The Hehuan Sect cultivates alchemy; my senior sister helps me refine alchemy throughout the world.

The person who came was Zhou Yuntong.

"Junior Brother Shen, the three-day period is up. I've come to collect the Foundation Establishment Pill."

Shen Yifei stepped aside to let her in. Zhou Yuntong stepped into the courtyard, took three steps, and then suddenly stopped.

Her nose twitched slightly, her brows furrowed, and her gaze swept around the courtyard before finally settling on Shen Yifei.

"What does it taste like?" she asked.

"What smell is coming from there?"

"On you." Zhou Yuntong took two steps forward, only a step away from him, then sniffed again, her brows furrowing even more. "A medicinal scent. Not the smell of herbs, but... coming from you."

"It's probably from the smell of the pills being refined." He made up a lie on the spot, then turned and walked into the house. "The pills are ready, Senior Sister Zhou, come in and take a look."

Zhou Yuntong didn't move. She stood in the courtyard, staring at his back, her gaze somewhat unfocused.

Shen Yifei took a few steps and realized that no one had followed. He turned around and saw Zhou Yuntong still standing there, her face flushed and her lips slightly parted, as if she were smelling something.

"Senior Sister Zhou?"

"Huh?" Zhou Yuntong suddenly came to her senses. "Coming, coming."

She followed Shen Yifei into the house and sat down at the table.

Shen Yifei took out a jade bottle from his ring and placed it on the table. It was a Foundation Establishment Pill that he had refined for Zhou Yuntong.

Zhou Yuntong picked up a pill, examined it, nodded, and put it into her storage bag. Then she took out a small cloth bag from her storage bag and placed it on the table. "This is your share, 1200 spirit stones."

Shen Yifei picked up the cloth bag, weighed it in his hand, didn't count the weight, and put it directly into his ring.

"Senior Sister Zhou is a straightforward person. I'll come again if I need anything in the future."

Zhou Yuntong responded and stood up to leave. But she stopped at the door.

"Junior Brother Shen," she turned around, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment, "that medicinal scent on you... what kind of pill did you take?"

"I didn't eat much, just the smoke from the alchemy process."

"Impossible." Zhou Yuntong shook her head. "I've been in the Qingyun Sect for so many years and have seen many alchemists, but none of them have this kind of smell. Your smell..." She bit her lip, "...it makes people uneasy."

Shen Yifei was getting a little annoyed. The matter of the medicinal fragrance was difficult to explain; the more he explained, the more complicated it became. He might as well just admit it; after all, it wasn't anything shameful.

"Senior Sister Zhou, to be honest, I have a special constitution and naturally carry a medicinal fragrance. As for the reason, I can't explain it. If you find the smell uncomfortable, I'll stay away from you in the future."

Hearing him say that, Zhou Yuntong's blush deepened.

"That's not what I meant..." She lowered her head, twisting her fingers around her belt. "I just think...it smells nice."

After saying that, he turned and left, walking much faster than when he came.

Shen Yifei stood at the door, watching her figure disappear into the alley, feeling a mix of amusement and exasperation.

"Little one, you've ruined another one." Liu Mengli came out of the cauldron, leaned against the door frame, and ate a spirit fruit in her hand.

"How did I harm her? I didn't do anything."

"You're a menace standing there." Liu Mengli took a bite of a spiritual fruit. "The medicinal scent on you is like an aphrodisiac to female cultivators. The moment you stand there, they smell it and their hearts start to race like a cat scratching at them. And you even said 'stay away from me,' isn't that just playing hard to get?"

Shen Yifei glared at her: "Stop talking nonsense."

"I'm talking nonsense? Just you wait and see. In less than three days, Zhou Yuntong will be coming to you again."

Liu Mengli's words came true the very next night.

Zhou Yuntong is here again.

This time she changed into a light blue dress and applied a little makeup, looking much more refined than yesterday.

She stood at the gate of the courtyard, holding a food box in her hand, her expression somewhat unnatural.

"Junior Brother Shen, I've made some snacks for you to try."

Shen Yifei sized her up. A female cultivator in the early stage of the Golden Core realm delivering snacks to a man late at night—if the disciples of the Qingyun Sect saw this, they could make up eighteen different versions of gossip.

"Senior Sister Zhou, you're too kind. Please come in and have a seat."

Zhou Yuntong entered the courtyard, placed the food box on the stone table, and opened the lid. Inside were several pieces of spirit cake, made with spirit rice and spirit honey, which looked exquisite and smelled sweet.

"Senior Sister Zhou's cooking is quite good." Shen Yifei picked up a piece and took a bite; it did indeed taste good.

Zhou Yuntong sat down opposite him, placing her hands on her knees and sitting upright.

She didn't speak, but just stared at him, her gaze shifting across his face as if she were examining some rare object.

"Senior Sister Zhou, just say what you want to say. Don't look at me like that, it makes me uncomfortable."

Zhou Yuntong blushed and lowered her head. After a while, she raised her head again, biting her lip: "Junior Brother Shen, could you tell me more about that... special constitution you mentioned yesterday?"

"There's not much to say, it's just what I was born with."

"Born that way?" Zhou Yuntong leaned forward. "Does this constitution affect your cultivation?"

Shen Yifei thought for a moment and decided to tease her: "Yes, when you cultivate with someone, their cultivation speed will be much faster."

Zhou Yuntong's face flushed red instantly, from her neck all the way to her ears.

Shen Yifei found her expression amusing. A cultivator at the early stage of the Golden Core realm, who had lived for decades, was talking about dual cultivation like a young girl. He wondered if she was truly innocent or just pretending.

"Senior Sister Zhou, you wouldn't be thinking of cultivating with me, would you?"

Zhou Yuntong gritted her teeth and nodded. "The cultivation technique I practice is called the 'Ice Heart Technique,' which emphasizes a calm and undisturbed mind. But the scent of you makes it impossible for me to calm down. I've tried meditation, breathing exercises, and taking pills, but nothing works. So I had to come to you."

"What do you want from me?"

"I need you to help me calm down." Zhou Yuntong reached out and untied the ties of her nightgown.

"Junior Brother Shen, this is my first time today, please be gentle."

Shen Yifei swallowed hard. A female cultivator at the early stage of the Golden Core realm, an elite disciple of the Qingyun Sect, was offering herself up for the first time. If word got out, people would laugh their heads off.

But he didn't laugh. He looked into Zhou Yuntong's eyes, which held no lust, only an almost obsessive seriousness.

She genuinely wanted to try and see if practicing dual cultivation with him could calm her mind.

"Senior Sister Zhou, have you thought this through? Once you take this step, there's no turning back."

"I've thought it through." Zhou Yuntong walked over and hooked her arm around his neck. "If I can't take this step, I can't turn back. These past few days, all I can think about is your scent, and I can't even concentrate on my cultivation. Rather than wasting my time like this, I might as well give it a try. If it works, I'll have gained something. If it doesn't, so be it."

Shen Yifei put his arm around her waist and picked her up. Zhou Yuntong was very light.

He placed her on the bed and leaned over to look at her.

Zhou Yuntong lay on her back, her face burning red, but her eyes remained serious.

"Junior Brother Shen, you...you hurry up."

"What's the rush? It's your first time, so take it slow."

Shen Yifei slowly and deliberately untied her bodice.

Zhou Yuntong's body was more sensitive than he had imagined. The moment he touched her skin, she shuddered, biting her lip and closing her eyes tightly, as if she were going to her execution.

"Senior Sister Zhou, relax. How can I do it if you're so nervous?"

Zhou Yuntong took a deep breath and exhaled, her body softening slightly, but still tense.

Shen Yifei sighed and gently massaged her shoulders a few times. He had learned his technique from Qin Wan, and although he wasn't very skilled, it was enough to deal with Zhou Yuntong, who was a first-timer.

After a few massages, Zhou Yuntong's body softened, and her breathing gradually became rapid.

"Junior Brother Shen..." She opened her eyes, which were brimming with tears. "Can't you...can you hurry up? I...I can't take it anymore..."