Yang Guo: I'm invincible in the opening battle against Aunt Guo!

Yang Guo looked at her and said, "You don't need to rush to answer. You can think about it for a few more days."

"No need to think about it anymore." Yelü Yan's voice was soft, but unusually firm. "From the moment I decided to follow Brother Yang, I've already made up my mind. It's just..."

She bit her lip: "But my sister's injuries haven't healed yet, so I want to wait until she's better before...and then we can cultivate together again. I want to stay with her for the next few days."

Yang Guo smiled and gently stroked her hair: "Alright, as you wish."

"Then I'll teach you a breathing technique to regulate your internal energy over the next few days," Yang Guo said. "It will help alleviate the pain when the cold poison flares up, and also lay a good foundation for future dual cultivation."

Yelü Yan nodded emphatically: "Thank you, Brother Yang."

The next two days.

Every morning, Yang Guo would change Wanyan Ping's dressing first.

This process inevitably leads to a more intimate connection.

After all, the arrow wound was in Wanyan Ping's chest, and she had to take off her upper garment every time she needed to change the dressing.

At first she was a little shy, but after a while she got used to it.

I gradually relaxed.

"Brother Yang..." Wanyan Ping suddenly spoke during the dressing change that day, "Why are you so good to me?"

Yang Guo was applying Jade Dew Powder to her when he heard this and looked up: "You are mine, so naturally I will treat you well."

These words sounded perfectly reasonable, and Wanyan Ping felt a warmth in her heart, her eyes slightly reddening.

"If it weren't for Brother Yang's rescue that day, I would have died in the woods long ago," she said softly. "From now on, Ping'er's life belongs to Brother Yang."

Yang Guo bandaged her wounds and draped clothes over her shoulders, saying, "What I want is you alive and well, not just a life."

After saying that, Yang Guo lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead: "Take good care of your injuries. When you can get up, I will teach you martial arts."

Wanyan Ping's cheeks flushed, but her heart was as sweet as if she had eaten honey.

In the afternoon, Yang Guo instructed Yelü Yan in practicing breathing techniques.

The two sat facing each other under the locust tree in the courtyard, and Yang Guo taught her the basic breathing techniques of the "Yin Yang Harmony Chapter".

"When you inhale, focus your mind on sinking your energy to your dantian; when you exhale, guide your internal energy to flow through the Ren meridian." Yang Guo placed his palm on her back, guiding the flow of internal energy. "Pay attention to your left shoulder; the area where the cold poison resides must be treated with extra gentleness, and you must not force it."

Yelü Yan did as she was told, and indeed felt the chill in her body ease considerably.

Half an hour later, she opened her eyes and exclaimed with delight, "It really worked! My left shoulder doesn't hurt as much anymore!"

Yang Guo nodded: "This is just the foundation. Once your injuries have fully healed and you begin formal dual cultivation, the cold poison will be eradicated."

He spoke frankly, and although Yelü Yan blushed, he accepted it with composure.

In the past two days, she has figured it out.

Since I have decided to follow Yang Guo, I will do so wholeheartedly.

Dual cultivation can resolve hidden ailments and improve cultivation level, so why not do it?

What's more... she secretly glanced at Yang Guo's handsome profile.

To become his woman was her heart's desire.

As evening fell, everyone sat down for dinner.

Li Mochou's cooking skills were surprisingly good; she prepared several home-style dishes with great flavor.

Lu Wushuang helped out, Hong Lingbo was in charge of tending the fire, and Wan Yanping, though unable to cook, helped pick vegetables on the kang (heated brick bed).

The small farmhouse courtyard has surprisingly become a warm and welcoming home.

"Master, when did you learn to cook?" Lu Wushuang asked curiously.

Li Mochou said calmly, "When I was young and wandering the world, I couldn't possibly starve to death."

What she didn't say was that when she was in love with Lu Zhanyuan, she had also fantasized about cooking for him.

But later...

She glanced at Yang Guo, and the last vestiges of resentment in her heart vanished without a trace.

The past is the past, and she has found someone better now.

Everything about Lu Zhanyuan had long been destroyed by Yang Guo.

After the meal, Yang Guo chatted with Wan Yanping.

"Ping'er, what are your plans when we get to Xiangyang?" he asked.

Wanyan Ping thought for a moment: "I want to tell Master Guo the information I've gathered about the Mongol army. Then... then I'll follow Brother Yang wherever he goes."

She paused, then asked in a low voice, "Brother Yang, don't you think I'm... too clingy?"

Yang Guo laughed: "No. I like you guys sticking to me."

These words were quite blunt, and Wanyan Ping blushed, but felt a sweet warmth in her heart.

As night deepened, everyone returned to their rooms.

Yang Guo, Li Mochou, and Lu Wushuang lived together in the largest house.

Hong Lingbo lived in the west wing, while Wanyan Ping and Yelü Yan lived in the middle room.

When the moon was high in the sky, Yelü Yan quietly got up and went to Wanyan Ping's side.

"Sister, are you asleep?"

Wanyan Ping opened her eyes: "Not yet. Is something wrong, sister?"

Yelü Yan sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), hesitated for a moment, and then repeated what Yang Guo had said earlier.

"...Brother Yang said that only dual cultivation can cure my hidden ailment," she whispered. "I...I agree."

Wanyan Ping was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Sister, you don't need to feel sorry for me. Brother Yang is a truly upright man, and it's our blessing to be with him."

She held Yelü Yan's hand: "Actually... that day when Brother Yang was healing my wounds, I thought how wonderful it would be if I could become his woman."

Yelü Yan was taken aback: "Sister, you..."

"It's just that I'm injured and can't mention it," Wanyan Ping smiled. "It's good that you've gone ahead. I'll be happy for you when your hidden injury is healed and your cultivation improves."

The two sisters held hands and smiled at each other in the moonlight.

Some things don't need to be said outright; it's enough if we understand each other's hearts.

……