Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
In the cultivation world, there were no wedding ceremonies like in the secular world. There were only so-called Dual Cultivation ceremonies.
The purpose of a Dual Cultivation ceremony was to bind the man and woman as Dual Cultivation partners. This sounded very impartial, but just like Qin Xi said, it sounded rather cold and callous.
Dual Cultivation was performed for cultivation’s sake, so the top priority was always the cultivator’s cultivation level, aptitude and the like. Cultivators very rarely performed Dual Cultivation just for the sake of affection; most of them did it to progress their cultivation. For that reason, most Dual Cultivation partners would simply never set up a blood oath. If the couple was enticed with benefits, they might even have a falling out.
In addition, just because it wasn’t called a wedding ceremony didn’t mean it was free of secular matters. They also had to negotiate dowries and a bride price; it was just that everything was replaced with spirit stones, spiritual treasures, and medicinal pills. If the pair came from two different cultivation clans, it’d be even more troublesome; if the two sides bickered, they definitely wouldn’t lose out to mortals.
On occasion, Mo Tiange would also remember Yao Zixiu and Shang Ruwan, whom she met in Ziwei’s Immortal Cave. Although they were cultivators, their wedding was even more complicated than mortal weddings.
Of course, when it came to Mo Tiange and Qin Xi, who both had no family and worshipped the same master, things would be much simpler.
But no matter how simple it was, deep inside, Mo Tiange was still somewhat resistant towards a so-called Dual Cultivation ceremony.
She knew that although she and Qin Xi were martial siblings and were also cultivators in the same realm now, the gap between them was still significant. For cultivation groups, the significance of a peak stage Core Formation cultivator, who would very likely advance into the Nascent Soul realm with just one Closed Door Meditation, and a cultivator who’d just advanced into the Core Formation realm was completely different. The former might enter the Nascent Soul realm in one stroke and become the pillar of the group, while the latter still had to depend on the group.
Of course, she believed she’d definitely form her Nascent Soul one day, but now? If they really went back, reported to master, and eventually held a Dual Cultivation ceremony, they’d become the topic the school and potentially even outsiders discuss. Those people would discuss the disparity between the two of them and their possible outcomes.
She really didn’t care how other people viewed her, but she didn’t like feeling judged by others.
Because of that, when Qin Xi said: “Let’s hold a wedding ceremony just for the two of us,” she was actually very happy inside.
Since they had no wedding attire, the two of them just looked for red clothes inside the Qiankun bags they picked up on Demonic Mountain. They treated those red clothes as wedding clothes and put them on. Since there were no red candles, they used the Bright Fire Stones they refined to serve as red candles. They had no guests—they only had the two stone sculpture puppets attending the ceremony. There was no one to supervise the ritual; both Xiaohuo and Feifei were their witnesses.
Heaven and Earth were their witnesses; the sun and the moon were their intermediaries. They had a master, so they toasted him from a distance as a form of respect. From now on, they were bound as husband and wife.
Next was establishing the blood oath. Blood essences were exchanged. In you there’s me, and in me there’s you.
After the wedding ceremony, the two of them sat under the bamboo forest next to the creek. There was no day and night in the Virtual Sky World, so Qin Xi came up with an idea, allowing Mo Tiange to use an art to tear open the sky inside the Virtual Sky World. The Demonic Mountain outside was still pitch black and full of devil aura. This way, it seemed like the night had arrived, especially with all the lightning and thunder outside. Watching from inside the Virtual Sky World, the scenery indeed looked unusual.
The two of them sat for a long time. Eventually, Qin Xi sighed and said, “It seems we still have to stay here for at least another two or three years.”
Mo Tiange had long mentally prepared herself for this. They’d been trapped there for five years already. From the beginning when the earth quaked and the mountain crumbled until now, the restrictions were still occasionally triggered. Two or three years was already a conservative estimate. If the restrictions remained unsteady, they might still have to stay there for another ten years.
Another ten years… people outside would most likely think they were dead already, right? If master survived, he’d naturally know they were still alive because he held their natal original spirit lamps, but if he failed to escape…
When this thought crossed her mind, Mo Tiange couldn’t help but say with worry: “I wonder if master escaped…”
Qin Xi smiled and circled his hands around her waist. “No need to worry too much. Although master’s normally always unruly, he’s quicker than anyone when he has to flee for his life. Besides, master’s lived for almost a thousand years. The things he’s encountered and the dangers he’s experienced are more extensive than what we’ve come across—he wouldn’t fall in here that easily.”
“En.” Mo Tiange accepted his theory. She knew her master’s abilities, so although she was worried, she still believed her master could escape. What made her worry the most was actually Zhenji.
After a moment’s thought, Mo Tiange asked, “Did you not keep Zhenji’s blood essence?”
Qin Xi shook his head. “He was still in the Foundation Building realm. According to custom, only those who’ve reached the Core Formation realm leave their natal original spirit lamps…”
Mo Tiange knew about this. It was just that she still held some hope in her heart, so she took her chance and asked.
“When we entered Demonic Mountain, Zhenji had been gone for years—I wonder if he’s returned already…”
Qin Xi was equally clueless about this issue. Ye Zhenji was his disciple. Although Qin Xi wasn’t the one who raised Ye Zhenji, ever since Ye Zhenji built his foundation, Ye Zhenji had followed Qin Xi. Qin Xi knew Zhenji lacked experience and was still childish, so when he wanted to go out to gain experience, Qin Xi very much agreed. However, in the end, Zhenji’s cultivation level was low and he didn’t have enough experience—whether he could save himself during critical moments or not was really hard to say.
In the end, Qin Xi said, “In addition to master, Zhenji’s considered our closest person. If something happens to him, we would’ve sensed it. Since we didn’t sense anything, he ought to be alright.”
“En…” Mo Tiange knew he was just pacifying her. In order for cultivators to sense fate, it was entirely up to chance; not every matter could be sensed. However, in any case, the fact that they didn’t sense any bad omens was always a good thing. There were some things they could do nothing about; they could only resign themselves to fate.
Upon seeing Mo Tiange looking like she had a lot on her mind, Qin Xi pulled her into his embrace and suddenly lowered his head to speak in her ear. “Worrying about this is useless. It’d be better if… we think about what we should do now.”
“What should we do now?” Mo Tiange gave it a moment’s thought then said, “Concocting medicinal pills, cultivating, researching cultivation techniques…”
“No.” Qin Xi chuckled. “Apart from all that, do we not have anything else to do?”
All of a sudden, Mo Tiange seemed to comprehend something from his gaze and immediately shut her mouth.
Qin Xi couldn’t help but laugh at seeing her reaction. “You don’t have to feel uneasy. We’re not just together for Dual Cultivation. If you don’t want to, we’ll talk about it again in the future.”
“I…” She hesitated for a moment then said in a whisper, “Since we’re already husband and wife, what am I willing or not willing to do…”
Qin Xi was delighted. He reached out and hugged her waist. “So that means you…”
“Wait.” Mo Tiange looked up and blocked his movements. A rather cunning smile blossomed on her face. “We still haven’t discussed everything clearly!”
“Huh?” Qin Xi was dumbfounded. He asked with bewilderment, “What more is there to discuss?”
“There’s a lot. For example: what cultivation technique will you be practicing? What’s the Dual Cultivation cultivation technique you mentioned before all about? How many more secrets are you still keeping from me?”
“…”
Seeing as he didn’t answer, Mo Tiange shot him a glare. “What? You can’t tell me?”
“… Alright,” Qin Xi said helplessly. “However, even though I have some secrets, you more or less know about all of them.”
“For example?”
“For example, the changes in my constitution, my cultivation technique, my Yang Spiritual Bead… Don’t you already know about all this?” The fact that there was a Yang Spiritual Bead in his body was his biggest secret, and Mo Tiange had long known about it.
After a moment’s thought, Mo Tiange felt what he said was indeed correct. She’d long known about the Yang Spiritual Bead and sometime afterward, master also talked about it with her explicitly.
“Then what’s the Dual Cultivation cultivation technique you mentioned before all about? You should make this clear to me, right?”
Qin Xi had always been secretive about this matter. He said she’d know when the time came. Now, the two of them were already bound as husband and wife, so this should be the right time, right?
Qin Xi smiled. This time, he no longer evaded her question, but he asked back: “Don’t you have a manual called the Art of Sunu?”
Mo Tiange nodded. Both master and Qin Xi already knew about this.
Qin Xi put his hand into his Qiankun Bag, took out a Jade Slip then passed it to her. “Take a look at this.”
Mo Tiange tossed him a baffled glance as she took the Jade Slip. She inserted her divine sense into it, but a moment later, she was thoroughly shocked. “This…”
Qin Xi chuckled. “The Yin and Yang Dual-Cultivation Technique that Senior Yuan Bao gave me.”
This technique manual was made of three parts. The first part was the Pure Yang Technique; the second part was, in fact, the Art of Sunu; and the third part was the real Yin and Yang Dual-Cultivation Technique.
Mo Tiange carefully compared them. Her Art of Sunu and the Art of Sunu described in this manual were mostly the same, although some small parts had been modified. She contemplated the matter for a moment. Hers had probably been modified by Mo Yaoqing according to Mo Yaoqing’s cultivation state, or maybe the manual Mo Yaoqing obtained from her cultivation group was originally a different version from Yuan Bao’s.
At this point, Mo Tiange felt both happy and worried. She was happy because when a couple with a Pure Yang Constitution and a Pure Yin Constitution performed Dual Cultivation, their cultivation would progress very quickly—this was a well-known fact. For the two of them, having this Yin and Yang Dual-Cultivation Technique was very advantageous. As for what she was worried about, it was that she didn’t just possess a Pure Yin Constitution. Regarding her aptitude, the influence of her Spiritual Roots of the Origin was bigger than the influence of her Pure Yin Constitution. If she gave up the Art of the Origin and focused on practicing this Yin and Yang Dual-Cultivation Technique, her gains wouldn’t make up for her losses.
Once Qin Xi saw a wrinkle forming on her brows and her expression becoming uncertain, Qin Xi asked, “What’s wrong?”
With a sigh, Mo Tiange frankly told him her thoughts.
Qin Xi laughed when he heard her. “Are you stupid? Who says we can only practice one cultivation technique? From what I remember, you also possess the Art of the Origin manual given to you by your great ancestor, no? Now, you’re practicing the combination of the two cultivation techniques, and that’s naturally the most efficient. However, even if you practice them separately, there shouldn’t be a big difference.”
Mo Tiange suddenly had an epiphany. “Right! How could I forget about that!” Sunu Art of the Origin was the combination of Taiyuan Record and The Art of Sunu, but Zhong Muling also said this cultivation technique didn’t clash with the two original techniques. Combining the two of them would increase the efficiency of her cultivation to the max, but even if she practiced them separately, she’d only waste a bit more time. Since she already had the Sunu Art of the Origin, she didn’t have to practice the two cultivation techniques separately, but things were different now. With this Yin and Yang Dual-Cultivation Technique, even if she practiced them separately, the result would still be excellent.
The gears in her brain were turning at full speed. She then said contemplatively, “Right. Maybe they don’t need to be practiced separately. Sunu Art of the Origin is a cultivation technique created from the comprehension of a Deification cultivator—maybe it can be used in a Dual Cultivation cultivation technique…”
“In addition, I’m about to form my Nascent Soul,” Qin Xi said as he thought of another possibility. “After I form my Nascent Soul, my comprehension regarding cultivation techniques will naturally increase. At that time, I’ll know after experimenting.”
Mo Tiange smiled. “If that’s the case, things would be completely feasible even if there’s a gap in our cultivation levels.”
Qin Xi nodded. He lowered his gaze to look at her then he suddenly said, “How about… we give it a try now?”
Mo Tiange was about to say she hadn’t read the cultivation technique manual properly, but she suddenly realized what he meant by “give it a try.” In an instant, she felt her cheeks burning. “This… We’ll discuss this again in the future…”
“We don’t need to discuss anymore.” Qin Xi stopped her. “The day will eventually come…”
