Chapter 122: Senior… Senior Brother Can’t Dual Cultivate

Women often harbor a special sentiment for the man who claims their innocence. What was missing from Hua Biying’s Affection was precisely that final, intimate bond.

“No rush,” Li Meng murmured, taking a light sip of tea, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Slow and steady.”

Advancing a Tier 3 Sub-profession to Tier 4 required an astronomical amount of experience. Currently, Junior Sister Chen and Senior Sister Qu were maxed out on Affection, generating a steady two hundred experience points daily.

Li Meng mentally reviewed his Relationship List.

Raising a woman’s Affection wasn’t about waiting for fruit to fall from the tree. It required proactive contact. But mindless gift-giving? That was the path of a simp. A woman would accept the tribute as her due, her respect for the giver eroding with every handout.

No, to truly capture a heart, one had to first occupy a position in her life—even a negative one. As long as there was contact, Affection could be manipulated. A straight line of devotion was boring; it was the twisting, turning path of emotion that left them addicted, unable to extricate themselves.

In the following days, Li Meng settled back into his routine. By day, he forged artifacts and refined pills; by night, he cultivated.

Foundation Establishment disciples were, generally speaking, poor. Most lacked the connections to acquire high-grade materials or rare herbs, so Li Meng’s business was steady but slow—only three or four transactions a month.

Six months passed in quiet tranquility.

On Moon Gaze Peak, the door to the summit pavilion clicked open.

Li Meng stepped out, dressed in a simple yellow robe. He strolled down to the Spirit Herb Garden, inspecting his work.

“Growth is acceptable.”

He nodded in satisfaction at the vibrant tapestry of spirit herbs. The Five Elements Formation he had installed made the spiritual density here oppressive; standing in the garden felt like walking through a damp mist, a sign that the Qi was on the verge of liquefying. One year of growth here rivaled five in the wild.

He finished his inspection and turned back toward the courtyard.

“Senior Brother! Senior Brother!”

A soft voice called from the sky. A graceful figure descended on a flying sword, landing light as a feather in the courtyard.

It was Yao Ning, unseen for half a year.

Li Meng smiled, his expression welcoming. “Junior Sister Yao. What brings you to visit this humble peak today?”

She had changed. Her black brocade martial attire remained the same, but her hair was now pulled back in a high ponytail, giving her a sharper, more heroic air. Her figure had filled out, becoming more womanly.

Her face, however, was not her true one. It was a disguise—about seventy percent similar to her real features but lacking that breathtaking, devastating beauty.

Yao Ning cupped her fists. “Senior Brother, Master taught me a disguise technique. It was… troublesome. I wasn’t allowed to leave Masked Moon Peak until I mastered the third layer. I just broke through and came straight to find you.”

Li Meng chuckled, gesturing to the tea table. With a wave of his sleeve, a second tea set appeared.

“Sit.”

Yao Ning beamed and took a seat. “Technically, I am Master’s Junior Sister. Senior Brother should be calling me ‘Senior Aunt’!”

A strange glint flashed in Li Meng’s eyes. His position on Masked Moon Peak was indeed a mess. The Supreme Elder—his Master—didn’t accept male disciples. So, aside from his Master, every True Disciple on the peak called him Senior Brother, despite him technically being a generation lower than some.

‘A mess of seniority. Let’s just stick to what works.’

Yao Ning pursed her lips, a playful smile dancing on them. “But I said before, Senior Brother will always be Senior Brother. In my eyes, that will never change.”

Li Meng lifted his cup, hiding a smirk. “Then I suppose I’ll just have to take advantage of my Master a little longer.”

Yao Ning took a sip, her eyes narrowing in pleasure at the tea’s rich fragrance.

Li Meng looked her over. “Junior Sister, have you chosen a cultivation technique?”

At the mention of techniques, Yao Ning pouted slightly. “Master wanted me to practice the Dragon Attraction Art as a secondary cultivation, but I refused!”

“Why?” Li Meng asked, surprised.

The Dragon Attraction Art was a premier Dual Cultivation manual. While the women of Masked Moon Peak rarely took Dao Companions, they didn’t neglect such techniques. Junior Sister Xue and his Master practiced it. Why would Yao Ning refuse?

Yao Ning’s face flushed a delicate pink. She stared down into her tea, her voice dropping to a whisper.

“Because… Senior Brother can’t Dual Cultivate anyway!”

Li Meng blinked, genuinely confused. “Junior Sister, what does that have to do with me?”

Yao Ning looked up, meeting his puzzled gaze.

‘Wait. Senior Brother doesn’t know?’

Her face turned a brilliant shade of crimson. Her hand trembled, rippling the tea.

A horrifying realization dawned on her. Since Senior Brother couldn’t cultivate via Dual Cultivation… then his reason for bringing her to the sect wasn’t to eventually be with her. It wasn’t because he fancied her.

From start to finish, it had all been her own wild, wishful thinking.

“Junior Sister?” Li Meng asked, his brow furrowing. “Are you alright?”

She was acting strange—blushing one moment, lost in thought the next.

“Huff!”

Yao Ning took a deep breath, forcing a bright smile onto her face. She shook her head rapidly.

“It’s nothing! Senior Brother, the Spiritual Qi here is even denser than on Masked Moon Peak. I… I want to cultivate here!”

She looked at him with puppy-dog eyes, expectant and hopeful.

Li Meng waved his sleeve, tossing a Formation Token to her.

“Come whenever you like.”

Moon Gaze Peak was too quiet. A little liveliness wouldn’t hurt. Besides, keeping Xiao Qian and Xiao Qi inside the talisman forever wasn’t a solution; until they reached Foundation Establishment, the external winds would tear their souls apart. Having Yao Ning around might make the place feel less like a tomb.

“Thank you, Senior Brother!” Yao Ning caught the token, her joy genuine. Senior Brother was truly a good person!

“I’m going to cultivate now. Master said I must reach Peak Qi Condensation within two years!”

She stood up and marched to an open space in the courtyard.

Then, she dropped into a horse stance.

She took an awkward, stilted step forward.

She threw a punch in a bizarre, unnatural trajectory.

Li Meng watched, bewildered, as she repeated the clumsy motion, looking like a drunkard fighting a ghost.

“Junior Sister… what are you doing?”

Yao Ning didn’t look back, her focus absolute.

“Basic stance training!”