Chapter 45: A Night of Passion

Lin Fengmian gently wiped away the tears at the corners of Xia Yunxi's eyes and softly said, "I'm just afraid you'll regret it, and I'm also worried that you might lose control and accidentally drain me dry."

Xia Yunxi lifted her head, her face flushed but resolute. "Senior Brother, you don't need to worry. I can still control myself. I know exactly what I'm doing."

"It's only because the person in front of me is you that I'm acting like this. If it were anyone else, I'd rather die than get close."

"If you want to leave, do it now while I can still hold back. Because if you stay any longer, I'm afraid I won't be able to control myself."

Looking at Xia Yunxi's determined expression, Lin Fengmian couldn't bear to leave. He leaned in closer and asked softly, "Are you sure you won't regret it?"

"I won't regret it," Xia Yunxi replied, her eyes filled with desire yet unwavering in her decision.

"Junior Sister, make sure not to be controlled by lust. I like the clear-headed you," Lin Fengmian whispered.

Despite his inner hesitation, he finally leaned in and kissed her.

Xia Yunxi's eyes widened in surprise, and in a soft, trembling voice, she muttered, "I'll try my best..."

Under her desperate pleas, Lin Fengmian eventually fulfilled her wish.

At the moment of their union, Xia Yunxi seemed to relax completely and whispered in Lin Fengmian's ear, "Senior Brother, don't worry. I belong to you alone."

Her words stirred something deep inside Lin Fengmian, and he couldn't help but respond more fervently.

Xia Yunxi moaned softly, her voice filled with pleasure, prompting Lin Fengmian to cover her mouth, worried someone might overhear.

In the end, Xia Yunxi didn't absorb Lin Fengmian's energy. Instead, his Evil Emperor Art began to operate on its own, draining her energy instead.

Xia Yunxi's eyes glazed over, and she let out a sharp cry. Lin Fengmian, panicked, quickly stopped his cultivation technique.

Afterward, Xia Yunxi seemed to be floating in a state of bliss, collapsing weakly on the ground, leaving behind a clear, glistening trail of moisture.

The night passed in a whirlwind of passion. Xia Yunxi was content, her heart and body both fulfilled.

Her flushed complexion gradually faded as she fell into a peaceful sleep, while Lin Fengmian lay beside her, utterly exhausted.

When Lin Fengmian woke up, holding Xia Yunxi in his arms, he couldn't help but feel guilty. She had kept herself under control the entire time, but he had seemingly lost all restraint.

This Natural Charm Body of hers was indeed extraordinary. In the end, it felt as if he was the one who had succumbed to the effects of the toxic mist, not her.

Xia Yunxi had ensured she didn't drain him, but he, on the other hand, had absorbed a significant amount of her spiritual energy, causing her cultivation to drop. Meanwhile, he had advanced from the sixth layer of the Qi Refining stage to the eighth, just one step away from a breakthrough—his progress had never been this fast.

The primal energy of a woman truly was a powerful tonic.

Reflecting on this, Lin Fengmian felt a twinge of guilt. Such thoughts seemed dangerously close to those of the demonic path.

However, he also realized that his Evil Emperor Art had absorbed quite a bit of that strange mist from Xia Yunxi. Could his technique actually absorb the peculiar mist?

If that was the case, had his earlier actions been unnecessary?

Just then, Xia Yunxi let out a soft moan and slowly opened her eyes. She looked at Lin Fengmian with a dazed, dreamy expression before her face turned a deep red.

"You're awake? How do you feel?" Lin Fengmian asked with a gentle smile.

Xia Yunxi shyly lowered her head and murmured, "I feel much better, just... my waist and back are a bit sore."

Lin Fengmian felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him, letting out an awkward chuckle as he pulled her into his arms. "As long as you're okay."

"Senior Brother, can you get up for a moment? I want to put on my clothes," Xia Yunxi said in a small voice.

"What's there to be afraid of? It's not like I haven't seen everything already," Lin Fengmian teased with a playful grin.

Blushing even harder, Xia Yunxi insisted, "No, don't look!"

Lin Fengmian mischievously pinched her, eliciting a soft yelp before he turned around to find his scattered clothes.

Behind him, the sound of rustling fabric filled the air, sparking Lin Fengmian's imagination and making him briefly consider going for a second round with Xia Yunxi.

However, considering that she had just lost her virginity and had her spiritual energy drained by him, he decided against it, thinking it would be too heartless.

He walked to the cave entrance and noticed that daylight had already broken. It was clearly the next day.

"Senior Brother, you can turn around now."

Xia Yunxi's shy voice reached him, and Lin Fengmian couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.

Turning around, he saw that she had dressed herself in a pristine white dress. Despite the modest attire, her curvaceous figure added a touch of allure.

Noticing his unblinking gaze, Xia Yunxi averted her eyes in embarrassment and asked, "Senior Brother, what should we do next?"

After a moment of thought, Lin Fengmian replied, "It's been a whole night, and no one has found us yet. It seems like this place is safe. You should stay here while I go out and check the situation."

Xia Yunxi's expression shifted with concern. "How can you go alone? I'll go with you."

Lin Fengmian shook his head. "No, you can't go. You won't be able to suppress the fragrance on your body outside. It's safer for you to stay here."

"You're still physically weak, so it's best for you to meditate and recover your strength."

After pondering for a moment, Xia Yunxi nodded. "Alright, but you have to be careful!"

As Lin Fengmian began casting a spell to clear the cave entrance, he reminded her, "Don't worry, I'll come back as soon as I can. If I don't return in three days, you'll have to decide for yourself what to do."

"Senior Brother, I'll wait for you here. If you don't come back, I won't leave either," Xia Yunxi said resolutely.

Lin Fengmian turned back to look at her, flashing a bright smile. "Alright! I'll come back."

Half a day later.

Lin Fengmian moved cautiously through the forest, searching for any sign of Liu Mei and the others, but his efforts yielded nothing.

Just as he was about to return to Xia Yunxi, he spotted a piece of blood-stained clothing in the distance.

This was Chen Qingyan's!

No one knew better than him how vulnerable women could be in such situations. His heart sank.

Could it be that Chen Shijie had been poisoned and fainted, only to be devoured by wild beasts?

Searching the surrounding area, he found only more fragments of clothing but no body parts, which eased his worry slightly.

Lin Fengmian continued his search, only to suddenly feel the ground give way beneath him, and he started sinking.

Quicksand!

Without realizing it, he had stumbled into a patch of quicksand, rapidly sinking into its depths. Just as it seemed the marsh would swallow him whole, Lin Fengmian calmed his mind, activated the "Breeze Leaf" technique, and pulled himself out.

Finally standing on solid ground, Lin Fengmian breathed a sigh of relief, though his body was covered in mud.

After searching a bit more, he found a clear pool of water and, after carefully surveying the area, stripped off his clothes to wash the mud away.

Just as he was about to leave, something caught his eye—a very subtle marking carved into a stone near the water's edge.

It was the mark of the Hehuan Sect!

Recalling the scent from before, Lin Fengmian suddenly realized something.

The clue lay underwater!

Without hesitation, he dove into the water, swimming downward until he discovered that the pool was connected to an underground river system.