It was not until Qi Qingshan vanished completely behind her that Lou Yue finally caught a glimpse of the golden thunder light at the far end of the sky.
It was the Mystic Gold Thunder.
The supreme heavenly tribulation that would only be triggered when an outsider broke into this realm.
Her gaze darkened.
In the novel, Long Aotian only summoned the Mystic Gold Thunder when the last bolt of heavenly tribulation struck. Though she was too far away to see clearly, that golden thunder just now had flickered out for a split second before flaring back to life.
This meant it was at least the second Mystic Gold Thunder.
Lou Yue pressed her palm to the back of her flying beast and channeled her spiritual power into it. The beast immediately flapped its wings and shot forward like an arrow loosed from a string.
Her gaze was fixed firmly on the far edge of the sky.
After another split-second flicker, the Mystic Gold Thunder, bright enough to illuminate half the sky, came crashing down with terrifying oppressive force. A clap of thunder that had been delayed for a long time boomed loudly right in her ears.
After this bolt of thunder, the far end of the sky dimmed, swallowed entirely by thick dark night, with not a sliver of light left.
By the time Lou Yue arrived, the surrounding area was nothing but scorched black earth. The air reeked of acrid burnt stench, overlaid by a heavy, iron-rich scent of blood that nearly drowned out the burnt smell.
Beyond these two scents, there was no sign of anyone, no corpses, no traces of anything left behind.
As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but empty desolation.
For a long moment, Lou Yue stood there dumbfounded, the roar of that earlier thunder seeming to echo over and over in her ears.
She walked dully to the very center of the scorched earth, staring blankly around her.
Where was Xiao Rangchen?
Where had Xiao Rangchen gone?
Xiao Rangchen was Long Aotian, the core of this world. He could not possibly die.
He could not be dead.
She immediately spread out her spiritual sense. The overexertion of her spiritual power caused her Formless Disguise to fail, and she reverted to her female form right away.
But she could not sense his presence at all.
Refusing to believe it, she poured every last bit of her spiritual power outward, extending it to the farthest, deepest reaches of the surroundings.
Once, then twice, then again.
Nothing.
Nothing.
Nothing...
Every single search yielded the same empty result.
Lou Yue's hands began to tremble.
A wave of panic that felt like it was squeezing the breath out of her crashed down on her.
She had never once considered that he might die.
Because he was Long Aotian, favored by the will of heaven, so no matter how deadly the situation was, he would always find a way to survive.
Even when she knew he would trigger the Mystic Gold Thunder, she had not given him any warning.
She had been arrogant.
She had relied on her knowledge of the plot, looking down on everything from a lofty, detached vantage point.
She had forgotten that human life was fragile, and the tiniest deviation from the expected path could take anyone away.
She had forgotten that no matter if he was Long Aotian or not, all the wounds he had suffered, all the hardships he had endured, were real, and had cut deep enough to hurt to the very marrow.
Lou Yue stepped out of the scorched black stretch of land. No longer relying on her spiritual sense, she used her hands to brush aside tangled overgrown grass, and walked step by step to search every inch of the area.
Xiao Rangchen was such a stubborn person.
If there was even a ten-thousandth of a chance, he would have seized every opportunity to stay alive.
She absolutely refused to believe he was dead.
The night brightened into day, then the sun sank low and the light faded back into dusk.
Lou Yue had no idea how far she had walked. Her hands were crisscrossed with countless small cuts, but she did not feel a single bit of pain, only reaching out and rummaging through the surroundings over and over in a mechanical, repetitive motion.
A hundred meters away, inside a cave, a faint white barrier wrapped tightly around the unconscious man, blocking all attempts to detect his presence.
Yu Youchun's soul could no longer hold on.
He sighed weakly, "My apprentice... from here on out, it all depends on your own fate..."
The faint white barrier rippled, then vanished completely as Yu Youchun's soul fell into a deep slumber.
The instant the barrier dissipated, Lou Yue, far away, froze suddenly.
A surge of joy welled up in her eyes. She even forgot to use her spiritual power, and stumbled headlong toward the cave.
When she saw the familiar figure lying inside, her eyes instantly grew hot with tears.
She threw herself to his side and pressed two fingers to his neck to check his pulse.
After a long moment, she finally detected his faint, thready heartbeat.
In stark contrast to that weak pulse, the spiritual power raging wildly inside his body was crashing chaotically against his meridians, as if it could burst his body apart at any second.
She had to transfer her spiritual power to him right away.
But this place was not safe.
People from the Cangya Sect could arrive at any moment.
Lou Yue turned her head and spotted a pair of huddled, trembling little demon beasts in the corner, that looked exactly like plump groundhogs.
"Can you understand what I'm saying?"
The two demon beasts nodded their heads in terror.
Lou Yue spoke quickly, "Is there a very hidden, secluded place nearby that no one ever visits?"
The slightly fatter one hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Take me there right now. If the place is suitable, I will give you a proper reward."
Lou Yue had just slung Xiao Rangchen onto her back, and was not even halfway to the cave entrance, when she sensed many high-level cultivators approaching.
"Wait, is there another way out?"
The two groundhog-like demon beasts exchanged a look. The fatter one turned around and began to dig furiously at the earth with its claws, and the other one quickly pitched in to help.
As demon beasts, they were incredibly fast at digging. Before long, they had carved out a whole tunnel.
Less than half a quarter of an hour later, a glimmer of blue light appeared up ahead.
This was another cave, but it was not on land — it was submerged underwater.
A faint water-repelling barrier was still functioning at the cave's entrance. It looked like an abandoned closed-door cultivation site left behind by a cultivator long ago.
Lou Yue took out two high-grade spirit fruits brimming with rich spiritual energy, and tossed them over to the pair.
"Go back now. Seal up the path you just dug, and act as if nothing ever happened."
The two groundhog demon beasts nodded repeatedly, clutching the spirit fruits and scurrying back happily to fill in the tunnel.
Lou Yue turned her gaze back to Xiao Rangchen.
In just this short half quarter of an hour, his breath had grown even fainter.
The wild spiritual power surging under his skin was growing more and more violent, as if it would break through his body the very next instant.
Lou Yue immediately cast a wisp of spiritual power to reinforce the water-repelling barrier, then laid down another barrier to block all traces of their presence.
She helped Xiao Rangchen sit up, leaning him against her, and pressed one palm to his chest to start drawing out the rioting spiritual power inside him.
But the moment her spiritual power made contact with his, she finally understood the true meaning behind Liufeng Xin's words that "it might not work".
Right now, Xiao Rangchen was like a water can under extreme, crushing pressure.
Her attempt to transfer and draw out his spiritual power only opened a tiny, almost invisible crack on the can's wall, letting out barely a trickle of the raging power.
Transfusion of spiritual power was completely useless.
Lou Yue lowered her eyes and looked quietly at the person in her arms.
The faint blue underwater light seeped into the cave, spilling over his sharp, handsome brows.
He was so close to her, yet she could barely feel the warmth of his breath.
Those dark eyes that always looked at her so deeply, it seemed as if they would never open again.
It seemed as if he would never again lean close to her ear and murmur that he liked her, that he had missed her so much.
Lou Yue lifted her hand and brushed her fingers against his dry, colorless lips.
She laid him gently down on the stone platform, and took out the three jade slips carved with the character "Lou" that she had tossed carelessly into her storage ring earlier.
She pressed her spiritual sense into the jade slips, ignoring the images stored within, and skimmed rapidly through the lines of small text beneath.
According to the records on the jade slips, the Lou clan's cauldron dual cultivation method, if used alongside drawing secret runes on the other person's chest, abdomen, or back during the process, could activate the full true power of the cauldron. Apart from boosting spiritual power, it could also calm rampaging spiritual power and unclog stagnant meridians.
The reason the women of the Lou clan gained far greater benefits from dual cultivation than other cultivators was half due to these secret runes that perfectly resonated with their unique constitutions.
The other half of the reason was that after dual cultivation, a Lou clan woman's own spiritual power would be refined to a purer, more potent state, which would in turn grant even greater benefits for the next dual cultivation session. A woman of the Lou clan would never exhaust the power of their cauldron, and the person they cultivated with would receive increasingly stacked benefits each time.
And if the partner possessed the Xi Washing Body, it could be used to —
The following content came to an abrupt halt. The third jade slip was an incomplete fragment.
But whatever this "Zhuo Xi Body" was, it had nothing to do with her.
Lou Yue turned her gaze back to Xiao Rangchen.
"Xiao Rangchen, if you refuse, open your eyes."
After waiting a moment, she murmured, "I'll take that as your agreement..."
She raised her hand to rest on his belt, and her fingertips paused the second they brushed the cold ornament fastened to it.
Her gaze drifted back to his sharp, well-defined features, which now looked as if they had lost all trace of life.
Lou Yue gently closed her eyes and took a deep, steadying breath.
When she opened them again, only resolve remained in her irises.
Yet that resolve wavered for a split second the moment her eyes fell on what lay dormant beneath his robes.
She composed herself, looked away, and reached her hand out.
As a modern person, she might not have experienced the real thing, but she had certainly seen more than enough depictions of it.
She could try using her hand first. If that didn't work, then... well, she'd cross that bridge when she came to it.
She did not know how much time had passed, but just as her right arm ached so badly she was ready to give up, she finally...
She quickly pulled a inner garment out of her storage ring, wiped her hands in a hurry, looked away again, and haphazardly wiped him off too.
To her surprise, the violent spiritual power raging inside his body actually calmed down slightly.
Lou Yue let out a quiet sigh of relief.
It worked.
So she decided to press on, hoping that she could resolve the situation entirely with her hands.
But that hope was dashed the second time around.
Lou Yue used both of her hands, working until her arms felt ready to fall off, and still nothing worked.
Tired out, she slumped forward, resting her face against her own arm, and grumbled unhappily at the unconscious man, "Xiao Rangchen, are you doing this on purpose..."
The unconscious man obviously could not answer her.
Lou Yue gritted her teeth, climbed up, and straddled his thighs.
The second she touched the taut, powerful muscles of his legs, she could not help but flinch.
She closed her eyes, and moved her knees forward little by little.
The next moment, her eyelashes fluttered wildly, and a rush of heat shot straight to the top of her head.
She bit her lip, deciding that she might as well just get it over with—quick pain, less suffering.
But her decision was one thing, and actually pulling it off was another.
The elaborate hem of her top spread out, covering the place where their bodies met, and hiding her hand as she reached for him.
After a long while, Lou Yue was sweating profusely. She had exhausted so much energy before she finally barely managed to get past the first hurdle.
She propped her hands on either side of Xiao Rangchen's torso, her breathing growing ragged.
An unfamiliar sensation rose from her lower abdomen.
She tried to move lower, but it hurt.
Her body was not adapting to it at all.
She had to shift gently, letting her body get used to the feeling as quickly as possible.
This time went a little more smoothly than before, but then she hit a new barrier. She looked up at Xiao Rangchen, steeled her resolve, and gritted her teeth as she pushed herself down.
A tearing, searing pain shot through her, her arms went weak, and she collapsed right onto Xiao Rangchen's body.
She panted raggedly against his neck, her whole body trembling from the pain.
"Lou... Yue..."
Lou Yue froze, and immediately lifted her head.
Xiao Rangchen, who had kept his eyes tightly shut this whole time, was slowly opening them.
Yet those usually calm, sharp eyes were now foggy and unfocused, as if he was trapped in a half-asleep, half-waking daze.
"...Lou Yue..."
He called her name again in a low, soft voice.
Lou Yue pressed her forehead to his, her hand brushing against his burning cheek as she replied softly, "I'm here... I'm right here..."
He nuzzled lightly at her, as if instinctively trying to confirm her scent.
A moment later, he seemed to finally be sure, and called out again, "Lou Yue."
Lou Yue hummed quietly in response.
"To get to see you in a dream... right before I die... it's so nice..."
Lou Yue lifted her head, looking straight into his unfocused eyes, and said clearly, "You are not going to die."
Lou Yue pushed herself back up, bearing the pain, and began to move with great difficulty.
Xiao Rangchen's brows furrowed faintly, then quickly relaxed, as he mumbled in self-deprecation, "To get to have this dream even as I'm dying... that's not so bad..."
He slowly lifted his hand, his fingertips brushing against her leg, then slipping little by little under the hem of her top.
Lou Yue's body shuddered, and she nearly went limp.
Xiao Rangchen's whole body was burning hot from the rampaging spiritual power inside him, and the heat of his searing palm made the already hot place between them burn even more intensely.
His strength was still small, weakened as he was, but that very gentleness felt unbearably teasing.
Xiao Rangchen lifted his other hand, slowly undoing the loose belt around Lou Yue's waist.
His fingertips trailed across her skin as he whispered, "This time... you look like a woman..."
Lou Yue trembled all over, and slumped against his shoulder.
Xiao Rangchen pressed a kiss to the side of her face, his breath faint but low and tender, "I don't have the strength... so you'll have to do the work..."
Lou Yue arched her body little by little, her hands pressing against his abs, her voice unsteady and tinged with a hint of irritation, "Have you... have you had this kind of dream often?"
"Mm," he replied, his foggy gaze fixed on her, his hand tracing the curve of her body restlessly, as if silently urging her on.
After a while, he called her name, "Lou Yue."
"Hurry..."
His weak voice was wrapped in a low, husky tone.
Lou Yue was left speechless.
Beneath her palms, his spiritual power was still raging wildly. Even though he was clearly in the throes of great pain, not a single trace of discomfort showed on his face.
His fingers tightened slightly, as if urging her faster.
Lou Yue gritted her teeth, her cheeks flushing warm, "Close your eyes. Don't open them."
Once Xiao Rangchen had obediently shut his eyes, Lou Yue focused her mind, gathering a wisp of spiritual power in her hand and starting to draw a secret rune across his abdomen and chest.
Xiao Rangchen did not have the strength to move his body, but his fingers were surprisingly nimble, and he kept disrupting her work.
Lou Yue was interrupted several times, and had to catch her breath before she could pick up where she left off.
"Lou Yue..." He reached out to grab her hand, and Lou Yue quickly patted it in a perfunctory, soothing way before going back to finishing the rune.
When the last stroke fell, a soft, pale red light flashed, and sank into Xiao Rangchen's body.
An indescribable sense of spiritual connection sprang up out of nowhere, like an invisible thread tying the two of them together. Deep within their bodies, a hidden, unspoken longing began to rise.
She did not know how Xiao Rangchen felt, but the moment the secret rune was fully formed, his fingers paused for a long moment.
And when he moved again, his motions grew noticeably more urgent, his strength far heavier than before.
Lou Yue bit down hard on her lip, trying her best to hold back the sounds rising in her throat.
Even if she suppressed her own noises, other lewd, ambiguous sounds still echoed through the cave.
Her nails dug deep into his firm muscles as she clung to him, calling his name in a hurried, scattered tone, "Xiao Rangchen... Xiao Rangchen..."
The moment her consciousness grew hazy, Lou Yue's vision went blank.
Xiao Rangchen felt her reaction, and suddenly tilted his head back, letting out a low groan.
Lou Yue lost all control, drawing out a long, trembling sound.
One of them was dazed, the other had their eyes closed—neither of them noticed that a brilliant golden lotus shadow bloomed right beneath their bodies.
The pale red secret rune that had previously sunk into Xiao Rangchen's body resurfaced at that moment, its color shifting from soft red to gilded gold. It flickered for an instant, then faded back into his body as if it had gotten no response, and the golden lotus vanished with it.
Lou Yue's heart was beating so wildly it felt ready to burst out of her chest.
Pleasure coursed through every limb and every inch of her body.
The next second, the man who had been weak and helpless just a moment before suddenly pushed himself up.
One of his arms wrapped around her waist to pull her even closer to him, while the other cupped the back of her head, and he kissed her parted lips ravenously, stealing every last bit of her breath.
Xiao Rangchen held her and flipped them over, pressing her down as he showered her with frantic kisses, trailing them over her jaw and across her neck over and over again.
Lou Yue let out a soft whimper, her fingers tangling deep into his hair.
His kisses trailed further down.
Lou Yue tugged hard at his hair, but he was like a starved beast that had finally sunk its teeth into its prey, wild and unrelenting.
Lou Yue tried to kick out, but her legs were pinned down. She could only cry out his name in a panic, and physiological tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
Her head spun in waves of dizziness, and all the sounds around her faded away into the distance.
The next second came something far more unbearable than anything she had felt before...
Lou Yue's eyes flew wide open, and she tilted her chin sharply upward.
A crisp, frosty snow scent washed over her. Xiao Rangchen was at her neck, calling her name in a hoarse voice as he lingered there, pressing his lips to her skin.
"Lou Yue..."
"Lou Yue..."
When her body gradually went slack, a scorching hot palm slid from her back to her shoulder, pressing her firmly in place.
After that, no matter how Lou Yue trembled, how she cursed, or how she kicked, he never let go of her again...
She lost all track of time. By the end, Lou Yue was completely drained, not even enough strength left to lift her hands.
She stared down at the man who was still on top of her, and cursed in a voice so hoarse it was barely recognizable, "Xiao Rangchen... you bastard..."
He let out a low chuckle. "Why aren't you praising me like you used to?"
Lou Yue had no words for that.
He leaned in to kiss her, his tone deep and magnetic. "You're already worn out this quickly?"
Lou Yue still had nothing to say.
She had no interest in discussing praise or stamina with a man who thought he was having a wet dream. She only asked him, "How are you feeling right now?"
Xiao Rangchen's Adam's apple bobbed, and he answered in a heavy, thick nasal tone, "Great."
He shifted his weight a little, then added, "Absolutely great."
Lou Yue pressed her lips together and asked again, "Do you feel like you have endless, boundless strength?"
His well-defined, knuckled hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her down against him.
She didn't need him to say anything else to know the answer. She spread her arms wide.
The man understood and leaned down, just about to say something, when a sharp numbness suddenly pricked the back of his neck.
Seeing that Xiao Rangchen had fallen into a deep, unshakable sleep, Lou Yue paused to catch her breath before she managed to roll over with great difficulty.
The man beneath her had a ruddy, healthy glow to his face, his spiritual energy gentle and abundant, healthier than could be.
Lou Yue slowly pushed herself up and climbed off of him.
When her feet touched the ground, the ache in her legs was so bad that she almost wanted to beat the unconscious man black and blue.
She waited for a long while before she cleaned herself up, used her spiritual energy to soothe her sore, limp limbs, and changed into a fresh set of clothes.
She looked back at the man lying on the stone platform, and after a moment's hesitation, she walked over to redress the clothes he had been lying on, even carefully adjusting his hair crown to sit properly on his head.
After that, Lou Yue bundled her own old clothes together and tossed them into her storage ring. She double-checked Xiao Rangchen's attire, then swept her gaze across the entire cave to erase every last trace of what had happened.
She made sure that when he woke up, he would not find a single clue that anything out of the ordinary had truly occurred. Let him believe it was all just a dream.
She never wanted him to find out right now that she was a spirit cauldron. She refused to let anything else taint their relationship.
What she wanted, was his pure, unadulterated love.
