They tangled together several more times before Long Yifei ran out of strength. Chen Wentian let her rest, having more than satisfied her as well as himself. She slept in his arms, her ample breasts pressing into his chest, her legs tangled with his. He watched her quietly as he thought of the future.
Her cultivation path had been revealed. She would learn the ways of the Virtuous Order and how to utilize her virginity to the maximum. It was a fortuitous situation yet it still held great uncertainties, especially with how she would grow and evolve as a woman and as a cultivator. She was a Divine Daughter with unfathomable potential. Right now, she was still a mortal with limited experience. Given her level of talent, a quick breakthrough to the Spirit Lord was almost guaranteed. She might even be the first among his disciples to do so.
He didn't know what would happen after that.
The bond of master and disciple was one based on power but also a sense of eternal debt. When a disciple became an immortal because of a master's teachings, careful teachings, and tireless guidance, that bond became almost unbreakable. It was a debt of life and death; it was solid as the world.
This wouldn't be quite true if a disciple broke through largely without help from her master. That critical sense of debt and obligation would be weakened or perhaps be nonexistent. In that case, what maintained a master-disciple relationship was power. If the master remained much more powerful in terms of cultivation, the relationship could remain, sustained by the disciple's respect for her master's power. If the disciple grew stronger than her master, that respect for power would naturally disappear and so would the relationship.
Given Long Yifei's likely trajectory, he would have to quickly reach the Spirit King Realm and perhaps even the Spirit Emperor Realm. It was a similar situation as Jasmine, only less predictable. He had more confidence in his relationship with Jasmine than with Long Yifei. The fox was a handful but she was straightforward. On the other hand, he had to admit that the Snow Fairy was still an enigma to him.
Having so many disciples, some that dearly loved him with all their heart, he could tell that Long Yifei's feelings for her were still not firm. She spoke all the right words and did all the right things but she did not have the depth of emotion of Wu Qianyu, the admiration and worship of Lin Qingcheng, or the unyielding loyalty of Zhou Ziyun. Simply put, she didn't love him, at least not yet.
He did not blame Long Yifei. He tried his best but he couldn't controller her thoughts or feelings. He couldn't control her heart or force her to think in a certain way. He wasn't naturally talented in the matters of courtship. With his other disciples, he gained their affection mostly by accident. He didn't have to put in a lot of thought and yet things seemed to work.
Long Yifei was different and a difficult challenge. He wasn't sure how was going to proceed but he wasn't going to give up. There was one thing that gave him hope. With the introduction of the Virtuous Order, if he could truly win her heart and her love, he would never lose her.
As a sect that cultivated womanly virtues, the order treated love as sacred. It was a famous and well-known fact. Sisters of the order were famous for their love and loyalty to their husbands. It wasn't ordinary love either but one that was simply unbreakable. It surpassed the bond between Dao companions and ordinary relationships of husbands and wives. It surpassed master and disciple and even blood relationships. This virtuous love tied the woman's life and entire being to her man. It was if the body, mind, and spirit of two people combined, a feat that touched upon the realm of the soul. It was a love bond that could only be broken in death.
Chen Wentian held Long Yifei and smiled to himself. He looked forward to the day where he could share such a bond with her.
---
Deep in the night, a spiritual signal made Chen Wentian stir. He put on his clothes and left the room, leaving his protective arrays around Long Yifei. He only had to go a few doors down in the hallway where he met the two Spirit Lords of the Virtuous Order.
"Chen Wentian." Gui Li greeted him.
"Evening, noble ladies."
Zhu Yao'er studied him closely before speaking, "You spent quite a long time with her. Are you her master or her lover?"
"What?"
"I'm surprised she's still a virgin? Are you impotent?"
"…"
Zhu Yao'er crossed her arms and continued, "Immortal Blue Dragon Chen Wentian of Ten Thousand Flower Valley. Background, unremarkable. Cultivation art, common blue flames. Appearance, average. Talent, ordinary. Personality, boring… Tell me, how did you manage to find so many beautiful women to be your disciples?"
"Tch… If you have a problem with me, we can resolve it right here." He said.
Zhu Yao'er looked like she wanted to say something but held her tongue.
Gui Li slapped her shoulder and then apologized to Chen Wentian, "We are thankful that Long Yifei is still a virgin and that she may learn our arts. You are her master and we make no judgments about your sect philosophy. Please excuse my sister. She is just worried about her master, Immortal Painter of Rivers Jian Ying."
"How are they, did they manage to catch Abbotess Liang?" He asked.
"They just sent a message and instructed us to pass it along to you. Abbotess Jian and Abbotess Li managed to wound Abbotess Liang further during the chase but were ultimately unable to kill her or catch her. She had a spatial treasure that allowed her to teleport away. Abbotess Jian and Abbotess Li have gone north in hopes of catching Abbotess Liang when she tries to flee back to the Martial Brilliance Continent." Gui Li answered.
"They really want to kill her that badly?" He asked.
Gui Li nodded seriously, "Making Abbotess Liang disappear in a place she wasn't supposed to be in the first place will be a great victory for us. Meanwhile, we sisters will remain here and provide any assistance you need."
"Thanks… I guess. I don't need anything really except to keep an eye on the Lotus Tower and wait for Wu Qianyu."
"Understood, rest assured. We won't let anything happen." Gui Li said.
Chen Wentian pulled out a message talisman, "One other thing. This is my spiritual talisman. I have to leave to take care of an urgent matter. I will entrust Long Yifei to you while I am away. I will let you know if I will be delayed but I should be back within a week."
The two female immortals looked at him strangely but agreed without further questions.
---
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