Chapter 259: Jiang Chuxue

On the winding mountain path leading up to the Linzhou Upper Sect.

“Hss... ha...”

A young girl in a red dress struggled painfully along the green stone steps, her breaths stifled to the extreme.

Her naturally charming face now glowed with an unnatural flush.

Each step she took seemed to demand all her strength, as if enduring unbearable agony.

Yet she forced herself to maintain a calm expression, causing her cheek muscles to tremble with every step.

Beside her, an old man in plain gray robes walked slowly with his hands behind his back, calm and unhurried.

These two were none other than Yin Qingqing and Jiang Ye.

After Jiang Ye’s brutal beating, Yin Qingqing had become utterly obedient.

She never imagined she would endure such humiliation in her life...

That damned old bastard had truly opened her eyes today.

How could anyone do this?

Pain!

It was excruciating!

The agony, both physical and spiritual, nearly made her faint.

She didn’t even know how she had endured it...

Recalling the scenes that had unfolded, Yin Qingqing’s clear, stream-like eyes churned with intense emotion.

Relief at surviving, lingering terror, and hatred so vast it threatened to drown the heavens.

But mostly—she was crushed by utter shame...

What kind of place was that!!!

How could they!!!

That old bastard is worse than the lowest beast...

Her purity remained intact, yet she felt she had lost something far more precious.

“One day, I will repay today’s humiliation a hundredfold...”

Yin Qingqing glanced at the gray-robed old man beside her, still expressionless, clenched her teeth, and silently swore within her heart.

She wiped her lips and found they were torn, her tongue tasting a faint metallic tang.

At that moment,

A joyful shout echoed from above the path:

“It’s Senior Sister Yin!”

An outer disciple descending the mountain spotted Yin Qingqing and froze, stunned by her unusual flush and intoxicating beauty.

Senior Sister Yin usually moved about the sect with no makeup, her face bare.

Today, her cheeks bore a rare, unfamiliar flush, enhancing her pale complexion with an inexplicable allure.

He hurried forward, his voice trembling with excitement:

“Senior Sister Yin, you rarely come down the mountain!”

“I was just planning to visit Danting Peak these days to ask you about my old shoulder injury—never expected to meet you here!”

His cry drew several other outer disciples passing along the path.

“Senior Sister Yin, you look wonderful today!”

“Much rosier than usual—did something good happen?”

“Senior Sister Yin, are you injured in your foot...”

“Your gait seems off—should I carry you up?”

The disciples crowded around, their concern and reverence plainly visible.

Facing these surrounding outer disciples, Yin Qingqing—who normally handled such attention with ease—now felt like needles pricked her back.

Every kind word felt like a whip lashing her heart; she longed to dig a hole and bury herself alive.

She forced a smile, gritted her teeth, and barely managed to make excuses to send the overly eager disciples away.

Once the outer disciples had gone far enough, Jiang Ye, who had stood silently with his hands behind his back, suddenly smiled faintly and sighed with quiet amusement, his aged eyes filled with unmistakable mockery:

“Miss Yin, I didn’t realize you were so popular among the outer disciples.”

“Ah, if only they knew how their goddess had just...”

He deliberately dragged out the rest, leaving ample room for their imaginations to run wild.

Yin Qingqing’s face turned pale, her clear eyes flickering with unbearable shame and panic; she lowered her voice to a desperate plea:

“Master, please don’t say it...”

“I will be eternally loyal to you...”

She knew this damned old man was doing it on purpose.

He spoke not for any reason other than to humiliate her, to remind her constantly of their master-servant bond.

Jiang Ye smiled faintly, giving her a long, meaningful look, then said nothing more.

About half a stick of incense later,

Yin Qingqing led Jiang Ye up to Danting Peak.

She had come specifically to retrieve the formula for the Yin-Yang Harmonizing Elixir.

As Jiang Ye reached the mid-slope, he nodded inwardly.

No wonder it was Danting Peak—here, the spiritual energy was far denser than on Tianyun Peak.

A faint, sweet aroma of elixirs drifted in the air, invigorating the spirit.

Through winding paths, Yin Qingqing led Jiang Ye through twists and turns, past several herb fields and alchemy halls, finally arriving at a secluded courtyard.

She carefully scanned the surroundings, confirmed no one was nearby, then whispered:

“M... Master...”

“We’re here. This is where I live.”

Jiang Ye raised an eyebrow, studying the quiet courtyard nestled among pine trees, far from the noise—his eyes flickered with surprise.

He hadn’t expected Yin Qingqing to prefer such remote, tranquil surroundings—just like himself.

Convenient for future corporal punishment.

Yin Qingqing opened the gate and led Jiang Ye inside.

The courtyard’s elixir scent was even stronger than outside, the décor elegant and simple.

A stone table, a few bamboo chairs, a few unknown herbs growing in the corner glowed faintly in the sunset’s glow.

In front of Jiang Ye, Yin Qingqing walked slowly to the courtyard’s corner, knelt down, lifted a loose hidden brick, and pulled out a palm-sized cloth bag. She held it out with both hands, her voice still cautious:

“Master, the Yin-Yang Harmonizing Elixir formula is inside.”

Jiang Ye took the bag and withdrew a thin, ancient booklet.

On its cover, ancient seal script characters were clearly printed:

The Yin-Yang Harmonizing Method.

His pupils contracted slightly as he opened it and began reading carefully.

As he turned each page, his expression grew heavier, his brow tightening with barely concealed shock.

Beside him, Yin Qingqing watched his face anxiously, twisting her sleeves, not daring to breathe.

After a long while,

Jiang Ye finished reading the entire booklet, exhaled slowly, and his eyes gleamed with sharp insight—he nodded inwardly.

Use yang to nourish yin.

Use yin to replenish yang.

Yin and yang unite, cultivating true qi.

This was no mere alchemy technique—it was an ancient dual-cultivation secret art.

The Yin-Yang Harmonizing Elixir was merely a byproduct derived from this method; the true core lay within these thin dozen pages.