The Lunar Stone and a Fainting Savior

“Why are you so happy?” Seeing Su Hanxing’s radiant smile, utterly devoid of his previous embarrassment, Chi Qiu felt a flicker of annoyance.

“I faced a great calamity and believed I was doomed to die. Yet, I was saved by Miss Chi; how could I not be happy?” Su Hanxing felt an immense surge of joy, his last lingering doubts vanishing like smoke. He was certain Chi Qiu would not harm him.

“Oh? ‘Miss Chi,’ you say…?” Chi Qiu’s smile didn’t reach her eyes as she leaned closer to Su Hanxing’s face, her voice chilling as she questioned him.

Su Hanxing swallowed hard. From such close proximity, he could even discern the fine beads of sweat on Chi Qiu’s fair skin. With every breath, he inhaled the elegant floral scent clinging to her. Had he not lost so much blood, he might have already succumbed to embarrassment.

“I recall that you didn’t object to being called ‘Miss Chi’ before…” Su Hanxing’s voice grew increasingly hesitant, his words fading into a whisper.

“Hmph! It wasn’t that I didn’t object; it was simply that my strength was inferior to yours, leaving me no choice. But now, you are the fish, and I am the cleaver…” Chi Qiu scoffed, then straightened up and drew her Azure Frost Sword. She pointed the tip directly between Su Hanxing’s legs, her voice chilling as she continued, “If you’re so fond of calling me ‘Miss Chi,’ then perhaps you’d prefer to be a eunuch from now on.”

“No… no! Brother Chi, let’s talk this through. It was indeed my mistake to swap our bodies then, and I will apologize now.” Feeling the chilling proximity to his lower body, Su Hanxing instantly panicked.

“An apology… what kind of apology?” Chi Qiu’s expression turned cunning, and she deliberately drew out the final syllable. “If it doesn’t satisfy me, then prepare to enter the palace, Eunuch Su—”

Naturally, she had no intention of actually castrating Su Hanxing, nor could she kill him here. Firstly, if she were to castrate him, she would likely face dire consequences once he recovered from his injuries and regained his strength. Secondly, if Su Hanxing were to die, the elders of the Tianyan Sect, renowned for their divinations, could easily deduce the culprit. To be targeted by such individuals would mean there was nowhere to hide, neither in heaven nor on earth.

Thus, Chi Qiu could only resort to intimidation, hoping to extort some of Su Hanxing’s reserves.

Su Hanxing calmed himself, though his complexion remained unnatural. He spoke slowly. “Could you… move the sword away first? I’m feeling a bit…”

“So finicky, so dilly-dallying, not a trace of manliness about you.” Chi Qiu retracted her sword, then tossed a piece of satin to cover Su Hanxing’s lower body.

Just you wait until I’ve recovered from my injuries. I’ll show you what a man truly is.

Su Hanxing seethed internally, daring only to grumble in his thoughts. However, with the satin now covering him, he finally relaxed and began to observe Chi Qiu intently.

“Eh?” The moment he shifted his attention to Chi Qiu, Su Hanxing noticed something amiss. Chi Qiu had previously claimed she hadn’t reached the Heart Scripture Realm, yet from Su Hanxing’s observation, she was clearly at the peak of the Spirit Nourishing Realm. Breakthrough, for her, was merely a matter of snapping one’s fingers.

After a moment of thought, Su Hanxing spoke. “Brother Chi, I observe your spiritual energy overflowing, indicating you’ve clearly reached the perfected state of the Spirit Nourishing Realm. With your talent, breaking through to the Heart Scripture Realm should be effortless. Why haven’t you done so yet?”

Upon hearing Su Hanxing’s words, Chi Qiu’s eyes instantly widened. According to him, breaking through to the Heart Scripture Realm should be quite simple, so why had she been unable to achieve it? Realizing Su Hanxing likely held the key, she stated bluntly, “I don’t know how to break through.”

Su Hanxing was first surprised by Chi Qiu’s admission, then an expression of understanding dawned on him. What he considered common knowledge might be something a rogue cultivator like Chi Qiu would never encounter in a lifetime.

With a hint of pity, he began, “To break through the Spirit Nourishing Realm, one needs to use a heavenly material and earthly treasure that matches their cultivation method as a catalyst. After cultivating true qi outside the body, it must be guided inward. This true qi then expands the spiritual orifices to form the Heart Aperture, allowing one to achieve the Heart Scripture Realm.”

Su Hanxing paused, then continued, “The more precious the chosen heavenly material and earthly treasure, the better. The higher its grade, the stronger the Origin Seed formed within the Heart Aperture will be. Hmm… I recall your cultivation method is related to the moon. I have a Lunar Stone here, fallen from the Lunar Star; I’ll give it to you as an apology.”

With that, Su Hanxing separated a wisp of true qi, enveloping his storage bracelet. From it, he retrieved a pale blue crystal, no larger than a fingernail.

“This Lunar Stone is incredibly precious, a top-grade material for refining magical artifacts. Unfortunately, the piece I acquired is too small to forge an artifact, and even mixed with other metals, its effects would be negligible. However, if you use this treasure to advance to the Heart Scripture Realm, it will be absolutely perfect.” After explaining, Su Hanxing handed it to Chi Qiu.

“A Lunar Stone, then… Thank you.” Chi Qiu accepted the pale blue crystal. Although it was only the size of a fingernail, the extremely pure spiritual energy it contained moved her slightly.

“There’s no need to be so polite. You saved my life; this Lunar Stone pales in comparison to such a kindness. I just never expected a renowned cultivator like yourself wouldn’t know how to break through the Spirit Nourishing Realm. Among the major sects and aristocratic families, this is the most basic common knowledge…”

As Su Hanxing spoke, his voice gradually softened. He suddenly realized his words were inappropriate.

Chi Qiu showed no significant reaction. Having received a benefit, she naturally wouldn’t deliberately make things difficult for Su Hanxing anymore. She tucked the Lunar Stone into her pocket, then looked at Su Hanxing, who lay beneath the satin. “Do you have any spare clothes? I only have dresses, and the size won’t fit you. If you don’t have other clothing, you’ll have to walk around wrapped in cloth from now on.”

Su Hanxing nodded. “Of course I do. Allow me to retrieve them.” With a flick of his storage bracelet, a complete set of clothes appeared beside him: inner garments, a long robe, and short boots, all crafted from the finest silk and satin.

“That’s good then. I’ll help you put on your inner garments first. By the next time your dressing needs changing, you should be able to move around.” Chi Qiu picked up the inner garments from the ground, approached Su Hanxing, and lifted the satin, preparing to help him dress.

“Wait… that won’t be necessary, will it?” A chill spread across his body, and Su Hanxing instantly became flustered.

“You haven’t forgotten what my previous body looked like, have you? Why are you being so coy? Could it be that you truly see me as a woman now?” Chi Qiu ignored Su Hanxing’s protests, proceeding to help him put on his undergarments.

“I— Never mind. Do as you please.” Su Hanxing felt Chi Qiu’s soft, boneless, and slightly cool hand brush against his thigh. He let out a sigh, not answering her question, and closed his eyes as if resigned to his fate.

Chi Qiu lowered her gaze, only to see that ‘little Su Hanxing’ had somehow stood at attention, like a soldier preparing for battle. Faced with such an obvious answer, Chi Qiu froze for a moment. She said nothing more, straightened the inner garments, and then rose and left the area.

Su Hanxing, who had braced himself for Chi Qiu’s wrath, waited for a long time before finally opening his eyes. He saw only her retreating back, leaving him utterly bewildered.

That fellow, ever since her body turned female, her personality has become just as unpredictable as a woman’s.

Watching Chi Qiu turn a corner and disappear from his sight, Su Hanxing muttered under his breath.

Chi Qiu turned into the spiritual field, aimlessly wandering within it like a drifting spirit. For some reason, she recalled scenes from her childhood: her mother holding his hand, strolling along the covered bridge over the lotus pond; her father’s reprimands when he tried to teach him to use an abacus, but he simply couldn’t learn.

Was that love?

Chi Qiu felt a pang of confusion. She had long forgotten the feelings of that time. Only fragmented memories flickered in her mind, like a shattered memory stone. She walked on in silence, her mind drifting back to Su Hanxing’s recent embarrassment and his prominently displayed male symbol. Once upon a time, she had possessed one too.

Was that love?

No, it wasn’t. Chi Qiu knew clearly that it wasn’t love; it was desire, a normal reaction that every man would experience.

She found a clean spot and sat down, taking the fingernail-sized Lunar Stone from her pocket. She didn’t want to dwell on whether she was male or female, nor did she wish to decipher anyone’s feelings for her. Her sole goal now was to diligently cultivate and elevate her realm, so that after exacting her revenge, she could live a life of carefree freedom.

Chi Qiu gazed at the Lunar Stone in her hand, casting aside all distracting thoughts. Things had come to this; it was time to cultivate.

Relying on the Lunar Stone and the breakthrough steps Su Hanxing had explained, Chi Qiu successfully opened her Heart Aperture and entered the Heart Scripture Realm in just over half an hour.

At this moment, Chi Qiu was focusing her mind to observe her Heart Aperture. Within it, a bright moon hung suspended—this was Chi Qiu’s Origin Seed. Since Chi Qiu’s true qi had evolved with the aid of the Lunar Stone, the resulting Origin Seed took the form of the Lunar Star, or the moon itself.

“Ugh—”

Su Hanxing’s cry of pain startled Chi Qiu from her meditative state. She opened her eyes, rose, and quickly returned to the cave abode. There, she saw Su Hanxing with his eyes tightly shut, his entire body trembling as large beads of sweat streamed down his cheeks.

Su Hanxing’s previous composure was due to having soaked in the water for too long; his wounds had necrotized, and even the sensation of pain had vanished. Now, with Chi Qiu having treated his injuries, and true qi flowing through him, new flesh began to grow. Only then did he feel the excruciating, unforgettable pain.

Chi Qiu stood before him, observing his face contorted in pain. A sense of pity, stemming from an unknown source, welled up within her. She extended her hand, and icy blue true qi condensed within it. This was Lunar True Qi of exceptionally high grade, capable of freezing even a divine soul if wielded to its utmost.

Naturally, Chi Qiu was not mobilizing the Lunar True Qi to kill him. She knelt, slowly pressing the true qi against his chest. At this moment, she concentrated her mind entirely, meticulously guiding the Lunar True Qi to cover each of Su Hanxing’s wounds.

Gradually, under the blanket of Lunar True Qi, the tearing pain was replaced by a cool sensation, until he could no longer feel any agony. Su Hanxing’s tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and his body visibly eased.

Chi Qiu dared not be careless. Lunar True Qi of this caliber possessed immense destructive power; even a slight lapse in concentration could inflict greater harm upon him. Thus, she remained vigilant, not relaxing for a single moment until the last of his wounds was enveloped by the true qi.

As the final wound was covered, Chi Qiu finally exhaled the breath she had been holding. Her breakthrough to the Heart Scripture Realm had already drained a significant amount of her mental energy, and now, alleviating Su Hanxing’s pain was another profoundly taxing task.

She felt utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally. All she wanted was to find a comfortable spot to lie down and sleep soundly. With that thought, Chi Qiu stood up. Suddenly, her vision blurred, and she instantly lost consciousness. Her body, as if stripped of its bones, collapsed softly, landing beside Su Hanxing.

The very moment Chi Qiu fell, Su Hanxing, no longer tormented by pain, opened his eyes. He watched in astonishment as a visibly exhausted Chi Qiu collapsed before him, falling into a deep sleep.