Roof

After dinner, Li Shiyin took Qin Ran's hand and ran to the roof of the small wooden cabin. They sat side by side on the ridge, and she nestled against her master, gazing into the darkness of Dan Peak.

In the darkness of Dan Peak, there was the Sword Washing Lake she had dug bit by bit, and the trees her master had planted one by one along the lakeshore. The small creatures in Sword Washing Lake frolicked in the darkness, while the trees by the lake breathed in the spring breeze.

Looking at the thriving Dan Peak, Li Shiyin's heart was full of sweetness. This was what she and her master had built up little by little with their own hands.

Like birds building a nest, bringing twigs and grass one by one, they finally created a beautiful home.

At first, there was nothing. Now, they had everything.

"Master?" she called softly, leaning in his embrace.

"Hmm?" Her master's cheek pressed against her head, gently nuzzling her hair.

"Master?" she called again.

"What is it?"

"Master!"

Qin Ran lightly nudged the little troublemaker's head with his chin.

"Qin Ran?" Li Shiyin suddenly called out his name.

This direct use of his name made Qin Ran's heart tremble. He looked down and saw his silly disciple's eyes, bright even in the darkness. His silly disciple... Li Shiyin's eyes were brimming with infinite tenderness. He also saw Li Shiyin's pretty face flushed red.

She knew what it meant to call him by his name, and it took great courage.

It meant she had broken through that barrier, and they had come to an equal position - as a woman and a man, not as a disciple and master.

"Yes?" he responded, then lowered his head and gently touched her thin lips.

The spring night wind blew, bringing a hint of coolness, but when the two embraced, their body heat didn't dissipate into the spring breeze. Instead, it passed between them, making them both feel warm.

The world was cold, but they were warm.

And their lips were sweet, with the breeze carrying a hint of sweetness.

The most essential nutrient and energy source for the human body is sugar, and sugar is sweet. So sweetness is the most addictive taste for humans. It's ingrained in the soul, in the genes, impossible to quit.

People can't resist it; they can only enjoy the deadly delightful taste that sweetness brings.

So they kissed for a long, long time before their lips reluctantly parted. Even when their lips separated, their owners hadn't yet - they were still nuzzling each other.

Li Shiyin sat in Qin Ran's arms, her hands around his neck, her flushed cheek pressed against his ear and neck.

Despite her profound cultivation, she was left breathless by the kiss. Panting, she spoke lazily, her voice nasally and soft against Qin Ran's ear: "Master, I need to go into seclusion."

Qin Ran, eyes closed, inhaling the young girl's fragrance from Li Shiyin's jade-like neck and hair, heard this and slowly opened his eyes. He knew why she needed to go into seclusion.

"Are you going to form your Golden Core?" he asked.

"Mm-hmm."

"Do you need my help?" he asked again.

Li Shiyin suddenly remembered the day she became his disciple when her master told her not to worry about passing tribulations and to focus on improving her cultivation, saying he had ways to ensure her safety. At the time, she thought the young man with his innocent appearance was just boasting.

But after so many years, she knew what a big promise her master had made then. Her master had the ability to guarantee her safety during tribulations and had certainly made many preparations for it.

Thinking of her master's innocence, his hidden depths, and how the terrifying master was exceptionally attentive only to her, she giggled.

Laughing happily, she lowered her head and bit her master's shoulder. But unwilling to hurt him, she didn't leave teeth marks, only a wet spot from her saliva.

"I don't want your help at all!" she said coquettishly.

Her voice suddenly lowered, "Master, you've already helped me more than enough."

"You're my disciple. This is how a master treats his disciple!" Qin Ran said with a smile, inhaling the young girl's fresh scent.

"Is this really how you treat a disciple?" Li Shiyin asked teasingly, gently stroking Qin Ran's Adam's apple.

Qin Ran tickled her waist lightly and asked in return, "Is this how you show respect for your master?"

Li Shiyin, ticklish, laughed and squirmed in Qin Ran's arms until he stopped tickling her. Then, catching her breath, she said, "Hmph! I've always been a bad child, running wild and throwing my weight around in Danyang City. No one dared to mess with me. I've never cared about worldly etiquette."

She propped herself up with her soft body, puckered her lips, and gave Qin Ran's cheek a "mwah," asserting confidently, "This is how I show respect for my master!"

"As for you, Master..." She poked Qin Ran's left chest, drawing circles over his heart. Her eyes were alluring, and the corners of her mouth curved in a mischievous smile. "Why are you so naughty, daring to make a move on your own disciple? Not just making a move, but premeditated too."

Faced with this little vixen whose face was thicker than a city wall's corner and who was shamelessly unapologetic, Qin Ran naturally couldn't indulge her. He kissed her back and replied, "Your master is just that naughty. Don't you know how devious your master is?"

Li Shiyin hugged Qin Ran's neck, hanging on him, tilting her head to look into his eyes, and said with a wicked smile, "I really don't know."

It was maddening. They weren't even married or had consummated their relationship, yet this girl was already so good at teasing. Tonight, he had been on the back foot the whole time.

Qin Ran's eyes reddened a bit, and his breathing became heavier. But he only squeezed Li Shiyin's waist firmly and said in a hoarse voice, "After you finish your seclusion, Master will teach you."

With her waist squeezed, Li Shiyin collapsed softly, only to be embraced again by Qin Ran.

It was quite miraculous how Li Shiyin, despite being almost the same height as Qin Ran, could now, all soft and pliant, stuff herself entirely into Qin Ran's arms.

"I thought seducing Master would be difficult..." she laughed, "but I found out Master is also a bad guy. No need for seduction, he comes on his own."

"So you admit you're a bad girl?" he asked.

"I've always been bad, wanting to eat Master up in one bite!" she replied.

"Hmph! Who told you to be so beautiful?!" Qin Ran retorted, "If Master doesn't eat you up himself, what if some foolish boy tricks you away? Wouldn't I lose out big time?"

"Is that your reason for personally tricking your disciple?" she asked.

"No..." Qin Ran shook his head and said seriously, "It's the disciple who tricked me. I was a pure little Taoist cultivating alone in the deep mountains, and you, this evil little vixen from the mundane world, played with my feelings."

"Actually..." Li Shiyin corrected, "I was an innocent little flower just entering the world of cultivation, and you, the great demon of the cultivation world, schemed against me. Now I've fallen into the demonic path, trapped and unable to escape!"

"Poor me!" she finished, her eyes still twinkling with laughter as she started to cry, "Boo-hoo-hoo."

On the roof of the small wooden cabin, they gazed into the darkness, at the night sky where stars and moon were hidden, cuddling for quite a while.

"Regarding passing the tribulation, how confident are you?" Qin Ran asked, returning to serious matters.

"Hmm..." Li Shiyin pondered for a moment, then replied with a smile, "Ninety-eight percent!"

Qin Ran reached out to pinch the cheek of this little mischief-maker, laughing and scolding, "What ninety-eight percent nonsense! How did you calculate that?"

This girl might have some confidence in her abilities, but she absolutely had no understanding of the lightning tribulation.

"Ha!" Sure enough, the silly girl raised her chin proudly and said, "If even I can't pass the Golden Core tribulation, then there wouldn't be many in the entire cultivation world who could."

"Look how smug you are!" Qin Ran shook his head repeatedly.

"Don't worry, Master. Once I successfully form my Golden Core, my combat power will greatly increase. Passing the tribulation won't be a problem," Li Shiyin reassured him. "Then I can even help you catch a few lightning snakes to raise."

"Can lightning snakes be raised?" Qin Ran asked with a smile.

"Lightning snakes are still snakes. They can be raised, and they'll definitely be more obedient than Qi Qi."

"Qi Qi would bite you to death if she heard that," Qin Ran lowered his voice. "Qi Qi is the most petty. Watch what you say."

"Okay..." Li Shiyin also lowered her voice, "After we raise lightning snakes, let's throw Qi Qi away, okay? We won't want her anymore."

"Mm, whatever you say," Qin Ran nodded.

"Hahaha..." Li Shiyin found it amusing and burst into laughter.