Da Xuan Martial Saint

Chen Mu did indeed want to measure his current strength against Elder Yu, for showcasing his abilities in front of Yu Jiujiang wasn't much of a concern. However, Yu Jiujiang was now in the twilight years of his life, barely maintaining the circulation of his Five Viscera. Whenever he exerted even a bit of his Gang Qi, his own Qi-Blood would deplete correspondingly.

It was truly not suitable for him to spar with others, hence Chen Mu could only regretfully rein in his thoughts.

In summary, he was basically unafraid of any ordinary martial artist at the Five Viscera Realm, but when it came to the level of the True Disciples from the various sects, there was still some distance to go.

After all, those True Disciples were exceptional individuals selected among tens of thousands from several states and enjoyed a plethora of resources from the Great Sects, including Heaven and Earth Spiritual Items and Body Tempering Methods trained to the limit of one or two, and even three realms.

Once they stepped into the Five Viscera Realm, their innate Vital Energy and Vigorous Qi were far superior to those who had barely made the cut.

Not to mention, the Artistic Conception mastered by these True Disciples was extraordinary.

Of course.

Once he cultivated Jade Bone and also entered the Five Viscera Realm, there would likewise be a profound qualitative transformation.

Chen Mu slowly stood up, descended from the Flame Jade bed, and walked over to pick up the Separating Fire Map that he had previously flung away. After pondering for a moment, he extinguished the lamp, then ascended the stairs and returned to the western chamber on the ground level.

Since his clothes had all been burned by the fierce flames ignited during his recent enlightenment of the second step of the Separating Fire Artistic Conception, after Chen Mu returned to the ground level, he called out from the room, "Ni'er, bring me a change of clothes."

However.

No sooner had this order been issued than the door was pushed open.

"Brother Mu, have you finished practicing your martial arts..."

Although the call was for Brother Mu, the person standing at the door wasn't Wang Ni but a girl slightly older than Wang Ni, looking rather pleased as she peered into the room. But then, she froze in place, her face flushing crimson as she swiftly shut the door again, "Ah, sorry, Brother Mu, I didn't mean..."

This girl.

Chen Mu wasn't angry but only helplessly shook his head.

The one who would react this way obviously wasn't Xu Hongyu, nor was it Lotus, nor Chen Yue. Aside from a few people like Xu Hongyu and Chen Yue, the only one who could freely enter his courtyard was Yu Ru.

Yu Ru, who was regarded by Xu Hongyu as a sister by blood and had a sisterly relationship with Chen Yue, would often come to play in his courtyard with Chen Yue after he had moved here. However, most of the time he was practicing his Martial Arts, only occasionally chatting with Yu Ru.

Speaking of which.

The matter of his engagement to Xu Hongyu seemed to have absolutely no impact on Yu Ru. According to Chen Yue, Yu Ru's initial response upon hearing of his engagement to Xu Hongyu was sheer happiness. Xu Hongyu was the sister she most admired, and Chen Mu the brother she looked up to. To her, the two were a perfect match, instantly becoming one family.

This also made Chen Mu chuckle and shake his head when he found out. No wonder Xu Hongyu took such good care of Yu Ru, no wonder Chen Yue also got along so well with her. Such a pure and guileless sister would naturally be cherished more by everyone.

Soon.

Wang Ni brought a change of clothes to the room and, after assisting Chen Mu put them on, she left the room.

However, Yu Ru was still somewhat at a loss, standing by the doorway with traces of blush remaining on her small face. Upon seeing Chen Mu emerge, she dared not look him in the eye and said hesitantly, "I, I was looking for Yue'er. She wasn't in her yard, so I thought she might be here and came over..."

Chen Mu smiled wryly and reached out to caress Yu Ru's head, saying, "Yue'er isn't here? She might have gone out to buy some medicinal ingredients, she should be back soon. You can wait for her inside if you'd like."

"Okay, okay."

Yu Ru almost buried her head in her chest, too shy to look up, but still followed Chen Mu into the main house with small steps.

Seeing the girl resembling an ostrich burying her head, Chen Mu found it quite amusing. Xu Hongyu was quite oblivious to matters of embarrassment. Not to mention seeing him unclothed, even if they were to stand naked before each other, she'd probably be there, staring blankly in her cool demeanor.

On the other hand, Yu Ru was the complete opposite.

It's quite normal for a young girl to be shy, but now she too was a martial artist in the Body Refinement Realm without a hint of the air of the Martial World, seeing her so shy that she dared not utter a word, who would realize that she was not a defenseless maiden, but a Body Refinement Martial Artist capable of punching the brains out of any thug or ruffian outside.

"It's been a while since I've asked, how is your Martial Arts training going?" Chen Mu asked with a smile in his heart.

"Still, still in Body Refinement, and I always fall a little short with my swordsmanship. It feels like I can almost touch the Sword Momentum but I just can't manage to practice it," Yu Ru replied quietly.

"Hmm, Sword Momentum is not like achieving Major Achievement in swordsmanship; what it needs is a flash of inspiration. Some people quietly gain insight after hundreds and thousands of practice sessions, others have a flash of brilliance during actual combat, or grasp something profound in a life-and-death moment," Chen Mu nodded.

Speaking of which.

Chen Yue was also stuck at the threshold of Sword Momentum, unable to cross it for a long time.

Although she had the guidance of a martial master at the Yu Family Martial Arts Institute and even received Chen Mu's personal pointers multiple times, the situation was much like Yu Ru's, always lacking that bit of inspiration, which made Chen Mu feel somewhat helpless as he didn't think comprehending the Sword Momentum was that difficult.

While Chen Mu was pondering.

He suddenly heard Chen Yue's voice coming from the courtyard outside.

"Bro, did Xiao Ru come over?"

Soon after, Chen Yue's figure appeared at the main house and caught sight of Chen Mu and Yu Ru sitting there. Her lively eyes swept over Yu Ru's little face, noticing the blush that had not yet faded, and immediately showed a hint of suspicion, her gaze shifting back and forth between Chen Mu and Yu Ru.

Chen Mu certainly noticed Chen Yue's strange look, but he didn't mind it and offered no explanation, saying, "Xiao Ru has probably been waiting for you for a while."

Chen Yue pouted slightly, then approached Yu Ru. Suddenly, she blew a breath of warm air on Yu Ru's neck, instantly making Yu Ru shrink back and giggle, "Ah, that tickles..."

She reached back and tickled Chen Yue's armpits.

Chen Yue, giggling, dodged backward and said, "What did you and brother talk about in the room?"

Yu Ru's cheeks reddened further, but she didn't answer. Instead, she got up and chased after Chen Yue. The two girls raced around the room until Yu Ru finally cornered Chen Yue in Chen Mu's bedroom. They grappled on the bed, tickling each other and filling the room with bursts of giggling.

Seeing the two girls having so much fun, Chen Mu couldn't help but smile, remembering the years before when Chen Yue used to squeeze into those two small rooms with him. Even though it was just as warm then, it wasn't as joyful as now. Sometimes, all the hard work in martial arts wasn't solely for himself—it was also to create a peaceful world for them.

While Chen Yue and Yu Ru were frolicking in the room,

Chen Mu's ears perked up and he shook his head with a chuckle. Why was everyone gathering together today?

A figure entered the courtyard from outside. In the chill of late winter, she wore only a thin cyan skirt, her delicate, fair arms exposed but seemingly unfazed by the cold, walking all the way to Chen Mu's house.

Xu Hongyu had successfully crossed the threshold of Bone Tempering a month ago, entering the Minor Achievement of Bone Tempering. Since then, she had often taken the initiative to visit him. It was also because of her Bone Tempering Minor Achievement that she no longer needed to deliberately nurture her Qi-Blood. Their marriage had been set for the following spring.

"Is Xiaoru here?"

Xu Hongyu looked inside with slight surprise.

"Ah, Hongyu sister!"

Yu Ru, who was in the midst of playing with Chen Yue, both of their clothes now somewhat disheveled, quickly stopped the romping. She straightened her attire and, somewhat embarrassed, came out saying, "Hongyu sister..."

Chen Yue suddenly wrapped her arms around Yu Ru's neck from behind, batting her eyes and said cheerfully, "Brother, Hongyu sister, I'm taking Xiaoru out to play."

Speaking, she pulled Yu Ru out, and they left the house together.

Yu Ru stole a reluctant glance at Chen Mu, but then, recalling something that made her cheeks redden again, she quickly looked away and let Chen Yue drag her out the door.

Xu Hongyu watched Chen Yue and Yu Ru leave quietly, then turned her head towards Chen Mu and said softly, "Xiaoru seems to really like you."

Chen Mu chuckled and, with an unexpected gesture, pulled Xu Hongyu into his arms to sit beside him. Looking at the beauteous lady, he said, "Isn't it because you were the first one to think about betrothing her to me?"

Xu Hongyu snuggled up to Chen Mu comfortably, blinked at him, and said, "That was when I..."

She stopped mid-sentence, unable to continue.

After a pause, she went on to say, "Xiaoru lost her mother when she was very young, and she's not very cunning. I just wanted to find a family that wouldn't bully her, which is better than finding her a young talent."

Chen Mu looked curiously at Xu Hongyu and asked, "Then how did you end up choosing me?"

Based on Xu Hongyu's logic, shouldn't he belong to the latter category?

Xu Hongyu seemed a bit distressed but eventually turned her head and whispered in a very quiet voice, "I think you're both a young talent and reliable in your actions, and not a playboy. If I continue to protect Xiaoru well, you probably wouldn't dare to bully her..."

"Oh, so that's the shrewd plan you had in mind."

Chen Mu laughed, seeing Xu Hongyu turn her head away, seemingly too shy to look at him. He leaned closer and whispered in her ear, "I won't bully Xiaoru, but I might just bully you a bit."

A faint blush crept onto her translucent earlobe.

Chen Mu gently bit down on that shimmering spot, his fingers tracing inch by inch over the undulating landscape. The lady in his arms made no move to resist, allowing him to proceed as he wished.

...

Half an hour later,

Xu Hongyu's clear and elegant eyes blinked innocently a few times.

Chen Mu, with a look of resignation, glanced at her. Just as he had expected, the lady in his arms wasn't entirely cool by nature; it was her 'cool' constitution that was key. Even though she was utterly unrestrained, even awkwardly learning to reciprocate his 'bullying', there was still no response.

"Am I, am I a bit abnormal?"

Xu Hongyu looked at Chen Mu with a rare show of timidness.

"It's nothing."

Chen Mu, witnessing such a purely serene, jade-like constitution for the first time, wasn't very concerned. Only the women in this world fret about whether they could be with him..., whether they could bear his children, and such.

Seeing Xu Hongyu's elegantly troubled expression, Chen Mu gently pinched her cheek and said warmly, "It's a trivial matter, don't think too much about it. At most, once you've understood the Kan Water Artistic Conception, things will naturally return to normal."

Xu Hongyu practiced the Kan Water Artistic Conception, and it seemed to be the guidance of fate. If she were practicing the 'Merciless Sword Intent' of the Heavenly Sword Sect or similar, she would have surely become a 'Merciless Jade Sword' by now. Instead, the Kan Water Artistic Conception, ruling over the life force in the Qiankun Eight Phases, allowed her icy jade body to eventually thaw.

Looking at Chen Mu's tender gaze, the timidity in Xu Hongyu's heart vanished, replaced by a warm current that filled her whole being. Her eyes, reflecting the gentle waves, seemed on the verge of spilling over with water as she suddenly leaned in closer on her own initiative.

"I've seen those erotic paintings, and there are some other things..."