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Chapter 55: Cultivate That Together

Cang Shun stood at the entrance to the cave dwelling, looking as though he'd turned into a block of wood blocking the wind.

Chen Moqing sat quietly on the stone couch, holding out his slender fingers toward him.

"……"

The tall block of wood began to shuffle into the cave dwelling, slowly, slowly edging toward the strikingly beautiful young cultivator, only to be seized by the arm and pulled to sit down beside him.

Where he promptly became a block of wood that happened to be sitting.

Chen Moqing curled a finger and rapped it lightly against the wooden block's head: "If you're not willing, that's fine too."

The words had barely left his mouth when his sleeve was seized in a tight grip.

"I'm not unwilling!" the block of wood spoke up in astonishment, then, the moment the sentence was out, his voice shrank smaller. "…Isn't this a little too fast?"

They hadn't even held the dao companion ceremony yet, hadn't announced it to the world.

His human companion hadn't given him a proper status yet—though even without status, he was willing.

Cang Shun stole a glance at the person beside him, and the longer he looked, the harder it was to look away. He couldn't help but raise his hand, the pad of his finger settling gently against that tear-shaped mole at the corner of his eye, slowly stroking it.

Chen Moqing glanced at him, the corner of his eye lifting slightly, an expression somewhere between a smile and not: "You seem to have some misunderstanding about dual cultivation."

"There are many forms of dual cultivation. There is indeed what you're imagining; spiritual union, and bodily union—"

Seeing the Demon Emperor before him widen his eyes slightly again, the corner of his mouth lifting, he shifted his tone: "But there's also purely a cultivation technique manual, like this one."

He raised his hand, a green-covered technique manual already held between his fingers, waving it in front of Cang Shun.

"This is a dual-cultivation technique manual common in the upper prefectures. I've already checked it over, there's nothing wrong with it."

"……"

Cang Shun silently took the manual and flipped through it rapidly.

After finishing, he had nothing to say for a good while.

It really was a dual-person cultivation technique that involved nothing but... cultivating.

The one with higher cultivation would guide the one with lower cultivation, running this heart-method alongside normal cultivation, continuously channeling spiritual energy to the latter—with another person's help, the one with lower cultivation would advance as easily as a bridge appearing over water or a road cutting through mountains, achieving twice the effect with half the effort.

At the same time, the faster the one with lower cultivation advanced, the more spiritual energy feedback the other person would receive in turn—both sides benefited greatly.

——This manual had been recovered from the storage pouch of a Jinwu Sect elder; for a so-called righteous great sect, it seemed they did have at least one genuinely righteous thing to their name.

Cang Shun flipped the manual's cover open and shut, over and over, but turned up nothing more from it.

He could only look at the person beside him with pleading eyes, and after a moment said: "Why didn't you let me help you with this before?"

Chen Moqing looked at him.

"This is a dual-cultivation technique."

Cang Shun blinked, then suddenly burst out laughing.

"Then you should've told me sooner," he said, lowering his head, gently nuzzling Chen Moqing's temple. "You should've dual-cultivated with me right when we first met, who knows, I might already be at Mahayana stage by now."

Chen Moqing said calmly: "Didn't Your Majesty the Demon Emperor say back then that once your cultivation recovered, you'd undo the contract?"

Cang Shun fell silent.

He glanced this way and that, as if nothing had happened. After a moment, he nuzzled Chen Moqing again.

"That works." He caught his human companion's slender fingers, giving them a gentle shake, sniffing the pleasant fragrance on him. "Whatever you want is fine."

Chen Moqing smiled: "Then have another look. We'll give it a try in a bit."

This time Cang Shun read through it seriously, and found that this dual-cultivation technique that involved nothing but cultivating was actually not easy to practice at all—the heart-method was especially obscure and complex, no less difficult than some of the ancient secret arts.

Moreover, the two cultivating together had to be fully in sync in mind and heart for the technique to take effect; failure would damage one's cultivation—though that, at least, wasn't something they needed to worry about.

Cang Shun flipped through it twice more, still turning up nothing extra, and finally set it down, a faint trace of disappointment rising in his heart.

On the surface, he said with perfect composure: "Are all dual-cultivation techniques like this nowadays?"

"No," Chen Moqing glanced at him again, "most dual-cultivation techniques are spiritual union or bodily union, much simpler than this."

Cang Shun: "……"

Cang Shun finally caught on to something: "You, were you saying all that on purpose?"

"That's right," the corner of Chen Moqing's eye lifted slightly, "I knew Mimi wouldn't dare." Just teasing you.

Cang Shun: "?"

Cang Shun looked into those smiling eyes, and lunged forward—

A massive snow-white demon beast pounced, bowling the young cultivator over.

Paws braced lightly on either side of him, pinning the man down, soft fur touched with moon-frost cascading down, covering him all over.

"……"

Chen Moqing raised a hand, trying to push him off. He couldn't budge him.

"Let me up."

The Demon Emperor swished his tail at leisure, as if he hadn't heard, lowering his head to gaze at the person beneath him.

Black hair like clouds, features like a painting—no brushwork by the world's finest painters and calligraphers could match even a fraction of those brows and eyes.

I like him.

The Demon Emperor quickly buried his head, nuzzling all over his human companion, then pressed him down again without a sound.

With perfect self-righteousness, he used his fur to hide his human companion away, so no one else could see.

...

Autumn gave way to spring, and the seasons turned twice over.

Just past the hour of Chen, Chu Qingya was already waiting outside the spirit-rich site, gazing at the birds in the sky for a moment. When he turned his head again, a white-robed cultivator with a refined, elegant bearing had appeared beside him without a sound, cradling a round little snow-white demon beast in his arms.

Not a single sound of approach!

A flicker of alarm rose in Chu Qingya's heart—if this had been an enemy, he'd already be dead where he stood.

"Brother Liu Yun, the secret realm is about to open. My uncle sent me to bring you both over."

"Alright."

That calm, clear voice hadn't changed. Chen Moqing raised a hand, gesturing for Chu Qingya to lead the way, and followed after him, holding the little snow-white beast.

Flying over the vast desert, Chu Qingya couldn't help glancing sideways again and again.

In the two years since they'd last met, this Brother Liu Yun's aura had shifted considerably—deeper and more refined now. He tried sending out a thread of spiritual sense, only to feel himself pulled into a distant, boundless sea, sea and sky merging into one, no end in sight.

Chu Qingya said, startled: "Brother Liu Yun, don't tell me you've broken through to the next stage?"

Chen Moqing smiled but said nothing, stroking the fur atop the little snow-white beast's head in his arms.

Chu Qingya glanced again at his demon-race dao companion, and for some reason, could read an unmistakably smug expression out of that ball of snow-white fluff.

Before long, that ball of snow-white fluff climbed up onto the young cultivator's shoulder, expertly burrowing into the crook of his neck, pressing against the warm skin there, curling into a round little bundle.

Half an incense-stick's time later, they had crossed the desert and arrived at another spirit-rich site. A massive stone wall rose out of the windblown sand, towering a thousand zhang high, reaching distantly toward the heavens—the entrance to the Chu family's secret realm.

Before the secret realm, a group of young Chu family disciples stood in neat rows, heads raised, listening to the family head's instructions.

"This expedition into the secret realm isn't about competing for rank, it's for the sake of your future Dao paths."

Chu Langtao stood with his hands behind his back before the stone pillar, standing shoulder to shoulder with Luo Shuijian, his gaze deep and thoughtful.

"Once you're inside the secret realm, whatever you gain there is your own fortune to claim, take it without hesitation! Just one rule: no private fighting among clan members, no fighting over others' treasures. If I catch anyone doing so, they'll all be severely punished!"

"Yes!"

The group of young Chu family disciples, spirits high, rode the wind into the secret realm.

Chu Langtao turned, his gaze landing on Chen Moqing, and paused slightly.

Two years in seclusion, and now, coming out, he couldn't even see through his cultivation level?

Chu Langtao laughed heartily. "Seems like young friend gained quite a lot from this seclusion! The secret realm will be open for three days total, go on and find your fortune!"

Though this young friend Liu Yun and his dao companion didn't share the Chu surname, they'd helped the Chu family so many times that, in his eyes, there was no longer any difference between them and the Chu family's own younger generation.

And besides, he always found being around this young friend Liu Yun remarkably pleasant, like standing atop a high mountain peak, gazing at a sea of clouds, pure white and untouched by the dust of the world—there had only been one other person who'd ever given him that same feeling, a man named Chen Moqing.

During the war against the Demon Abyss, he had fought shoulder to shoulder with that fellow Daoist Chen several times, seen his character as noble and unyielding as pine and bamboo, his swordsmanship as fierce as heaven's own thunder, and had once even wanted to invite him to visit the Chu family as a guest... but by the time misfortune struck him, he himself had already been in seclusion, cut off from news of the outside world, and only learned afterward that the once-brilliant prodigy of his age had met such a fate.

Chu Langtao let out a faint sigh.

Chen Moqing thanked the Chu family head, then entered the secret realm together with Chu Qingya.

The Chu family's secret realm was different from other secret realms—once inside, one wasn't randomly teleported to different locations. Amid a lush, verdant forest, Chu Qingya turned to face him: "Brother Liu Yun, since this is your first time here, why don't we travel together?"

The little ball of fluff on his shoulder started mrowing away, and Chen Moqing patted its little head, snapping his fingers.

Countless black threads burst apart in midair, weaving together into a slender humanoid shape—a jet-black head and long, thin limbs, no facial features at all, just a single eye tinged with faint gold.

The talisman spirit, Gungun.

Chu Qingya's eyes went wide at once: "Wait? What is that thing?!"

Along with Chen Moqing crossing into the Deity Transformation stage, Gungun, which he himself had created, had likewise broken through—from the peak of Golden Core all the way to Nascent Soul, and even mid Nascent Soul at that.

Gungun stood with hands on hips in an extremely cocky pose behind Chen Moqing, tilting its head up as if trying to nuzzle him.

Cang Shun shot it a glance.

Gungun immediately clutched its head with both hands and crouched down on the spot, trembling.

Chu Qingya, who had only just broken through to mid Nascent Soul not long ago himself: "……"

He suddenly felt very unwell!

"Let's each explore on our own, farewell!"

He pulled out a talisman paper and bolted without looking back.

Chen Moqing had nothing to say.

He'd originally meant for Gungun to travel alongside Chu Qingya, to keep him safe, but it seemed the other party wasn't especially eager for the company.

Gungun was still crouched on the ground clutching its head, bouncing around him in circles.

Cang Shun glanced at it, thoroughly unimpressed: "Who taught it to act like that?"

"You, obviously," Chen Moqing said flatly. "Who else would it be?"

The Demon Emperor had wanted to yowl in protest at the first half of that sentence, but by the second half he fell silent, apparently unable to come up with a rebuttal.

The next moment, the handsome black-haired man appeared silently beside Chen Moqing, taking hold of his hand and swinging it back and forth quickly.

Chen Moqing said to Gungun: "Go on, wander around wherever you like."

Gungun bounced off merrily into the distance.

Chen Moqing brought Cang Shun along to explore the secret realm, taking out a jade slip to catch up on developments in the cultivation world over the past two years.

The massacre of the Sima family had never been solved—an entire thousand-year clan had simply vanished into the desert sands. Across the Nine Thousand Prefectures, this barely even counted as noteworthy news; a clan wiped out overnight for offending some powerful figure was old news by now, nothing to raise an eyebrow over.

The Chu family had gained an extra slot for the Grand Cultivation Tournament, one of which they'd given to Chen Moqing, with the remaining three going to Chu Qingya and two other Chu family disciples. Once the secret realm expedition ended, they would all travel together to Jiugai Prefecture.

Chen Moqing put away the jade slip, his gaze sweeping over the boundless forest, looking toward the distance.

The Grand Tournament—ten thousand prodigies across the Nine Thousand Prefectures, competing for a single spot at the very peak.

For him, though, it was a matter of returning, after all these years, to challenge the sword once more at Tianshu.

Cang Shun turned his head, his gaze landing on one particular spot, and gave Chen Moqing's hand a shake. "There's something good over there."

Almost the instant he spoke, Chen Moqing felt a faint coolness at his brow, a crystalline nine-petaled lotus mark surfacing there, flickering on and off, as if sensing something.

Deep within the forest lay a pool, above which a hundred-zhang waterfall hung frozen and motionless in midair, entirely encased in ice and frost, a bone-deep chill spreading unchecked—yet the biting frost had sealed only the waterfall itself, the surrounding trees still lush and green.

Chen Moqing's gaze pierced through the thick layers of ice, and there, at the waterfall's center, he saw a single snow-white lotus seed, suspended and frozen in place.

"Hey, Brother Liu Yun!"

Not far off, two Chu family disciples who'd been about to leave came flying back.

"That's a Frost Lotus Seed, it fell here over a hundred years ago. Every time the secret realm opens, someone comes to try and dig it out, but no one's ever managed to break through the ice layer. Do you have any way to get it?"

"I'll give it a try."

Chen Moqing raised his hand, a faint light flying from between his brows into his palm, where a white lotus formed of frost and snow hung suspended between his fingers, unfurling nine crystalline petals, its heart holding seven lotus seeds in total.

The next moment, the ice sealing the waterfall shattered apart, the water surging wildly, throwing up waves a thousand meters high!

Before the astonished eyes of the Chu family disciples, one gleaming, pristine lotus seed burst free through the rain, fusing into the snow lotus in Chen Moqing's palm!

Eight seeds now.

An eighth-grade treasure, the Heavenly Ice Nectar Snow Lotus!

...

The little skiff rose on the wind, drifting up into the boundless sky, a sea of clouds churning below, a few floating islands faintly visible within it.

A light breeze stirred the high-tied ponytail of black hair, brushing past the hem of dark robes. Chen Moqing sat on the skiff, taking out three small dried fish, giving them a shake in front of Cang Shun beside him.

"This time, I'll need Mimi to disguise himself as something a little more novel."

Cang Shun said "Oh," staring at him unblinking.

Chen Moqing took out four small dried fish.

Cang Shun propped his chin up with one hand, still staring at him.

Chen Moqing set down ten small dried fish.

Cang Shun's eyes curved into a smile, still not moving.

Chen Moqing swept his sleeve and took back every last dried fish, refusing to give them.

Cang Shun: "?"

Cang Shun quickly reached out, palm turned upward, held out before his human companion, leaning in slightly closer without a word.

A trace of amusement flickered in Chen Moqing's eyes, and he gently placed an entire pouch of small dried fish into the Demon Emperor's palm—but before he could withdraw his hand, it was caught in a firm grip.

The pouch of dried fish was tossed carelessly aside, and Cang Shun lowered his head, and under Chen Moqing's gaze, pressed a gentle kiss to his fingertip.

"I want this instead."

Chen Moqing: "……"

He met Cang Shun's smiling, crescent-curved eyes, and after a moment, said slowly: "The dried fish just blew away in the wind."

"!"

The Demon Emperor spun around to go scoop them up.

"We're almost there!"

Ahead of the skiff came Chu Qingya's spirited voice.

"The Grand Cultivation Tournament! I'll make my name known!"

Chen Moqing and Cang Shun, who was now carrying a pouch of dried fish, rose to their feet, and saw a great sun rising from the sea of clouds, gilding the thousand-li expanse of clouds in gold.

The sea of clouds parted like a receding tide to either side, revealing the vast land below. Exquisite pavilions stood in close ranks, magnificent halls rolled on in endless succession, cranes and spirit deer danced lightly through the low sky, and above that scene of splendor and prosperity hung the ancient, magnificent silhouette of a sect, like a blazing sun in the heavens, casting its light over the whole of Jiugai Prefecture.

It's been a long time.

The Tianshu Sect.

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