No Way, Senior Sister Chu Xuan, You're Even Peeping at This

Chu Xuan carried Mu Yuling's verbal decree, so the disciples guarding the treasure vault did not stop her.

Upon entering the vault, Li Chuan had originally intended to select a protective robe. Among artifacts of the same quality and function, robes were generally the most expensive—after all, they concerned one’s life, and they required the most materials to craft. Choosing a robe would have been the most cost-effective option.

But when his gaze fell upon a first-tier spirit hoe, he changed his mind.

"I’ll take this hoe," he said, holding the tool.

Chu Xuan looked surprised. "Are you sure, Junior Brother?"

Functional artifacts like spirit hoes were rarely used. After all, the spiritual plants that required such tools were either extremely precious or lethally toxic—neither of which were commonly encountered.

But the main reason was that functional artifacts were complicated to refine, making them expensive and impractical. Those who used them were often seen as fools wasting their resources.

Li Chuan nodded. "Yes, this one. Senior Sister might not know, but lately, I’ve become fascinated with spiritual plants. I’ve been worried that if I ever came across a rare specimen, I wouldn’t have the right tools to harvest it properly, risking severe damage. With this, I won’t have to worry anymore."

Hearing this, Chu Xuan couldn’t help but chuckle. "When I first started cultivating, I was just like you, Junior Brother—full of wild dreams. But to this day, I’ve never stumbled upon such a windfall."

Rare spiritual plants weren’t so easily found. Shaking her head, Chu Xuan left the vault with Li Chuan.

Once outside, she said to him, "Junior Brother Li Chuan, if you ever face any difficulties in the sect, you can come to Elder Peak Seven to find us. We’ll help if we can."

Normally, they would have parted ways after this, but unexpectedly, Li Chuan replied, "Actually, Junior Brother does have a small favor to ask of Senior Sister."

"Oh? Go ahead."

"Please follow me, Senior Sister."

......

For cultivators, dual cultivation didn’t always require stripping naked and practicing together. In truth, they found it troublesome, so most of the time, partners simply meditated side by side, forming a shared spiritual energy field between them.

Some couples had even spent centuries together without ever engaging in physical intimacy.

Of course, Chu Mengyou and Zhao Bingqian were definitely not one of those couples.

But yesterday, Chu Mengyou had expended a great deal of energy. She wasn’t in the mood for dual cultivation, let alone anything more intimate.

She and Zhao Bingqian sat cross-legged on the bed, each cultivating on their own.

Then, their door was suddenly knocked upon.

Both opened their eyes at the same time. Zhao Bingqian scowled. "Who would come looking for us so late at night?"

When Li Chuan’s voice sounded from outside, Zhao Bingqian’s temper flared instantly.

"Senior Sister, are you there?"

Chu Mengyou’s expression also darkened. Yesterday, Li Chuan had said he would come to see her in the morning—but dawn hadn’t even broken yet.

Was his addiction really this bad?

With a sharp creak, Zhao Bingqian yanked the door open. Under the dim moonlight, Li Chuan stood at the threshold with a lecherous grin.

"What do you want now?" Zhao Bingqian glared coldly at him.

No one would be in a good mood if their partner was sought out in the dead of night.

The only reason Zhao Bingqian hadn’t struck Li Chuan yet was because he remembered Chu Mengyou’s words from the previous day—he was holding back.

"Senior Brother Zhao." Li Chuan pointed toward the sky behind him. "Senior Sister Chu Xuan from Elder Peak Seven is looking for a few junior sisters to help with something. I came to see if Senior Sister Mengyou has time."

Zhao Bingqian followed Li Chuan’s finger and saw Chu Xuan hovering in the distance on her flying sword, her demeanor cold and aloof. He quickly bowed in respect, and Chu Xuan gave a slight nod in return.

He had assumed Li Chuan was the one seeking Chu Mengyou—not a disciple of the Seventh Elder.

Zhao Bingqian turned back to look at his partner. Chu Mengyou had already risen from the bed and was walking over gracefully.

"If Senior Sister Chu Xuan needs my help, of course I have time," she said softly.

"In that case, Senior Sister, come with me. Senior Brother Zhao, farewell." Without wasting words, Li Chuan took Chu Mengyou away after a brief farewell to Zhao Bingqian.

Zhao Bingqian watched as the two mounted their swords and flew off to join Chu Xuan in the distance. His mind began to stir with thoughts.

"Who would’ve thought this guy managed to cozy up to Senior Sister Chu Xuan? If I could use him to get closer to her and join Elder Peak Seven, that would be ideal."

Elder Peak Seven wasn’t solely composed of Mu Yuling’s disciples—it also housed many inner sect members.

Being part of Elder Peak Seven was undoubtedly better than remaining an ordinary inner disciple. No wonder Zhao Bingqian entertained such thoughts.

What he didn’t know was that Chu Xuan wasn’t the one who needed Chu Mengyou’s help.

The one who wanted her was Li Chuan.

Once they vanished from Zhao Bingqian’s sight, Li Chuan suddenly rushed to Chu Mengyou’s side, sweeping her up in a bridal carry.

"Ah! Junior Brother Li, what are you doing?" Caught off guard, Chu Mengyou was momentarily stunned.

But Li Chuan simply held her, called out a quick "Thank you for the help, Senior Sister Chu Xuan!" to the bewildered onlooker, and flew off in the opposite direction without another word.

Chu Xuan was equally confused.

Earlier, Li Chuan had only asked her to act as a background presence—to wait in the air without explanation.

She had been about to ask why he needed Chu Mengyou in the middle of the night when he suddenly ran off with her in his arms.

"This guy… he couldn’t be…" Quickly, Chu Xuan pulled out a bronze mirror. With a flick of her fingers, an incantation activated it, and two figures immediately appeared on its surface.

Li Chuan and Chu Mengyou.

As a cultivator with a penchant for gossip, how could she not have a few spying tools at her disposal?

While others refined artifacts for attack, defense, or survival, she had gone ahead and crafted one purely for eavesdropping.

"Junior Brother, didn’t you say Senior Sister Chu Xuan needed my help?" Chu Mengyou’s voice came through the mirror.

Chu Xuan watched as Li Chuan landed on a tree with Chu Mengyou, placed a handful of spirit stones in her palm, and declared, "I had to say that to get you out. Senior Sister, take these stones. From now on, you’re mine."

Once Chu Mengyou accepted the stones, he began undoing her belt.

Chu Mengyou feigned annoyance. "You said morning. Why change it to midnight?"

Li Chuan growled, "Blame the Seventh Elder—she was just too damn tempting."

"Ah? What about the Seventh Elder? I’ve met her a few times—she seemed normal."

"Who knows? But when I saw her earlier, she was dressed provocatively. You wouldn’t believe—"

As Li Chuan proceeded to describe Mu Yuling in vulgar terms, Chu Xuan’s eyes widened. "How dare he call Master ‘tempting’? If she heard this, he’d suffer for it."

"Typical of someone from the outside world—still stuck in vulgar perspectives. Master’s style is about freedom, about embracing one’s true self. Understand? Besides, she does it to temper the mental fortitude of the male disciples on Elder Peak Seven."

"The stronger a cultivator’s heart, the less they care about others’ opinions."

"You little pervert, losing your composure after just a few glances—your mental discipline needs work."

"Tsk. What else can I expect from a mere third-level Qi Refining novice?"

Chu Xuan watched with great interest while making mental notes about Li Chuan’s antics, when suddenly, her brows furrowed.

"That guy just gave Chu Mengyou 50 spirit stones."

"Is Chu Mengyou that cheap?!"

"Are spirit stones so hard to earn in the outer sect now? Or is she just doing this to temper her mind?"

"But her mental fortitude is far beyond other Qi Refinement disciples—how can she endure such a sleazy old man?"

"Still, I should mention her to Master. With this level of composure, her future achievements will surely be remarkable."

As Chu Xuan was assessing the situation, Li Chuan’s voice rang out from the bronze mirror, commenting on her: "And that Chu Xuan—dresses pretty provocatively too."

???