I'll make you the furnace and the cauldron, so you can refine Yin and Yang and prove the Great

On Crimson Fire Peak, Meng Xinghan's body lay in a pool of blood, blood still seeping from the transparent hole in his chest, staining the stone slab beneath him red. Liu Ruoxue stood before the corpse, her Frostbite Sword hanging at her side, blood dripping from its tip, one drop, two drops, falling onto the stone slab with a soft sound.

The disciples around her were still cheering, but she couldn't hear anything.

She simply lowered her head, staring at the face she had hated for twenty years. Meng Xinghan's eyes were still open, unseeing anger, his mouth slightly agape as if he were trying to say something, but nothing came out. For twenty years, this face had appeared countless times in her dreams, each time approaching with a sinister grin, each time waking her with a scream.

Now, he is finally dead.

Liu Ruoxue slowly squatted down and reached out to close Meng Xinghan's eyelids. Her fingers were trembling, not from fear or excitement, but from an inexplicable emptiness.

Twenty years of hatred suddenly found no place to settle at this moment.

She thought that killing Meng Xinghan would bring her joy, relief, and a triumphant laugh. But when the moment truly arrived, she realized that with the person she had hated for twenty years dead, only an empty void remained in her heart.

"Mother, your daughter has avenged you." Her voice was very soft, so soft that only she could hear it.

A tear slid down her cheek and landed in Meng Xinghan's pool of blood, splashing up a tiny droplet.

She stood up, turned around, and saw Li Hanshan standing not far away. He stood with his hands behind his back, his purple-gold robes fluttering gently in the wind, his expression calm and unreadable. The two looked at each other for a moment, then Liu Ruoxue didn't speak, but silently walked to his side and stood there.

"Let's go," Li Hanshan said.

Liu Ruoxue nodded.

The two departed Crimson Fire Peak on their flying swords, two streaks of light, one purple and one white, streaking across the sky and disappearing into the clouds. The disciples behind them were still discussing among themselves, but their voices grew fainter and fainter until they were finally dispersed by the mountain wind.

Back in her cave, Liu Ruoxue didn't coldly toss out a "transaction complete" and leave as usual. She stood by the stone bed, silent for a long time, then suddenly looked up at Li Hanshan.

"Thank you," she said.

She had said those two words many times, but this time, her tone was different. It wasn't a cold formality, nor a perfunctory reply, but a genuine expression from the bottom of her heart.

Li Hanshan looked at her, nodded, and without saying anything polite, simply reached out and pulled her into his arms.

Liu Ruoxue did not struggle. She leaned against his chest, closed her eyes, and listened to his steady and strong heartbeat, feeling at ease for the first time.

Hua Nongying and Yun Shuyue exchanged a glance and quietly retreated to the inner room, leaving the outer room to the two of them.

That night, Liu Ruoxue did not leave.

She lay down beside Li Hanshan, her head resting on his arm, curled up in his arms like a cat that had finally found its nest. She slept soundly, without a single dream all night.

The next morning, Li Hanshan opened his eyes and found Liu Ruoxue looking at him. Those eyes, usually as cold as ice, held something different now. It wasn't gentleness—she couldn't learn gentleness; it wasn't gratitude—gratitude was too shallow. It was something deeper, like the trust of someone entrusting their life to you.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Liu Ruoxue shook her head without saying anything, and simply buried her face in his chest.

Li Hanshan didn't ask any more questions. He reached out and put his arm around her waist, closed his eyes, and dozed off for a while.

In the days that followed, Liu Ruoxue visited the cave more and more frequently. It started with once every two weeks, then once every ten days, then once every five days, and finally almost every day. She didn't say anything, but everyone could see that she had changed. Before, she came with a cold face, leaving as soon as she finished her dual cultivation, not wanting to stay a second longer. Now, she would stay after dual cultivation, leaning against Li Hanshan, neither speaking nor leaving, just quietly remaining there.

Hua Nongying saw this and felt a pang of sadness, but she said nothing. She knew that Liu Ruoxue had suffered too much over the years, and it was a good thing that she had a place to lean on.

At the same time, the flowers in the Yangwen Space are also quietly blooming.

Hua Nongying's flower had seven petals. Liu Ruoxue's flower also had seven petals. Yun Shuyue's flower had six petals. The flowers of Qin Muyue, Leng Yue, and Chu Mengyao all had six petals.

When the six petals bloom, it can control the soul of the slave.

At this point, Li Hanshan could clearly perceive the women's thoughts, emotions, and even subconscious ideas. Hua Nongying's attachment to him was genuine, Yun Shuyue's gentleness was genuine, and Liu Ruoxue's desire to return home was even more genuine. As for Qin Muyue, Leng Yue, and Chu Mengyao, although they still harbored a trace of resentment deep down, they had largely accepted their fate.

Li Hanshan was fully aware of all this, but he didn't point it out. People's hearts need time to develop; pushing them too hard would only backfire. Let them take their time; one day they would completely win over.

He continued his dual cultivation with the women, and his cultivation level steadily increased. Although the accumulation from the ninth level of the Golden Core to the Great Perfection of the Golden Core was extremely large, with six female Golden Core cultivators taking turns to cooperate with him, his cultivation speed was still many times faster than that of ordinary Golden Core cultivators.

The days passed by peacefully and fulfillingly.

On this day, Li Hanshan was cultivating in his cave when a communication talisman flew in from outside the cave and hovered in front of him.

As the talisman burned, Jiang Nianwei's clear, cold voice rang out: "Elder Li, could you please come to Jade Peak? There's something I'd like to discuss with you."

Li Hanshan raised an eyebrow. Jiang Nianwei rarely sought him out; the last time was to ask him about ancient alchemy techniques. He wondered what it was about this time.

He stood up, summoned his flying sword, and flew towards Jade Peak.

Jade Peak remained as serene and tranquil as ever, a pale green mist shrouding the entire mountain, and a faint medicinal fragrance permeated the air. Li Hanshan landed on the platform in front of the Pill Hall. The hall doors were already open, and Jiang Nianwei was standing at the door waiting for him.

Today she wore a light green dress, her long hair was tied up with a jade hairpin, and a few strands of hair fell beside her ears, making her look less aloof and more gentle.

"Mr. Li, please come in." She stepped aside to make way for him.

Li Hanshan entered the Pill Hall and found that Jiang Nianwei was not alone. Xu Lingxi was sitting by the pill furnace, her small face showing some nervousness. When she saw him enter, her eyes lit up and she stood up abruptly.

"Grandpa Li!" She ran over and hugged his arm, her little face full of joy. "Long time no see! I missed you so much!"

Looking at the girl who had grown into a young woman, Li Hanshan felt a surge of warmth in his heart. Five years had passed, and Xu Lingxi had grown much taller, her features had matured, and she had shed some of her girlish naiveté and gained more of a woman's gentle beauty. But her eyes were still as bright and sparkling as when she was a child, and her smile resembled a crescent moon.

"Lingxi, you've become even more beautiful." He smiled and ruffled her hair.

Xu Lingxi blushed, released his arm, stepped back to Jiang Nianwei's side, and whispered, "Master, you should talk to Grandpa Li."

Jiang Nianwei nodded and invited Li Hanshan to sit on the stone couch, then sat down beside him. She remained silent for a moment, seemingly considering her words, before finally getting straight to the point: "Elder Li, I called you here today to ask for your help."

"Elder Jiang, please speak."

Jiang Nianwei glanced at Xu Lingxi and sighed, "You know Lingxi, she has an extremely Yin constitution. This kind of constitution allows for extremely fast cultivation, but it also has a fatal flaw—the higher the cultivation level, the stronger the extremely Yin cold energy within the body becomes. If there is no pure Yang substance to balance it, sooner or later the cold energy will backfire on her."

Li Hanshan nodded without saying anything, waiting for her to continue.

Jiang Nianwei paused for a moment, then continued, "In the past few years, I have been using pills to help her suppress the cold energy, but the effect has become less and less effective. Her cultivation has also slowed down significantly, and she is only at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage now."

Mid-stage of foundation building.

Li Hanshan frowned slightly. Xu Lingxi possessed an extremely Yin constitution and had taken a Golden Core elder as her master, so she had no shortage of resources or cultivation techniques. Logically, she shouldn't be progressing so slowly. He looked at Xu Lingxi, who had her head down, twisting the hem of her clothes with her fingers, her small face full of shame.

"Lingxi, how long have you been stuck in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage?" he asked.

Xu Lingxi bit her lip and whispered, "It's been almost two years."

Two years.

Li Hanshan's brows furrowed even more. Being stuck at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage for two years was indeed abnormal for someone with an extremely Yin physique. He looked at Jiang Nianwei, who gave a wry smile and explained, "I've tried everything—changing cultivation techniques, pills, and methods—but nothing works. Her extremely Yin cold energy is too strong. Every time she cultivates to a certain level, the cold energy erupts, dispersing the accumulated spiritual power. No matter how many pills she takes, it's useless, because it's not that her spiritual power is insufficient, but rather that the cold energy is uncontrollable."

She paused, a hint of helplessness flashing in her eyes: "So I'd like to ask Elder Li for help. You have a Pure Yang Holy Body, and the pure Yang energy within you is the nemesis of extreme Yin cold energy. If you can help her harmonize the cold energy, her cultivation speed should be able to recover."

Li Hanshan pondered for a moment, then said, "Okay. What do I need to do?"

Jiang Nianwei bit her lip, seemingly finding it difficult to speak, but finally said, "We need to use pure yang energy to guide the cold energy in her body, allowing it to circulate along the correct meridian pathways. This process requires physical contact, but not to the point of actually doing it. I don't want Lingxi to follow the old path of the Hehuan Sect, so... we can't defile her body."

She looked up at Li Hanshan, her eyes filled with pleading: "Old Li, do you have a solution?"

Li Hanshan was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Yes. It doesn't require breaking her virginity to help her balance the cold energy. But it requires her cooperation, and the process might be a bit... special."

Jiang Nian breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, "I'm not afraid of anything special, as long as I don't lose my virginity, anything is fine."

Xu Lingxi also raised her head and looked at Li Hanshan expectantly, her little face full of anticipation.

Li Hanshan stood up and said, "Give me a quiet room."

Jiang Nianwei immediately led the two to a quiet room deep within the Dan Palace. The room was small, but elegantly furnished, with a faint sandalwood fragrance in the air. A white jade bed was placed in the center, covered with a soft animal skin blanket.

"You all cultivate here, I'll keep watch outside." After saying this, Jiang Nianwei left the meditation room and closed the door.

Only Li Hanshan and Xu Lingxi remained in the quiet room.

Xu Lingxi stood by the white jade bed, head bowed, her fingers twisting the hem of her dress, a blush spreading from her cheeks to her ears. She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but nothing came out.

Li Hanshan sat down on the edge of the bed and patted the spot next to him: "Lingxi, come and sit down."

Xu Lingxi obediently walked over and sat down next to him, placing her hands on her knees and sitting upright like a primary school student.