“Huh? Am I a ghost? Clearly, I’m not.”
“Then how did you extinguish the fire?”
“Uh…”
Hearing Lu Yue’s question Li Shen hadn’t thought that far ahead. Racking his brain he came up with a half-baked lie.
“I-uh, I have immunity to it perhaps?”
Lu Yue's face had a puzzled expression on it as she slowly stood up.
Coming up to Li Shen’s outstretched hand, she reached out with her finger and touched his palm.
The blue and red aura was no longer around her so the yin and yang essences were manageable with just Li Shen’s two physiques.
He felt a stream of hot and cold enter his palm upon her touch, but it quickly dissolved without causing any damage.
Seeing no reaction from Li Shen Lu Yue’s expression showed shock, but also curiosity.
Her finger turned to an entire hand before she started grabbing and rubbing her hands against Li Shen’s own as if she was deprived of skin-ship and this was her way of making up for it.
“I-I can’t believe it.”
“I never met anyone who can resist my yin and yang essences. You-”
Lu Yue was smiling upon discovering Li Shen’s immunity and was squeezing his hand in excitement, but her words paused when she saw Li Shen’s expression.
He was looking off to the side with a flushed face but was trying to hide it with the back of his hand.
Lu Yue realized her actions and she blush intensely before immediately letting go of his hand.
“S-sorry.”
Lu Yue lowered her head and mutter out.
“N-no it’s fine, I didn’t mind it.”
Lu Yue blushed even harder upon hearing Li Shen’s words and her chin couldn’t bury itself any further in her chest.
Li Shen saw Lu Yue’s cute reaction and his heart kind of skipped a beat.
‘Eh?’
Having his heart racing with nervousness Li Shen didn’t know what was happening to him all of a sudden.
His reaction to her grabbing his hand was instinctual.
He had disliked her before because of her cold and detached personality but seeing her showing emotions like this was starting to wash away his previous dislike.
Perhaps it was because she was hiding how she truly felt before.
Li Shen had come to hate when people do that, especially in an intimate relationship. The last time that happen the person ended up abandoning him.
Aside from her looks that he had gotten over, that must have been a big part of why he was initially put off by her.
However, she was acting completely different from before.
This also got Li Shen thinking if it had anything to do with the yin yang essences.
After a period of silence with them just standing there, Li Shen broke it and asked.
“Are you alright?”
He was referring to the blood at the corner of her lips.
Lu Yue nodded and said.
“I’m fine, thank you for asking. And… I’m sorry for how acted, I just...wanted you to agree and I didn’t know what else to do when you refused.”
Lu Yue wiped away a tear threatening to fall.
“It’s like I said before, I think we got off on the wrong foot, so let’s just talk this out.”
After saying that, Li Shen looked around the lake garden for a moment before his gaze landed on the lake.
“I like boat rides, do you mind accompanying me while explaining your situation? I still don’t fully understand it.”
Li Shen held out his hand towards Lu Yue.
Lu Yue hesitated for a moment but she eventually slip her hand into Li Shen’s own.
Li Shen tug her along towards the edge of the lake before he produce a small wooden boat that could hold about four people from his storage ring.
After helping Lu Yue on, he gently pushed the boat towards the center of the lake before hopping on.
As they drifted forwards, Li Shen and Lu Yue sat opposite each other.
“So, explain to me fully how your curse works and why you’re so adamant about going down this path to cure it. Aren’t there other less complicated options available?”
Hearing Li Shen, Lu Yue clenched her dress which was slightly torn and dirtied at the bottom before she explained to Li Shen what her father hadn’t told the Emperor.
As mentioned by his father before she had a special constitution that produces pure yin and yang essences.
For a woman that was strange as their bodies would usually contain only yin essence, and possibly a minuscule amount of yang essence.
But not only does Lu Yue have both in large amounts, but it was also to the point that it was so pure her life force was slowly being drained by them.
Hearing its description from her, Li Shen really thought it was like a curse as well. If anyone touches her carelessly then it could be passed on to them.
While in their body the yin and yang essence of that person would be drained, fueling the curse to further go on to drain their lifespan, thus leaving nothing more than a mummified corpse.
But that was the best-case in scenario, as before, when Lu Yue used her yin yang essences to the fullest, the curse would take on a flame that would burn whoever it touches by using their yin and yang essences as fuel, making them feel as if they were in a pit of hell fire.
However, Lu Yue said she had managed to gain control over it somewhat by creating an imbalance between them, allowing the yin essence to be the greater of the two.
But this also stripped her of her emotional faculties leaving her like an ice statue, no, rather it changes her personality to be more cold and detached.
This fact resonated deeply with Li Shen and he could fully understand what she was going through.
Not being able to be your true self, either because you were forced to or were unable to in fear of causing harm.
They had a similar experience despite their different circumstances.
The only way for Lu Yue to truly be herself was if she allowed the balance to return to the two essences. However, no one could touch her or even come near her in that state.
Up until now, only Li Shen was capable of that.
Scratching his cheek Li Shen said.
“I can’t say much, but I was also born with a strange physique so maybe that’s why I’m immune to it.”
“Oh, you have a special constitution as well? Is it perhaps related to why you’re physical strength is so monstrous?”
“Uh, I wouldn’t say it's monstrous, but yeah I guess that’s kind of the reason.”
Lu Yue looked at Li Shen's expression and she chuckled before saying.
“So you do know what modesty is. From how you acted in the hall I would have thought you’d be like my second brother, always boasting about your abilities.”
“Bah! Don’t compare me to that guy, we’re nothing alike!”
“And what’s with him anyway?”
Lowering her head, Lu Yue said with a warm smile.
“Despite being the same age as me he’s always acting like a big brother, being overly protective. Especially after this curse was inflicted on me.”
“How long since it been, with you having to live like this?”
Lu Yue paused as if to think before saying.
“I was four when I was found by my father, and he said even at that time my yin essence was abnormal for a baby. But once I started cultivating, it got worst. It’s been three years since I have this curse, but I already hate it. It’s deprived me of basic human emotions and I’m afraid I’ll have to live like that for the rest of my life.”
“But you can get rid of it, right? There’s a way without us having a child?”
Biting her lip, Lu Yue nodded.
“If my cultivation is abolished then the curse would stop growing. I could perhaps live the rest of my mortal life not having to suffer from it.”
“Oh.”
Hearing Li Shen’s simple response, Lu Yue quickly said.
“Ah no, don’t misunderstand. It isn’t that I chose to live like this because I’m too attached to my cultivation, but it’s just that... without it, I won’t be able to find my real parents. My current father and mother have done so much for me, but I still wish to see my real parents.”
“Even if that was your reason I wouldn’t think less of you. Giving up the ability to cultivate when the strong prey on the weak in this world is just asking to be taken advantage of.”
Li Shen’s words made Lu Yue remember that he was someone who couldn’t cultivate.
“I’m sorry.”
“Huh? What are you apologizing for? Don’t go treating me like I’m someone who’s disabled and gets down if you mentioned it. I don’t see myself like that, and even people who are disabled wouldn't want that.”
‘Plus, I can cultivate.’
Li Shen patted Lu Yue on the head while saying that while she nodded but blushed a bit.
Seeing this and looking at his hand, Li Shen quickly lifted it up.
‘Oh, crap. I always cheer up Ling’er and Little Snow by patting their heads, I just instinctively reacted. I might have developed a patting problem at this point.’
Coming out of his thoughts Li Shen realized something and asked.
“Wait, does having cultivation necessary to see your real parents?”
Lu Yue’s face suddenly showed a hesitant expression.
However, looking at Li Shen's face her heart fluttered.
‘I don’t mind telling him, he isn't like I expected him to be.’
After thinking that she closed her eyes.
Li Shen was confused at first, but after a moment his eyes immediately widen.
On Lu Yue’s forehead, he saw the image of a green leaf suddenly appearing.
However, that wasn’t what caused his shock.
It was because a giant image of that green leaf was materializing behind her!
The boat they were in rocked back and forth as the ripple from this leaf created waves in the lake.
Li Shen also felt a wave of pure vitality batted against his senses and the Qi in the surroundings went wild.
“This is-”
‘Huh? What?! Woah woah woah!’
Li Shen was about to speak but had to stop and screamed internally.
His Seven Sins Plum Blossom was reacting to the aura from this thing. He had to forcefully suppress it from appearing along with his Qi Sea projection.
‘Oh man, that was close.'
'Why did it react when this appeared?’
After having this materialized, Lu Yue open her eyes to show her now brilliant green emerald pupils before saying.
“This is called a Martial Spirit.”
“A Martial Spirit?”
‘Where have I seen something like this before?'
Li Shen could have sworn he saw this, or rather felt a similar aura like this somewhere before. He went through his memory in order to find out. Then...
'That’s right! It was on that bastard Ling Tian's forehead! This thing is different from brother's and my own, but similar to that bastard’s.’
However, Li Shen was suddenly snapped out of his thoughts by Lu Yue.
“But you people use it differently and just refer to it as your bloodline ability.”
Lu Yue allowed her Martial Spirit to disperse before continuing.
“Among the Bloodline Tombs on this planet, a supposed total of seven have been found. The Blade God’s Bloodline, the Golden Lotus Bloodline, and the Yin Yang Bloodline are the ones on this side of the world. On the other side, there are said to be four more, and I’m…”
“You’re from the Central Continent?”
Li Shen asked shocked.
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