Chapter 17: Dual Cultivation.

“Relax, why so tense? I’m not going to eat you.”

Li Tianxing guided her, “Follow my movements. Yes, sit cross-legged like this, reach out, and interlock your fingers with mine.”

Xie Qiyang complied.
The moment their fingertips touched, the searing heat of his Solar Saint Body surged through her nails, making her fingers tremble slightly.

“Good, very good,” Li Tianxing said, his golden eyes fixed on her lowered lashes, his tone carrying a faint tease.
“Don’t keep your head down like that. Look up at me. What, is my face so unbearable that you can’t stand to look?”

Forced to raise her eyes, her gaze collided with his golden irises.
She shook her head instinctively.
To be fair, his face was a masterpiece, a universal heart-stopper.

If… if their roles were reversed, if she’d transmigrated and met a reborn beauty like this, pressuring and enticing her to dual cultivate, offering to be her wife and let her live off her, just lying back…

Sugar mommy, I’m hungry, feed me!

But a rogue thought crept in: If I could see this guy in a dress… what a sight that’d be. If only he’d wear one.

“Your heart… it’s wavering again.”
Li Tianxing’s voice turned stern, his golden eyes narrowing.
“What nonsense is swirling in that little head of yours? Clear your mind, focus, and feel the Solar Power I’m channeling into you!”

Xie Qiyang’s heart skipped, and she quickly suppressed the image of Li Tianxing in a dress, doting on her gently, forcing herself to concentrate.

Hot—so hot.
An indescribable burning sensation surged through their joined fingers, flooding her limbs and bones.
She could clearly “sense” this supreme yang force coursing and clashing through her meridians.
But where was she supposed to direct this Solar Power?

Damn it, I didn’t understand a word of that chapter’s text!

“No need to suppress the Solar Power. It has its own spirit and will find its place,” Li Tianxing said, spotting her struggle and offering timely guidance.

He tightened his grip on their interlocked fingers, and the flow of Solar Power seemed to smooth out.

“The rest is up to the Solar and Lunar Powers. Now, we have our own task.”
His tone shifted, a cryptic glint flashing in his golden eyes.

“Huh? What else do we need to do?”
Xie Qiyang felt a warm, cozy sensation in her body.
The pain from her injuries had nearly vanished, and the world seemed… different.

She could sense something new in the heavens and earth, something she could summon and wield.

“It’s simple. Just come closer, get more… intimate with me.”

“What?”
Suspicion clouded her face, her body instinctively shrinking back.

Li Tianxing didn’t mind, patiently explaining.

“You felt it just now, didn’t you?
This first chapter is about channeling Solar and Lunar Power into each other and, most importantly, building familiarity—spiritual energy, aura, even souls.”

“Because, as you know, this isn’t a game.
If one side harbors ill intent…”
He paused, giving her a meaningful look.

Xie Qiyang blinked, meeting his gaze with innocent confusion.

Wronged!
She wasn’t that dumb.
She didn’t believe a reborn Li Tianxing would entrust his fate to a woman who, at this moment, only resented him.

“Frost, the most effective way to build familiarity is soul bonding, sharing memories.
I’m willing to open my sea of consciousness and show you everything I know.
Are you willing to show me?”

The air fell into an eerie silence.
Her pupils shrank, a chill gripping her like ice.
This man was growing more unfathomable by the second.

“I…”
She stammered, words failing her.
All her composure, all her worries about him realizing she wasn’t the original, vanished.

Did he know everything from his past life?
Did he know some things but not others?
Her only trump card—the system—did he know it existed?

All her fear stemmed from the unknown.

Under the intense emotional turmoil, the Solar and Lunar Powers in her body teetered on the edge of chaos, but she had no mind to care.

What was she to him?
A pawn? A plaything?
What did he want her to do?

Li Tianxing stayed silent, watching her face cycle through emotions, looking utterly in control.

“What exactly do you know?”
After much thought, Xie Qiyang realized scaring herself wasn’t helping.
Better to lay it all bare.

If he truly knew everything, she’d abandon her plan to use the system’s “wear anyone’s skin” function to escape.

Little wife? Fine, she’d be the little wife!
Fighting a guy with every advantage—time, place, and power—was pointless.
Better to lie back and let him carry her.

But if he was bluffing… hehehe, then don’t blame her.

Put on a dress and kneel, singing “Conquest”!

“What do I know? I know a lot.
But my Frost doesn’t seem eager to share, so why should I tell you?”

Seeing he wouldn’t budge, Xie Qiyang was out of moves.
Her only useful secrets: she wasn’t the original, and she had the system.
Even if he was 99% likely to know, she couldn’t lift the veil and expose herself.

“Fine, fine.”
Li Tianxing seemed to expect her reluctance, waving it off and dropping the topic.

“Since Frost wants to keep her little secrets, I won’t force you.
But building intimacy? That’ll take both of us.”
With a suggestive look, he pulled her into his arms.

“Eek!”
Xie Qiyang yelped, an irresistible force spinning her world.
In a blink, she was locked in his embrace, tightly confined.
His blazing, Solar-scented chest pressed against her back, making her freeze while a strange comfort washed over her.

Her body seemed to crave this closeness.

“You…!”
Shock and anger surged as she instinctively struggled.

“Hm?”
A low, dangerous hum came from above.
Li Tianxing lowered his head.
“Frost, have you… forgotten something?”

His fingers gently pinched her chin, forcing her to turn slightly and meet his dangerous, golden-flecked eyes.

“Earlier, we had an agreement.
What should you call me now?”

Survival instinct kicked in, and she blurted:

“…Hus-husband!”

“Hm.”
Li Tianxing nodded, satisfied, his oppressive aura receding like a tide.

He tightened his embrace, pulling her petite frame deeper into his arms, his chin resting lightly on her cool, fragrant silver hair.

“That’s my good girl.”

“Your husband keeps his promises, Frost.
You’d better keep yours, or else…”