Chapter 450 - 226: Revealing One’s True Feelings

Chapter 450: Chapter 226: Revealing One’s True Feelings

Chen Cheng gently inhaled her faint, elegant fragrance, his heart racing. He couldn’t help but become more and more audacious.

After just a moment of this, Shen Qingyao was already feeling weak, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz.

"Junior Brother Chen..."

Chen Cheng savored her fragrance with gentle care, like a fierce tiger sniffing a rose.

After some time, Shen Qingyao chided him playfully, "Junior Brother Chen, you truly are a bold scoundrel!"

Chen Cheng chuckled softly. "Getting a little close with my own wife can hardly be called bold.

However, Senior Sister Qingyao, your words have reminded me. Perhaps I should be even bolder."

Chen Cheng had always been a man of action. Following the principle of "less talk, more action," he moved to cross the final line.

Shen Qingyao’s heart leaped in alarm, and she said in a fluster, "Junior Brother Chen, not now! We can’t!"

"Oh?" Chen Cheng murmured. "Senior Sister Qingyao, don’t you want to cultivate the Concealment Secret Skill anymore?"

Shen Qingyao suddenly extended a delicate hand, pinching Chen Cheng’s chin. She chided, "Junior Brother Chen, you’ve really thought this through, haven’t you? Trying to get something for nothing? Hurry up and teach me, your Senior Sister, the Concealment Secret Skill.

Otherwise, the consequences will be severe."

As she spoke, her other hand, the one holding the spear, tightened its grip slightly.

"Alright then, Senior Sister Qingyao. Listen closely." Chen Cheng’s large hand also squeezed her lightly, a small punishment, before he recited the Heart Method Mantra.

"The inner world is a secret, not for display. Sink your qi to your Dantian, your breath a silken thread. Let your form follow your shadow, your movements flow with nature. Retract your divine light, conceal your sharpest edge. Shift between illusion and reality, leaving foes unable to discern...

If the heart is clear and bright, free of all attachments...

Senior Sister Qingyao, these are my insights on the Concealment Secret Skill."

After imparting the Concealment Secret Skill, Chen Cheng returned his focus to sniffing the rose, savoring her faint fragrance.

In the end, however, he didn’t force the issue!

"...Junior Brother Chen, your... your Heart Method Mantra for the Concealment Secret Skill... how is it so vastly different from the version from Vast Peak!

Junior Brother Chen... I haven’t reached Bone Forging Realm Perfection yet. I... I can’t..."

Shen Qingyao felt weak all over, but she steadfastly guarded the final gate, not letting Chen Cheng cross the line by even half a step.

Chen Cheng gently held her from behind, his large hands roaming freely as he murmured, "The Concealment Secret Skill is from a fragmented manual. This Heart Method Mantra is just based on my own personal insights.

I’ve only reached the Beginner Level myself, so this is all I can teach you."

’Since they had confessed their feelings for each other, Shen Qingyao was his woman now. Chen Cheng naturally wouldn’t be selfish and hold back from her.’

’However, he naturally couldn’t teach Shen Qingyao the complete, corrected Heart Method Mantra for the Concealment Secret Skill.’

’He had only imparted the Beginner Level section.’

’Even so, he had only managed to cultivate this Beginner Level portion of the Heart Method Mantra through a stroke of luck, by obtaining Incense and Candle Power to drastically boost his Spiritual Power, not to mention the help of his panel.’

’Although Shen Qingyao was exceptionally talented and intelligent, he feared it would be nigh impossible for her to master even the Beginner Level of the Concealment Secret Skill.’

Sure enough, Shen Qingyao fell into deep thought. After a long moment, a discouraged look crossed her face, and she sighed softly,

"Junior Brother Chen, this Heart Method Mantra of yours is clearly easier to comprehend than the one passed down on Vast Peak.

I feel like I’m on the verge of an epiphany, but I just can’t seem to achieve a complete breakthrough.

At this rate, it will probably take me many years to reach the Beginner Level of the Concealment Secret Skill!"

"The path of cultivation requires one to proceed step by step. You can’t rush it," Chen Cheng said.

"Hey..." Noticing Chen Cheng was making a move again, Shen Qingyao let out a soft exclamation, gave his chest a light tap, and then struggled free as if making an escape.

"Junior Brother Chen, you were about to misbehave again! And... and you were about to..."

Shen Qingyao’s face was flushed red as she spoke. Seeing Chen Cheng’s slightly disappointed expression, she broke into a gentle smile. "But... we’re not married yet, and I haven’t reached Bone Forging Realm Perfection. So, you can’t do that!"

"Fine," Chen Cheng conceded with a slight nod.

Shen Qingyao suddenly leaned in again, giving Chen Cheng a light peck on the cheek. Then, before he could grab her, she quickly dodged away, escaping with a grin,

"Junior Brother Chen, I suppose you could say I anticipated my opponent’s move, right?"

"You did," Chen Cheng laughed in response.

...

"Shen Qingyao, what took you so long cultivating the Concealment Secret Skill?"

Seeing Shen Qingyao return, Shen Qingshuang asked with suspicion.

"Er... the Concealment Secret Skill isn’t that easy to comprehend. Naturally, I had to practice a little longer." Shen Qingyao replied, looking very much like she had a guilty conscience, and then hurried away.

’Hmph, don’t think you can use your feminine wiles to make Junior Brother Chen teach you everything he knows.’

’I’m the one who helped him get his start. He’ll naturally look after me more.’

Shen Qingshuang snorted and quickly flitted toward Chen Cheng’s location.

...

"Senior Sister Qingshuang, do you want to cultivate the Concealment Secret Skill too?" Chen Cheng asked, seeing her land on the large tree and stand a short distance away, her expression cool.

Shen Qingshuang nodded and answered in all seriousness, "The Concealment Secret Skill is so powerful. Of course I must cultivate it."

"In that case, have you considered it, Senior Sister Qingshuang? Are you willing to become the person most intimate and dear to me?" Chen Cheng asked again.

Shen Qingshuang had already given it a great deal of thought, but now that the question was posed directly, she still hesitated for a moment.

The scene of her first meeting with Chen Cheng surfaced in her mind.

Back then, Chen Cheng was just a Little Prison Guard of humble birth and meager strength. In her eyes, he was an insignificant nobody.

But the Chen Cheng of today had become someone she had to look up to.

The change was so fast it made Shen Qingshuang feel as if she were in a dream.

She had never imagined that she would one day be bound to Chen Cheng by fate, much less that she would be the one to confess her feelings to him first!

"I am willing to marry you and be with you for the rest of my life." After a long pause, Shen Qingshuang’s beautiful eyes shone as she answered softly.

Her decisiveness took Chen Cheng by surprise.

’Shen Qingshuang had always given him the impression of being cold and aloof.’

’She was like an ice queen—pure and stunningly beautiful, but unapproachable.’

’He’d even thought that with a personality as cold as hers, she would probably never get married.’

Clearly, Chen Cheng was wrong.

So, Chen Cheng quickly corrected his own thinking, smiled freely, and said:

"Senior Sister Qingshuang, since we’re going to be husband and wife, don’t you think we’re standing a little too far apart?"

"It is a bit far. It feels distant," Shen Qingshuang said, as if only just realizing it. She moved a little closer to Chen Cheng, but still kept a fair distance.

’Senior Sister Qingshuang really is different from Senior Sister Qingyao.’ Chen Cheng thought to himself. In a flash, he was standing right in front of Shen Qingshuang.

They were so close now. Shen Qingshuang felt an inexplicable wave of nervousness, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it would leap out of her chest.

"Senior Sister Qingshuang, are you truly in love with me?" Chen Cheng asked with great solemnity.

Shen Qingshuang lifted her head slightly, her beautiful eyes meeting Chen Cheng’s as she answered earnestly, "Of course. Why else would I agree to marry you?"

"Then how about we do something... fun?" Chen Cheng said with a chuckle.

"Something fun?" Shen Qingshuang froze for a second, then took an unconscious half-step back.

"Senior Sister Qingshuang, are you afraid of me? I think I can feel you trembling?"

Chen Cheng found this amusing and smiled.

"Of course not. You’re not a man-eating Demon Beast, why would I be afraid of you?" His teasing made Shen Qingshuang break into a brilliant smile, like ice and snow melting in the sun.

It was like a snow lotus on a frozen peak, suddenly blooming with breathtaking allure.

Chen Cheng was momentarily stunned by the sight. He gently stroked her forehead and murmured, "Senior Sister Qingshuang, you’re truly beautiful when you smile."

Shen Qingshuang said, "So I’m not beautiful when I’m not smiling?"

"Hmm... that... I’d have to take a closer look to know! Or perhaps, I’d have to have a taste to know."

Chen Cheng said.

...

!

’Forget it. Even though I’ve reached Great Success in the Bone Forging Realm, and physical intimacy doesn’t have a major impact on my Martial Arts Cultivation at this stage...’

’...I still haven’t reached Bone Forging Realm Perfection. If my Primordial Yang is depleted, it could affect my ability to cultivate the Perfect Flawless Jade Bone...’

’His flag was still flying high, but in the end, he beat the drum of retreat!’ he thought to himself.

...

「Three days later.」

The group returned to Fenglin Town, where they regrouped with the Protectorate Army soldiers temporarily stationed there and took a short rest.

After resting, they had to venture back into the mountains to slay as many Demon Beasts as possible and prevent another disastrous Demon Beast Tide.

Ever since everything was out in the open, the two sisters, Shen Qingyao and Shen Qingshuang, had become much more intimate with Chen Cheng.

The two sisters each took out a Low Grade Bone Tempering Pill they carried with them and gave the pills to Chen Cheng.

Chen Cheng, of course, gladly accepted them.

With the Low Grade Bone Tempering Pills in hand, he immediately shut himself inside his small courtyard and began to cultivate the Dragon Elephant Bone Forging Technique.