Chen Yixin’s expression was perfectly serious and his tone grave. His accusation was logical and thoroughly justified. As he spoke, he advanced step by step toward Wenren Li, then rose onto his toes and sniffed lightly beside Wenren Li’s neck. His brows immediately drew together. He truly disliked every one of those lingering auras.
But who told him to like Wenren Li? To like him so desperately? Chen Yixin did not believe those auras should be enough to keep them apart.
He reached out and hooked a finger around the jade clasp at Wenren Li’s belt, using it to pull him toward the bed. After two steps, Chen Yixin even turned back and glared at him. “You’re not allowed to resist. And you’re not allowed to say you don’t want to…”
Clear helplessness appeared between Wenren Li’s brows. His gaze fell briefly on Chen Yixin’s other hand, which had clenched slightly without him realizing it. Wenren Li sighed inwardly and followed at an unhurried pace.
They sat down together on the bed. Chen Yixin immediately turned sideways toward Wenren Li, still wearing the same solemn expression even as he stripped Wenren Li’s clothes with astonishing efficiency, looking all the while as though everything he was doing was perfectly reasonable.
His delicate Adam’s apple bobbed. He pushed at Wenren Li, failed to knock him down, and simply leaned over him instead to kiss him heatedly. Chen Yixin refused to believe that after going this far, Wenren Li could possibly remain unmoved.
Wenren Li indeed could not endure for long. His breathing gradually deepened, and the aura around him slipped slightly out of control. The presence of the divine punishment became noticeably stronger. Chen Yixin shivered and looked at Wenren Li with a trace of grievance.
The dangerous pressure emanating from Wenren Li had forcibly pulled Chen Yixin out of his aroused state, leaving him briefly unsure what to do. Then Wenren Li’s kiss descended.
“Since A-Rong willingly started this, there is no reason to stop halfway.”
Even if Wenren Li’s slightly uncontrolled aura made Chen Yixin hesitate, it was already too late to stop them.
“Who said I wanted to stop halfway…? I’m willing. Extremely willing.” Chen Yixin bit down on the skin beside Wenren Li’s neck. Wenren Li, already barely able to withstand Chen Yixin’s relentless teasing, drew a deep breath and slowly lifted Chen Yixin’s leg.
“Mm… ah, no more…”
This encounter was obviously different from both their previous lovemaking and their usual dual cultivation. Under the aura of divine punishment, the divine power inside Chen Yixin flickered weakly and was heavily suppressed. In the past, that divine power had instantly erased nearly every trace of discomfort. This time, it was far less effective—but precisely because of that, every sensation became far more intense.
Chen Yixin, who had never once needed to worry about such matters in bed, now learned in exquisite detail what it meant to dig a pit for oneself and then jump straight into it.
Wenren Li was likewise different from usual. The rims of his eyes had reddened slightly, while sweat rolled continuously from his forehead. He noticed Chen Yixin’s condition and genuinely wanted to give him time to breathe, but his actions were already becoming difficult to control.
“Be good. After this time, it’ll be better…” Wenren Li lowered his head and kissed Chen Yixin’s lips, keeping him securely enclosed between his arms and leaving him no opportunity to retreat.
Chen Yixin shifted his weak, aching legs and opened his eyes wider to glare at him. “Liar. How many times have you already said ‘one last time’? And you still aren’t finished!”
“I could still endure earlier. A-Rong was the one who told me not to.” Wenren Li had not anticipated the situation becoming this impossible to control either. His hand gently stroked the places that had been rubbed red or bruised during their tangled movements.
“Mm… ah…”
Chen Yixin, who had still been capable of lodging coherent complaints, immediately lost focus. His legs, which had only just recovered a little strength, wrapped around Wenren Li’s waist again. Considering how inseparable they had become, Chen Yixin was responsible for well over half the situation himself.
Chen Yixin and Wenren Li remained shut inside the room for seven days and seven nights. Apart from a very small number of people, almost everyone could guess what the two of them were doing.
During those seven days, even when the Immortal Alliance launched surprise attacks or fighting erupted elsewhere, no one dared disturb Chen Yixin and Wenren Li.
The places affected by their mingled auras were put to excellent use by Qiu Yi and An Cheng. Vast forests did not spring up, but the immortal herbs and divine medicines they planted showed remarkably little growth either.
Instead, the strange Phoenix Flowers outside Chen Yixin’s command tent bloomed exceptionally well. At night, the faint spiritual light they emitted had transformed entirely into pale silver lightning. Even Qiu Yi and An Cheng were reluctant to investigate those mutated Phoenix Flowers too closely.
There was little doubt, however, that the mutation of the Phoenix Flowers was directly connected to the changes in Chen Yixin and Wenren Li’s spiritual power.
Qiu Yi and An Cheng came by the command tent for their routine inspection. Before they could leave, Chen Yixin emerged with one hand supporting his waist. His complexion could not quite be called good or bad, but Wenren Li’s aura clung so heavily to him that both men instinctively retreated two steps.
Chen Yixin glanced at them and removed his hand from his still-uncomfortable waist. His voice was slightly hoarse. “Tell Ze Fang, Hei Yu, and the others to come to the council tent. This pace is too slow.”
In these seven days alone, he had helped Wenren Li absorb a sizable portion of the Severed Wood Remnant. Compared with that, spending so much time attacking the righteous path suddenly felt wasteful. What had once seemed like reasonable progress now felt much too slow.
Qiu Yi and An Cheng exchanged a glance, then bowed slightly. “Yes.”
They left to order the Demon Guards to summon everyone. Chen Yixin rubbed his waist again and went back into the tent. Wenren Li had not returned to the Three Lives Well after a single night as he usually did. Instead, he remained sitting cross-legged on the bed in cultivation.
When Chen Yixin returned, Wenren Li opened his eyes.
“Come here.” As he spoke, a strand of spiritual power wrapped directly around Chen Yixin’s waist and pulled him through the air until he landed before Wenren Li.
“What is A-Rong hesitating about?” If Wenren Li had not used spiritual power to drag him back, had Chen Yixin intended to glance at him once and then immediately leave again?
“Beauty is a distraction. Starting today, I’m going vegetarian.” Chen Yixin said this while still reaching out to stroke Wenren Li’s half-exposed chest. “A-Li isn’t allowed to seduce me.”
Whether Chen Yixin “ate meat” or “went vegetarian” was apparently entirely up to Chen Yixin himself. Wenren Li raised one brow, caught the hand Chen Yixin was trying to withdraw, and turned toward him. Before Wenren Li’s hand could even reach Chen Yixin’s waist, however, the previously obedient person vanished and reappeared at the entrance to the tent.
Chen Yixin lifted his chin. “A-Li, stay here obediently and wait for me to return. If I’m in a good mood, I may consider whether I want to satisfy you.”
With that, he vanished from the tent. He was even less capable of withstanding Wenren Li’s aura than he had been seven days earlier—but no longer because the danger made him uncomfortable. After seven days of exposure, the problem had changed completely: the instant Wenren Li’s spiritual power touched him, Chen Yixin’s legs went weak and his body reacted.
That was not something Chen Yixin particularly wanted to tell Wenren Li outright.
Once he left the tent, the aching waist and weak legs all returned. Chen Yixin resisted the urge to support his waist and continued toward the council tent with his chin proudly raised. By the time he arrived, Ze Fang and all the primary and deputy generals had assembled.
The heavy scent of Wenren Li’s aura on Chen Yixin made them unconsciously lower their heads, none daring to look at him too closely. The atmosphere of the meeting became considerably more restrained than usual.
Chen Yixin naturally noticed. After thinking briefly, however, he chose not to erase Wenren Li’s aura from his body. As he had already told Wenren Li, he too needed to work on adapting to it.
This was not merely relevant to their intimacy. It also benefited Chen Yixin when he performed the Soul-Gathering Art. Besides, he had no objection whatsoever to everyone knowing just how close he and Wenren Li were.
“I want the northern campaign finished within three years.” Chen Yixin sat down and spoke one calm, unquestionable sentence.
Every general looked up in surprise.
Three years.
Their original plan had been to spend five to ten years resolving the immortal factions of the Northern Territory.
Now Chen Yixin wanted that reduced to three. No—the northern campaign had already been underway for ten months. In reality, they now had only two years and two months left to meet Chen Yixin’s target.
Chen Yixin paused, then continued, “Starting today, Ze Fang and Hei Yu, neither of you needs to remain in the rear. Go to the front lines. Late Soul Transformation is nowhere near your limit.”
The Demon Army needed tempering, and in Chen Yixin’s view, these Soul Transformation experts needed it just as badly. The higher one’s cultivation became, the fewer opportunities there were to truly let loose in battle. Taixuan also lacked suitable places where Soul Transformation cultivators could properly test themselves.
Each sentence Chen Yixin spoke was more startling than the last. Everyone stared at him wide-eyed, still trying to absorb what he meant.
After speaking, Chen Yixin did not rush into further deployments. He gave them time to think.
The strategy meeting lasted from early morning until late afternoon, nearly evening, before Ze Fang and the others finally dispersed. Chen Yixin rubbed his waist, picked up one of the jade slips on the table, and continued handling unfinished matters.
An Cheng arrived carrying a bowl of medicinal soup Qiu Yi had prepared. His expression suddenly froze, and he obediently raised the tray higher instead. Wenren Li had taken it from him. Wenren Li had waited in the command tent for Chen Yixin for most of the day, and when Chen Yixin still did not return, he had come looking for him.
Chen Yixin himself was saturated with Wenren Li’s aura, while Wenren Li had finally learned to restrain his own after those seven days. He entered carrying the medicine without Chen Yixin noticing him at all.
“An Cheng, tell Qiu Yi he doesn’t need to make this sort of thing for me. It tastes terrible.” Chen Yixin spoke without lifting his eyes. He set one jade slip aside and picked up another, then remembered something and added, “And you’re absolutely not allowed to tell A-Li about this either…”
Yet despite what he had said, the medicinal soup was still placed on one corner of the table. Chen Yixin finally looked up—and first saw a figure in black. His expression froze, and he quietly shifted to one side.
“A-Li, you came.” Chen Yixin moved over to make room. Wenren Li sat down, picked up the bowl again, scooped out a spoonful, and brought it to Chen Yixin’s mouth.
Chen Yixin glanced at him, parted his lips, and obediently swallowed.
Only after Chen Yixin had drunk more than half the bowl did Wenren Li return it to the tray. Chen Yixin leaned sideways until he found a comfortable place against Wenren Li, then resumed reading the jade slips.
“A-Li’s spiritual power won’t hurt me. Qiu Yi is being fussy enough already—why is A-Li making a fuss too…?”
“It may not injure you, but it can still make A-Rong uncomfortable.” Wenren Li answered while picking up one of the jade slips Chen Yixin had placed aside. They contained reports concerning Otherworld Demon activity in the Northern Territory.
Chen Yixin immediately took his hand away from his own jade slip. Blue light appeared at one fingertip, which he pressed against Wenren Li’s brow. “Uncomfortable?”
“It won’t make you uncomfortable, right? Then it won’t make me uncomfortable either.” Chen Yixin quickly leaned up and kissed the spot he had just touched before reclining halfway in Wenren Li’s arms and returning to his reading.
Whether he was uncomfortable or not was not for anyone else to decide.
Chen Yixin himself would decide.
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