“This cooling force is the yin energy of a woman,” said Hun Yuanzi. “Compared to other cultivation methods, the Dan-Ding Dual Cultivation Sect’s path to immortality is relatively simple and convenient, without enduring excessive hardship. However, it also has various side effects, the most dangerous being the backlash of true fire. Since most pills are yang in nature, although their effects are potent, they accumulate a large amount of true fire within the body. If it cannot be suppressed, it will rebound, causing fire-cultivation deviation and madness.”
These words made Yang Hao focus his attention and listen carefully.
“Dealing with the backlash of true fire is extremely difficult,” Hun Yuanzi finally reached the crux of the matter. “After numerous attempts throughout generations, our predecessors concluded that the best and most effective method is to use the yin energy of women to extinguish the internal backlash of true fire.”
“Yin energy?” Yang Hao was astonished. He had already sensed that Ming Huanghou had once again reached her peak, and the cooling yin energy at his dantian was rapidly intensifying.
“When a man and woman unite, both generate energy. The woman’s is known as yin energy, which is negative in nature, while the man’s is yang energy, which is positive,” Hun Yuanzi explained. “The cultivation method of the Dan-Ding Dual Cultivation Sect allows you to absorb yin energy to nourish yang, controlling the backlash of true fire within your body. If you don’t want to suffer from the backlash of true fire again, obey me and do exactly as I say.”
Although Yang Hao was still in motion, the true fire’s backlash had not ceased. The pain caused by the true fire had eased slightly, but waves of sharp pain continued to linger in his meridians, nearly preventing him from circulating his qi through the dantian.
Yang Hao was well aware that if he didn’t resolve this issue, once he left Ming Huanghou, the backlash of true fire would erupt violently. At that point, he might die from ruptured meridians before even encountering Emperor Danzhen to be caught in the act.
Seeing that Yang Hao understood the gravity of the situation, Hun Yuanzi wasted no more words and began teaching Yang Hao how to collect yin energy.
After several minutes, the yin energy completed a full cycle through his meridians, absorbing all the true fire within Yang Hao’s body, clearing his meridians completely. The previously icy yin energy became warm, transforming in nature. When Yang Hao observed internally, he found that the pure yin energy had transformed into a harmonious blend of yin and yang energy.
Yang Hao dismounted from Ming Huanghou. He finally had time to quietly admire her beautiful and enchanting face. Her skin had a charming pink hue, and she lay in his arms with her eyes tightly shut, trembling like a shivering little animal. Now, anyone could see that Ming Huanghou had been completely conquered by Yang Hao.
“This cooling power is the power of a woman’s yin essence,” said Hunyuanzi. “Compared to other methods of cultivation, the Dual Cultivation path of the Dan Ding School is simpler and easier, requiring less hardship, but it also comes with various side effects. The most severe of these is the backlash of true fire. Most elixirs are yang in nature. While they yield excellent results when consumed, they also accumulate a great deal of true fire in the body. If this fire cannot be suppressed, it will backlash against the body, leading to qi deviation.”
These words made Yang Hao focus intently, forcing him to listen carefully.
“Resolving the backlash of true fire is extremely difficult,” Hunyuanzi finally reached the key point. “After countless attempts by predecessors throughout the ages, the best and most effective method was concluded—using the power of a woman’s yin essence to extinguish the backlash of true fire in the body.”
“Yin essence?” Yang Hao was stunned. He could already feel Empress Ming reaching her peak once more, while the cooling power of yin essence in his dantian rapidly intensified.
“Both men and women generate power during intercourse. A woman’s power is called yin essence and belongs to the yin nature, while a man’s is called yang essence and belongs to the yang nature. The so-called ‘absorbing yin to supplement yang’ or ‘absorbing yang to supplement yin’ refers to this,” Hunyuanzi explained. “The cultivation of the Dan Ding Dual Cultivation School involves absorbing yin to supplement yang while controlling the backlash of true fire in your body. If you don’t want to suffer from true fire backlash again, you’d better follow my instructions carefully.”
Though Yang Hao was still moving, the backlash of true fire had not ceased. The pain caused by the true fire had somewhat eased, but sharp stabs lingered in his meridians, making it nearly impossible for him to circulate his qi properly.
Yang Hao knew all too well that if he didn’t resolve this issue, once he left Empress Ming, the backlash of true fire would intensify and erupt violently. By then, even if Emperor Danzhen didn’t catch them in the act, he might already have ruptured his meridians and died.
Seeing that Yang Hao understood the gravity of the situation, Hunyuanzi wasted no more words and began teaching him how to gather yin essence.
After a few minutes, the yin essence completed a full cycle of circulation, absorbing all the true fire in Yang Hao’s body and restoring the flow of his meridians. The once ice-cold yin essence had now turned warm, its nature completely transformed. When Yang Hao looked inward, he saw that it had shifted from pure yin essence into a harmonious blend of yin and yang.
Yang Hao climbed off Empress Ming. Finally, he had time to quietly admire her breathtaking beauty. Her skin glowed with a delicate pink hue, and she lay trembling in his arms with her eyes tightly shut, like a shivering little creature. Anyone could see that Empress Ming had been utterly conquered by Yang Hao.
Yang Hao couldn’t help but marvel at the unpredictability of fate. His future was completely unforeseeable. Today, he had merely come to the palace to steal medicine, yet somehow he ended up killing a deputy commander of the swordsmen’s brigade, refining numerous spiritual pills, and even bedding the wife of the Emperor of the Thunder Star.
This was truly a life-threatening situation.
Hunyuanzi, oblivious to Yang Hao’s lamentations about fate’s fickleness, was still regretting their lack of preparation: “Had I known we’d be absorbing yin to supplement yang today, I should’ve prepared the Harmony Bear Gall Silver Dew Pill in advance.”
“What pill?”
“Now that you’ve reached the Lingxu stage, to ascend to the next stage—the Harmony stage—you must take the Harmony Bear Gall Silver Dew Pill as the main elixir,” Hunyuanzi seemed to have found new motivation. “After consuming this pill, you’ll need to engage in dual cultivation with a woman to push you into the Harmony stage. By then, your power will have leaped forward.”
Before Yang Hao could ask in detail about the new aspects of the next stage, Empress Ming slowly awoke. Her eyes fluttered open, and upon realizing she was lying in Yang Hao’s arms, a faint blush colored her cheeks.
“Empress… Empress Ming,” Yang Hao stammered, his hands still resting on her body while addressing her with such a formal title—an incredibly awkward situation.
Empress Ming let out a soft hum and quickly jumped up from Yang Hao’s embrace, grabbing her clothes from the floor and dressing herself. Her expression was unreadable, leaving Yang Hao unsure whether this was a blessing or a curse. He could only follow suit and hurriedly put on his own clothes.
“Heh, disciple, be careful. Women like this might just murder their lovers,” Hunyuanzi quipped, never one to offer comforting words.
Yang Hao couldn’t help but worry. Given the vast difference in their statuses, if Empress Ming feared exposure, she might very well silence him permanently. For nobles, killing a commoner or two was hardly a big deal.
As anxiety gnawed at him, Empress Ming finally finished dressing, once again presenting herself as the radiant and imposing empress. Her haughty and piercing gaze made it hard for Yang Hao to believe that the most exquisite body he had ever tasted belonged to the woman standing before him.
Empress Ming’s eyes were sharp enough to kill as she fixed them on Yang Hao, a chilling aura of murderous intent slowly emanating from her. Having faced many foes, Yang Hao was no stranger to such hostility. Yet, he couldn’t help feeling aggrieved—he nearly blurted out that she had been the one to seduce him.
Fortunately, he held his tongue. It was precisely because he didn’t utter those fatal words that he managed to keep his life.
After staring at him for a while, Empress Ming finally sighed softly, her expression softening. She sat down beside Yang Hao, knee to knee. Sensing the dissipating murderous intent, Yang Hao knew he was temporarily safe.
“This isn’t our first time,” Empress Ming dropped a bombshell. “I should’ve killed you just now, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Perhaps…”
She left the rest unsaid, but Yang Hao was fixated on her first statement. “Not our first time?”
Yang Hao’s shock bordered on madness—not just because of her words, but because during their earlier encounter, he had felt an inexplicable familiarity, as if he had once possessed the same body before.
“Do you remember when I said I sometimes return to Dupe District?” Empress Ming lowered her gaze, her toes brushing against Yang Hao’s foot. “Once, you climbed into my bed in the middle of the night and gave me a pill.”
Yang Hao trembled violently, nearly falling off his chair. Suddenly, it all came rushing back—he remembered exactly when he had met Empress Ming before.
“You’re that…” Yang Hao’s mouth went dry with bitterness. Now he understood just how close he had come to death’s door.
Empress Ming turned out to be the young widow—or rather, the woman Yang Hao had mistaken for a widow—whom he had encountered during his first visit to Dupe District to administer medicine. Back then, after feeding her the pill, he realized she was alone, and what followed was an almost violent encounter where he was practically raped in the darkness. Being passive and disoriented, he had barely registered the experience. Now, recalling it, he realized Empress Ming had already shared an intimate connection with him. No wonder she had chosen him as her test subject today.
“Let’s keep this a secret. Maybe then, I won’t have to kill you,” Empress Ming said with a bitter expression, revealing the many burdens she carried.
Yang Hao nodded eagerly. Of course, he was more than happy for her to keep this secret. But deep down, he knew that from now on, he would likely be Empress Ming’s secret lover for the long term. As long as Emperor Danzhen never visited her chambers, Yang Hao would bear the duty of satisfying her needs. Yet, for him, this was hardly a bad thing.
After all, she was an irresistibly alluring woman—one for whom a man might forsake all other beauties in the world.
This was truly a life-threatening situation.
Hun Yuanzi was completely oblivious to Yang Hao’s reflections on the vicissitudes of fate. He was still regretting his inadequate preparations for the day: “If I had known there would be such an opportunity for yin-yang cultivation, I should have prepared the ‘He Ti Xiong Dan Yin Lu Dan’ earlier.”
“What pill?”
“Now that you’ve reached the Ling Xu cultivation stage, to advance to the next stage, the He He Jing, you must consume the main pill called ‘He Ti Xiong Dan Yin Lu Dan.'” Hun Yuanzi seemed to have found new motivation, “After taking this pill, you must engage in dual cultivation with a woman to ascend to the He He Jing. At that point, your martial cultivation will experience a leap forward.”
Before Yang Hao could ask Hun Yuanzi in detail about the new developments in the next cultivation stage, Ming Huanghou had already awakened. She opened her eyes groggily and found herself lying in Yang Hao’s arms, causing a slight blush to rise to her face.
“Ming… Ming Huanghou,” Yang Hao’s hands were still on her body, yet he addressed her with the respectful title, a very awkward situation.
Ming Huanghou hummed softly and quickly jumped off Yang Hao, grabbing her clothes from the ground and dressing herself. Yang Hao saw her expressionless face and couldn’t tell whether it was good or bad, so he followed suit and began dressing.
“Hehe, apprentice, be careful. This kind of woman might kill her lover to cover up the affair,” Hun Yuanzi couldn’t resist adding a negative comment.
However, Yang Hao was somewhat worried in his heart. After all, the difference in their social status was vast. If Ming Huanghou feared the exposure of their affair, she might indeed kill him to silence him. For nobles, killing one or two commoners wasn’t considered a big deal.
In Yang Hao’s anxious mood, Ming Huanghou finally finished dressing, and the radiant queen reappeared before him. Her proud and intimidating gaze made Yang Hao almost disbelieve that the woman before him was the same one whose body he had just savored.
Ming Huanghou’s gaze was as sharp as a killer’s. She fixed her eyes on Yang Hao, slowly emitting a cold killing aura. Yang Hao had often faced enemies and was no stranger to such a chilling killing intent. However, he felt deeply wronged in his heart. He almost wanted to say that it was clearly she who had seduced him.
Fortunately, he didn’t say it. It was precisely because he refrained from uttering that life-threatening sentence that Yang Hao managed to save his life.
Ming Huanghou stared at Yang Hao for a while, finally letting out a soft sigh. Her expression softened, and she sat down beside Yang Hao. Yang Hao clearly felt the killing aura dissipating, realizing that he was temporarily safe.
“We’re not strangers to each other,” Ming Huanghou’s words were shocking. “I should have killed you just now, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Perhaps…”
She didn’t finish her sentence, but Yang Hao was more concerned about her initial words: “We’re not strangers?”
Yang Hao’s shock could be described as wild. This wasn’t merely because of Ming Huanghou’s statement, but because during the process, Yang Hao had felt an inexplicable familiarity, as if he had previously enjoyed the same body.
“Do you remember when I told you that I sometimes return to the Dupu District?” Ming Huanghou lowered her gaze, her toes playfully brushing against Yang Hao’s feet. “Once, you crept to my bedside in the middle of the night and slipped me a pill.”
Yang Hao trembled all over in fright, nearly falling off his chair. He suddenly remembered when he had met Ming Huanghou before.
“You are that…” Yang Hao felt a bitter taste in his mouth. He finally understood how close he had come to death’s door.
Ming Huanghou was actually the young widow Yang Hao had first encountered in the Dupu District when he delivered medicine. Or rather, the young widow Yang Hao thought she was. At that time, after Yang Hao had given her the medicine, he discovered too late that his recipient was a lone woman, and he was almost violently raped by her. Because it was dark and he was passive, Yang Hao barely felt anything. Only now did he recall that Ming Huanghou had already had physical contact with him long ago. No wonder she had chosen him as her test subject today.
“Let’s keep this secret, and perhaps I won’t kill you,” Ming Huanghou’s expression carried a bitter taste, revealing that she had many hidden sorrows.
Yang Hao nodded eagerly. Naturally, he was more than willing for Ming Huanghou to keep their secret. But he also realized that he would likely become the queen’s secret lover for the long term. As long as Emperor Danzhen never visited the queen, Yang Hao would constantly be required to satisfy Ming Huanghou. However, for Yang Hao, this was not a bad situation at all.
After all, she was an extremely seductive woman, more than enough to make anyone abandon all other beauties in the world for her.
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