The ritual had ended hours ago, but the silence from the hall still rang in Lin Feng's ears like a distant bell.
He slipped out through a side corridor, avoiding the clusters of nobles still buzzing about the "surprising" thirteen cards from the bastard. The night air was cool against his skin as he made his way to the old abandoned pavilion at the edge of the clan grounds—the one no one bothered with anymore because it was "cursed" by bad feng shui. Perfect place to be alone.
He sat cross-legged on the cracked stone floor, closed his eyes, and sank his consciousness into his mana core.
Fifteen cards floated there, glowing softly in the dark space of his mind.
The six primal emotions pulsed like living hearts:
Anger — red and jagged.
Fear — deep violet, coiling like smoke.
Joy — bright gold, flickering.
Sorrow — heavy indigo, dripping.
Pride — silver-white, unyielding.
And newest of all, Lust — crimson, throbbing, almost liquid. It spun lazily at the center, as if waiting for permission to fully wake.
Around them circled the nine cosmic forces, steady and vast:
Fire. Water. Wood. Lightning. Metal. Earth. Light. Space. Time.
None of them had moved since the ritual. They were waiting too.
Lin Feng exhaled slowly.
"Show me," he whispered to the core.
The crimson Lust card trembled.
A memory flashed—Wang Xue's legs wrapped around him, her nails digging into his back, her broken moans against his neck. The way her body had clenched when she came. The way his seed had flooded her. The exact moment something inside her mana had shifted and flowed into him.
The card spun faster.
A faint heat bloomed in his lower abdomen, spreading upward like liquid fire. His breathing grew heavier. His cock twitched, hardening almost instantly, as if the memory alone was enough to stir it.
Then the card spoke—not with words, but with pure sensation.
Fusion requires union.
Pleasure is the bridge.
Submit the body, awaken the core.
Lin Feng's eyes snapped open.
He understood.
This wasn't just another emotion card. This was the key. The forbidden cheat that normal cultivators could never touch. Dual cultivation wasn't rare in the Azure Continent, but this… this was different. Lust didn't just amplify qi—it fused cards. Temporarily at first. Permanently if the bond went deep enough.
And right now, it was hungry.
A soft footstep echoed outside the pavilion.
Lin Feng didn't move. He already knew who it was.
The bamboo door creaked open.
Wang Xue stood there in a simple night robe, silver hair loose, face half-shadowed by moonlight. She looked furious. And conflicted. And… something else.
"You," she hissed, stepping inside and sliding the door shut behind her. "What the hell did you do to me in that alcove?"
Lin Feng met her gaze calmly. "You already know."
"Don't play games." She took another step closer, voice low and trembling. "Ever since you… finished inside me, my mana hasn't been the same. It's restless. Hot. Every time I close my eyes I feel—" She cut herself off, cheeks flushing. "I feel you."
Lin Feng stood slowly. "That's the Lust card awakening. It linked us. Temporarily."
"Linked?" Her eyes narrowed. "You used me like some cultivation tool?"
"You used me first," he said quietly. "You came looking for a 'lesson' before the ritual. You begged for harder. You came so hard you screamed into my shoulder."
Wang Xue's face turned scarlet. She took another step—now close enough that he could smell the faint jasmine on her skin.
"I should kill you for that alone," she whispered. But her voice cracked. Her eyes dropped to his chest, then lower. She swallowed. "But I can't stop thinking about it. About how full I felt. About how my core… reacted."
Lin Feng reached out, slow, and brushed a strand of hair from her face.
She didn't flinch.
"The card wants more," he said. "To fully awaken, it needs another union. Deeper. Willing."
Wang Xue laughed—short, bitter. "You think I'll just spread my legs again because your card is hungry?"
"No." He leaned in, voice dropping to a murmur against her ear. "I think you'll do it because you're hungry."
Her breath hitched.
For a long second, neither moved.
Then she grabbed the front of his robe and yanked him down.
Their mouths crashed together—angry, desperate, teeth clashing. She bit his lip hard enough to draw blood; he growled and shoved her back against the pavilion wall.
Clothes came off in frantic pulls. Robe pooled at her feet. His hands were everywhere—breasts, waist, ass—claiming what he'd only tasted once before.
Wang Xue shoved him down onto the stone floor and straddled him, eyes blazing.
"This doesn't mean I forgive you," she panted, guiding him to her entrance. She was already soaked. "This is just… to fix whatever you did to me."
Lin Feng gripped her hips. "Keep telling yourself that."
She sank down in one hard motion, taking him to the hilt.
Both gasped.
The crimson card in his core exploded with light.
Pleasure surged through them like lightning—hers feeding his, his feeding hers. Every thrust sent waves of mana crashing between their cores. Her walls fluttered wildly; he swelled thicker inside her.
"Fuck—Lin Feng—!" she cried, nails raking his chest. "It's… it's too much—ahhn!"
He flipped them over, pinning her beneath him, pounding deep and relentless.
"Feel it," he growled. "Feel the fusion."
The Lust card spun wildly now, drinking in every moan, every clench, every pulse of her release building.
She came first—screaming his name, body arching off the floor, walls milking him desperately.
The moment she shattered, the card locked.
Lust Manifestation – First Awakening Complete.
Temporary Fusion Achieved.
+300% mana absorption rate during union.
Partner's card signature detected: Ice Lotus (Utility – Concealment & Chill).
Temporary access granted.
Lin Feng exploded inside her seconds later, flooding her womb with heat that made her whimper and clench again.
They collapsed together, breathing ragged, bodies slick with sweat and release.
Wang Xue stared up at the ceiling, dazed. "What… what just happened?"
Lin Feng brushed a kiss against her temple—soft, almost gentle.
"The card woke up," he murmured. "And now… we're linked. For real."
She turned her head, eyes wide. "You mean… I can't get away from this feeling?"
"Not unless you want to stay weak forever."
Silence stretched.
Then she whispered, voice small: "I felt your power. Just a glimpse. Fifteen cards… you hid two."
He didn't deny it.
She closed her eyes. "You're dangerous, Lin Feng."
"I know."
She opened them again, something fierce flickering there.
"Then use me," she said quietly. "If this is the path… use me until I'm strong enough to stand beside you. Or crush you."
Lin Feng smiled—slow, dark.
"Deal."
Outside, in the shadows beyond the pavilion, a figure watched silently.
The Wang family envoy.
His eyes gleamed.
He turned and vanished into the night.