Being born to a prestigious and prominent family of exorcists, it is often desirable to have a well of spiritual energy to draw upon to activate the rituals and techniques needed to combat evil spirits.  Women are naturally born with yin spiritual power, which by its nature draws and entices evil spirits towards them, while men bear the opposing spiritual energy of yang.  And within the current ranks of the Tianheng Clan, there is a young exorcist with especially potent yang energy.

However, as an exorcist, having such strong positive energy is more of a detriment than a boon, as his mere existence is enough to drive away evil spirits for miles around.  Having completed his training, yet unable to even so much as see an evil spirit, let alone use his skills to combat or exorcise one, the blue-tipped, white-haired young man grappled with accepting his lot with being born with the once-in-a-thousand generation condition… until one fateful day.

While out investigating signs of possible evil spirit activity, which ultimately ended up being a Hydro Abyss Mage up to no good instead, he was saved when he let his guard down by a tall, beautiful, silver-haired woman.  He had heard rumors of an adepti of peerless beauty being seen more frequently as of late, coming down from the sacred Mt. Aocang, gifted with inhuman strength and potent adeptal magic.  However, she used techniques he recognized from his family’s school of exorcism.  Upon hearing the mysterious woman’s name when she introduced herself, the young man recognized it.  It was the same name as one of his mother’s younger cousins that had disappeared decades ago!

The domain of the Perfected Lord who Retains the Clouds by Borrowing the Wind is a sacred land, along with the rest of the surrounding region watched over by other such might and illuminated adepti.  Collectively, the people of Liyue fear and revere these lands, as those without some sort of connection with the adepti that make their homes within will be subject to and at the mercy of the powerful beings should they draw their gaze.

However, that hasn’t stopped many to take the chance and operate within this domain.  From well-meaning travelers, researchers, and adventurers to the unsavory ne’er-do-wells or the Fatui, Treasure Hoarders, and Abyss Order, many who ignore superstition are able to operate within the land without harassment.  Though, even without the adepti actively dealing with such intruders, the natural flora and fauna of the land, and the treacherous terrain are more than enough to deal with those that tread where they truly shouldn’t.

Making the long trip skirting around the east side of Jueyun Karst and Mt. Aocang, home of Cloud Retainer and her pupil, the young exorcist was careful to conduct himself with respect for the land and those that govern it each time he visited.  Though it appeared that the adepti were taking a keener interest in the world of mortals once more, and thus more welcoming to visitors, he still didn’t want to act in a way that damaged his or his clan’s image.  Vanquishing pockets of Fatui soldiers, Treasure Hoarder thieves, and roaming hilichurls, he navigated the winding, narrow valleys until coming to the lake west of the Clear Pool and Moutain Cavern Domain, near the border of Fontaine.

A short peninsula stretched out into the lake from the northern base of Mt. Aocang, dotted with Sandbearer trees with foliage of amber and crimson as the Geo Crystalflies flitted about in the breeze.  Geovishaps make their nests in the area, roaming the broken terrain and discouraging others from trampling the untouched beauty of rock, grass, and flowers.

Appreciating the breathtaking scenery as he made sure not to tread too closely to the Geovishap hatchlings rolling around in the fields, the young man made his way to the end of the peninsula.  Sitting on a rock at the base of the large Sandbearer tree was the woman he had come all this way for, meditating quietly.  Rather than disturb her in the middle of her training, he sat on a rock close by and began to mediate himself as he waited.

“Yúnr, did you have something to speak with me about?”  The sliver-haired woman asked almost immediately after he sat down, turning to face him.

“Xiǎoyí.  S-Sorry, did I disturb you?”  He asked, blushing as his estranged aunt casually invaded his personal space to pat him on the head.

At the suggestion of their mutual friend, a certain blonde-haired traveler who helped save Liyue Harbor on two separate occasions, in an effort to help reconnect and reintegrate his long-lost aunt into the world of mortal affairs, he had indeed needed to use a more familial form of address with her.  After the first time he called her ‘Xiǎoyí’, he saw just how beautiful her smiling face could be and has relented to continue to do so while reluctantly allowing her to call him ‘Yúnr’.

Though slight, the corner of her lips did curl up whenever she spoke with him.  Given that the red string she was forced to wear bound and suppressed her emotions, both good and bad, even such a subtle display was reassuring.

Shaking her head, Shenhe sat up and reassumed her meditative posture, taking a deep, calm breath.  “I could feel your yang energy approaching from miles away.  You truly have a blessed constitution.”  As one with such potent yin energy, cultivating with her nephew’s yang energy was more effective than relying on the sun and natural concentrations of the energies found in nature.

Slumping his shoulders, had the compliment come from anything else, Chongyun would have expressed his dissatisfaction with the inconveniences that came with having such pure yang energy.  Not allowing himself to get too impassioned with anything, eat heavily spiced foods, and all the lengths he had to go to to keep his temperature down.  One slip-up and he’d lose the tenuous control he did have over himself.

But glancing at the artifact of the adepti wrapped around her body, a braided cord of scarlet, he couldn’t bring himself to complain.  Even with all he had to do to control himself, the worst that he’d do if he did lose himself was make some messes and make a nuisance of himself, things he could apologize for and work to pay back.  Compared to the tragedy that befell his mother’s younger sister and the stars she was down under, embarrassing himself at times was a rather petty concern.

“However, for our family to produce two of the rarest and most problematic phenomena in as many generations is rather miraculous.”  Breaking the silence that he couldn’t, Shenhe attempted to comfort him, alluding that his worries weren’t inferior to hers at all.  Since she was currently making the most of her close proximity to him for her cultivation, she manifested her Cryo avatar to pat his head and tussle his hair for her.  “So, what matter brings you all the way out here, Yúnr?  Or did you simply wish to visit?”

Even if the contact was through her avatar, Chongyun’s energy spiked as his blush intensified, silently accepting the display of familial affection.  Since their unexpected, fated reunion was so recent, they had yet to figure out how to comfortably interact with each other and were still feeling out the other’s boundaries.  And as embarrassing as it was to be treated like a young child, given how little interaction the silver-haired beauty had with other humans or mortals, he wanted to encourage her compassionate side.  Not to mention that there was something oddly comforting about his aunt’s touch, both the cryo and yin energies helped to suppress and soothe the warmth of his abundant yang energy.

“Well, I was hoping you could help me with my… problem, Xiǎoyí.”  He admitted, lowering his gaze to the ground as he revealed his selfish intentions.  “As you just stated, I still haven’t found a means of controlling my energy.  I haven’t even seen an evil spirit, much less exorcised any, because they can feel my approach from miles away and flee once I get too close.  I’ve tried everything I could think of, read all the ancient texts I could find, and exhausted all other avenues and sources of knowledge available to me.  I’ve even approached the Conqueror of Demons when I had a chance meeting with him to ask for his advice, but he said his main area of expertise was largely in yaksha Nou arts and techniques to purge demons and divine karma.  He then suggested I seek out the other adepti for advice, mentioning how the Perfected Lord who Retains the Clouds by Borrowing the Wind had raised and taught you, though I’d not be so presumptuous as to bother an illuminated beast of her status with such a trivial matter.”

“So you’ve come to ask me to ask Shīfu for her advice?”  Understanding how important his matter was to her nephew, Shenhe ended her meditation and focused on him, dismissing her Cryo avatar.  There was something pleasing about their relationship developing to the point that he was comfortable asking her for such a favor.

However, Chongyun was quick to raise his head, and voice, to correct her.  “N-No.  No, I couldn’t ask you to do that either, Xiǎoyí.”  He said, not wanting her to think he’d try to take advantage of their relationship like that.  “I was just wondering if maybe you knew of a way to train and control my yang energy.”

Pleasantly surprised that he came with the purpose of seeking her help, not another’s, Shenhe had a passing thought of how she’d react if it wasn’t for the red string binding her emotion.  After traveling with Lumine and Paimon, she had learned of a greater satisfaction of being of help to someone with which she shared a connection.

“Hmm…  Shīfu often lectured me on the importance of my wearing this red string at all times, because I lack the natural means of suppressing my violent impulses.  ‘The nature of the world is to find balance’, she’d say, ‘and where an internal force may be lacking to achieve as such, one need simply find an external means to obtain equilibrium’.”  The experienced exorcist explained as she lightly tugged at the scarlet ropes around her body.  “So, just as my homicidal nature, the build-up of malicious karma, and even lingering evil spirit have their external checks to maintain balance; namely my red string, the Conqueror of Demons, and us exorcists, you need to find something to counter your imbalance.  A potent yin for your robust yang.  And in doing so, you could cultivate and further refine your yang energy.”

Taking in his aunt’s advice, Chongyun could only agree.  “I’ve thought the same in the past, and even still that does sound like the best option, however, there are several considerations that need to be addressed first.”  He said as, hopefully, she could help him find ways to deal with all the problems he couldn’t on his own.  “Yin energy absorbs yang energy.  Training to resist that would give me better control over my energy, but so far all the artifacts and immobile sources of yin energy I’ve found are overwhelmed and neutralized before I can feel anything.  But setting aside finding a source or yin energy strong enough to contend with my yang energy, if I’m not careful and can’t resist it absorbing my energy, it could weaken and drain me.  If it goes really poorly, I could even die.”

“Yes.  The risk of such a thing is quite high.  Shīfu has told me of mystic arts users that have met tragic ends overestimating their abilities or underestimating an artifact.”  Shenhe agreed, not wanting to expose her last remaining blood relative to such dangers.  “However, if you found a cultivation partner, preferably a female exorcist, to practice with, that should eliminate such a risk.  Since women are more naturally attuned to yin energy, they could cut off the connection if things get too dangerous.”  Though, having said that, and especially sitting so close to her prodigious kin, Shenhe couldn’t disregard the inherent risk of the other hypothetical exorcist in question.  “I would suggest you find an incredibly powerful and experienced partner too, Yúnr.  Absorbing too much yang energy can be just as harmful.”

“Well, in that case, could I train with you, Xiǎoyí?”  The white-haired boy asked without a second thought.  “I’ve never been allowed to participate with the others in paired cultivation, and you’re the strongest exorcists I’ve ever met.”  And for as pragmatic his reasons were for the suggestion, this would also let him spend more time with her and get to know her better.

However, the enormity of his choice wasn’t lost on the most experienced exorcist, as there was a great deal of trust needed between individuals that practiced paired cultivation.  Typically such pairings would be between lovers, though that wasn’t explicitly necessary.  Though if the stories she had heard from her foster mother were to be believed, it was common for non-romantic paired cultivators’ relationships to develop into something more romantic than not.  But there was no intention for such a thing in Chongyun’s words, and one of her goals in life now was to become closer as family.

“I recall Shīfu once mentioning her regret in not having a suitable partner for me to use an ancient, paired spirit training technique when I was younger.”  She said, looking up at the towering mountain next to them.  “With your constitution, I doubt she’d find you wanting as my partner.  I’ll speak with her about it when I see her next.”

“R-Really!  Thanks, Xiǎoyí!  You’re the best!”  Momentarily losing control of his emotions in his excitement, and releasing a potent wave of yang energy, Chongyun jumped up and hugged his aunt.

Caught off guard by the influx of warm energy entering her body, Shenhe froze up for a moment as her heartbeat quickened and a tingling sensation she hadn’t experienced before spread across her body.  However, before he could come to his senses and end the embrace, she hugged him back tightly, faintly remembering being similarly held as such by her parents as a child.

Once he did regain his senses from the minor flare-up of emotions, Chongyun panicked and tried to push away from the beautiful woman, but her superhuman strength prevented him from escaping.  “U-Uh, Xiǎoyí?  S-Sorry for hugging you out of nowhere like that.  I… I just got so excited a-and…  Y-You can let go now…”

“There is nothing wrong with embracing a family member, is there Yúnr?”  Reluctant to let go and have the pleasant memory and feeling fade, Shenhe loosened her grip but kept him in her arm as she patted him on the head.  Faintly smiling as she looked him in the eye, a small part of her also enjoyed teasing him a bit; a recent discovery she was unaware she was capable of indulging in.

“N-No… No, there i-isnt…”  Lost in the older woman’s pale, iridescent irises and enchanted by the pupils as white as fresh snow in their center, he could scarcely think straight.  Held so closely, the softness of her prominent bosom squished against his chest, and a gentle fragrance of a qingxin blossoming in a field of ice filled his lungs.  Ceasing his struggle to slip free, he reluctantly allowed her to continue.

Once she had her fill, Shenhe let Chongyun go and if not for the red cord, might have even giggled at how cute and flustered he looked.  “Until I can speak with Shīfu, would you like to join me in some basic meditation before you head back?”  Crossing her legs, the silver-haired beauty held up her hands facing him.  “The next time you come to visit, plan to stay for an extended period of time, okay?”

Though his mind was unfocused, Chongyun nodded and sat with her, placing his palms against hers.  “Okay.  Thanks again, Xiǎoyí.”

Returning to the natural beauty of his aunt’s meditation site, so many feelings swirled around in the pit of his stomach.  When Xiǎoyí came to confirm that I truly wanted her as my cultivation partner she seemed a bit… agitated.  Since she said it would take some time to prepare for the technique, I hope I haven’t imposed on her too much.  Though, I didn’t know Xiǎoyí was acquainted with Hu Tao-xiǎo jiě…  Having been told that she would send word when she completed the preparations to conduct the ancient technique safely, the dark-haired, eccentric 77th Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor was the last person he expected to be sent to deliver Shenhe’s message.  Still, he was grateful to the cheeky prankster, and hopeful that relying on his aunt and the power of adeptal arts would solve the issue with his abundant energy.  I’ve informed the elders that I’ll be gone training for a while…  I just pray I don’t waste Xiǎoyí’s efforts.

Approaching the stretch of land that extended into the lake, he found the silver-haired woman waiting for him, sitting on one of the rocks at the base of the Sandbearer tree.  Like a qingxin blossoming in solitude atop a rocky peak.

Turning to face the young man, though she was looking at him, her gaze was heavier and more focused than usual.  “I see you received my message, Yúnr.  That’s good.”

“Y-Yes, Xiǎoyí.  Thank you for doing all this for me.”  The subtle shift in her voice reminded him of how she spoke before they learned they were kin, somewhat forceful and blunt.  “U-Um… is everything alright though?  You seem a little, I don’t know… on edge?  I’m not imposing on you, am I?”

With a quizzical expression passing over her face, Shenhe took a deep breath and softened her features, clearing her throat before she replied.  “N-No, it’s nothing you need to worry about.  Though, I suppose I should explain how this technique works and the risks involved before we begin.”  Motioning for him to sit, she offered what was as close to a gentle smile her otherwise muted emotions could allow.

Risks?  To me, or to her?  I don’t want to put Xiǎoyí in any danger.  Even if this could completely solve my problem, it wouldn’t be worth it if she gets hurt.  He thought, waiting for her to explain before deciding whether to call the training off or not.

“According to Shīfu, the origins and development of this technique, or rather ritual, are steeped in dark and misguided intentions.  However, just like the misuse of a prescription can turn even the most beneficial medicine into a deadly poison, poisons can be used to benefit creatures as well.  That was the original concept on which the Zhǔ yīn xiāohào yáng qì technique was created.”  As she spoke, Shenhe manifested a miniature version of her Cryo avatar in one hand and held up a smaller Sandbearer tree branch in the other.  “Long ago, a mortal woman fell in love with an adepti.  She wanted to gain the power to stand by and protect her beloved, but the strength of a single mortal couldn’t hope to match those that can actually threaten an adepti, so she turned to their powerful arts to improve her strength.  She found that, by taking in yang energy, refining it, and absorbing it, she could increase her yin energy by a proportionate amount.  With the technique she trained and improved herself, draining the yang energy from nature slowly… much too slowly for one with a finite lifespan.  She moved on from the diffused energy in nature and from the sun, to simple life like plants, then animals, consuming them utterly and obtaining impressive results.  But still, such improvements in power weren’t enough for her, and she found that the more potent the source of yang energy she consumed, the greater her power swelled.  And so, one day, she lured a mortal into secluded meditation with her.”

Moving the Cryo avatar in her hand over to the other, Shenhe had it envelop the branch she was holding, causing the branch to quickly wilt.  A layer of frost formed around the wood, and the leaves fell out, shattering when they hit her thighs.

“She didn’t drain her victims completely, leaving them with enough vitality to recover so she could drain them again later.  However, at some point, even that wasn’t enough for her and she began consuming them utterly.  She had become too powerful for mortals to resist, and by the time the adepti noticed, she had taken her beloved and consumed his life force too, driven mad by the lust for power that had been left unchecked.  Shīfu says the woman was slain by one of the Yaksha, Indarias, and all of the woman’s research was going to be destroyed, but the surviving victims of the Love-mad Maiden stopped her, displaying power beyond what they had prior to being abducted.”  Pulling her Cryo avatar away from the branch before it fully froze over, she dismissed the apparition and gently set the rime-covered stick into the dirt next to her.  “Apparently, Rex Lapis took notice and rendered his judgment over the incident.  Because of the beneficial effects the technique had on mortal cultivators, it would be preserved and improved to be made safer, though it would only be taught to those an adepti approved of.  The technique Shīfu taught me still requires a deep trust between the participants, as it is still possible for the yin-energy practitioner to forcefully drain the life from the yang-energy practitioner.  But the barrier used to surround and restrain the yang-energy practitioner has been modified to sustain and protect them from that to an extent.”  After hearing such a harrowing retelling of a tale forgotten from mortal memory, Shenhe expected her nephew to have second thoughts about using this method of training.  As the more experienced and powerful exorcist between them, it would be a trivial task for her to trap and drain him utterly if she so chose.  The uncertainty in her eyes was easy to read, especially compared to how difficult it can be to discern her thoughts otherwise.

However, there wasn’t a shred of worry in the white-haired exorcist’s mind.  “Well, I’m not worried about that, Xiǎoyí.  You’d never do anything to hurt me intentionally.”  He said with a beaming smile.  Even when we’ve sparred before, I know she’s never used her full strength against me.  He thought, remembering Paimon saying of how she single-handedly carried a massive boulder of inert Sunset Vermillionite from the middle of the river that runs southwest of Mt. Tianheng into Lingju Pass and Qingxu Pool to the construction site where the current Jade Chamber was built.

His earnest and honest reply, devoid of any hesitation to put himself in such a vulnerable position after hearing the risks, gave Shenhe pause for a moment before nodding.  “Very well.  However, there is one other risk that cannot be mitigated, otherwise, it would invalidate the purpose of the technique.”

“Another risk?”

“Yes.  As this is, at its roots, a paired cultivation technique, you will be surrounded by my yin energy as it attempts to drain you.  If too much infects your body, you’ll…”  Hesitating as she tried to think of the best way to convey the consequences of having too much of her energy in his body, Shenhe decided the most direct and plain wording would lead to the least confusion.  “...become addicted to my energy and become infatuated with me, much like the Love-mad Maiden’s victims did.  Shīfu said that it can be treated, but I felt I should at least warn you of that potential outcome, Yúnr.”

Become infatuated…?  Wait!  A-As in…!  As Chongyun processed what his aunt said, and the gravity of her words sank in, his eyes wandered down her perfectly proportioned, gorgeous body and blushed.  Though he knew they were related, they had been strangers up until recently, so unlike a child that grew up with his aunt, her beauty spawned wicked thoughts that he had to purge occasionally.  Especially when she started using physical contact to make up for her lack of emotional expressiveness.  Falling in love with Xiǎoyí?!  N-No, no, I-I wouldn’t e-ever.  The warmth building in his cheeks as the form-fitting bodysuit the silver-haired woman wore conformed to her every subtle dip and exaggerated curve, he couldn’t even look away.  “Th-That sh-shouldn’t be a problem either, Xiǎoyí.  If nothing else, I’m confident in the potency of my yang energy.”  He said, trying to not think about such taboo, deviant thoughts.

“I see.  Well, if that is your decision, then I’ll devote mind, body, and spirit to assisting you, Yúnr.  Follow me.”  Smiling subtly, Shenhe stood up and started walking toward the base of Mt. Aocang.

Following closely behind, his aunt in silence, the prospect of falling in love, or at least having feelings of obsession toward her, lead his mind astray.  Thankfully, though most of Shenhe’s body was clad in a tight bodysuit, the outfit included some loose-fitting articles of white cloth to cover her chest and buttocks, as well as detached sleeves stylized to resemble the plumage of a crane’s wing.  The sway in her hips as she strode away confidently, however, was doing nothing to help calm his unsettled mind, though the walk to the base of a towering cliff face was mercifully short.

Because he was familiar with the area around where Shenhe meditated, the appearance of a cave that he previously never noticed surprised Chongyun.  Though, given how shallow the of a cave it was, the amount of fresh debris around the entrance, and the unnatural, fist-shaped indentations of the rough-hewn walls, he could hazard a guess of how it was formed.  Lumine did say that Xiǎoyí preferred to use more… direct methods to solve her problems…  Chuckling to himself as he followed the supernaturally strong woman into the cave, he noticed formations and scripts had been etched into the walls and floor.  Some of the symbols and text he recognized from tomes and scrolls her studied to become an exorcist, while others seemed familiarly foreign that he couldn’t decipher.

“Come, sit here,” Shenhe said, directing him to the center of the cave where all the etching formed a circle around half of a taijitu engraved in the floor, specifically the half devoting yin with a small circle of yang within it.

“Y-Yes, Xiǎoyí.”  Obediently sitting where he was told, he crossed his legs with his feet resting on his thigh and the back of his hands on his knees and waited for further instruction.

“Very good.  Now, I’ll begin activating the version of the Zhǔ yīn xiāohào yáng qì technique that Shīfu taught me and a barrier to help keep you safe should form around you as I do.”  She said, sitting closely behind him.  She passed her legs through the gaps between his torso and arms and circled her arms around his chest, pressing her body against his as she began reciting a complex sutra.

Not expecting such intimate proximity with his aunt, Chongyun’s focus collapsed as his neck was cushioned from either side and the weight of her chest settled on his shoulders!  Xiǎoyí!?  Sh-She’s so close!  Ah… b-but if she needs to surround me in her yin energy…  Not wanting to break her concentration, though his yang energy flared up, he bit his tongue and endured as she whispered sweetly into his ear.  I’ve never heard anyone recite a spell l-like that.  Xiǎoyí’s voice really is quite enchanting…

Sinking into the calming, inviting tone of her voice, and indulging in the gentle fragrance of her scent, Chongyun hardly registered the thin shimmer of adeptal energy enveloping his body because of how cool the air in the cave was.  His mild fatigue and mounting hunger were relieved, and even the innate, unconscious need to breathe faded, as the force of Shenhe’s spell comforted him.  The pressure of her body, the warmth of her bosom, the sound of her voice, all diminished slowly, leaving him with a sense of peace and tranquility.

“It seems the Zhǔ yīn xiāohào yáng qì technique was successful.  How are you feeling, Yúnr?  Did the Fángfǔ píngzhàng form correctly?”  Shenhe asked once she finished reciting the spell.

And maybe it was because he was in such a state of calm focus, but her booming voice startled the white-haired young man when she spoke.  Whoa!  I’ve never heard Xiǎoyí speak so loud–hmm…?  Opening his eyes so he could confirm for her he was fine, Chongyun couldn’t help but notice that the cave they were in had disappeared and he was now sitting in a space surrounded by huge sheets of white cloth.  The air was heavy in a familiar musk and when he turned around, his emotionally-muted aunt was nowhere to be seen.  “Huh?  Xiǎoyí?  Xiǎoyí, where are you?!”

“Good, you sound fine.  Just a moment, I’ll get you out of there in a moment.”  Shenhe’s oddly booming yet still subdued voice said from high above him as his surroundings began to shift.  The ceiling of cloth was quickly ripped away, and looking down at him, now many times larger than she was before, was his aunt.  “Come here, Yúnr.  Can you breathe okay?  Are you hurt anywhere?  Are you hungry or tired at all?”  She asked as if nothing was odd at all, reaching down and gently picking him up before he could react with fingers as long or longer than he was tall.

Reflexively looking down as her slender fingers wrapped around his body, the young exorcist then noticed that what he had been standing in were his clothes, and there wasn’t a stitch of threat to cover him!  “Xiǎoyí?!  Xiǎoyí, wait!  Clothes!  I need some clothes!”  He said as she lifted him up, firmly tightening her grip so’s that he wouldn’t fall out, but also causing her smooth flesh to glide over his exposed manhood.  “C-Can’t you see I’m naked, Xiǎoyí?”

Holding him up to her stoic face, Shenhe’s neutral expression remained as she opened up her hand to look his tiny body over, not shying away from looking at his phallus.  “Yes, I can see.  You’ve been keeping up with your martial training.  That’s good.  Now, is there any discomfort otherwise?”

Despite this being the first time she had seen a member of the opposite sex naked that she could remember, Shenhe was able to maintain her composure.  Or rather, she saw nothing wrong with it at all, and the red rope suppressing her emotions prevented her from feeling any embarrassment.  Her chief concern was ensuring the Fángfǔ píngzhàng was working properly so they could move on to the next stage of training.

“Yes, I can see.  You’ve been keeping up with your martial training.  That’s good.  Now, is there any discomfort otherwise?”  She said plainly, sitting him in the palm of her hand as he quickly covered his crotch with his hands.  His discomfort seems to be emotional, not physical.  But he doesn’t have any reason to be ashamed of his body.  With the potency of his yang energy, Chongyun’s body should be the prime example of masculinity.  Aesthetically pleasing muscles and a much larger-than-average member were simply the outward evidence of this.

“I’d rather you not s-stare at me so much, Xiǎoyí… b-but no, nothing else feels off.”  He said, looking around in bewildered awe.  “I’m not feeling tired or hungry at all.  It doesn’t even feel like I need to breathe!  This technique is amazing.”

Relieved to hear everything was working as it should, the silver-haired woman let out a subtle sigh of relief.  “Indeed, however, the energy required to maintain the technique increases exponentially the larger the target is.  If you were still your normal size, I wouldn’t be able to maintain it for more than a few seconds.  As you are now, though, it should last close to a month.”  Tussling his hair with the pad of a finger, she adjusted her posture into a form better suited for extended meditation, crossing her legs so her feet were crossed on the floor in front of her crotch.  “So, for the next month, I’ll keep you surrounded by my yin energy and monitor your training closely, and if it seems like it’s too much for you, I’ll release you sooner.”

“A whole month?!  D-Does that mean I’m going to be naked the entire time?”  As much as he was willing to subject himself to such an arduous training regimen, he still seemed fixated on covering his body in something.

“I fail to see the point of wearing anything once you’re inside of me.”  She said stoically, bringing him closer to one of the large gaps on either side of her hips in her bodysuit and using her free hand to pull the taut material from her flesh.  “Don’t worry, Yúnr.  Xiǎoyí is with you.”  Slipping her hand with him into her clothes, her body reacted to his wild, erratic movements as she pushed him deeper toward her crotch.  “All I ask is that you n-not move so much.  Just focus on your training.”  She added as his tiny, rugged body slipped between her soft, slender folds, her cheeks blooming a vibrant crimson as her heartbeat spiked.

With her overwhelming strength, she was able to get him into position quickly and plunge her shrunken nephew into the depths of her maidenhood with relative ease.  As she had never inserted anything inside of her like this before, there was a tight pinch as her moist sex stretched to accommodate the girth of his shoulders.  However, once he was fully inserted and pushed deep into her nethers, the discomfort of having a foreign body in her faded and was slowly replaced with a satisfaction that she could faintly experience even through the emotional-dampening effects of the scarlet cord binding her.

So this is the satisfaction the Love-mad Maiden felt that Shīfu warned me about…  Thankfully the red rope appears to be preventing me from feeling too much pleasure from it, so I shouldn’t have to worry about losing my senses and unintentionally harming Yúnr.  Centering her mind, Shenhe brought her hands together to form a circle and rested them over her abdomen as she began circulating her yin energy and directing it toward the wiggling mass in her sex.

As her cool, dark yin energy condensed and swirled around Chongyun’s warm, light yang energy though, the force of attraction between the two wretched control from her.  Like a massive reservoir breaking and a torrential flood rushing into a vacant valley, her yin energy rushed toward Chongyun’s, greedily absorbing and devouring as much of it as it could… or rather, perhaps it was the opposite and his yang energy surged forth, creating a vacuum that her yin energy was all too eager to fill.

Whatever the truth of the interaction was, even for an exorcist as practiced and disciplined as her, Shenhe couldn’t curb the reaction as a tidal wave of warmth, excitement, and emotions she had never experienced washed over and threatened to drown her!  The beating of her heart threatened to have it jump out of her chest, and a pleasant tingle spread across her body, but the most intense of it was focused around her sex.  Wh-What is th-this!  Shīfu never s-said it would be s-so intense!  Unable to keep her composure, Shenhe fell back and curled up into a ball, her hands pressing into, rubbing, and scratching at her nethers as the fires of lust consumed her.  I-Is this Yúnr’s t-true capacity?!  Such thick and p-potent yang energy!  He’s f-filling m-me up.  M-Me body f-feels s-so hot!  L-Like eating a hundred Junyun Chilis at o-once.  The warmth of her nephew’s energy continued to spread, and where it had already touched continued to burn hotter and hotter.

Her sex, her butt, her breasts, her feet, touching anything caused the volatile heat to rob her of her senses slowly but steadily.  Sultry moans as smooth as velvet echoed from her shallow cave as she physically pleasured herself in any way she knew how.  Constricting and relaxing her vaginal muscles around the energetic young man in her quim allowed her to feel every bump and contour of his body, and the twitching of his shrunken manhood as it poked into her delicate flesh.  The red rope that had kept such pleasure from her all her life couldn’t contain her invigorated lust, not so long as it was stoked by Chongyun’s energy.

I-I c-could p-probe deeper…  She thought as the tremendous ‘force’ of the white-haired boy’s spiritual pressure was keeping her yin energy from spreading into his vessel.  She was barely scratching the surface, and the pleasure was already so potent.  How m-much better would i-it feel if I push deeper?  Yúnr w-wouldn’t be able to re-resist if I p-push it.  I c-could k-keep him to m-myself.  Instinctively, with the power of the red rope waning, Shenhe’s more destructive urges darkened her thoughts.

The Zhǔ yīn xiāohào yáng qì technique had its beneficial side effects, but its roots were in dominating men, monopolizing their affection, and making them subservient to and nourishment for the caster.  Willingly subjecting yourself to it was akin to handing over your life, even if the adepti made it as safe for both parties as they could.

Yúnr’s already ins-side of me.  He’s m-mine.  I c-can just keep him, drain him, devour him!  Her mind fading into a homicidal haze of power and lust, Shenhe bit her lip and groped her breast as she slipped a hand into her bodysuit to rub her sex directly.  Nothing ever felt so good, as warm, as comforting as having the young exorcist inside of her.  The sense of isolation, the loneliness, the constant suffocating oppressiveness of the red ropes she wasn’t allowed to take off, even in her sleep, all of it was so easily incinerated in the flames of sexual desire he ignited in her.  Yes…  Yes!  I’ll just keep him, forever.  He all but offered himself up to me.  Ahhhn~  my Yúnr.  That’s right, don’t worry.  From now on, leave everything to Xiǎoy–?!

Ready to give herself over to the pleasure, to indulge in the self-destructive path she had been denied for so many years, just before her mind was saturated in the euphoric haze of ivory and scarlet, an image flashed through the last bit of reason she had left.  First, it was simply the look of joy on Chongyun’s face when he embraced her after she agreed to train with him.  The gentle warmth she felt then was more subdued than the heat filling her now, but it was comforting and soothing.  From there, memories of their chance meeting and the time they spent together emerged from the haze, glowing softly.  Then thoughts of her first friends after coming down from Mt. Aocang, Lumine, and Paimon, and the fun she had helping them in the competition to rebuild the Jade Chamber.  The time spent getting to know Yun Jin, Beidou, and Ningguang, all precious moments that she treasured dearly.  And then, from them, encompassing them all, with mighty wings that could both destroy the remnants of a malicious god with one flap and gently cradle an exhausted, small young girl in the next, she saw the majestic illuminated beast with plumage of white and gold watching over her.  And with the beat of those elegant wings, the pleasurable, destructive fog was pushed back, returning sense and reason to Shenhe’s mind.

Sh-Shīfu…?  Yúnr!?  In her moment of clarity, the silver-haired woman focused on her nephew.  He was still wiggling and squirming energetically, teasing and pleasing her sensitive flesh.  Though her yin energy had invaded his spiritual vessel a bit, it wasn’t a threat to his safety.  He had yet to begin meditating and cultivating his energy, but the nature pressure he gave off was enough to keep her energy at bay.  Breathing a sigh of relief, Shenhe released her breast and pulled a hand soaked in her liquid desire from her clothing.  The sweet scent of the viscous fluid enchanted her nose, as she rubbed her stomach over where Chongyun was wiggling.  “Th-That was too close…  I almost did something to my Yúnr that I never would have forgiven myself for.  But, my dark temptations aside, this is the best method to help Yúnr with.”  As a smile sweet and sultry in equal measure spread across her slender lips, Shenhe licked her fingers clean, savoring the unique and unfamiliar taste as she rubbed her maidenhood affectionately.  “And I don’t believe I’d like someone else to do this with him either.  I won’t slip up again.  I’ll protect Yúnr and help him become the man he wishes to be.”  Applying a more controlled bit of force on her spiritual pressure, Shenhe felt the same heat spread through her body again.  The dark whispers of destruction tempted her to embrace the pleasure, but such fleeting impulses were drowned out as she thought of embracing the handsome young man instead.  However, with Chongyun not ready to begin meditation himself, likely facing a trial similar to hers, Shenhe laid back down and reached into her bodysuit again, plunging fingers into her tight, drooling hole once more.  “Don’t worry, Yúnr.  Xiǎoyí is with you.”  She whispered with a lustful giggle.  “We have plenty of time.”

In awe of the power of ancient adeptal arts, the only thing weighing down Chongyun’s thoughts more was the embarrassment that he was completely naked in front of his beautiful, estranged aunt.  While she seemed undisturbed by his nudity, focusing more on his well-being and assisting him train, he just couldn’t get his emotions under control, especially after hearing he would remain as he was for a whole month!

“I fail to see the point of wearing anything once you’re inside of me.”

Huh?  What did she jus–!?  Believing he must have heard her wrong, the shrunken young man looked up at the gigantic woman’s neutral-yet-comforting expression before she slipped him into her clothes!

Sliding over alabaster skin as smooth as glaze lily petals and pushed down past a brief field of silver silk, before he could even react his body was embraced by warm folds of velvet.  A sweet, heady, intoxicating scent permeated the air, overpowering the gentle fragrance of whatever it was she used to wash her body with.  Only faintly did the aroma of qingxin linger in the air as powerful fingers continued to push him further into the accepting and rapidly heating up crevice he was sinking into.

Xiǎoyí?!  Xiǎoyí, wh-what are you–!  W-Wait!  Th-This is–!!  Frantically trying to free himself, Chongyun wiggled and squirmed with all his strength, but accomplished nothing more than to cause Shenhe’s body to quiver in delight.  We c-can’t…  Xiǎoyí!  Xiǎoyííííí!

However, Shenhe didn’t stop or even slow down.  Stoking the back of his head as she pushed him deeper, she reassured him calmly.  “Don’t worry, Yúnr.  Xiǎoyí is with you.  All I ask is that you n-not move so much.  Just focus on your training.”  She said, those being the last words he heard before his face and head slipped between her lower lips and nothing outside the sounds of her body could reach his ear.

Initially, Chongyun instinctively held his breath and kept his mouth closed as tightly as he could.  Though that act would prove futile as the pleasure of the older woman’s slick flesh caressing his exposed and vulnerable manhood as he slid further down her undercarriage was far too pleasant to resist.  In an involuntary gasp, the potent flavor of Shenhe’s nectar filled his mouth and his body readily swallowed the sunsettia-sweet nectar much to his chagrin.  Xiǎoyí’s…  H-Her…  N-No!  This is w-wrong.  I shouldn’t…  We can’t…  And though his mind continued to fight a battle his body already knew he lost, Chongyun drank more of the delicious, yin-infused liquid as he was plunged head-first into his aunt’s dripping flower.

Though the heat around him spiked, surrounded on all sides by the silver-haired woman’s excited flesh, the arousing effects of the sensual fluids he drank, together with his uncontrollable teenage hormones, caused his yang energy to flare up, heating his body up even more.  Drawn to the potent yin energy now surrounding him, the pressure of this yang energy was beyond what he could control with such an unsettled mind.  However, even as the darker, cooler energy attempted to seep into his spiritual vessel, only the comparatively little that he drank managed to make it deeper than his skin.  And while this kept him safe from the effect of ‘yin-posioning’, the releasing of such potent quantities of his yang threatened to likewise alter his mind, lower his inhibitions, and act on impulse.  And the one impulse consuming him was one he could never allow himself to indulge in.

N-No…  Xiǎoyí…  Sh-She’s o-only doing th-this bec-c-cause I a-asked her to…  Th-This is m-my fault, b-but I c-can’t l-let my b-base instinct t-t-take advantage o-of her g-g-goodwill.  He thought, straining to keep his senses about him, even as tight wrinkles of slick flesh coiled and rippled around his painfully erect manhood.  Everything around him was shuddering and spasming as Shenhe’s muscles tightened and relaxed in irregular intervals, and the reactions to the pulses of his yang energy became stronger and stronger.  Sh-She’s t-taking so m-much of my energy.  Xiǎoyí r-really is a powerful e-exorcist.  Anyone else w-would have been drained dry b-by n-now.  I-I need to f-focus.  I n-need to c-contact her s-somehow and tell her th-this was all a big m-misunderst–  With every ounce of willpower he had left, Chongyun concentrated and coalesced as much of his yang energy as he could to form a talisman of spirit energy.  However, before he could, the ambient yin energy that aimlessly surrounded him swirled, and rather than just the natural attraction between the two opposed forces, a directed force guided all the yin energy in Shenhe’s body toward him specifically.  –andiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!  Ah, haaaah…  Aaaaaaahhh—!  With the greater, rougher, more forceful exchange and interaction of yin and yang energies, Chongyun’s thoughts melted into a blissful golden-white light.

Though very infrequent, there had been other occasions his yang energy ran rampant, robbing him of all recollection of what had occurred during the event.  Though, at those times, it was merely that, his massive reserves of yang energy surging forth.  From the accounts he heard from those affected by his outbursts, while what he did was embarrassing, most noted that he still seemed to act within the character he denied expressing.

With the added pull of his aunt’s yin energy, however, even those subconscious mannerisms were washed away, leaving a burning lust that he needed to expel.  Without anything even approaching sentient thought, fueled by pure, primal instinct and drive to find satisfaction, Chongyun’s body embraced the undulating tunnel and began thrusting his hips into the tight folds.  Licking and drinking the copious amounts of liquid lust that seeped from his surroundings, even the mounting increase in yin spiritual pressure didn’t deter him as he mated within the older woman’s sex.  Nothing else registered or mattered, not ever the lithe, powerful fingers that periodically bumped into his feet, forcing him deeper still.

Much like when meditating, Shenhe found measuring the passage of time to be the least of her concern as she enjoyed Chongyun ‘acclimating’ to her body.  Though the sun was high in the sky when her nephew first arrived, the crimson rays of the setting sun were already slowly fading and relinquishing the world to the cool embrace of night.  And yet, both she and the energetic young man hadn’t moved from the shallow cave she had made.

As a now all too familiar tension building in her body reached its climax, another gush of fluids soaked the dark, drenched fabric covering her crotch as she lay on the ground catching her breath.  The warm, mass within her sex, finally exhausted and resting, continued to resist her yin energy, though it weakened considerably with each spurt of yang energy that erupted from the shrunken exorcist.

“I…  I think we should… call it a day there, Yúnr.”  She said softly, smiling gently as she rubbed her belly and caught her breath.  Bracing herself against the rough-hewn walls, she sat up and quivered as her sex squished and tightened around the foreign body inside of it.  “Phew.  I’ve never known such pleasure existed before, I might have gotten carried away.  I can’t say it was a productive day, but it was quite enjoyable.”  Centering her mind, Shenhe rose to her feet, though the strength had yet to fully return to her legs and she manifested the polearm entrusted to her by her master to steady herself.  Exiting the cave, she made her way to her favorite spot to meditate, though began to disrobe as she approached the water’s edge to rinse herself off.  Using the red rope to cover her chest and crotch, Shenhe entered the chilly lake and turned her gaze skyward to the full moon as it began to rise.  “Tonight will be the perfect time to cultivate and refine my yin energy.  If I’m going to serve as a partner worthy of Yúnr, I must deepen my spiritual vessel to match his.”

Floating on the tranquil lake as she meditated, Shenhe smirked as she felt Chongyun curl up and cuddle into her.  Even just the residual emissions of his yang energy would be enough to help refine her yin.

“Rest well, Yúnr.”  She whispered lovingly.  “From tomorrow onward, I’ll ensure you train properly.”

It took a few more days for Shenhe to… ‘gently’ encourage Chongyun to focus on training his spiritual control and refine his yang energy instead of wasting time trying to escape from her.  It wasn’t a matter of safety that concerned him, so she saw no reason to let him out early.  Once he began taking his cultivation seriously though, the arousing effects of his yang energy become more pronounced and in turn, the potency of her yin energy deepened.  Over the course of the weeks that followed, they continued to challenge, push, and pleasure each other to new heights neither could have achieved alone or with another partner.  Only Chongyun, with his once-in-a-thousand-generations constitution, had the amount of yang to not be utterly consumed by the concentrated yin Shenhe built-up over her life.  And only Shenhe, who had been trained since childhood by illuminated beasts, had the expertise to keep her yin from absorbing more of his yang than her body could tolerate.

Returning to her abode after Chongyun had exhausted himself once more, the silver-haired woman stripped as she went to wash the sweat from the day away.  It has already been thirty days since I cast the Fángfǔ píngzhàng on Yúnr.  Though I could simply recast it and keep the Zhǔ yīn xiāohào yáng qì technique going, his yang energy is showing signs of fatigue and my yin energy is beginning to infect his spiritual vessel.  Before it becomes too dangerous, I should let him out…  She thought though also reluctant to let her beloved nephew go.

The world had become more vibrant since she began his training, and every day she experienced new emotions that she had only heard about before.  More than just the lust that their cultivation filled her with, but joys, happiness, and an appreciation for life that she otherwise never could have comprehended.  And when she slept, her nightmares were replaced with wonderful dreams.

Still, none of that could compare to Chongyun’s safety.

With all the practice she had over the past month keeping him from sliding out, though it was a bit trickier to push him out rather than draw him in.  Shenhe was able to get him far enough down so she could grab his ankles with her fingers, and free the unconscious young exorcist.  “He’s not giving off a lot of yang energy right now and it’ll take some time for him to recover, but it’s more stable than it was before.  And more concentrated.”  She said, getting into her bath and carefully washing him off as well as herself.  “He should have better control of it, though…  Perhaps I should have ended his training a bit earlier.”  Sensing traces of her yin energy still infecting his spiritual vessel, while it wasn’t enough to cause too much concern, that she was so close to unintentionally causing harm to the white-haired young man was.  “Once he recovers he should be able to dispel it easily, but…  I’m sorry, Yúnr.  I should have been more careful.”  Bringing her nephew’s tiny body up to her lips, she stopped short of giving him a quick, apologetic kiss and instead patted him on the head and set him aside as she finished her bath.

After getting out of the bath and drying off, Shenhe brought Chongyun to bed with her and dispelled the Zhǔ yīn xiāohào yáng qì technique that was still keeping him so tiny and easy to transport.  Because he was so big again, the Fángfǔ píngzhàng also faded, no longer having the energy to persist.  Embracing him, Shenhe tucked his head under her chin and smiled as she drifted off to sleep as well.

Even with the frigid nature of yin energy and having been surrounded and assailed by it for weeks on end, the warmth of his aunt’s body was something that Chonyun had adapted to after a while.  So, as consciousness returned to him with the ray of a new day illuminating his surroundings, he found his surroundings… chilly.  A foreign concept to him, given the lengths he has to go to to keep his naturally high body temperature down, and so before he even opened his eyes, he clung tighter to the source of heat he was cuddling in his sleep.  The refreshingly light scent of the crisp morning air and lingering aroma of qingxin felt comparatively weak compared to the rich, thick scent within his aunt’s body.

“Mnnn…  Xiǎoyí…”  Mumbling in his state of semi-sleep, his mind slowly registered that he wasn’t in the beautiful, silver-haired woman’s womanhood anymore and that the comforting mass he was hugging was embracing him back.  His eyes shot open as a mild panic jolted him awake, only to subside eerily quickly as his face was buried in a soft, ample bosom.  I-Is training over already?  I guess Xiǎoyí let me out earlier and brought me to bed with her… but why are we both still naked?!  Even with how close they had been over the past month, sharing a bed in the nude was still a bit inappropriate.  And yet, he tightened his grip a bit more as he sensed her yin energy’s flow shift slightly.  Ahhhh…  Xiǎoyí…  M-Maybe just a f-few more minutes wouldn’t hurt.  He thought, drawn to and enthralled by the familiar, familial dark energy.

Sensing her nephew stirring, Shenhe likewise awoke from her slumber, but elected to not say anything when he tightened his grip on her.  Yúnr is so adorable.  If only I could keep him forever.  She thought, grinning as he buried his face deeper into her cleavage, likely unaware of his member stiffening and slipping between her thighs, poking her rear.  Well…  a few more minutes couldn’t hurt.  Basking in the delightful source of yang energy he provided, his reserves were still considerably drained, limiting the range that it radiated out to.  So she tightened her hold on him as well to enjoy the moment as much as she could.

“Xiǎoyí?!  Xiǎoyí, a-are you awake?”  He whispered in a panic, not wanting to disturb her slumber if he could avoid it.  Waiting a few seconds for a reply, when she didn’t answer him he let out a sigh.  “O-Okay.  She was just hugging me in her sleep.”

Amused by his timid behavior, Shenhe kept holding onto him for close to half an hour before ‘waking up’, to which Chongyun, who hadn’t attempted to escape her grasp, swiftly separated from her and sat up, looking away.  “Good morning, Yúnr.  Did you sleep well?”  She asked, yawning as she likewise sat up and stretched with an ounce of shame or embarrassment.

“G-G-Good m-morning, Xiǎoyí.  Y-Yes, b-but did we have to sleep t-together?”  He asked, realizing how erect he was, and attempted to cover himself with his arms.

Getting out of bed, Shenhe motioned to her sparsely furnished, single-room home and cocked her head to the side.  “As opposed to…?”

“Oh…  Uh, r-right.  I suppose.”  Realizing how limited her options were, and subconsciously in favor of sharing a bed with her, he didn’t bring up any of the other options he normally would have.  “Um… c-could I at least have my clothes then?”  He asked, averting his gaze from her confident display of nudity.  “A-And could you please get dressed too?”

Even now, she still didn’t understand why being naked would concern him so much, but the timid side of him was adorable to observe.  Bending over to tussle his hair, she giggled playfully while supporting her breasts with her other arm and winked at him.  “Are you sure you don’t want to cuddle up in Xiǎoyí’s bosom again first?”

His face erupting into a bright shade of red, Chongyun looked at her in disbelief and dismay.  “You were awake the whole time!?”

After retrieving his clothes that she had long since washed from him and getting dressed, Shenhe treated her nephew to a breakfast of a bounty that Mt. Aocang had to offer.  Once Chongyun had his fill, Shenhe helped him gather his things and escorted him through Jueyun Karst to the road leading east south of the Taishan Mansion.  Even after the multi-day journey, the white-haired exorcist’s spiritual energy hadn’t recovered, but he was able to use his Cryo Vision to make up for his sluggishness in combat.

“You should be fine from here, Yúnr.  Though you are still giving off a lot of yang energy by a normal exorcist’s standard, don’t underestimate how fatigued your spiritual vessel is.  You did well in training, and you should notice a substantial improvement once you recover, but make sure to head straight back to your clan and rest before anything else.  Understood?”  As they were about to part ways, the silver-haired woman wanted to stress that he wasn’t ready to go looking for trouble yet.

“Yes, Xiǎoyí.”  He replied, straightening up and bowing reverently to her.  “Thank you for your guidance this past month.”

With her emotions stabilizing once more now that he wasn’t inside of her, Shenhe’s typical stoic expression had returned for most of their journey.  However, she graced him with a subtle, soft smile and bent down as she pushed up his bangs and kissed him on the forehead.  “If you ever come across problems in your training in the future, I’ll always lead you an ear, Yúnr.”

Stunned by her affectionate action and softly touching his forehead where her lips touched, Chongyun blushed and nodded.  “A-And if there’s a-anything I can do for you, j-just let me know.”  He said, quickly taking off down the path as he waved back at her.  “I-I’ll come back when I can!”

Waving in a much more reserved manner as his snow-white locks vanished over a hill, Shenhe soon felt the pressure of his yang energy fade.  And though the range was still ridiculous for normal people, that his yang energy only stretched a few hundred feet from him now was a huge improvement from the miles it stretched before.  However, as the warmth it provided similarly faded from her body, Shenhe softly touched her lips as she stared in the direction Chongyun left for a bit longer.  I would have normally tussled his hair as he left, so why did I kiss him this time?  She wondered as her hand descended from her lips to her lower abdomen and the lack of warmth that should be nestled deep inside of her.  I thought, with a Cryo Vision and living on Shīfu’s mountain, I was acclimated to the cold…

The bliss of ignorance is something that seldom can be reclaimed.  Without a means of forgetting an experience or some new knowledge that you were previously unaware of, continuing on like it never happened is all but impossible.

And as the days turned into weeks, despite the splendor and tranquility of her meditation spot remaining unchanged, Shenhe sat in solitude, cultivating her energy and refining her spirit as she always had.  But, it wasn’t enough.  The potency of yang energy, even with the noon sun beating down on her was insignificant when compared to the robust and potent yang energy her nephew filled her with every day over a month ago.  Even her master was surprised with how much progress she had made in a month of paired cultivation with a mortal, and the mettlesome old bird seemed to be making designs to pair them up again.  Though, with one as long-lived as an adepti, and especially one who would rather seclude herself in her domain and tinker with mechanisms and gadgets, it would be a while yet before her master would act on that.

“Still…  If I could have Yúnr sta–hmmm?!”  As her newfound loneliness began to rise once again, a nostalgic, comforting wave of yang energy washed over her.  Looking in the direction that it came from, Shenhe’s eyes lit up with excitement, expecting to see the one whose energy this was.  “Yún–r…?!  Hmm?”  However, scanning the peninsula she was on and the shoreline along the path that he typically took to reach her, there was no sign of the white-haired young man.  “This is his energy.  I’d recognize it anywhere.  And there isn’t anywhere he could hide from me along the shore.  I thought he had gotten better control on the range of his output.”

Getting up, Shenhe headed to meet her guest, enjoying the heavier concentration of yang energy that nature couldn’t provide her.  After walking about half a mile or so, she found her nephew as he came around a bend.

“Xiǎoyí?  Oh, w-were you going somewhere?”  He asked, not expecting to have seen her already.

“I felt your approach like usual, but I thought you had gotten better control over your energy and thought you were closer than when you normally visit.”  She said, seeing that he was carrying a bit more than usual, but otherwise unburdened.  “Though I suppose the radius has shrunk considerably for you.  Have you been able to exorcise any evil spirits yet?”

Casting his eyes to the ground, Chongyun shook his head with a disappointed expression on his face.  “No, not yet…  I was a-actually wondering if I could… or rather i-if we could t-train together some more.”  His face becoming redder as he spoke and voice cracking, he couldn’t meet her gaze as he made his request.  “S-Since it was so effective the first time, n-now that I’ve recovered, I w-was hoping to…”

Her womanhood tingling just at his suggestion, Shenhe smiled as she rested a hand on his shoulder and gently pulled him in for a hug.  “What did I tell you before?  Xiǎoyí will give her all to help Yúnr grow stronger.”  Expecting him to get embarrassed and attempt to escape from her hug like he had in the past, she was surprised when he reciprocated her embrace instead.  Hmm?  He typically…  Focusing on his physical and spiritual well-being, though there were no physical abnormalities that she could sense, within his spiritual vessel, she could still sense some lingering pools of her yin energy coalescing.  Yúnr should have been able to purge that from himself easily.  It’s not enough to radically alter his behavior but…  Releasing him from her grip, Shenhe bent down and presented her cheek to him as she had seen parents do for their children, and less so adults do for their lovers, during her trips to Liyue Harbor.  And even though it caused the blush on his cheeks to deepen and spread further, he complied with her wordless invitation and gave her a peck on the cheek.  “How long were you planning on staying this time?”  She asked, giggling as she tussled his hair, taking his hand into hers as she led him toward the cave to cast the Zhǔ yīn xiāohào yáng qì technique.

“O-Oh, w-well…  I w-was actually wondering i-if I could l-live with you for a while?”  He asked shyly, squeezing her hand a bit tighter.  “I told the elders I didn’t know how long it would take, so I got permission for an indefinite leave of absence.  I haven’t been able to focus on my own either for some reason, b-but now that I’m with Xiǎoyí again, the restlessness plaguing me has lifted.”

It seems even that small amount of yin energy is enough to subconsciously influence him.  I’ll have to get Shīfu to treat him before he becomes so obsessed he never wishes to leave my side.  The silver-haired woman thought, though seeing the white-haired young man act so bashfully was a treat she wanted to indulge in a bit longer.  “I have no problem with you coming to stay with me.  Shīfu was pleased to see how training with you benefitted me as well, so it shouldn’t be a problem to get her blessing to have you live with me as well.”  She said, squeezing his hand to reassure him.  “We can stay together for as long as you want, Yúnr.  Xiǎoyí will take care of you for as long as you need.”