Shu Linyuan paused slightly, "Shushu?"
Just as he was about to say something, Yuan Shu tilted her head up and blocked his lips.
The faint scent of pear blossoms drifted over, carrying Yuan Shu's unique, exclusive body fragrance.
In an instant, it ignited Shu Linyuan's desire.
It had been a long time since he was alone with her.
Previously, when Yuan Shu was still at Qingyun Peak, he had been dispatched on a mission by Lu Guichen and participated in the trials of the Death Demon Forest.
When he finally found the time to look for her, he realized Yuan Shu was even busier.
She hadn't been seen in the core disciples' courtyard for days, and asking Yun Sheng yielded no answers.
Later, Yuan Shu stole the spotlight at the sect tournament. Provoked by this, Lu Guichen forced them into a life-and-death trial realm to hunt demonic beasts.
It wasn't until tonight that he finally completed the mission.
Meanwhile, Eldest Brother Shen Qi had been burdened with even heavier tasks and was still fighting in the secret realm.
Not knowing what Lu Guichen would make them do tomorrow, tonight might be his only chance.
He missed her so much!
Shu Linyuan wanted to see Yuan Shu, to ask how she had been these past few days, and if anyone had bullied her.
But unexpectedly, before he could even speak, Yuan Shu had already thrown herself into his arms.
Without a word, she began to kiss him.
It wasn't a tentative taste or a simple peck, but a deeply passionate kiss.
That usually well-behaved little hand had already slipped into his collar, doing whatever it pleased!
Shu Linyuan's eyes widened slightly, and his body quickly grew hot.
Shushu must have missed him just as much, right?
Was that why she was so impatient?
At this thought, Shu Linyuan responded with even more vigor and intensity.
Until he heard Yuan Shu's soft, aroused moans by his ear.
"Shu Linyuan, carry me back to the room."
...
From a room in the guest elders' courtyard with a broken roof tile, unusual sounds soon echoed out.
In the courtyard, Yun Sheng, who had been sitting cross-legged in meditation, slowly opened his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing uncontrollably.
A trace of longing and envy flashed in his cherry-pink eyes.
He suddenly recalled the old man he had met that afternoon in the back mountains of Yaoyun Peak.
The old man had unkempt hair and a dirty face, wearing tattered hemp clothes and sleeping on a rock. Yet, when Yun Sheng walked by, he suddenly sat up.
His cloudy old eyes abruptly emitted a piercing light, which had startled Yun Sheng at the time.
Recovering his wits, he had wanted to leave, but the old man called out to him.
"Young man, I see that your bone structure is unique. There is also a very special wisp of Mu elemental spiritual energy in your bloodline. Do you... have half the bloodline of a Mu-attribute spiritual entity?"
Yun Sheng's heart skipped a beat. He turned to look at the old man, who was sitting composedly on the rock, squinting at him.
Ignoring his shock, the old man continued, "The power of your bloodline is quite special. You must be the offspring of a sentient spiritual plant and a human, right?"
"A flower or tree-type spiritual plant?"
With every word the old man spoke, Yun Sheng's shock deepened.
Because he was right. His mother was indeed a cherry blossom tree that had cultivated into a spirit.
That was why his eyes were cherry-pink.
But unlike his mother, he didn't possess a talent for cultivation. Growing up, the bloodline power of this demon spirit had become his shackles.
It became the source of others' bullying and disgust.
He never mentioned it to outsiders.
When asked about his eye color, he would only say that an ancestor had merged with a spiritual beast's bloodline, resulting in these naturally heterochromatic eyes.
In the cultivation world, cultivators who merged with spiritual beast bloodlines were everywhere, and many descendants had unusual eyes because of it.
Therefore, no one doubted Yun Sheng's background, especially since his cultivation talent was truly abysmal.
If he hadn't met Yuan Shu, he would probably still be at the very beginning of the Qi Condensation realm!
When the old man spoke of these things, it was as if he had seen through his disguise at a glance, piercing straight into his heart.
How could he not be shocked?
"Don't be so nervous. I just thought it was a pity to see you have such a good bloodline talent but not know how to use it."
The old man said while casually rubbing his leg through his trouser leg, looking relaxed and indifferent.
Yun Sheng had seen the previous Yuan Shu and the current one, with her changed personality and abilities. He never dared to underestimate anyone easily.
Especially someone who could see through his identity at a glance.
After a slight pause, Yun Sheng bowed respectfully to the other party.
"Please enlighten me, Senior."
"Easy to say!" The old man replied, waving him over. He grabbed his wrist and used spiritual energy to probe his body.
Then, the old man raised his eyebrows. "Good heavens, the power of the spiritual plant bloodline in your body is being suppressed by something, yet you still managed to cultivate to the eleventh level of Qi Condensation? It's truly a miracle!"
Yun Sheng pursed his lips and remained silent.
Of course, it was a miracle. It was only because of Yuan Shu's transformation that he had this miracle!
He had always known this very clearly!
The old man pondered for a moment and handed him a white jade box. "I have something here. It's a Tree King's Heart that I obtained by chance many years ago."
"If you want to activate your spiritual plant bloodline and achieve top-tier cultivation aptitude, find a place to consume it."
"Don't blame me for not warning you. This thing packs a massive punch, and the fusion process will be agonizingly painful."
"If you are not absolutely certain, do not touch it!"
"But conversely, if you can truly fuse with it completely, your spiritual plant bloodline will be activated, and your future cultivation speed will be astonishingly fast!"
The old man tossed the item to him, gave him a meaningful look, and got up to leave.
Later, Yun Sheng asked around and learned that this old man was a mountain-guarding elder of Yaoyun Peak, surnamed Mu.
He was also a senior who possessed a spiritual plant bloodline and was extremely powerful.
He was very tempted!
In the guest elders' courtyard, the decadent sounds from the three-story building continued, like a soul-stirring melody that left one inevitably dry-mouthed.
Yun Sheng's eyes flickered.
If his strength could break through to the Foundation Establishment realm, the Golden Core realm, or even the Nascent Soul realm...
Then, the person in that room would be him!
An unprecedented desire almost swallowed his rationality whole.
He also wanted to be the man by Miss Yuan's side, her closest person, instead of only being able to serve her with jade toys every time.
Yun Sheng lowered his eyes, looking at the white jade box in his hands. Through the box, he could vaguely see a hint of green shining from within.
A familiar affinity for the Mu element spread from it, making him want to get closer to it for no apparent reason.
He didn't know what a Tree King's Heart was, but he could clearly sense this familiar affinity.
His bloodline really liked this Tree King's Heart.
"You also hope to transform, and you also hope that I can get what I wish for, right?"
Yun Sheng lowered his head, caressing the jade box, and murmured.
When he looked up again at the three-story building ahead, his gaze suddenly became resolute.
...
"Shushu, I thought you had already forgotten about me."
Inside the room, under the dim light, Shu Linyuan hugged Yuan Shu from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder, his voice carrying a trace of grievance.
Come to think of it, Yuan Shu had almost never taken the initiative to seek him out.
Tonight was the same; he had been the one to come looking for her.
"How could I? I gave my primal yin to you, how could I forget you?"
Yuan Shu turned her head, leaning back into his solid, broad arms, and reached out to gently lift his chin.
"Besides, those seven days and seven nights at the Repentance Cliff... how could I forget?"
