Chapter 14: Strange Patterns

For someone like Qin Qingyue, who had already reached Supreme Sage Great Ascension, she was long since immune to this level of Heavenly Lightning Tribulation.

What’s more, with her Dragon Body, she naturally had no fear of something as trivial as Five Thunders Striking the Crown.

When the Heavenly Lightning struck the black Dragon Horn atop her head, it didn’t hurt or itch, not even leaving the faintest white mark behind.

Although this bit of Heavenly Lightning was nothing, Qin Qingyue still furrowed her brows, looking somewhat troubled.

She reached up and touched the horn on her head, muttering to herself:

“Why can’t I hide my horn? It looks so ugly.”

“If only I didn’t have this horn.”

Because of her fate, even after cultivating to the Great Ascension stage, the Black Dragon Horn that symbolized Misfortune could not be concealed.

The dark radiance seemed to flow within the coral-like Dragon Horn.

Though Qin Qingyue disliked her Dragon Horn, she didn’t care too much. After all, her infamy and Misfortune were well-known throughout the Cultivation World, and no one was willing to approach her.

But now that Jiang Huai was by her side, a subtle change had taken place in her mindset, and she had begun to care a little more about her appearance.

“I wonder if he’ll dislike my Dragon Horn. It seems like I haven’t seen any sign of disgust from him.” Qin Qingyue murmured as she headed into the Dragon Palace.

The Five Thunders Striking the Crown outside the Dragon Palace seemed like a joke, as the dark clouds drifted away with the wind.

Jiang Huai sat meditating in a wooden tub, soaking in a mixture of various Immortal Materials he couldn’t even name.

The water seemed to swirl around his Dantian as its core, forming a shallow vortex.

Jiang Huai couldn’t perform inner sight, but he just felt a warm sensation spreading through his body, as if something was flowing through his meridians.

The only thing that made him feel awkward was what Qin Qingyue had mentioned—the “Jade Liquid” required for Jade Liquid Qi Refining.

Did Qin Qingyue really not trick him? Would taking this really make him stronger than others?

This is just too… embarrassing.

A burst of footsteps interrupted Jiang Huai’s train of thought. He slowly opened his eyes to see Qin Qingyue striding over, her Dragon Tail swaying behind her.

“How is it? Going smoothly?” She stared at Jiang Huai’s damp hair and swallowed.

Ever since their last carnal encounter, her repression had eased a little, but it only made her more curious about such matters.

If not for the fact that Jiang Huai’s body couldn’t handle too much for now, she would have jumped in to bathe together without hesitation.

This was the consequence of hundreds of years of pent-up desires, never properly released!

All sorts of strange and wild thoughts kept floating through her mind—some gentle, some…

“I feel pretty comfortable. It’s like there’s a flow of energy gathering inside my body, especially around my lower abdomen.” Jiang Huai looked down at his Dantian.

“Oh, your lower abdomen, huh? That’s a good spot.”

Jiang Huai couldn’t perform inner sight and couldn’t see the changes in his body, but Qin Qingyue saw everything clearly.

A tiny vortex had formed at his Dantian, the spiritual energy pure and dense, nearly liquefied, with a faint glow shimmering within.

This was Jade Liquid Qi Refining, the most advanced Qi Refining method, perfect for building a foundation.

Ordinary Sects couldn’t provide such good resources for their disciples. Being able to use Clear Spiritual Qi Refining was already considered excellent.

Jiang Huai’s talent wasn’t bad either; he wasn’t useless. Otherwise, she really would have to worry about how to help him reach Great Ascension.

Not only was his talent decent, but his “assets” were also satisfactory. Qin Qingyue was quite pleased—they were just the right size.

Of course, for a Dragon of her cultivation, size didn’t really matter. She could adjust her body however she liked, fitting perfectly no matter what. Still, the shape was quite pleasing to the eye.

“What are you looking at?” Jiang Huai shrank back, asking warily.

Those aggressive Dragon Eyes stared at him intently, making him feel like he was being targeted by a ferocious beast.

Qin Qingyue’s elegant brows knitted tightly, her red lips pressed into a solemn line as she tried hard to suppress the suspicious curl at the corners of her mouth.

But the Dragon Tail behind her, out of excitement, was swaying in small, rapid motions, tapping the floor with faint “da-da” sounds.

“How are you circulating your Qi? Your spiritual energy is scattering like sand, your foundation as flimsy as fluff.”

“Are you not following the Qi Circulation Method I taught you?”

Jiang Huai’s eyes widened as he said,

“I’m following the Gongfa you gave me exactly, absorbing spiritual energy as you said. How could I be doing it wrong?”

“And is the spiritual energy really scattered? I feel like it’s swirling right in my Dantian.”

He couldn’t see what was happening inside his body, but surely it wasn’t that bad, right? He felt like it matched Qin Qingyue’s description of the Gongfa.

Qin Qingyue shook her head and sighed, looking pained as if thinking, “This child is hopeless.” Yet her feet quietly moved to the edge of the tub.

The clear medicinal liquid couldn’t hide the scene beneath the water, causing a flash of silver deep within her Dragon Eyes.

“Wrong. This method of cultivation is incorrect.”

“Looks like you have no foundation at all. Let me help you.”

With that, she plunged her hand into the wooden tub, pressing her palm onto Jiang Huai’s lower abdomen.

“Don’t resist. I’m helping you gather spiritual energy. You’ll understand later.”

Hearing this, Jiang Huai could only let her place her palm on his lower abdomen and do as she pleased.

The moment Qin Qingyue’s palm touched him, a strange sensation—cool yet tingling—shot through him. It didn’t originate from his lower abdomen, but instead raced up like a faint electric current straight to his crown.

Jiang Huai’s vision blurred for a moment, as if he glimpsed a phantom of a small black Dragon flashing through his consciousness, imprinting an irresistible aura upon him.

After a while, Jiang Huai asked, “Is… is it done?”

“It’s done.” Qin Qingyue withdrew her arm from the tub without changing her expression, then lowered her head to admire her handiwork, nodding silently.

On Jiang Huai’s lower abdomen, there was now a strange black mark.

The mark took the shape of a black Dragon, identical to Qin Qingyue’s transformed Dragon form—lifelike and vivid.

“What is this?” Jiang Huai snapped back to himself and looked down at his lower abdomen.

What’s this thing tattooed on his belly? Why did it look so indecent?

Why did it seem like… that silver…

The more he looked, the more he stared.

“What the heck is this!”

Qin Qingyue replied with a straight face:

“This is a Qi Refining mark I gave you. It can gather spiritual energy.”

“From now on, your cultivation will progress faster, and your foundation will be more solid.”

Jiang Huai looked again at this indecent-looking mark—the black Dragon’s tail was even curled into a heart shape—and asked skeptically,

“Really? You’re not tricking me?”

“Of course. If I lied, may I be struck by Five Thunders Striking the Crown the moment I step outside.” Qin Qingyue replied solemnly.

This was a lie. In fact, Jiang Huai’s Qi Refining was perfectly fine—excellent, even—worthy of his talent.

As for this mark, it could indeed aid his cultivation; it was Qin Qingyue’s “golden finger” for him.

But it had another, far more special use…

“Well, as long as you’re not lying to me.”

“Could you step outside for a moment? I want to get dressed.” Seeing Qin Qingyue swear such a vicious oath, Jiang Huai had no choice but to believe her.

After all, Five Thunders Striking the Crown was a pretty severe curse.

“Alright, I’ll wait for you outside.”

This time, Qin Qingyue restrained herself and turned away without hesitation, leaving not a trace of reluctance.

But for some reason, as he watched Qin Qingyue’s departing back, the way her perky, shapely hips and long Dragon Tail swayed with each step seemed to possess an unprecedented, bewitching allure that crashed straight into his eyes.

He felt like he couldn’t hold himself back anymore. It seemed like Qin Qingyue’s figure was growing more and more attractive.

“That’s strange, why does she look even prettier?”

“Is it just my imagination?” Jiang Huai rose from the wooden tub, his fingertips unconsciously brushing the slightly raised Dragon Mark on his lower abdomen, which still seemed to carry the warmth of her palm, and muttered softly.

A subtle, indescribable flutter quietly took hold of his heart.