Ling warmly looks at Shun as the latter refines herbs.
“Shun, don’t you think we have enough yet?”
“Nonsense, young mistress. The sect meeting is in less than a year, there is no doubt you will have to participate in a trial. You cannot be prepared enough.”
Ling waves her hand as she sits cross legged on the bed.
“I’ll have our sect’s support during the meet, there’s no need for you to strain yourself producing more pills. I’d rather you focus on your own cultivation, it’ll be troublesome if you fall behind.”
Shun’s eyebrow twitches at her mistress’ bluntness. While she spoke no lies the amount of resources the two have differ greatly on account of their status. Ling is the daughter of their sect master and has had access to some of the sect’s finest cultivation chambers and pills from birth. Shun on the other hand, while receiving far more than even the geniuses of lesser sects is still but a servant. While her assignment as Ling’s personal servant and guard has certainly upped the quantity of resources she has access to the two are still beyond compare. Had it not been for their unique cultivation method and Ling’s generosity she would have long ceased to be near her level.
“My, LiLi, you are truly insatiable.” Shun replies teasingly as she puts her project away and moves towards her.
Ling blushes realizing the implication of her words. They both, after all, cultivate a dual cultivation art. It has been Ling’s greatest fortune that when she was but fourteen she had stumbled upon an immortal’s legacy whilst on a journey to temper herself. The Ice Princess had found great affinity with the methods and arts attained within and had barely hesitated to share it with her friend and lover.
Shun realizes she owes her mistress a debt she can never repay, yet that will not stop her from teasing her beloved.
“Since you want me to be prepared for the meet how about we spar, my dear Shun.”
Shun gulps, already regretting her mistake. “I’ll ask if a private sparring chamber is available, I'll be back in but a moment.”
-----
“Ready, Shun?”
“Yes mistress.”
As soon as the words are spoken the temperature plummets. Ling’s white gown and black hair billow as an icy wind blows out of her sleeves. In her left hand she holds a dark blue fan. Snow forms in the air around her, with flicks of her wrist and waves of her arm she uses said fan to direct the icy winds to swirl around her like a conductor guiding an orchestra. Within her right palm lays a one-handed Jian. Its hilt and handle are carved out of a single piece of white jade, intricate roses sculpted down its entire length and a silver bell hanging off its pommel.
Shun swallows as she looks at the terrifying apparition in front of her. Icy blue eyes seem to stare into her soul as the snow woman of yore steps out of myth to appear before her. She shakes her head and takes a defensive stance with her Jian held out in front of her. The one in front of her is no myth, it is Li Ling and she knows she will need her full focus to stand against her. A haze forms in the air extending a handwidth away from her as heat pours out of her every pore.
The Dai clan has long cultivated heat arts. Without the Li clan’s unique constitution they could not stand being in the vicinity of their ice without doing so. Yet she knows it is not enough, her clan’s techniques are meant to keep up with and support the Li after all, not face them. She smiles as she intensifies the flow of her Qi. The technique she has gained from the immortal’s inheritance is different after all.
Fire covers her blade lighting the room like a torch as she swings horizontally sending a sickle of flames flying towards Ling. The ice princess waves her fan and the snow around her forms into a similar crescent. Both dissipate as they meet leaving naught but a cloud of steam behind.
Shun dashes out of the obscuring gas, rushing to close the distance with her mistress. Thorny vines of ice attempt to bind her, in response she leaps and swings her fiery blade to clear a path. Landing in front of Li she swings upwards, fire meeting ice as their swords clash.
Li Ling stands steadfast, cold eyes staring down as she stops the blow without moving an inch. Her entire body is covered in a thin layer of hardened ice that locks her to the ground. Frost creeps across the floor to freeze Shun who quickly leaps backwards to avoid her icy fate. She clicks her tongue realizing she is back where she started.
Concentrating yet more fire Qi inside her blade she sending a roaring torrent forwards. Ling hastily conjures a White Rose out of the chill air. She seems to glide backwards as it melts before Shun’s assault. Zigzagging to avoid further blasts she skates towards her opponent on a thin layer of frost. An icy mist billows from her blade as she strikes. Shun blocks and realizes her mistake the second she does. Frost creeps down her blade and across her arms, rapidly moving to encase her in ice.
With a roar Shun explodes into flames. With the blast hitting her at point blank Ling is sent flying. She bounces once before managing to right herself with an elegant somersault, an icy trail flowing off the tip of her shoes as she does.
Ling grits her teeth as she looks at the fire demon in front of her, little more than a fiery silhouette holding a flaming blade visible to the eye. Her frustration reaches its boiling point when Shun sends another fiery blast her way. She is heiress to a sect devoted to Ice Arts, she cultivates it diligently as her parents do, as their parents did and as however many generations before did. Yet it is not enough. She is losing.
Anger burns brightly within her as the ball of fire approaches.
She raises her Jian and catches it on the tip. After all, the technique Shun now uses is one she got from her. It is only to be expected Ling would know it as well. Her cold blue eyes now appear like wisps of ethereal fire. Small blue flames ignite the air around her as she takes a stance with the tip of her blade pointed towards Shun. A loud bang resounds when she rockets forwards, in Shun attempts to raise her guard yet it is for naught. Ling arrives and swings once sending Shun crashing into the wall. She looks at her mistress, a single thought coursing through her mind as she loses consciousness.
'Truly a dragon among men.'
-----
Shun wakes with her head atop soft thighs and a hand gently brushing through her hair. She sees her mistress looking down at her with a warm smile as she opens her eyes.
“Good morning, my dear Shun~”
“I apologize for the inconvenience, my lady.”
“As you should, my love. But tell me, are simple apologies enough to make up for laying atop the young mistress of the White Rose Sect for hours?”
“No, mistress.”
“Then I suppose you will have to do more, hmm, how about you repay me in kind?”
Ling softly places her servant’s head down before standing up. She feels her burning gaze as she undoes her sash and lets her robe fall off her slender figure. Teasingly she moves to stand over her head before slowly lowering her hips. She lets out a soft moan when she feels Shun’s wet tongue dip out from between soft lips to slide across her slit.
“One would think these would have absorbed the shock.” She says as she kneads the maid’s large breasts, her own chest providing no obstruction to her sight when she looks down. Her eye twitches and she pinches both nipples at the same time.
“I’m sorry mistress.” Shun’s voice comes out muffled what with Ling pushing herself down on her mouth. With a sadistic smile she grinds her hips back and forth while twisting both nipples between her fingers. “You should be.”
Leaning down she pries open Shun’s legs. They provide suspiciously little resistance. “My, are you wet, my dear Shun~? Are you getting off from being punished, pervert?”
Excitement floods through Ling’s veins seeing Shun’s pussy quiver at her words. Her own mouth opens and she trails her tongue down her lover’s slick cunt. Her fingers tease the edges of her hole before a sadistic smile flashes across her face.
Shun cries out as teeth clamp down on her clit, she twitches when a tongue flicks back and forth across it at the same time. The combination of pain and pleasure is too much. Her legs shake violently as she comes, muscle spasms causing her toes to curl. She lays there panting, her face wet and her needs fulfilled until a commanding voice shakes her out of her haze.
“I didn’t say you could stop.”
As if on instinct Shun raises her head and thrusts her tongue deep inside. She holds tight on to her legs and continues on as if in a trance. Ling answers in kind driving her nails into Dai’s legs while lifting her lower body up. The two move as if in a frenzy, one with absolute devotion to please and the other with a sadistic glee that drives one to the edge. Qi cycles through them time and time again as they continue until they lay in a pool of sweat and other liquids. Exhaustedly they collapse against each other, each hugging the other tight.
“We should get cleaned up and dressed, LiLi.”
“Just five more minutes.”
This is a pretty well balanced novel. Between the themes of battle and smut, very little momentum is lost. I’ve got a budding interest in how these story elements are presented. Cultivation, traditions, the light touch of politics, and the framework of each encounter. There is much individuality to be found here.
Thank you!
Just started reading and don't know what it was like before your editing, but reads very smoothly now.
Possible suggestion?: replace 'cultivate' with 'practice' in: "They both, after all, cultivate a dual cultivation art."
Not sure 'in' works. Perhaps split into 2 sentences instead? : "A loud bang resounds when she rockets forwards, in Shun attempts to raise her guard yet it is for naught."