Chapter 165 - 164: A Moment of Spring Dawn is Worth...

Warm breath tickled her ear, sending a tingling sensation through her. A blush crept up her cheeks against her will.

She had lost the calm she’d had when she first walked in. Her voice became soft, tinged with flustered anger. "Are you done yet?"

"Not yet."

Despite his words, Hu Qiumu lowered his hands from her neck. Instead, he wrapped his arms tightly around her, resting his head on her shoulder.

Chu Liangyu wasn’t sure if she was imagining it, but she felt a damp, ticklish sensation on her neck. The warm, soft touch felt like a kiss.

It was a faint, almost imperceptible touch, yet it felt like a feather brushing gently against her heart.

Chu Liangyu reached up to feel her neck, but her hand froze in midair. At the same moment, the faint breathing she’d heard suddenly grew much heavier.

The damp sensation on her neck slowly crept up to her earlobe, and the tingling returned. Her heart began to beat faster, completely out of her control.

Hu Qiumu’s kisses were feather-light, yet they were like an addictive, aged wine, pulling her down into a willing stupor.

His lips paused on Chu Liangyu’s cheek, but his eyes were fixed on her mouth. His voice, thick with an emotion he couldn’t restrain, was a low murmur. "Female Master, please stay with me, alright?"

Hu Qiumu’s advances were like boiling a frog in lukewarm water—by the time she realized what was happening, it was already too late.

"Alright."

The moment Chu Liangyu agreed, Hu Qiumu could no longer hold back.

The instant their lips met, fireworks seemed to explode in their minds. A wave of pure bliss washed over them, as if their very souls were trembling in unison.

The sky had turned pitch-black before they even had a chance to light the candles. However, slivers of moonlight filtered in through the window, bathing the room in a hazy glow.

The moonlight, which should have been cold and clear, seemed to take on an air of intimacy as it fell upon the two of them.

And the heavy, ragged breaths inside the room completely shattered this pretense of serenity, staining the air with a sense of the forbidden and the seductive.

"Female Master, I missed you."

His suppressed voice was thick with all the longing and affection he had felt for her over the past days.

He knew she was busy with crucial matters. Apart from helping where he could, he hadn’t dared to disturb her, terrified of earning her displeasure.

Lost in a dizzying, floating sensation, Chu Liangyu’s eyes were glazed over. For a moment, she didn’t quite hear what he said.

Thus, her reply came a beat too late. After coming up with a safe answer, she finally responded, "I feel the same way."

Hu Qiumu took in her reaction, and the corners of his mouth lifted into a smile. He wasn’t angry; he just gave her lip a gentle nip as a playful punishment.

The night was long, but the two seemed tireless. The intimate sounds only ceased when the sky outside began to glow with the pale light of dawn.

"Beast Mother, it’s almost time for training. Should we leave now?"

Chu Liangyu’s newly steadied breath hitched. She opened her drowsy eyes and glanced at the sky outside the window.

Then she called out, "Alright, I’m coming. Wait for me outside for a moment."

Despite the wild night, she felt surprisingly little fatigue. So, without much delay, she straightened herself up and prepared to leave.

Meeting Hu Qiumu’s teasing, half-smiling eyes, Chu Liangyu cleared her throat. "You get some rest. I’m leaving now."

"Go on, Female Master. Don’t you worry about me."

It would have been better if Chu Liangyu had said nothing. The moment she spoke, the smile on Hu Qiumu’s face grew even more brilliant, becoming so radiant that it was hard to look away.

Chu Liangyu averted her gaze, hastily grabbed her things, and walked out the door.

On the way to the training grounds with the young cub, Chu Liangyu heard Xiong Jiaojiao’s voice.

"Sister Liangyu, I was wondering where you were! So you’d already set off."

Xiong Jiaojiao greeted the young cub, then leaned closer to Chu Liangyu. "We have news from the women we sent out," she said. "It’s about the creator of the Poison Vine."

At first, Chu Liangyu was a little flustered and unsure how to respond, but at Xiong Jiaojiao’s words, her expression unconsciously grew serious.

"Ah Liang, you go on ahead to the training grounds. Your Sister Jiaojiao and I have something to discuss."

Although Hu Qiuliang was curious, he didn’t ask any questions. He just nodded and ran off on his short legs.

Once they were alone, Xiong Jiaojiao continued, "We found him. It’s a man named Cheng Zheng. He’s also from the Wood Spirit Clan—and supposedly Cheng Miao’s younger brother."

"It’s just that they apparently didn’t get along in the past. They were always at odds, and after their last big fight, Cheng Zheng left the clan."

’I don’t even need to guess what happened next. Jiang Li must have taken Cheng Zheng in.’

’Knowing Jiang Li’s eye for talent, Cheng Zheng must be at least as gifted as Cheng Miao.’

’It’s just that his intentions don’t seem to be upright. All he studies are heterodox arts.’

"Tell them to watch him closely. If he creates anything new, make sure the news gets back to the tribe immediately."

"Got it, Sister Liangyu."

After agreeing, Xiong Jiaojiao suddenly fell silent. She just kept staring at Chu Liangyu’s face as if she’d discovered something extraordinary.

Chu Liangyu hadn’t noticed yet and just asked, "What is it?"

"Sister Liangyu, since there’s nothing else urgent, do you want to send out your doppelganger?"

Chu Liangyu had been thinking the same thing. At the reminder, she said, "Good idea."

Once the doppelganger was out, it wouldn’t be convenient for her main body to walk around the tribe. So, Chu Liangyu gave a few more instructions before concealing her presence and heading back to her courtyard.

As usual, Chu Liangyu planned to pick up her cultivation where she left off yesterday. But as she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror, she froze.

The bright red marks on her neck were painfully obvious, each one a testament to the wildness of the previous night.

’No wonder! No wonder Hu Qiumu’s smile was so smug! So this is what he was waiting for!’

’This meant that Xiong Jiaojiao had noticed them from the very beginning. She was just too anxious to report her news to mention it.’

’Once her business was concluded, Xiong Jiaojiao had tactfully proposed a solution, saving her from further embarrassment.’

Chu Liangyu felt a surge of gratitude, but also a flash of annoyance at Hu Qiumu.

’She was the tribe’s leader, after all! How could she go out like this without losing face?’

Thinking this, Chu Liangyu took a deep breath to calm her roiling emotions.

’Whatever. Cultivation is more important. I’ll get back at that scoundrel later.’

When it came to cultivation, Chu Liangyu had a tendency to become completely immersed, forgetting her surroundings entirely.

Her mind filled with thoughts of the Soul Chasing Needle and how to coordinate its use in battle.

Over the past month, she had gone from having no clue at all to making some tangible progress.