A life of idleness in the world of demons

Chapter 70, Section 69: Husband and Wife, Teacher and Friend (5.1K words - Long Chapter, Please Subscribe)
After the two finished fighting, a large crowd of people had gathered by Mingzhu Lake, looking at them as if they were gods.

Because dragon energy requires popular support, and because flesh and blood are too weak to be directly consumed, people are generally safe unless they encounter minor demons or special events.

They had heard of this scene before, but had rarely seen it. At this moment, many people were even scrambling to get a glimpse of the golden Bodhisattva and the red-clad fairy towering over the lake.

The Sky Tide Sound and Fairy Yao Zhen decisively descended, each taking one of their partners and teleporting underground to a secluded mansion.

This is not the original residence of General Qin, but rather Lu Xuezhi's temporary residence.

Lu Xuezhi summoned her personal guards, retrieved some items, and handed them to Ning Xuan.

One letter, and sixty-six silver notes, each worth one thousand taels of silver.

Ning Xuan first read the letter.

In the letter, the old man said that he should have come to Hanzhou to wait for him in person, but his health was deteriorating day by day, so he sent a letter instead. In the letter, the old man wrote a lot in a literary style, but it could be summarized into a simple sentence: "He never dreamed that his son could marry such a powerful, beautiful and influential legendary figure as Lu Xuezhi. He was overjoyed and told Ning Xuan to cherish it and not mess it up. Just thinking about it would make him happy and allow him to live a few more years."

Ning Xuan put down the letter, grabbed the 66,000 taels of silver notes, and asked, "What is this?"

Lu Xuezhi said, "It's the betrothal money given by Mr. Taiyi."

Ning Xuan was taken aback.

The fact that his family could come up with 66,000 taels of silver in one go was quite a lot, almost enough to empty their coffers, which showed how satisfied Master Ning was with his daughter-in-law.

He thought for a moment and said, "That's right. I should still visit Governor Lu in person to give him the betrothal gifts. Only then can I show my sincerity."

Lu Xuezhi said, "I'll give it to you, but I don't need it."

Ning Xuan suddenly realized: "I understand."

Lu Xuezhi said, "What do you know?"

Ning Xuan said, "Besides this 66,000 taels, I need to prepare some more generous gifts to show my sincerity."

Lu Xuezhi blinked.

Ning Xuan blinked as well.

The two looked at each other.

Lu Xuezhi explained, "No need, I don't need it. I don't need the generous gifts, nor do I need the 66,000 taels of betrothal gifts."

After saying that, she tossed her head, her long, ink-black hair, almost reaching her waist, swayed, and looked at Ning Xuan with a pair of bright, moon-like eyes, saying, "I don't like formalities and worldly etiquette."

Then she uttered four more words: "A waste of time."

Ning Xuan paused for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Then, shall I make the arrangements? A banquet tonight? There will be fewer relatives and friends, but it will still be lively and grand."

A strange look appeared on Lu Xuezhi's pretty face. She curled her lips and said, "So nagging."

"Well"

Ning Xuan thought to himself: I can't just pick you up, carry you back to the room, and throw you on the bed.

Lu Xuezhi asked, "If you hadn't seen me tonight, and didn't even know I existed, what were you planning to do?"

Ning Xuan said, "Let's order two jugs of wine and have a good meal."

Lu Xuezhi said, "Then what are we waiting for?"

Ning Xuan was delighted.

Then, he actually went drinking.

Both he and Lu Xuezhi wore cloaks that slightly concealed their faces.

Then, he patiently waited in line with Lu Xuezhi in front of the building where there was a long queue. When it was his turn, he ordered a roast goose, a braised beef, a plate of fried peanuts, and two jars of wine.

He didn't eat at the restaurant, but instead used his movement technique to go to the top of the tallest pavilion in Hanzhou City.

He had planned to do that all along.

A gentle breeze, a bright moon, delicious food and fine wine—only then can one truly say they've lived a worthwhile life.

He plopped down on the rooftop, where the black tiles gleamed, with fine wines and dishes lined up in a row.

This time, it was Lu Xuezhi's turn to be stunned.

She stood upright on one of the four corners of the pavilion, overlooking the bustling city of Hanzhou at dusk, where lanterns filled the streets like a galaxy. Suddenly, she smiled faintly and said, "You're quite an interesting person."

Ning Xuan said, "Let's eat together."

Lu Xuezhi stood there for a moment, thinking that the young man beside her would be her Daoist partner in the future, and their relationship would be extraordinary. So she sat down as well, and with her long legs, she slowly and deliberately tore off some oil paper.

Ning Xuan presented her with a plump goose leg.

She wrapped the goose leg bone in oil paper and then ate it in small bites.

Ning Xuan then broke the seal on another jar of fine wine and handed it over.

Lu Xuezhi accepted the invitation without hesitation.

The two men raised their jars and clinked them together, then drank several large mouthfuls of wine.

"That's great, that's great!" Ning Xuan laughed heartily. "From now on, we're good brothers."

Lu Xuezhi didn't follow his lead, neither agreeing nor refuting, and wasn't provoked. Instead, she said with interest, "Young Master Ning, I heard you were quite the playboy before, indulging in cockfighting, horse racing, hunting with hounds and dogs, and even renting out an entire brothel. What? Tired of all the rich food and delicacies?"

Ning Xuan smiled faintly, then suddenly gripped the wine jar with his five fingers, raised it slightly, looked up at the bright moon in the sky, shook his head, and said, "I just feel that there are things in this world that are far more precious than those things."

Lu Xuezhi asked, "Oh? What is it?"

Ning Xuan raised his cup and drank it down in a drunken frenzy, then put it down and said, "Drunk, I embrace the Milky Way and lie down together, the lonely tower bathed in bright sunlight, the vast sea stretching endlessly! Who is sitting with me?"

He paused, looked at the young woman beside him, and smiled, "Bright Moon, Gentle Breeze, you, and me."

He was a playboy.

But he had studied writing seriously.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to write the memorial to the throne.

Lu Xuezhi said, "You're quite good at coaxing women."

Ning Xuan said, "Those in brothels don't need to be coaxed. The one at home is the one who coaxes me."

Lu Xuezhi said, "Xiao Jie, right?"

Ning Xuan put down the wine jar and said, "Yes."

Lu Xuezhi suddenly said, "I can tolerate her."

Ning Xuan said, "Oh?"

Lu Xuezhi did not answer the question, but instead raised the wine jar.

Her bright, moon-like eyes were above the wine jar and below her bangs.

In the evening breeze, her long hair fluttered behind her, and her body was filled with an explosive power far exceeding youthful vitality. Especially beneath those strong, long legs, countless people had truly died—men and women alike—but regardless of gender, they were all people she considered deserving of death.

"I have already studied the Lingyan Xiaotuan Gong. Try it in my room tonight. After that, we will be husband and wife, and you will enter my household. I will be your legal wife. From now on, you are not allowed to go to brothels." As Lu Xuezhi spoke, a menacing threat appeared on her beautiful face.

Why would Ning Xuan refuse?

He had said long ago that he would accept any marriage partner his father chose for him, as long as the child wasn't too insulting to him.

What's more, this young lady in front of me is beautiful, cool, and good at fighting; she seems alright in every way.

As for brothels, he hasn't been there for a long time.

A woman made of paper, she'll crumble at the slightest touch, what's the point of her going?

So, he nodded.

On the ebony and steel couch.

For the first time, Ning Xuan felt a true sense of cultivating a technique.

Lu Xuezhi was only wearing a moon-white undergarment.

To avoid any lewd thoughts, the two extinguished the candles.

Although their vision was still good in the dark, it lacked the luminous quality of sunlight.

"Let's begin," Ning Xuan said, his mind focused.

He was eager to know whether cultivation techniques were actually effective.

After all, each time one attempts to refine a talisman beyond their level, it is truly arduous and dangerous.

Although he has survived these few times, each time was fraught with risk. If he had made a mistake just once, it would have been utterly disastrous.

"Refining the talisman that is about to arrive" is obviously an extremely dangerous thing.

If one could improve their strength by cultivating techniques, consuming demon cores, and "refining the talisman of the completed," that would be the best outcome.

However, the latter two are based on searching for external objects, while the former seems to be the fundamental one.

The two slowly approached each other.

They slowly pressed together.

The moment they got close, they both shuddered as if struck by lightning.

Young men and women, especially martial artists, possess powerful qi and blood. The moment they come into contact, romantic thoughts naturally arise.

"stop."

Lu Xuezhi pulled Ning Xuan back and said, "Calm your mind."

Ning Xuan nodded. Following the visualization diagram left on the "Divine Eagle Overturning the Heavens Technique," he imagined a divine eagle spreading its wings and soaring through the sky.

After a moment, the two began to slowly move forward.

In the darkness, a faint smell of blood filled the air, but both remained focused, concentrating on circulating their internal energy. On one side, a divine eagle spread its wings; on the other, a swallow circled in flight.

There was constant movement in the darkness.

Their vital energies gradually began to blend.

But as it melted, something started to go wrong.

Both were strong-willed individuals; they forcibly separated, regained their composure, and resumed their cultivation after recovering.
The second time, the two finally deduced the second stage.

At the end of the second stage, Lu Xuezhi suddenly bit Ning Xuan's shoulder hard and said, "You can't give up. If you're going to do it, you have to do it to the best of your ability. Success in one go!!"

Ning Xuan had no other good options, so he quickly meditated on the eighty-four years he had been suppressed to calm himself down. Then the two of them began to ascend to the final stage of the Hehuan Sect's method—the Nine Heavens Clouds.

The two persevered, their energy and blood flowing together as if drawn by each other, rising like fire and boiling like water, and being tempered and refined like a furnace and a sharp blade in the collision.

for a long time
After a long while.
The two felt their own energy and blood had reached an unprecedented level, a level that would be difficult to achieve even in a life-or-death struggle.

The two quickly separated, got up, pulled on their robes, rolled up their bodies, and, while the iron was hot, went to the courtyard to start practicing their fist and foot techniques.

It was late autumn, and the two of them were brimming with energy, like two high-temperature furnaces constantly radiating heat.

As they practiced, the two exchanged a glance, pressed forward against each other, and engaged in close combat. They exchanged several blows in a flash, then separated before pressing forward again to continue their exchange.

for a long time
After a long while.
The two of them stopped only after they had exhausted all their strength.

Lu Xuezhi praised, "Young Master Ning, although you have not yet reached the second rank, you are already quite close to it. You cultivate both body and mind, truly a peerless genius."

Ning Xuan said, "Still calling me 'Young Master'?"

Lu Xuezhi said, "The word 'husband' is difficult to say, so let's call him 'young master' in private for now. As for you, please don't call me 'wife,' and of course, you don't need to call me 'General Lu.' Just call me 'Miss Lu.'"

Ning Xuan said, "Why not call him Brother Lu?"

Lu Xuezhi said, "In private, it's up to you."

Ning Xuan was just joking; he had to address his wife as "Miss" at all costs.

Lu Xuezhi suddenly noticed that Ning Xuan was still looking at her, so she asked, "What's wrong?"

Ning Xuan smiled wryly and said, "I have been cultivating, but we haven't finished our marital affairs yet."

Lu Xuezhi's pretty face froze, a hint of doubt appearing in the moonlight. Then, she suddenly realized, and stood there stiffly, biting her lip. Then, she resolutely stood up, crossed her long legs, and strode into the house like she was launching a charge. Then, she turned around gracefully, slightly supporting the half-closed door, and said, "What a hassle, hurry up."

The Hehuan Sect's methods are clearly effective. Their effectiveness does not stem from sexual intercourse between men and women, but rather from using yin and yang as a guide to draw out the potential within the body, and then transforming this potential into strength during combat.

The two became completely absorbed in their practice, cultivating day and night.

The "stiffness" that Ning Xuan had previously felt was now showing signs of "melting".

In just five days, Ning Xuan felt as if his body had been opened up, feeling very comfortable. His blood and qi circulation was much faster, and more importantly, the values ​​on his panel had changed.

His physical condition improved from 10 to 10.1.

This was the first time he had gained power through a method other than "refining talismans".

Ning Xuan thought about it. Since he already had the trump card "Tian Youzi", it might not be a bad thing to unleash his power. The main thing was that he could stop holding back during dual cultivation and could cultivate with Lu Xuezhi with all his might.

So, on the sixth night, he suddenly stopped fighting Lu Xuezhi, and then raised his hand to signal "stop" just as Lu Xuezhi was about to attack. At the same time, he began to control his second-grade physique and blood to slowly dissipate.

Lu Xuezhi sensed the change in him.

In the moonlit courtyard, she looked surprised and asked, "You've broken through to the second rank?"

Ning Xuan clenched his fists, his dense flesh surging, revealing a heavy, scale-like texture.

Lu Xuezhi stopped breathing.

Although she already knew that Ning Xuan was very close to the second rank during their dual cultivation, she was still extremely surprised that he broke through like this.

A hint of arrogance, born from being suppressed by her peers, flashed in her eyes.

In literature, there is no first place; in martial arts, there is no second.
As a martial artist, Lu Xuezhi naturally possessed a sense of pride.

Even if her husband suppressed her, she would not back down.

She needs to fight back quickly.

She didn't want to wait a moment longer.

She slowly assumed a starting stance and said calmly, "Now that you've broken through to the second rank, I'm going to get serious."

Ning Xuan looked at her quietly.

These days, he and Lu Xuezhi have been spending every day together, their bodies intimate, and it's common for them to even communicate and blend their qi and blood during cultivation. Therefore, he has basically confirmed his initial judgment—Lu Xuezhi really does have a martial arts lineage.

Why?

When the two sides reached the final stage of cultivating the "Divine Eagle Overturning the Sky Skill" and the "Lingyan Small Group Skill", they inevitably took turns fighting, which was like an alternative confrontation. At that time, both he and Lu Xuezhi were like crazy beasts.

At that time, the strength or weakness of one's martial arts foundation becomes apparent.

he.
I can't climb up.

Lu Xuezhi's strength was too strange. Even though she forcibly suppressed it to below the second rank, it still overpowered him.

This thing can't be mastered by just figuring it out or practicing on your own. Otherwise, in the nightmare world, Ning Xuan would have become a martial arts master simply by saying "I think so."

The path of martial arts is forged through tempering and honing. It requires many flashes of inspiration, many life-and-death battles, the refinement and supplementation by generation after generation, and the verification of right and wrong through repeated events. It is not so simple.

His "Swallow Cry Collapse Force" and "Swallow Tail Cutting Force" were learned by taking a shortcut, directly from the demonic innate demonic arts of the Heavenly Demon Talisman. Even so, these two forces are not actually systematic.

His moves may seem methodical, but they are actually just some unorthodox techniques he summarized and developed himself.

Ning Xuan knew that Lu Xuezhi had been giving in to him.

Now, he wants to see the real power, the power of true martial arts.

So, he nodded.

Seeing her husband nod, Lu Xuezhi's demeanor began to change. Her tall figure took on a strange twisting shape, like the most well-behaved young lady who had restrained all her ostentation, quietly holding a round fan to cover her face, sitting demurely on the chair. She was also like a snow-white viper that had suddenly coiled up, her whole body contracted, with the snake's head in the center, making her able to attack or escape with ease.

Her flesh and blood writhed, and faint scales began to appear all over her body.

She beckoned with her right hand, indicating that her husband could proceed.

Ning Xuan observed her carefully.

He took a few steps around and went to the side.

But Lu Xuezhi also turned with him.

Ning Xuan would normally use any means necessary in battle, but now all he can use is his martial arts.

He twisted his neck, his arms were drawn like a strong bow, he said "Be careful", then took a deep breath, and then suddenly stood up and launched a "Swallow Harmony" attack, while a strange "humming" sound came from his nostrils.

Lu Xuezhi's body suddenly became slippery. His "Yanhe" attack, though clearly launched, slipped away. His next "Ha" was then emitted at close range, transforming into a sonic cannon that seemed to have a physical form.

boom! !

The blast created a large crater in the courtyard.

Ning Xuan's pupils constricted, because he could feel that his Hum Ha Technique had also been slipped away.

Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, a long, alluring, and deadly leg emerged like a viper's open jaws, ready to bite.

Ning Xuan didn't even look, and quickly blocked with his left hand.

boom!
Fist blocks toe.

A burst of dual forces.

But Lu Xuezhi was not left behind.

Her long legs transformed from a spear into a giant axe, the force flowing smoothly as they joined together, cleaving down towards Ning Xuan's shoulder.

Ning Xuan used both hands to support her calves, while simultaneously unleashing the "Yanhe" power from his shoulders to resist the force of the slash.

boom!
Snapped!
After the loud bang, he was then struck by his wife's short, sharp, and insidious attack, which sent him flying backward.

Previously, he had also flown backwards.

But now, as he flew backward, he saw Lu Xuezhi fly up like a ghost, a cluster of afterimages, a ghost, each shadow seemed to be gathering energy, each shadow seemed to be frozen in time and space.

He had only flown back a few feet when Lu Xuezhi had already transformed into dozens of shadows.

Her face was expressionless, her expression indifferent, her bangs calm, and her dark hair dancing wildly.
Suddenly, all the dozens of shadows vanished.

Ning Xuan sensed something was wrong.

An instinct formed between life and death made him subconsciously draw his Ruyi Blade.

The sword at his waist multiplied into hundreds and thousands, but instead of slashing out, it transformed into a long pillar, blocking his path.

Lu Xuezhi's legs have arrived.

The leg struck the Ruyi Blade.

Boom boom boom! ! !

A series of thunderclaps echoed through the night.

The city of Hanzhou was pitch black in the early morning, but suddenly all the lights in the houses lit up, and everyone craned their necks to look outside.

I woke up in the darkness.

In the courtyard, the dust settled. Ning Xuan stood still. Lu Xuezhi's leg had already kicked away his Ruyi Blade and was pointing at his throat. Her crystal-clear, plump toes playfully touched his throat lightly before withdrawing.

"This treasure is quite impressive; it's forced me to use almost all my strength."

Lu Xuezhi commented, "However, using treasures to contain stiff flesh and blood is the work of demons. We do not rely on external objects, but on cultivating ourselves into the strongest treasure in the world."

(End of this chapter)