’A cultivator...’
I weighed my response carefully. I didn’t want to sell myself as something I wasn’t, but the label wasn’t entirely wrong either. Cultivation, at its core, meant growing stronger through prehension of the dao — through understanding, through practice, through discipline. There were countless variations on the theme, but that was the essence.
And me? I grew stronger by fucking.
The thought almost made me laugh. Soon I’d reach D rank, and by then, I’d probably be able to take on these S ranks and their summons alone. If things continued the way they had been — if I kept bedding my villainess and anyone else who caught my attention — I’d eventually hit A rank. Maybe even S rank. At A rank, I’d stand equal to Kassie and the rest of them. And at S rank?
’I could be contending with gods.’
The thought was intoxicating. Dangerous, too.
’Calm down, Cade. Calm down.’
Yeah, I needed to pump the brakes before I got too far ahead of myself. One step at a time.
I forced the ambition down and offered Lady Yuan a smile. Her obsidian eyes had been waiting patiently for my response, dark and still as a mountain pool.
"Well, yes," I said. "There’s something called dual cultivation. This world has another name for it — a forbidden one. I can’t mention it casually, but yes. I practice dual cultivation."
Her mouth fell open. A heartbeat later, she covered it with both hands, her long, slender fingers pressing against her lips as if she could push the shock back in.
"Now it makes so much sense." Her voice came out muffled behind her hands. "I was so worried I might be delusional. I kept thinking to myself — but I felt it. My spirit essence grew stronger than what I was used to."
I gave her my most charming grin.
"Yup. That was all me."
Her hands dropped from her face, and something shifted in her expression—awe mixing with sudden understanding.
"I’m careful about this secret," I continued, letting the levity drain from my voice. "I’m probably the last practitioner remaining. The Eternal Light Church killed everyone else. So I need you to keep this between us until I say otherwise."
Lady Yuan slid off me immediately. In one fluid motion, she was on her knees, head bowed low.
"Please, trust me. I will protect your secret with my life."
I chuckled, the sound ing out more awkward than I intended.
’Why is she being like this...’
"Please." I waved a hand. "If you ever find yourself in danger and revealing my secret is the only way to save yourself, do what you have to do. I’d understand." I held up my fist, letting a thread of conviction harden my voice. "Besides — I’m getting stronger. Soon I’ll be able to protect myself from whatever forces they throw at me."
She looked up at me then, and I saw it — admiration blooming across her features like dawn breaking over water. Her eyes shone with it and her posture softened with it.
I returned her gaze with a small smile of my own.
"So... will you help me?"
Lady Yuan’s brow furrowed. The admiration didn’t fade, but confusion crept in alongside it.
"Help... you? Me?" She shook her head slightly. "But Lord Cade, I have nothing to help you with. My knowledge is pointless. I can’t even properly slay a beast without tripping on my own clothes."
I shrugged.
"Doesn’t matter. What I want is for you to teach me what you know about the sword. You’ve been learning since childhood. Everything you were taught — I want it."
I rose and closed the distance between us, one deliberate step.
"And in exchange..." I took her jaw gently, guiding her to her feet and tilted her face toward mine. "I will make you stronger. I won’t stop fucking you until you reach S rank."
That would take a while.... Possibly years. But I was serious, and I let her see it in my eyes. I was prepared to mit to this arrangement, even knowing that most of our sessions would eventually be about growing her essence rather than mine.
’It’s a good plan...’
But Lady Yuan still looked uncertain, lost somewhere between hope and hesitation. I could see the arguments forming behind her eyes — reasons to refuse, doubts about her own worth.
I didn’t let her finish thinking.
I captured her lips and kissed her deeply. She stiffened for only a moment before melting into it, and I guided her backward until her spine met the wall. The kiss deepened, tongues sliding together, breath growing ragged.
I trailed my fingers down the curve of her hip, along the silk of her thigh, taking my time. Our lips stayed locked even as my hand found its destination — slipping past the barrier of her undergarments to the slick heat beneath.
I found her clit and began to work it with practiced pressure. Slow circles at first... Testing the waters...
A moan escaped her, muffled against my mouth. Her body jerked, and her thighs spread wider almost unconsciously, granting me deeper access.
’God, what a woman.’
I slid two fingers inside her, and she broke the kiss to gasp. Her mouth hung open, eyes fluttering closed, and she gripped my shoulders like I was the only thing keeping her upright. I curled my fingers, finding that spot, and her whole body shuddered.
She was close. I could feel it in the flutter of her walls, the desperate hitch of her breathing, the way her nails dug into my skin. She was approaching the edge, ready to tip over—
I stopped and my fingers went still.
Lady Yuan froze. The dazed pleasure in her expression curdled into confusion, then sharpened into a frown.
"Is something wrong, Lord Cade?"
I let a crooked grin spread across my face.
"Well, you never actually gave me a response..."
Her frown deepened, irritation bleeding through the formality.
"Did you stop because of that?"
I laughed internally. ’Hoho, look at her...’
"Yes," I said, keeping my voice light. "I was unsure you were going to teach me."
The frown didn’t soften. If anything, it carved itself deeper into her features.
"Lord Cade, that’s a very unfair thing to do." Her voice had lost its deference. For the first time, I heard something closer to genuine annoyance. "Of course I was going to teach you. You didn’t have to do this. It’s unfair."
She stepped past me, straightening her clothes with sharp, precise movements, and walked out of the room.
I stood there, fingers still wet, staring at the empty doorway.
’Oh wow... she’s actually pissed.’
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