The night enveloped the Lin Family estate in a thick, velvety shroud. The moon hung high overhead, its silver light piercing through scattered clouds and spilling across the tiled roofs of the ancient pavilions, casting long, wavering shadows. The air carried the faint fragrance of jasmine drifting from the concubines' garden, mingled with the subtle smoke from the kitchen hearths where servants prepared the morning meal.
Lin Chen moved like a ghost—silent, weightless, barely disturbing the ground beneath his feet. Thanks to the system's initial bonus, his control over this new body had reached perfection: every step precise, every breath even, and a gentle layer of yang energy cloaked his aura, rendering him nearly invisible to ordinary Qi Gathering guards.
He was heading toward the rear courtyard—the humble area where the lowest-ranked servants lived. There, beside a small artificial pond covered in lotus pads, stood a solitary bamboo hut. That was where Su Mei resided.
The memories of the original Lin Yue—the pathetic waste whose body he now inhabited—were chaotic and filthy. That fool had genuinely tried to corner Su Mei against the wall in the storage room yesterday, relying on his supposed "authority as a young master."
She had responded with an elbow to the solar plexus and a brutal kick to the groin, sending him scurrying away whimpering and coughing blood. It was after that humiliation that Lin Yue had drowned himself in cheap wine and pushed his already frail body to the brink of collapse.
"Good thing I arrived at this exact moment," Lin Chen thought. "Another day or two and the yang fire would have scorched his meridians to ashes."
He stopped in front of the bamboo door. The wood was old, darkened by years of exposure, cracked in places where the wind whistled through. Lin Chen knocked—three soft, measured taps.
From inside came the rustle of fabric and a cautious voice:
"Who's there at this hour?"
"It's Lin Yue," he answered calmly, without any trace of menace.
The door opened a palm's width. Su Mei appeared in the gap. Her long black hair was tied back in a simple ponytail; her face was bare of makeup, yet even in the dim moonlight her beauty was striking: jade-like skin, eyes deep as a midnight lake, lips pressed together in wary tension.
She wore a plain gray servant's robe, but the graceful, powerful lines of her figure were unmistakable beneath it.
Hatred and fear flashed in her eyes.
"You…" Her fist clenched until the knuckles turned white. "You still dare show your face? After yesterday, I swore that if you came within ten steps of me again, I would crush your skull—even if it costs me my life."
Lin Chen didn't move. He simply looked at her—calm, without lust or malice.
"I didn't come for what that idiot wanted yesterday. I came to apologize… and to offer you something that will change your life forever."
Su Mei snorted, but she didn't slam the door.
"Apologize? From someone like you? The words of trash mean nothing."
He slowly raised his hand, palm upward. Tiny golden sparks danced around his fingers—pure yang energy, gentle yet immense in power.
Su Mei froze. Her pupils dilated.
She felt it.
That energy… it resonated with her own. The yin qi in her dantian, always cool and still, suddenly trembled as though answering a call.
"Impossible…" she whispered. "Yesterday you were nothing. And now… your aura… peak of the third layer of Qi Gathering? No… even stronger."
Lin Chen nodded.
"I'm no longer trash. And I know your secret, Su Mei. Hidden Yin Physique. The rarest heavenly gift—one the Lin Family intends to use as a stepping stone for Lin Hao. They plan to turn you into his 'cauldron'—drain every drop of your yin energy so he can break through to Foundation Establishment."
Su Mei's face drained of color. She took a step back into the hut.
"How… how do you know that?"
"It doesn't matter. What matters is the alternative I'm offering." He stepped closer but stopped at the threshold. "Become my Dao companion. We will cultivate together using the 'Yin-Yang Harmony Scripture.' You will receive my pure yang energy—it will multiply your progress many times over. I will receive your yin—and together we will soar far beyond what either of us could achieve alone. No one will ever use you as a tool again."
Su Mei was silent. Her breathing quickened. She looked from the golden sparks on his hand to his eyes—and saw not desire, but cold calculation… and a promise of power.
A long pause.
Finally, she lowered her gaze.
"If you lie to me… if this is a trap… I will find a way to kill you, even if it costs my own life. I swear on my Dao."
The corner of Lin Chen's mouth lifted in a faint smile.
"Deal."
He stepped inside. The door closed behind him with a soft click.
The interior of the hut was simple: a low table, a rush mat, a small altar with incense, a narrow bed. Su Mei lit an oil lamp—the warm orange glow illuminated her face.
They sat facing each other on the mat.
"How will this work?" she asked quietly.
"Just follow my breathing. Open your meridians. Let your yin flow toward me… and allow my yang to flow toward you."
Lin Chen placed his palms on her shoulders. In that instant, their auras touched.
A vortex.
Yang and yin spiraled together like twin dragons—one golden, one silver. Energy surged through their channels, purified, amplified. Su Mei felt the coldness inside her melt into a pleasant warmth. Her skin flushed pink; her breathing grew uneven.
Lin Chen felt the reverse current: the purest yin energy pouring into his dantian, cooling the raging yang fire, nourishing every cell.
The system chimed in his mind:
[Ding! First dual cultivation session successfully completed!]
[Obtained: Yin Qi Essence x1200 (Superior quality)]
[Host Cultivation Level Increased: Qi Gathering Layer 3 → Qi Gathering Layer 7]
[Su Mei: Cultivation Level Increased from Qi Gathering Layer 2 → Qi Gathering Layer 6]
[Reward for First Union: Dual Cultivation Bond Level 1 — +15% joint cultivation speed, +10% energy recovery]
[Unlocked: Yin-Yang Mark (mark on partner) — allows sensing the partner's location, health, and emotions within 100 li]
[Additional: +800 System Points]
They opened their eyes at the same moment. Su Mei was breathing heavily, cheeks burning, tears glistening in her eyes—not from pain, but from overwhelming power.
"This… is unbelievable," she whispered. "I've never felt such a flow. It's like I've been reborn."
Lin Chen withdrew his hands and stood.
"This is only the beginning. Each time will be stronger. But right now, we need to prepare. In the morning, Lin Hao plans to publicly announce you as his concubine. He's already spread the rumors."
Su Mei pressed her lips together.
"He wouldn't dare…"
"He would. But we'll make him regret it."
They talked until dawn—Lin Chen explained the fundamentals of the 'Yin-Yang Harmony Scripture,' teaching her simple defensive techniques based on yin energy. Su Mei absorbed the knowledge ravenously—her true talent finally awakening.
Morning arrived too soon.
The main hall of the Lin Family was packed. Young masters, branch elders, servants—everyone had gathered to witness the "ceremony."
Lin Hao stood in the center—tall, handsome, radiating the aura of the ninth layer of Qi Gathering. He wore magnificent scarlet robes embroidered with a phoenix. His smile was arrogant.
But when the doors opened, two figures entered.
Lin Chen—calm, dressed in simple black robes. Beside him—Su Mei, now wearing a flowing white dress with silver embroidery (purchased overnight with System Points through a discreet city intermediary). Her aura had reached the sixth layer—pure, cold, and powerful.
The hall fell silent.
Lin Hao narrowed his eyes.
"Trash? You're still alive? And you dared bring my woman here?"
Lin Chen stopped ten steps away.
"Your woman? No. She is now my Dao companion."
Lin Hao's laughter echoed through the hall.
"Dao companion? Of a piece of trash? Hahaha! Su Mei, come here. Or I'll have the guards drag you over."
Su Mei stepped forward—but not toward him. She stood beside Lin Chen.
"I am no longer a servant of the Lin Family. I am leaving."
Lin Hao's face twisted in fury.
"You… dare?!"
He swung his arm—his ninth-layer aura crashed down like a tidal wave.
Lin Chen didn't flinch.
He raised his palm.
[Yang Flame Palm — Enhanced Version!]
Golden flames erupted like a miniature sun. Lin Hao's fist, wrapped in crimson fire, collided with it.
BOOM!
The shockwave shattered nearby tables. Lin Hao was hurled backward, smashing into a pillar and cracking the stone. Blood sprayed from his mouth; his arm was charred to the bone.
The hall gasped.
[Ding! Public humiliation of the family genius completed! Public face-slap achieved!]
[Reward: +1500 System Points, Random Artifact — Yin-Yang Harmony Ring (spatial storage ring + passive resistance to poison and illusions)]
[Additional: +Regional Reputation — rumors of your strength will now begin to spread]
Lin Chen looked down at his brother.
"That was a warning. Next time, I won't stop at a broken arm."
He turned to Su Mei.
"Let's go. It's time to leave this cesspit. Ahead lies Jade City and the Heavenly Lotus Sect. There we will find real allies… and real enemies."
They walked out of the hall under the stunned gazes of dozens.
Behind them, Lin Hao leaned against the wall, blood dripping from his lips, and hissed through gritted teeth:
"I will find you… and I will destroy you…"