The time flew by, and it was already eight o'clock the next morning.
At the foot of the picturesque valley, beside the hot spring pool, a simple stove made of stones had been erected, with wisps of cooking smoke rising…
Chen Qiuyun, clad in a grey Taoist robe, her raven-black hair tied back with a wooden hairpin, possessed a stunningly beautiful face. With a poker expression, she was preparing breakfast for everyone.
“Sister Qiuyun, is this a type of edible wild vegetable? Can we add it to the porridge?”
Gu Luotang, dressed in an elegant light cyan Hanfu dress, had rolled up her sleeves, revealing her fair and alluring arms. She and Qi Miaomiao had returned from picking some edible and medicinal wild vegetables nearby. Chen Qiuyun glanced at them and nodded slightly, indicating it was fine.
Thus, Gu Luotang and Qi Miaomiao sat on the stones nearby to prepare the vegetables, while turning their heads to look at Wan Yunting, who was sitting cross-legged on a large rock not far away, still immersed in his meditation and cultivation…
“Hey, do you need me…”
Duan Yingying emerged from the tent and called out. Gu Luotang immediately turned and shushed her, saying, “Be quiet, don’t disturb Brother Yunting’s cultivation!”
Duan Yingying’s almond-shaped eyes widened. She then noticed the man sitting cross-legged on the rock nearby practicing his skills. She immediately closed her mouth and walked towards Gu Luotang, lowering her voice. “What do you need me to do?”
“Here, wash the vegetables.”
Qi Miaomiao pointed to the wild vegetable leaves she had picked. Duan Yingying glanced at her. She had come to offer help, but Qi Miaomiao's arrogant and commanding tone irked Duan Yingying.
“No need, I’ll wash them. Yingying, go help Sister Qiuyun and see what she needs,” Gu Luotang glared at Qi Miaomiao and then smiled gently at Duan Yingying.
Duan Yingying nodded without a word and got up to go to Chen Qiuyun. She asked what she could do. Chen Qiuyun gestured for her to take the bowls and chopsticks to wash…
Duan Yingying was obedient and honest, unlike her previous spoiled demeanor where she refused to do anything. She picked up everyone's bowls and chopsticks to wash them by the hot spring. Gu Luotang also came over with the vegetable basket, stopping her. “Yingying, don’t wash them directly in there…”
Duan Yingying was about to place the bowls into the hot spring when she turned to look at Gu Luotang, who had approached. She asked, “Then how should I wash them?”
Gu Luotang held a foldable canvas bucket and said with a smile, “Use this to fetch water, then pour it into this basin to wash. The yellow bottle over there is dish soap; you can use it to wash the bowls and chopsticks.”
Duan Yingying watched Gu Luotang fetch water and teach her how to wash. She learned diligently and began washing them with proper form…
After all, this girl had grown up in the Wuliang Daoist temple and had never washed dishes before. The fact that she could help everyone wash dishes today showed that Wan Yunting's lesson last night had been effective. At least, she had curbed her spoiled temper…
“Putting on an act.”
Qi Miaomiao said with disdain. Gu Luotang, who was washing the wild vegetables, glanced at her and replied, “Don’t say that. Yingying has already changed a lot.”
Qi Miaomiao glanced at Duan Yingying over there and said, “But Senior Sister, I feel like she’s just pretending.”
Gu Luotang smiled and said, “Whether she’s pretending or not, the important thing now is for you not to provoke her, understand?”
Qi Miaomiao said dismissively, “I can’t be bothered to argue with her.”
“I hope so.”
Gu Luotang gave her a sidelong glance. She knew this girl’s personality all too well…
“Hoo, this feels so good…”
At this moment, Lu Xiaodie came out. She took a deep breath of the fresh air, her face flushed with joy, and stretched her limbs…
Gu Luotang added the washed wild vegetables to the congee and then walked over with a smile. “Sister Lu, Senior Sister Zheng, you’re out.”
“Mm, is Yunting still cultivating?”
Lu Xiaodie looked at the man in the distance, sitting alone on the rock meditating and cultivating. Gu Luotang nodded, “I don’t know what time he started last night.”
Lu Xiaodie nodded. Zheng Rong, who was following behind her, looked extremely unnatural, especially when facing Gu Luotang. She felt like a mistress caught with someone else’s husband and seeing the rightful wife made Zheng Rong particularly uneasy and nervous, fearing that Gu Luotang would question her.
“Senior Sister Zheng, how are you feeling?”
Gu Luotang didn’t say anything else. She gently asked, “Are you feeling better?”
Zheng Rong’s face was full of awkwardness. She cast a nervous glance at Gu Luotang and nodded embarrassedly, not knowing what to say.
Gu Luotang, seeing through everything, smiled and said no more.
Lu Xiaodie also noticed that Gu Luotang seemed to know everything, which made her feel guilty. While the man was cultivating, Lu Xiaodie said, “Luotang, can we go for a walk over there?”
Gu Luotang looked at her and smiled gently, nodding. It seemed she knew what Lu Xiaodie wanted to talk about.
So, the two walked leisurely towards the front of the hot spring pool. After walking a distance, Lu Xiaodie said apologetically, “Luotang, I’m truly sorry. I know what I did was shameless and despicable, and I apologize. But I really wanted to elevate my martial arts to the next level, so I was the one who actively pursued Yunting for dual cultivation back then.”
As expected!
Hearing this, Gu Luotang felt helpless. She had carefully noticed the unusual interaction between Lu Xiaodie and the man before. Now, hearing her say this, she realized that she had indeed gotten involved with the man.
“But Luotang, please don’t misunderstand. Yunting and I are only in a dual cultivation relationship. I don’t have any other intentions towards him. If you mind, I will stop dual cultivating with him and keep my distance,” Lu Xiaodie said hastily when she saw Gu Luotang remain silent.
After all, Gu Luotang was Wan Yunting's official girlfriend. She had met his parents and received their approval.
And Gu Luotang had always regarded Lu Xiaodie as a friend. Yet, she had engaged in dual cultivation with her friend’s man. Lu Xiaodie, who usually acted with righteousness, naturally felt she had betrayed her friend, so she felt extremely guilty and sorry towards Gu Luotang.
Now that she had confessed, she felt a little better. Whether Gu Luotang scolded her for being shameless or not, Lu Xiaodie would accept it, because she had wronged her first.
“Sister Lu, please don’t say that.”
However, Gu Luotang was not angry. She held Lu Xiaodie’s hand, shook her head, and smiled gently. “Actually, when Yunting asked you to cultivate together in seclusion back then, I had already guessed your relationship. I also knew that your dual cultivation with Yunting was for cultivation and to improve your martial arts. It benefited both of you.”
“Moreover, I understand that it wasn’t you who initiated the cultivation with Brother Yunting. After all, he’s such a womanizer, it must have been him who made the first move!”
These words stunned Lu Xiaodie. She stared at Gu Luotang with her bright eyes, her heart filled with emotion. “Luotang, you don’t blame me?”
Gu Luotang shook her head slightly and sighed, “Brother Yunting is fickle and passionate. I’ve long since come to terms with it. Besides, I’m also the third party!”
Lu Xiaodie’s expression froze. She also knew that Wan Yunting’s true girlfriend was Fang Yanxi, and Gu Luotang had only gotten together with Wan Yunting later. By all rights, she was indeed the third party.
“Luotang, don’t say that. I can see that Yunting truly loves you,” Lu Xiaodie said empathetically. She could tell that Wan Yunting loved Gu Luotang more.
“Mm, that’s why I don’t blame you!”
Gu Luotang looked back at her and smiled gently. “Actually, I don’t expect Brother Yunting to give me any official status. As long as he has a place for me in his heart, even if he marries Fang Yanxi one day, and I’m just hiding in the shadows…”
These words made Lu Xiaodie feel a pang of sympathy. She held Gu Luotang’s small hand and comforted her, “Luotang, don’t say that. I believe Yunting will definitely protect you…”
Gu Luotang shook her head and said with a smile, “Sister Lu, you don’t understand. When you love someone to the bone, you no longer care about what they do. Even if they do wicked things, I will unconditionally support them!”
These words stunned Lu Xiaodie. Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Gu Luotang’s determined expression. She couldn’t imagine how much she loved Wan Yunting to say such things. This made Lu Xiaodie truly understand the depth of Gu Luotang's devotion to Wan Yunting. This was also why she hadn’t blamed Lu Xiaodie.
On the contrary, if it were Lu Xiaodie, she couldn’t do what Gu Luotang did. Although she also liked Wan Yunting, Lu Xiaodie couldn’t love someone so blindly and support them unconditionally, even if it meant losing truth and reason…
A moment later, Lu Xiaodie sighed and said, “Luotang, I truly admire you. I envy your ability to love someone so recklessly. However, it’s true, Yunting is worthy of your love!”
“Yes.”
Gu Luotang recalled the days when she and the man were trapped in the Ling Shan cave, which brought a happy smile to her face. “Brother Yunting was very, very good to me…”
Lu Xiaodie looked envious. She also made a decision in her heart and said with a smile, “Don’t worry, Luotang. Even if I were to fight Yunting with you, that guy would probably choose you over me.”
This made Gu Luotang cover her mouth and laugh. “Sister Lu, do you also like Brother Yunting a lot?”
Lu Xiaodie, with her straightforward and honest personality, felt much more comfortable after confiding in Gu Luotang. She smiled and said, “Yes. I didn’t feel it at first, but later he went to the Hengshan Sect without hesitation to help me.”
“From that moment on, I fell for him. But Luotang, don’t misunderstand, this is just liking!”
Although she said that, was Lu Xiaodie really just liking him?
“It’s okay.”
Gu Luotang shook her head and smiled. “Even if you truly fell in love with Brother Yunting, I wouldn’t blame you.”
Lu Xiaodie held her hands and said, “Luotang, please scold me instead. The more you say this, the more guilty I feel.”
Gu Luotang found it amusing. She playfully hit Lu Xiaodie’s arm and said, “Is this okay?”
Lu Xiaodie laughed and then pinched Gu Luotang’s pretty face. “You silly girl…”
Gu Luotang smiled, then asked, “So, did Yunting also dual cultivate with Senior Sister Zheng last night?”
Lu Xiaodie’s expression immediately became awkward. “This is also my fault. If I hadn’t told Senior Sister Zheng about my breakthrough through dual cultivation with Yunting, she wouldn’t have had that idea.”
“But when I mentioned it to Yunting, he strongly opposed it. Later, I felt it was wrong, so I decided not to let Senior Sister Zheng dual cultivate with Yunting. But no one expected that last night, Yunting told us not to look at that ‘Peerless Yin Yang Cultivation Manual’. Actually, that manual contained the Love Flower!”
“Love Flower Grass?”
Gu Luotang’s expression froze. She studied medicine, so she naturally knew what Love Flower Grass was.
“Yes, Senior Sister Zheng was affected by the Love Flower, so Yunting had no choice but to save her,” Lu Xiaodie said with a sigh of helplessness.
“So that’s how it is.”
Gu Luotang understood the medicinal properties of Love Flower Grass. It was even more potent than the so-called aphrodisiacs today and could even be fatal. It could only be resolved through coitus with a man.
“Yunting has injuries. Last night, he dual cultivated with Senior Sister Zheng, and it was Senior Sister Zheng’s first time. Therefore, the effect of dual cultivation was significant.”
Lu Xiaodie glanced in the distance at Wan Yunting, who was still sitting on the rock meditating. She knew that the Peerless Yin Yang Cultivation technique yielded the best results when it involved a woman’s first time.
Gu Luotang nodded and said, “Brother Yunting is under a lot of pressure now. He is solely focused on improving his martial arts to deal with that main god from the Sky Eye Main God Cult!”
“Mm, I’ve heard about it too. Although he doesn’t show it, I can feel the immense pressure he’s under,” Lu Xiaodie nodded.
Gu Luotang’s eyes softened as she looked at her and said with a smile, “Sister Lu, then you must help Brother Yunting well.”
Lu Xiaodie understood her meaning and her cheeks flushed. “No, if anyone should help, it’s you.”
Gu Luotang covered her mouth and chuckled. “My martial arts are not high, so even dual cultivating won’t help Brother Yunting much. But you’re different, Sister Lu. Your martial arts are good, and frequently dual cultivating with him is the best.”
“Oh my, stop it. You’re making me embarrassed,” Lu Xiaodie said, her face flushed, feeling quite shy.
However, Gu Luotang was sincere. She knew the immense pressure the man was under and his desire to rapidly improve his martial arts to deal with the main god of the Sky Eye Main God Cult. Therefore, she didn’t mind Lu Xiaodie dual cultivating with him…