Chapter 1998: A Week With Meixiu Once Kelan left the sparring grounds, Yuan said, "We will have plenty of time to catch up, so I’m going to take some time to rest for now." "Who are you going to stay with?" Chu Liuxiang asked. "Me or Meixiu?" He quickly replied, "I was going to take turns, so I would stay with one of you for a week, then switch, and repeat." "That sounds good." Chu Liuxiang nodded. She turned to look at Meixiu and continued, "To make things fair, let’s rock-paper-scissors with our eyes closed. No divine sense, either." Meixiu nodded and closed her eyes. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎 "Rock... paper... scissors!" They opened their eyes to check the results. "Ugh. Looks like you win this one..." Chu Liuxiang sighed. Feng Yuxiang, Lan Yingying, and Yingzi decided to leave Yuan’s Dantian for some fresh air and to allow Yuan some privacy. As for Yu Ning, she simply sealed her senses and went to slumber like usual. "I’m going to take a look around the sect with the other two," said Feng Yuxiang. "Try not to cause any trouble..." Yuan said. Feng Yuxiang chuckled. "We’re not you, Young Master." Some time later, Yuan followed Meixiu back to her living quarters. "I’ll go take a shower first," Yuan said as he approached the bathroom. "Wait..." Meixiu suddenly stopped him. "Since it’s been a while... let’s go together." In response, Yuan silently nodded with a smile on his face, and the two of them entered the bathroom together. Inside, Meixiu helped Yuan wash his body like in the old times, but instead of just using her hands, she used her entire body. Over the past few years, she had devoted herself not only to cultivation but also to tempering her physique, refining it until it neared perfection. Her body, though strong enough to deflect ordinary weapons with ease, retained a softness that was almost unreal. Her skin was also as smooth as silk, gliding effortlessly across Yuan’s body with a delicate, irresistible grace. A few minutes later, Meixiu washed the soap off their body. "Yuan..." Unable to restrain herself any longer, Meixiu closed the distance between them and pressed her lips to his in a passionate, heartfelt kiss. Though she had planned to wait until they returned to the bedroom, the longing that had simmered in her heart for years could no longer be contained, overflowing with unrestrained desire. Yuan also didn’t realize how much he missed her presence and touch until they were alone. Soon, their bodies intertwined in an intense cultivation session, and Meixiu’s blissful voice filled the bathroom. Several hours later, they emerged from the bathroom, still unclothed, and made their way to the bedroom, where they continued to make up for the time they had long been apart, their bond deepening with every passing moment. After nearly a week of uninterrupted intimacy, the two of them lay side by side in silence, their eyes fixed on the ceiling. "How’s your mother, Meifeng, doing nowadays?" Yuan eventually asked. "She’s spending more time in the Nine Heavens since there’s not much for her to do on Earth nowadays. She even started a business as a merchant." "A merchant?" Yuan raised an eyebrow at this unexpected news. "Yes," Meixiu said. "She started in the Lower Heavens, gradually building her influence as she ascended through each realm. Now, she’s in the Fourth Heaven, and from what I’ve heard, she’s become quite renowned." "I see... hopefully she’s not mad at me for not being around lately." "Of course not. She misses you a lot and would always ask me about you whenever we encounter each other. Oh, we visit the Myriad of Techniques once every two months to catch up with each other. Yu Rou and the others are also there." "Yu Rou... how is she?" Yuan asked, an air of melancholy surrounding him. "She probably misses you the most out of all of us... and she..." Meixiu suddenly paused, almost as if contemplating whether to continue. "Nothing’s happened to her, right?" Yuan sat up on the bed with a worried frown on his face. Meixiu let out a quiet sigh before continuing, "Honestly, I haven’t seen a genuine smile from her in a long time. Whenever she does smile... it always feels forced." "At first, we thought someone might be causing her trouble. But according to her close friends, Xia Jingyi and Bai Lianhua, there’s no such person. The real reason she’s been acting that way... is because she misses you." Upon hearing those words, Yuan suddenly realized just how much he had been neglecting Yu Rou—something that had quietly begun the moment he first stepped into Cultivation Online and had only deepened with time. Yuan let out a heavy sigh as he covered his face with his arm. "To have caused Yu Rou so much pain... I’ve failed her as a brother." "But this is mostly because of the Celestial Emperor’s—" "No," Yuan interrupted firmly. "I can’t blame the Celestial Emperor. While he may be the reason I haven’t been able to return to Earth these past few years... I started neglecting Yu Rou long before that. This is on me—entirely." "..." Meixiu became silent, and an awkward silence filled the room. "When’s the next meeting?" Yuan then asked. "Our last meeting was a month and two weeks ago, so we’ll be meeting again in two weeks." "Alright. In the meantime, I need to think of a way to make it up to her." Early on the next day, Yuan washed up before leaving Meixiu’s living quarters to head to Chu Liuxiang’s place, which was only a few steps away. When he arrived at her doorstep, Yuan gave a gentle knock. Almost instantly, the door swung open. "Welcome, darling!" Chu Liuxiang greeted him with a playful smile, dressed in a strikingly provocative outfit that left little to the imagination. Before Yuan could even utter a word, Chu Liuxiang seized his arm and pulled him inside, pressing her lips to his in a deep, eager kiss the moment the door closed behind them.