LanYue stood still in the middle of the room, a cold wind brushing past the hem of her white robe trimmed in blue. Her long black hair draped over her shoulders, a silver butterfly hairpin trembling faintly with each breath.
Her face was naturally aloof, her blue eyes like an icy lake, yet right now they were reddened. Tears rolled down, falling onto her collar, leaving warm traces that ran contrary to her cold aura.
In her hand, LanYue gripped a longsword tightly. The blade was still dripping blood, each drop falling slowly, sounding like metal weeping. Her hand trembled ever so slightly, not from fear, but from pain.
Her figure was supple, her curves modest yet alluring beneath the thin fabric, making her sorrow all the more apparent. She did not say a word, only stared ahead, as if she had just lost the most important thing in her life.
Ri Guang looked at LanYue with trembling fear. In his heart, he knew exactly why she was here, because she was Senior Brother Lee's Cultivation Partner.
In the Hehuan Sect, everyone had a Cultivation Partner, but there was no limit on the number, so that they could cultivate.
LanYue was Senior Brother Lee's Cultivation Partner. However, ever since Ri Guang came to the Hehuan Sect, he had never seen senior brother and senior sister Dual Cultivate. In fact, their relationship was extremely cold.
At that time, Ri Guang did not think much of it, feeling that perhaps they were still shy, but in reality he was wrong.
"Hahaha... hahaha..." LanYue suddenly laughed madly, tears still pouring down. "How ridiculous. I thought he was an upright person, and that he didn't want to Dual Cultivate with me because he didn't like that kind of cultivation."
"It seems... I was wrong. Hahaha... I was truly wrong. So it turns out he likes men. So the person I thought was upright is actually someone so disgusting, hahahaha..."
Seeing LanYue laugh madly, Ri Guang felt fear in his heart. That's right, even though senior brother was dead, the fear in his heart did not lessen. Instead, it grew far stronger.
Senior Sister LanYue's Cultivation was much higher than senior brother's. Ri Guang was afraid that if she suddenly went mad and killed him to vent her anger, then his ending would still be death.
LanYue suddenly looked toward Ri Guang, making him shiver. He hurriedly said, "Thank you, Senior Sister, for saving me. I hope I can repay you."
Hearing that, she sneered. "With what will you repay me?"
After hearing that, Ri Guang could only fall silent.
He had heard that Senior Sister LanYue had reached Qi Refining, Stage 9, only a few steps away from Foundation Establishment.
Many people even said that as long as LanYue and Senior Brother Lee Dual Cultivated together, she would surely Breakthrough quickly and reach Foundation Establishment.
As for Ri Guang, he was no different from an ordinary person, so what could he use to repay LanYue?
Kleng!
While Ri Guang was thinking, suddenly, the harsh sound of metal striking the ground rang out, cutting through his thoughts.
LanYue, like a puppet, took step after step toward Ri Guang, crying as she spoke, "My Cultivation Partner is dead, killed by my own hands. Ri Guang, do you think I can still live after this?"
Ri Guang was startled upon hearing that, suddenly remembering the rules of the Hehuan Sect.
Even though this Sect's name sounded chaotic, the rules here were fairly strict. If one dared to kill their Cultivation Partner, they would definitely be punished. At the very least, their Cultivation would be crippled and they would be expelled from the sect. At worst, they would be hung in the plaza and whipped to death.
Because of that, LanYue was sure to meet a very miserable end.
She forced out a bitter smile as she walked up to Ri Guang, her tears falling onto his body, making him tremble.
"Ri Guang, am I... beautiful?" LanYue suddenly asked.
Ri Guang flinched at that, but still took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay calm as he said, "Beautiful! Senior Sister, among all the girls I've met, you are the most beautiful."
Hearing that, LanYue gave a bitter smile, then asked again, "How am I beautiful?"
Ri Guang grit his teeth and began to speak. "Senior Sister, your skin is white as snow, your eyes are like an icy lake, and your body is incredibly seductive too, especially your legs and your breasts, they make me keep looking, unable to move my eyes elsewhere."
Hearing that, LanYue laughed. "Hahaha... Ri Guang, you're really stupid."
Ri Guang did not dare breathe too hard, like a criminal waiting for a verdict from a judge. And that judge was LanYue.
She suddenly removed the storage ring from her index finger, then placed it into his hand, smiling as she said, "Ri Guang, you're very honest. While you were here, you always made me feel happy, so I hope you can keep living."
"This is all my property. Take it and go, leave the Hehuan Sect, and don't come back."
Ri Guang held the storage ring in his hand, his mind instantly in chaos, not knowing what to say.
LanYue stroked his face and smiled. "Thank you. The dishes you cooked were truly delicious."
After saying that, LanYue lowered her head and sat there without moving, tears continuously falling onto the cold floor.
Only then did Ri Guang come back to his senses. With the storage ring in his hand, he hurriedly stood up and ran toward the door.
But... when he reached the door, he suddenly stopped. His gaze swept over the beautiful yet utterly lonely back in the room, along with Senior Brother Lee's corpse lying on the floor.
Ri Guang clenched the ring in his hand, took a deep breath, and cursed inwardly, 'Motherfucker! Even if I leave this place, I won't live long anyway. Then... I'll gamble once. Even if I die, I'll die in a beauty's arms.'
As if he had made his decision, he gently closed the door, then walked over to LanYue.
Seeing Ri Guang return, LanYue was startled. She lifted her head to look at him, her eyes full of confusion. "Why haven't you left yet?"
Ri Guang grabbed LanYue's shoulders with both hands and said firmly, "Senior Sister, I like you."
"Eh?!" LanYue jolted at those words.
Before she could say anything, he continued, "I like you, so I won't run. I'll face this with you."
LanYue's lips trembled, but then she shook her head and said, "Don't do this. Ri Guang, this has nothing to do with you. Go, quickly!"
"No!" Ri Guang grit his teeth. "Senior Sister, there's another sect rule, that is... if someone dies because of fighting over a Cultivation Partner, it won't be pursued."
LanYue was somewhat surprised upon hearing that. The sect rules did indeed have such a clause. It's just that... in this place, choosing a Cultivation Partner depended on looks and aptitude, so that kind of thing almost never happened, and she had forgotten there was such a rule.
Ri Guang laughed and said, "Senior Brother Lee was killed by me. I want to steal his Cultivation Partner."
LanYue trembled, and her tears poured out even more.
He continued, "Senior Sister LanYue, do you agree to let me steal you, to make you my Cultivation Partner?"
After saying that, he felt incredibly relieved. His heart, which had been pounding like crazy from fear and anxiety, gradually calmed a little, as if the burden he had carried for so long was no longer there.
In truth, of course he liked LanYue. After all, she was very beautiful. Every time he saw her, he was bewitched by her looks. But back then, he knew he was just an ordinary person. How could he possibly make her notice him?
Besides, at that time she was Senior Brother Lee's Cultivation Partner. Yet when he saw her sadness, he always did everything he could to make her feel happier.
Perhaps because of that, she also had a bit of goodwill toward him.
But now, he did not want to keep being afraid, anxious, or cowardly. So what if he died? He had already died in that fire back then.
Now he was alive, but in this world of cultivation, without aptitude he was nothing more than an ant to be trampled underfoot.
Then he'd gamble once. If he could have a beauty, he'd die happy.
Seeing Ri Guang's serious expression, a wondrous warmth suddenly rose in LanYue's heart, along with a feeling of anticipation.
"I... I..." LanYue, who had just killed Senior Brother Lee without the slightest hesitation, now stammered, shy to the point of being adorable.
"Ri Guang..." LanYue suddenly asked, "You... you won't abandon me, right?"
Ri Guang smiled. "Of course not. You're this beautiful, why would I abandon you?"
"Huh!" LanYue smiled, her index finger lightly tapping his forehead as she said gently, "Then... I agree to let you steal me away, to become your Cultivation Partner."
"Senior Sister..." Ri Guang looked at LanYue's face, flushed pink with shyness, and it felt like he could no longer restrain himself.
LanYue also looked at him, her moist eyes half-closing, her head tilting slightly up. At this moment, Ri Guang knew exactly what he needed to do.
He lowered his head and kissed those soft red lips. A warm sensation enveloped his mouth, and the fragrance on LanYue's body surged into his nose, making him gradually lose control.
The moment their lips touched, a mechanical voice that he wanted to hear even in his dreams rang out.
[Ding! Congratulations, you have successfully activated the Rebate System.]