For a moment, Jiang Su couldn't believe her ears. Her eyes widened, and a flush of pink crawled onto her pretty face. "Dual... Dual cultivation? With me?"
"Mm-hmm!"
Upon receiving Su Ci's confirmation, Jiang Su quickly turned her face away and snorted coldly. "If you want to cultivate, why don't you go find Miss Lan? If I'm not mistaken, Miss Lan is lying in your bed right now, isn't she?!"
Su Ci could detect a faint hint of jealousy in her words.
Feeling a bit guilty, she let out a light cough, grabbed Jiang Su's hand, and shook it. With a pleading look in her eyes, she changed the subject. "Sister Su, just try dual cultivation with me, okay? Please?"
Her voice was sweet and soft, making Jiang Su's bones feel weak. Especially those eyes, bright as the sun, made it impossible for her to say no.
Her thoughts drifted. The memory of the joyful chorus she had heard between Su Ci and Lan Wanting outside the bathroom earlier echoed in her ears, and her mind involuntarily conjured up an intimate image of the two.
For a moment, the air grew thick with a strange heat.
Gulp!
Jiang Su quietly swallowed. Through the collar of Su Ci's pajamas, she could see ambiguous marks on her fair skin.
Could she also leave a few marks behind?
Her head felt dizzy, and for a moment, she lost her bearings. "If... if that's what you want, it's... it's not impossible."
Seeing this, Su Ci kicked off her white slippers. "Then let's begin!"
But at that moment, Jiang Su stood up and walked out of the bedroom.
Su Ci thought Jiang Su was going to back out at the last minute.
It was understandable; she wanted to drag Jiang Su into dual cultivation.
This was like a pair of close best friends where one suddenly confesses to the other and sends an invitation for a private encounter—only a city-bred best friend wouldn't panic.
However, the reality was not as Su Ci imagined.
Jiang Su quietly stepped out of the room, cautious as a cat after cream. She poked her head out to check on Lan Wanting, who was fast asleep in Su Ci's bedroom.
Her heart was practically leaping out of her chest. Her mind was filled with the image of Su Ci inviting her to dual cultivate, and her breathing grew ragged.
As the saying goes, everyone has a love for beauty.
A beautiful woman's love for another beautiful woman is no less intense than a man's.
Moreover, this was the Young Mistress's command. As a subordinate, how could she disobey?
Thinking of this, Jiang Su's heart beat even faster, as if it were about to burst from her chest. For some reason, she felt that what they were about to do carried a unique kind of thrill.
The tables have turned, Lan Wanting; you're the incompetent wife now!
Jiang Su's finger lightly touched the doorknob, and she closed the door in one smooth motion. Only after hearing the faint click of the door did she breathe a sigh of relief.
Returning to the door of her own room, Jiang Su stood against the shadows, looking around like a secret lover, terrified that an outsider might discover her scandalous dealings with the Young Mistress.
Closing the door with one hand, she couldn't wait to lift her clothes with the other. "Young Mistress, let's... let's begin!"
Her voice was trembling, as if she were only doing this under Su Ci's coercion.
She turned around only to see Su Ci sitting cross-legged on the bed, not moving at all.
Weren't they going to dual cultivate?
The time she spent going out should have been enough to undress; why was the Eldest Young Mistress still wearing her clothes?
Through the hem of the shirt Jiang Su had pulled up, her figure was fully revealed, giving Su Ci quite an eyeful.
Due to practicing martial arts since childhood, Jiang Su's skin was a healthy wheat color, and her muscle lines were tight and sharp. Her abdomen didn't have bulky muscles, but rather elegant, curved abdominal lines.
Su Ci patted the mattress, signaling Jiang Su to come over. "Sister Su seems very eager! Come sit first; I'll explain the key points to you."
Jiang Su instantly calmed down, lowered her clothes, and sat cross-legged in front of Su Ci.
Su Ci was right; one indeed had to master certain points and tricks in this regard. The positions and the amount of force were all very important. Moreover, she was a complete novice; if she made the Eldest Young Mistress uncomfortable, it would be her sin.
One definitely couldn't go in unprepared like a regular couple; even a slight mistake could lead to big problems.
Jiang Su listened intently, afraid of missing a single word Su Ci said.
Su Ci pretended not to notice her state and said solemnly, "This method of dual cultivation emphasizes the harmony of Yin and Yang. Everyone possesses Yin and Yang Qi, so dual cultivation is not limited to men and women. If one has a special physique, the speed of cultivation is even faster. As it happens, I have the Ciyang Physique, one of the many dual cultivation physiques."
That last sentence was no lie. While the system hadn't introduced the special effects of the Ciyang Physique, the 'Yin Yang Harmony Technique' listed a whole bunch of dual cultivation physiques, and the Ciyang Physique was among them.
"In a moment, I will transfer internal energy through one hand into your body. Then, relax your mind and let my internal energy flow into your meridians. Remember the path it takes, and then guide your own internal energy into my meridians following the same path, letting the energy form an internal cycle between our two bodies. That's about it."
Su Ci spoke with a straight face. "Depending on the contact area and the posture, the speed of cultivation varies. The larger the contact area, the faster the cultivation~."
She drew out the last syllable, and Jiang Su couldn't help but let her imagination run wild. She took a deep breath, lifted her head like a soldier facing a grim fate, and met Su Ci's gaze with determination. "Then let's begin!"
As she spoke, her hands reached for her clothes.
Unexpectedly, Su Ci grabbed Jiang Su's hands to stop her. Under Jiang Su's confused gaze, she explained, "No need to undress."
"No... no... no need to undress?" Jiang Su's brain stalled for a moment. She secretly marveled that the Young Mistress actually preferred the aesthetic of subtle mystery.
Warm and gentle internal energy was transmitted from Su Ci's left hand to Jiang Su's right. Su Ci's reminder echoed in her ear: "Sister Su, focus. I'm starting. Relax your mind and remember the sequence of the internal energy's movement through the meridians."
Feeling the surge of internal energy in her right hand, she noticed Su Ci made no further move.
Jiang Su finally realized that the 'dual cultivation' Su Ci meant was the mutual blending of internal energy. She no longer resisted Su Ci's energy flowing into her meridians. "So... it was this kind of dual cultivation."
Su Ci couldn't fail to hear the irrepressible disappointment in her voice. She said with an innocent face, "Otherwise, what kind of dual cultivation did Sister Su think it was?"
That pretty face was so pure and flawless that Jiang Su couldn't help but fall into self-doubt. Was it all just her own baseless imagination? Her ears burned as she said in panic, "No... nothing."
That made sense. How could the Eldest Young Mistress engage in that unspeakable kind of dual cultivation with her, a bodyguard? It was just a delusion after all.
She stole a glance at Su Ci, who had closed her eyes and was fully concentrated on the dual cultivation.
Jiang Su also silently closed her eyes, sensing the flow of internal energy through her meridians, and began transmitting her own energy into Su Ci's body in the same sequence.
Suddenly, a sentence from Su Ci almost made her lose her focus: "If Sister Su wants to do a different kind of dual cultivation with me, it's not impossible, but not right now."
Like rain after a long drought, Jiang Su snapped her eyes open. "Really?"
"Mm-hmm~"
"Then why not now?"
Receiving no answer from Su Ci, the long night fell into silence, leaving only the rhythmic sound of their breathing.
In Su Ci's heart, Lan Wanting, as one of Ye Chen's harem members, was one of the keys to escaping her scripted death. She could more or less release her desires without restraint or worry, mixing in a bit of sincerity with an exchange of interests.
On the other hand, Jiang Su had known the Original Owner for five long years.
Jiang Su's agreement to dual cultivate wasn't just about a moment of pleasure; it was also about her feelings for the Original Owner.
As an outsider to these emotions...
Su Ci could not, in good conscience, accept this transfer of affection onto herself in just half a day.
She was a human being, not a puppet controlled by desire.