Twenty Two.

Mei Lan's face stayed calm, but her eyes lit up a little, like she already knew where this was going. She tilted her head, giving Mei Hua the permission to continue.

Mei Hua took a deep breath, her voice getting stronger as she resumed. "I know that, at first, the method requires a male partner to establish the foundation. But once that foundation is laid, it allows women to cultivate independently, free from the constraints of dual cultivation as it is practiced now. I wish to learn this method, not just for myself, but for all the women of our sect who seek a purer path."

She paused, her hands clenching a little in her lap. As she heard her own words, she couldn't help but feel like they sounded... childish. Idealistic, maybe. She knew what her mother always wanted for her—to follow the same path she did. But Mei Hua couldn't. She just couldn't.