Chapter 380: Certain Things
"What are you thinking about…? I was talking about the sword embryo."
Just as Ling Shuangxue began to spiral into an existential crisis, Luo Wusheng—ever the mischief-maker—casually added that faint remark.
"?"
"!?"
It took her a moment to reboot her thoughts.
Was he just teasing her this whole time?
Then it came back to her—the "sword embryo" he mentioned.
Deep in her lower abdomen, there really was a faint, barely-formed sword-shaped embryo.
It had appeared as a result of the dual cultivation technique Luo Wusheng had modified.
The original technique was called Mandarin Duck Bond Sword, a dual cultivation sword technique. Luo Wusheng had only tweaked it slightly before putting it to use.
Ling Shuangxue recalled how, back when they first started cultivating together, Luo Wusheng—horny and full of himself—would often coax her into unspeakably embarrassing positions, claiming it was to "nourish the sword embryo."
She also remembered that one time she had tried to activate the embryo. A strange mark had appeared on her lower abdomen. He'd muttered things like, "It really worked,"
and "Succubus Mark".
But none of that mattered right now.
Ling Shuangxue's cheeks flushed, her eyes flickering with a rare mix of embarrassment and frustration.
She was angry—mostly at herself.
How could she fall for that nonsense? For a moment, she had seriously believed she was pregnant...
Even though she was old by mortal standards, she had always been naïve about relationships. She wasn't anywhere near ready—mentally or emotionally—for the idea of having a child.
She had even started panicking, wondering how she would raise the child, what kind of moral teachings to pass on, and what would happen if her disciple, Lu Yuliu, thought she was playing favorites with her own baby...
All those frantic thoughts were now turning back on her—like a mental ambush.
Unwilling to suffer alone, the graceful Sword Sect fairy shoved the smug man in her arms away.
That infuriating grin still hung on Luo Wusheng's face, and for a moment she really wanted to punch it off with her dainty fist… But she couldn't bring herself to actually do it.
After a few seconds of internal struggle, she grabbed the hand that had just been rubbing her lower abdomen—and bit it.
Hard.
Luo Wusheng hadn't expected his wife to act so much like a sulking young girl. But he was secretly delighted.
This meant he could tease her even more in the future.
He quickly disabled his Buddhist Golden Body's auto-defense—not because he was afraid it would hurt her teeth, but because he was worried that if she realized her bite wasn't working, she'd use spiritual energy out of spite… and that could really mess up his hand.
When Ling Shuangxue finally let go and raised her head, there was a shallow bite mark on the hand of the Demon Sect's Holy Saint.
It glistened faintly in the light.
Ling Shuangxue was about to toss his hand away in disgust—but then she paused.
Her eyes fell on the faint bite mark she had left behind.
There was… a strange sense of familiarity about it.
She couldn't quite place the feeling, so she brushed the thought aside. Letting go of his hand with a scolding tone, she muttered, "This better not happen again."
She tried to keep her voice cold, but it lacked real conviction.
Her hand drifted toward her lower abdomen. Nothing could be seen through her robes, but beneath the fabric, there was indeed a peculiar mark etched into her skin.
If one were to lift the cloth, they would find a symbol shaped primarily like a heart.
Ever since that marking had appeared, Ling Shuangxue could clearly feel it—the connection between her and the boy before her had grown deeper, stronger.
[Are you wondering what it actually does?]
Suddenly, Luo Wusheng's voice echoed in her heart.
She instinctively looked up, only to find him smiling—his lips unmoving.
It hadn't been a sound transmission… The voice had passed directly into her heart through the bond formed by the sword embryo.
"This is a heart-link," Luo Wusheng explained, meeting her gaze. "It's made possible by the sword embryo. The range is limited for now—probably only enough to cover half a small city."
"But that's not all it can do."
He paused for a moment, then added, "I already mentioned some of this when we were dual cultivating together... but I'll explain in more detail now."
"You should already feel the connection it's built between us. Though the sword embryo is still incomplete, once it matures, this link will strengthen. The heart-link range will grow. And beyond that, new effects will emerge."
"For instance: it will passively channel ambient spiritual energy into both of us. Within a certain range, it will even allow us to teleport to each other at will. When using sword techniques, we'll be able to draw on each other's sword dao. But the most important part—"
He looked her in the eyes.
"—is that I'll be able to share certain things with you through this bond."
Ling Shuangxue, still pressing her hand over the faint mark on her abdomen, blinked. "What kind of things?"
"Like the technique I use to conceal my cultivation and presence," Luo Wusheng replied smoothly. "With the sword embryo's support, your cultivation will remain perfectly hidden, unless you intentionally reveal it. If you follow my instructions carefully, even entering the Royal City won't alert the people who are watching from the shadows."
Everything he said was true.
But it wasn't the whole truth.
He chose not to mention one very specific effect: once the sword embryo reached full maturity, it could also enable spiritual intimacy—far beyond the physical.
But to him, that wasn't something worth bringing up just yet.
In truth, the sword embryo's abilities were incredibly subtle. For most Nascent Soul realm dual cultivators, it simply offered modest synergy—useful, but not overwhelming.
Luo Wusheng, however, was a different story entirely.
He had too many cheats.
Take his concealment technique, for instance—it didn't originate from any ordinary cultivation technique, but from the power of the lotus.
The lotus carried a natural property: unknowability.
As long as he didn't want to be seen, no one could perceive his true cultivation level.
And since the lotus now functioned as his golden core, he could channel its unique power—and through the bond of the sword embryo, share that same veil of secrecy with his Dao Companion.
Upon hearing all that, Ling Shuangxue finally understood what he was trying to do.
So… he's still worried about her safety in the Royal City?
He had layered so many protections and precautions—just to feel comfortable letting her go with him?
A warm feeling welled up in her chest.
If that was the case...
"Would participating in that trial help the sword embryo fully form?" she asked softly.
That would explain why he had suddenly brought up the trial out of nowhere.
Luo Wusheng nodded.
"For the sword embryo to properly take shape, it can either mature slowly over time… or be forced to stabilize quickly through intense cooperation. Those clay puppets can provide enough pressure to push us into mastering its power."
Well… intense dual cultivation like before could also work.
But honestly, that would cost him several kidneys.
Luo Wusheng didn't think his waist could take that kind of strain again.
After a brief pause, he added, "Besides, I want to test a new technique. There's a real chance we could pass the trial this time. If we do, I want to see what's hidden at the end."
And if they failed? Well…
He'd just send his wife out early and clear the lower-difficulty version by himself.
"No big deal even if we fail," he said with a grin. "With me here, there's no need to worry about the punishment."
After all, when you've got admin privileges, you can do whatever you want.
Now that everything had been laid out clearly, there was no way Ling Shuangxue could say no.
Meeting her Dao Companion's eyes, she gave a small, resolute nod.
"All right."
———
Space around them twisted and folded.
In the blink of an eye, Luo Wusheng and Ling Shuangxue once again found themselves inside the upside-down grand hall.
Suspended in midair by a ribbon of flowing water, they stared at each other—reflected in each other's eyes.
The once-proud Holy Son of the Demon Sect… now wore an unmistakably awkward expression on his face.