Chapter 70

It's perfectly natural for men to have desires.

Song Qing had desires too, but years of seclusion, coupled with his daily interaction with only furnaces and medicinal herbs, had diluted such urges. After all, one can hardly lust over a furnace or anatomical diagrams, right?

Yue Wuhuan was an enchanting epitome of beauty, highly tempting.

Living together and sharing physical intimacy, Song Qing had occasionally felt desire, albeit with an exceptionally long latency period. His body would only react after a considerable delay, by which time the moment had already passed. Considering Yue Wuhuan's psychological scars, he had restrained himself and acted as if nothing happened.

Now, touched by desire and understanding its taste, he found it rather pleasant. However, since Yue Wuhuan had expressed his reluctance, Song Qing chose to respect his wishes. With his Nascent Soul cultivation and years of experience in controlling inner spiritual fires, he effortlessly suppressed his minor urges.

He was obedient; without permission, he wouldn't touch forbidden areas.

But what exactly is going on with Yue Wuhuan now?

Song Qing shifted uncomfortably; his movements seemed to exacerbate the situation, making the object against his abdomen feel even harder and hotter. He quickly descended, grabbing Yue Wuhuan's hand to treat the bite marks. While attending to the familiar task, he sorted through the clues in his mind to analyze the situation.

Clue One: Yue Wuhuan had been using a drug made from Celestial Heart Bamboo, which has a side effect of suppressing desires.

Clue Two: After he had used up the Celestial Heart Bamboo, Yue Wuhuan's desires had intensified.

Clue Three: Yue Wuhuan had bitten himself and his breathing was erratic; this indicated that he was fully conscious and not in some erotic dream.

Clue Four: The only person beside Yue Wuhuan was him.

Clue Five: Yue Wuhuan's body was stiff, he avoided eye contact, and his ears were flushed—a clear sign of guilt.

Having dressed the wound and pieced together all the clues, Song Qing made a reasoned conjecture, "Wuhuan, are you experiencing a sexual physiological reaction towards me?"

He didn't see it as anything shameful, so he didn't beat around the bush.

Yue Wuhuan felt as if his thoughts were laid bare, his face cycling through a series of colors. He wished he could vanish into the earth.

Song Qing didn't understand his embarrassment and continued his line of thought. Yue Wuhuan had once detailed to him the horrors of such acts. Upon reflecting, Song Qing realized that the distress in Yue Wuhuan's accounts was always from the perspective of the receiving party, while the active party was only met with slight disdain and repulsion. This likely meant that he feared being the receiver and disliked being the giver.

Fear means it's an absolute impossibility, but disdain could change depending on the context or the person involved.

Now, Yue Wuhuan's body had reacted instinctively to him.

Song Qing arrived at a bold conclusion. However, being unfamiliar with these matters, he struggled to find the right words to express it. At last, he remembered a phrase from a book and bluntly asked, "Do you want to f—"

"Enough! I don't! Stop speaking such shameless words!" Yue Wuhuan couldn't take it anymore and sharply interrupted him. Looking at Song Qing—uttering seductive words yet entirely unaware of their implications—he feared he might lose control, tie him up with Blood King Vines, and ravish him mercilessly.

His head ached more, and his body felt increasingly uncomfortable; he needed cold water to cool down.

Noticing his discomfort, Song Qing asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine if you stop talking nonsense!" Yue Wuhuan gritted his teeth, climbed out of bed, donned his robe, and headed for the bathroom. After taking two steps, he paused and turned back, "I'm fine. Don't follow me!"

Song Qing immediately pulled back his foot that was reaching for his shoes; he didn't dare move.

Yue Wuhuan eyed him warily for a moment, confirming his compliance before hastily departing.

Song Qing felt a little hurt. He had rarely been yelled at by Yue Wuhuan in such harsh terms. Furthermore, he didn't understand what he had said wrong. Every man has physiological instincts; even medical textbooks discuss it. If Yue Wuhuan desired it, and he himself didn't mind being desired, what was the issue in discussing it? He felt he hadn't misunderstood Yue Wuhuan's feelings. How did that make him shameless?

Perhaps the choice of the word "f—" from the book was too direct and crude. Should he have used "bodily penetration" or the medical term "homosexual intercourse"? Or perhaps "releasing desire"?

He should script his words more carefully in the future and read the other's expressions before speaking thoughtlessly.

Analyzing Yue Wuhuan's condition and self-revelations, in such acts between men, only the active party experiences pleasure, while the receiving party endures pain. Therefore, if Yue Wuhuan had desires toward him but chose to restrain himself with medication, opting to endure the pain himself rather than inflict it upon him, didn't that signify deep affection?

Upon this realization, Song Qing felt elated again.

Pain was inconsequential. As a Nascent Soul cultivator, what couldn't he endure?

He decided to wait for a few days until Yue Wuhuan had calmed down, and then have a serious discussion about this matter.

In any case, the side effects of Tianxin Bamboo were too severe; he absolutely couldn't use it again.

　...

Yue Wuhuan seemed deeply concerned about this issue. He had avoided seeing him these past few days, not only cancelling their morning and evening kisses but also discontinuing the practice of sharing a bed.

Recognizing Yue Wuhuan's strong resistance, Song Qingshi temporarily shelved his thoughts about discussing the medical aspects of their situation. He took some painkillers to alleviate the agony of his YuanYing (primordial spirit) gradually tearing apart. His days were consumed with researching the Black Death Butterfly, concocting various elixirs, and organizing medical information for Qingluan.

He circumvented Yue Wuhuan, avoided Yeyu Pavilion, and sent a private letter to Immortal Lord Yelin, offering a hefty price for a divine technique that could transfer spiritual power to another person. For some unknown reason, Immortal Lord Yelin took a long time to reply, eventually sending a letter effusively describing his joy at having a beloved daughter.

Female cultivators in the immortal world who reach the Golden Core stage would sever their Red Dragons, thus eliminating their fertility. Their commitment to the Dao often exceeded that of many male cultivators.

Although there were fewer women above the Golden Core stage, each one was a formidable powerhouse.

Immortal Lord Yelin's lover was a female cultivator at the Golden Core stage. They met in a secret realm and had been deeply in love for centuries. Originally, Yelin had no intentions of having a child, but his wife was sabotaged, resulting in severe injuries to her Golden Core and thus was brought to the Medicine King Valley for treatment.

After diagnosing her, Song Qingshi recommended that she seal her Golden Core and nourish it daily with spirit liquid, taking seven to eight years to gradually repair it.

Sealing the Golden Core would affect one's cultivation temporarily and impede further cultivation; moreover, the Red Dragon would start to reemerge.

They took the opportunity to have a child?

Reading how Immortal Lord Yelin effusively praised his daughter Yeping in the letter—highlighting her intelligence, beauty, and Golden Element single spiritual root, along with attached images—Song Qingshi thought that parental boasting was universal across worlds. He conscientiously sent two bottles of Golden Element Qi-Attracting Elixirs as congratulatory gifts.

The end of the letter finally answered his question.

Immortal Lord Yelin said that techniques to seize another's cultivation were exceedingly rare and secretive, not available through money or barter. He jokingly added that if Song Qingshi wanted to siphon spiritual power from a cultivator with a lower level of cultivation, there was a simple way—using dual cultivation methods through the Furnace Cauldron Technique.

This was an unorthodox method and not difficult to obtain.

Song Qingshi now understood what the Furnace Cauldron Technique was. He promptly placed an order for a collection of books on the technique, dual cultivation, and bedroom arts, intending to study them thoroughly. Despite his hesitation because of Yue Wuhuan, he knew that many same-sex couples in the cultivation world endured the pain and managed. He had medicines for any injuries.

Since he was sure that Yue Wuhuan liked him and had desires towards him,

That was sufficient.

His YuanYing would gradually deteriorate, and his cultivation would slowly dissipate; the future was unclear.

Each day, he felt a looming sense of urgency. Unwilling to waste time in a cat-and-mouse chase, he wanted to release the shadows lurking in Yue Wuhuan's heart and confront that terrifying beast head-on, deeming any price worth paying for it.

　...

Upon seeing Song Qingshi's order, Immortal Lord Yelin fell into deep contemplation.

The entire cultivation world knew that Master Wuhuan was the cherished confidant of Medicine King Immortal Master Song Qingshi. Although Yue Wuhuan had denied it several times, who would believe that? Even though Song Qingshi had an eccentric personality, how could he invest so much—purchasing the Essence of Ten Thousand Spirits, eliminating Xie Que, among other things—for someone he wasn't fond of?

Coming from Golden Phoenix Estate, aside from his striking beauty, what else did Yue Wuhuan have to captivate Medicine King Immortal Master?

He understood—men usually fell in love out of desire. Yue Wuhuan's charming visage might be part of a plot by Song Qingshi to monopolize a beauty.

The streets were full of melodramatic plays about them, portraying a romance so passionate…

His own wife had bought several copies and was captivated by them.

In any case, Yue Wuhuan and Song Qingshi absolutely couldn't be innocent! The order in his hand was evidence! Clearly, Song Qingshi had grown tired of their routine activities and was looking for some new thrills. However, what other interesting exploits could possibly be left that Master Wuhuan hasn't experienced?

Immortal Lord Yelin once again plunged into deep thought.

Song Qingshi had gifted his daughter a generous amount of Qi-Attracting Elixirs—precious items that certainly warranted a hefty reciprocation.

His partnership with Yue Wuhuan was extremely beneficial, having earned him substantial profits. This relationship must also be valued.

He decided to send his wife to assist in selecting some stimulating but less harmful diversions, all within the scope of what Yue Wuhuan could endure. Most importantly, he shouldn't incapacitate his beloved companion. He would also advise Song Qingshi against using the Furnace Cauldron Technique for dual cultivation. Although it might enhance their intimacy and the Wood Elemental spiritual root had good recuperative powers, long-term use would cause substantial harm to Yue Wuhuan's body.

A YuanYing-stage cultivator exploiting a Foundation-stage cultivator wouldn't greatly increase their cultivation. An accidental loss of control might irrevocably damage the Dantian.

Back in the day, Yue Wuhuan had risked his life to retrieve medicine for him, had participated in life-death battles, and even helped him research the Beauty Elixir, earning him a fortune in spirit stones…

Even for a merchant like him, facing such loyalty stirred some emotional resonance.

The more Immortal Lord Yelin thought about it, the more sentimental he became. Since Song Qingshi had approached him privately, he decided to pen some stern advice in his letter: to be considerate in their intimate moments, to strictly follow the guidelines provided, to prepare healing elixirs, and to be gentle with Yue Wuhuan—physically and emotionally.