Peach Blossom Dual Cultivation

“Brother Lang, are you overthinking this?”

Zhao Xiaorou’s tone suddenly changed, and she gave Zhou Lang a side-eye. She realized that her earlier comment about “sleeping together” had caused a misunderstanding.

“Ahem, no, not at all,” Zhou Lang replied with an embarrassed smile. It’s one of those things that a guy might think about, but who would be foolish enough to admit it in front of a girl he just met?

“Let me make it clear first: If you sleep in the same bed with me, you better behave and just sleep,” Zhao Xiaorou said with a domineering tone. “Otherwise, I’ll grab some scissors and cut off your ‘troublesome part.'”

As she spoke, she made a snipping motion with her hand.

“Hey, don’t be so harsh! After all, I’m the one who saved you, and you still doubt my character? No good deed goes unpunished,” Zhou Lang complained, sticking out his tongue.

Just moments ago, when Xiaorou asked him not to leave, she was pitiful and vulnerable. But now, as she said those words, she seemed unusually fierce.

Zhou Lang recalled the scene at the Lovers’ Bar where Xiaorou smashed someone with a bottle. He realized that Xiaorou wasn’t a delicate, fragile girl like [1]Lin Daiyu but rather a strong-willed woman. Her earlier vulnerability was just a reaction to the shock of being kidnapped.

“If I didn’t trust you, would I let you sleep in the same bed with me? I never let any random guy touch me!”

Zhao Xiaorou said, pouting.

“Alright, enough of this. Let’s take a shower and go to bed early. Tomorrow, we’ll find that Duan Xiaohu and get my money back.”

Judging by her attitude, the earlier claim of fear was an act. She was just finding an excuse to keep Zhou Lang around.

Her trust in Zhou Lang was genuine. After all, with Zhou Lang’s skills, if he wanted to do anything to her, she wouldn’t be able to resist. Trust is often based on first impressions, and Zhou Lang saving her left a deep impression on Xiaorou, making her subconsciously trust him. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have suggested sleeping together in the first place. She wasn’t some shameless girl who would do that with just anyone.

However, she was different from most girls. Generally, after experiencing such a fright, many would be traumatized or even mentally unstable for a long time. Yet, in just one hour, she not only regained her strong-willed demeanor but also planned to retrieve her lost belongings the next day. Her courage was truly remarkable.

“Why didn’t you mention earlier that they took your money? By tomorrow, how are we supposed to find them?”

Zhou Lang asked. Feiyun City was neither big nor small, but sometimes finding someone could be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

“I was just focused on getting out of there at the time, so I overlooked it. It seems like you don’t have much money either. If we don’t get my money back, how will we eat, live, or buy clothes?”

Zhao Xiaorou retorted.

“Duan Xiaohu might be hard to find, but from what they said, his uncle Duan Wei seems to have some influence in Feiyun City. We can just go straight to him. Besides, the two people who kidnapped me were sent by Duan Xiaohu from Duan Wei’s side. They took my money, which was several tens of thousands in cash.”

“Why were you carrying so much cash?”

Zhou Lang asked in surprise. Earlier, Xiaorou had said she was an orphan and unemployed, so where did she get so much money? Moreover, she was wearing brand-name sportswear, which alone cost as much as two months of his part-time salary. Zhou Lang felt that Xiaorou was hiding something from him.

“That’s all my savings. Carrying it with me helps me sleep better,” Xiaorou said with an embarrassed smile, revealing two deep dimples. She was both beautiful and adorable, making her the epitome of a youthful and irresistible girl.

“Since you lost so much money, you should report it to the police,” Zhou Lang suggested. After all, he was a university student, and when something like this happened, the first solution that came to mind was to call the police.

“Report it? If someone like Duan Wei can thrive in Feiyun City, it’s likely because he’s bought off the police. Reporting it might not get our money back,” Xiaorou said firmly, shaking her head.

“That might be true in some cases, but most police officers are still law-abiding,” Zhou Lang countered, not entirely agreeing with her view.

“The police are inefficient. Right now, we’re strapped for cash. By the time they get our money back, we’d have starved. It’s more reliable to get it ourselves,” Xiaorou insisted. For reasons unknown, she simply didn’t want to involve the police.

“Alright, then we’ll find Duan Wei tomorrow,” Zhou Lang agreed. If it had been before, he would have had no other option but to call the police. But now, as a cultivator in the Qi Refinement stage, he believed he could handle the situation himself.

“That’s more like it. I’m going to take a shower first,” Xiaorou said, slipping into a pair of slippers and heading to the bathroom.

“This girl sure has some strong mental resilience. After such a big incident, she’s not traumatized at all. It seems I don’t need to worry about her when we get her money back tomorrow,” Zhou Lang thought as he watched Xiaorou’s youthful and lively figure.

Even though Xiaorou was dressed in sportswear, it couldn’t hide her natural beauty. On the campus of Dianxi University, she would undoubtedly be even more beautiful than the school’s beauty.

Listening to the sound of running water in the bathroom, Zhou Lang couldn’t help but let his thoughts wander, even feeling the urge to use his special talisman to see through the bathroom door. This kind of youthful and adorable girl was truly tempting.

But he quickly suppressed his urges and sat on the floor to start meditating. The memory of being humiliated by Ye Qianqian and Nie Yuanxiong last night was still fresh in his mind. After today’s transformation, where he easily saved a beautiful girl, he realized how important it was to be strong.

However, he hadn’t been meditating for more than ten minutes when the bathroom door opened slightly, and Xiaorou poked her head out, looking a bit shy.

“Brother Lang, could you help me buy a set of clothes? I didn’t bring any with me, so I need everything from the inside out. Oh, and… make sure to buy a bigger bra, size 36D…”

“36D… This girl is practically a ‘national treasure.’ Her figure might even rival Xiaoxi’s,” Zhou Lang thought, feeling the blood rush to his head.

“Ahem… Why didn’t you buy a set of clothes before taking a shower?” Zhou Lang asked, standing up with a slightly flushed face. Before he received the Dual Cultivation Manual, he had never been close to a woman, so he was naturally shy. Now, being asked to buy underwear for Xiaorou was incredibly awkward.

“I forgot. Please just be a good person and help me out. Anyway, you’ll need to buy clothes to change into after you shower, too,” Xiaorou said, sticking out her little tongue.

“Now, all my clothes are soaking in a bucket. I can’t even go out to buy them myself. To be fair, I’ll pay for the room and clothes after we get my money back tomorrow. I’ll even wash your clothes for you.”

Since Xiaorou had already said so much, Zhou Lang had no choice but to prepare to go out and buy the clothes.

…

“Brother Lang isn’t bad—strong and skilled. I think I’ll stick with him in Feiyun. Even if the people from the Shangguan family come after me, I can have Brother Lang beat them so badly they’ll run away with their tails between their legs,” Xiaorou muttered to herself, standing in front of a large mirror, admiring her flawless, snow-white body.

Her figure was perfectly proportioned—add an inch, and she’d be too big; subtract an inch, and she’d be too small. She was truly beautiful beyond words.

[1] Lin Daiyu is one of the principal characters of Cao Xueqin’s classic 18th-century Chinese novel Dream of the Red Chamber. She is portrayed as a well-educated, intelligent, witty and beautiful young woman of physical frailness who is somewhat prone to occasional melancholy.