Yuan Shu narrowed her eyes slightly, looking Xiao Li up and down. Then she extended a finger and gently pressed it against his bright red, slender lips.
“You’ve done this before?”
Xiao Li froze for a moment before realizing she was referring to the kiss just now.
He hurriedly shook his head. “No. It was my first time.”
Yuan Shu raised an eyebrow. Her finger paused against his red lips, and her voice held a trace of disbelief. “Then why were you so skilled?”
Xiao Li’s gaze trembled. Recalling the countless days and nights since the first time he had met Yuan Shu, his Adam’s apple suddenly bobbed, and his voice turned husky.
“Only my tongue was practiced.”
“Hmm?” Yuan Shu looked up at him, her finger winding through a strand of his hair.
Xiao Li chuckled softly and leaned closer, whispering into her ear.
“I’ve been waiting for this day for a very long time, Miss Yuan. From the very first time we met, I wanted to kiss you.”
“Then I secretly practiced by myself for a long time.”
When he met Yuan Shu’s astonished gaze, the tips of Xiao Li’s ears reddened. “Miss Yuan, do you… do you think I’m a pervert?”
“I just like you too much.”
His gaze trembled, carrying a hint of embarrassment. No matter how skilled he was, he was still a junior brother who had never touched another woman.
Yuan Shu smiled. Many people coveted her, but Xiao Li was the only one who dared to say it so openly and without the slightest concealment.
Her divine sense stirred the Acacia Divine Tree in her sea of consciousness. At once, a faint layer of divine power rippled from its branches.
Feeling the heat inside her body ease, Yuan Shu leaned closer and lightly brushed her lips against the corner of his.
“That wasn’t enough just now. Let’s do it again.”
Xiao Li’s eyes lit up at once. Without another word, he lowered his head and kissed her again.
After only two light presses of their lips, his tongue pried open her teeth.
For the first half of his life, Xiao Li had possessed no real goal. Like the other disciples at the bottom of the sect, he had served as a beast-taming laborer for those above him, doing the dirty work and breaking his back for the sect.
Because of his low cultivation, poor status, and mediocre talent, he had suffered endless disdain and cold treatment.
Even though he possessed some talent for beast taming, others had deliberately suppressed him.
If not for Yuan Shu, he would still be the groom who fed the horses in the spirit horse stable.
But because of Yuan Shu, he had obtained a position as a beast tamer in the Beast Taming Garden and earned the steward’s wariness.
He had taken the key to the ancient cavern beneath the Beast Taming Garden from the steward, allowing him to see the powerful spirit beasts imprisoned deep beneath the Fallen Immortal Sect.
When he met Bai Ze’s eyes, both man and beast saw the ambition in the other’s gaze.
From then on, whenever he had free time, he would bring Bai Ze spirit-beast food made from the finest ingredients and chat with him. Gradually, Bai Ze told him a secret about the ancient cavern.
That was where his opportunity began.
He gained even greater mastery over beast taming, and his natural affinity with spirit beasts grew stronger as well.
Throughout the entire Beast Taming Garden, there was not a single Nascent Soul–realm spirit beast that could escape his beast-taming abilities.
It was also from that moment onward that he felt he finally had the qualifications to approach Yuan Shu.
Seeing her in the dining hall that day had been an accident.
But he wanted more such accidents, so he went to the dining hall at the same time every day, carrying a spirit-fragrant Five-Spice Chicken he had cooked himself, all for the chance to encounter Yuan Shu.
After coming up empty several times, he finally saw her.
Her smile was radiant, her beautiful eyes full of charm.
Xiao Li was somewhat insecure. He feared that Yuan Shu might not like him, and thought that simply accompanying her during meals would be enough.
That was, until Yuan Shu took the initiative to feed him with her own chopsticks.
Only then did Xiao Li realize that Miss Yuan did not dislike him.
He tried to draw closer to her and wanted to kiss her, but someone interrupted them.
He had thought there would be no chance after that. He never expected Yuan Shu to take the initiative.
What he had once never even dared to imagine was now happening before his eyes.
The fragrance of pear blossoms that belonged solely to her filled the space between their lips and teeth, stirring his heart and making his emotions surge.
He tightened his hold on the back of her head and deepened the kiss as far as it could go.
The sunlight was warm, and a gentle breeze drifted by.
Xiao Li leaned against the wall of vines behind him, holding the woman in his arms as he continuously drank in her fragrance.
Only when their bodies began to react did they finally part with soft, breathless gasps.
Dark desire surged in Xiao Li’s eyes. He lowered his gaze to the glistening moisture at the corner of her lips, then bent down and gently kissed it away.
That kiss seemed to flip another switch.
Yuan Shu turned her head. Xiao Li lowered his head, and their lips met once more.
It was not until the two junior disciples searching for them passed by along the path for the third time that Yuan Shu chuckled and pressed a finger against his lips.
“If we keep kissing, when will I ever get to eat the spirit rabbit Junior Brother Xiao made?”
Xiao Li was filled with desire, but he forced himself to hold it back. Hugging Yuan Shu tightly, he whispered into her ear, “Now.”
…
“All of these are beast-taming manuals from the Beast Taming Garden?”
In the quiet library of the Beast Taming Garden, Yuan Shu stood beneath the loft and looked up.
The several-meter-tall library was surrounded by rows upon rows of wooden bookshelves. The shelves were packed with books, each protected by a dustproof barrier. They appeared to have been carefully preserved.
Yuan Shu had heard of beast tamers before. A Foundation Establishment–realm beast tamer could control spirit beasts at the Nascent Soul realm.
Their true strength was far greater than their apparent cultivation, making them one of the professions that could never be underestimated.
Unfortunately, the Hehuan Sect had no powerful beast tamers, and Yuan Shu had never learned much about the profession.
“Yes. If Miss Yuan is interested, you can take a look.” Xiao Li smiled, his eyes glittering like a galaxy as he stared at Yuan Shu without blinking.
“Then there’s nothing here that I’m not allowed to touch, right?” Yuan Shu pulled out a book titled An In-Depth Guide to Beast Species and turned to ask him.
Xiao Li’s gaze swept toward the clay jar in the distance. He smiled and shook his head.
“No.”
“Miss Yuan, rest here for a while. I’m going to cook.”
“All right.” Yuan Shu answered with a bright smile.
Perfect. She wanted to search for information about beast species as well. If she could look through all these books, that would be even better.
Xiao Li left the library, and Yuan Shu began wandering through it, occasionally pulling out a book or two to skim.
Beast taming was a matter of talent.
The stronger one’s affinity with beasts, the greater one’s innate advantage in the path of beast taming.
The basic beast-taming formula was known to everyone, but true beast tamers were exceedingly rare.
Of course, Yuan Shu was not genuinely interested in beast taming. She wanted to see whether there were any records concerning the ferocious beast, Xiushe.
Ling Chi was currently in her sea of consciousness, relying every day on the divine power from the Acacia Divine Tree to repair its divine sense and reconstruct its body.
Although this would not cause much damage to the Acacia Divine Tree, Ling Chi was ultimately competing with it for the energy it needed to advance.
Besides, Ling Chi had formed a life-bound contract with her. If it recovered some of its strength, she would benefit as well.
That was why she wanted to find out whether there was a way for Xiushe to condense a physical body more quickly.
Ling Chi, in the sea of consciousness, sensed Yuan Shu’s thoughts. It slithered down from the Acacia Divine Tree, swept its sharp snake eyes across the library, and spoke.
“Master, the records on ferocious beasts should be on the highest level of shelves. I can sense a faint aura of ferocity coming from there.”
Only a ferocious beast itself could be so sensitive to an aura of ferocity.
Hearing this, Yuan Shu trusted it without question. She immediately rose to the upper level and began searching through the highest shelves.
A moment later, Yuan Shu swooped down with an open book in her hands.
Xiushe quickly moved closer to read along. Slowly, it spoke:
“Divine sense is the root, baleful energy the bones, essence blood the flesh, and laws the veins. Use the soul to control energy, use energy to transform form, and use form to carry the soul.”
A pleasant, melodious voice slowly echoed in the sea of consciousness. Yuan Shu noticed that it was speaking more and more fluently, and her divine sense cast it a sidelong glance.
“Didn’t you say that you’d be able to condense a physical body after a little more time? Do you still need to look at this?”
