Spirit Cultivation

"Alright… I hope you can remember your promise…" Xiao Wen smiled as she kissed him deeply for the second time before hugging into his arms, not willing to let go of him.

Fortunately, Xuefeng wasn't even planning to let go of her as he tightened the embrace and asked playfully as he caressed her back, "How do you want me to Cultivate now after all of this…?"

"Well… I don't mind we you can just hold me like this forever, haha…" Xiao Wen proposed happily, thinking this would be a nice dream but she knew this couldn't continue with their busy schedule and added, "Too bad we can't waste time like that. Who knows how long your breakthrough will take. We need to return by morning so you better hurry."

Xiao Wen reluctantly let go of him but he swiftly reclaimed her into his arms and sucking on her lips greedily as if he wanted to rip them off, keeping them for himself before pulling slightly away while saying in a gentle scolding, "Don't you dare say that ever again. If I could I would hug and kiss you for days without a break until our arms get numb or lips turn dry. It was never a waste of time and never will. Remember that."

Xiao Wen stared at him and he observed her, keeping their gaze connected until finally, she laughed to herself. For some reason, her eyes started watering even though a wide smile was on her face, not willing to leave her face.

Xuefeng gazed at her with a warm smile and she laughed while crying for the first time in her life, apologizing for wetting his shirt, "I'm sorry... I'm just so happy right now. I can't describe it… They just fall on their own."

She tried to wipe them away but Xuefeng took her hands away and placed her head right on his chest while saying with understanding, "You don't need to. I know. I'm also the happiest I have been so far. My life with you girls is amazing and I couldn't ask for more."

Xuefeng felt her tight hug and smiled, knowing exactly how she felt. He kept caressing her cheek with his thumb while wiping her happy tears away when he heard her chuckle as she said, "Heh, I never would have thought that the first time I cry is because of happiness. I'm truly fortunate. Thank you."

She shamelessly hugged him for a little while more, before asking as a sudden thought entered her mind, "You will cultivate with your Spirit, right…?" Xiao Wen already somehow knew the answer that he will give her but she couldn't help but still ask. She wanted him to tell her himself but she knew he wouldn't do so.

Xuefeng knew that such a question would pass one day so he wasn't surprised and nodded, not hiding it from her, "Yes. You know that this is the best method to increase cultivation speed. I want to try it at least once to see my results." Hiding it from Xiao Wen would be not fair to Ling as she was also his woman.

As if she expected such an answer, Xiao Wen attacked him with the already prepared question, asking as she booped his nose, "So can I also do it with my Spirit then? He has been bugging me about it for a while, you know?"

Xiao Wen smiled playfully at him as she waited for his reaction but contrary to her expectations, he didn't stutter or wait with his reply and relayed what he honestly thought, saying straightforwardly as he held onto her chin, "No. I will find other ways for you to cultivate faster. Even if he is a Spirit, Lang is still another guy. I'm selfish and you are mine, no one else can touch you. Did you hear me, Lang?"

Xuefeng already considered Ling as his lover, another person instead of just a spirit like most Fate Holders. There was no difference for him between Lang and another guy in the real world.

Xiao Wen already knew he will react like that but hearing his warning, she couldn't help but feel warm inside her and laughed, "Haha, he heard you. Don't worry, I'm only yours," before adding in a whisper as she leaned over to his ear, "Only if you want to touch me…"

Trying to give him some motivation, she said playfully, "If you can surpass my stage with this single breakthrough, I will give you a reward…"

Xuefeng thought for a moment and this actually was close to his expectations for this breakthrough but still kept his cool to surprise Xiao Wen later, "Aren't you a Spirit Sage? Hmm, not impossible… What reward?" She didn't know how fast his absorption will be if he activates all aces up his sleeve.

"Heh, you will learn after we come back." Xiao Wen gave him a teasing peck and kept it mysterious.

She didn't wait for his reply and pulled away, this time definitely, her tear stains evaporating as if the fire burned under her skin before saying, "Alright, let's start with your training. I can't let us drag it for too long. I will also cultivate with you. Hopefully, it will be a beneficial night for us."

"You can also cultivate alongside me?" Xuefeng asked, pleasantly surprised. He thought it will be just him but if he could actually improve his and the girls' stage at the same time, it would be perfect.

Xiao Wen nodded and explained seriously, "Yes. Aside from the main, central spot in the array, there are two more side spots where the essence also gathers. Although the quantity is lower, it still has decent usage. The more Spirit Essence the array gathers, the better the effects. If everything goes, as usual, I should reach halfway the stage."

Clap.

"That's great. I like it. The three of us can cultivate together then. Yi?" Xuefeng clasped his hands together, enjoying this idea a lot and turned around to call for Yi.

He thought that she already sensed his plans as she was already up to them but instead of halting her movements, she ran straight into his arms, almost knocking him to the ground.

This made Xuefeng confused and he asked as he grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her away, "Yi, is something wrong?"

He would never expect that she would shrug his hands away and cry out while looking into his eyes, "I think I like you!"

Xuefeng blinked a few times and smiled at such a friendly confession, reaching out to pat her head as he said, "Oh, I like you too. I value our friendshi—" Unfortunately, this was not what Yi wanted to hear and before he could finish his sentence, Yi grabbed his hand by his wrist and cried out even louder, her silver hair vibrating as the voice resounded throughout the rooftop, "I don't just like you! I really like you!"

As if influenced by her, Xuefeng also raised his voice as he shouted back, repeating his message, "I like you too!"

"Not that like!" Yi shouted back, trying to outshout herself, already frustrated that Xuefeng still didn't read her thoughts.

Xuefeng cried again, asking while acting confused, "What Like?!"

Xiao Wen looked at both of them and shook her head, not surprised by Yi's confession. As a woman who was in love, she already noticed that Yi's behaviour around Xuefeng was weird and somewhat familiar. She realised it was because she was the same, a girl in love. She didn't say anything and just observed, knowing that it wasn't her decision to make.

...….

A moment ago, when Yi was standing to the side, watching Xuefeng and Xiao Wen's confession of love, she suddenly imagined herself in Xiao Wen's place, hugging into her crush's chest only to be hit with a realisation that Xuefeng didn't even know about her feelings which made her heart and head hurt.

'But will that make a difference? Will he give us a chance? What if he rejects me? His heart already belongs to so many women…' Yi thought, her head hurting from all the questions she wanted answers for.

Just then, she heard a voice of that woman that kept talking to her earlier in her mind advise her, 'If you keep it to yourself for any longer, it will start to hurt more. You have to tell him. Go.'

'I can't… He is with Xiao Wen… Hugging and kissing her… How can I disturb them… Ahh, it hurts...' Yi rejected but then aside from the pain in her chest, she also felt dizzy as if she just spun for minutes.

'Your emotions are unstable. You need to calm down else darkness will consume you once again. Here, he let go of her. This is your chance. Go hug him and tell him how you feel. Release it. Don't keep it in yourself. You will feel much better afterwards.' Yi's Spirit said, seeing that Xuefeng already let go of Xiao Wen.

When Yi saw it, for some reason, her legs moved and she found herself running towards him, her target being his back which she wanted to hug so badly. Even when Xuefeng turned around, she didn't stop, entering into his arms before feeling his warmth for a few seconds until he pulled her away.

Looking into his eyes, she confessed her feelings to him, shouting it with all her feelings but he still didn't understand her. She tried even harder but the same happened, leaving her at loss with her mind in a mess.

Just when she was about to cried out for the third time which would be her last before losing herself, Xuefeng reached out and covered her lips with his hand, saying softly, "Yi, whatever you want to say, I hope you understand the time and place. How about we proceed with cultivation and you will tell me after you think it over, okay?"

'So he does know what I want to ask yet he doesn't want to reject me…' Yi analyzed Xuefeng's words, trying to understand what he wanted to tell her but then her Spirit helped her calm down, 'He knows but at the same time, you two didn't spend enough time together to even think about anything more than friendship. You should first think of how do you want to help him. Do you think you will be of help with such a weak strength? You will only slow him down. Work hard for him and then try to climb the steps.'

As her words sank in, Yi's heart calmed down, releasing where she made a mistake. Xuefeng gave her Pio's power so she could work hard and help him yet all she was thinking was an immediate reward for zero effort from her side. When she discovered that, Yi suddenly felt lighter as if her body turned into a spec of dust and suddenly her presence filled the whole rooftop. She felt as if she could move wherever she wanted and her first thought wasn't Xuefeng's arms but one of the spots with a crystal dot on the ground.

'Congratulations on your first time.' Her Spirit called out in her mind and Yi discovered she wasn't next to Xuefeng anymore as her body appeared a few meters away from him. She smiled and looked at the amazed Xuefeng before finally replying to his question, "Mhmm, I will work hard."

It would be strange if he didn't understand what Yi's felt after going through the same with Xiao Wen but he couldn't accept her feelings. Would he accept and bear some affection towards her with some time? He didn't know that and neither did she but he knew his limits. Trying it out and hoping for some feelings to develop between them would only make his relations with others suffer which he would never go for. He couldn't afford that anymore.

"Alright. That's what I wanted to hear." Knowing that, Xuefeng nodded satisfied with his decision and sat down in the middle of the array, right in front of the stone column before calling out, "Xiao Wen, we can start."