Chapter 4: Cold Moon, Warm Fragrance and a Hidden Body — Silver Bells in the Spring Reveal the True Form

Bamboo shadows danced as moonlight spread across the courtyard like silver gauze. Lin Xuan sat cross-legged on a jade cushion, finishing his cultivation. The Nine Yang True Qi flowed through his meridians like molten gold, making his entire body burn with heat. He casually tore open his robe, sweat dripping down his sculpted abs, glistening honey-gold under the moon.

Splash—

Suddenly, the sound of spring water hitting stone pierced the quiet night. Lin Xuan's ears twitched, and his Golden Crow Eyes flared with light. From the depths of the southwest bamboo grove came the faint laughter of a woman!

With a light tap of his toes, he shot out the window like a night owl. As he skimmed over the bamboo tips, his Nine Yang Battle Body activated instinctively, revealing every detail within a ten-zhang radius: beyond a bamboo fence at the end of a stone path, mist steamed up with the scent of herbs.

"A cold beauty bathing at night?"

Crouching behind a rockery, Lin Xuan peered through the mist with his Golden Crow Eyes—his pupils instantly flushed red.

Su Li was facing the hot spring, slowly untying her robe. A white sash floated down to the stones. Her sheer garments slid off smooth skin, revealing a pink corset embroidered with silver butterflies. Moonlight traced the curves of her waist and hips; three red moles on her jade-like back formed a constellation. As she bent to test the water, the corset strings dug gently into her snowy skin.

Splash.

As her dainty foot stepped into the water, the silver bells jingled lightly. Lin Xuan noticed for the first time the nine carved silver bells coiled around her ankles—each shaped like a serpent biting its tail, eyes embedded with glowing blue gems.

They're the sacred tokens of the Saintess of Biluoyige!

Ding! Saintess Token of Biluoyige Detected!Hidden Quest Progress +30%. Character 'Su Li' unlocked.Special Note: Silver bells reveal the truth in water. Can be activated with Nine Yang True Qi.

Unaware of the watcher, Su Li's black hair cascaded down her waist like a waterfall. As she stirred the water, her corset soaked through, revealing a faint red beneath. When her waist sank into the pool, Lin Xuan clearly saw a lotus birthmark glowing faint blue on her left hip.

Gulp.

His throat moved loudly in the still night.

"Who's there?!"

Su Li spun around, splashing water. Mist swirled around her, exposing half of her creamy chest. Water rolled down her collarbones into the valley below; the red tips beneath her wet silk were clearly visible. Lin Xuan instinctively stepped back—right onto moss.

Splash!

A tall column of water erupted. Wiping his face, Lin Xuan came face-to-face with Su Li's furious yet flustered expression. She hugged herself in the corner of the spring, long legs curled up, silver bells trembling on her ankles.

"You… How dare you?!"

"Would you believe me if I said I was moon-gazing?" Lin Xuan wiped his bloody nose, eyes wandering despite himself. In the ripples, her long legs moved like white serpents, her arched feet begging to be nibbled.

"Rogue!" Su Li formed a frost seal—but forgot her Qi was still sealed. The failed spell became warmth, which excited Lin Xuan's battle body further. His eyes flared golden as he grabbed her kicking foot.

"Let go!" The warmth of his palm made her shiver. The old injury he touched last night with his Nine Yang Qi began to burn, pulling his hand up her calf.

"Seems like Miss Su's cold poison..." he murmured, fingertips brushing her smooth skin, pressing behind her knee, "...gets worse during full moons?"

"Ah!" Su Li bit her lip to stifle a moan, a rosy blush blooming in her eyes. Just as she tried to cast a spell, Lin Xuan leaned in, lips brushing her earlobe:

"Don't you know? A healer who can't heal herself... shouldn't be one. Let me check... if your Ice Phoenix Mark is still intact three inches below your navel."

"You!" Her eyes widened as she kneed him—but her corset burst open with the motion, and as water splashed high, a system alert blared in Lin Xuan's mind:

Warning! Spirit Binding Curse Activated!Remaining Flirt Count: 0/3

The sharp pain made Lin Xuan pause. Su Li escaped, but her foot slipped on the stone floor, and she fell. Lin Xuan instinctively caught her by the waist—just in time to see her hairpin fall and her hair cascade like silk.

Thud!

They fell hard into the water. Lin Xuan's head hit the pool edge, and his lips accidentally pressed to hers. His True Qi poured into her mouth—where a golden lotus bloomed on her tongue.

Ding! Yin-Yang Harmony Activated!Su Li's Ice Phoenix Physique Awakening: 1%Reward Obtained: Ninefold Ice Phoenix Technique (Dual Cultivation Exclusive)

"Mmm..." Su Li suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck, legs locking around his waist. Her icy body pressed against his burning chest, steam rising as cold met heat. Lin Xuan gazed at her stunning face—wet lashes like butterflies, lips stained red with their mingled blood, beautiful like plum blossoms in snow.

Suddenly, pain shot through his waist—she'd bitten his abs!

"Pervert!" she kicked off him, leaping from the water, but left her corset behind on his face.

Holding the still-warm fabric, Lin Xuan took a deep breath, cold fragrance mixed with milky sweetness overwhelming his senses. "This love token… I'll gladly accept."

"Give it back!" Su Li stepped barefoot onto the water, cheeks flushed as she approached. But Lin Xuan tucked it into his chest and teased, "Come and get it. If you can reach, it's yours."

Bathed in moonlight, her shapely figure in only white undergarments was breathtaking. Droplets ran along her abs into her navel, her hips swayed with each step, the lotus birthmark on her hip shimmering through the sheer cloth. Each step sent her bells jingling—until their rhythm matched Lin Xuan's heartbeat.

Ding—

On the ninth chime, Lin Xuan groaned and dropped to his knees. Su Li's silver needle glinted: "Did you think Biluoyige's Binding Curse was just for show?" As she leaned forward, her robe fell open slightly. "Give it back, or else—"

"Or what?" Lin Xuan suddenly pulled her ankle. "You'll strangle me with these perfect feet?" As his fingers brushed her sole, Su Li shuddered, her toes curling pink.

"How… How do you know..." She backed away, only to hit the pool's stone edge. Lin Xuan closed in, nose brushing the vein on her neck:

"I also know..." His palm covered her birthmark, "...when the Saintess of Biluoyige loses her purity, a Nine-Petal Golden Lotus blooms here."

Su Li's pupils quaked, but Lin Xuan had already stepped away. He lifted her fallen hairpin and said with a smirk, "Come to my room at midnight to retrieve your pin. Miss it, and it's gone forever." Then he vanished into the bamboo forest, leaving Su Li dazed at her reflection—now marked with a golden kiss.

Ding! Su Li Favorability +20 (Current: 33)Reward Obtained: Heavenly Fragrance Muscle-Softening Powder (Effective on Nascent Soul and below)Special Note: Ice Phoenix Awakening requires 9 instances of Yin-Yang Convergence.

The next morning before dawn...

Su Li shattered Lin Xuan's window with an ice spike. Veiled anew, she stood in the mist, tossing him a pill bottle. As her sleeve slipped, a fresh virgin's mark was visible on her wrist.

"If you dare speak a word of last night..."

"You'll poison me with Ten Fragrance Soul-Dissolving Powder?" Lin Xuan grinned, playing with the pink corset. "Why not just kill me and be done with it?"

"You—!" Su Li stomped off, ears red as cherries.

In the shadows of the eaves, a golden-armored youth crushed a transmission jade.

"Inform the Grand Seer—the Nine Yang Battle Body has awakened. It's time to cast the net."

Preview of Chapter 5: Yun Qingyue sneaks into Lin Xuan's bed in a sheer robe, Su Li's cold poison flares up and she begs for relief. Sandwiched between two goddesses, Lin Xuan cries: "Does this count as a work injury? System, give me a kidney pill already!"