The name chosen for this volume, "Spiritual Master's Holy Land," feels somewhat inappropriate. Originally, the content of "Prison Fire Dark Spring" was intended to be included within it.

Since the content of the next chapter involves a rather significant leap, I think starting a new volume is better.

The above does not count towards the word count...

O(∩_∩)O Haha~

The Six Courtyards of the Red Chamber Apothecary.

In the bedroom, where a faint, subtle fragrance drifted, the atmosphere was thick with the bloom of spring. Long Xuechan stretched her limbs on the **—the thin sheet covering only her chest and abdomen. Her exquisitely curved ** and graceful, luminous arms were completely exposed, while her snow-white, full breasts playfully peeped out from under the thin cover in two rounded hemispheres. Her beautiful eyes were half-open, half-closed, the corners of her lips slightly upturned, giving her a languid look, suspended between sleep and wakefulness.

Suddenly, a soft, charming moan involuntarily escaped her lips. Long Xuechan’s eyes immediately snapped open, the sleepiness vanishing from her brow. "She seemed to have understood something," she gasped with a delicate cry and sat up. Her soft breasts were now completely uncovered, those two mounds of snow-white flesh jouncing and trembling visibly. The lustrous, dewy skin and the magnificent, vivid points of red utterly overshadowed the bouquet of fresh flowers adorning the dressing table.

A captivating blush spread across her cheeks. Long Xuechan let the springtime view of her chest remain exposed, merely glancing toward the window to check the light, then patted her forehead with a look of resignation. "It's still so early. That little rogue Nie Kong has already run off to the Outer City, and he's managed to get involved with Mei Xian so quickly?"

As she spoke, Long Xuechan could only settle her legs into a cross-legged position. A massive phantom image of a green dragon surged forth. Time slipped away rapidly...

In the uppermost pavilion of the Red Chamber Restaurant, the two intertwined figures in the spacious rattan chair finally settled into stillness. After that, there was no further movement, as if both were utterly exhausted and had fallen into a deep slumber. After an unknown amount of time, Long Meixian, who was draped over Nie Kong, felt her eyelashes tremble, and her eyelids finally fluttered open.

Lifting her delicate head slightly, the first thing that came into view was Nie Kong’s face.

Looking at the countenance of that detestable man, Long Meixian felt tears welling up in her eyes despite having none to shed. Earlier, she had only intended to stir the "Dragon Mate Imprint" within Nie Kong and then vanish immediately. If she had succeeded, she truly could have vented the resentment that had accumulated in her chest over the past few years. But who could have predicted that Nie Kong would suddenly employ power terrifyingly close to that of a Pill Spirit? Not only did her initial plan dissolve into nothingness, but she herself had become ensnared.

After all that commotion, her body ached, and even her heart felt tender, as if ready to melt away. Even after dozing off in a daze until now, Long Meixian had not fully recovered.

"The third time..."

Thinking of this, Long Meixian almost ground her teeth to dust; the hatred she held for Nie Kong increased by another layer, though silently. Yet, Long Meixian was acutely aware that, apart from that incident in the Heavenly Wolf Mountain Range, the other two times could arguably be considered self-inflicted wounds, especially today's event, which was a clear case of attempting to harm another only to harm oneself instead. But understanding one thing was separate from being able to accept the consequences.

Long Meixian could vividly imagine the teasing look Nie Kong would give her once he awoke. This was what she found hardest to accept. Likewise, Long Meixian couldn't guarantee whether she would lash out heedlessly upon sensing Nie Kong's demeanor.

Better leave first!

Taking a deep breath, Long Meixian managed to settle her mood somewhat. She pushed herself up using her arms to stand from the lounge chair, taking considerable effort to overcome the weakness in her limbs. She used her clothes to cover her bare body. But the moment her eyes fell upon Nie Kong's sprawled form, her cheeks instantly burned, followed by an uncontrollable surge of shameful anger. She suddenly gritted her teeth and lifted her leg, aiming a kick at Nie Kong’s thigh.

"Ouch!"

Before the kick could reach its intended height, Long Meixian's body suddenly went soft, and she collapsed limply onto the floor. It was inconvenient to use her Mind Manifestation now; using it would inevitably cause a fluctuation in spiritual energy, which could easily startle Nie Kong awake. But failing to deliver that kick somehow left her deeply dissatisfied.

Gritting her teeth hard, Long Meixian managed to stand up again, glaring fiercely at Nie Kong, and began to muster her strength once more. However, before she could execute her intention, Nie Kong lazily rolled over, startling Long Meixian. The small reserve of strength she had managed to accumulate vanished without a trace.

"Bastard, just you wait! I'll deal with you later!"

Long Meixian assumed Nie Kong would wake up soon, so she cursed him silently in her heart. Then, her figure began to slowly fade. The speed at which she employed the "Body Merged with the Void" technique this time was more than ten times slower than usual, but the resulting fluctuation in the void was equally minuscule.

After a long while, Long Meixian finally vanished from the pavilion.

"Buzz!"

Moments later, Long Meixian reappeared in the courtyard of the Six Courtyards of the Apothecary. When she entered Long Xuechan’s bedroom, her expression had already calmed, but the vibrant allure on her face was impossible to conceal. She looked utterly radiant, like a lotus flower refreshed by morning dew.

Inside the room, Long Xuechan was the complete opposite.

By this time, she was fully dressed, but her cheeks were flushed pink, a slight sheen of sweat still clinging to her temples, and her eyes, heavy with fatigue, seemed even more languid. Seeing Long Meixian enter, Long Xuechan wearily lifted her eyelids, regarding her with a half-smile. "My dear Sister Mei Xian, you must have had a very blissful time? Alas, you enjoyed yourself today, but your little sister here suffered miserably. Next time you two want to play such games, could you find somewhere much further away? The closer you are, the more I suffer! Ah, it's such a torment to be a twin like us!"

"Shut up!"

The calm Long Meixian had just managed to feign was instantly shattered by Long Xuechan’s words. Her delicate face flushed crimson with embarrassment and anger as she glared at her. "I will be heading to the Heavenly Wolf Mountain Range myself later for a while. Before I return, you handle the affairs of the Red Chamber?"

Upon hearing this, Long Xuechan immediately sobered up. "Mei Xian, you shouldn't go to the Heavenly Wolf Mountain Range. I suddenly thought of a much better place."

"What place?"

Long Meixian frowned irritably.

"Of course, the 'Desolate Sand Valley' in the far west," Long Xuechan replied.

"The Desolate Sand Valley?" Long Meixian murmured, intrigued.

"Exactly. The 'Prison Fire Dark Spring' lies right within that 'Desolate Sand Valley.' Brother Nie Kong will soon be heading there. If you get there first to wait for him, perhaps you'll run into him just like you did in the 'Heavenly Wolf Mountain Range.' Then you can fight as much as you want, giggle giggle~"

... As she spoke the latter part, Long Xuechan gave Long Meixian an ambiguous wink and couldn't help but burst into unrestrained, charming laughter.

"Stop it!"

Long Meixian finally realized she had been tricked by Long Xuechan. Her pretty face turned beet red. After shooting her a fierce glare, her body slowly began to merge into the void. However, her sister's laughter echoed in her ears again. "Sister Mei Xian, give my suggestion some serious thought. Maybe with a few more rounds, you could even have a little baby!"

Hearing this, the void surged violently, and Long Meixian's figure reappeared. In an instant, she shot out of the void, gnashing her teeth in exasperation, and rushed to the bedside. She grabbed Long Xuechan's slender body, turned her over roughly, and brought her palm down hard against her pert, rounded backside.

"Ah!"

Following the sharp smack, Long Xuechan let out a pitiful, delicate cry, but the sound was drawn out, lingering in a string of sweet, enchanting vibrato, full of seductive allure. For some inexplicable reason, as soon as this sound entered her ears, Long Meixian was reminded of the scene in the pavilion upstairs. Her cheeks burned, and she landed several more hard slaps. Unexpectedly, Long Xuechan's cries grew more enthusiastic, the pitch becoming increasingly suggestive.

"You're infuriating me!"

The small bit of strength she had just regained was entirely exhausted. Seeing Long Xuechan still lying there, making faces at her, with her little legs kicking playfully, Long Meixian felt helpless. She could only utter a resentful scolding before her graceful figure gradually dissolved back into the void. As she vanished, the sound of Long Xuechan's captivating laughter seemed to echo in her ears once more.

Watching the direction in which Long Meixian had retreated in disarray, Long Xuechan covered her small mouth and chuckled for a good while before stopping. She patted her high chest and let out a soft breath, a seductive smile playing on her lips. "If there were a few more times, maybe I really could have a little baby..." With the protection of Qing Yue's soul, Nie Kong had absolutely no need to worry about Long Meixian turning against him afterward. Thus, after fully releasing that intense desire, Nie Kong fell into a deep sleep, accompanied by extreme satisfaction and fatigue. Nie Kong slept soundly through day and night.

When he awoke, Nie Kong looked out through the window. The sky was filled with brilliant sunset colors; the sun was almost setting! He glanced around. A faint, sweet fragrance filled the air, but Long Meixian was gone from the room. Nie Kong shook his head with a hint of resignation.

When he came to see Long Meixian this time, Nie Kong harbored no lustful intentions toward her. He simply wanted her to stop instilling such bizarre notions into the two younger girls. For Long Ma and Long Ting to continue cultivating that way indefinitely might not be a good thing. But events had unfolded entirely beyond Nie Kong's expectations.

Who would have thought that a woman like Long Meixian would actually intend to torment him using the "Dragon Mate Imprint"? At such a critical moment, Nie Kong could only ask Qing Yue to intercept her. The desire triggered by the "Dragon Mate Imprint" could only be quickly dissipated by someone else who also possessed the "Dragon Mate Imprint." If Long Meixian's intentions had succeeded, Nie Kong would have been in great pain, not just today, but for many days to come.

About fifteen minutes later, Nie Kong left the pavilion and arrived at the nearby Apothecary.

"Brother Nie Kong, you seem quite energetic today."

Long Xuechan leaned casually on a rattan chair beneath a tree, smiling faintly as she watched Nie Kong enter the courtyard. She popped a peeled little fruit into her mouth; as she chewed, juice as red as blood oozed out, adding a touch of (seductive allure) to her appearance.

"Sister Chan, it's just you. Where is your sister, Long Meixian?" Nie Kong chuckled.

"Oh, her? She couldn't stand being tormented by a certain someone and has already left Spirit Control City," Long Xuechan giggled, her beautiful eyes raking over Nie Kong's body.

Nie Kong gave a wry smile. It was probably for the best that Long Meixian had left Spirit Control City. Although he didn't feel much guilt toward her, having engaged in that sort of intimacy with her repeatedly would inevitably make future encounters a bit awkward. At that moment, Long Xuechan smiled again and said, "Brother Nie Kong, I heard you defeated Lan Shang and became the top seat of the Inner City this year. Congratulations! Do you remember what I said that day?"

"You said you would give me an unexpected reward?" Nie Kong asked with a smile.

"That’s right. But, Sister can’t give you the reward now," Long Xuechan said with a touch of regret.

"Why?" Nie Kong hadn't placed much importance on the "reward" Long Xuechan mentioned—it didn't matter whether he received it or not—but he was simply curious.

"You already took it yourself this morning!" Long Xuechan sighed, though a teasing smile curved the corners of her lips. "Besides, she’s left now. It’s difficult for me to give you the reward a second time, so I suppose I have to break my word."

"This morning?" Nie Kong was first bewildered, but hearing the latter half of Long Xuechan's sentence, he suddenly understood, and a wry smile broke out on his face. The reward Sister Chan was talking about was actually...