That night, after He Qing finished his bath in Duan Chenhui’s room, he came out wrapped in a bathrobe. He glanced at the bed where Duan Chenhui sat with a laptop on his lap. His bathrobe was loosely draped open, revealing a smooth chest.

He Qing hesitated for a moment before walking over, sitting on the bed, and closing his eyes, silently reciting a mantra.

Suddenly, with a “click,” Duan Chenhui closed the laptop. He Qing opened his eyes and looked at him, “General, I…”

“He Qing, can you start getting used to sleeping with me?” Duan Chenhui leaned back against the headboard.

He Qing looked at him and moved closer, “General, we can practice dual cultivation.”

“What?” Duan Chenhui didn’t quite understand what He Qing meant, though he had his own questions, “My leg is almost healed.” He grabbed He Qing by the chin. “What exactly are you?”

He Qing thought it was about time to come clean, so he said, “A White Lotus Spirit.”

“Hm?”

“A White Lotus Spirit. I can transform into a human.”

Duan Chenhui suddenly thought of the lotus seed and that massive lotus flower, but what he focused on was something else. “So, the pollen you mentioned before…?”

“…Yes,” He Qing cleared his throat, “My entire body is precious. General, don’t think it’s strange.”

“…” Duan Chenhui remained silent. How could he not think too much after He Qing said that? He glanced at He Qing’s bathrobe. “So, this ‘dual cultivation’ you’re talking about is…?”

“I’ll teach you.” He Qing’s eyes lit up as he pounced on him.

Duan Chenhui looked up at him and smiled, “Alright.” Once they started discussing dual cultivation, He Qing wasn’t shy at all. But Duan Chenhui didn’t expect that the dual cultivation He Qing spoke of was actual dual cultivation, and it was quite a challenge, to the point that during crucial moments, they couldn’t move.

The room was filled with the mingling scent of their pheromones.

Duan Chenhui endured for a long time. After one round of cultivation, he was drenched in sweat, his body feeling as if it had been fished out of water. He Qing wasn’t faring much better, holding onto him with his head buried in Duan Chenhui’s chest. “General… General…”

He Qing kept softly calling his name, making Duan Chenhui’s back tingle as he stroked He Qing’s head, “Didn’t you say this was dual cultivation?”

“Can the General hold on?”

“More or less.” Duan Chenhui, being a general, had great endurance, even for something as torturous as this.

He Qing had practiced Buddhism before, and he found it quite difficult to endure this sort of thing. The two of them seemed to be competing in a test of endurance on the bed. After three rounds, He Qing’s face was flushed as he panted, “General, are you still holding up? It’s not even dawn yet.”

Duan Chenhui looked at him, seeing that He Qing seemed to be reaching his limit. He leaned down to kiss him, “I can’t anymore. According to the law, you have to take responsibility.”

Just as Duan Chenhui finished speaking, He Qing tackled him, leaning down deeply. “General… that…”

“What?” Duan Chenhui’s expression became a bit dazed, feeling like he was about to burn up.

He Qing’s face grew even redder as he leaned closer and whispered something into Duan Chenhui’s ear.

Duan Chenhui froze for a moment, realizing that since He Qing’s entire body was valuable, that part of him must be as well. He Qing’s point was that nothing should be wasted.

“Alright…”

“Mm.” He Qing said no more, but his movements intensified.

After being tormented by He Qing for quite some time, Duan Chenhui woke up the next day with a sore back. He got up, dressed, and looked at He Qing, who was already up early knocking on a wooden fish. Smiling, he walked over and sat down, “How’s it going?”

He Qing glanced at him before lowering his head to continue, “I went too far. I’m sorry.”

“…It’s fine.” Duan Chenhui stood up, rubbing his forehead, and looked at He Qing’s beautiful face. There was always this odd sense of dissonance. Was this the trouble that comes with marrying an Enigma?

At first, Duan Chenhui thought he would take the dominant role, but halfway through, he realized that He Qing was also dominant, which caused him a bit of internal struggle.

He Qing stood up, still holding the wooden fish, and looked at him, “General, if you have any doubts, you can ask me.”

“I do have a lot of questions.” Duan Chenhui pulled him outside. “But let’s have breakfast first, and then we’ll talk slowly.”

He Qing followed him outside, sat down to eat, and after breakfast, they went to the pavilion to play chess. After making a move, He Qing asked, “Does it still hurt, General?”

“…No.”

“But General, you were groaning for a long time.”

Duan Chenhui rubbed his forehead, unsure for a moment whether He Qing was teasing him or being serious. He said, “It was painful but enjoyable.”

“…Oh.” He Qing seemed surprised, “So the General is that kind of person?”

Duan Chenhui’s brow twitched. He Qing clearly misunderstood something, but he couldn’t explain it, so he moved on from the topic. “You’re a spirit, where are you from?”

“Another world.” He Qing made another move, “The Cultivation Realm. Over there, cultivators can defy fate, ascend to immortality, and achieve indestructibility. They can live freely as immortals, shatter the void, and travel anywhere.”

“Immortality?” Duan Chenhui suddenly understood something, looking at He Qing. “You’re a plant spirit, so your lifespan is almost infinite?”

“Yes,” He Qing nodded. “But General, you are human… I’ve thought of a solution. We can cultivate dual cultivation, but we can’t stop until you can feel the spiritual power. That’s just the beginning.”

He Qing gazed at Duan Chenhui. “If the General thinks immortality is too long, we can stop the dual cultivation, and in a hundred years, our fate will naturally come to an end.”

Duan Chenhui froze, tossing the chess piece aside. “And what about you? My fate will end with death, but what happens to you?”

He Qing looked down at the chessboard. “I don’t know.” He looked a bit downcast, and even a lotus sprouted from the top of his head.

Duan Chenhui sighed, walked over, and patted his head. “Then let’s work hard on dual cultivation. But I still don’t feel the spiritual power you mentioned.”

He Qing quickly grabbed his hand, “Then let’s do it again tonight.”

“…” Duan Chenhui silently nodded. Why did things keep taking such unexpected turns? His original plan was to cultivate once a week at most.

He Qing suddenly said, “If the General wants a child, we can have one.”

“What?” Duan Chenhui was almost startled. “You can give birth?”

Duan Chenhui felt conflicted. He was already an Enigma, but for He Qing, would he really… Wasn’t He Qing just tempting him?

He Qing blinked, “We spirits and cultivators can easily create a child. It’s like your high-tech incubation.”

“Oh, I see.” He had misunderstood. Duan Chenhui wiped his face, feeling like He Qing had startled him multiple times that day. “Next time, explain everything at once.”

He Qing smiled, “Our baby would definitely be adorable.”

Duan Chenhui cupped his chin, gazing at his face. “Definitely.” The baby would be as beautiful as He Qing. “But we’ll need to discuss this with the family first.”

“Okay, whenever the General wants a child, we can make one,” He Qing said lightheartedly.

Duan Chenhui looked at him, wanting to kiss him, but He Qing suddenly said, “Oh, by the way, the merman prince is a koi spirit.”

“Hm?” Duan Chenhui suddenly had an image of a shifty-looking koi spirit in his head. “No talking about other men right now.” And with that, he kissed He Qing.

He Qing stayed still, and after a moment, grabbed a handful of chess pieces, scattering them across the floor. Then he turned the tables, taking the lead.

•

After probing for several days, Duan Chenhui found that He Qing needed someone else to initiate things before he would let go of his restraint.

But even after a week of dual cultivation, Duan Chenhui still hadn’t felt the spiritual power He Qing talked about. He frowned, thinking back to what He Qing had said. If he were to die… He Qing would remember him for a very, very long time.

And he would be sad for a very long time.

Duan Chenhui opened his screen and asked his family: 【He Qing said we can have a child. What do you think?】

Uncle: 【We have no objections. If you’re ready for a child, then go ahead.】

Third Uncle: 【Are you going to use technology for incubation?】

Duan Chenhui: 【Something like that. Let us think about it more.】

Uncle: 【Alright, it’s your decision.】

After discussing it with his family, Duan Chenhui went downstairs. He looked at He Qing, who was feeding the goldfish. Until he could feel the spiritual power, they wouldn’t have a child.

“General, they said the competition is still ongoing.” He Qing walked over and glanced at him. Recently, he had been feeling a continuous flow of merit points accumulating, thanks to Duan Chenhui’s constant feeding, which had caused his cultivation to improve rapidly.

“Are you still going to participate?” Duan Chenhui sat on the sofa, turning on the TV.

He Qing sat next to him, “I think Chu Yan and the others can win without me.”

“Let’s see how things go.” Duan Chenhui heard on the news about people mysteriously disappearing lately. “Do you have a way to return to the Cultivation Realm?”

“Not at the moment,” He Qing frowned, “I lost my Starry Sky Instrument. I’ll have to see when the opportunity arises.”

Duan Chenhui thought about the name and had a rough idea of what it might be. “If you stay here, will it make progressing more difficult?”

“It’s a bit difficult…” He Qing explained, “Like the last two heavenly tribulations, this world lacks spiritual energy, which is a bit deadly.”

Duan Chenhui thought back to those two lightning storms. No wonder they had felt strange—those were tribulations defying the heavens. Only by surviving them could one succeed. “Seems like cultivation also comes with risks.”

He Qing smiled, “I think mechs are quite useful.”

“That’s cheating.” Duan Chenhui also smiled. If the tribulations had a soul, it would probably be very frustrated.

The two of them rested at home for another two days. During that time, Duan Chenhui fully understood more about the Cultivation Realm and cultivators. But after so much dual cultivation, even he was feeling a bit exhausted, so he decided to take He Qing out for a walk.

Duan Chenhui soon realized there were people following them. He glanced at He Qing, who was walking ahead. He Qing was like a moving treasure, so it was no wonder demons and monsters had their eyes on him.

Duan Chenhui narrowed his eyes slightly and waved his hand, ordering the hidden guards to capture those people.