After two days of indulgence, Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong finally made up for their recent period of abstinence, leaving both their spirits and bodies thoroughly satisfied.
The other two groups, who had been chatting earlier, had fallen silent at some point. They now sat with eyes closed, focused on their cultivation and absorbing the spiritual energy from the spring. Meiqiu, however, wasn't particularly focused. Beside him, Du Zhi was deeply immersed in his cultivation; the half-demon had the self-awareness not to disturb Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong while they were busy with their "private affairs." Having been distracted several times with no one to talk to, Meiqiu was left with no choice but to lonely and reluctantly apply himself to his cultivation.
A quiet month passed in this manner. During this time, several cultivators came by to investigate, but upon sensing Nie Shiyun’s cultivation level and seeing Qi Miaohan present, they didn't dare approach and slunk away.
The spiritual energy in the spring was abundant, but it wasn't limitless. After staying in the Hot Spring Valley for a month, the group began to sense their bodies developing a sort of resistance. Even after circulating their spiritual roots for several days, it was no longer as easy to absorb the energy. Nie Shiyun wasn't disappointed; on the contrary, he felt that being able to sit back and enjoy an increase in cultivation without doing anything at his current stage was a rare stroke of luck. It was no wonder such a place wasn't overflowing with people; if there weren't an absorption limit, no cultivator would ever want to leave, and the place would be as packed as a crowded public bathhouse.
Qi Xuan’er and Qi Miaohan were the first to emerge. Although the soak was comfortable and they had been given a separate pool, being in the middle of the wilderness while wearing only their inner robes made them instinctively uneasy. They called out to the others from a distance and went to rest on a bamboo bench that some kind-hearted cultivator had left behind in the distance.
"Senior Brother said before that danger lurks everywhere. But looking at it now, as long as one doesn't go looking for trouble and acts with caution, there are actually many safe places," Qi Xuan’er said, her expression relaxed.
Qi Miaohan opened her mouth, looking a bit annoyed but mostly helpless. "Alright, alright, I get it. I won't do it again. Stop lecturing me indirectly!"
Qi Xuan’er, uncharacteristically refusing to listen to her sister, insisted, "If I don't remind you constantly, you won't remember, Sister."
"Remember what?"
"Senior Brother!"
Qi Xuan’er and Qi Miaohan looked up to see Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong, now fully dressed, approaching them.
"It’s nothing," Qi Miaohan insisted, pursing her lips.
Qi Xuan’er glanced at her and shared the observation she had just made.
Nie Shiyun nodded. "That is true. However, if you intend to go into the wild alone, you must still be extremely careful. We are only this comfortable now because most cultivators are wary of our numbers and the fact that our cultivation is higher than theirs."
As they spoke, Du Zhi hurried over. Meiqiu, beside him, had reverted to his crow form. Perhaps due to the spirit spring, his feathers were exceptionally glossy.
"Why have you changed back into your beast form?" Qi Miaohan asked in surprise. In her experience, transformed demon cultivators rarely reverted to their beast forms unless it was an emergency.
Before Meiqiu could speak, Du Zhi spoke up sheepishly, "Well, he doesn't have a storage ring, and his clothes are with Senior Nie. He was about to come out stark naked just now. Even though he's still a child, I thought it was a bit inappropriate..."
"What does it matter!" Meiqiu squawked indignantly.
Only then did Nie Shiyun remember that Meiqiu’s clothes were stored in his own storage ring. While the men didn't mind seeing a little kid running around bare-bottomed, there were two ladies present.
Qi Xuan’er hurriedly said, "That... thank you very much for that..."
The group gathered to discuss their next move. Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong had already achieved their primary goal and had no lingering concerns. Seeing that they had no particular preference, Du Zhi took the initiative to mention the Trading Area. They had heard rumors earlier about a place with a touch of human bustle amidst this snowy wasteland where one might not see another soul for miles. They were all quite curious.
However, Zhai Bairong timely informed them that Duan Mingyu’s group had headed that way earlier. If they wanted to avoid them, the Trading Area might not be the best choice. Seeing the disappointed looks on their faces, Zhai Bairong thought for a moment and decided to check first.
"There's no need to trouble yourself for our sake," Qi Xuan’er said quickly.
"It’s no trouble," Zhai Bairong smiled and walked off to the side.
Once he was out of earshot, Qi Xuan’er and Qi Miaohan’s eyes darted around, sizing up Nie Shiyun. Although they had learned of the situation earlier and should have accepted it by now, the more they thought about it, the more miraculous it seemed.
"Fellow Daoist Zhai is truly kind-hearted. I misjudged him a long time ago," Qi Miaohan remarked. She couldn't help but wonder how such a person could have ever fallen for Duan Mingyu.
Qi Xuan’er looked at Nie Shiyun, understanding the situation perfectly. "It’s only because Senior Zhai likes Senior Brother that we get to benefit as well."
Nie Shiyun smiled and didn't bother to refute her, accepting the praise without modesty.
Qi Miaohan was dying of curiosity and leaned in to ask how the two had actually met and fallen for each other, but Nie Shiyun’s lips were sealed tight; he wouldn't reveal a single detail. In the end, Qi Miaohan could only mutter "stingy" under her breath and back off.
After a while, Zhai Bairong returned with good news. Duan Mingyu and his companions had resupplied at the Trading Area for a while but had already left and wouldn't be back for the time being. Nie Shiyun caught his eye, and Zhai Bairong gave a slight nod. Thus, Nie Shiyun felt safe in deciding that they should all go to the Trading Area together.
In truth, Duan Mingyu had wanted to rest a bit longer. However, after entering the secret realm, they had first been busy regrouping and rescuing Duan Mingyu from a dire situation. Then they had fought with Qi Miaohan’s group, gaining no benefits and suffering some losses instead. Later, following Duan Mingyu’s intuition, they had found a "treasure land," thinking such a hidden place would hold great secrets, only to end up with an average of two ice lotuses per person.
Though ice lotuses were precious, their uses were quite specific. Rong Lü had given his share to Duan Mingyu without a word. Xu Yehua had hesitated, but since he truly had no use for them, he eventually gave one to Duan Mingyu and said he would bring the other back to his sect.
Xu Yehua felt they couldn't afford to be idle any longer, so the three of them set out once more toward more distant regions to seek out opportunities. By the time Zhai Bairong contacted him, they had already been traveling for ten days. Duan Mingyu had thought Zhai Bairong’s initiative to contact him meant he finally felt he had neglected him and wanted to make amends. However, after a few brief words, the other man only said he didn't know where they were and that it would be difficult to meet up, before falling silent again.
Duan Mingyu finally couldn't take it anymore. Heartbroken, he vented all his grievances to the two men beside him, asking them what he had done wrong to make Zhai Bairong so displeased.
Rong Lü completely dismissed his self-deprecation, silently stroking his back to comfort him. Xu Yehua sat down on the other side and patted Duan Mingyu’s hair.
"If he doesn't cherish you, then just stop thinking about him."
"But..."
Xu Yehua asked at the opportune moment, "Think carefully. Has your Senior Brother been acting unusual lately?"
"He’s been even more polite to me than before... but Senior Brother has always been such a gentle person," Duan Mingyu bit his lip.
Rong Lü naturally didn't like hearing Duan Mingyu praise someone else. But if one had to talk about who came first, although he was the first to meet Duan Mingyu, Zhai Bairong was the one who had been with him first. He was displeased but remained silent.
Xu Yehua didn't care for such thoughts and asked Duan Mingyu directly when he and Zhai Bairong had last been intimate.
"Why... why ask that so suddenly..." Although Duan Mingyu was very familiar with such matters, his face still flushed every time they were mentioned.
After hesitating for a long time, he told Rong Lü and Xu Yehua that they hadn't been intimate since the Mist Secret Realm.
"..."
This answer was even more shocking to Rong Lü and Xu Yehua than they had expected.
"Hasn't it been six years then?"
Duan Mingyu hadn't actually felt it had been that long. In the Mist Secret Realm, he had just reunited with Rong Lü and met Xu Yehua, so he had been quite busy. In the following years, Zhai Bairong was either not around or in secluded cultivation, so the lack of intimacy seemed normal. But starting from the Cultivation Grand Assembly, things had gradually stopped making sense.
Xu Yehua let out a cold laugh and said with certainty, "He probably has someone else on the outside."
Duan Mingyu froze, having never considered such a possibility. He instinctively retorted, "How is that possible!"
"Why wouldn't it be? A man understands men best. If it's as you say, and he locked himself in his room on the immortal ship every day to avoid seeing you, let alone touching you—unless he’s suddenly become impotent... how else do you explain it?" Xu Yehua raised an eyebrow.
"I know you've always disliked Senior Brother. But... but this..." Duan Mingyu couldn't accept it for a moment. He wanted to deceive himself and find an excuse, but he didn't know how to respond to Xu Yehua’s questioning.
Rong Lü asked calmly, "Have you noticed him getting close to any juniors in your sect lately?"
Duan Mingyu looked at Rong Lü in surprise, not expecting him to go along with the suspicion. "No! Senior Brother has always kept to himself. He’s polite to the other disciples, but he’s never been truly close to any of them. Only me... Senior Brother must be dissatisfied with me and is doing this on purpose to annoy me."
Rong Lü looked at the adamant Duan Mingyu and sighed. Logically, he should help Duan Mingyu find the truth, and if it were true, he should help him condemn Zhai Bairong. But emotionally, he was celebrating inside, wanting nothing more than to clap and cheer. However, he would never say that to Duan Mingyu.
Xu Yehua looked away, feeling a bit anxious. Saying Zhai Bairong had someone else was just a random guess, but now he was even more certain that Zhai Bairong no longer had much affection for Duan Mingyu. Based on his understanding of Zhai Bairong, the man wasn't the type to string someone along if his heart was no longer in it. If he was being hypocritical with Duan Mingyu, he must be plotting something.
What could it be? Xu Yehua frowned, completely unable to guess.
"...So, um, Yehua, did you hear what I said?" Duan Mingyu shook Xu Yehua’s arm.
"Yeah. Don't think about him for now. We'll talk about it when we see him later," Xu Yehua smiled, brushing the topic aside.
Duan Mingyu nodded hesitantly, but a thorn remained in his heart. He carefully recalled the "bevy of beauties" around his Senior Brother, but he felt that none of the juniors or disciples in the sect were more outstanding or well-behaved than he was. Moreover, everyone knew that he and his Senior Brother were a pair; who would dare to seduce him?
The more he thought, the more puzzled he became. Under Xu Yehua’s urging, he could only set these complicated emotions aside and continue on their path of exploration.
At that moment, the person who had dared to do the "seducing" sneezed.
"Did you catch a cold?" Zhai Bairong asked, quickly turning his head.
Cultivators rarely fell ill. Nie Shiyun considered that he had no symptoms of a cold, so he attributed it to the chilly air; his nose probably hadn't adjusted yet after coming out of the steaming hot spring.
The Hot Spring Valley wasn't far from the Trading Area. It was possible that cultivators had originally noticed the high traffic in this area and slowly developed it. Even while accommodating Qi Xuan’er’s slower pace, the group reached their destination in just about two days.
***
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Transmigrated into a Total Shou Novel as a Cannon Fodder, but Ended Up 1v1-ing the Male Lead | Chapter 82 | Suspicions and Marketplaces | Novela.app | Novela.app
