“Ugh… cough, cough…”
As his consciousness detached from the Spring and Autumn Bell, a wave of nausea washed over him, and Jiang Tong couldn’t help but cough.
The time flow had been too rapid, and having spent an entire lifetime within the illusion, returning to reality always brought side effects. After resting for the time it took for half an incense stick to burn, several streaks of light flew out from the Spring and Autumn Bell and poured into Jiang Tong’s body.
**[Soul Power Strengthening: Your soul is now as powerful as it was within the Spring and Autumn Bell. Ordinary soul attacks are ineffective against you]**
**[Cultivation Increase: Your cultivation has risen to Middle-stage Foundation Establishment]**
**[Meridian Unblocking: 15 meridians have been cleared. Qi circulation speed has increased]**
Jiang Tong sensed the changes carefully. During the time he spent in the Spring and Autumn Bell, about three days had passed in the outside world.
The sun had already risen. He turned his head and looked at the empty tabletop, his brow furrowing slightly. During these three days, his Master would usually bring medicinal soup every morning and only feel at ease after watching him finish it.
Whenever that happened, Jiang Tong would temporarily interrupt the Spring and Autumn Bell, pretend he had just woken up, and gulp down the medicine. Only after Jiang Yueliu left would he re-enter the bell.
But…
Jiang Tong looked out the window. The daylight was bright. Jiang Yueliu had not come today.
The confusion in his heart deepened. The face of the disciple and the face of the Master overlapped in his mind, making his head spin. Jiang Tong coughed twice and stood up unsteadily. He leaned against the doorframe for support and pushed the door open.
In his mind, he heard the words Yao Xining had spoken.
‘If there is anything you want to know, you can also talk to me…’
As soon as he stepped outside, he felt a bone-chilling cold. The fairy who usually sat under the pavilion brewing tea and reading books was nowhere to be seen.
The courtyard was covered in frost. Looking up, he could vaguely see drifting flakes of fine snow. The osmanthus flowers could not withstand the cold, and their blossoms were withering one by one.
Jiang Tong stared blankly for a moment. He thought he heard faint, muffled groans coming from the room next door. It sounded as if someone was in great pain, struggling to suppress something.
“Master?”
Jiang Tong stepped closer and lightly knocked on the door. A moment later, he froze. Ice had actually formed on his fingers.
Jiang Tong realized something was wrong. Braving the biting cold, he pushed the door open. When he saw the scene inside, he couldn’t help but lose himself for a moment.
The room was filled with restrictive seals. Within the seals, Jiang Yueliu sat cross-legged. Her white clothes were covered in frost, her willow-leaf brows were tightly knit, and her beautiful face was filled with agony.
With her as the center, waves of cold air spread outward. Her brows and her long, silky hair had all turned white.
Jiang Yueliu’s eyelashes trembled. Sensing someone’s arrival, she found herself unable to speak. She could only do her best to suppress the Cold Soul Jade Body.
She only had one pill left. Although this flare-up was painful, she could still endure it. Eating it now would undoubtedly be a waste.
Her limbs, meridians, and even her internal organs felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar. As the cold air rampaged through her body, Jiang Yueliu let out a soft groan. All she could think about was making Jiang Tong leave immediately.
If he stayed here any longer, he would get hurt…
‘Go,’ Jiang Yueliu sent via soul transmission, her voice very faint. ‘Master… can hold on.’
Jiang Tong’s expression was complicated. This familiar aura was unmistakable—it was the Cold Soul Jade Body. Only the Cold Soul Jade Body could release such intense cold air. Furthermore, it looked like this was only a minor flare-up.
After standing there for a moment, his face was already covered in frost. The cold air domineeringly invaded his body, churning through everything and bringing waves of pain.
A moment later, the sound of footsteps echoed in the silent room.
Jiang Yueliu’s eyelashes trembled even more violently, and panic began to rise within her.
‘Don’t come over, Jiang Tong. Don’t come over.’
She knew the horror of the Cold Soul Jade Body all too well. With Jiang Tong’s Foundation Establishment cultivation, he would likely be unable to withstand the cold and die from his body exploding.
Yet, she couldn’t afford to relax her mind. Once she did, the cold air would be like water bursting through a dam, drowning the entire Shangyuan Sect.
Just as Jiang Yueliu was at a loss for what to do, Jiang Tong arrived in front of her. As if he couldn’t feel the cold, he gently leaned down.
In the dimness, a finger parted her pink lips and gently pried open her pearly teeth. A pill was tucked into her mouth, melting instantly and turning into streams of heat that bored into her body, dispersing the cold.
Like a long drought meeting rain, Jiang Yueliu subconsciously bit down slightly on her teeth, greedily sucking the warmth within the pill. However, she seemed to have forgotten that Jiang Tong’s finger had not been fully withdrawn yet.
Jiang Tong leaned over, his face very close to Jiang Yueliu’s. Seeing her actions, he suddenly smiled. His Master was like a clumsy little beast, savoring his index finger with great relish.
As her soft, warm pink tongue licked across the pad of his finger, Jiang Tong couldn’t help but shudder.
‘Hiss, that’s a bit itchy.’
The two maintained this strange posture until the cold air in the room dissipated. Jiang Yueliu’s eyelashes fluttered, and her appearance returned to normal.
Jiang Tong slowly withdrew his index finger. His finger was covered in moisture, crystal clear and slightly sticky. On the second knuckle, there was even a faint teeth mark.
A few strands of saliva vanished in an instant. Jiang Yueliu’s pink lips were moist, looking quite kissable.
Jiang Tong only thought about it for a moment before he saw his Master’s body go limp, slumping softly onto the bed. It was likely that the excessive physical exhaustion had caused her to faint.
“Master,” Jiang Tong called out softly.
Jiang Yueliu gave no response. Her eyes remained closed, and her breathing was exceptionally even.
Jiang Tong didn’t leave. After helping her cover up with a blanket, he moved a small wooden stool over. He propped one hand on the edge of the bed and quietly watched his Master’s sleeping face.
He vaguely realized… he seemed to be getting more and more audacious.
After drying his index finger on the corner of his clothes, Jiang Tong cautiously took a sniff. It didn’t smell bad; instead, there was a faint fragrance that smelled cool and icy.
He lowered his hand guiltily. Looking at her familiar features, he tried to piece together the faces of Gu Xianyu and Jiang Yueliu.
The Cold Soul Jade Body.
The Sword Womb.
The Sword Heart.
Was it a coincidence, or…?
Jiang Tong’s mood was very complicated. It was impossible for him to directly confess to Jiang Yueliu and ask what had happened before. How could he even ask? ‘I have a cheat called the Spring and Autumn Bell, and I might have been your Master before when I turned into a wisp of a soul…’
It was too bizarre.
Recalling some of Jiang Yueliu’s strange behavior lately, Jiang Tong couldn’t help but harbor deeper suspicions. For instance, that night, he had thought she was just throwing a drunken tantrum. Thinking back now… did it contain a deeper meaning?
Truth and falsehood, dream and reality.
‘Master, I can’t tell the difference.’
Jiang Tong’s hand unknowingly reached toward the top of Jiang Yueliu’s head. He subconsciously wanted to pat her head, but the moment he touched a strand of her hair, he pulled back.
Jiang Yueliu’s eyelids twitched slightly.
After a faint sigh, Jiang Tong stood up and placed a small cloth bag on the table. A moment later, the sound of the door creaking shut echoed.
The room remained silent for a long time.
A pair of eyes snapped open, bright and clear.
Jiang Yueliu took a deep breath, her full chest heaving. She slowly sat up, her long hair cascading down. As she thought about what had just happened, the tips of her ears turned a light shade of red.
To have lost her composure so much in front of her disciple… She…
She had actually actively licked and sucked Jiang Tong’s finger…
Jiang Yueliu’s cheeks were flushed. She pursed her lips, her teeth gnawing worriedly on her lower lip.
‘No, no, I was just taking a pill…’
‘A Master and disciple in the past life, a debt of gratitude in this life. I am only here to repay the kindness of a Master.’
‘The two of us… are pure and innocent. There is absolutely nothing strange!’
Jiang Yueliu struggled with her thoughts for a good while before picking up the cloth bag on the table and gently opening it. Inside were more than ten pills. she took out the one pill she had left for comparison; they were identical.
As expected, only he could refine this pill.
As she compared them, Jiang Yueliu suddenly froze. If she were to look at it from the perspective of repaying a debt, Jiang Tong already had a claim of gratitude over her from their past life.
In this life, although Jiang Tong knew nothing, it seemed… he had just performed another kindness for her as his Master?
A debt upon a debt… how should she ever repay him?
Jiang Yueliu gripped the cloth bag, her cold heart in a state of chaos as she sat blankly on the bed.
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