Wu Long lightly wiped himself up with a wet cloth that was left in the room beforehand, and clothed himself. He then went out of the room to see worried and nervous eyes. He chuckled when he saw Yu Huan fidgeting, as every failure brought her spirits down, after all, she was only useful to him if the pills she made passed his requirements, and if she was not useful, their deal would end and he would not teach her alchemy. Wu Long did not express any displeasure at the previous failures but it still weighed heavily on her.
"Congratulations, you have succeeded, and I give you my gratitude, as one of my problems and goals have been achieved thanks to you. You did not really have to worry so much, as even if this time failed I had theorized about 5 other recipes. It was not your pills that were failing, but my recipes, so rest assured, you did great"
He said with a smile, as he really was grateful to her. Her eyes shined with delight, as she was excited about the success, as well as at the fact that she will probably have more opportunities to learn from him.
"As I promised, I will teach you what I know about alchemy. Though I will require pills from you from time to time as well, of course"
He then added, making her almost start singing with happiness.
"Yes, of course, leave your pills to me" she patted her chest with eagerness.
"Here, take this scroll first, it is a lot more complicated and profound, as well as quite long. It will take you some time, but if you have any questions I will answer them the next time I visit, I will go for now, so you can start whenever you want, if you encounter a bottleneck before I come myself just send me a message with a communication talisman"
He then said, and after brief goodbyes with her and Bi Rui, he then went to the Ye Family Manor. The manor was festive as there was another banquet today, there were guests strolling around in the gardens and alleys of the manor, as he walked through to his lodging. He washed up, completely cleaning up any effect of the pills, and put on some clean clothes.
As he went back out from the secluded area he lived in, he went through the crowds of guests to arrive at the banquet hall.
There was music and dancers, as well as a martial show. The festive mood was permeating the place, and as Wu Long walked in gathering the interested gazes of women, he did a quick scan and then his eyes fell on the person he was looking for.
Ye Ling wore a gorgeous and luxurious blue dress in tone to her eyes, her black hair were tied up with gold jewelry, gold threads and blue ribbons into a complicated hairstyle, revealing her graceful neckline that had quite a massive golden necklace with blue jewels in it wrapped around it. Her dress accentuated her style, but it was not revealing and quite long, so her legs wearing high heels were only seen a little.
She was in a conversation with some guests, talking and laughing. He did not immediately approach her, taking in her appearance and beauty.
But even though he did not move to her, as if she felt something, her gaze turned to him, and a delightful and content smile bloomed on her beautiful cherry lips and shone in her piercing blue eyes.
He smiled in return, and they moved through the crowd towards each other. He came near to her, and took the hand she stretched out.
"You look gorgeous, Ling'er"
Her beautiful smile widened, happy at his words. But there appeared a blush on her cheeks and her eyes turned slightly to the side and downward, as she was still as bashful towards this sort of atmosphere.
Wu Long gently tugged on the hand he was holding, bringing her closer to him and taking a step forward as well, almost completely closing their distance. He then went to her ear and whispered into it.
"I want to hold you in my embrace tonight"
A shiver went down her spine at his voice, and her body slightly heated up. Her face reddened even further, as she expressed surprise at his words, but she bashfully smiled and nodded, still looking down. But then, a light of recalling something shone in her eyes as she looked up at Wu Long.
"Wu Long, but you… your…"
"It is alright, it is all better now" he reassured her, making her feel surprised, but she then bashfully turned her head back away from him.
"Then… then, let's go?"
She timidly asked.
He simply nodded, and holding onto her hand led her back to their area.
—
Meanwhile at the other area of the banquet hall, Hua Ziyan looked at the two. She noticed the change in their relationship not long ago, and was greatly shocked at first, and then envious.
As a young maiden, she could not help feeling attracted to Wu Long with his looks, demeanor, strength, knowledge and mysterious air. His whole being exuded a fatal charm to women.
But she knew that although he appreciated her beauty, it was not as fatal to him as to other people, and her qualifications were too low to catch his attention. He only helped her out as a kindness, not a show of affection or special attention. Though she felt his demeanor and air change slightly during the time they knew each other, there still was not a single time he looked at her more than with just amusement or slight interest.
Seeing them leave she somehow understood their intentions, she was, despite the fact she never dual cultivated, a disciple of a dual cultivation sect after all. As she thought about it, she firmly decided to at least try if she found an opportunity, who knows, maybe if she offered him her Pure Yin Essence which others regarded as a treasure because of her special physique, he might not refuse her, and then he might look at her a bit more.
—
As Wu Long led Ye Ling away, another pair of eyes looked at the two, but with a frown covering the eyebrows above them.
Ye Fan, Ye Ling's uncle and the new patriarch of the family was in deep thought as he looked at them.
He knew that Wu Long was dangerous, maybe their family ancestors who are usually in seclusion could rival him, but it was not guaranteed, and even if they could, Wu Long could still bring substantial harm to the family before he is subdued. It was not wise to provoke him over those Du family who now turned monks.
It was another matter entirely if it concerned Ye Ling, though. As the Ye family had long since tried to reclaim her, and as he got closer to becoming the new patriarch, his ambitions led him to view her in light of making connections with a beneficial ally, possibly bringing him an achievement as a generation's patriarch in strengthening the family. Now, though, his plans were thrown into chaos because Ye Ling did not crumble under pressure, and there even was a bastard like Wu Long with her.
'If it was not for that damn woman!'
He thought, as the silhouette of a stunningly beautiful woman with a sensual figure clad in very revealing clothes, with pale brown hair and orange, almost red eyes appeared in his mind. Her annoying laughter at the time when she took away Ye Ling with her rang out in his mind many times since.
'But this Wu Long… he might have a complicated background too…'
After last commotion, he tried to get Ye Ling to reveal information about Wu Long many times, and she finally just said that if he messed with Wu Long, their sect master may not sit still, which caused him to completely back off.
His wife, looking at the expression on her husband's face, only smiled. She did not know anything about Wu Long's prowess, so she was oblivious of the situation. In her mind, her husband was just displeased with Ye Ling, which was all that mattered to her, and delighted her.
Her attitude toward Ye Ling stretched from her hostility towards her mother when she was young and did not marry into the Ye family yet. Even though her mother was long gone, it did not mean she forgot her enmity as she was a petty woman.
—
As Wu Long and Ye Ling entered the secluded area they lived in, he led her further, but she suddenly stopped, causing his hand, that led her here, to stretch out a bit.
He looked at her, and she just went forward in a different direction, tugging at his hand to follow her with a bashful expression. He understood as he followed her into her courtyard, instead of the guest courtyard his room was in. Being as shy as she was in regards to this, she was concerned about the guest courtyard being connected and the noises coming out of the room, so she led him to her own room that was more secluded.
She lowered her face slightly, trying not to look at his smile that came out naturally at her actions.
As they entered the room, they took off their shoes and went closer to the bed. Then her movements stopped, and a slight panic appeared in her eyes as she did not really know what to do next.
"Ling'er" he said to her from behind, and as she turned around he lifted her chin with a gentle movement of his right hand, leaned in and gently kissed her, slowly melting away her worries and nervousness.
Her eyes opened up slightly, and then closed, as she felt his care and warmth. He embraced her and she returned the embrace, as they gently kissed in the room lit with one lantern. Only soft sounds of their kisses and breathing resounded in the tranquil atmosphere.