"Thanks to that dark element cultivation method Shushu gave me, my strength has improved so quickly!"
A smile graced Shen Qi's face, his gaze bright and passionate as he looked at Yuan Shu.
Dark spirit roots were considered mutated spirit roots in the cultivation world, and there were very few high-level cultivation methods available for them.
The method Yuan Shu had given him was of incredibly high quality and suited him perfectly!
Yuan Shu smiled, casually taking the crystal core into her hand to play with. The next second, Shen Qi pressed his body against hers.
His scorching, fiery embrace could be felt clearly even through the thin fabric of their clothes.
His Adam's apple bobbed, and as he leaned close to Yuan Shu's ear, his voice was low, husky, and magnetic.
"Shushu, I missed you so much."
Yuan Shu's eyes curved into a smile. When he turned his face to kiss her neck, she slightly raised her chin.
Her tone was coquettish and alluring. "Let me see just how much Senior Brother Shen missed me."
Spiritual energy delivered right to her door, it would be a waste not to take it.
Especially since he had just leveled up!
Darkness surged in the depths of Shen Qi's eyes. The moment Yuan Shu's words fell, he swept her up into his arms and walked briskly toward the bedroom.
...
Deep within the trial realm.
A fierce burst of spiritual energy flashed through the air, striking a massive boulder nearby.
"Jie!"
With a miserable shriek, a brownish-red figure tumbled out from behind the rock, clutching a broken leg and screaming in panic.
Zhai Shuo took a closer look and frowned. The creature sneaking around behind the rock was actually just an ordinary brown ape demonic beast.
"Ah, a low-level demonic beast? And one without even a shred of intelligence?" On the small path behind him, Long Yunhui hurried over after hearing the commotion.
Seeing the brown ape demonic beast clearly, visible disappointment washed over his face.
"This kind of demonic beast won't even have a crystal core. What a waste of time! I wonder where Eldest Senior Brother managed to hunt a Nascent Soul realm demonic beast. Does this trial realm really have Nascent Soul realm beasts?"
"Instead of complaining here, you should figure out how to find a Nascent Soul realm demonic beast. If we don't complete the assigned task, we won't be able to leave the realm," Zhai Shuo interrupted his grumbling.
Ignoring the brown ape demonic beast with the broken leg on the ground, he stepped forward and walked into the mountain forest.
"Tsk," Long Yunhui clicked his tongue. "I was just making a passing comment. It's not like I'm not looking."
"I'm dying to leave this realm as soon as possible!"
After the two left, the limping brown ape demonic beast finally scrambled up in shock and stumbled away from the area.
...
Shen Qi only returned to the trial realm on the afternoon of the second day.
Having received Yuan Shu's comfort, he was full of energy, and a hint of joy colored his features.
But the moment he entered his cave, he noticed something was wrong.
The gravel at the entrance looked as if it had been stepped on. A row of small stones he had specifically placed had a section in the middle that was lower by the height of a grain of rice.
The water cup on the table also seemed to have been moved; the paper he had placed under the cup had shifted a minuscule distance.
Almost instantly, Shen Qi realized what had happened.
Someone had been in his cave and tampered with his personal belongings!
Recalling the past few days, he had constantly felt a faint, lingering sensation of being spied on. His brow furrowed.
But only for a moment. He quickly pretended not to have noticed anything, stepping forward to pick up the cup and feign drinking water.
A moment later, the teacup crashed to the ground, and he staggered backward, slumping into a corner against the cave wall.
Sure enough, Su Lingxi, who had been waiting quietly not far from the cave, could no longer hold back upon hearing the noise. She carefully approached the cave entrance.
Seeing Shen Qi slumped in the corner, his expression pained and his cheeks slightly flushed, her eyes instantly lit up.
Did it... work?
Shen Qi was acting his part perfectly. He leaned his head back slightly against the stone wall, a faint blush forced out by his spiritual energy painting his cheeks, looking utterly weak and miserable.
Su Lingxi had no idea Shen Qi was faking it. Seeing that he had seemingly fallen for her trap, she immediately walked into the cave.
"Eldest Senior Brother? You must be feeling so uncomfortable, right? Let your junior sister help you."
Her eyes shone brightly as she looked the slumped Shen Qi up and down.
That tall, lean figure, those thick, powerful arms, and that broad, solid chest and abdomen—he looked absolutely tantalizing!
The Withered Wood Plucking Technique within her body was screaming wildly, urging Su Lingxi to make her move at once.
"It's you?"
Seeing Su Lingxi, Shen Qi's expression stiffened for a moment, a flash of disbelief crossing the depths of his eyes.
Lately, Su Lingxi had been cultivating by their Master's side and had not entered the secret realm to train with them. How could she be here?
And furthermore, why would she drug him?
Before he could figure it out, Su Lingxi's hand had already grabbed his arm.
"Eldest Senior Brother, it's true that being hit with an aphrodisiac can be quite uncomfortable, but don't worry. Once we dual cultivate, you'll feel wonderful!"
"Rest assured, you are my first Dao companion. My dual cultivation technique won't harm you at all. In fact, it will even make your cultivation advance faster!"
Her voice was urgent, her slightly widened eyes filled with excitement as she reached out to strip off Shen Qi's outer robe.
However, Shen Qi forcefully swatted her hand away. Staring at her in shock, he demanded, "What did you say? You gave me an aphrodisiac?"
That drug was an aphrodisiac?
He had only caught a faint whiff of a sickly sweet scent earlier and hadn't been sure what kind of drug it was.
To think it was actually a despicable aphrodisiac!
"Eldest Senior Brother, I was forced to do this. Who asked you to only have eyes for that slut Yuan Shu? If I didn't drug you, would you obediently dual cultivate with me?"
"Don't worry, this drug won't harm your body. You'll feel amazing in just a moment!"
As Su Lingxi spoke, she reached out again to pull at Shen Qi's clothes, only to be roughly shoved aside by him.
Feeling that unusual amount of force, Su Lingxi froze. "Didn't the drug take effect? How do you still have strength?"
This wasn't right. She remembered that this aphrodisiac from the Joyous Union Sect was supposed to make the victim completely lose their ability to resist.
Even if Shen Qi's strength was greater than hers, it was impossible for him to still have the energy to push her away.
What was going on?
Before she could wrap her head around it, Shen Qi had already brushed the dirt from his clothes and slowly stood up.
Su Lingxi's eyes suddenly widened.
"Eldest Senior Brother, you... you weren't drugged!"
Shen Qi glared coldly at Su Lingxi, who was now slumped on the ground, a wave of disgust surging in his eyes.
During the Sect Tournament, he had clearly seen Su Lingxi's hostility toward Yuan Shu.
If he hadn't been considerate of their fellowship as sect disciples, he would have dealt with her long ago.
He never expected that instead of him going to find trouble with her, Su Lingxi would actually use such filthy methods against him!
Slipping him an aphrodisiac? How dare she even think of such a thing!
In this life, he was Yuan Shu's man, and in death, he would be Yuan Shu's ghost!
He had absolutely no interest in anyone else!
Should he hand her over to their Master for punishment? The thought had barely formed before Shen Qi rejected it.
No, their Master had always doted on Su Lingxi. If he handed her over, their Master definitely wouldn't punish her for something like this.
Frowning, Shen Qi's gaze landed on the stone table to the side.
He had noticed it earlier. The teacups and teapot on the stone table had all been drugged by Su Lingxi.
An aphrodisiac, was it?
Did she ever wonder what it would feel like to suffer the effects of her own drug?
Shen Qi's eyes turned icy. Raising his hand, he used his spiritual energy to summon a teacup from the stone table through the air.
He seized Su Lingxi by the throat and ruthlessly poured the tea, laced with the illicit powder, straight down her throat.
Terrified, Su Lingxi thrashed frantically.
But her strength was no match for Shen Qi's; how could she possibly break free?
In no time, the entire cup of tea was forced into her stomach.
Worried the dose wasn't strong enough, Shen Qi summoned the remaining drugged cups, filled them with water, and forced them down her throat one by one.
When he was done, he casually tossed the empty cups out of the cave.
