The Aftereffect of Aged Wine, the Gazebo is the Safe House

Ten minutes later.

In the pavilion of the backyard.

"Gulp, gulp..."

"Gulp, gulp..."

Shen Buyao held a freshly opened large wine jar, downing it boldly in big gulps.

Lin Yu sat in the pavilion, not rushing to urge her.

He was quite curious to see just how much alcohol Shen Buyao could handle.

A girl chugging directly from a wine jar like this was definitely a rare sight!

Arriving at the pavilion,

the cool breeze from the mountain courtyard brushed past.

Shen Buyao’s nerves tightened again.

Lin Yu, of course, had ways to ease her into the right state gradually.

But before he could even begin,

Shen Buyao had already taken matters into her own hands, coming up with a "brilliant idea"!

She invoked an ancient saying:

"If the woman doesn’t get drunk, the man gets no chance!"

The aged liquor stored in the Shen family estate was notoriously strong.

Lin Yu didn’t drink any,

but even just sitting by the pavilion and smelling it, he could feel its sharp, pungent burn.

"Almost there... Lin Yu."

"Just a few more minutes... I’m starting to feel dizzy..."

Shen Buyao kept chugging while reassuring Lin Yu.

When she first arrived at the pavilion,

she had mentally scolded herself for a while.

In the room, she’d been fine.

Why was she faltering now?

Was it because the failed scenarios from her dreams had left a negative impression?

Whatever the reason,

Shen Buyao was convinced that if she drank enough, she’d finally let go completely.

She knew her own drinking habits all too well!

A few more minutes passed.

Plop!

The wine jar flew straight into the stream.

"Hic~"

Shen Buyao staggered toward Lin Yu, her steps unsteady.

Her body seemed drunk,

but her eyes still held a clear, lucid gaze.

"Ready?"

Lin Yu asked tentatively.

Swaying, Shen Buyao plopped down beside him and grumbled,

"I don’t know what’s wrong today."

"Did Grandpa’s wine go bad or something?"

"Feels like... I just drank a bellyful of water..."

Lin Yu wasn’t surprised.

Placing his hands on Shen Buyao’s shoulders, he said,

"It’s because your mind is restless, your nerves wound tight."

"I wanted to say something earlier, but you seemed so confident I didn’t stop you."

"I know a bit about massage therapy—maybe I can help you relax. Want to give it a try?"

If he had suggested this from the start,

Shen Buyao would likely have stubbornly kept drinking.

But now, seeing her frustrated and at a loss, it was the perfect time to step in.

For someone numbed by alcohol, a firmer touch was needed.

And in this regard,

Lin Yu was an absolute expert.

"Mmm..."

"Is there anything you can’t do, Lin Yu?"

The soothing pressure on her shoulders eased Shen Buyao’s tension slightly.

A few minutes later,

her body noticeably softened.

As her mind relaxed,

the delayed kick of the aged liquor began creeping in.

"Buyao, why don’t you lie down on the quilt?"

"It’ll be easier to work on your back’s meridians. Sitting like this isn’t ideal for massage."

"And... you’re practically leaning on me already."

This time,

Shen Buyao complied without resistance, letting Lin Yu guide her onto the quilt spread in the pavilion.

"The ground’s so hard..."

Even with the embroidered quilt beneath her,

the unyielding floor was impossible to ignore.

But harsh conditions

never hindered a true master’s performance!

Lin Yu gently loosened her silken garments, revealing the delicate curves of her back.

From the moment he arrived at the Shen estate,

he had been carefully crafting the perfect atmosphere.

Now, the long-awaited moment had finally arrived!

Shen Buyao rested her arms beneath her head,

her mind hovering between tipsy haze and sober awareness.

She could sense Lin Yu’s bold, daring movements.

Even after her light gauze and crimson skirt were shed,

his disrobing efforts didn’t stop.

But this time,

Shen Buyao didn’t resist at all.

From youthful innocence until now, after all these years...

she was finally experiencing this day!

......

In the man-made stream, elegant stones stood amidst the gentle flow.

A hawk from the courtyard skimmed the water, snatching fish,

its wings occasionally splashing with soft plip-plop sounds.

The once-pristine water, now churned muddy by the hawk’s repeated dives,

formed a scene so ethereal—one only Lin Yu could fully appreciate.

And now, it lay nestled within his broad embrace.

"Don’t move."

Lin Yu pressed Shen Buyao’s wrists down, keeping her still against the ground.

"I’m not... it’s not me..."

"It’s not that I want to move..."

Shen Buyao kept her hands raised,

then suddenly bit down on Lin Yu’s shoulder,

trying to counteract her body’s sudden hypersensitivity—a rare condition known as transient hyperesthetic tremor syndrome.

But such an affliction wasn’t so easily subdued.

The antique-loving sister’s teeth attack did no damage to Lin Yu’s ironclad physique.

Instead, it triggered his counterattack reflex!

His speed and intensity only escalated further.

......

Blossoms bloomed and fell; the stream’s ripples shimmered.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations, Host, for completing the "Twin Vows of Union" trial mission, successfully gaining a physically attuned Dao Companion!]

[Rewards: 200 Sect Contribution Points, 300 Spirit Stones.]

[Dao Companion’s Sect Identity: Elder of the Heavenly Artifice Pavilion, Hidden Vein of the Mystic Gate!]

[Reminder: With more Dao Companions, new reward categories have been added to the prize pool.]

[...]

[Ding!]

[Congratulations, Host, on your first physically attuned union with a Heavenly Artifice Pavilion Elder!]

[Dao Companion: Shen Buyao (Heavenly Artifice Pavilion Elder, Hidden Vein of the Mystic Gate)!]

[Rewards: 500 Sect Contribution Points, 2000 Spirit Stones, 1 free system store draw.]

[Bonus Attribute Skills: Artificer’s Eye, Unyielding Spirit.]

Boom...

As the second round commenced,

thunder rumbled across the sky, lightning flickering behind dark clouds—a storm was imminent.

Lin Yu knew the past few days had been rainy.

But what he knew even better was this:

Ten minutes ago, at the moment of soul-deep communion,

his [Weather Whisper] ability hadn’t detected this downpour.

To be precise,

it was the instant their souls merged that he sensed the approaching rain.

An esoteric storm!

"Lin Yu... th-thunder..."

"Should we... go back inside?"

Shen Buyao’s lips trembled softly as she gently sought Lin Yu’s opinion.

It was hard to imagine

the usually headstrong antique lover could be so tender.

But what she didn’t know was—

Lin Yu had already confirmed: this pavilion was the true safe haven!

Until the purple beast within him was fully unleashed,

there was no leaving this place!

"Alright, but... can I adjust a little?"

"My knees are... ah!"

Shen Buyao twisted her neck to glance pleadingly at Lin Yu.

......

(First update today! There’ll be a bonus chapter later tonight, though it might run late. Your support is the best motivation—keep the love flowing!)