Chapter 23: A Dance of Warmth and Reluctance.

Bathed in warmth, Xie Qiyang couldn’t help but let her thoughts wander. Why did it feel like she was getting a bit too attached to this guy? But once her cultivation level rose higher, she shouldn’t end up as pathetic as last night, right?

“Shuang’er…” The voice above her interrupted her spiraling thoughts.

Li Tianxing abruptly sat up, the breeze from his movement popping the bubble of her fantasies.

She blinked in confusion, watching the sharp lines of his profile cast a shadow in the morning light, enveloping her completely.

“Hm? Wha… what’s up?” she asked instinctively.

Li Tianxing didn’t answer right away. Instead, he turned, his devastatingly handsome face suddenly leaning in so close that Xie Qiyang could see his lowered eyelashes and feel the warm breath from his nose brushing against hers.

“Nothing,” he said in a low voice. “Just thinking… we’ve lingered here too long.” His deep gaze locked onto hers, heavy with implication.

“Hm? Oh…” Xie Qiyang’s heart raced under his stare, and she nodded absentmindedly. The night’s rest had been so comfortable, leaving her refreshed and wide awake. If it was time to get up and move, she wouldn’t dawdle.

She propped herself up to rise, but an arm swiftly blocked her path.

“Didn’t you say… we’re getting up?” She looked up, puzzled, only to meet his mischievous, gleaming eyes.

“What are you doing? Hey!”

Not only did he not move, but he leaned even closer, nearly enveloping her in his presence.

“Have you forgotten you’re still in the Qi Drawing Realm?”

He deliberately slowed his words. “In such a perfect moment, shouldn’t we cultivate? If you don’t break through to the Acquired Realm, we’ll face some serious dangers ahead.”

She instinctively tried to pull back, but he trapped her in place.

For some reason, her cheeks burned red-hot. In her past life, she was a seasoned pro in theory, but experiencing this from a female protagonist’s perspective was just too intense.

Rationally, she resisted these increasingly frequent, increasingly intimate encounters. That dual cultivation technique was too sinister—every touch, every mingling of breaths, felt like it was eroding her will, pulling her closer to this man.

“Hm? What did you do?” Xie Qiyang felt her body growing hotter, an inexplicable urge to loosen her clothes to cool off. Why was she so hot in the morning?

“Nothing. It’s just that your lunar energy was too strong last night. I noticed and brought you into the tent, and you absorbed too much of my solar energy. Now, the balance of yin and yang in your body is off.”

“Today, we need to practice something more… in-depth. Otherwise, not only will you fail to reach the Acquired Realm, but the imbalance could trap you there forever.”

“I…” Xie Qiyang fell silent.

“Then…” Her voice was soft, tinged with hesitant shyness, the trembling in her tone unnoticed even by herself.

Li Tianxing took in her conflicted eyes, her flushed cheeks, and the slight trembling of her body.

“Oh? What’s that? Does Shuang’er want this or not?” He loved her contradictory state.

Her mind resisted, but her body craved. The curve of his lips deepened with a smug, wicked edge. The hand blocking her path slowly slid down, wrapping around her slender waist with undeniable force, pulling her even closer to his scorching chest.

“Shuang’er,” he called her name softly, “this technique… can’t be delayed. Once we master it, our physiques could transform into Primordial or Chaotic Bodies. Don’t you want to stand at the world’s peak? Or would you rather hide behind me forever as a delicate little wife?”

Trapped in his arms, his scent filled her nose, the heat of his hand on her waist almost branding her skin.

She was furious enough to bite him, embarrassed enough to crawl into a hole, but the familiar yet foreign tingling deep in her body, coupled with his relentless teasing, left her too weak to push him away.

“How about a kiss first?” Without waiting for her reply, Li Tianxing went for it.

“No… don’t… kiss.”

“Alright, since Shuang’er’s so eager, let’s start with a kiss.”

After a long moment, their lips parted. He was unfazed, while she was panting heavily.

“What are we practicing today?” Xie Qiyang glared at him, cheeks flushed from their “clash,” lips slightly swollen, strands of hair sticking to her sweaty temples.

Her mind was a mess, wondering how this man could be so infuriating yet… impossible to resist.

But he paused his advances, leisurely pulling something from his storage ring.

Not a weapon, not rations, not some strange herb.

It was… a piece of clothing with shockingly little fabric, yet oddly familiar?!

With a flick of his wrist, Li Tianxing unfurled the item.

A tiny blue-and-white checkered… top? Paired with a matching skirt so short it barely covered the thighs! Even more outrageous, in his other hand, he held a pair of sheer, dazzlingly white… stockings?!

Xie Qiyang’s eyes widened, her mouth slightly agape, her mind turning to mush as all thoughts stalled.

Is he… from my hometown too?

Li Tianxing, seeing the blush explode across her face and the storm of shock in her eyes, was clearly delighted with her reaction.

He even pinched the hem of the tiny skirt between two fingers, playfully rubbing the checkered fabric.

“It’s the latest fashion of this era. It’s normal you haven’t seen it.” He kept it brief.

“They say, where they’re from, this is called…” He seemed to recall the odd pronunciation with a dismissive tone, “‘JK uniform’?”

His gaze landed on Xie Qiyang’s long, slender legs, now slightly pressed together, his eyes turning predatory. “These stockings, they call ‘white silk.’”

“Looks pretty nice, so I got a bunch in different colors and styles.”

One hand held the out-of-place JK uniform and white stockings, while the other roamed her slender waist with undeniable force, even wickedly measuring it with his fingers before nodding in satisfaction.

“The size… seems just right.”

“Shuang’er, put it on.”

“No! Absolutely not!” Xie Qiyang jumped back like a cat with its tail stepped on, her face draining of color before flushing red again, utterly mortified.

Wear that skirt? Those stockings? In front of this man?! She’d rather die!

“Hey, Shuang’er, don’t rush to refuse. This outfit may look unconventional, but its effects are real—it can help you sense lunar energy better. The deeper method I mentioned only requires you to wear it and cultivate with me in meditation.”

Li Tianxing coaxed patiently. Knowing she wouldn’t be taken advantage of, her guard lowered slightly.

Half-reluctantly, she began to cultivate…