Chapter 382 - 160: Another 10 Years in the Blink of an Eye

Just then, Xu Lei’s mother came rushing over.

"Divine Nun——"

She was visibly excited, never having expected the Divine Nun to show up at their door. But almost immediately, she froze. "The two of you...?"

In her eyes, Xu Lei and the Divine Nun were still master and disciple.

"I’m sorry to have disturbed you." She turned to leave at once.

"My lady, it’s been so many years — I trust you’ve been well!" Qing Lian, of course, wasn’t about to let Xu Lei’s mother slip away. She stepped forward immediately, took the woman’s hands in hers, and began chatting with her warmly.

Xu Lei made no move to stop them.

Proper courtesies still had to be observed, and the matter of Dual Cultivation wasn’t so urgent that it couldn’t wait a few more hours.

Better to rest and conserve his energy for now. Going at it later in the night, he’d have far more to give.

By this point, Xu Lei’s wives and concubines — all four of them — had also come hurrying over.

At the sight of the young and strikingly beautiful Qing Lian, they couldn’t help but stare.

A nun this lovely was, after all, an extremely rare sight.

"She was my master when I took my vows," Xu Lei said, introducing her to them.

"I’ll be staying here from now on to continue Cultivation with him," Qing Lian added.

After all, she had no intention of bearing Xu Lei’s children — her role was simply to practice Dual Cultivation with him.

So she made no mention of becoming his wife.

"Then the two of you, before...?"

Xu Lei’s mother couldn’t help asking.

"Everything between us was for the sake of Cultivation."

Qing Lian said earnestly.

"That’s right. Purely for Cultivation, nothing more."

Xu Lei nodded in agreement.

Evening arrived in the blink of an eye. After dinner, Xu Lei and Qing Lian each went to bathe separately.

Then they made their way to the Cultivation Room together.

All four of Xu Lei’s wives and concubines were already with child, so naturally none of them needed him around tonight.

"Why are you only going to Cultivate at this hour of the night?"

Xu Lei’s mother asked. "Didn’t you always used to Cultivate during the day? And why bathe beforehand? You always used to bathe after Cultivation."

"Well, my master is here now," Xu Lei said. "Naturally things are a little different."

Beside him, Qing Lian’s cheeks flushed a delicate pink.

Xu Lei’s mother smiled and let the matter drop, asking nothing more.

"Off you go, off you go. Cultivate well." That was all she said.

Soon enough, Xu Lei and Qing Lian arrived at the Cultivation Room.

He retrieved a bed from his Storage Bracelet and set it up to the side.

He gave it a quick, simple tidying.

When Xu Lei turned around, he found that Qing Lian had already undressed. She stood there wearing nothing but a small pink belly wrap.

It covered only the three most intimate areas. Everything else was bare to the open air.

She looked as pure and untouched as ever — slender, fair-skinned, soft. Even her shaved head was smooth and pale and delicate.

Xu Lei couldn’t resist reaching out to run his hand over her little bald head.

Qing Lian flushed red and obediently lowered her head, just as she had done before.

"How come your hair never grows back?" Xu Lei asked. "Did you take the full ordination vows back then?!"

After leaving monastic life, Xu Lei’s own hair had long since grown back.

Qing Lian said nothing. After a few breaths of silence, she finally lifted her head. "Yes. I did. Because back then, I never imagined I would ever return to secular life."

Taking the full ordination vows meant using a Secret Technique of the Buddhist Sect to permanently destroy the hair follicles at the root.

When Xu Lei had joined the Buddhist Sect, he had chosen not to take those vows.

He had always kept open the possibility of one day returning to secular life.

"Alright. Let’s begin."

With no more words to waste, Xu Lei gave Qing Lian a light pat on the head.

As she raised her face to look at him,

Xu Lei yanked the belly wrap from her body and pulled her down beneath him.

Then it was the next morning.

After a full night of Dual Cultivation,

Xu Lei was thoroughly satisfied. True to her reputation as an Innate Spirit Body, Cultivating with Qing Lian had allowed their Origins to flow into one another seamlessly, and both of them had seen a significant boost in Power as a result.

It was safe to say Xu Lei had gained considerably from it.

His Power had risen by a remarkable degree — most of all thanks to Qing Lian’s Primordial Yin.

Qing Lian, too, seemed deeply content. She was radiant, almost glowing.

Something about her had shifted — layered atop her natural purity was now a faint, unmistakable allure.

She had, after all, gone from a girl to a woman in the truest sense.

That same day, Xu Lei ran into Qing Lian in the courtyard and, unable to help himself, pulled her close, cradled her head in his arms, and pressed his lips to her soft, tender mouth.

In the past, although Qing Lian had been willing to let Xu Lei stroke her shaved head and had grown accustomed to bowing beneath his touch, she had refused to let him kiss her.

So last night, and again this morning, Xu Lei simply could not get enough of her lips. Every time he saw her, he had to pull her in and kiss her until neither of them could think straight.

"Is this how you people Cultivate?" Xu Lei’s mother appeared from around the other side just then, unable to keep the words in.

"This is how monastics Cultivate, Mother. Every bit of it is in service of Cultivation." Xu Lei smiled but made no move to release Qing Lian, leaning straight back in to kiss her again.

Qing Lian had initially pressed both hands against his chest and pushed, beating at him in an effort to break free — but when she couldn’t manage it, she gave up the fight entirely and simply surrendered, kissing him back without restraint, right there in front of Xu Lei’s mother.

It was enough to make his mother thoroughly embarrassed. She turned and walked away on her own.

After that, Xu Lei pulled Qing Lian into the side courtyard and bent her over the table there.

And proceeded to offer her his Charitable Giving right then and there.

No one witnessed any of it, of course — this particular courtyard was Xu Lei’s private enclosure, used ordinarily for Cultivation. Apart from his mother, almost no one ever came to disturb him here.

Another three days slipped by in a blink.

Since explosives still needed to be prepared, Xu Lei and Qing Lian had not yet set off to settle their score.

He hadn’t stockpiled nearly this much before, so this time, it would take several days of production before they’d have enough.

In the meantime, Xu Lei spent his days handling official matters, then came home to check in with his pregnant wives and concubines. Whatever time remained, he spent with Qing Lian in the Cultivation courtyard — Cultivating relentlessly, getting up to all manner of things, and making her cry out "Amitabha Buddha" at the top of her lungs.