"Y-you want me to teach you Forest Dance," I asked, blushing hard.

"Yes, is there a problem," she asked, not bothering to hide her amusement. In that moment, I finally felt like I was dealing with another bored housewife, teasing her young personal trainer, rather than the impassive and proud Queen.

I didn't answer immediately and avoided her gaze. "F-forest dance requires me to see your movements clearly…" I said, exaggerating my shyness.

"So?" she asked, deliberately acting obtuse like she didn't understand what I was driving at. Of course, that was her plan all along in disguising her talent. As, the weaker the talent, the more direct help they would need … meaning far more physical closeness.

"Y-you need to wear something other than your robes. Something … something with less fabric."

"I see," she said loudly, like she had just realized that. "But for the safety of my Queen, it's acceptable." Then, her gaze tightened. "As long as you keep that a secret, of course."

I nodded seriously. "I promise on my honor and my life," I declared, this time completely honest. I was never one to kiss and tell … not to mention, with her identity, it wouldn't end well for me.

"Good, follow me," she said, leading me to a large room on the first floor. It was completely empty and had a wooden floor, likely designed as a training room originally as well. Also, it was fleshly cleaned, showing that she had planned it.

"Wait here, while I go and change," she said.

I suspected the lack of windows was one of the reasons she picked it. The only thing that was lacking was a mirror to control the form, but I decided not to fix it for the moment and waited for her return. And, once it became apparent that she would take a while to arrive, I started practicing.

I wanted to look my best.

And, practicing slowly as I did so, alternating between Forest Dance and Black Tiger Onslaught, the latter just enough to speed up my blood. She clearly liked seeing me with a wild edge, and its clear wild impact would give me an excuse to be more forward.

Though, there was also a strategic reason for it. I didn't like its emotional effect, but there was no arguing about its potential. Getting used to it was the best choice.

I practiced for an hour as I waited for the Queen to arrive. Then, she arrived, the view enough to make the wait worth it.

Her veil was still on, but she had applied a fresh set of makeup, her beautiful blue eyes turning even more striking. More, importantly, the veil was the only thing that stayed the same.

Her robe was gone, replaced by a soft, flowing shirt that went low enough to cover her hips, yet thin enough to show her body underneath. And, what a body it was. She was curvy, even soft, the kind that could be dismissed easily as not a threat, something that even Elsana didn't have.

Her cultivation was like a hidden blade, dangerous, but not visible.

But, I ignored the battle implications of that as I let my gaze dip down, taking note of what she wore underneath. A thin, stretchy fabric, not entirely unlike yoga pants, except for the plastic vision. I didn't know the name of the material, nor did I care. I was more interested in how it would feel for my touch.

The fact that the whole outfit was pure white somehow made it even more alluring.

She was beautiful, and if it wasn't for my casual familiarity with the female form, I would have lost myself in her allure. However, I still froze, giving her that exact impression. Her face was covered, but there was no hiding her satisfaction.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

Of course, technically, she was married. To the King, even, but I felt absolutely no twinge of guilt. He should have thought about that before exiling her wife.

"Is this a part of the training? Trying to understand the shape of my muscles?" she teased.

"I … sorry. I was just …" I said before shaking my head, though it was hardly an exaggeration. She truly looked spectacular. "We can start if you're ready. Walk into the middle of the room," I said. "Let's start with teaching the form first."

"I hope I won't disappoint you. I never practiced martial arts before," she said with a throaty voice. An absurd statement, considering she was already in the Advanced Bone Forging realm. I might have helped, but she was still the one who broke through multiple minor realms on her own.

"Let's start with something simple. The stance," I said, showing it several times, only for her to get wrong every single time. "No, not like that," I corrected again, then paused, forcing a blush once again. "I … I think I need to show it differently."

"Oh, what do you have in mind," she asked.

"Umm, actually … it's a bit forward, but it might help if … you touch my back muscles while I take the stance. It's where you are making the mistake," I said.

"Oh, is this the best way?" she said, teasing. What she was talking about was that it was better for me to show directly. I blushed but didn't answer, once again playing the shy victim, aware that the only way it worked was to make sure she always had the lead. "Very well," she said as she smiled, and closed in the distance. "Show me."

"A-alright," I said as I started showing the basic stance, immediately starting to do a poor job the moment her hands touched my back. I didn't need to fake my quickening heartbeat. Her presence was exciting enough already.

Her hand danced along my spine gently, her nails sharp enough to make me shiver. For me, the biggest challenge was to keep playing rather than turning back and teaching her a different way. She said nothing for several minutes, caressing my back again and again, while I blushed more and more.

"I … I think it should be enough," I whispered throatily. "Why … why don't you show me exactly what you learned?"

"Already," she said with a smirk. "Maybe I should stretch some first," she said as she raised her arms up for the first time, which rode her shirt up, giving me a glimpse of her hips clad in tight slacks … she was a Queen indeed.

"I think I'm warm enough — I mean, you have warmed up already," I said, rapidly correcting my words. She was amused by the slip.

Predictably, she failed her stance … very creatively. There was actually no way for me to explain her mistake without ten minutes of explaining, or touching her directly. She was baiting to touch me.

Well, or showing directly.

It was time to escalate the game a bit. "I think it'll be challenging to explain it directly. I know it's inappropriate, but may I touch your back. It'll be easier to explain," I said.

She said nothing but just nodded. I couldn't help but wonder about just how beautiful her seductive smile was under that veil. I approached her from behind and put only a gentle, hesitant finger on her back. A little disappointing … at first, before my finger started moving, applying the full benefits of my incredible massage skill.

The shocked moan she let out was beautiful. She must have been deprived of a touch even longer than I expected. "I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" I asked, acting concerned to give her an excuse.

"A … a bit," she said, for once, actually shy, but she recovered quickly. "But don't worry. I'm a cultivator. A little pain is nothing to me."

"Good. Because I could finally see the reason for the problem. It's two-fold. Your back muscles are tense, preventing you from taking the stance you want … and also you're focusing on the moves too much."

"Oh, what do you have in mind?" she said.

"For a start, this," I said as I moved to her back, and started massaging. I didn't use any essence, but my ordinary massage abilities were even more effective, considering it was less about solving problems and more about keeping her … happy. As I worked on her shoulders, she let out a beautiful gasp. "It doesn't hurt, does it?" I asked.

"I can handle a little pain," she said quickly. Far too quickly. "So, what's the second part?" she added.

"We're going to keep your mind occupied while I work on your back to prevent you from getting too conscious about what was going on. "What do you say about combining our lessons. You can continue teaching me more about cultivation while I teach you about martial arts," I suggested.

"Yes," she accepted immediately, which wasn't a surprise. After all, from her perspective, it would only result in an inferior class.

For me, it represented the hope of delving deeper into the mysteries of the cultivation, supported by higher multipliers.

Not to mention, subtle but aggressive flirting with a very sexy woman.

What was there not to like.

Our mixed class lasted four hours, and when she finally called an end, I looked at the results with glee.

[Cultivation Difference Bonus - 30; Pampering Bonus - 55 (Capped)]

[85x Return - Thousand Petals Meditation Technique Lesson, Perfection - Minor Immersion]

[85x Return - Thousand Petals Gate Transformation Technique - Beginner]

[85x Return - Verdant Brush Talisman Technique Lesson, Minor Familiarity - Major Familiarity]

[85x Return - Cleansing Talisman Schematic, Profound Peak-Grade]

[85x Return - Palm of Verdant Cleansing - Beginner]