The two elders sighed heavily once again.
After a long silence, the Seventh Elder finally spoke. "How about this: we make Ye Chuxue's punishment harsher, and have Junior Brother Gu apologize to Junior Sister Song in person. Perhaps, for the sake of their past relationship, she might be willing to let this go.
If there's truly no other way, then we'll have to handle this by the book. The sect rules are the sect rules, after all…"
Of course, if there was any chance of preserving Ye Chuxue's future, they would take it. But if reconciliation proved impossible, they would be forced to cripple her cultivation and expel her from the sect.
Otherwise, how could the sect maintain order?
"Very well. Let's go with this plan. I'll have Junior Brother Gu try to resolve it first."
The Sect Master shared the same view. They would try to mediate. If it didn't work out, they had no choice but to let go.
Before long, Gu Qingyuan received a response from the Sect Master.
As soon as he finished reading the message, his expression turned dark.
"The Sect Master wants to send you to the Black Wind Prison? Absolutely not!"
He was furious.
The Black Wind Prison was a place where the most violent, vile offenders were locked away. Once someone was thrown in there, cultivating again was nearly impossible.
To let Ye Chuxue rot away in such a place during the prime of her life? How could he bear it?
But Ye Chuxue wasn't focused on that part. Her gaze sharpened as she fixated on the second half of the message.
The Sect Master wanted Gu Qingyuan to beg Song Wanníng?
How ridiculous.
Even if she were expelled from the sect, she would never lower her head to that bitch.
Ye Chuxue's eyes were filled with burning hatred. She longed for strength, desperately.
Only by surpassing Song Wanníng could they truly begin anew. Otherwise, they would forever be crushed beneath her, choking on resentment for a lifetime.
"Chuxue," Gu Qingyuan said gently, unaware of the storm brewing inside her. "I'll speak to Song Wanníng myself. I won't let her make things difficult for you."
No matter what, he was determined to ask for Song Wanníng's mercy. After all, they'd known each other for over a century. Perhaps, if he pleaded, she would relent.
But Ye Chuxue's heart sank at his words. She suddenly raised her voice, cutting him off. "No! You can't beg her! Even if I die, I will never stoop to her!"
For a moment, her expression twisted with rage, eyes nearly wild. The sight made Gu Qingyuan's heart lurch.
"I know you hate Song Wanníng," he said urgently, trying to calm her. "But she's the only one who can de-escalate this. If she doesn't back down, the sect will have no choice. I can't just watch you be cast out! Don't worry. I've known her for a hundred years. I know her better than anyone. She's temperamental and arrogant, yes, but she's also soft-hearted…"
He was still trying to persuade her, but to Ye Chuxue, every word was a blade. Her voice suddenly shot up again. "What do you know?! I ended up like this all because of her!"
How dare he praise that vile woman?
Was he doing it on purpose?
Or… did he still harbor feelings for Song Wanníng?
A flicker of venom twisted Ye Chuxue's face.
The past was the past. Now that she had chosen Gu Qingyuan, there could be no room for anyone else in his heart.
Her expression shifted. She blinked, letting tears brim in her eyes as she spoke in a trembling voice.
"Master… did you know? I actually encountered Song Wanning back in the Demon Sea. She ambushed me. I was caught off guard… she shattered my meridians. I couldn't even stand."
Her fingers tightened into the fabric of her robe, knuckles white.
"She forced me to accept Lu Nanfeng's courtship. I refused. So she left me there, broken, defenseless, in his hands.
Her shoulders began to shake. "Lu Nanfeng… that bastard, he tried to violate me. If I hadn't hidden a spiritual artifact on me, I would've been—"
Her voice broke. The rest didn't need to be said.
Tears streamed down her cheeks. Her voice trembled as if the memory had just torn itself free again, raw and full of shame.
In the cultivation world, there were two distinct types of dual cultivation. The first was intimate dual cultivation, which involved sexual union and the mutual exchange of energy. This practice could grant astonishing benefits when both partners had compatible physiques.
However, in both forms of dual cultivation, one thing remained essential: convergence. It wasn't just about bodies touching. It required intention. A mutual act of channeling, exchanging, and harmonizing their internal energy. Without that, even the most passionate sex amounted to nothing more than physical release. It had no cultivation value.
In true dual cultivation, the process followed a cyclical rhythm.
Cultivator A would begin by absorbing ambient qi into their body, guiding it through their meridians and refining it. After completing one full internal cycle, their energy would begin to flow outward, slipping into Cultivator B through the point where their bodies were joined.
Cultivator B would feel the incoming qi entering their system, warm and potent, resonating with their own. They would guide that qi into their meridians, allowing it to merge with their own energy. As the two forces intertwined and stabilized, B would send the refined energy back into Cultivator A.
Back and forth, their qi cycled through their bodies. The flow was continuous—one drawing in, the other receiving, both refining and returning.
Their energies danced together, swirling in perfect rhythm. Each cycle nourished them, strengthened them, refined them. The more synchronized their cultivation, the smoother and more powerful the cycle became.
Because two people were refining the qi together, the pace of cultivation far outstripped what either could achieve alone. And as the energy harmonized again and again, so too did their spirits. Their souls became more aligned, their bond more unshakable.
Without all above, sex was nothing more than physical coupling. Even the most passionate sex meant nothing for cultivation. No mutual benefit. No spiritual bond.
This distinction mattered.
What Lu Nanfeng did to Ye Chuxue was not intimate dual cultivation.
It wasn't even an attempt.
What happened was nothing more than raw, violent lust. There was no exchange of energy, no spiritual resonance. He didn't try to harmonize with her cultivation or absorb her Yuan Yin. He wanted control. He wanted to punish her for rejecting him. The act was purely carnal, driven by possessiveness, not partnership.
Many still clung to the outdated notion that virginity was tied to physical signs, such as the hymen. But even in the mortal world, that belief had long been discredited. The hymen was never proof of anything—not in medicine, and certainly not in cultivation.
Among cultivators, true purity was measured by the presence of Yuan Yin or Yuan Yang—primordial energy that existed within all untouched individuals. Yuan Yin resided in females, Yuan Yang in males, though the principle applied regardless of gender. What mattered was the untouched, original essence.
This spiritual energy was vastly more refined than any ordinary yin or yang essence and could only be transferred through true intimate dual cultivation. Once it was gone, it could never return. Because of its potency, cultivators who still possessed their Yuan Yin or Yuan Yang were often seen as walking treasures.
Ye Chuxue and Lu Nanfeng had never shared that kind of bond. There was no cultivation between them. Only harm. Only pain.
And as long as Ye Chuxue said nothing, no one would ever know. And in a world so riddled with bloodshed and injury, appearance alone could never tell the full story. As long as she stayed silent, Gu Qingyuan would never suspect her.
This was exactly why she dared to spin such a tale.
Lu Nanfeng was dead. The secret had been buried with him.
"What did you say?!"
Gu Qingyuan shot to his feet, face flushing red with fury.
He trembled from head to toe.
"Song Wanníng and Lu Nanfeng… they did this to you?!"
His resolve to make peace shattered in an instant. For the first time in his life, he wanted Song Wanníng dead.
The person he cherished the most, treated like a treasure, had been so viciously wronged by her.
"If you'd told me earlier… if I had known—"
His voice caught in his throat.
If he had known earlier, what could he have done?
Wouldn't he still have been utterly crushed by Song Wanníng?
That humiliating memory still haunted him like a nightmare he could never escape.
Ye Chuxue noticed his hesitation and quickly pressed in, grabbing his hand.
"Master, I don't want you to lower yourself for my sake. Even if I'm expelled, I won't let you beg her. You've already done so much for me. More than enough."
Tears streamed again, this time stubborn and sorrowful.
Gu Qingyuan's heart ached. He wrapped her in his arms.
"I'm sorry, Chuxue. I failed you. I didn't even know you'd suffered so much…"
His heart swelled with guilt and affection. Love, once buried, now grew deeper than ever.
"It's alright, Master. You've done your best. It's Song Wanníng who's ruthless. She's trying to destroy me completely…"
Ye Chuxue forced a bitter smile.
"So even if you beg her, she won't agree. I can't let you suffer on my behalf. If the sect wants to deal with me, let them. I'm not afraid. I'm only afraid of losing you."
She clung to him tightly, her soft body pressing close. Gu Qingyuan's cheeks flushed from the heat radiating between them.
"Nonsense. How could I ever leave you? If the sect insists on crippling your cultivation, then I'll leave with you. We'll turn our backs on it together!"
In that moment, with beauty in his arms, Gu Qingyuan felt that nothing else mattered.
Wentiān Sect was in decline anyway. Leaving wouldn't be the end of the world.
Let those old geezers regret it.
Even if they begged him to return, he never would.
"Really?"
Ye Chuxue had waited so long for those words. Her eyes lit up with joy.
"Of course. You're the only one that matters to me."
Gu Qingyuan finally spoke the truth from his heart. He looked at the face so close to his, and his feelings surged beyond control. She was his precious disciple, the moon in his sky.
Lu Nanfeng had dared to touch her?
Even death was too good for him.
"Master…"
Tears shimmered in Ye Chuxue's eyes. She leaned in closer, their breath mingling.
Drawn by the intense, intoxicating atmosphere, the two embraced deeply. Their hands began to roam, no longer content with stillness.
Dry wood and flame—set alight in an instant.
But just as their lips were about to meet, both turned their heads away in silent agreement.
They didn't want to remember the ugliness of the past.
Still, holding each other close, they let themselves fall, exploring a new world together.
===
So, while I was translating some part of this chapter, I couldn't help but feel like the author was blurring the line between sex and dual cultivation—especially when it came to the intimate kind. I think they're completely different things (´･_･`).
It's true that intimate dual cultivation does involve sex, but in my opinion, sex alone—just the act of having sex—has nothing to do with cultivation.
Sex, at its core, is purely physical. It doesn't involve energy exchange, qi refinement, or anything that boosts your cultivation. You get physical satisfaction, sure, but that's it. Nothing spiritual or transformative happens just from that.
Meanwhile, the term "dual cultivation" clearly implies a shared cultivation practice between two people. It focuses on the mutual refinement of qi, not the act of sex itself. The sex is just the medium, not the point. So, saying that "any sex = dual cultivation" feels really misleading.
Maybe the author was influenced by how other xianxia novels often use "dual cultivation" as a euphemism for sex. Or maybe in those stories, the focus is more on the act itself rather than the energy exchange and cultivation process behind it. Either way, it's become kind of a trope that "dual cultivation = sex," and honestly, that misunderstanding is everywhere by now. (•᷄- •᷅ ;)
Here is the original translation:
There were two types of dual cultivation between men and women.
One was purely physical. The other, known as soul cultivation, involved a spiritual connection that could aid in one's cultivation and deepen a Dao companion bond.
Because injury and trauma were common in the cultivation world, virginity was not a reliable indicator of anything. There was no real way to verify.
Ye Chuxue and Lu Nanfeng had never engaged in soul cultivation. As long as she stayed silent, Gu Qingyuan would never suspect her.
There's that part where the author brings up virginity. From the way it's written, it really sounds like they're referring to things like the hymen, or some kind of "purity" symbol that's often used in conservative or religious circles.
To be honest, I think all of that is complete nonsense.
The idea that a woman's virginity can be "proven" by whether she bleeds the first time she has sex is just not credible. At all.
There are so many natural factors that can affect that. Physical activity, health, even anatomy—none of it can reliably "measure" virginity. Even in the modern world, that myth has been debunked. So when a cultivation story leans into that belief, it feels outrageous to me.
Yes, the author did follow up with "Because injury and trauma are common in the cultivation world, virginity is not a reliable indicator of anything." That line shows a bit of self-awareness, but honestly, to me it still feels like the author's starting point is the traditional belief that bleeding = virgin. That's the impression I got, anyway. Maybe you interpreted it differently. But that was my read on it.
The way I read it, the author seems to believe that a woman is only considered a virgin if her hymen is intact and, or she bleeds during her first time. They seem to acknowledge that there are exceptions, or in this case in the brutal, injury-filled cultivation world—but those exceptions are treated as rare cases (in real world for they), not the norm.
That's why I decided to rewrite that section instead of just translating it.
I felt it was important to clarify what virginity actually means in the cultivation world, especially when we already have a much clearer standard than anything physical.
I mean, let's be honest. In xianxia settings, you'll run into terms like furnace ding or vessels, pure yin, pure yang, and of course, Yuan Yin and Yuan Yang. Maybe some of you haven't heard [Yuan Yin and Yuan Yang] terms before, but I see them quite a lot in the novels I read.
If you're curious about dual cultivation, Yuan Yin/Yang, physiques, and other stuff like that, I've written a full guide you can find on my Webnovel profile. The book titled The Xianxia Handbook: A Guide to Cultivation and Beyond. You'll find it covered in Chapter 21: Physiques, Body, and Its Practice. Feel free to check it out!
I recommend adding it to your library—it'll save you the trouble of searching for it later, and you'll always have it on hand whenever you need a quick reference.
But to summarize:
Yuan Yin (for women) and Yuan Yang (for men) are types of innate spiritual energy that exist inside the body from birth. This energy cannot be replenished or restored once used. It acts like a powerful natural tonic that can boost cultivation when exchanged during intimate dual cultivation.
Because of that, Yuan Yin and Yuan Yang are the real indicators of whether a cultivator is still "untouched." Not physical signs like the hymen, but the presence or absence of that original spiritual essence. So when cultivator already have sex, they can still be seen as untouched as long as they still have their Yuan Yang or Yuan Yin.
I wrote this side note because I completely rewrote that paragraph in the main chapter. It wasn't just smoothing the language or expanding the subtext—I fully changed the meaning to reflect how I personally interpret the concepts.
So I wanted you to understand why I made those changes, and what the original line actually said.
Thanks for reading, and I hope this helps clear things up! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧