Wang Dong had his eyes closed. His subtle aura, which was minuscule a moment ago, was now denser than before.
He knew that even stepping into the 2nd stage of Body Tempering would be impossible for him in this life, but now he was on the verge of entering the 3rd stage.
But just after that, the cultivation speed became non-existent, indicating that it was a temporary cause.
"HEAVENLY YIN-YANG QI ACCELERATION PHYSIQUE," Wang Dong muttered, relating the changes in his body to the physique he had awakened.
"What type of physique is this?"
Having no idea about his physique, he recalled the moment when he was rubbing Deacon Li's back and chest. That was the instant when his physique activated.
"Before this, I haven't made contact with any woman in my life, at least not in an intimate way. What if to activate my physique, I have to make contact with others—women, more precisely—and if I do that, then not only will they benefit from this, but I will benefit myself as well."
This discovery was his own, a conclusion he arrived at after recalling the event altogether. The thought of rechecking his doubt sprouted in his head, but he soon let it go.
Right now, he wasn't sure of Deacon Li's mood, hoping that things wouldn't escalate in a wrong way.
"I heard she has a husband and daughter, around my age," Wang Dong thought, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that he had to do something.
In the end, he made up his mind. "Deacon Li was on the verge of breakthrough, and the moment I left the room, her condition was already better, which means she will know that it has something to do with me."
"From her actions earlier, it feels like she was eager to ascend. Is it because of her family? Well, I can find out later, but right now, I can use this momentum to convince her to cultivate with me."
Just thinking about this made him recall her jade-like breasts, which he was squeezing earlier, but he soon shook his head. "I'm not a pervert, I'm a cultivator."
"Not like I'm asking her to dual cultivate with me." Wang Dong was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't realize he had spoken aloud.
"Wang Dong?"
The familiar voice fell into his ear from behind, where Deacon Li, now at the peak of the Body Tempering stage, stood with her eyes fixed on the man sitting under the tree.
Hearing this, Wang Dong abruptly stood. "Deacon Li, you?"
His eyes landed on her but soon drifted to her curves. Even though she was dressed, he felt as if she was standing naked in front of his eyes, but what attracted him most was her aura.
Although he couldn't see her cultivation level, he could feel that she was on the point of breaking through to the next big realm. This only confirmed Wang Dong's speculation about his physique, but then his thoughts were interrupted by her.
"You remember what you have done, right?" Her mature eyes sternly glared at Wang Dong, as if trying to confirm her own doubts.
"I..." Wang Dong was speechless. His mind raced for an answer when, seeing his silence, Deacon Li spoke again. "Come, there are still things left to do."
Wang Dong nodded silently, looking at her back, but his mind was racing with doubts.
Should he propose the idea of cultivating together? But what if this resulted in him losing his job? Or should he do nothing, maybe wait for another chance or maybe find someone else?
Returning to Deacon Li's quarters, she sat at the same place where she had been cultivating, while glancing at the sorted papers on the table.
"You have already finished sorting out all the paperwork, good, but..." Before she could finish, Wang Dong blurted out,
"I want to cultivate with you."
He had made up his mind. 'What's the point of backing out? It's not like I'll lose my life here, and if I lose this job, then so what? With my physique, I can cultivate even without entering any sect.'
Wang Dong decided to be blunt. He decided to take things in his own way and use her desperation for cultivation to boost his own.
Deacon Li, on the other hand, was taken aback. "You want what?"
Even though she wasn't a Qi awakening cultivator, being at the peak of the Body Tempering stage, she wasn't far behind. Her aura flared up, clearly misunderstanding Wang Dong's words.
Yes, she misunderstood him because he genuinely wanted to cultivate, and nothing else.
Seeing this, Wang Dong spoke, "Deacon Li, do you remember your condition worsening earlier, when I rubbed your body?"
Deacon Li looked at him, her eyes still cold.
Wang Dong continued, "Then you would have felt that, after my touch, not only did your situation subside, but your cultivation has only shown positive signs. Do you think it was just a coincidence?"
She narrowed her eyes, clearly aware of everything, and that was the very reason she wanted to discuss it with him.
Deacon Li might not be a cultivator yet, but her years of experience were enough to discern that Wang Dong helped her earlier, which not only healed her collapsing dao but also caused her cultivation, which had stagnated for a decade at the ninth stage of Body Tempering, to leap into the next realm in just an hour.
How could she not see that Wang Dong was more than he looked? And now, seeing him offering to cultivate together confused Deacon Li, as she thought of dual cultivation, causing her face to redden but also sowing a seed of doubt against Wang Dong in her heart.
"Was he after my body from the very start? Doesn't that mean he might be the reason I had the accident during cultivating earlier?" The more she thought, the more doubtful she became.