In the blink of an eye, a month had passed since Tributor Yu had bravely captured the assassin.
On this day.
In Building A-2, in the hall on the second floor.
Yu Xian lounged on a wooden armchair, a yellow gourd in hand, and every now and then he took a sip.
The gourd was filled with a medicinal wine that Doctor Huang had specially prepared for him, called Full Nutrient Wine. Despite the common-sounding name, the effects were considerable, even for a cultivator like him.
Possibly because honey was added to the medicinal herbs, it was somewhat sweet to taste.
There were many chores in the Royal Mansion, but almost nothing urgent enough to involve Heavenly-rank Tributors.
Hence, Yu Xian had a lot of free time.
He enjoyed this leisure tremendously.
He had food and lodging covered, received his pay without working, and even had his accommodations and wife arranged - it was the dream of any modern-day worker.
Soft music filled his ears as a beauty danced and sang before him.
The dancing Yulan was a typical Eastern classical beauty - petite and exquisite, her facial features decidedly refined and dimensional.
Especially now, at the peak of her youth and beauty, which fully brought out her charm.
Yu Xian couldn't help but marvel.
Even though he saw Yulan every day, right now, he felt an urge to see what lay beneath her dance dress.
He quickly took another two gulps of his medicinal wine.
It seemed he would need to cultivate diligently again today!
Just as he made up his mind, his vision revealed the cultivation progress he had made over the past month.
[Name: Yu Xian]
[Cultivation: Level 6 of Qi Cultivation (11/130)]
[Cultivation Partner: Yulan (1/1)]
In just a month, he had made a breakthrough and reached Level 6 of Qi Cultivation, just one step away from late-stage Qi Cultivation.
Being at the late-stage Qi Cultivation was considered a minor expert among lower-ranked cultivators in the Cultivation World, enough to hold an important managerial position in a medium to small-sized cultivation family.
The manager back when he was a spirit farmer was a late-stage Qi Cultivator.
He didn't do anything all day, except collect rent from spirit farmers once a year. They had to flatter him constantly, fearing that he might overlook even a single number of their spirit field's yield.
Back then, he had envied him so much.
Maybe it was this envy that made it easier for him to commit to hard work in cultivation.
Not only did he not maintain his minimum standard of one cultivation session per day, he volitionally increased it to twice, even three times a day.
Each time after cultivation, Yu Xian vehemently despised his lack of self-restraint.
But, well — sometimes, once you try, you can't stop.
Seeing his own gradual cultivation progress, Yu Xian was greatly comforted, thinking that his hard work hadn't gone to waste.
So, he had to keep pestering Doctor Huang to increase the dose of his medication.
The banknote, worth a thousand taels of silver that he got from Prince Wang, soon turned into gourds of Full Nutrient Wine.
If it hadn't been for the backing of the Royal Mansion, a powerhouse, it wouldn't have been easy to collect all those medicinal materials.
The dance ended.
"Master, how was my dance?"
Yulan hopped into Yu Xian's arms, her previous restraint gone. She was like a pet cat, purring and egging him for more affection.
Ever since her Master had gotten her freedom back from the possession of the Royal Mansion days ago, she seemed to have lost her freedom entirely.
But this time, she was completely willing.
Even if she knew he was more smitten with her body, she was still happy and did her best to showcase the beauty of a girl's body.
To someone like her, leading a precarious life, even the tiniest measure of love was worth a thousand times more in return.
Not to mention her Master was so handsome and gentle.
He never treated her as a lowly maid, and sometimes tolerated her slight willfulness and wildness. Hence, she behaved more like a child, yearning for more love and adoration.
As for the task given to her by the Princess Consort, to spy on Yu Xian—well, she had but one master at present.
"Not bad, though I didn't pay much attention."
Seeing Yulan pout in dissatisfaction, Yu Xian gave a playful smirk, rubbed her shiny nose, leaned in towards her ear, and whispered seductively.
"That's because I was only thinking about how I could devour you in one go just now."
Yulan's ears turned red instantly. She put her irritation aside and snuggled into Yu Xian's embrace, looking coyly naive.
"My Lord, you always tease me."
"Xiao Yi, do you want to join in?"
Yu Xian, inflamed by her flirtation, suddenly turned his head and asked Chen Yi, who had just accompanied him on the piano.
Ever since he persuaded Chen Xiao to extract the toxin for Duke Fu, and Chen Xiao agreed only to suppress its potency.
Chen Xiao's little sister came to his courtyard, claiming there was no place for her in the Royal Mansion. Since he had made a promise to Chen Xiao, she was now his responsibility.
Yu Xian didn't mind, having another beauty in sight couldn't be a bad thing.
Besides, it might provide some variety from time to time.
Thanks to the gossiping maidservant at the door, everyone in the Royal Mansion now knew that Tributor Yu was a notorious debauchee. Anyone who entered his loft, no matter how pure they were before, would no longer remain so.
He, Yu, won't stand for such a groundless accusation, so he must dispel this purity!
"No, no, I don't want to!"
Hearing this, Chen Yi stood up in a fluster, hurriedly heading for the door. She wasn't ready yet.
However, just before she stepped out, she glanced back at the romantic scene taking place on the wooden armchair, envy tinting her expression.
Given her status, she didn't know when she would get to lie carelessly in another person's arms, acting spoiled.
Or maybe, she would never get that chance.
"Remember to take a long walk before you come back, don't come back too soon. Otherwise, I'll take it as a silent agreement to join."
A teasing laughter from Tributor Yu came from behind her. Chen Yi stumbled over her own foot and walked faster.
"Haha..."
The laughter echoed into the distance, turning Chen Yi's face beet red.
…
His palm stroked Yulan's skin, which was as smooth as milk, and a vital question suddenly sprang to mind.
If Yulan also stepped into the path of cultivation, would the cultivation points she provided for him increase?
Although his cultivation was progressing rapidly, the speed decreased as his realm improved.
Level 6 of Qi Cultivation required more than a hundred cultivation points, he wondered how many points it would be at Level 9 of Qi Cultivation. And, what if he luckily reached the Foundation Establishment Realm?
Now he only had Yulan as his cultivation partner and temporarily had no way to add more partners. Improving Yulan's cultivation might yield unexpected results.
So, Yu Xian picked up a coat scattered on the ground, wrapped it around his waist, swaggered into the bedroom next door, and fetched the 'Eternal Youth Technique' that he considered of little value.
This thing had been hanging in his room for nearly a month.
But neither Yulan nor Chen Yi seemed interested in it.
Yulan was too delighted to think about it, and Chen Yi had not been given a task. He had done it in vain.
"My Lord, what is this? The Eternal Youth Technique? A Taoist self-cultivation method?"
Yulan had been nurtured carefully by the princess consort, not only proficient in music and dance but also knowledgeable in literature.
Yu Xian didn't break it to her. He just went along with her words, saying, "Yes, kind of. You just follow this method to cultivate. If it works, I will reward you generously."
Yulan tossed the secret book aside carelessly, completely ignoring her current state of undress. She languidly placed her soft wrists on Yu Xian's neck.
"I am quite content right now and don't need any rewards. But I will definitely cultivate as My Lord said."
"Really?" Yu Xian dropped a bait with a grin, "What if I say, if you succeed in cultivating, I will marry you?"
Yulan stiffened for a moment, her voice trembling unconsciously.
"My Lord, what did you just say?"
As Yu Xian stroked her silky hair, his calm voice felt like a devil opening a soul covenant to someone drowning.
"If you succeed, I will marry you and make you my concubine."
He didn't mention making her his lawful wife. Yulan wouldn't believe that anyway.
Yulan's eyes turned red in an instant. She grabbed the 'Eternal Youth Technique' book as if holding on to her life, making a somewhat solemn vow.
"My Lord, I will definitely make progress in my cultivation!"
"A full-grown woman, and still crying."
Yu Xian wiped her teary eyes and made a beautiful promise.
"Just give it a try. It's okay if you can't do it. Now that you're with me, I won't abandon you."