Time flew.
In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed.
Yang Kai slowly opened his eyes and shifted his stiff body. A series of cracking sounds, like beans being fried, echoed from every part of him. His entire body seemed to brim with inexhaustible energy. His true yuan surged powerfully within, and his condition had never felt better.
Zhenyuan Realm, fourth layer!
Ten days of meditation, combined with the massive amount of pure energy he had siphoned from Shan Qingluo's white silkworm cocoon, had propelled him to this level in one go. The gains were enormous.
Two gazes fell upon him from across the cave. Yang Kai looked up to find the bewitching woman leaning lazily against the cave wall, her beautiful eyes brimming with complex emotions as she stared at him.
Yang Kai's heart lurched, and his true yuan began circulating instinctively.
Shan Qingluo let out a delicate laugh and lightly bit her red lip. "If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it already. You wouldn't have enough lives to survive."
Yang Kai's expression stiffened, but he had to admit she had a point. He relaxed his posture and chuckled, cupping his fists. "I thank big sister for the mercy of not killing me."
Shan Qingluo shook her head. "I never wanted to kill you. Bringing you here was a last resort."
As she spoke, she couldn't help but cough lightly, her complexion turning slightly pale.
"What's wrong with you?" Yang Kai frowned at her. The woman's aura was noticeably weaker than before, and it seemed like she had sustained injuries.
"This is all your doing!" Shan Qingluo gritted her pearly teeth, a look of bitter anguish flashing through her phoenix eyes.
"Me?" Yang Kai pointed at himself, looking utterly confused. He hadn't the faintest idea what she was talking about.
"What did you do to me?"
"Nothing, as far as I know." Yang Kai was genuinely bewildered.
"Then why did you drain so much of my energy?" Shan Qingluo said through clenched teeth, her hatred palpable.
Yang Kai froze, then recalled his previous experience. Frowning, he said, "I fell into some kind of illusion. You and I were... tangled together in bed. Then I circulated a technique and broke free from the illusion..."
Shan Qingluo's cheeks flushed slightly as she stared at him in disbelief. "With me?"
"Mm. You were very... enthusiastic. Very bold about it." Yang Kai nodded vigorously. Recalling Shan Qingluo's performance on that fragrant bed, he felt a rush of heat. "What a pity!" He sighed deeply, genuinely regretful.
"You little rascal!" Shan Qingluo spat softly, her face turning the color of ripe peaches.
"Did it affect you?" Yang Kai asked with a frown.
"What do you think?" Shan Qingluo took a deep breath, her full chest rising and straining against her red robes, nearly splitting them. "I was on the verge of a breakthrough, and you siphoned away a huge portion of my energy... Heh. Tell me — did it affect me?"
Yang Kai immediately felt sheepish. "No way... I didn't know."
"If you had known, I would have killed you long ago," Shan Qingluo said, glaring at him resentfully. "I wouldn't have kept you around until now."
"So you didn't break through?" Yang Kai's eyes flickered.
"No! Not only did I fail to break through, but I also suffered a backlash from my cultivation technique. My strength has plummeted! I have no idea when I'll be able to attempt the next breakthrough. So tell me — is this your fault or not?"
"How can you blame me for that..." Yang Kai rubbed his nose, but hearing that her strength had dropped significantly made him relax even further. He regarded her meaningfully. "So what level are you at now..."
"First layer of the Zhenyuan Realm. Are you satisfied?" Shan Qingluo snapped, shooting him an exasperated yet devastatingly alluring glare.
"Should've said so earlier!" Yang Kai burst into hearty laughter. The last traces of his wariness and caution evaporated completely, and he finally let his guard down.
The woman was only at the first layer of the Zhenyuan Realm now — a level below his own. There was nothing to fear from her anymore.
Though her cultivation was lower, she still had the foundation of an expert. If they actually fought, the outcome was far from certain.
Fortunately, neither of them harbored any killing intent toward the other. It was unlikely they would come to blows.
"Sigh, I suppose I can't blame you entirely. If I hadn't kidnapped you in the first place, none of this would have happened. I brought it on myself." Shan Qingluo let out a soft, melancholy sigh.
Hearing the sincerity in her words, Yang Kai felt a pang of guilt. He nodded awkwardly. "In that case, I suppose I should also thank you for saving me earlier."
"At least you've got some conscience, you brat." Shan Qingluo pressed her lips together and smiled softly. The failed breakthrough didn't seem to have affected her mood in the slightest.
After some idle chatter, Yang Kai suddenly stood up. "You rest up. I'm going to find something to eat."
"Be careful!" Shan Qingluo whispered softly.
Yang Kai glanced at her in surprise, wondering why the bewitching woman was suddenly showing concern for him. He didn't dwell on it and turned to leave the cave.
After Yang Kai departed, Shan Qingluo let out a quiet sigh. A peculiar expression crossed her face as her delicate, pale hand drifted to her chest. A deep blush spread across her cheeks, and she murmured to herself, "A love seed... oh dear..."
Shan Qingluo's bloodline possessed a unique constitution, and the cultivation technique she practiced was equally extraordinary. Though she was seductive and alluring, she would only ever love a single man in her entire life — and could only share intimacy with that man once.
Before that could happen, a love seed had to be planted in the heart. Once the seed ripened and was fully formed, that was when the two would finally come together.
After a single night of passion, the man would die without fail. At the same time, her cultivation technique would reach completion.
Yang Kai's earlier impudence toward her — his unbidden intrusion into her sea of consciousness and the wisp of divine sense he had left behind there — had unknowingly planted a seed in her heart.
That was the love seed!
Her bloodline was a tragic and sorrowful one. It was passed down through only one daughter per generation, and every girl who inherited it was doomed to endure this inhuman ordeal.