As they were discussing that important issue, Hua Fenfei came back with Feng Yingyue and Mei Hua. The two of them were respectively the direct disciples of Spirit Master Hua and Spirit Master Xiao. As such, they were obviously among the representatives of the Golden Flowery Fragrance Institute. Xue Gulin, the third and last one, was not in the residence right now.

Talking about Xue Gulin, Xiao Xuefeng had a few words of warning for Cao Yun about him. As she felt the return of his sister and his Dao companion, she decided to cut the conversation short and to warn him right now.

"You should know that Xue Gulin is Xue Rui's older brother. When he learned the news about his brother's demise, he was devastated. As much as he tried to deny it, I'm convinced that he holds you responsible somehow. He heard enough from his family to know that you were involved. And he doesn't seem to accept the fact that his brother was under the influence of a demonic cultivator. Besides, the investigation around Zhong Ling's torment has raised many problems within the Xue family. In order to protect their name, they had no problem putting as much blame as possible on the dead, Xue Rui included.

"Besides, this Xue Gulin used to court Feng Yingyue. As he wouldn't stop by himself, Feng Yingyue was forced to make it crystal clear to him that she wasn't interested. My sister even personally made sure that he had fully understood her message. Since then he calmed down of course. However, I do not think he changed his views on Feng Yingyue, not even knowing that she had an affair with the current Wubei Sect's Young Sect Master. Although I would have liked to choose someone else, he was indeed the most talented alchemist after Feng Yingyue and Mei Hua. Since he never disobeyed our orders, we couldn't punish him for no reason. That being said, you should be careful around that man. I don't trust him at all."

"I understand. And I appreciate your advice, Spirit Master."

"Good. Now get out there and meet with your sister and your woman."

Of course, Xiao Xuefeng could see the tension in Cao Yun when Feng Yingyue had been mentioned. It was quite obvious that he was nervous about seeing her again. However, he had to see her at some point. Finally, he would have his answer. Walking out of Xiao Xuefeng's chambers, he went toward the main lobby where the two women were.

The first thing he saw was Feng Yingyue's fiery hair. She was taller than in his memories. Her clothes were thin enough that he could imagine her muscles underneath. Although she had spent most of her time on alchemy, he could tell she had still trained and tempered her body as well. His knowledge of martial arts told him that she was very well trained but lacked actual combat experience. Apart from the practical aspect, those toned muscles made her look even more elegant. She wasn't too muscular since she had devoted most of her time to alchemy, but it made her shape breathtaking.

And when she sensed Cao Yun's gaze on her back, she turned toward him. Then, he saw the two emeralds shining in her eyes. With a bit more maturity, her face looked ever more splendid. By looking at her, Cao Yun could still see the young shy girl he had met, but she had turned into a resplendent young woman. In her eyes, there was now a certainty and a deep resolve. However, he could only see the eyes of the young girl he had saved in the woods. His heart began to beat faster as the images of their first and last night together resurfaced in his mind. Dian Mo was also looking at the scene and was amused by all the emotions going through Cao Yun's mind at the moment.

Now he was certain. His feelings toward Feng Yingyue had not been mere infatuation caused by the extreme emotions of the moment. Just by looking at her eyes, he couldn't bare to stay away from her for an instant more. He needed to hold her, to feel her. And in those eyes, he saw the same thing from Feng Yingyue.

She too had been in doubts. After all, she had met Cao Yun while her life had been in danger and he had saved her. They had shared one night together before not seeing each other for five whole years. Of course she doubted whether they would still feel the same thing toward one another. For no moment did she doubt that Cao Yun would stay faithful, but she had doubts about his true feelings and hers. Now the two of them seemed to have found their answer even without speaking a single word.

Mei Hua, Kang Cai, Kang Hai and Hua Fenfei were all watching the scene without knowing what to say. Mei Hua wanted to talk with her brother but didn't dare disturb the reunion between her senior sister and her sworn brother. On the other hand, Hua Fenfei had some things to say to Mei Hua, but she knew it wasn't the right moment. Besides, if Cao Yun was here, he had probably talked with her sister. Instead of waiting for Feng Yingyue to come back to reality, she should go to Xiao Xuefeng to converse about Cao Yun's information.

As all the women were deciding on what to do next and didn't want to disturb Cao Yun and Feng Yingyue's moment, another voice disagreed. Once again, it was Song Guixiang. The fat alchemist cleared his throat and talked toward Cao Yun.

"Brother, I am sure that sister Feng would love to 'chat' with you about what you both experienced during the five years you were away. I would advise you to go to the last room in the pavilion. It's isolated enough that no one will hear your 'conversation'."

As he spoke, Hua Fenfei's eyes were shooting daggers at her plump disciple. But she knew him enough to know that he meant no harm. In fact, he was certain that he was helping out. As it turned out, Cao Yun and Feng Yingyue actually listened to his advice and went toward the most isolated room of the pavilion. Everyone was a bit embarrassed because they could imagine what their 'conversation' would be. In fact, Song Guixiang was quite proud of himself and had a large grin on his face.

"Way to go, brother!"

That was when he saw his master's glare.

"Couldn't you be any less subtle next time?!"

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"Master, there's nothing wrong about what I said. Isn't it normal for Dao companion who were separated for so long to want to retire into a room alone?!"

"And isn't it normal not to try to embarrass everyone around you when you speak?!"

"What do you mean? I only told them to have a deep conversation. What did you imagine, Master?"

The more he spoke, the more Kang Cai and Kang Hai's faces turned red.

"Enough of you! I forbid you from leaving your chambers for the entire week, and no more wine."

"But... Master, I didn't do anything wrong..."

"You should learn propriety. Some matters are better left to imagination than so brazenly talked about. Learn to mind your words with more tact."

-

While all the women imagined the passion between Cao Yun and Feng Yingyue, they actually did talk. But Song Guixiang had made some modifications in this room. There was no furniture but a large bed. As such, they were sitting on the side of the bed with a bit of space between them.

"I'm sorry I couldn't send more letters in the previous years."

"I was actually training in seclusion anyway. I've spent twenty months in the Hall of Poison and Cure before being chosen as the first representative of my Golden Flowery Fragrance Institute."

"Did you receive my letter about City Lord Dun Mofan? I know he was good to you..."

"Yes, I did. And it did affect me a little. But I also heard that you risked quite a lot to protect Yinmen City. In your letter, you blamed yourself as that demonic beast had attacked Yinmen City because of your presence. However, I fail to see how it is your fault. Demonic cultivators attacked everywhere. Without you and your brothers there, it is impossible to know how many victims there would have been. You shouldn't blame yourself for the actions of your enemies."

...

"I can see that your mind cultivation has exceeded mine."

"Indeed, but I've focused much more time on it than you did."

"Even sister Mei didn't reach such a level. In fact, she didn't even subdued the first aspect of her Po."

"Well, to be honest, sister Mei has more trauma than even you do. You're not the only one with a difficult past. But unlike her, your family loved you and tried to protect you. Mei Hua was forced to turn against her own flesh and blood to save her sister, this is not an easy thing to get over. But I do think that she should be able to overcome this pain in the foreseeable future. In fact, it's turning into more of a strength than a weakness recently. As her younger daughter grows up, she's also able to detach herself from her worries. And it's partly thanks to you, Mei Ying has become quite proficient with the spear. But her sister will talk better about that. Besides, I'd like to focus about us right now."

As they kept talking, they were getting closer to each other, close enough to feel the breathe of the other on their skin.

"Us? Indeed, I want to hear more about what happened to you in those five years."

"Very little, in fact. After all, I've mostly studied in seclusion. Even when the demonic beasts attacked, I didn't see much action. For a time I tried to work hard on martial arts but to be honest, this isn't my thing at all."

"I can see that you didn't neglect your body though."

Slowly, Cao Yun began to touch Feng Yingyue's arm. Her muscles twitched a little and her skin shivered. Through his enhanced senses, Cao Yun could feel all of Feng Yingyue's reactions and so could she. Her muscles were not too visible but they were perfect. If she had wanted to be a fighter, she could have. However, she was only interested in alchemy. As such, she was probably even better than Cao Yun right now. He had almost no doubt that she could win the Alchemy Conference even though he had not met all the other contestants. To be fair, she had been chosen as the first representative of the biggest alchemy institute of the entire Hongchen Kingdom.

"And you seemed to have reached new heights in many domains. I believe that even my master can't see through all your secrets."

Feng Yingyue kissed Cao Yun and the two of them lost themselves in their embrace. Their passion took over. Cao Yun had one last ounce of self-control. Within his sea of consciousness, Dian Mo could see and feel everything the young man could. However, he simply couldn't accept to share those intimate moments. They were solely between him and his companion. Thus, Cao Yun used his two double hours to block Dian Mo's window on the outside world. When he thought about it, two double hours might not be sufficient. Thankfully though, Dian Mo decided to be correct and simply didn't look even when the time was up. Instead, he read some poems Cao Yun had given him.

Qi, Shen and Jing circulated between the two of them. What began out of pure impulses slowly turned into a form of dual cultivation. Nothing was planned or thought beforehand, it just happened. As their bodies melded into one, so did their senses and their minds. Their very souls were acting together with one another. And with all of that, their beings seemed to form one whole. Between them, many things circulated as they were lost in their emotions and sensations.

Such passion was very positive for Qi cultivation but also blood cultivation and even mind cultivation. That was why dual cultivation was seen as a noble activity, increasing the importance that cultivators placed on Dao companions. Being someone's Dao companion was sometimes viewed as even stronger as being someone's spouse. Cao Yun and Feng Yingyue had used the term when they were younger and didn't necessarily understood everything it entailed. But in that moment where they were one, they truly desired the level of intimacy that was hidden behind this term.

Cao Yun couldn't imagine himself with another woman as he was with Feng Yingyue at that moment.

Slowly, they started to practice the 'Dance of the White Mountains'. This was a very sensual dual cultivation that was best practiced between two partners of the same cultivation level. Right now, Cao Yun was a bit stronger than her, but not by much. As such, she would probably gain more than him, but they would both earn a lot of benefits anyway. Besides, they clearly had no intention of only cultivating together once. They would cultivate as much as they could...

Their first reunion literally lasted three days. If there was no Alchemy Conference, they could have continued on and on. After all, cultivators of their level could refrain from drinking, eating and sleeping for extended periods of time. Besides, they had impressive stamina that no mortal could rival.

During those three days, Song Guixiang controlled himself but he had many things he wanted to say. Unfortunately for him, he was surrounded by women. Maybe he would ask some details to his brother Chen Guo once he was done. He might even give him some advice. But he knew better than to go to Feng Yingyue with them. Otherwise, their mutual master would learn of it and punish him again. According to her, he had to learn to respect a young lady's privacy.

Apart from dual cultivating, Cao Yun and Feng Yingyue also talked a lot about what had happened to them. Cao Yun even wrote a poem to his lover and their embrace became even more ardent.