Chapter 11: The Secret Manuals
”Splash—"
Well water poured onto Meng Zhifan's broad shoulders and back, flowing over several scratch marks that were still stained with blood, wetting the moonflowers entwined around the garden fence.
The courtyard was now a riot of flowers, filled with a delicate fragrance, a stark contrast to the bare, simple courtyard of a year ago.
Now, the courtyard even had its own name, hanging right at the entrance.
”Cuiyu Residence.”
This wooden plaque was carved by Rong Zhao himself.
-
A few months earlier.
Rong Zhao rummaged through his storage bag and found a piece of wood that had been stuffed in there at some point. It was polished smoothly and had a bright color. However, ordinary wood without spiritual energy was just firewood in the eyes of cultivators.
So, Venerable Rong stuffed it into the stove.
It almost burned a whole pot of porridge.
Fortunately, Meng Zhifan discovered it in time and picked it out with fire tongs. After washing and drying it, he wrote three characters on it with charcoal and hung it above the spirit herbs at the entrance.
Meng Zhifan's calligraphy was actually quite beautiful, elegant and spirited. Even though writing with charcoal wasn't ideal, it was still pleasing to the eye.
Rong Zhao stood at the doorway, examining it for a moment. With a flick of his finger, a fine thread emerged nimbly from his sleeve.
A few "snap-snap" sounds followed, and wood shavings fell away, revealing the fresh wood core.
The characters carved on the wood displayed an unrestrained beauty, one that bore no resemblance to Meng Zhifan's writing at all.
Meng Zhifan heard the sound and came over to look. He said nothing, simply taking some charcoal and retracing the carved characters.
The two stood side-by-side at the doorway, admiring the work for a while
"Is my handwriting beautiful?"
"Beautiful." Meng Zhifan took his hand and kissed it, lying through his teeth, yet sounding quite convincing
. "If you have time, Venerable One, could you teach me how to write like this?"
Rong Zhao gave a satisfied "hmm."
"I'll teach you another day."
Fortunately, Venerable Rong had little patience and only taught him for two days before stopping, otherwise Meng Zhifan's beautiful handwriting would have been doomed.
-
The wooden plaque engraved with "Cuiyu Residence" was rustling in the night breeze.
The well water was very cold at night.
Rong Zhao's back ached, his legs were weak, and utterly exhausted. He sat on the small stool in the shower, dozing off, when he was startled awake by the cold cotton cloth wiping his cheek.
He blinked, quickly regaining his senses, and took the cloth to wipe his face himself.
Meng Zhifan sat beside him watching.
After a while, he gently asked, "Is there anywhere that hurts?"
"No."
"Do you want me to help you...?"
"No."
Rong Zhao refused Meng Zhifan's help, and after a few stumbling moments, he finally cleaned himself up, even staggering a bit when he got up.
Meng Zhifan reached out to support him, then without a word, picked him up horizontally.
Rong Zhao immediately felt slighted and a little unhappy, frowning as he said, "Put me down."
"I'll carry you back." Meng Zhifan held him even tighter, leaning down and whispering, "I know you're not in pain or discomfort, and you don't need anyone's help. But this is what a Dao companion should do."
Rong Zhao fell silent.
"What a Dao companion should do"—it sounded like some kind of spell used to subdue a cultivator, and it usually worked.
Rong Zhao relaxed, hanging limply in Meng Zhifan's arms, and by the time he was carried to the bed, he was already fast asleep.
Meng Zhifan tucked him in and kissed his forehead, suddenly remembered someone's arrogant statement a year ago that he didn't need to sleep, and couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Afterward, he quietly slipped into bed beside him.
Rong Zhao slept soundly, his breathing even and deep, his body emanating a cool, well-water-like warmth. The spot where they were pressed together was initially icy, but quickly warmed up.
Meng Zhifan opened his eyes, gazing at the newly changed bed curtains embroidered with acacia flowers, his thoughts drifting aimlessly.
Just a moment ago… he and Rong Zhao had been intimate.
The cultivator was known for his strong temper, yet he was surprisingly soft to hold; a gentle pinch would leave a mark.
Then, there was that soft, involuntary moan Rong Zhao had made at the moment of penetration. It felt as though a fire was burning through his heart, leaving a burning, numbing scar that gradually transformed into a hidden abyss of desire, breeding an unfathomable greed.
Meng Zhifan turned over, pulling Rong Zhao into his arms, and touched his lips against his.
-
Ever since they had engaged in dual cultivation, Rong Zhao noticed that Meng Zhifan seemed different.
He couldn't describe the change.
On the surface, Meng Zifan still seemed the same as before, speaking and acting gently, enjoying holding hands and kisses, and his eyes filled with a bright, warm light when he looked at him.
But now, it seems there's something sweet and sticky mixed in, like honey.
If Fang Jiuhe were to describe it, he would say that Meng Zifan had "fallen." To be more specific, "fallen completely."
Unfortunately, a year had passed, yet Rong Zunzhe's understanding of the concept "love" hasn't improved at all.
The only progress was that he hadn't been reading that Path of Ruthlessness Manual much in the past year. That manual only ever mentions the phrase "The first sword to become an immortal is to first kill the one you love," without mentioning a single word about how to cultivate the relationship between Dao companions.
Rong Zhao really couldn't understand anything from it, so he switched to studying those two "Dao Companion Manuals," instead, studying them so diligently that the pages were worn out from the constant handling.
Venerable Rong firmly believed that Meng Zhifan's change in attitude towards dual cultivation over the past year, from resistance to acquiescence, was entirely due to his diligent study of the "Dao Companion Manuals," so he took great care to keep those two books safe.
But he didn't know that about half a year ago, when he hurriedly went down the mountain, he forgot both manuals on the table, leaving them open and were seen by Meng Zhifan who was tidying up the room.
Unlike the cultivation manual for the path of ruthlessness, which requires spiritual energy to view their contents, this manual's contents were clearly written in black and white.
Initially, Meng Zhifan didn't notice the contents and simply closed the book while tidying up.
However, upon closing it, the exposed cover boldly proclaimed: "How to Easily Win the Heart of Your Dao Companion." Beneath it lay another book, its cover reading: "Becoming a Loving Dao Companion in 100 Days."
Meng Zhifan: "?"
Driven by curiosity, he picked up the book, "How to Easily Win the Heart of Your Dao Companion," and began to flip through it.
It was clear that Rong Zhao had truly put in the effort.
He had done almost every single foolish tactic mentioned in the book.
For example, pretending to sprain his ankle during a date.
Or how to cleverly get the other person to mistakenly use the teacup he had drunk from, then feign surprise and shyness.
Unfortunately, Venerable Rong's skills were lacking, and he had his own ideas, resulting in actions that were completely counterproductive.
For instance, several times when the two were strolling down the mountain together, he deliberately chose the rugged paths and secretly tried to trip Meng Zhifan, attempting to create the effect of a sprained ankle on him instead.
Meng Zhifan once genuinely suspected he was trying to murder him.
For example, one day all the teacups in Cuiyu Residence mysteriously disappeared, leaving only one clearly used white porcelain cup.
Left without choice, Meng Zhifan had to use a rice bowl to drink tea that day.
The next day,
All the rice bowls had vanished too
… It turned out he learned it from this book.
After reading the entire book, *How to Easily Win the Heart of Your Dao Companion,* Meng Zhifan put it back exactly as it was.
He had already been very indulgent toward Rong Zhao, and now that indulgence had deepened even further.
Their relationship progressed rapidly again.
To be precise, it was Meng Zhifan's feeling that was advancing by leaps and bounds.
The book truly deserved credit for enabling them to achieve dual cultivation within a short year.
-
Today, Venerable Rong, having nothing better to do, so he was once again flipping through *Becoming a Loving Dao Companion in 100 Days*.
There was always something new to look at.
Even so, Rong Zhao felt these two Dao Companion manuals were no longer useful; he'd used every trick in them and needed to go down the mountain to buy new ones.
But the bookstore that had sold him the manuals had been vandalized, supposedly for selling counterfeit books.
He heard Meng Zhifan calling him for lunch, casually responded, got up, and slipped the books into his storage bag.
Lunch consisted of twice-cooked pork, cold eggplant salad, with chilled fermented rice balls as a desert.
Rong Zhao tasted the fermented rice balls but found them insufficient, so he took out a pot of perilla wine from his storage bag and poured some for Meng Zhifan as well.
Not long after lunch, the door closed tightly.
Even with two bowls of ice placed inside to cool them down, the sweltering heat remained. Two figures were entangled on the bed, inseparable.
Rong Zhao closed his eyes, arching his neck, sweat pouring down his face.
The intoxicating taste of the perilla wine lingered on his lips and tongue.
He loved this hazy sensation, chaotic and disoriented, letting pleasure surge through his body. He would kiss Meng Zhifan, hooking his arm around the back of his neck, pressing their noses together affectionately.
Only in this extreme chaos could Rong Zhao feel that intense emotion filling his chest, a feeling so potent it seemed ready to bust forth, a mixture of longing, reluctance, and a heart-wrenching pain, a throbbing sensation that made him unsure whether it was pain or pleasure, only that his heart pounded so fiercely that made his internal organs clench tightly.
He didn't know what it was, but he felt deeply satisfied.
That's why Rong Zhao enjoyed making love with Meng Zhifan.
There was no one else on Cuiyu Mountain, and Venerable Rong had no reservations.
They would usually do it under ancient trees, by the streams, inside a dry cave, on a bed of thick vines, or even on cliff edges bathed in the glow of setting sun.
Finally, Meng Zhifan would wrap him in his robes and carry him back, then scoop up a ladle of well water and gently wash him.
It was cool and comfortable.
By comparison, doing it behind a closed door like this was actually the most boring option.
...
The ice had melted into water, forming a puddle, but instead of cooling him down, it made him feel sticky and uncomfortable.
Rong Zhao's eyes were blurred by the sweat dripping from his forehead.
Meng Zhifan nipped at his earlobe and murmured, "What are you thinking about?"
"I was wondering... whether we can go outside." Rong Zhao nearly bit his tongue as a sudden thrust caught him off guard. "...It's hot."
He didn't really want to use his spiritual power, because the drunkenness would be dispelled along with the circulation of spiritual power.
"Where do you want to go? To the well?"
"Just...just to the well." He grabbed Meng Zhifan's shoulders and tried to push him away, gritting his teeth, "Don't...um, don't move, I can get there by myself."
"Can you stand up?" Meng Zhifan didn't let go, supporting his waist, half-coaxing and half-tricking him gently, "Let me carry you over instead, like this..."
Rong Zhao couldn't break free, his eyes red and wet, his body trembling even more violently.
Meng Zhifan lifted him up and hugged him, about to walk out, when suddenly he felt a chill against his sensitive spot. Looking down, he saw that the Rao Zhi Rou had somehow wrapped itself around it, incredibly sharp.
Meng Zhifan: "..."
Rong Zhao: "Let go."
Meng Zhifan let go.
A moment later, Rong Zhao leaned against the well, his hands gripping the blue bricks of the well's edge so tightly that the veins bulged.
His Rao Zhi Rou had been confiscated by the mortal.
He didn't know how he had been tricked into giving it up, only remembering being kissed twice, and then... it seemed... he felt so comfortable that he knew nothing more.
