Wife, I'll Be Good

Her gaze traveled down her senior sister's jawline, past her neck, past the ring of bite marks on her collarbone, and further down...

Chi Yuan pulled the thin blanket up half an inch.

Shen Qingci pouted and turned her gaze back, staring at her senior sister's side profile. As Chi Yuan's lips pursed slightly, the center of her upper lip puffed out just a bit, making her look so adorable that Shen Qingci wanted to take a bite.

Chi Yuan let her stare for a good while before finally giving in.

“Have you stared enough?”

“Nope.” Shen Qingci answered with utter confidence. “Senior Sister is so pretty. A whole lifetime of staring wouldn't be enough.”

Chi Yuan took a deep breath.

She felt a bit drained.

This exhaustion had nothing to do with her body; it was pure mental strain.

When awake, her little junior sister's mouth was even more glib than a rogue's.

Yet when she said those words, her expression was so dead earnest, her eyes shining so bright it was dazzling, that Chi Yuan couldn't bring herself to push her away even if she wanted to.

“Who was the one whimpering and crying last night about how unbearable it was?” Chi Yuan lowered her eyelids and glanced sideways at her. “You seem quite energetic now.”

Shen Qingci: “(⑉꒦ິ^꒦ິ⑉)~”

【Wife, I'll be good.】

She let out an embarrassed laugh.

She nimbly scrambled out of her senior sister's arms.

Stepping barefoot onto the floorboards, she bent down to pick up the clothes scattered by the soft couch, slipping into them piece by piece. She tied a neat bow with her sash and casually smoothed out the creases over her chest.

Chi Yuan leaned against the couch, the thin blanket pulled up to her collarbone, quietly watching a certain someone bustle around.

After dressing herself, Shen Qingci rummaged through her storage ring and pulled out a neatly folded set of robes.

“Senior Sister! Wear this set today.”

Chi Yuan took it and felt the fabric.

The material was even better than the previous set. When she sent a trace of spiritual energy into it, she felt layers upon layers of defensive and spirit-gathering array runes—at least several dozen overlaid together.

She did not refuse. After being together with her junior sister, it was only a matter of time before the standard of her clothing and daily needs surpassed even the direct descendants of major families; she had long come to terms with this.

To make a fussy show of declining would only disappoint A-Ci's intentions, so it was better to accept it graciously.

Lifting the blanket, she stood up and performed a hand seal to don the clothes... The moment the girdle buckled shut, the spirit-gathering array activated on its own, sending ice spiritual energy coursing through her meridians, making her entire body feel refreshed and light.

Shen Qingci tilted her head to admire her, nodding with satisfaction.

Her wife looked good in anything, but this set suited her especially well. Silver thread was woven into the fabric's base, highlighting her aloof, noble air.

“Senior Sister, sit on the couch and regulate your breath for a bit.” Shen Qingci pointed at the soft couch. “We've been rushing and fighting these past few days, neglecting our proper cultivation.”

“Alright.”

Chi Yuan sat cross-legged on it and closed her eyes to enter meditation.

Shen Qingci sat across from her and assumed a meditation posture as well, though her divine sense sank into her sea of consciousness.

“Shadow One.”

“Subordinate is here.”

“For tomorrow's Dao Discussion Conference, pick a few female shadow guards at the late Nascent Soul stage—clever ones with sharp tongues. Have them disguise themselves as rogue cultivators or elders of minor sects and sneak into the venue.”

“Who does Eldest Young Lady wish to capture?”

Shen Qingci sent over Lu Beichen's portrait and features.

“This person is named Lu Beichen, at the seventh level of Qi Refining. He carries the Thousand-Face Illusion Veil left by his mother, a pseudo-Earth-grade magic treasure. No one below the late Nascent Soul stage can see through his disguise. Tomorrow, he will disguise himself as a female cultivator to sneak into the Dao Discussion Conference.”

The transmission channel fell silent for a moment.

When Shadow One spoke again, her tone held a subtle hint of murderous intent. “If Subordinate may bold to ask... is this person really a male cultivator???”

“Mm, a guy.”

“Understood. Subordinate will make the proper arrangements.”

“Don't kill him. Just expose him in public and make sure he suffers total social death among the female cultivators of the Southern Region.”

Shen Qingci paused, then added, “His luck is weird and he's tough to kill, so just trample him—the harder you trample, the better!”

“Subordinate obeys.”

Shen Qingci cut off the transmission and opened her eyes.

Her senior sister was still in meditation. A thin layer of frost had condensed at the corners of her eyes from her ice spiritual energy, with a few tiny ice crystals clinging to her eyelashes. Shen Qingci rested her chin on her hand, quietly watching her for a long time before gathering her focus to join her in meditation.

The next day, two quarters past the Wei hour, Shen Qingci and Chi Yuan arrived early at Miaoyin Pavilion.

Miaoyin Pavilion was the landmark of Xiange City, shaped like an inverted chime bell. The warm sunlight beat down on its jade walls, refracting into seven different colors, making it look from afar like a giant glazed bell.

Greeting guests at the entrance were still female outer sect disciples of the Miaoyin Sect. Gentle and soft-featured, they verified the entry jade plaques of the two before handing them two thin silk booklets.

“Please come inside, fellow Daoists. Yours are the Grade-A, Number One seats in the front row.”

Shen Qingci flipped open a booklet and glanced at the table of contents.

《An Introduction to Consonance Qi-Guiding and Dual Cultivation with a Dao Companion》—before she could even finish reading these words, her brows knit together.

Flipping further: 《Unblocking Meridians with Zither Tones and Internal Perception》, 《Seven Chapters of Essential Dual Cultivation Techniques for Joined Companions》, 《Seeking the Dao Through Xiange—Dual Cultivation Heart Method for Companions》.

She closed it without batting an eye.

Chi Yuan tilted her head to look at her little junior sister. “Why aren't you reading?”

“Mmm~ Nah~ I'll just listen directly in a bit. (ˆつ⩊⊂ˆ)੭”

The two entered the main hall. The circular hall, which could accommodate eight hundred people, was nearly packed, filled entirely with female cultivators of the Southern Region.

The front-row seats were only three steps away from the central circular demonstration stage. After sitting down, Shen Qingci let her eyes wander around for a few turns, clicking her tongue inwardly.

The Miaoyin Sect's Dao Discussion Conference was indeed lively. The number of like-minded women who enjoyed rubbing mirrors was far greater than she had imagined.

Seated beside them were two rogue cultivators at the early Golden Core stage, leaning close to chat in low voices.

“Did you see the combat demonstration last time? That elder from the Miaoyin Sect used pipa strings to demonstrate Consonance Qi-Guiding. Her finger technique was so...”

“I saw it, I saw it! I tried it with my partner after going back, and she went soft right on the spot.”

“Tsk tsk, isn't your partner a sword cultivator?”

“What's wrong with sword cultivators? Sword cultivators are human too.”

Shen Qingci pricked up her ears, listening with great relish.

“Ahem...” Beside her, Chi Yuan gave a soft cough, warning her dirty-minded little cabbage.

She immediately reined in her expression and sat up straight. Placing her hands on her knees, she assumed a solemn demeanor that declared, “I am here for serious Dao discussion.”

Chi Yuan gave her a side-glance, her jealousy fading.

Most of the people had arrived.

The spiritual lamps on the central demonstration stage lit up one after another, beaming down on the guqin set at the center of the stage.

Jiang Wan, Young Sect Master of the Miaoyin Sect, walked out from the side door wearing a mustard-yellow gown. A silver bell tassel pendant was tied at her waist, tinkling softly as she walked.

With a round face, almond eyes, and the corners of her mouth naturally turned upward, she gave off an instantly approachable vibe.

She sat down before the guqin and plucked a note.

The entire hall fell quiet.

“Greetings, fellow Daoists,” Jiang Wan said in a sweet, clear voice. “For today's Dao Discussion Conference, we will start from the basics of Consonance Qi-Guiding before moving on to practical demonstrations.”

“If you have any questions, please feel free to interrupt at any time.”

She lowered her head and played a brief intro.

“So-called Consonance Qi-Guiding refers to two female cultivators adjusting their internal breath into the same rhythm, allowing their spiritual energy to draw upon and generate each other within their internal meridians...”

Jiang Wan explained in great detail, covering everything from sensing breath rhythms to finding the climax of spiritual resonance between different spiritual roots. She even brought out two specially made musical rhythm jade slips to demonstrate on the spot.

The female cultivators below listened intently, raising their hands with questions from time to time, all of which she answered one by one.

When it came to practical application, Jiang Wan switched methods, sending a small amount of her own spiritual energy into the body of a Miaoyin Sect disciple.

She gave a live demonstration of how Consonance Qi-Guiding operated within internal meridians.