Gu Quan stiffened as he lowered his head, his voice hoarse: “You knew?”
Why didn’t you resist?
Lian Yue nodded: “Yesterday I asked National Preceptor Shao to use his inner force to help me circulate qi, or to cultivate together with me. He then told me that two people circulating qi and cultivating together is Dual Cultivation.”
Gu Quan stood frozen, the unease in his eyes turning cold, his voice carrying endless chill: “Did he help you?”
Lian Yue shook her head, explaining innocently: “He didn’t practice Dual Cultivation with me. He just took pity on my desperate pleading and used his inner force alone to guide my qi circulation, that’s all.”
Originally she hadn’t intended to mention this matter, but now she changed her mind. She wanted to see Gu Quan’s reaction.
His tone icy, he spoke word by word: “Rea-lly, just that?”
He seemed already very angry.
Oh ho.
Lian Yue asked confusedly: “What’s wrong?”
Gu Quan took a deep breath, suppressing the jealousy in his heart, and said fiercely: “Moon Consort, it seems you still need to study your characters properly. You really don’t understand anything.”
Normally it was always “my lady,” but when angry it became “Moon Consort.”
There seemed to be some difference.
Lian Yue’s face showed even more bewilderment: “Did I overlook something?”
He closed his eyes: “Don’t let others probe their inner force into your body. Otherwise, everything about your body will be completely exposed to them. Your inner force is weak – they could make you live or die as they wish.”
!!
No one had told her that.
Oh right.
Inner force can penetrate meridians, muscles, and nerves. If the other party harbors ill intent, killing her would be effortless.
This might be common knowledge for them?
She really didn’t understand anything.
Retroactive fear.
Lian Yue swallowed hard. Though she had already started to feel afraid, her words still carried a tone of complete trust in them as she explained gently: “But you’re all not bad people, and you’ve helped me repeatedly. I trust you all.”
Gu Quan sneered coldly: “It seems you’ve gotten quite close with them during my absence.”
Lian Yue: “…”
What else could she say?
Since things had reached this point, and she had gained benefits rather than harm, she could only speak this way, pretending she didn’t care much.
She asked: “Are there any other potential dangers?”
The other man curled his lips: “When probing inner force into someone else’s body, you can achieve Shared Senses with them.”
“Ah?”
Lian Yue was completely bewildered.
The meaning of Shared Senses… could it be… that Yuan Jing and Shao Qing could sense her reactions at that time?
Oh right.
Earlier when she probed her inner force into Gu Quan’s body, she indeed seemed to feel that he wanted to devour and possess her.
Moreover, his inner force was luring her to continue deeper, hooking her to sink into the surging desires within his body. The sensations came exceptionally strong.
Hiss—
Could Yuan Jing and Shao Qing sense her comfortable, pleasurable feelings before?
How terrifying!
Ahhhh, why didn’t anyone tell her? She simply wanted to find a hole to crawl into.
Utterly humiliating!
Ah!
So embarrassing, so embarrassing!
Gu Quan said: “Most martial artists are men, while you are a woman. Ultimately, it’s rather inappropriate.”
A woman like Lian Yue – beautiful and delicate, with a soft voice – if left untouched it would be fine, but with slight contact, one couldn’t help but be attracted,进而迸发出更强烈的占有欲，想要将其据为己有，拢在身旁。
He knew well that whether it was A Jing or Zi Li, no matter how virtuously they presented themselves, once the seed of desire took root, they would begin a relentless climb until they lost all control.
Just like his former self.
He dared not underestimate Lian Yue’s allure, nor overestimate his friends’ self-restraint.
Unaware of his thoughts, Lian Yue was on the verge of tears, her expression awkward as she could only console herself: “Compared to having one’s life and death controlled by others, this probably isn’t such a big issue.”
Hearing this, Gu Quan snapped back to reality, his face instantly darkening like stormy waters: “Not a big issue? Moon Consort, you’re truly magnanimous.”
You don’t mind Dual Cultivation with me, nor do you care about Shared Senses with others. Could it be that only physical intimacy counts as true closeness?
He understood that perhaps Yuan Jing and Shao Qing had no ulterior motives initially—after all, Circulating Qi to assist someone required consideration for the other’s feelings, and few women practiced martial arts… But despite all his rationalizations, the bitterness and jealousy within him grew wildly.
To make matters worse, the young woman’s lips were rosy and slightly parted, truly tempting him to mark her with his scent.
This is madness.
Gu Quan forced himself to look away, as if by lowering his gaze he could make a choice—yet though she stood so near, she felt impossibly distant.
He turned and walked away.
Seeing he still appeared quite angry, Lian Yue quickly followed behind.
She remained deeply grateful to him.
Had Gu Quan not warned her, she might have continued seeking shortcuts.
Never again, never again.
She couldn’t trust anyone now—while they currently showed no intention of taking her life, what if circumstances changed?
Lian Yue caught up to seek Gu Quan’s guidance: “Gu Hou, if someone channels their inner force into my body while my inner force is stronger than theirs, wouldn’t they be the one to get injured?”
Gu Quan responded with a cold “Hmm.”
So that’s how it was.
She finally realized belatedly what a foolish thing she had just done. Had it been anyone other than Gu Quan, she truly wouldn’t have known how she died.
No wonder he was so angry.
So this was it.
There existed a thick information barrier between commoners and nobility.
Not just regarding literacy and education.
When she had followed Lu Xun before, she spent most time in the inner quarters. His visits primarily concerned matters between men and women, with only occasional mentions of the world’s affairs.
Lu Xun had never spoken to her about inner force, and she never imagined such a thing existed.
Coupled with this era’s prohibition against women practicing martial arts, confined to inner chambers, it became even less likely anyone would mention this to her.
If not for the shipwreck incident where Yuan Jing used inner force to warm her, she would never have understood how noble families maintained their power for millennia.
The aristocracy truly represented an insurmountable mountain for commoners.
It seemed her decision to approach these powerful figures after narrowly escaping death had been correct after all.
Moreover.
Not all aristocratic families could access inner force knowledge—newly risen powerful clans understood little of it.
Lian Yue recalled the bandits she encountered when first arriving in this world.
Actually, she seldom thought of them, as it represented a terrible period in her past.
But reflecting now, their second-in-command had been remarkably skilled, earning even the bandit leader’s respect.
The girls imprisoned with her had gestured that he could fight ten men alone, warning escape was impossible—they could only await being sold.
If not for the heavy rains ending the great drought back then…
If she hadn’t noticed the sand, stones, and muddy water flowing down from the mountain into the trenches—a sign that might indicate an impending landslide—they truly wouldn’t have been able to wipe out that entire nest of bandits.
As for the second-in-command, it seemed he had encountered some opportunity and gained inner force, which was why he had been so formidable back then.
Gu Quan halted his steps and looked down to remind her, “Watch your path.”
Lian Yue snapped back to reality and realized she had nearly collided with a tree, feeling somewhat embarrassed. “Thank you for the reminder.”
Gu Quan sighed in exasperation, “What were you thinking so deeply about that you didn’t even watch where you were going?”
The young woman replied without hesitation, “I was thinking… you all have been too good to me. So good that it makes me wonder what I’ve done to deserve you making exceptions for me.”
After all, in this era, women were not allowed to practice martial arts, yet Yuan Jing had made an exception to teach her. Shao Qing was also willing to help her, and Gu Quan had even transmitted his inner force to her. They were being excessively kind to her.
Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but sigh, “I’m just an ordinary person—ordinary in appearance, ordinary in ability, ordinary in temperament. And I have a not-so-good nature: cowardly, timid, fearful, greedy, with countless flaws all over.”
Could it be that the gifts of fate have already been secretly marked with a price?
Was there some conspiracy at play?
Gu Quan scoffed coldly, “No one belittles themselves the way you do.”
Seeing that he was still angry, Lian Yue tugged at his sleeve and softly expressed her gratitude, “Marquis Gu, thank you for helping me. I come from a humble background, and I’m fortunate to have your guidance. Otherwise, I would still understand nothing.”
Gu Quan looked at her pale, pitiful face, her eyelashes trembling slightly, appearing delicate and beautiful. Though he was still upset, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything harsh.
He said, “If you understand nothing, then learn properly. When I send you back to Ruyang, I’ll have A Jing arrange for someone to teach you.”
If it weren’t for the internal troubles in Xiang City that hadn’t been resolved, Gu Quan truly wouldn’t want to send her to Ruyang. Only by keeping her under his watchful eye could he feel at ease.
Lian Yue hummed in agreement, “I will study hard.”
Not long after, Yuan Jing and Shao Qing arrived with their men.
Yang Jian, having failed in his ambush and fearing his whereabouts would be exposed, had already led his troops away from the area.
After breaking through the encirclement, Yuan Jing and Shao Qing had eliminated all the pursuing soldiers. The scattered troops had regrouped using prearranged signals and were now fully reorganized.
It was only Chen Shi (7:00-9:00 AM).
The forest was deep, and the dew was heavy.
Yuan Jing handed a secret letter to Gu Quan, “A covert report from the outpost—Fancheng is in trouble.”
Fancheng was Gu Quan’s territory, and the city magistrate, Cheng Jie, was his trusted aide, managing the city’s important affairs.
Gu Quan took the letter and couldn’t help but sneer, “If I recall correctly, this Cheng Yi is Magistrate Cheng’s adopted son. How dare he kill his father and seize power? Does he truly believe that by controlling Fancheng and aligning with Yang Jian, he can rest easy?”
Someone had betrayed them?
Lian Yue’s ears perked up, and she rubbed them, thinking that in these chaotic times, fighting and killing were indeed everywhere.
They didn’t hide their discussion from her.
Yuan Jing said, “Cheng Yi has publicly claimed that Magistrate Cheng died suddenly from a severe illness. He has temporarily taken control of Fancheng and is sending a letter to Magistrate Cheng’s eldest son, Cheng Zong, asking him to return to the city to observe mourning rites.”
Gu Quan replied, “It seems we must make a trip to Fancheng.”
He wanted to see for himself whether all the officials in the city had turned traitor or if it was solely Cheng Yi’s idea.
Yuan Jing asked, “What about Moon Consort?”
Hearing them mention her, Lian Yue immediately stepped forward and said, “Can I go to Fancheng with you? I won’t hold you back, I promise.”
Gu Quan looked her up and down, his eyes darkening as a faint smile tugged at his lips. “Fine. If you work harder to refine the inner force I gave you, I’ll take you along.”
Lian Yue quickly nodded. “Alright, alright.”
Yuan Jing’s gaze fell upon Gu Quan, his expression inscrutable, his tone devoid of emotion. “You’ve transferred inner force to Moon Consort.”
Gu Quan had done it deliberately. Seeing Yuan Jing’s expression shift slightly and noticing his initiative to inquire about the young woman, he sensed trouble brewing. Given the other man’s temperament, if he truly had no interest in Lian Yue, he wouldn’t have brought it up.
He inclined his head. “That’s right.”
Transferring inner force required Circulating Qi through Dual Cultivation. Lian Yue was willing to practice Dual Cultivation with him—they had already been so intimate with each other. Understand now?
He refused to be the only one tasting the bitterness of love—the jealousy, the possessiveness, the madness. They should all experience it.
Yuan Jing fell silent, appearing uninterested.
But only he himself knew what truly churned in his heart.
Nearby, Lian Yue suddenly felt that ever since Gu Quan mentioned this matter, Yuan Jing had immediately distanced himself from her, the sense of alienation growing stronger.
Lian Yue shot a glance at Gu Quan.
He’d said it on purpose.
Meanwhile, Shao Qing, leaning against a tree trunk, couldn’t shake the feeling that Gu Quan’s gaze toward him was icy and hostile, as if filled with shards of frost.
What had he done to provoke him?
He asked Lian Yue, “Why does A Quan seem off? His stare is freezing. Did you say something to him?”
Lian Yue cast him a sidelong glance, her voice muffled. “Why didn’t you tell me that using inner force to help me Circulate Qi not only lets you control my life and death but also creates Shared Senses between us? If I hadn’t mentioned it to Marquis Gu, I’d still be in the dark.”
Shao Qing looked surprised. “You didn’t know?”
Lian Yue: “No.”
“No wonder.”
He shook his head. “I thought you were just careless.”
Lian Yue: “…”
Shao Qing had naturally overheard Gu Quan transferring inner force to her. A sour feeling churned in his chest, his eyes flickering briefly before he feigned nonchalance. “Next time you tattle, don’t come to me for help with anything.”
Lian Yue looked puzzled. “I didn’t tattle.”
Shao Qing snorted lightly. “What do you think?”
Men and women should maintain boundaries.
When he’d helped her, the Shared Senses had allowed him to feel the pleasure coursing through her body. With A Quan’s petty jealousy, he’d surely be driven mad.
Lian Yue blinked. “I don’t know.”
While they were whispering, the young woman felt two pairs of eyes fixed on her, sharp as blades, making her skin prickle as if pierced by needles.
She lowered her head and quietly moved farther away from Shao Qing. Only then did the palpable pressure around her begin to dissipate.
Gu Quan’s cool voice cut through the air. “How about Moon Consort rides with me?”
Lian Yue lifted her gaze, meeting the mockery in his eyes, and knew he was doing this intentionally.
She replied, “Wouldn’t that be improper?”
Gu Quan scoffed coldly. “Last night, I shared a horse with you. After just one night, is Moon Consort already turning her back on me, wanting to avoid suspicion?”
!!