Dual Cultivation System: My Cultivation Was Crippled, So I Rely on Intimacy to Level Up

Chapter 243: Wu Hongxiao Demands an Explanation, Her Shocking Words Stun Su Xuan

Inside the cabin, the heavy copper tang of blood warred with the medicinal scent of Pills.

Zhou Kai sat cross-legged, his breathing steady as the Heavenly Scripture automatically circulated through his meridians, ruthlessly suppressing the violently agitated Five Elements Vitality left over from the shockwave.

The Spirit Boat carved irregular, lazy circles in the sky above the forest. Zhou Kai wasn’t in a hurry to leave. The boat’s flight path was a deliberate patrol, maintaining a protective perimeter around the valley where Li Youci was currently refining her Fated Chance.

Slumped against the cabin wall, Su Xuan looked terrible. His complexion was even more bloodless than Zhou Kai’s had been when Li Wei detonated his censer. The Calamity Abyss Valley disciple downed a vial of spiritual liquid, grimacing as the medicine slowly coaxed a fraction of his strength back.

“Those useless trash from the Song Family,” Zhou Kai said, his voice flat, though a cold glint flickered in his eyes. “They didn’t fight like protectors. They fought like men sent to die.”

Su Xuan offered a bitter, unsteady laugh. “Because they were. The Song Family has likely already thrown in the towel and pivoted to back the Yang Family. That wasn’t a protection detail; it was a suicide probe. They were trying to trade their lives to permanently cripple one or two of us.”

A flash of lingering dread and deep regret passed through Su Xuan’s eyes. “If I had known they were kamikazes, I never would have unleashed the wide-range Bewildering Phantom Sound. It looks impressive to instantly drop a man, but the mental toll is catastrophic. I nearly became a burden to you all.”

Zhou Kai didn’t offer empty platitudes. Instead, his gaze drifted to Gao Feihuang.

The cultivator was a gruesome sight. There was a gaping, fist-sized hole blasted cleanly through his chest. The edges of the wound were a mangled mess of charred meat, and his writhing internal organs were fully exposed to the air.

Yet, he wasn’t bleeding out. Instead, dense wisps of bloody energy crawled out from the wound, weaving together like frantic crimson spiders to physically stitch the ruined flesh back together.

“The fact that he’s still breathing is a minor miracle,” Zhou Kai murmured, clicking his tongue in genuine amazement.

Su Xuan’s breathing finally began to level out. “Golden Core cultivators are notoriously hard to kill. Add in the fact that he cultivates a blood-path technique, and his survival skills are top-tier. Even so, with trauma that severe, he’ll need three to five months of absolute bed rest before he’s functional again.”

“So, the Song Family’s protectors are entirely wiped off the board,” Zhou Kai noted, his brow furrowing. “Does that mean we have a green light to strike directly at their candidate?”

“No.” Su Xuan shook his head emphatically. “The rules are absolute. The Song Family’s protectors are dead, meaning they have zero chance of claiming the divine artifact, but the candidate themselves remains strictly off-limits to us. Which means… the young lady down there is still in very real danger.”

“What kind of garbage rule is that?” Zhou Kai’s voice hardened with rising anger. “We’re just supposed to sit on our hands and watch while they gang up on Youci and capture her?”

“Garbage to us, maybe. But for the three great families? The benefits are immense.”

Su Xuan’s gaze darkened with cynical understanding. “First, it forces us vassals into a meat grinder. We slaughter each other, forging blood feuds that make it infinitely easier for the families to manipulate our sects in the future. But the real genius of the rule? It guarantees the absolute safety of their direct bloodlines. We can bleed, break, and die down here in the mud, but their precious candidates remain completely untouched, sitting safely behind the lines until it’s time to harvest the spoils.”

Zhou Kai forced his anger down, refocusing on the immediate tactical situation. “Senior Brother Su, what’s the maximum range of your Divine Sense in this environment?”

“There’s a bizarre suppression field blanketing Tongming Valley. For a standard mid-stage Golden Core cultivator, projecting their Divine Sense further than twenty-odd zhang is the absolute limit.”

Twenty-odd zhang… “However,” Su Xuan continued, “Youci’s Divine Sense is exceptionally strong, easily rivaling a mid-stage Golden Core. Plus, she’s mastered the aura-concealment techniques from the ‘Cicada Shell Chapter.’ If things go south, slipping away shouldn’t be too difficult for her.”

Good thing I kept an ace up my sleeve, Zhou Kai thought. Using those two jade Dharma Treasures to buy Du Chuyao’s protection was the right call.

As if summoned by his thoughts, a communication jade token resting at his waist suddenly grew warm and pulsed with a soft light.

Zhou Kai retrieved it. Instantly, Du Chuyao’s cool, transactional voice echoed from the stone.

“My price is a matching set of five, fourth-grade defensive Dharma Treasures.”

Zhou Kai’s eyebrows slammed together into a deep scowl.

Fourth-grade? A matching set of five?!

The woman’s greed was staggering. To even attempt forging a fourth-grade Dharma Treasure, he would need to advance to the mid-stage of Golden Core first. And that didn’t even factor in the monumental headache of tracking down the ultra-rare materials required for a perfectly resonating set of five. It would take years of dedicated effort.

This wasn’t a business transaction. It was daylight robbery!

But… Li Youci’s life was on the line.

“Deal,” he replied to the token, his voice clipped.

He’d agree to the extortion for now. It was a futures contract, anyway. He held all the leverage regarding the delivery timeline.

Silence stretched from the other end of the token for several seconds before Du Chuyao spoke again. “Empty promises hold no weight in this valley. That Flowing Light Sword of yours is of exceptional quality. I’ll be taking it as collateral. Once the job is done, bring me my Dharma Treasures, and you can have your toy back.”

Zhou Kai’s expression turned thunderous. The Flowing Light Sword was his primary, most comfortable flying sword. Losing it right now was a massive handicap to his combat effectiveness.

The woman was a shark. She had mapped out every angle and left him precisely zero room to maneuver. Zhou Kai cursed her violently in his head, but an image of Youci flashed in his mind. He ground his teeth together.

“Fine.”

Screw it. It’s just a sword. As long as Youci survived this, he could always forge another weapon.

“When the time comes, I expect Fairy Du to intercept the two Yang Family cultivators under the pretext of ‘discussing the Dao with a true disciple of Calamity Abyss Valley,'” Zhou Kai added, setting the terms.

Su Xuan blinked in surprise. “Junior Brother Zhou, you’re acquainted with Fairy Du from the Jade Flower Palace?”

“Ah… back in Wohu City, we had a few… well, professional dealings.” Zhou Kai offered a deliberately vague half-truth.

He certainly wasn’t going to mention that the esteemed Master of the Jade Flower Palace had, while under the influence of a potent aphrodisiac, violently had her way with him.

Sensing the evasion, Su Xuan tactfully dropped the subject and closed his eyes to resume his meditation.

The Spirit Boat continued its slow, circling vigil.

Tongming Valley had only been open for half a day; the vast majority of the entering cultivators hadn’t even scratched the surface of the inner zones.

An hour ticked by. Suddenly, a blazing streak of crimson light tore over the horizon. It moved like a highly focused meteor, burning a path straight toward the Spirit Boat.

Zhou Kai’s eyes narrowed. He stood up and stepped out onto the deck.

The crimson light dissipated, revealing a figure radiating aggressive, heroic energy.

It was Wu Hongxiao. She wore a skin-tight martial uniform that did absolutely nothing to hide her breathtaking, athletic curves. A blood-red spear materialized in her grip, its tip humming with lethal, cold light.

The moment she spotted Zhou Kai, her willow-leaf eyebrows shot upward. She leveled the tip of her spear directly at his chest, her expression a volatile mix of coquettish pout and genuine irritation.

“You bastard, Zhou Kai!” she bellowed, her crisp voice echoing loudly across the sky. “You sleep with me, and then you just vanish?! Not even a damn message?!”

Silence slammed down on the deck.

Then, Wu Hongxiao noticed Su Xuan sitting quietly in the cabin behind Zhou Kai.

The air instantly froze.

A violently red flush exploded across Wu Hongxiao’s cheeks, turning her face the color of a ripe tomato.

She recognized Su Xuan instantly. Back during the Dao discussion on the Exploring Spring Flower Boat, this Calamity Abyss Valley prodigy had stepped in, displaying overwhelming elegance and power.

The brash, demanding warrior-woman who had just loudly announced her sex life to the world was suddenly paralyzed with mortification. She frantically dematerialized her spear and hurriedly cupped her hands in a deep, formal bow toward the cabin.

“G-Greetings…” she stammered, her voice dropping to a mortified whisper. “Greetings, Senior Su.”

Su Xuan offered a warm, perfectly polite smile, acting as though he hadn’t just heard the most scandalous declaration of the week. He gave her a slight, validating nod. “No need for such formalities, little friend. Junior Brother Zhou spoke of you often while we were waiting outside the valley. Now that he sees you are safe and sound, I’m sure his heart is finally at ease.”

Having flawlessly diffused the tension, Su Xuan gracefully turned around and retreated deeper into the cabin, giving the couple the deck to themselves.

Zhou Kai let out a wry chuckle. With a flick of his wrist, a Soundproof Barrier snapped into place around them.

The moment the dome sealed, he stepped forward, grabbing the still-flustered Wu Hongxiao by the waist and pulling her firmly into his chest. He relished the astonishing, athletic firmness of her body pressing against his.

“Missed me?” he murmured directly into her ear.

Wu Hongxiao went rigid for a split second before melting completely against him. She buried her burning face into his chest. “Miss you, my ass!” she mumbled into his robes.

Zhou Kai laughed softly, his hand coming up to gently ruffle her hair. “Where is your Senior Sister?” he asked, shifting to business.

At the mention of tactics, Wu Hongxiao’s embarrassment vanished. She lifted her head, her eyes instantly regaining their sharp, martial focus. “Senior Sister is already on the move. She went to intercept those two bastards and force a duel.”

Zhou Kai exhaled a silent breath of relief.

If Du Chuyao was on the job, Li Youci was safe.

“And Dong Cheng? He didn’t come with you?” Zhou Kai asked.

“We split up the second we entered Tongming Valley,” Wu Hongxiao replied with a shrug. “Senior Sister said the Fated Chances in this place depend entirely on individual skill and luck, so there was no point in holding hands. That guy Dong Cheng immediately took off. Looked like he was making a beeline straight for the central zone.”