Chapter 52 : Why Did You Arrive So Late

Chapter 52: Why Did You Arrive So Late

Ascension Inn.

Second floor, private elegant room.

The junior sister clumsily gripped her chopsticks, reaching for the salt-and-pepper crispy pork cartilage on the table.

Cheng Hua’s delicate hips pressed against the wooden stool, her skirt draping down, outlining two long, straight jade-like legs.

She sipped her tea.

Her gaze kept drifting unconsciously toward the window.

The wooden window was carved with peonies, layered upon layers, full and lush.

They should have returned to the mountain after collecting the ingredients.

It just so happened that the ingredients had only arrived not long ago and had yet to be fully processed.

The innkeeper personally went to the kitchen and prepared a few small dishes as an apology.

Cheng Hua originally wanted to refuse.

However, the junior sister was greedy, having no resistance to this kind of crispy fried “children’s food,” and insisted on staying.

Thinking of her master’s instructions, Cheng Hua simply went along with her.

“Da.”

A soft sound.

The junior sister’s hands were still small, her chopstick skills unrefined. By accident, the meat slipped and fell onto the table mid-grab.

She quickly picked it up again.

But her delicate, doll-like face showed hesitation.

After a pause, she reluctantly placed the pork cartilage into Cheng Hua’s bowl.

“Senior Sister, this is for you~”

Cheng Hua glanced at her.

She neither moved her chopsticks nor responded.

The junior sister realized she had been found out, scratched her head, and grinned shamelessly.

“Why is Senior Sister so distracted?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re lying. Senior Sister is never like this on the mountain.”

“One can cultivate on the mountain.”

“Can’t you here?”

“It’s faster on the mountain.”

“With Senior Sister’s talent, there’s no need to rush.”

Cheng Hua paused. “When I descended the mountain, someone saved me several times. I want to wait until he enters the sect—then I’ll have the strength to protect him, so he won’t have to suffer bullying.”

The junior sister let out a long “Oh—”.

“That person who likes Senior Sister?”

Cheng Hua nodded.

The junior sister sighed. “Senior Sister is really kind. Even to someone you don’t like, you treat them so well.”

A faint smile curled at Cheng Hua’s lips.

“We of the righteous path—treating others kindly is fundamental.”

She said it lightly, completely forgetting how just a few days ago, a male cultivator had pestered her for sword guidance, and she had grown annoyed and split his protective barrier with a single strike.

As she spoke,

Suddenly, a surging heat welled up within her body.

The flowing warmth mixed into her blood, coursing through her entire body at incredible speed.

Cheng Hua lightly covered her lower abdomen, a flush passing across her cheeks.

Aftereffect?

Now?

She closed her eyes, attempting to suppress the burning sensation with a calming technique.

Yet this time, it seemed even more violent, more frenzied, and hotter than the previous two occasions.

Her breath trembled softly, like a cat’s paw scratching at the tip of the heart.

The sound carried a faint moisture, escaping through slightly parted lips.

“Senior Sister?”

The junior sister asked in confusion.

Cheng Hua ignored her.

After closing her eyes, darkness did not immediately descend.

Instead, light and shadow intertwined—sunlight filtered through a peony-carved wooden window, falling upon Fang Chang’s handsome face.

He lay on his back.

That same frivolous, confident smile still hung on his face.

Cheng Hua could not help but look longer.

However, the lower part of the view was always obstructed by two swaying masses of pale softness.

So obstructive.

She could even hear the breathing sounds from ‘herself.’

Fragmented and hurried, mixed with faint moans that seemed both painful and soft.

Stubbornly suppressing the urge to make noise, yet still leaking out between tightly clenched teeth.

“If the mind scatters, entangled in myriad dharmas, one should focus on a single thought… if the mind sinks, one should think of diligence, gather the mind and bring it back…”

“If lust is not eliminated, one cannot transcend the dust… even with great wisdom and meditation before you, if lust is not cut off, one will surely fall into the demonic path…”

“All Bodhisattvas Mahāsattvas should thus give rise to a pure mind, not dwelling on form to give rise to mind, nor dwelling on sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharmas to give rise to mind—one should give rise to mind without dwelling anywhere…”

Fragmented chanting echoed in the background.

The voice carried shame, anger, and suppression.

It made Cheng Hua’s burning sensation intensify.

So hot it felt like magma, leaving her dizzy and flushed.

Yet this scorching heat brought no pain—instead, it nourished a budding flower within her body, waiting to bloom.

Gradually,

It stretched outward, awaiting its imminent, radiant blossoming.

“Senior Sister!”

The junior sister suddenly shouted loudly, sounding somewhat nervous.

‘Senior Sister—’

At the same time, the same echo appeared within the illusion, reverberating as though separated by only a few walls.

“......”

Something was wrong!

Cheng Hua suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze fixing on the carved wooden window of the private room.

Those peony carvings, the furnishings—

—they matched this place’s style exactly!

An absurd thought arose in Cheng Hua’s mind.

A thought born solely from the illusion caused by the aftereffect.

—When entering the inn earlier, that figure… she had not seen wrong.

“Senior Sister, what are you doing? Your face is so red.”

Seeing her open her eyes, the junior sister finally relaxed.

“Don’t wander around. I’m stepping out for a moment.”

“Okaaay~~”

Cheng Hua walked out of the private room with a cold expression.

As she walked along the corridor of the inn, she had already suppressed the abnormal sensations in her chest and body.

With the Ascension Ceremony just concluded, the town and the inn had entered the off-season.

Looking down from the corridor toward the first-floor hall, there was not a single person.

Only the distant sounds of the innkeeper and waiter working in the backyard kitchen.

Not long after,

Cheng Hua stopped in front of a guest room door.

—It was also the only room with a sign indicating it was occupied.

Cheng Hua took a deep breath.

Her heart was pounding.

She did not know whether her feeling was correct, but she urgently wanted to verify it.

‘Who would he be staying with… surely Zhao Yuntong is there.’

‘He refined her into a Corpse Puppet, yet retained her soul.’

‘How is that any different from a normal woman?’

At that thought,

Cheng Hua suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable inside—stifled.

A rare trace of impatience appeared between her cool brows.

She raised her hand, intending to knock quickly.

Yet just before her knuckles struck the wooden door—

With a creak,

The door opened.

Fang Chang’s face appeared before her without warning.

Cheng Hua unconsciously froze for a moment.

She did not notice.

A faint, lingering feminine fragrance seeped out from the room. Inside the dim space, lit only by a faint glow like early dawn, two coffins were placed steadily.

And from one of the coffins, there still came faint, lingering breaths.

“Fellow Daoist Cheng, long time no see.”

Fang Chang’s voice was as frivolous as ever, as though he knew everything.

Long time no see?

Cheng Hua’s face remained expressionless; she did not feel it that way.

Had she simply seen him too often in her dreams?

No matter.

My heart is like still water. My Dao Heart is clear and empty. Pure of desire, calm as a windless sea—like an ancient well without ripples.

“Why did you arrive so late?”

“On the way, I saved a few people, witnessed the rise and fall of a dynasty, explored a Secret Realm, and picked up some treasures. Naturally, it delayed me a bit.”

“Do not boast.”

Cheng Hua raised her hand to adjust the hair by her temple, her face still cold and detached.

The aftereffects vanished the moment she saw Fang Chang.

A stone in her heart fell away, the worry that he might not come dissipating.

Beneath her skirt, her long jade-like legs subconsciously stepped forward, closing the distance.

As if she wanted to catch his scent.

Fang Chang silently stepped back a little, afraid others might smell the lingering feminine fragrance on him.

Cheng Hua stepped forward again, her face emotionless.

Fang Chang retreated another step; she continued forward without expression, though a hint of displeasure appeared.

“Why are you retreating?”

“A lone man and a lone woman—I’m afraid you’ll bully me with your higher cultivation. I’m just a Qi Absorption cultivator who has no influence over the situation.”

Seeing that he still held a grudge, Cheng Hua did not get angry. Instead, she could not help but curl her lips slightly.

“No progress whatsoever in your cultivation. So lazy. Once you enter the sect, I will make sure to discipline and supervise your training properly.”