Burial Furnace

Zhang Yuan was dumbfounded.

Having lived to this age, even though he's had a lot of miserable experiences in his life, he still has basic common sense—when a woman tells you to close the door, turn off the lights, and get ready to sleep, the meaning couldn't be clearer.

The problem is, it's absurd.

The other party was a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, while he was just an old man at the fifth level of Qi Refining, with a full head of white hair and a face full of wrinkles.

This combination doesn't seem like the kind of thing that could happen.

However, if one could establish a relationship with a Nascent Soul cultivator, one would have a powerful backer in the future.

Zhou Lie, that clown, would never dare to provoke him again.

Moreover, although this Nascent Soul female cultivator wore a mask and her face was not visible, her eyes and figure alone were enough to make people lose their minds.

Zhang Yuan steeled his resolve, closed the door, and turned off the lights.

In the darkness, he heard the Nascent Soul female cultivator chuckle softly, followed by rustling sounds, as if she were lying down on the bed.

He stood at the door, his heart pounding like a drum. After hesitating for a moment, he finally groped his way over.

However, just as he touched the edge of the bed and before he could lie down, he heard the Nascent Soul female cultivator suddenly exclaim "Ouch!"

Then, the lights came on again.

The Nascent Soul female cultivator sat on the bed, touching her forehead with one hand, her tone tinged with reproach, "Old man, you're too audacious. Don't do this again, or you'll suffer a terrible death one day."

Zhang Yuan was stunned.

Didn't you tell me to close the door, turn off the lights, and get ready to sleep?

Why are you blaming me for being bold now?

The Nascent Soul female cultivator got out of bed, tidied her somewhat disheveled clothes, and then walked gracefully towards the door.

"Let's go to the cultivation chamber," she said without turning her head. "Cultivate the Yin-Yang Rejuvenation Technique with me."

Zhang Yuan was horrified.

The Yin-Yang Rejuvenation Technique was one of his greatest secrets, known only to Liu Ruxue and a few women from the Jade Maiden Sect.

Moreover, he instructed them not to leak the secret.

They all agreed.

But how would this Nascent Soul female cultivator know this?

The two entered the cultivation chamber one after the other and sat cross-legged facing each other.

Zhang Yuan hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help asking, "Senior, how did you know I had comprehended the Yin-Yang Rejuvenation Technique?"

The Nascent Soul female cultivator rolled her eyes at him, a mischievous glint in her beautiful eyes: "Heh, if I hadn't known, would I have been so nice to you? Let you restore your price? And not even hold your offense against me?"

She spoke casually, but still didn't answer his question—how did she know?

Zhang Yuan grew increasingly curious, but dared not press the matter too much, so he changed his question: "Senior, may I ask your honorable name? It will be easier for me to address you in the future."

"Just call me Jade Butterfly," the female cultivator winked mischievously, clearly not intending to reveal her real name. "But don't worry, I won't tell anyone. You can continue running your crematorium in peace."

"I hope so," Zhang Yuan said somewhat uneasily.

More and more people are now aware of this secret. Although currently only women know about it, so there's no need to worry for now, the consequences could be unimaginable if it were to reach the ears of a powerful male cultivator.

"Don't worry, no one else will find out," Jade Butterfly said earnestly, as if she could read his mind. "I'm in a special case."

Zhang Yuan nodded.

The two extended their hands, palms touching.

Zhang Yuan took a deep breath, circulated the "Yin Yang Rejuvenation Technique," and guided his true energy to merge with hers.

The moment the two streams of true energy came into contact, they merged together naturally, like old friends reunited after a long separation.

Yin and Yang intertwine and nourish each other, forming a large cycle within their bodies.

This time, the main focus is on purifying her true essence.

The quality and quantity of her true essence far surpassed those of Liu Ruxue or Jiang Yao.

If Jiang Yao's true essence is a stream, Liu Ruxue's true essence is a river, and Hua Nongying's true essence is a vast lake, then Yu Hudie's true essence is a boundless ocean.

Although Zhang Yuan's true essence was weak, under the operation of the "Yin Yang Rejuvenation Technique," it was like a fine carving knife, carving her vast and somewhat complex true essence bit by bit.

The impurities and dark energy hidden deep within melted and were purified rapidly in the face of this yin-yang fusion power, just as ice and snow meet the blazing sun.

Jade Butterfly closed her eyes, relaxed her body, and let that power flow through her meridians.

Her breathing became long and steady, and the expression on her face gradually changed from indifference to surprise, and finally to a kind of intoxicating tranquility.

Zhang Yuan's true essence quickly entered her dantian, sensing a palm-sized nascent soul inside. It was crystal clear, with delicate features, and the shadow of a jade butterfly could be faintly seen between its eyebrows and eyes.

The nascent soul sat cross-legged, its hands forming a mudra. True essence flowed out from its left hand, and after a round of purification, it flowed back in from its right hand.

As the true essence was continuously purified, the nascent soul became purer and more solid, and the aura it emitted became more and more powerful.

When the two stopped cultivating, it was already dark outside the window.

"Go open the shop." Jade Butterfly opened her eyes, a glint of light flashing in them, making them appear even brighter and more spirited than before. "We'll continue tomorrow."

Zhang Yuan responded, walked out of the cultivation chamber, went downstairs, and sat behind the counter to wait for customers.

Business was slow that night, with only two or three orders and three bodies cremated, resulting in meager earnings.

The next morning, Zhang Yuan closed the shop and went to the cultivation chamber.

Senior Butterfly was already waiting for him inside.

The two continued their dual cultivation.

Ten days later, the Jade Butterfly's true essence had been completely purified.

Her entire demeanor underwent a subtle change—her already aloof temperament became even clearer, like a piece of finely polished jade, radiating a lustrous sheen.

Her aura was also more restrained; if one did not carefully sense it, one might even think she was just an ordinary mortal.

But Zhang Yuan knew that her strength had definitely improved significantly.

He's probably only one step away from the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

As for himself, although he did not use any spirit stones to cultivate during these ten days, it was not that he did not want to, but that he could not. Her true essence was too vast, and he could not be distracted in order to purify her true essence.

However, during dual cultivation, the speed at which one absorbs and transforms the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is very fast, no less than that of cultivating with mid-grade spirit stones.

Therefore, Zhang Yuan's true essence increased significantly. Although he failed to break through to the sixth level of Qi Refining, his fifth level of Qi Refining was completely stabilized.

With the Jade Butterfly guarding this small building, he felt extremely at ease.

Even if Zhou Lie had the greatest courage, he wouldn't dare to do anything under the nose of a Nascent Soul cultivator.