Chapter 116
Chapter 116: Partridge Soars to the Sky in Qingyang (Part 2)
“Qingqing, I want that beef dish!”
At the dinner table, Qi Shuangran leaned lazily back in his chair, pointing at a plate of food before him as he
called out to Si Cang Qing.
Si Cang Qing didn't mind, and actually picked up a piece of beef and put it in his bowl.
Glancing at him, Qi Shuangran casually stirred the food in his bowl with his chopsticks, his voice dripping with
disdain: “Tsk, this beef isn't even fresh anymore, and you still have the nerve to serve it... Qingqing, you really are
stingy!"
Si Cang Qing gave Qi Shuangran a brief glance, maintaining his habit of not speaking while eating, and continued
eating his own food.
“Your Majesty, try this...” Seated beside them, Cheng Tian Yang picked up a piece of fish, its bones meticulously
removed, and placed it in Si Cang Qing's bowl. He watched with a smile as the other slowly chewed.
With a pout, Qi Shuangran drawled, "Qingqing, this beef isn't fresh, I don't want to eat it! This smoked fish looks
good, you pick out the bones for me!"
Watching Si Cang Qing, who usually dreaded hassle, meticulously remove the fish bones for that person,
Cheng Tian Yang slowly lowered his gaze and buried his head in his own meal. Perhaps because of that person's
repeated assistance before, or perhaps because he wasn't truly annoyed by them after all, Cheng Tian Yang
understood clearly in his heart that Si Cang Qing actually indulged Qi Shuangran's behavior quite a lot.
Such a scene, when it happened to Si Cang Qing, always carried other implications.
Qi Shuangran ate the smoked fish with a cheerful smile, smacking his lips. “This smoked fish is passable,
I suppose!” His eyebrow arched, his eyes twinkling, before he commanded imperiously, “Qingqing, I want that
one...”
Throughout the entire meal, Qi Shuangran picked up his chopsticks far less often than he ordered Si Cang Qing
around.
After finishing his meal, Cheng Tian Yang smiled and asked Xiang Qishuangran, “Seventh Young Master, you
said you'd help His Majesty channel energy to heal his injuries. Is there anything special we need to prepare?”
Si Cang Qing hadn't misjudged the situation. Two days prior, this man had stormed off in a rage and vanished
without a trace. Everyone thought he was really gone. But this morning, he suddenly reappeared, insisting on
helping Si Cang Qing heal his injuries.
Qi Shuangran adopted an indifferent air, sipping his tea leisurely before replying in a measured tone, “The healing
requires a secluded place, and the energy must be channeled in water to achieve maximum effect.”
“No need to prepare anything. Isn't there a hot spring at the former magistrate's residence in Yancheng?”
Slightly relieved, Cheng Tian Yang offered a faint smile. “Then we'll trouble Seventh Young Master!”
Qi Shuangran shot him a sidelong glance. “Don't get too excited! If left untreated, Qingqing's internal injuries
could gradually drain his vital energy and dissipate his martial prowess over time. But to treat them properly,
he'll need at least three sessions of Spirit-Energy Dual Cultivation. One misstep could cause his qi and blood to
reverse flow—and that'd be the end of him!”
Hearing this, Cheng Tian Yang’s expression darkened slightly. He turned to look at Si Cang Qing. “Your
Majesty...”
“It’s nothing,” Si Cang Qing replied calmly, his voice soothing. He casually brushed aside a stray lock of hair
that had fallen near the other’s ear.
Observing their interaction, Qi Shuangran suddenly bellowed, “Qingqing, this one still wants smoked fish!”
...
After inspecting the prepared site once more, Cheng Tian Yang finally felt at ease. Turning to the guards, he
instructed, " Your Highness commands you to guard this place well. No unauthorized persons may enter or leave."
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Returning to their quarters, Cheng Tian Yang smiled and said, “Your Majesty, everything is ready. We can begin
the healing process today!”
Si Cang Qing gave a slight nod. Very well. Once these three days heal his internal injuries, there will be no further
worries. It will be the perfect time to set out for Hongdu and wage the final battle of this southern campaign.
“Your Majesty, be careful!” Cheng Tian Yang gently kissed the other's lips, smiling as he suppressed the worry
deep within his heart—he knew all too well about Si Cang Qing's internal injuries. That night, when he had
attempted to heal him, he had nearly suffered backlash himself. Clearly, this man had been far from as unaffected
as he had appeared these past days. Fortunately, during their time in the Tian wei tian, Si Cang Qing and
Qi Shuangran had once shared a joint cultivation of spiritual energy, which had indeed saved him from danger
just in time.
This time, it should go smoothly!
After a quick tidy-up, Si Cang Qing followed Cheng Tian Yang to the medical quarters. There, the guards
informed them with some trepidation that Qi Shuangran had already forced his way inside.
“Everyone, step back!” Cheng Tian Yang smiled warmly at Si Cang Qing. “I'll stay here on guard. If anything
happens, just call me.”
Before them, gauze curtains fluttered slightly. A massive screen separated this area, and faint heat rose from
the inner chamber. Si Cang Qing gave Cheng Tian Yang a slight nod before stepping inside.
The moment he stepped inside, a familiar voice sounded, tinged with slight displeasure, “I thought you'd wait until
next year! dawdling like that, it's not like we're parting forever.”
Unfazed by Qi Shuangran's words, Si Cang Qing gazed in puzzlement at the vast natural hot spring pool. Within
it, a figure lay naked, lazily reclining against smooth stones. Jet-black hair cascaded through the water, while
the handsome face glowed faintly crimson beneath the steaming heat.
Seeing the stern young man standing motionless by the edge, Qi Shuangran chuckled softly, his eyes crinkling
into crescent moons, pure delight washing over him. The earlier strange emotions seemed to have been instantly
steamed away by the rising vapors. He called out, a hint of amusement in his voice, “Qingqing, have you been
enchanted by this one? Why stand there like a fool, unable to move?”
“What do you mean?” Si Cang Qing asked, his voice cool and detached.
◇Cang◇Huan◇Qi◇Gong◇
“Qingqing,” the figure in the pool vanished in an instant, only to reappear behind Si Cang Qing. He breathed
intimately into the other's ear, “Don’t waste this beautiful moment… Come with me and enjoy the ultimate
pleasures of life. You’ll be hooked!”
As he spoke, his hands began to grope and grope Si Cang Qing’s body.
Stripping the man’s naked arm, Si Cang Qing asked again, “What does this mean?”
For ordinary people, such a scene would inevitably lead to some suggestive thoughts. But Si Cang Qing rarely
had such tender thoughts. Aside from a few people, he didn’t react particularly to the nakedness of others.
Pouting in boredom, Qi Shuangran awkwardly withdrew his hands. “Tsk, Qingqing, you really have no sense
of romance! How can your consorts tolerate you!” He shook his head and sighed, walking around naked and
unabashedly.
Sitting back in the hot spring, Qi Shuangran sighed contentedly before slowly explaining, "Well, cultivating
spiritual energy is safer and more effective in warm water. Qingqing, didn't you know that?"
Raising an eyebrow slightly, Si Cang Qing vaguely remembered. He hadn't paid much attention to cultivating
spiritual energy, and last time in an emergency, he had only acted on instinct.
"Stop dawdling! The first healing session is the most physically and mentally taxing. Hurry up and get in!"
Since that was the case, Si Cang Qing readily took off his clothes and stepped into the hot spring—the water
was just right, reaching his neck when he sat down, making the exercise very comfortable.
Qi Shuangran stopped teasing, moved to the center of the pool, sat up straight, and instructed Si Cang Qing.
The two sat cross-legged facing each other. Simultaneously, they channeled their internal energy, mobilizing
every ounce of true qi within their bodies to flow along their major meridians. With perfect synchrony, they swiftly
extended their palms, meeting them firmly together. Instantly, their blood vessels became interconnected as one.
Unlike the previous attempt, this time Qi Shuangran channeled their combined energy outward. The water
currents surrounding them served as an external conduit, aiding the process by soothing the turbulent qi and
blood suppressed within Si Cang Qing's body.
Ultimately, Si Cang Qing's internal injuries had shown no improvement precisely because no one could help
clear the stagnant qi and blood from his divergent pathways—a process not only extremely dangerous for both
practitioners but also requiring their internal energies to be closely matched. Thus, only Qi Shuangran, possessing
an internal energy of the same origin and nature, capable of both complementing and counteracting his, could
lend a helping hand.
On the first day of treatment, from noon until dusk, the two channeled their energies within the hot spring pool
for a full four hours before finally beginning to clear the stagnant qi and blood within Si Cang Qing's body.
Watching the evening glow fade, Cheng Tian Yang finally rose to his feet and strode toward the screen, then
abruptly halted. He remembered Qi Shuangran's warning: they must not be disturbed while channeling their
energies. The slightest disturbance could cause both to suffer backlash from the powerful forces at work.
Sighing softly, Cheng Tian Yang lowered his gaze and tugged at his lips. Truly... when had he ever been so
impatient? Staring blankly at the last vestiges of sunset being swallowed by the darkness in the west, a sudden
pang of melancholy welled up in his heart: so many things had long since veered off their original course.
How was he supposed to navigate this?
Cheng Tian Yang stood in silence, the evening breeze tangling his long hair like the endless knots of his thoughts.
A sudden rustle behind him made him turn sharply. A bright smile instantly spread across his face.
“Your Majesty...” Seeing the two men's faces—tired yet flushed with healthy color—he relaxed inwardly.
Turning to Qi Shuangran, he said, “Seventh Young Master, you've worked hard!”
Qi Shuangran snorted and yawned lazily. “Qingqing, I want fresh beef for dinner tonight!” He left the pair
behind without another word.
Cheng Tian Yang smiled as he approached Si Cang Qing. “Your Majesty, feeling better?”
Si Cang Qing murmured softly, his arm gently around the other, “Mm.” With continued treatment over the next
two days, his internal injuries would fully heal. Moreover, both his and Qi Shuangran's inner strength would
likely reach new heights.
“Then let's return.”
“Agreed.”
The wind swept past as the pair gradually faded into the deepening dusk.
At noon the following day, Si Cang Qing and Qi Shuangran once again entered the hot spring pool for their
joint cultivation of spiritual energy. After overcoming the most difficult first attempt, this session proceeded
smoothly, completed in less than three hours.
Slowly withdrawing his hand, Si Cang Qing opened his eyes. After briefly adjusting to the misty haze before
him, he gently exhaled the pent-up breath within his body. A profound sense of ease washed over him. With a
slight exertion of his energy, he realized his internal injuries were now completely healed. The joint cultivation
had not only enhanced his inner strength but also made it far less likely for such severe injuries to occur again
in the future.
His gaze shifted. Just as Si Cang Qing was about to rise, he noticed the person facing him. Her brow was
furrowed, her complexion unnaturally flushed, and her breathing had grown unstable.
Startled, Si Cang Qing swiftly grasped the other's wrist to feel their pulse—could it be that the disparity in their
internal energies meant this person couldn't withstand repeated spiritual energy cultivation?
His fingers had barely touched Qi Shuangran's wrist when, before his mind could register anything,
Si Cang Qing's arm was violently yanked. Caught off guard and concerned for the other's condition, he was
flung backward against the stone wall beside them.
In an instant, a powerful, scorching body pressed down upon him.
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