Eternal Life by Dual Cultivation-Chapter 128 - 111: Ling Changqing: Just a Little Rubbing
Of course, there was an Array Restriction set up in the inner chamber of Ling Qiyue’s boudoir. However, this was hardly a secret to Ling Changqing.
He easily snuck up to the carved door and, thanks to his advanced Breath Concealment Technique, managed to remain undetected by his two senior sisters for the time being.
Then, Ling Changqing beheld the gorgeous sight he had been longing to see.
Witnessing two peerless beauties change their clothes and try on various unspeakably risqué outfits with his own eyes... The feeling was beyond thrilling.
It wasn’t until his blood began to boil and his breathing grew slightly heavy that Ling Qiyue immediately sensed something was amiss.
Knowing he was in trouble, Ling Changqing immediately composed himself, stepped forward to knock on the door, and said in a calm voice, "Senior Sister, are you in there? I’m back!"
A frantic commotion immediately erupted from the inner chamber. Ling Changqing tactfully took a few steps back and waited patiently.
A moment later, the carved wooden door creaked open.
Tang Qiu Yao glided out, dressed in an exquisitely embroidered vermilion dress and adorned with golden hairpins and tassels. Her bearing was graceful and dignified, her enchanting face naturally beautiful without a hint of makeup.
However, her expression was grim and serious, as if she had just been discussing matters concerning the fate of the entire world. Not a trace of her usual seductive charm remained.
"You’re back? Good. You were gone for so many days. You weren’t injured, were you?"
Tang Qiu Yao held her head high, her hands tucked into her wide sleeves, speaking with a reserved and dignified air.
Ling Changqing was rendered speechless. ’There are no outsiders here,’ he thought. ’Senior Sister, who are you putting on this serious act for?’
"It was fine. I cleared out another batch of foreign Loose Cultivators and discovered a few unrecorded mineral veins. Nothing else of note."
As Ling Changqing spoke, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around the gorgeous woman’s voluptuous, warm body, his hands immediately starting to wander.
At first, Tang Qiu Yao tried to maintain her elegant and noble facade, but she soon succumbed to the young man’s fiery assault, wrapping her arms around him and responding with equal passion.
A soft cough, tinged with annoyance and embarrassment, sounded from behind them.
Ling Changqing jolted, suddenly realizing he’d almost forgotten Ling Qiyue was still standing there, watching!
"Ahem... Oh, Senior Sister, you’re here too?"
Ling Changqing released Tang Qiu Yao’s waist and turned his gaze to Ling Qiyue, who was slowly emerging. Dressed in a Magical Robe as black as ink, she looked cold, glamorous, and enchanting.
Seeing Ling Changqing approach her, the Female Patriarch put on a stern face and huffed haughtily.
’This is clearly my own boudoir, where else would I be?’ she fumed inwardly. ’This bastard is unbelievable...’
Tang Qiu Yao smiled and smoothed things over. "Alright now, Junior Brother has been working so hard out there for so long. Now that he’s just returned, don’t give him the cold shoulder, will you?"
Seizing the opportunity, Ling Changqing stepped forward, hugged Ling Qiyue, and gave her a kiss. Her face instantly flushed red, and the cold beauty’s imposing aura completely vanished.
Tang Qiu Yao led them both to take a seat in the flower hall, where Ling Changqing began to recount in detail what he had seen and experienced during his mission on the Changqing Continent.
By now, as more and more Cultivators lost their lives, many Loose Cultivators had given up on the idea of going to the Changqing Continent to plunder resources.
No matter how many opportunities there were, you had to be alive to take them. If going there was a suicide mission, it was better not to go at all.
Of course, while fewer unaffiliated Loose Cultivators were going, the number of Cultivators recruited by the three rival families had not decreased. They continued to rush to the Changqing Continent in wave after wave.
"...So it seems that besides our family, those three are doing the same thing?"
Tang Qiu Yao’s fine brows furrowed slightly as she spoke with a hint of worry.
The Ling Family’s recruitment of Loose Cultivators couldn’t possibly be kept a secret. Once the news got out, the upper echelons of the Bai Family, the Yuan Family, and Yu Long Island immediately followed suit.
Thus, most of the foreign Cultivators now dying on the Changqing Continent were cannon fodder hired by those three families.
Ling Qiyue was unconcerned. "It’s no big deal. The financial and material resources of those three families can’t even be mentioned in the same breath as ours."
"Therefore, the Cultivators they hire are inferior in both quantity and quality. We have nothing to worry about!"
"Mm, I think so too."
Ling Changqing nodded, retrieving a Jade Scroll that pulsed with Spiritual Light from his Storage Pouch and handing it to Ling Qiyue.
The Jade Scroll recorded the number of Cultivators his team had killed, along with their Cultivation Levels and some basic identifying information.
Among them were five or six Loose Cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Level, but they were almost all at the early stage of Foundation Establishment. The Cultivation Techniques and Divine Techniques they practiced were nothing special either.
As for the Loose Cultivators in the Qi Cultivation Stage, they were even less worthy of mention. Even among cannon fodder, they were the lowest of the low.
Ling Qiyue took the Jade Scroll and glanced over it, then retrieved another Jade Scroll from her own Storage Magical Artifact to consolidate the information.
"...It seems that over the past year of fighting, we’ve come out ahead. Their losses are clearly much greater than ours!"
Ling Qiyue said with satisfaction as she scanned the contents of the Jade Scroll.
Worried about being personally intercepted and killed by Ling Qiyue, a Golden Core Master, the higher-ups of the three rival families rarely took action themselves. They were only willing to dispatch some mid-level family disciples to lead teams for raids and sabotage.
The Ling Family, however, was different. Nearly all the Foundation Establishment Elders, and even Ling Qiyue herself, frequently ventured out to the Changqing Continent to eliminate the foreign Cultivators.
As a result, a huge gap in combat strength naturally formed, leading to a stark disparity in the losses on both sides.
Tang Qiu Yao smiled. "If we keep up this war of attrition, they’ll collapse sooner or later, won’t they?"
When people die, you have to provide compensation for their families. You can’t just ignore the injured, either. That’s standard practice.
If you dare to be stingy about it, you’ll quickly find that no Loose Cultivator is willing to die for you. The leaders of the three families were well aware of this, so they had no choice but to grit their teeth and bear the burden.
"Definitely,"
Ling Changqing said. "Once their coffers run dry, this war is as good as won!"
War has always been a bottomless pit that consumes resources, especially a large-scale, protracted conflict like this one.
Therefore, as long as the Ling Family could drag things out until the other three families went bankrupt, victory would be assured.
"Changqing, how much longer do you think they can hold on at most?"
Tang Qiu Yao’s gaze fell upon the handsome, purple-robed young man before her.
Ling Changqing thought for a moment. "I’d estimate about another year. After that, they’ll have to cease all hostilities if they don’t want us to drag them down completely."
Ling Qiyue shook her head. "They know the Ling Family ultimately intends to annex their three domains. They won’t give up, even if it means exhausting their very last resources."
"So we can’t have any illusions about them. It’s very possible that at the final moment, they’ll risk mutual destruction just to cause more trouble for us."
"For example... bringing a wolf in through the front door?"
Ling Changqing said with a frown.
"Exactly,"
Ling Qiyue sighed. "While the Changqing Continent doesn’t have a Grade Four Spirit Vein, it would still make an excellent branch headquarters for a Nascent Soul power."
With their backs against the wall, those three families might sell information about the Changqing Continent to survive, attracting the attention of those major powers.
Ling Changqing said in a cold voice, "Then we won’t give them the chance!"
Once the foundations of those three families are completely destroyed, the Ling Family can take smooth control of the Changqing Continent. Afterward, the Feiyu Sea Region will also be under the Ling Family’s command.
"That’s a bit difficult to pull off. We should think it over carefully,"
Tang Qiu Yao said thoughtfully.
The three of them discussed for a moment and reached a general consensus. If they were to take action, the Bai Family would undoubtedly be the easiest target.
The remaining Yuan Family and Yu Long Island would have to be handled depending on the circumstances. Forcing them to surrender would, of course, be the ideal outcome.
"Alright, you two have been apart for so long. There’s no need to linger here with me. Go and do... whatever it is you need to do."
Ling Qiyue said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
In short, being forced to watch their public displays of affection was unpleasant. Ling Qiyue had been putting up with the two of them for long enough.
Tang Qiu Yao, who knew exactly what was going on, gave Ling Changqing a subtle look and said with a dazzling smile:
"Senior Sister, what unfortunate timing. It’s an inconvenient time for me, so I won’t be fighting you for him today!
"Junior Brother, you should stay and keep Senior Sister company tonight!"
Ling Changqing nodded. "Of course."
Ling Qiyue froze for a second, her dark brows knitting together slightly. "Your current Cultivation is still a bit low. Shouldn’t we wait until you’re at least at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment?"
With the Nameless Dual Cultivation Technique she possessed, the partner with the higher Cultivation would typically gain a greater advantage, while the one with lower Cultivation would inevitably be at a disadvantage.
That was why Ling Qiyue was reluctant to "corrupt" her junior brother too early, lest it affect his future path to immortality.
’Then again,’ she mused, ’if I really were to devour my junior brother ahead of schedule, with the help of his supreme Luck and Fortune, perhaps I could break through to the middle stage of Golden Core very soon?’
Ling Changqing said gently, "There’s no rush for Dual Cultivation. I’ll just stay and talk with Senior Sister tonight, nothing more."
"Really?"
Ling Qiyue’s beautiful eyes narrowed. She clearly didn’t believe a word he was saying.
’We might agree to just fool around a little, but things could easily get carried away and... No, I absolutely can’t let that happen!’
"Really. I promise I won’t make any sudden moves!"
Ling Changqing vowed.
"Then... fine!"
Ling Qiyue’s lovely face flushed crimson as she reluctantly agreed. Her gaze then shifted to Tang Qiu Yao.
The meaning was obvious: ’To prevent Junior Brother from losing control and things getting out of hand, you should stay too, right?’
Understanding completely, Tang Qiu Yao nodded with a knowing smile. An agreement had been reached: they would both stay and attend to their junior brother.
