The Art of Saving Innocence

Liu Ming could taste Xiu Meixiang's tongue in his mouth. He was surprised, but he couldn't deny it was amazing.

Her mouth had the flavor of sweet strawberry candy mixed with a hint of vanilla and a subtle undertone of fresh mint.

The way she kissed him made it hard for him to resist his manly desires. His hands were already reaching for her slender waist as she stayed on top of him.

"Do it already, Big Bro Ming..." Xiu Meixiang whispered with a weak and innocent voice as she gently suckled Liu Ming's lower lip.

Truly, Liu Ming found this hard to overcome.

But when her eyes flashed pink again, he knew what he had to do.

Without wasting another second, Liu Ming used his legs to lock hers and then shifted his position to throw her back onto the bed, ending up on top of her. He pinned her wrists against the bed with his left hand, making her back arch a bit as a moan escaped her lips.

────Phew~

"I did it..."

As he looked closely, Liu Ming could see signs that she had been given a strong dose of an aphrodisiac. Faint pink veins were visible all over her smooth, fair skin, and her usually pretty green eyes were now pink and almost vacant.

It was a very powerful dose.

At that moment, Liu Ming knew there was only one solution.

'I don't think the aphrodisiac pill has dissolved yet. The only way I'll be able to get it out of her system in time is if I make her vomit instantly. And the only way to do that is... Sigh~ I just wanted to cultivate in peace tonight.'

Despite a moment of hesitation, he understood it had to be done.

He placed his hand on Xiu Meixiang's slim jaw and gently pressed her cheeks until her lips slowly puckered and then parted a bit. Holding out two fingers, he glanced from her mouth back to his fingers.

With a heavy sigh, he pushed his two fingers into her mouth, feeling the heat and warmth of her saliva and the way her tongue wrapped around them. Her eyes rolled back, and her back arched as a muffled moan escaped her lips.

Hauun~ Mmn~

Liu Ming didn't stop; he pressed his fingers a little deeper into her mouth, causing her eyes to roll back even further, almost turning completely white.

When he finally touched the soft base of her tight throat, he gently moved his fingers there.

Haa────EUUK~

Xiu Meixiang felt something with this touch, but it also caused her some sharp pain. Her body started to squirm, but Liu Ming tightened his grip on her slim wrists. He tried to be delicate, but her arms were so thin that they seemed like they might break if he wasn't careful.

Ammphh~♡

Liu Ming kept fingering the base of her throat, making Xiu Meixiang gag loudly, almost like she was choking.

His fingers got soaked in her warm, wet saliva.

Xiu Meixiang struggled to catch her breath, choking on the two fingers pushed deep into her throat. She gasped for air, and suddenly, a surge of saliva shot out, splattering on her face and chest.

Bleeeerrghh~

The junior sister's body convulsed as she kept gagging and vomiting, but finally, she coughed up the partially dissolved pill.

Liu Ming pulled his fingers out of her mouth and fell back on the bed, panting heavily as he stared at the ceiling.

Hah~ Haaaah~

He looked at his fingers, which were covered in a thin, slimy layer of saliva that dribbled down his hand. Dropping his hand back on the bed, he continued to stare blankly at the ceiling.

The young man couldn't quite believe what he'd just done, but he knew it was necessary to prevent Xiu Meixiang from turning into a lustful predator for twelve straight hours.

'Grandfather never told me the path of cultivation was such an arduous one filled with temptations of this caliber... it seems I, Liu Ming, must stay strong.'

He kept staring at the ceiling for the whole night.

━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━

The following morning.

Liu Ming was calmly adjusting his new robes, though he looked uncomfortable.

He was practicing the Two-Fingered Sword Gesture, which was supposed to help him lift and control swords with peerless speed and accuracy, but... he didn't use it the way he wanted.

'I can't look at the Two-Fingered Sword Gesture the same way anymore. Whenever I try, all I can think about is my fingers digging into Meixiang's throat and then touching her intimately. How did it come to this, Liu Ming?'

A bitter smile spread across his face.

Nearby, Xiu Meixiang was sitting on his bed, hugging a pillow tightly. Her face was bright red and buried in the pillow, and she felt embarrassed remembering everything that happened the night before.

'Brother Ming is surely disappointed in me...'

Liu Ming glanced at her, and when Xiu Meixiang saw him looking, she buried her face even deeper into the pillow and groaned in embarrassment.

ah────AHEM!

The young man, now dressed in his elegant Daoist robes, turned to face Xiu Meixiang. "How are you feeling now?" he asked, trying to sound more caring than uncomfortable.

Xiu Meixiang, not knowing how to reply, just nodded and hummed positively.

Seeing she was okay, Liu Ming flicked the hem of his robes and started to leave.

"I want to cultivate a little in the nearby forest, so if you need me, feel free to come there at any time, alright?"

By then, he was already stepping out the door, but Xiu Meixiang still had something to say. Hugging her pillow for confidence, she opened her trembling lips and spoke.

"Uh-uhhh... Senior Brother!"

Liu Ming stopped and looked back at her. "Yes, Meixiang? Is there a problem?"

Still feeling ashamed, she asked, "Aren't you going to ask me what I was doing with an aphrodisiac pill?"

"No, not really. I know you have your reasons."

"R-, really?"

"Mhm, sure."

"B-, but are you going to punish me for what happened last night? Are you... going to tell my elder sisters?"

Xiu Meixiang was sure Liu Ming would do one of two things, or maybe both. He would likely punish her to establish his role as a strict patriarch, and then warn her sisters so they wouldn't try the same thing.

'I'm so ungrateful... I couldn't bond with Sect Father like my elder sisters did. Now, I had a chance to make up for that by bonding with Sect Father's grandson, but I ruined it by doing something so stupid. Why did I even think that would work?'

This made her feel awful, and the thought brought tears to her eyes.

To her great surprise, Liu Ming simply said, "I don't recall... did anything happen last night?"

"Eh?" Xiu Meixiang's eyes widened, and the embarrassment and redness on her face turned to shock. "Y-, you don't remember what I did to you?" she asked.

Liu Ming placed a hand on his chin and gently stroked it as he looked at the ceiling, thinking.

"Hrmm, well, I remember you came here to sleep with me because you were scared of sleeping alone. As a patriarch, it's my duty to take care of my disciples, so I let you rest with me. That's all that really happened."

Xiu Meixiang was confused. "B-, but the aphrodisiac pill... you just said that you..."

"That I what? What aphrodisiac pill?" He winked at her.

That gesture made her realize what was really happening, and she gasped. A blush crept onto her cheeks, this time not out of embarrassment, but pure affection.

"Brother Ming..." she mumbled.

All he did was smile at the way she gently called his name.

Suddenly, Xiu Meixiang bowed her head and exclaimed, "Thank you! I know Brother Ming would never do something immoral with me, his slow-witted disciple! It won't happen again!"

There was a long silence, but Xiu Meixiang kept her head bowed until her patriarch accepted her apologies. Even though he acted like nothing happened, she knew she needed to apologize sincerely.

"Junior Sister..."

Liu Ming finally spoke, and Xiu Meixiang slowly lifted her head.

She could only see his back as he continued.

"Who says I didn't enjoy it?"

Xiu Meixiang's eyes widened in shock at his words.

With that, Liu Ming clasped his hands behind his back and walked down the stone steps and out of the house.

Her face lit up with a warm, wide smile, and at that instant, she longed to witness her Senior Brother's reaction to his words.

Was he smiling too?

Did he genuinely mean it?

She was eager to know.

But for now, she was satisfied just with his words.

Excitedly, she flopped onto the bed and rolled around, giggling like a little kid.

She was genuinely happy.