"Sister Chan, wait up." Nie Kong suddenly wrenched his arm free from Long Xuechan's grasp and darted out in a flash.

Watching the figure of Nie Kong streak away, Long Xuechan paused, her eyes flickering with a slight change, as if she understood something, and the smile on her face became tinged with helplessness.

Reaching the courtyard entrance, Nie Kong once again observed the ball of spiritual energy within his qiaoxue (acupoint). He found it had quieted considerably, only occasionally sending out a faint ripple. The previously transparent mass was once again enveloped in a verdant hue, gradually becoming indistinguishable from Nie Kong’s own mutated Wood Spiritual Energy.

Had it not been for the disturbance it caused just moments ago, Nie Kong would never have discovered this strange, alien spiritual energy residing within him.

Subsequently, Nie Kong slowly moved closer to Long Xuechan again.

Sure enough.

The closer he got to her, the more violently the ball of energy fluctuated. When Nie Kong stood beside Long Xuechan, the energy shimmered, shedding its green color, seemingly on the verge of bursting forth from the qiaoxue.

This time, Nie Kong focused his entire attention on sensing it. By now, he could confirm with absolute certainty that the spiritual energy in his qiaoxue shared an intimate connection with Long Xuechan—as if she were a magnet and that energy a piece of iron shaving, subject to a natural, inherent pull.

"Sister Chan."

Nie Kong's tone became slightly urgent. "Did we... um, that is... have a more in-depth communication?" Nie Kong pondered for a moment, choosing the more oblique phrasing, as it felt inappropriate to bluntly ask her if he had slept with her in the secret chamber that day.

Long Xuechan winked her beautiful eyes at Nie Kong and chuckled lightly, "Little Brother Nie Kong, which time are you referring to? Sister has had many deep 'communications' with you."

Seeing her feign ignorance, Nie Kong had no choice but to spell it out. "After failing the alchemy the day before yesterday, did we engage in that kind of relationship? Ah, to put it in more common terms, was it that kind of pleasurable game involving the exchange of bodily fluids that brings mutual spiritual and physical satisfaction!?"

"Pfft!"

Long Xuechan burst into laughter at the latter half of Nie Kong's sentence, then shot him a mesmerizing, alluring glance. "Little Brother Nie Kong, what exactly is occupying your mind? Could it be you missed Sister so much you had a sensual dream about it last night? Don't be shy; Sister doesn't mind playing that kind of game with you in a dream—you know, the one involving the exchange of bodily fluids for mutual spiritual and physical delight."

Nie Kong felt a sense of helplessness regarding Long Xuechan's response and finally conceded. "Sister Chan, stop beating around the bush. Do you really need me to say it plainly?"

"Say what plainly?" Long Xuechan looked at Nie Kong with eyes that seemed slightly bewildered.

"You are no longer a maiden!" Nie Kong stated, locking eyes with her seriously.

"Huh?"

Long Xuechan’s eyes widened, and her rosy little mouth parted slightly in minor surprise, but she recovered almost instantly, chuckling softly. "Little Brother Nie Kong, the way you speak is truly adorable. You, a mere novice, what do you know of maidens and such?"

Nie Kong forced a dry laugh. "You could tell I was a novice before, so why can't I tell now that you aren't a virgin anymore? You were pure before the alchemy two days ago, but now you're not. It’s not like the ever-virtuous you suddenly got impulsive and found some random man to... ** for a quick tumble, is it??"

He paused, then added, "Besides, in just one day, my cultivation jumped from Ninth Grade of Spirit Channeling to Second Grade of Spirit Fusing, and I inexplicably gained a strange ball of spiritual energy inside me—this absolutely has something to do with you, Sister Chan. Wouldn't you agree, Sister Chan?"

"Fine then."

Long Xuechan finally stopped dodging the issue. She shot Nie Kong a sidelong glance and spoke in a tone of light teasing. "Little Brother Nie Kong, we did play that game you mentioned the day before yesterday. However, it was driven purely by the effects of the medicine. You shouldn't dwell on it. If you, a former novice, became infatuated with Sister because of it and threw yourself at my feet, well, Sister wouldn't take responsibility for you."

The events of the day before yesterday were indeed not a dream! Seeing Long Xuechan frankly admit it, Nie Kong felt a sudden clarity and laughed heartily. "Don't worry, Sister Chan, what you fear will never happen. But, Sister Chan, are you truly a Spirit Body?" Nie Kong had always been profoundly confused about this question.

"What do you think??"

Long Xuechan asked back with a playful smile.

Since she could utter those three characters (Spirit Body), there was no doubt. Nie Kong found it incredible. "Spirit Bodies can cultivate spiritual energy?"

"Why not?"

A hint of reminiscence flashed in Long Xuechan’s eyes. "After discovering I was a Spirit Body back then, Sister was incredibly unwilling to accept it. A Spirit Body can choose to condense one spiritual energy element based on their own will, but not only did I not do that, I absorbed all the spiritual energy elements between heaven and earth. After a great ordeal, those elements fused into one, condensing into a ball of un-attributed energy inside me..."

"Attributeless?"

Nie Kong's heart stirred. The transparent spiritual energy that had just appeared in his qiaoxue seemed to have no attributes. He never imagined such energy existed in the world!

At this moment, Long Xuechan continued with a smile, "That ball of attributeless spiritual energy is the root of my cultivation. With it, I can cultivate spiritual energy and even convert it into any one elemental spiritual energy in the world. However, this conversion can only be done once. When I first discovered the attributeless energy, I chose to cultivate Fire Spiritual Energy. Isn't that amazing, Little Brother Nie Kong?"

"Truly amazing!"

Nie Kong nodded subconsciously. Long Xuechan's tone was calm as she spoke, but Nie Kong could easily imagine the immense difficulty involved in condensing all the world's spiritual elements into a single, attributeless mass. "Sister Chan, how much of that attributeless spiritual energy did I absorb the day before yesterday?"

"Almost half."

Long Xuechan's face held a smile, but the corner of her lips twitched involuntarily, a clear sign of her current stinginess. "Sister isn't Long Yan or Long Ting. If you played those games with them, you could absorb all the spiritual energy in their bodies in one go. But Sister is different—absorbing nearly half was already your absolute limit."

"Attributeless energy is the root of your cultivation... doesn't that make it equivalent to the 'Three Apertures of the Spirit God'?" Nie Kong murmured, then suddenly startled. "Sister Chan, I absorbed nearly half of your attributeless energy. Will your cultivation be severely affected?"

"Affected, yes, but 'severely' is debatable," Long Xuechan stated calmly. "Attributeless energy is the foundation of my cultivation; as long as even a shred remains, I can cultivate it back. As for you, Little Brother Nie Kong... you must hurry and refine the ball of attributeless energy you absorbed. The sooner you succeed in refining it, the greater the benefit to your future cultivation. If you wait for it to automatically merge with your existing spiritual energy, it will only grant you a marginal increase in power."

From her words, it seemed there were other benefits to refining that energy quickly.

"Sister Chan, thank you very much."

Nie Kong was sincerely grateful. Although curious why Long Xuechan asked him to help refine that potent aphrodisiac that day, he wanted to offer compensation. "I still remember the recipe for the medicine we refined the day before yesterday. I happen to have the flesh of half a Phoenix Eye Fruit remaining. If you need it, Sister, I can refine another one for you."

"No need? I was just messing around with that medicine."

As she spoke, Long Xuechan suddenly leaned close to Nie Kong, her eyes gleaming alluringly. "Little Brother Nie Kong... you are so eager to help me refine that medicine; are you perhaps hoping to play that game with Sister again?"

"Ahem!"

Nie Kong nearly choked on her words. Just as he was about to offer a defense, he felt a slight shift in his heart and chuckled amiably. "That game is only fun when you are fully awake. Like the day before yesterday... when my senses were muddled, I didn't even feel the enjoyment of the game, and I couldn't even be sure if there were two people or three playing together. It’s better not to play at all in that state. What do you think, Sister Chan?"

Long Xuechan giggled sweetly. "Is that so? Perhaps it's because your cultivation is too low. Sister clearly remembers there were only the two of us, and Sister still has a vivid memory of how wonderful it was. If Little Brother Nie Kong feels regret, Sister can play with you one more time."

"Let's skip it then," Nie Kong laughed. "If I absorb your attributeless energy again, I’d feel even worse." His previous remarks were intended to probe Long Xuechan's stance, so Nie Kong watched her expression closely as she spoke. Alas, he could detect no flaw whatsoever. If she were lying, her acting skills were certainly worthy of an Academy Award from his previous life.

Could Long Xuechan really be alone?

Nie Kong felt a degree of confusion. Long Xuechan’s shifting demeanor, combined with the dreamlike, enchanting scene from two days prior, had once led him to suspect she had an identical twin sister. But Long Xuechan's certainty now made him doubt his own deduction.

His thoughts raced, and Nie Kong finally abandoned the issue. He pulled a jade bottle from his robes. "Sister Chan, these are the thirteen 'Jade Leaf Glazed Pills' I recently refined. If handled correctly, they should sell for a high price, enough to cover those thirty herbs and the one million gold coins."

Long Xuechan accepted the jade bottle and smiled radiantly. "Little Brother Nie Kong, you are being too formal. Red Chamber will handle the auction of these thirteen 'Jade Leaf Glazed Pills' for you. Of the gold earned, Red Chamber will only take a mere half-percent commission; the rest is all yours. In truth, the value of the 'Jade Leaf Glazed Pill' formula alone far exceeds the total value of those thirty herbs and one million gold coins. Herbs have a price, but a formula is priceless. Sister can also promise you on behalf of Red Chamber that we will never refine the 'Jade Leaf Glazed Pill' without your consent..."

After saying that, Long Xuechan looked at Nie Kong with a sly, knowing smile playing on her lips.

"Very well."

Nie Kong was momentarily stunned; all the carefully prepared words he intended to say next suddenly stuck in his throat. He merely forced a laugh and said, "By the way, Sister Chan, have you ever heard any news about the Wood Spirit Art?"

Long Xuechan scrutinized Nie Kong with a peculiar look for a long moment before saying, "Little Brother Nie Kong, are you teasing Sister? There is an excellent set of the Wood Spirit Art right here in Spirit Control City! The old man named Sha Yan at the Hall of Medicine values you so highly; since he knows you cultivate Wood Spiritual Energy, surely he hasn't failed to tell you about it?"

"Ah, really?" Nie Kong asked, somewhat delighted.

"..."

A short while later, Nie Kong departed in haste.

Long Xuechan watched the direction of his vanishing figure, a charming, captivating smile curling the corners of her lips. "Sly little thing... trying to use thirteen 'Jade Leaf Glazed Pills' to test Sister. If I had truly accepted them, you could have used that as an excuse to sever ties with me. Heh heh, Sister won't let you have your way..."