WeaverofFables

Slight NSFW warning.

There is a section of the Starsword Peak where the water cascades off a cliff and feeds into a pool of steaming, bubbling water. Even at first glance, it is obvious that this too was created artificially many hundreds of years ago, judging by the erosion, but even the mysterious heating element of this hot spring suggests that it was not formed naturally.

They meet at this place, deep into the night, wearing light robes. Before leaving home, Wu Yulan brought many outfits with her and shared them with Lan Xiaohui. They were items of the finest silk that her wealthy family could obtain, and some of them could even be considered Heavenly Treasured as they were made from high-grade materials.

Wu Yulan’s white robe is fastened by a silver sash and made of such fine silk and so light that it is almost see-through — not completely, but enough for the girl to cross her arms and turn her body sideways and away from Lan Xiaohui.

On the other hand, Lan Xiaohui’s black robes are entirely sheer, and even the red sash is almost entirely undone. This wouldn’t be the first time Lan Xiaohui has cultivated together with someone before — not even including myself — and she is already well aware that for this cultivation method, it is better to leave the skin bare. But that is not to say that there is no apprehension in Lan Xiaohui’s heart or embarrassment.

I know their hearts well enough to see that both of them want to ask the other if they are certain about this, but the question in their hearts never rises to their lips.

I don’t understand why this is such a big deal for them. It is not like they are deformed or have something to hide; even by their meat standards, they should consider each other as the highest grade of beauty.

I could intervene and expedite this process, but I decide not to. My intervention could affect their mental state, which would introduce inefficiencies.

They stand next to each other, awkwardly, for half a minute. Wu Yulan’s hand finds my owner’s and she holds on to it tightly, before turning towards Lan Xiaohui completely.

Slowly, Wu Yulan unravels the sash on her robes with her other hand and allows the robe to slip from her shoulders to the nook of her elbows. “It’s for Yun Fei, right?” she murmurs, barely audible to my owner over the sound of the waterfall. “We have to quickly enter the Core Formation realm, and explore the Forbidden Lands. If the Heavens are not blind, we will find one of the materials that Lady Yue needs.”

This sort of logic seems rather strange and inadequate to me. Wu Yulan had never met Yun Fei before, to my knowledge, and her only connection to the girl is through Lan Xiaohui.

Still, when Wu Yulan’s robes drop to the ground entirely, and she takes a step into the pool, her pale body almost shining in the moonlight, I praise her for her ability of self-motivation through self-deception.

Lan Xiaohui nods to Wu Yulan and follows suit, wordlessly allowing her robes to slide off her form as she steps into the pool, following her companion.

Lan Xiaohui is far more brazen about this — or rather, far less timid — which simultaneously makes Wu Yulan’s pulse pound madly, while also stimulating her curiosity. “Xuelian, have you ever done this before?” she asks.

Lan Xiaohui nods. “With Yaoyue,” she says.

This makes Wu Yulan’s eyebrows raise slightly in surprise, and her golden gaze momentarily falls on me. Her cheeks redden for some undecipherable reason.

As the white-haired girl sits down at the edge of the pool and sinks almost entirely beneath the water — leaving only the upper half of her torso exposed to the air — she looks at my owner again. “Will Yaoyue… join us?”

Lan Xiaohui sits down next to Wu Yulan and tries to make herself comfortable against the other girl, while slowly nodding. She chews on her bottom lip, her cheeks suddenly also turning red. I know Lan Xiaohui’s heart through and through, but I fail to entirely understand this reaction. “I cannot even describe the benefits, and I doubt you would believe me even if I could. It is something you must experience first-hand.”

At these words, I sense that Wu Yulan’s appreciation for me improves immediately, but for reasons other than the obvious assistance I can provide. Furthermore, is my assistance really that extraordinary? Optimizing meridians, channeling Qi flow, drawing in vast amounts of Qi — to me, they are simple and easy matters.

Wu Yulan lowers her gaze as she shifts around, as her internal vessel opens, blooming like a flower and ready to connect her roots with Lan Xiaohui’s. Under the bidding of her terminals, Wu Yulan slides her knees on top of my owner’s thigh, which prompts Lan Xiaohui to cradle Wu Yulan’s form with one arm.

“Is this… good?” Wu Yulan asks, her gaze still not rising to meet Lan Xiaohui’s.

“A bit closer…” Lan Xiaohui whispers, her tone slightly awkward, as she gently nudges Wu Yulan closer.

Wu Yulan’s knees open, sliding her entire body on top of Lan Xiaohui’s thigh, as they press against each other. In this position, Wu Yulan lays her cheek on Lan Xiaohui’s shoulder and the corners of her lips rise slightly, as she sucks in her bottom lip.

Lan Xiaohui’s shoulders are slightly tense as she cuddles Wu Yulan to herself, and the more she tries to tame her breathing, the deeper and more uncontrollable the rise and fall of her chest becomes.

“We are ready…” Lan Xiaohui whispers. “Yaoyue, please be gentle.”

My owner’s declaration that they are ready surprises me, because I can find many points where their posture and position could be improved, but I decide not to question it. If my owner — my master — says they are ready, then who am I to disagree?

I open the core of my being and my terminals — dozens fewer in number than what they possess — connect with their internal systems and the rush of Qi forms a connection between them.

I notice immediately that any previous instances of this dual cultivation have been inefficient; with only Lan Xiaohui, the balance of Yin and Yang was inadequate, though I have failed to notice this. The sword is righteous and fierce, and as I am a pure sword, my contribution of Yang is unexpectedly far greater than what I imagined.

In other words, with two sources of Yin-attribute, more of my Yang can be leveraged to greater effects.

I open my [World Eater] talent to about 30% in an effort to remain “gentle” and slowly increase it to its fully open state, but even at this small amount, both Wu Yulan and Lan Xiaohui tremble and release a low sound that is between a grunt and a moan.

I focus on Wu Yulan first and send a small amount of consciousness and Sword Qi into her system, which causes her to moan into Lan Xiaohui’s neck, and hug her tightly. Wu Yulan sucks in a deep breath and holds it, her eyes tightly squeezed shut, but she does not resist my influence.

Without resistance, I am able to channel the flow of Qi through her body in such a way that enlarges her spiritual veins, straightens her meridians, and more importantly, forces open all eighty-four Qi entrances — the last of which causes Wu Yulan to open her eyes wide in shock.

“This… this is…” she whispers, but whatever she had to say is lost in the surprised moan she produces when a quantity of Qi that she could never even imagine before suddenly rushes into her system — and I know she had never experienced anything like this before, because she is entirely unable to circulate this Qi on her own, requiring more of my attention.

Lan Xiaohui giggles as she dutifully and gently holds Wu Yulan against her body.

“I told you to be gentle, Yaoyue…”

I log Lan Xiaohui’s complaint and file it under irrelevant. How can it be my fault that even at my lowest efficient setting, I am still too overbearing?