The rank was overtaken again today, so no solo chapter will be posted. I hope after this chapter, everyone can show their support with monthly votes or at least a recommendation by clicking the button in the top right corner of the chapter page. My sincere gratitude to you all!
Inside the crude wooden hut, two entwined figures lay on a makeshift bed fashioned from rough planks, drenched in sultry intimacy.
The man knelt upright, his frail frame unmistakably Zongshou's. The woman across him was eighteen years old with an elegant build. Her smooth legs parted like serpents, coiling around the youth's waist as she lowered her face into his neck. Her hair obscured most of her features except for a pink tongue peeking through strands.
Zongshou eagerly suckled that tongue, drawing blood and saliva into his mouth without restraint.
Xuesnow watched from the side with blushing cheeks. Only seventeen days ago this scene had carried medicinal purpose, but now it pulsed with carnal temptation. The woman's occasional moans sent shivers through her bones.
After dozens of breaths, Zongshou reluctantly pulled away to spit blood into a waiting basin. This time the putrid odor was faint and the purplish hue less pronounced.
He patted Ruoyue's pert rump. Without prompting, she freed her arms from his neck and exposed two tear-shaped breasts perfectly palm-sized.
Xuesnow nearly fainted - was this really necessary for venom extraction? It had to be deliberate seduction! How shameless at such an age!
Zongshou then kissed the woman's left breast. Ruoyue arched her head back with a moan, her half-revealed face radiating languid allure.
Xuesnow kicked the bedpost furiously, making even this sturdy wooden frame tremble.
From his position between her breasts, Zongshou could not look up. But he sensed Ruoyue's gaze shift toward Xuesnow. Though her expression seemed genuinely puzzled, those eyes held a sultry glimmer - half-lidded, languorous with veiled sensuality that made even Xuesnow's heart flutter.
Xuesnow felt her inferiority rise. While she knew her own beauty rivaled the woman's and their heights were nearly equal, this fox-woman radiated an innate charm that left her breathless.
Yet Ruoyue's gaze also carried innocence untouched by worldly stains, as if unspoiled by life itself.
Xuesnow's breathing hitched before anger overtook embarrassment. She glared daggers at the other woman who blinked in confusion then offered a friendly smile.
The disfigured skin on her face had healed enough to reveal startling beauty under that expression.
The entire hut brightened with this radiance.
Defeated utterly, Xuesnow felt all strength drain from her limbs. No hostility could arise toward Ruoyue - not even when this woman consumed part of what she cherished most.
Extracting essence blood proved arduous. Half a day passed before Zongshou finally lifted his head to spit out another mouthful of purplish blood.
Xuesnow's sullen expression prompted no inquiry from him. As he took Ruoyue's hand and probed her pulse with true energy, concern shadowed his features.
"Some toxins have been cleared from your lungs over these days," he murmured, "but marrow still bears the residue. Without my blood exchange for three days or excessive exertion, relapse is inevitable. Complete cure requires either specific antidote or self-purification power..."
His words trailed off as he pushed back her hair to reveal half-healed skin with lingering purplish bumps on forehead and cheeks.
Even so, her face now radiated a breathtaking beauty.
Fenfox women were known for their captivating allure - men handsome, women beautiful. This one possessed an inborn seductiveness that turned every movement into temptation.
Fortunately Zongshou hailed from the information-rich modern era with enough resistance to avoid being entranced by her.
"Recovery should be complete within five days," he continued while fastening her clothing, "but half a month before you can fight - and no longer than an hour before full detoxification. Practice Damingmingliequan at dawn and noon each day..."
Ruoyue responded with only gentle caresses to his face.
Zongshou's own cheeks bore similar purplish bumps against his pallid skin, adding unflattering features to his otherwise handsome face.
Yet her eyes held genuine concern, laced with unusual tenderness.
He chuckled at the irony - this woman was as asexual as she seemed pure in thought. Earlier suspicions about her connection to Zong Weiran had been unfounded. Though they shared cultivation techniques and advanced skills, her innocence proved surprising.
"Nothing serious here," he reassured while patting Ruoyue's back. Weak from treatment, she rose unsteadily before curling into a corner of the bed with blanket clutched close to sleep.
Zongshou observed this fragile fox-queen who could have been any sect's most promising disciple yet remained untouched by worldly affairs.
Her skeletal structure betrayed no more than twenty-four years - but her cultivation level rivaled his own. It was easy to see why Zong Weiran had built such an empire in a decade.
As he stepped outside, Xuesnow slammed the basin and door with lingering resentment.
"What's wrong?" Zongshou asked upon noticing her simmering anger.
"Who else could it be?" she muttered while pouring water into dug pits. "You certainly enjoyed that treatment, didn't you Master?"
Zongshou smirked at her blushing face before delivering a playful head-slap.
"You ungrateful child! A healer's compassion has no ulterior motives," he chided as she pouted with eyes sparkling with suppressed amusement.
"Get busy burying this venom - do I need to remind you who gets blamed when you daydream about becoming a stud?"
Xuesnow huffed but complied, her steps quickening toward the hills where Zongshou vanished into the distance.