Luoyun Huan thus settled into Qin Yiqiu's courtyard, meticulously tending to the flowers and plants every single day without the slightest sign of slackness.
The once somewhat disorderly courtyard had actually been transformed into something quite exquisite.
On this day, Qin Yiqiu was practicing her swordplay in the courtyard. As the frost swept past, ice crystals formed on the leaves of countless plants, though they quickly dissipated just as fast.
Luoyun Huan was busy planting a small maple tree she had dug up herself while chatting idly with the System.
"System, look, I've been here for so long now. You really ought to give me some assistance, or else how am I supposed to win over Qin Yiqiu? She practices the Heartless Dao, after all. I can't just be direct with her—if I were to just grab her and kiss her straight away, I'd probably get frozen solid into an ice cube on the spot."
The System fell silent for a moment. No matter how one looked at it, Luoyun Huan was still a novice; throwing her straight into tackling an SSS-rank grand boss was indeed rather unfair to her.
[Very well.]
[Detecting that the host's romantic conquest presents a high degree of difficulty, the System will provide a certain amount of spoiler assistance.]
Before long, a pop-up window appeared in front of Luoyun Huan. Tapping it open, she saw that it detailed Qin Yiqiu's daily routine for the past month, down to the tiniest detail.
Luoyun Huan skimmed rapidly through it, discovering that although this schedule was extremely comprehensive, the actual activities listed were pitifully few.
Patrol... practice martial arts... patrol... practice martial arts, listen to Master's lectures.
Luoyun Huan: ......
Qin Yiqiu was even more self-disciplined than the top students at Hengshui; if it were her, she would have been driven mad by the pressure long ago.
However, a different font appeared on a single line. Luoyun Huan stared at it with excitement, and the corners of her mouth instantly lifted uncontrollably.
It clearly stated: At midnight, Qin Yiqiu goes to the Spirit Spring to practice the Heartless Formula. Suffering a backlash from her suppressed desires, she experiences a brief moment of losing control over her sanity.
Luoyun Huan's eyes lit up brightly, and she eagerly checked which day that event would take place, only to be astonished to find out it was in three days' time.
Consequently, she found even more motivation for her chores.Although Qin Yiqiu had saved her, the two of them had never had much to say to each other. Occasionally, when heading out, Qin Yiqiu would say "good morning," but that was the extent of it.
Days spun by at a dizzying pace, and soon it was late in the night of that appointed day. Luoyun Huan carefully selected a lightweight and revealing outfit.
The book never explicitly detailed whether Qin Yiqiu preferred men or women, but presumably it made little difference; Qin Yiqiu was an exceptionally impartial person.
The same applied to matters of affection.
The night was bitterly cold. Although it was not yet cold enough to frost, wearing so little was torment in its own right.
The original owner's cultivation was stuck at Mid-stage Qi Condensation. While it could stave off some of the chill, this was the towering Main Peak, soaring into the clouds with an exceptionally high altitude and a correspondingly low temperature.
With no other choice, she had to make the most of every possible advantage. Luoyun Huan rubbed her shoulders, her small face frozen red.
She channeled a trace of spiritual qi, letting it circulate through the meridians the original owner had already cleared, and only then did her body grow a bit warmer.
Continuing onward toward the back mountain led to the Spirit Spring guarded solely by Qin Yiqiu. Four lush trees stood there, their trunks covered in moss; they had never been pruned, though the paths on either side were swept meticulously clean.
Peering through the leaves of the bushes, Luoyun Huan indeed saw a figure wearing only a thin undergarment, sitting cross-legged in the center of the Spirit Spring, surrounded by surging, dense Spiritual Qi.
Yet that person's complexion did not look well.
Suddenly coughing up a mouthful of blood, Qin Yiqiu covered her mouth with her palm. Her master had once said that with too many distracting thoughts, the Heartless Formula could not circulate properly.
The karmic ties connected to oneself needed to be resolved.
Fresh blood trickled between her fingers, staining the pristine Spirit Spring with a trace of red. Qin Yiqiu prepared to attempt circulating the technique once more.She didn't think she was suffering any external interference; she must simply have lost her focus during meditation, which explained these faint signs of deviation into demonic cultivation.
It was only when she cycled through the Heartless Formula a second time that Qin Yiqiu realized her head was growing burning hot, and all sorts of random thoughts were flashing through her mind.
In all her years maintaining sect discipline, she had witnessed countless sordid affairs and innumerable acts of carnal pleasure.
At this moment, those memories transformed into Inner Demons, eroding Qin Yiqiu's mind. She sank completely into the Spirit Spring, knowing deep down that she had been far too anxious for quick success.
At the eighth stage, where even Master had failed to break through to the Nascent Soul realm, how could she possibly hope to succeed?
Yet prodigies and geniuses were always arrogant. Qin Yiqiu attempted to run her cultivation technique once more, and this time, a stream of fresh blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.
"Eldest Senior Sister!"
Luoyun Huan had still been hesitating about the best time to approach, but now Qin Yiqiu had coughed up blood twice.
If she didn't go to her now, the situation would only grow worse.
"What are you... doing here?"
Qin Yiqiu's voice trembled slightly; she hated being seen in such a disheveled state.
"I heard the commotion and came over. Why are you bleeding?"
Luoyun Huan pulled a prepared handkerchief from her sleeve. She had even scented it with perfume—all those little scheming tricks and tactics.
"My cultivation went awry."
Seeing the handkerchief about to touch the corner of her mouth, Qin Yiqiu suddenly reached out, her slender fingertips gripping Luoyun Huan's wrist tightly.
Those chilling eyes held a depth like the deep blue sea. Having reached the pinnacle of the Ice Spiritual Root talent did indeed affect the color of one's pupils.
"Don't touch me casually."
Especially when her body was surging with the repressed desires from her earlier cultivation.
Practicing the Heartless Formula did not make a person devoid of desire; rather, it demanded strict self-control. This meant Qin Yiqiu did indeed harbor needs and desires within her heart.
They had simply been suppressed all along because she refused to break her cultivation; the price of doing so would be the total destruction of everything she had cultivated since childhood.
"I only wanted to wipe away the blood for you..."
Luoyun Huan braced one hand against the edge of the Spirit Spring, her dark hair cascading down her cheeks. At this moment, her skin appeared fair yet touched with a frail, slender delicacy.
It was enough to stir the deepest pity.
Qin Yiqiu's mind was filled with a chaotic mess of scenes. With a flex of her arm, her smooth muscle lines tensed, and Luoyun Huan was caught off guard and dragged directly into the Spirit Spring.
The next instant, she was pinned down.
Cool lips pressed against hers, and Luoyun Huan's entire body stiffened. Although she did intend to win her over, surely it shouldn't happen this fast...
This made her look far too easy!
Qin Yiqiu, however, paid none of this any mind. At this moment, her senses were completely scrambled by the botched cultivation, and she was acting almost entirely on instinct.
As fingers hooked into her belt, Luoyun Huan knew she could not let this mistake continue. If she didn't push back now, the Eldest Senior Sister would likely assume she was a willing participant.
Opening her mouth, Luoyun Huan bared her teeth.
Her tender pink lips broke, and the rich, metallic taste of blood spread through both of their mouths.
Only then did Qin Yiqiu snap back to her senses, those ice-blue eyes trembling slightly.
"What on earth am I doing?"
She raised a hand to pat her own forehead, her cascade of black hair hanging down to her waist and spilling across her chest.
It was truly bewitching. Luoyun Huan shyly closed her eyes.
"Eldest Senior Sister, you've been affected by your Inner Demons..."
As if jolted awake, Qin Yiqiu lowered her gaze to study Luoyun Huan, retrieved a thin blanket from her Storage Ring, and draped it over the other girl's body.
"You should go back first. I will take responsibility for this matter."