Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 175 Brothers Help Each Other

The fire in the cinnabar burns warmly.

Ah Nuo sat on the other side of the alchemy furnace, his hands clasped together, his face showing signs of hardship.

The enormous alchemy furnace blocked the view of the adulterous couple on the other side; only their feet could be seen from under the furnace. They were still sitting very close together, but Ah Nuo was forced to squat at the other end.

As soon as he finished taking the pill, Anuo threw it over the wall.

In fact, Sheng Yuanyao was already quite restrained not to throw Anuo directly out of the volcano.

The most tragic thing in the world is death in a social gathering; even if someone witnesses it, they too will die in the social gathering. The bystander becomes the gossip.

If it weren't for Lu Xingzhou's high emotional intelligence at the end, which largely mitigated her embarrassment, she would have wanted to kick Lu Xingzhou out of the volcano.

As a result, Lu Xingzhou's words turned the situation into him being a lecherous man seeking a reward, and Sheng Yuanyao turned around and kissed him, instantly dispelling the awkwardness. Now, all we need to do is kill A'nuo, and the world will be peaceful...

Of course, Ah Nuo couldn't be killed; he could only pretend not to see it and use the alchemy furnace to block the person.

At this moment, the adulterous couple had already moved behind the rocks to change their clothes, and then came out again to sit side by side in front of the alchemy furnace, looking very proper and serious.

In reality, there were no pills to refine.

Most of the medicinal herbs collected earlier were given to A'nuo for alchemy, and the remaining amount was insufficient to support Lu Xingzhou's own alchemy practice. He would need to find other herbs to complete his trial exercises. However, Lu Xingzhou's injuries were not yet fully healed, so he did not want to move and instead sat to recuperate.

If nothing unexpected happens, there should also be some kind of fire inside this volcano, and it should be a high-temperature fire of explosive nature.

Collecting the fire seed is a battle in itself. The one in the first layer of the desert was a lucky break when the tortoise and the fire seed clashed, but this one will probably be quite difficult. A'nuo is afraid of fire, Sheng Yuanyao doesn't understand fire, so the main force is still Lu Xingzhou himself.

Sheng Yuanyao felt she had let him down this time, and asked somewhat embarrassedly, "How...how is your injury?"

Iron Demon landed a punch on his back, inflicting a serious injury. He hadn't rested properly after taking the medicine, and had instead been messing around...

"Actually, it's alright. I have a Yin-Yang grinding technique that can largely eliminate the power invading my body, so the injury isn't as serious as I imagined. However, I still need to recuperate and recover, so it's not suitable for me to continue fighting for the time being."

"Then... I'll go out with Anuo and deal with that Iron Demon first? I'm afraid it will come back to life."

"Don't worry about that. This is your Demon Suppression Division's Demon Subduing Domain. Even if the Iron Demon were at its peak, it would gradually be weakened, let alone in its current half-dead state. It can only be worn down by this place and become weaker and weaker. If we don't kill it, it will die on its own, including the Succubus... Hey, you're from the Demon Suppression Division and I'm from the Demon Suppression Division. Do I have to tell you this?"

Sheng Yuanyao was furious and embarrassed: "Then why didn't you deal with it before coming in? What were you hiding from?"

“Didn’t you realize what state we were in just now? What if some other demon suddenly appeared, or some kind of wandering energy attack, or some kind of inner demon interference?” Lu Xingzhou sighed. “Agua, we’re not here to risk our lives to exorcise demons, we’re here to train.”

"...Who is Agua?"

"Ahem." Lu Xingzhou ignored the topic: "If you're really worried, go out and kill him now. I dare say killing him now is as easy as killing a chicken."

Ah Nuo jumped up immediately: "Holy crap!"

Lu Xingzhou remained silent, tacitly agreeing to let Anuo go.

Sheng Yuanyao hugged her knees, turning her head to watch A'nuo leave. Suddenly, her shoulders slumped, she let out a long sigh, and muttered with her head down, "How am I ever going to see A'nuo again..."

“Actually…” Lu Xingzhou hesitated for a moment, “Anuo didn’t see it just now.”

"What do you mean, 'didn't she see it'?" Sheng Yuanyao retorted, her neck stiff. "What did we do that required her not to see it?"

Lu Xingzhou nodded seriously: "Yes, I didn't do anything... I was attacked by a succubus, which delayed my healing."

Speaking of his injury, Sheng Yuanyao still vividly recalled the image of him unhesitatingly shielding her, a soft and warm feeling that instantly erased his stiff neck. She whispered, "Is there anything I can do? How about a massage to improve blood circulation?"

Lu Xingzhou turned his head to look at her profile, his gaze unconsciously falling on her cherry lips.

The words spoken in my confusion are still vivid in my mind... I need a kiss to feel better.

Sheng Yuanyao had obviously thought of this as well, and said angrily, "What a pervert! I don't know how many people you've cheated. I should have arrested you back in Xiazhou."

“I’m not lying to you,” Lu Xingzhou protested. “If you know dual cultivation techniques, then you really can speed up the healing process by transferring your inner energy.”

Sheng Yuanyao hesitated for a moment: "Um, can I learn it quickly?"

"Why, you want to help me?"

"Why are you talking so much? Isn't it normal for a friend to help you heal your wounds?"

Lu Xingzhou glanced at her and handed her a magic formula.

It's a pity that the method of directly transferring power between the eyebrows is no longer available, otherwise it would be much simpler.

The upper three ranks should be achievable, the Cloud Soaring Realm... Back then, Yuan Muyu taught him directly by pointing her finger at his brow...

Sheng Yuanyao stared at the incantation, her face flushed and her eyes darting around. She had no mind to study or practice the technique... The scene of her near-death experience flashed through her mind again, and at this moment, Sheng Yuanyao's mind was completely blank.

Her face suddenly felt hot. Lu Xingzhou couldn't resist the sight of her adorable, flushed cheeks, and he stole a kiss from her.

Sheng Yuanyao wiped her face and glared angrily: "Is this never going to end?!"

Lu Xingzhou leaned his face closer: "Then I'll give you one back." Sheng Yuanyao reached out to slap him, but when it landed on his face, it was completely powerless and became a caress.

Then she laughed out loud, and indeed leaned over to kiss him, before quickly pulling away: "That's enough, we... we can't do that."

"Why not?" Lu Xingzhou asked directly.

Sheng Yuanyao looked away and hugged her knees to watch the fire in the stove.

Of course, it's because you have Shen Tang, and I'm not going to be a concubine... I can't compete with the princess for a man.

But what came out of his mouth was, "I was just under the spell of a succubus, I understand... Why keep holding onto that kind of thing? You even took a punch for me, so what's wrong with letting you off easy?"

"How about making it a little cheaper for me?" Lu Xingzhou scored another three points.

Sheng Yuanyao was both amused and exasperated: "You weren't this lecherous before. Is it because of what happened just now that you've unleashed your inner demons and are no longer pretending?"

Actually, it's because I'm growing to like Gua Mei more and more... When Shen Tang first said she agreed to let Lu Xingzhou pursue Sheng Yuanyao, Lu Xingzhou didn't take it seriously and didn't even respond to Shen Tang. Back then, they were just friends, and he had no lustful thoughts towards Sheng Yuanyao. What kind of behavior is it to try to get involved with the Sheng family just to seduce her? You can use that connection as a friend.

But now she likes him more and more... so the power of Shen Tang's initial agreement has become even greater. A relationship with Pei Chuyun would cause a shrew in her family, but not Sheng Yuanyao, so there are no psychological barriers, as long as she is willing.

But it's not easy to say this. How can I say it? "My family agrees to you being a mistress, so I have no scruples?" A single sentence could ruin the whole relationship. I'd rather be a female friend than a male friend.

Sheng Yuanyao is a legitimate official, and her upbringing is different from that of the little demon girl Hehuan. She needs to save face... Besides, Sheng Qingfeng also needs a solution eventually.

She's only willing to acknowledge brothers for now, so we'll have to stick with this for now, giving everyone a reason to deceive themselves, so as not to end up losing all friends. We'll deal with things gradually later…

So he went along with her words and said, "Yes, there was a little bit left over. Didn't you have even a little bit?"

Sheng Yuanyao's eyes darted around. Of course, there was still a trace of it. The pills that A Nuo refined were not elixirs of immortality that could free the mind from that state. But she still needed to suppress the restless lust and love.

“Since we both have these, wouldn’t it be great if we brothers helped each other out…” Lu Xingzhou hugged her directly.

Sheng Yuanyao struggled weakly to show that she had resisted, but in reality, she was completely powerless against Lu Xingzhou's advances. He offered her the steps one by one, and she walked down them very comfortably.

Seeing Lu Xingzhou kiss her again, she said somewhat reluctantly, "Then I'll reluctantly help you one more time, since you look pitiful."

The two kissed again.

"your hands……"

"Just helping my brother understand the differences in male and female anatomy."

"What's there to know? You just pinched it..."

"My mind was in a state of confusion at that time, and I couldn't perceive things clearly."

Sheng Yuanyao was too lazy to expose that he had already clearly understood this from Shen Tang and Pei Chuyun, and now he only understood the feel of different shapes.

Never mind... anyway, I already touched it earlier.

Ah Nuo stood a short distance away, holding a piece of iron, unsure whether she should go over. Would she get beaten up if she did...?

That said, while the battle-damaged version of Yao's official server looks alluring, the fully-fledged version, even when custom-made, is equally taboo and stimulating.

The adulterous couple seemed to have been "conscious" for quite some time before they suddenly realized that Ah Nuo had been squatting to the side for a while. Lu Xingzhou casually separated them, clearing his throat: "Iron Demon dealt with?"

"It's solved." Ah Nuo breathed a sigh of relief. My solution was easy; what's important is that you guys solved it.

Look, Sister Yao doesn't even blush when she sees Anuo anymore.

She approached, holding the iron block: "The core left behind after I smashed the Iron Demon should be a good item for refining weapons."

Lu Xingzhou took it and examined it. It looked like an iron block, but in fact, there was a liquid flowing inside, and a scorching heat emanated from it. It also had a faint spiritual quality and looked very high-end.

"It's not just for refining weapons. This thing has life and spirit, and its energy is strong. It can help with martial arts and bone forging." Lu Xingzhou handed it directly to Sheng Yuanyao: "You can try to draw its golden and fire energy into your body. When you are at the fifth to fourth rank, you can rapidly increase your cultivation. When you are at the third rank, it can help you break through bone forging. You already have a third-rank treasure sword. It would be a waste to use this for refining weapons. It is more suitable to use it to assist in cultivation."

Sheng Yuanyao blinked, suddenly remembering her father's words.

—I don't believe Dugu Qingli and Pei Chuyun haven't eaten rare and precious herbs. Lu Xingzhou has good fortune; going with him might be beneficial.

Isn’t this coming?

The condensed crystal of a third-grade demon is no different from a third-grade demon core, something that every cultivator in the upper three grades desires. And now he has it. The key is that he didn't play a significant role in this battle and even caused Lu Xingzhou to get injured... It's almost like he got it for free.

Hmm... you traded it for kisses and pinches?

Sheng Yuanyao felt embarrassed: "You and Anuo are both martial arts practitioners, so you can use this too."

Lu Xingzhou waved his hand: "Neither A'nuo nor I repair metal. A'nuo's pancake even needs to have the metal elements removed to better exert the elemental magnetic effect. Allocate according to need, this is yours."

He stood up and said, "Come on, there must be many fire-attribute treasures and fire seeds inside this volcano. Let's split up and search. We've worked so hard, now is the time to reap the rewards."

Ah Nuo hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping herself. She really wanted to say, "Isn't your gain Sister Yao? Who spends almost an hour after a battle doing this and that with a woman before remembering to look for treasure? The other people who went through all the hardships of treasure hunting and trials will cry."

(End of this chapter)