Chapter 99

"...When did you come in?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Yun Shuchen felt how soft her voice sounded, as if soaked in water. Even moving her body felt like being drunk, every bone weakened and dissolved in the desires of the mortal world.

"Just now."

Yun Shuchen closed her eyes and rested for a moment. After the bout of passion, her skin didn't want to touch anything. When Qing Zhouxue wiped her a few more times, she shuddered and frowned. "Don't touch."

"Didn't I tell you to leave?"

The thought that Qing Zhouxue might have heard something—perhaps even her calling out her childhood name—made Yun Shuchen feel utterly ashamed. She couldn't afford to dwell on it, because her disciple, who always fussed over her, surely wouldn't have gone far.

Though she couldn't see her, she heard Qing'er make a vague sound of acknowledgment, probably to save her face and pretend not to have noticed again.

Yun Shuchen was occasionally grateful for that trait of hers—knowing when to see through without saying anything. At the same time, she was thankful she was still blind, so she didn't have to meet her disciple's eyes and suffer even more fatal embarrassment.

She was too exhausted now, so she slowly relaxed and leaned against Qing Zhouxue. "How many hours have passed?"

Qing Zhouxue threw something into the water, causing a faint ripple. Then she replied, "About three hours. Master, do you want to continue sleeping?"

Three hours.

The love poison had acted for that long?

Yun Shuchen let out an almost inaudible sigh. It seemed to last longer each time—that was not a good sign.

"Mm, I want to sleep."

Qing Zhouxue removed the bedding from under her and covered her carefully. Lying in the softness, Yun Shuchen felt much more comfortable than before; all the stickiness had been wiped away. But... she had probably seen everything.

Thinking about being seen by her disciple and having been listened to for so long—while she couldn't see anything now—was extremely awkward. After the awkwardness passed, she unconsciously felt a sense of imbalance.

Qing Zhouxue was about to pour another cup of water when Yun Shuchen grabbed the corner of her sleeve and pulled her down.

"I'm sleepy," Yun Shuchen said coolly. "Sleep with me."

Qing Zhouxue seemed hesitant, speaking softly, "It's nighttime now, but it's not actually time to sleep yet."

"I can't see anything." Yun Shuchen raised a hand to touch her eyes. "Qing'er, I feel uncomfortable sleeping alone."

These words seemed to greatly stir her disciple's compassion. Without further ado, a rustling sound of undressing came.

"Take it all off."

Qing Zhouxue's hand, which was untying her sash, paused. "All of it?"

"Mm."

With the moonlight casting a silver glow behind her, Qing Zhouxue lifted her white robe, pulled it apart, and let it slip off her shoulders. Then she neatly folded the clothes and set them aside.

Qing Zhouxue felt it was odd. She didn't mind at all lying skin-to-skin with her master—in fact, she rather liked it. But her master was never so casual; she had even called her shameless before.

Even though Yun Shuchen would kiss her and they had bathed together once, on ordinary days she would never appear disheveled in front of her disciple. On the contrary, her master always dressed properly and modestly in her presence.

Qing Zhouxue lifted the blanket and lay down inside. Just as she was about to find a comfortable spot, her legs were slowly pressed down by another pair of legs.

After the chaotic day, Yun Shuchen's body was too tired and had calmed down. Now that she was nestled against her disciple, no improper thoughts arose.

That suited her; at least she wouldn't suffer.

Qing Zhouxue suddenly felt the woman's leg shift, deliberately or not, tangling with hers. A pair of soft, delicate hands stroked her lower back, as if measuring her. "Qing'er, have you lost weight recently?"

Her lower back was being poked at intermittently, and warm breath was occasionally blown onto her neck, like teasing, but when Yun Shuchen did it, it seemed more like gentle caressing.

"Master, it's hot."

"Didn't you take off everything?" Yun Shuchen curled her lips. "Don't move. I can't see right now; I haven't seen you in a long time."

Her hand pinched here and squeezed there, targeting ticklish spots. Qing Zhouxue gradually couldn't bear it. Instinctively, she braced her hands behind her, only to hear her master chuckle lightly. "My chest hurts, don't push."

Qing Zhouxue froze her hands and dared not move.

Even though Yun Shuchen was utterly exhausted, teasing people invigorated her. She slowly played with Qing Zhouxue while murmuring, "Young girls are so enviable—your skin is so firm."

She pinched her waist.

"...It's because Master moves too little."

"Rude." Her hand slapped her lower back with a soft smack.

Qing Zhouxue immediately straightened up, popping her head out from under the blanket. Before long, she was pressed down again.

She felt that everywhere touched was warm and soft, her chest pounding as if a kitten were chasing butterflies inside. Yun Shuchen's hand set fire to the butterflies in her belly, turning them into two blazes of chaotic darkfire, burning her entire body.

The fragments of breathy moans that had slipped into her ears earlier now echoed again, like faint spring thunder.

Just as she was savoring a mix of discomfort and pleasure, Yun Shuchen softly sighed that she was sleepy, and all the tenderness receded like a tide.

Her master turned over and closed her eyes.

Ice-cold air seeped into Qing Zhouxue's side. Uncomfortable, she turned over, then turned back. She tossed and turned, unable to regain the comfortable sleeping position she had found.

She felt some stickiness between her legs. Following the experience she had inadvertently learned once, she unconsciously edged closer to her master. Before she even touched a single strand of hair, she heard, "Stop fidgeting. Sleep."

Qing Zhouxue wanted to say something but stopped. In the end, Yun Shuchen pressed her down again. To avoid disturbing her master's sleep, she had to hang in that unresolved state.

Yun Shuchen was very tired. As she sank into sleep, her mood inexplicably improved a bit. Thinking of how Qing Zhouxue always left her parched, she finally had a day to repay the favor, letting the one who caused such havoc taste her own medicine.

And so, they slept soundly through the night.

The next morning, Yun Shuchen felt some warmth on her face—sunlight. She frowned and turned over, not wanting her face to be exposed. She reached out to the side, but found no one there, though the spot was still warm, suggesting Qing Zhouxue had left not long ago.

She left?

Did she forget that her master was now blind and needed proper care?

Just as Yun Shuchen frowned in displeasure, she heard a soft creak from the door. Someone walked over, and the bed dipped. "Master, do you plan to stay at Lingsu Peak, or are you going back to the peak?"

Hearing her familiar voice, Yun Shuchen relaxed her brows a little. "It should be fine now. No need to trouble Lingsu Peak further."

"Yesterday... why did Master suddenly...?" Qing Zhouxue paused but still voiced the question. She knew Yun Shuchen might be embarrassed, but it was so sudden; she needed to understand.

"Is it because of the medicine you usually take?"

Qing Zhouxue suddenly remembered what Liu Xunqin had told her years ago—that such medicine suppressed the cold poison, but it also had other uses.

"Mm," she acknowledged.

"Then what does Shishu Liu intend? To keep suppressing it like this? But even if the daily dose is small, it accumulates and harms the body. How can that last long?" Qing Zhouxue grew more uneasy the more she thought about it, but her knowledge of medicine was only superficial, so she dared not speak rashly.

"No," Yun Shuchen said, troubled. She couldn't very well say that she lacked a Dual Cultivation partner, preferably one with an Ice Spiritual Root.

That would be too obvious a hint.

But clearly Liu Xunqin had spoken privately with Qing Zhouxue about something. Too much time had passed, and Qing Zhouxue only remembered that she had instinctively placed the matter outside what a disciple should manage, deciding to take good care of her master in terms of warmth and coldness.

As for the actual method, she couldn't quite recall.

She fell silent for a moment. "Master, let's go to Lingsu Peak for a check-up. Who knows if yesterday's ordeal might have left lingering issues?"

In this matter, Yun Shuchen couldn't win against Qing Zhouxue after all. The Qingshuang Sword seemed to have sensed something and dutifully waited for them at Yimeng Cliff.

Qing Zhouxue admired it—truly a famous sword. It seemed to know its master's intentions without any spiritual power driving it.

As she was lifted horizontally again, Yun Shuchen thought inexplicably that since the Thunder Tribulation, her legs, though not broken, had become useless. Every day she either lay still or was carried by Qing Zhouxue.

But yesterday had indeed been excessive; her legs were weak, so the thought of walking on her own gradually faded.

At Lingsu Peak.

Elder Liu had just returned from outside. Catching sight of the two, she looked at Yun Shuchen, habitually examining her, and frowned. "Did the poison act yesterday? I remember telling you that you're weak now and need peace and rest."

Ever since the Thunder Tribulation, Qing Zhouxue could tell that her master's body was indeed much weaker than before.

She had always been prone to illness, but never like this—coughing blood at the slightest strain, occasional chest tightness, and longer periods of fatigue each day.

Her complexion grew paler, rarely showing any color, so fragile she seemed on the verge of death.

Yun Shuchen never noticed, but her disciple took in every subtle change, worrying in silence.

"If you want to live a few more years, you can't delay any longer."

After taking her pulse and opening her eyes again, Liu Xunqin said this flatly.

"Though the cold disease wasn't severe before, this time the major injury piled on minor ailments, and it also triggered two toxins. Even with your high cultivation, you can't withstand prolonged attrition."

Liu Xunqin could see more than ordinary people. She glanced at Yun Shuchen—on the surface, she was a beautiful woman, but in the healer's eyes, what stood out were the fine cracks densely covering her dantian and the muscles and bones eroded by years of accumulated toxins.

She was like a gorgeous flower about to be hollowed out by worms, leaving only fading red on the petals, but if you snapped the stem, you'd see nothing but heavy death aura.