The library was quiet except for the barely perceptible breaths of two people. The occasional sound of a turning page seemed to echo across the tall ceiling supported by wooden pillars that were akin to tree trunks. Amidst the shelves and tables, there was hardly a soul to disturb the peace.
Zhou Ziyun bit her lip as she concentrated on the bamboo scroll in front of her. The text was barely recognizable compared to the current calligraphy style and she had to expend a lot of effort on reading every character. The sentences and grammar were strange and required a long time to comprehend. A slender index finger followed her eyes, barely moving to indicate her progress.
"The Great Tang Empire was founded in the Shu Year of 1590 by a peasant with the gift of heavenly strength. It was rumored that his raw strength could surpass a whole realm and that he could easily master all body strengthening Daos…"
"The Black Flag Company that ruled the three middle oceans for a hundred generations was founded in the Ma Year of 344 by a person who was gifted three drops of divine blood from an emerald qilin…"
Zhou Ziyun slowly learned about these famous gifts and bloodlines known to the Immortal Association. Each one lacked enough detail to almost make her slam her fist on the table with frustration. But she also knew that the true story behind these entries might be long enough to fill an entire shelf with heavy tomes.
There were so many different gifts and bloodlines. The possibilities seemed to be endless. Although the scroll only contained a limited number of examples, she committed each one of them to memory and also considered if any of them sounded similar to hers or her fellow sisters' powers. So far, there didn't seem to be any close match.
The closest was Bei Yingluo's realm-hopping ability and that of the Great Tang Empire. However, the ability of the royal family of the Great Tang Empire only increased physical strength and not spiritual force or mental ability. Bei Yingluo's power, when activated during moments of desperation or rage definitely had a spiritual element.
Another close call was Lin Qingcheng's strange power of orgasms and how it could have been related to the bloodline of the succubus demon. There were many records of various human clans that had fallen to this demon of sex and seduction. After receiving that bloodline, these humans were able to cultivate through a variety of sexual methods that were far more potent than ordinary dual cultivation arts.
However, the powers of a succubus didn't fit Lin Qingcheng whose power was more pure and even more mysterious. She did not draw her power from her partners like those with the succubus bloodline. She simply drew her power from nothing which was why she could still cultivate by masturbation even if it was a little slower.
No, she still remained a mystery and perhaps that was a good thing.
Zhou Ziyun let out a sigh and noticed a pair of eyes staring intently at her. She tilted her head and glanced at Chen Wentian who seemed to have given up on reading. Instead, his attention was solely on her and his expression was one of mischief.
She rolled her eyes and returned to her scroll. She sometimes had to remind herself that this version of her master was not the real body but a representation made of shadow energy. His power was so strange. He had explained it to her the best he could that it wasn't a gift or a bloodline. He wasn't born with it but found it later in life, a heaven-defying dao that had no creator, at least none that could be understood by ordinary people, even those in the immortal realms.
This Chen Wentian before her was exactly like his true self in every way. At first, she had been afraid. But she had long since gotten used to it. She felt no discomfort with this version of him around her anymore. Instead, it simply gave her a sense of security.
"Master, there are still more to read." She said softly.
He ignored her reminder and continued to study her. They were probably alone at the moment on the top floor of the library. Few people came up here. In the last hour, there had only been a handful.
"You're doing such a great job, I'll let you read more." He teased.
She shook her head helplessly.
He reached over and guided a strand of long brown hair behind her ear so he could get a better look at her face. "Why are you so beautiful today?"
"Master, please. I'm reading." She tried to add some annoyance to her voice but wasn't quite successful.
"By all means, don't let me distract you."
Zhou Ziyun sensed his smile widen at this but didn't bother to respond. Grumbling to herself, she tried to focus on the tiny complicated writing in front of her.
At some point or another, she felt a soft force on her hips opposite him. She glanced at him sharply but both of his hands were visible. One was flat on the table while his head was resting on the other.
"Something wrong?" He asked and smirked.
She felt a flush of heat in her stomach but suppressed it. Normally, she would give in to his advances but they were in public. Even though this was a mostly empty library, there were still people that came and went, cultivators with keen spiritual senses. An immortal could even show up and the chances of that were not low. She really wasn't into exhibitionism.
She was just about to get back to the scroll when she felt the pressure on her waist slowly slide upward. Her heart fluttered as it came to a rest right below her left breast. Then, she felt the warmth of what was unmistakably an invisible hand cup her breast.
She gasped sharply in reaction and then glared at him.
He made a gesture with his hands professing innocence. But she knew it was him.
Zhou Ziyun tried to read but soon the invisible hand had started to grope her more insistently, kneading her breasts over her clothes as if he was trying to measure her size for the hundredth time. Her body reacted naturally. Warmth and moisture pooled toward her lower stomach. Her breathing became faster and her skin became flushed. If they were back in the sect or somewhere private, she would let him do whatever he wanted. But they were here, where anyone could see them and sense what was happening.
That thought sent a thrilling tingle down her spine. It distracted her just enough so that she wasn't prepared for a sudden touch against her bare skin.
---
A/N I wrote three special stories to celebrate IOAFD reaching one million words. They are a retelling of the side stories after the very first arc, with three brand-new smut scenes. They are free to read for a limited time!
https://www.patreon.com/posts/1-million-lin-95241918
https://www.patreon.com/posts/1-million-zhou-95242080
https://www.patreon.com/posts/1-million-wu-95242102
And as always, a tremendous thank you to all patrons that support this novel!