The horned goblins were hemmed in by Chen Wentian and Jasmine's spiritual force, preventing them from escaping the town even if they wanted to. Wholesale slaughter followed and the town was bathed in blood for a second time. This time, the girls helped avenge the humans that had lost their souls defending their home.
Once the last horned goblin died under a hail of ice, Chen Wentian destroyed all the bodies with his flames and clean up the mess. He decided afterwards that it was enough bloodshed for the first day, especially for Lin Qingcheng and Zhou Ziyun who were not used to full scale battles.
He few them to a deserted lakeside and setup camp. As a reward for obtaining so many points, Chen Wentian showed off his novice cooking skills and roasted a wild deer for them. Normally, they would just eat pre-prepared meals while out on the field but Chen Wentian was feeling quite generous, specially in the presence of all his women.
While he was fully focused on cooking, the others sat around the fire and chatted about anything and everything.
Eventually, the conversation turned to Summer and Winter's Eternal Sutra which most of them cultivated.
"Sister Ziyun, your mastery of Summer's Blazing Sun has improved once again!" Su Yue said adoringly, "You were so awesome during the battle!"
"Yeah, Sister Ziyun, please teach us!" Su Xue added, "The second stage is so difficult to understand, I can't make sense of it!"
Zhou Ziyun smiled, "Xue'er, Yue'er, what would Wushuang think of you abandoning her for another teacher?"
"We're not!" The twins exclaimed hurriedly.
"Dummies, Ziyun is only joking." Song Wushuang laughed and poked the two in the head.
"Oh… hehe."
"By the way," Song Wushuang turned to Zhou Ziyun, "They do speak the truth. Even Yuechan and I have only reached the second stage and you've already caught up. It will be great if we can train together."
"Sure. I was thinking the same." Zhou Ziyun nodded.
"I agree, but we should also not forget about Sister Long." Li Yuechan added, "She's already reached the seventh stage of Winter's Snow Dance after such a short time. We can all learn from each other."
"Oh… Sister Li is quite perceptive." Long Yifei said lightly, "When did you notice?"
"Of course, how could I not notice Sister Long's performance during the battle today? The freezing aura of your Winter Solstice was many times more powerful than before. Sister, congratulations!"
"Congratulations!" They all raised their cups and toasted her success.
Long Yifei looked slightly taken aback but she quickly bowed and thanked them. She had assumed Li Yuechan had some ulterior motive but it turned out she just wanted to commend her. Long Yifei felt slightly sour about not being able to cultivate any of the higher stages. Chen Wentian hadn't paid much attention to her after the failed experiment and she did really need his help cultivating ice arts she already knew. She felt conflicted with regards how to approach him, especially when they were all together like this.
"Sister Yifei, is something wrong?" The ever-perceptive Zhou Ziyun asked.
"Oh… nothing."
"Whatever it is, you don't have to worry. You are master's newest disciple but rest assured, we are all your sisters. There are no strangers amongst us, only family." Zhou Ziyun said gently.
"Thank you."
"You'll be just fine." Zhou Ziyun said reassuringly, "Even Jasmine is included in our sisterhood. She likes to act haughty with her elder position but in reality, she's our sister. Right Jasmine?"
"What? I'm your elder!" Jasmine snorted.
"Oh, really?" Zhou Ziyun asked with a grin.
"You… hmph!" Jasmine turned her face away annoyance.
Lin Qingcheng giggled uncontrollably while the others shared a laugh.
Even Long Yifei broke out into a rare smile as she let herself relax. The matter of her failed dual cultivation still irked her but she could only be patient.
"By the way, Sister Yifei, now that you've joined the greatest sect in the Eastern Sanmu Subcontinent, what do you wish to do in future? Do you wish to be a powerful immortal? Or maybe create your own sect?" Lin Qingcheng asked curiously.
"That… is quite challenging question to answer." Long Yifei said uncertainly.
"Oh, what about you Sister Qianyu? Sister Yuechan?"
"…"
They all found it hard to answer. Each one had secret desires that they didn't wish to reveal to others. Or, they were perhaps too embarrassed to say it out loud.
After a period of awkward silence, it was Zhou Ziyun who spoke up. "Chengcheng, you're so naughty, ruining our harmonious atmosphere. Hurry, apologize!"
"What? What did I do?" Lin Qingcheng cried out.
"Still not admitting it? Fine, why don't you tell us what your future goal is." Zhou Ziyun said.
"That…"
"Are you scared?" Zhou Ziyun taunted.
Lin Qingcheng puffed her cheeks, "I'm not scared. Fine… my goal… I want to become an immortal so I can stay by master's side forever!"
"What!"
"Wow!"
Exclamations of shock and amazement met Lin Qingcheng's bold declaration. Among the women, some had stronger reactions than others.
In particular, Wu Qianyu was filled with a strange happiness. She had suspicions that Lin Qingcheng had similar feelings for Chen Wentian but it had never been confirmed until today. Wu Qianyu's personality was mild and generous and she didn't feel any jealousy towards Lin Qingcheng. She only felt happy, happy that she had someone to share her feelings with.
Li Yuechan had similar thoughts to Wu Qianyu but not to her degree while the other ice sisters were quite nonchalant. Zhou Ziyun knew about Lin Qingcheng's feelings already while Jasmine didn't care one bit.
Long Yifei was the one that had perhaps the most profound reaction. She truly did not expect Lin Qingcheng to have such feelings. Chen Wentian already had relations with the five ice sisters and herself. Did he also sleep with Lin Qingcheng? What about Zhou Ziyun or Wu Qianyu?
More importantly, what happened to dual cultivation?
She suddenly suspected that the other two were also entirely possible. The three of them had been with Chen Wentian the longest and their feelings were quite deep. It was obvious that he spent a noticeably larger portion of his time with them compared to the others.
She suddenly had a surge of doubt about Chen Wentian and her decision to join his sect. Was this a sect or a personal harem? She the one that offered to dual cultivate with him, she was the one that offered her body. But perhaps, that wasn't enough. Did he want her heart as well?