Yu Qing carried little Dugu Yan back to his uniquely styled dwelling—Dugu Bo jokingly called it the "grave-mound house."
By now everyone else was up, and the courtyard was slowly coming to life.
He set Dugu Yan down and patted her small head. "Go play with Xiao Wu. Master will make you two a nice medicinal meal."
The little girl nodded obediently and scampered off to find her new friend.
Yu Qing turned into the kitchen and set to work. Rare herbs passed through his hands like everyday ingredients, deftly combined with Spirit Beast meat and spirit rice to create dishes both delicious and bursting with energy. A rich aroma soon filled the air, making mouths water.
When he carried the finished meal back to the courtyard, he was greeted by a scene that left him not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
The two little lolis, Dugu Yan and Xiao Wu, looked like two fluffed-up kittens, each tugging at the other's braid—or was it rabbit ears?—their small faces puffed in anger, neither willing to let go first.
"Master is mine! I was the first to take him as master!" Dugu Yan's emerald eyes glared as she proclaimed sovereignty in her babyish but resolute voice.
"Pfft! He's not your master alone! He's my daddy—Xiao Wu's new daddy!" Xiao Wu retorted, her little pink face flushed with excitement.
Back and forth they went, turning a solemn debate over "who Yu Qing belongs to" from a war of words into a scuffle—though neither had much fighting power.
Yu Qing quickly set down the tray, stepped in, and separated the two before they actually came to blows.
"All right, all right, stop fighting." He lifted one in each hand and asked, half exasperated, half amused, "What happened? Weren't you fine just now? Why the sudden brawl?"
The two shot each other a glare, then poured out their grievances in a jumble. Only after listening for a while did Yu Qing understand: each believed herself to be "the most important child" in his heart, and neither would yield, sparking this sovereignty dispute.
Yu Qing was wryly amused, yet a warm feeling of accomplishment welled up. He knelt, drew both into his arms, and soothed them gently. "Silly girls, what are you quarreling about? Xiao Wu is A Rou's daughter, so naturally she's my daughter. Yan Yan is my first disciple, like half a daughter to me. Both of you are incredibly important to me—precious treasures I must cherish. No one outranks the other, understand?"
He ruffled their hair softly. "Enough—no more arguing. Be good and come eat breakfast so you'll grow strong quickly."
Between his coaxing and the lure of good food, the two temporarily buried the hatchet, giving each other one last "humph" before obediently taking their seats and devouring the medicinal meal. The little storm passed.
What gratified Yu Qing was that, after this clash, Dugu Yan and Xiao Wu actually became closer. They still bickered occasionally, but more often they played together, shared snacks, and even teamed up for harmless pranks—true playmates now.
Days slipped by in quiet warmth. With Father Duan and Father Zi diligently running daily affairs, the Yin Yang Sect needed little of Yu Qing's attention.
He poured most of his energy into cultivating the Ling Xin and Ling Mou sisters, watching them advance by leaps and bounds under his guidance.
He also spent plenty of time with Xiao Wu and Dugu Yan, enjoying an early taste of the joys—and headaches—of raising daughters. This calm routine soothed the tension in his heart left by Transmigration and the System, making his days serene and full.
Of course, Yu Qing was not truly idle. Every day he set aside fixed hours to delve into the abstruse spirit soul technology. The work was hard but immensely rewarding.
Through studying the core problems of Soul-energy transformation and condensation, as well as the Fusion of different energy attributes, he achieved mastery over his own power at a whole new level.
He could even strip out a wisp of his Soul, reinforce it with refined mental force, and condense outside his body a faint Soul-shadow identical to himself.
At first the shadow was hazy, but as he kept infusing it with mental force to "fill" and stabilize it, it grew steadily more solid, able to perform simple actions like walking or waving. Though it had no offensive power, could not stray far, and required a steady drain of mental force, it was a tremendous Breakthrough.
"It's almost like… a rudimentary Soul Incarnation!" he exulted. Better yet, if the shadow were destroyed he would only lose that bit of mental force and Soul energy; given time he could recover without irreversible harm.
This exquisite control over Soul and mental force gave him more cards and ideas for future battles and Cultivation.
And with A Rou's return, every day he could enjoy the bliss of Yin-Yang Harmonization.
Of course, Yin Yang Conjunction and deep Cultivation were indispensable; the Yin-Yang Power supplied by this Dual Cultivation had rocketed his fifth spirit ring's age from fifty thousand straight to eighty thousand years!
That day, while Yu Qing listened to Father Zi's report on sect affairs, he casually asked, "Father-in-law, how is your Cultivation of the Dual Cultivation Secret Codex progressing?"
Father Zi's old face flushed; his gaze darted about. After stammering for a while he finally muttered in embarrassment, "The… the results are excellent. Ruyi's mother had been stuck for years, yet after practising the method she broke through two Ranks in a row and is now close to Spirit Elder. I… I also feel my spirit power has refined—roughly a one-percent increase." At his Rank, every sliver of progress was brutal; one percent was already delightful.
Yu Qing nodded approvingly. "Good, as long as it works. Keep Cultivating without fear that rapid growth will leave your foundation unstable." He then passed on an auxiliary technique of his own design to compress and purify spirit power, further solidifying the foundation.
Father Zi savoured the method, eyes lighting up as he bobbed his head. "Many thanks, dear son-in-law! With this aiding me, I have no more worries!
That night the moon was bright and the stars few.
Yu Qing's door quietly opened; a lithe figure slipped in like a thief—A Rou.
Seeing Yu Qing already sitting on the bed, smiling at her, A Rou's lovely face flushed with the usual mix of awkwardness and shyness. Every Yin-Yang Harmonization required sneaking over only after Xiao Wu was sound asleep, giving their trysts an illicit thrill she both anticipated and found mortifying.
"Is Xiao Wu asleep?" Yu Qing reached out, naturally drawing her into his arms and savouring her softness.
"Mm…" She buried her face against his chest and gave the tiniest nod.
Yu Qing kissed her smooth forehead, eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Tonight let's try… something special."
"Special?" She lifted her pink eyes, curious.
Instead of answering, Yu Qing rested his forehead gently against hers. The next moment a gentle stream of information—none other than the complete Dual Cultivation Secret Codex—flowed into her mind.
Startled by the flood of knowledge, A Rou quickly absorbed it. Yet the more she understood, the faster her cheeks, ears, and even neck turned a deep, enticing pink.
"Th-this is the Dual 'Cultivation' method?" Her voice trembled. She lifted her gaze, too shy to meet his eyes. "Wh-what is this? Why are there so many… bizarre… positions?" Her heart pounded; some descriptions were wilder than any bedroom arts she'd ever heard of.
"A Qing… c-can we not… not use those parts?" she stammered, barely audible.
Yu Qing, delighted by her adorable mortification, kept a straight face and shook his head solemnly. "No can do. This is an orthodox ancient codex; every posture links to spirit power flow and mental resonance—can't be changed." His tone softened. "Remember the circulation route?"
Cheeks crimson, she bit her lip and gave the tiniest nod. At her Titled Douluo level, memorising complex pathways was easy—those matching movements, however, were simply too shameful.
"Then… let's begin." Yu Qing smiled and, with a flick of gentle spirit power, doused the lights.
Spring blossomed quietly through the room.
Some time later, an unprecedented bout of deep Dual Cultivation ended. Sensing the changes inside him, Yu Qing marvelled: combining the dao companion system with the Dual 'Cultivation' Codex was extraordinary—spirit power efficiency had risen by roughly a thousandth, and the crucial Yin-Yang Power yield had nearly doubled!
He opened his eyes and looked at A Rou, still dazed and flushed in his arms. "How do you feel?"
Slowly her moist pink eyes opened, shyness mingling with delight. "W-wonderful! Much stronger than before! I feel my spirit power at the very brink—one more session and I should break through to Rank ninety-six!"
A gleam flashed in Yu Qing's eyes and a wicked smile curved his lips. "In that case, dear husband shall help his wife scale the heavens tonight!"
With that he leaned over her again.
More than an hour later…
Yu Qing carefully straightened A Rou's slightly dishevelled clothes and saw her out.
Closing the door, he stretched, then sat cross-legged on the bed to refine the Yin-Yang Power within him.
The night was deep; inside the room a wondrous black-and-white scene quietly unfolded.
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