What exactly do I need to do?"

She had stayed home from work because Luo Xiu had told her she would be taking the inner core today.

"Originally, this inner core was potent enough for several of you. But now that everyone else is gone, you're the only one left to take it all," Luo Xiu explained. "The effects will be intense, and it's going to be very painful."

Lin Xiyue met his gaze with determination. "We've come this far. What's the point of chickening out now? Let's do it."

Luo Xiu held out his right hand and clenched his fist. A wondrous power instantly pulverized the inner core in his palm. Then, with a wave of his hand, the glowing powder was controlled by some force in the void, gathering into a single cluster.

"Open your mouth."

Lin Xiyue's lips parted slightly.

The next moment, the powder Luo Xiu controlled seemed to have a mind of its own as it flew into her mouth.

A short time later, Lin Xiyue's delicate body began to tremble. Her skin flushed red-hot, and she was drenched in sweat. Although Luo Xiu had warned her it would be painful, the reality of it was unbearable. The thought of giving up even crossed her mind.

At that moment, she felt as if countless ants were gnawing on her entire being, from her bones and limbs to her very core. Her stomach didn't look bloated, but the pressure inside was excruciating.

Before long, she lost consciousness and fainted.

This, however, was within Luo Xiu's expectations.

Martial arts training normally began in childhood, like with Su Shanyue. But Lin Xiyue was already in her twenties. To embark on the Martial Way at her age meant she would inevitably have to endure far more hardship.

What Luo Xiu had to do now was use the Spiritual Energy in the inner core to refine her body while simultaneously using external force to help open her Dantian.

When a Martial Artist trains, the first barrier is to externally strengthen their muscles, bones, and skin. This is known as the Body Refinement Phase. The second barrier is to cultivate one's breath internally, which is referred to as the Qi Holding Stage.

But without opening the Dantian, one cannot gather Qi within the body, as there is nowhere to store it. One is only considered to have reached the Qi Holding Stage after consolidating that Qi into a stable mass within the Dantian, allowing it to be called upon at will.

Of course, this was all based on Luo Xiu's personal understanding. Before coming down the mountain, he knew nothing about the different realms of martial artists or the distinctions between them; he simply practiced as his master instructed. It was only after descending and meeting other Martial Artists that he gradually began to form a theoretical understanding.

Even after passing out, Lin Xiyue's body continued to tremble and convulse, a clear sign of the immense pain she was enduring.

Luo Xiu gently laid her flat on the lawn, then quickly inserted Silver Needles into several of her acupoints. He quietly infused them with the medicinal power of his Qihuang Technique to stabilize her fragile meridians. Years of suffering from her strange illness had left them extremely fragile. They couldn't withstand the internal strength of an ordinary Martial Artist, let alone potent Spiritual Energy. That was why Luo Xiu needed to use the power of the Qihuang Technique to protect them.

Logically speaking, given her condition, Lin Xiyue should have never been able to step onto the Martial Way in her lifetime.

But she was lucky. She had met Luo Xiu.

After some time, once Lin Xiyue's condition stabilized, Luo Xiu removed the Silver Needles. He scooped her up into his arms, carried her to a second-floor room, and placed her in the bathtub.

When the tub was full of hot water, Luo Xiu retrieved a bottle of refined medicinal liquid from his Jade Pendant and poured it in. In just a moment, the clear water was tinted a pale green, and a pungent medicinal scent filled the air.

Stimulated by the medicinal water, Lin Xiyue's body began to shiver faintly.

Luo Xiu took a deep breath, then slowly reached toward her, intending to remove her yoga suit. The clothing would hinder her body's absorption of the medicinal liquid.

But his hand froze halfway.

Damn it... Should I take it off or not? We've already ended that kind of relationship... so this would be inappropriate, wouldn't it? Oh, whatever. Forget it.

After a brief, conflicted pause, Luo Xiu finally extended his sinful claws toward Lin Xiyue.

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