Zanxing

Chapter 48 - The Path of Dual Cultivation (2)

There were no servants in the hall. Late autumn was turning to early winter, and though the small boy normally did not feel hot or cold, for the first time, the thin robes of the Taiyan Sect felt insufficient against the wind blowing in from outside. Otherwise, why would he be shivering like this?

After a long moment, Mendong suddenly knelt with a loud "thud," his head hanging low, and in a hushed voice, he said, "In the past few days, I have gone through all the texts related to the Qin Worm and learned that although the Qin Worm seed is a plant, it behaves like an insect. Once it parasitizes a host, it can only wait to sprout."

"But the Qin Worm is also competitive. If two people engage in dual cultivation and their spiritual veins intertwine, the Qin Worm will naturally choose to parasitize the one with the stronger cultivation. Since Yanxing is only at the Foundation Establishment level, if you, Martial Uncle, dual cultivate with her, the Qin Worm will naturally transfer to you."

Gu Baiying responded with a cold laugh.

Gathering his courage, Mendong glanced at him and suggested, "Martial Uncle should actually consider himself lucky. After all, Yanxing is a woman. If it were a man..."

Instead of anger, Gu Baiying's eyes, usually bright and beautiful, seemed to burn with fury, his gaze piercingly intense. His cold voice was filled with sarcasm as he replied, "Are you saying I should be grateful?"

"I didn't mean it that way," Mendong replied confidently. "But compared to chastity, isn't your life more important? Martial Uncle, you shouldn't be too rigid. Dual cultivation between men and women is quite normal. Chastity doesn't increase in value just by keeping it—it's only one night..."

Before he could finish, his mouth was suddenly stuffed with the half-eaten spiritual fruit from Gu Baiying's hand, leaving him to make muffled sounds of protest.

Gu Baiying's face reddened with anger as he gritted his teeth. "Shut up!"

Mendong dared not say another word.

After a while, Gu Baiying, still in a foul mood, asked, "Any other methods?"

Mendong pulled the fruit from his mouth and asked, "What method?"

Gu Baiying glared at him, struggling to keep his composure as he enunciated each word: "Other. Methods."

"I haven't found any yet," Mendong answered, sounding particularly irritating. "Besides, Yanxing was only recently parasitized. If the seed is forcibly removed, it will immediately wither. Even if we want to try another method, we'll have to wait until the seed sprouts."

Seeing Gu Baiying's deepening frown, Mendong seized the moment to say, "Martial Uncle, I think you might as well go through with dual cultivation. It'll benefit both of you. Sure, you might lose out a little, but you're a man—taking a small hit isn't..."

Before he could finish, Gu Baiying, unable to tolerate it any longer, clenched his fists in fury. In the next moment, Mendong, wrapped in spiritual energy, was flung out of the hall, disappearing into the autumn landscape outside Xiaoyao Hall.

Gu Baiying stood up and walked to the window. His long hair, falling over his shoulders, swayed in the wind, but his posture remained upright, like a spear radiating sharpness.

Outside, the peaks of Gufeng Mountain were shrouded in mist, as though draped in a veil of haze.

He stared outside for a while, then gritted his teeth and muttered to himself, "There's no way I would dual cultivate with her."

...

Yanxing, meanwhile, had no idea that after only a few months in the Taiyan Sect, people were already planning for her to engage in dual cultivation.