Shi Shuchen’s gaze remained fixed on Yuan Shu beside him.
His eyes drifted slowly from her cool, beautiful brows and eyes, brushing over her cheeks and that exquisitely lovely little mouth before moving down to her body.
He watched the focused look in her eyes and the seriousness of her expression as she worked.
And somehow, he found every one of her smiles and frowns beautiful.
A feeling of indescribable satisfaction filled his entire being.
They had been together three times before—no, four, to be precise.
Three of those times had been because of the influence of the Dual Cultivation power. The last time, he had wanted her so badly that he had asked for it.
Yuan Shu had told him that he was hers.
So from now on, he would be able to have her just as he had before.
The moment he thought of it, all the intimacy they had shared came rushing back to him, stirring his emotions.
He was hers, and she was his!
He wondered what the Sect Master and the other Peak Masters would think if word got out. They would probably think he had gone mad.
But how could feelings be controlled simply because one wished them to be?
From the moment they had first met within the Azure Radiance Formation, he had fallen for her.
Now, he was merely following the desires of his heart.
Yuan Shu extracted the underground palace’s formation map from the formation spirit’s mind, then flicked it into her own consciousness with a crook of her finger.
When she turned around, she saw Shi Shuchen’s eyes shining as he smiled faintly at her, watching her without blinking.
Yuan Shu raised a brow. “Peak Master Shi, what are you looking at?”
Caught staring, Shi Shuchen shifted his face away awkwardly, the tips of his ears turning faintly red.
“N-nothing.”
“Is that so? Because I clearly saw you looking at me.” Yuan Shu smiled and leaned closer.
Meeting Yuan Shu’s bright, smiling gaze, Shi Shuchen’s cheeks grew warm. He gave a light cough. “Yes. I was looking at you.”
He lifted his eyes to hers, an indescribable emotion deep within them. “Shushu, you’re really beautiful.”
Yuan Shu was pleased. The corners of her lips curved upward. “I think so too.”
As she spoke, she moved back, preparing to step away. Suddenly, Shi Shuchen wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her firmly toward him.
Yuan Shu landed against his chest. She looked up at him in confusion, only to hear him chuckle.
“So I want to kiss you. Shushu, you said I’m yours. You won’t refuse me, will you?”
Yuan Shu blinked, but before she could answer, Shi Shuchen’s handsome face had already lowered toward hers.
“Mmph…” Her hand pressed against his chest, fingers tightening slightly. Shi Shuchen was already swept up in desire, his lips seeking the seam of hers.
Yuan Shu’s eyes narrowed slightly. Feeling the sincerity of his feelings, she did not resist.
Only after a long while, when their breathing had grown somewhat ragged, did Shi Shuchen finally release her.
His usually calm, distant eyes were now lit with vivid emotion, lending his handsome, fair face a rare warmth and familiarity.
Yuan Shu could not help leaning closer with a smile. “Peak Master Shi, you look much better when you’re aroused than when you’re using a formation disc.”
Shi Shuchen’s body tensed, and his voice grew huskier. “Then… Shushu, you should make me lose control more often. That way, you’ll have more chances to see me like this…”
It was no wonder he had achieved such mastery in formations. His ability to draw inferences and apply what he had learned was truly exceptional.
Yuan Shu’s eyes curved. She gently nipped the edge of his ear. “All right. Next time, I’ll take my time looking.”
At her words, Shi Shuchen’s eyes shifted faintly, and his heart rippled with wave after wave of emotion.
However, after saying this, Yuan Shu released him from her embrace and walked toward the formation spirit.
With a flick of her hand, Yuan Shu summoned her spiritual power and kneaded the formation spirit into a ball, forcing it to shrink before tossing it onto her shoulder.
Seeing this, Shi Shuchen could only take a deep breath and forcibly suppress the stirring in his heart.
“Little thing, if you don’t want to go through that pain again, behave yourself. Otherwise, I don’t mind taking direct control of your consciousness. You know I can do it.”
Yuan Shu narrowed her eyes slightly as she glanced coolly at the formation spirit perched on her shoulder.
The underground palace’s layout shifted in real time, and only the formation spirit could keep track of those changing positions. She had to keep it with her.
Tears welled up in the formation spirit’s tiny mung-bean eyes. With its mouth puckered, it gave a soft, “Mm.”
Having truly witnessed Yuan Shu’s methods, it finally understood that she had only tolerated it before because she had not wanted to deal with it.
If she wished, she could even erase its consciousness outright!
Seeing that the formation spirit had become obedient, Yuan Shu did not make things any harder for it.
After all, it had once been her companion. If she ever returned to the Hehuan Sect someday, perhaps they would meet again.
She did not want to harm it, either.
“Let’s go. We’ll leave from this way.” Yuan Shu pointed in a direction.
Shi Shuchen had no idea what method Yuan Shu had used to control the formation spirit so forcefully, but he knew it could not be ordinary.
He was curious and wanted to ask, yet felt too awkward to do so.
Not until the fifth time he looked at her.
“Want to learn?” Yuan Shu looked at Shi Shuchen with faint amusement.
“Can I?” Shi Shuchen was deeply interested in the method of controlling formation spirits, especially one that could suppress a sentient formation spirit like this.
“If you want to learn, I’ll teach you.” When Shi Shuchen nodded, Yuan Shu did not hold anything back. As they walked, she began teaching him hands-on.
Shi Shuchen possessed exceptional talent in the way of formations. Perhaps in the future, he might achieve even greater insight.
Yuan Shu came from another world. Some of the things she knew did indeed seem more advanced than anything in this world.
Since they were already Dao companions, it was only natural to help him when appropriate.
“The Spirit-Subduing Seal is divided into upper, middle, and lower grades. The level determines the strength of the formation spirit it can control. I’ll teach you the incantation—give it a try...”
As Yuan Shu instructed him and Shi Shuchen experimented bit by bit, the astonishment on his face grew ever more apparent.
Many of the things Yuan Shu spoke of were concepts he had never encountered before!
Just what kind of woman was the one he had fallen for?
No wonder even Yao Qianci—that man who had always shown no interest in women—held Yuan Shu in such high regard!
...
Yuan Shu had a real-time map of the underground palace in her mind. She did not need to test the formations through trial and error; she could simply find the best route forward.
Only the footsteps of the two of them echoed through the passageway.
“Do you want any of these?” Upon entering a palace hall filled with treasures, Yuan Shu pointed at the valuables displayed within and asked Shi Shuchen beside her.
Shi Shuchen shook his head. “I don’t lack anything. Take them all.”
Yuan Shu did not stand on ceremony. These treasures had originally belonged to her.
Leaving them here would only benefit those two bitches from the Hehuan Sect.
As Shi Shuchen watched Yuan Shu collect the treasures from the hall, his gaze could not help but settle on a string of shimmering, multicolored gems in one corner of the palace.
Just now, captivated by the beauty of the gemstones, he had reached out, unable to resist touching them. Yuan Shu had stopped him.
She warned him that the gems contained specially cultivated poisonous insects.
He had taken a close look earlier. The insects inside were tiny—no larger than a grain of rice.
Without careful inspection, they were completely concealed by the gems’ radiant gleam and impossible to distinguish.
Yet Yuan Shu had been able to identify them precisely and warn him in time!
Ever since they had entered through the passageway, Shi Shuchen had noticed that Yuan Shu seemed familiar with everything here.
The poisonous branches protruding from the walls, the toxic ornaments placed in the corners, even the unusual mechanisms hidden within the walls—
It was as though she had been here before!
He did not understand, but Yuan Shu offered no explanation, so he did not ask.
He had an instinctive feeling that he could trust Yuan Shu without needing a reason—trust his Dao companion!
