142: undercurrent

Two hours later.

The flying boat traveled through the sea of clouds.

Inside the cabin, Nangong Wan lay sideways on a soft beast-hide couch, her eyes hollow, staring at the patterns on the cabin ceiling, exuding an air of utter despair.

In just half a day, she felt as if she had endured a battle more arduous than the Demonic Path's invasion of Yue State.

Even a Cultivator as strong as the Nascent Soul Stage could not muster the strength to move a single finger at this moment.

A ridiculous thought even crossed her mind: if her Core Formation disciple, Mo Fengwu, were also here, the two of them working together might be able to offer some resistance.

“Wan’er, put your clothes on, we’re almost there.”

The cabin door opened, and Lin Feng’s voice drifted in.

He had already changed into a clean blue robe, standing tall and graceful, full of vigor, with even a hint of lingering satisfaction on his face.

Nangong Wan slowly turned her head, using all her strength to cast a deeply resentful look at him.

She let out an almost inaudible sigh, struggling to sit up.

With a thought, she put away the tattered robe she was wearing and took out a brand new palace dress from her Storage Pouch, solidifying it onto her body with her magical power.

As her feet touched the ground, attempting to stand steadily, a sensation of weakness and fatigue spread from her legs, and her body swayed uncontrollably.

Nangong Wan’s pretty face flushed, and she quickly activated her magical power to make her body float an inch above the ground, concealing this momentary lapse.

“Why be so formal? I’m here.”

Lin Feng’s voice sounded by her ear; he had appeared before her at some unknown moment.

He noticed Nangong Wan’s small movement, a mischievous smile appearing on his face, and with an outstretched arm, he embraced her around the waist.

Nangong Wan’s body stiffened, still wanting to maintain the last shred of her dignity as a Nascent Soul Elder.

“No need…”

Before she could finish her refusal, her body suddenly rose into the air.

Lin Feng had already carried her, striding out of the cabin and flying towards the mist-shrouded Falling Cloud Sect mountain gate below.

...

In front of the mountain gate, two figures had already been waiting for a long time.

They were Elder Cheng and Elder Lu of the Falling Cloud Sect.

When they saw a ray of light descending from the sky, revealing Lin Feng and Fairy Nangong, their faces immediately filled with joy, and they quickly went forward to greet them.

“Junior Brother Lin, Fairy Nangong, you’ve finally returned!” Elder Cheng said with a cupped-hand salute and a smile, “Was this trip smooth?”

“Thanks to you two, everything went smoothly.” Lin Feng also smiled and returned the salute.

He then looked down at Nangong Wan, who had buried her face in his chest, unwilling to be seen, and spoke to the two Elders with a straight face:

“Nangong Elder was injured while fighting demonic creatures in the Fallen Demon Valley, causing her magical power to circulate improperly and making flight inconvenient.”

“I’ll take her back to Yueyao Peak to heal first, Elder Cheng, Elder Lu, we’ll catch up later!”

With that, without waiting for Elder Cheng and Elder Lu to react, Lin Feng carried Nangong Wan, transforming into a green rainbow, and flew directly towards Yueyao Peak deep within the Sect.

Elder Cheng and Elder Lu stood frozen in place.

The two looked at each other.

“Injured?” Elder Lu stroked his chin, somewhat puzzled, “I observed Fairy Nangong’s aura was stable and her complexion rosy; she didn’t look injured at all.”

“Senior Brother Lü, you don’t understand this.” Elder Cheng lowered his voice, looking deeply convinced.

“The more undetectable the injury, the more severe it is; it must be internal!"

“Think about it, how dangerous is that Fallen Demon Valley? Fairy Nangong must have fought a great battle, damaging her Nascent Soul Origin!”

Elder Lu gasped upon hearing this, a look of sudden realization dawning on his face.

“So that’s it! That truly was extremely dangerous!”

He looked in the direction Lin Feng had flown off to, and couldn't help but exclaim, “Ah, thankfully Junior Brother Lin was there. Not only is his strength formidable, but he’s also so considerate. I hope he can help Fairy Nangong recover soon.”

Elder Cheng nodded in deep agreement.

“Yes, it’s truly a great fortune for our Falling Cloud Sect to have Junior Brother Lin.”

The two sighed with emotion, completely unaware of what kind of “internal injury” they were talking about.

...

Inside the Immortal Cave on Yueyao Peak.

Lin Feng gently placed Nangong Wan on the jade bed.

Looking at her sleeping face, tired yet tinged with annoyance, Lin Feng leaned down and kissed her forehead.

“Rest well, I’ll be back soon.”

After settling Nangong Wan, Lin Feng did not linger for a moment and turned to leave the Immortal Cave.

He did not return to his Taibai Peak but shifted his body and flew directly towards another beautiful peak.

Before long, he landed in front of Mo Fengwu’s Immortal Cave.

He did not knock on the door but took out a sound transmission talisman, whispered a few words, and flicked his finger.

The sound transmission talisman transformed into a flash of fire and flew into the Immortal Cave.

A moment later, he took out another sound transmission talisman and flicked it in another direction.

Having done all this, he waited calmly at the Immortal Cave entrance.

Not long after, the stone door of the Immortal Cave slowly opened.

Mo Fengwu, clad in a fiery red tight-fitting outfit that accentuated her graceful figure, saw Lin Feng. A hint of surprise flashed in her beautiful eyes, followed by some confusion.

“Husband, you’re back! Where’s Master?”

No sooner had she spoken than another ray of light flew from afar, landing beside Lin Feng, revealing Mo Yuzhu’s figure.

“Sister? Big Brother Lin, you’re looking for us…”

Mo Yuzhu saw Lin Feng and her sister standing together and stopped halfway through her sentence.

From Lin Feng’s extremely aggressive gaze, she understood something.

Lin Feng looked at the pair of sisters, each with their unique charm, before him. He said nothing, only smiled, and then led the way into the Immortal Cave.

Mo Fengwu and Mo Yuzhu exchanged a glance, a blush appearing on both their faces, and followed him inside.

The stone door slowly closed.

The situation inside the Immortal Cave was naturally not something to be spoken of to outsiders.

A long time later, Lin Feng emerged from Mo Fengwu’s Immortal Cave, refreshed and invigorated.

He looked back at the tightly closed stone door, feeling quite satisfied.

Fortunately, he had guided Mo Fengwu in Cultivating a Body Refining Cultivation Technique back then.

Her resilience was indeed much stronger than Nangong Wan’s, and with Mo Yuzhu assisting, he finally felt somewhat satisfied.

Lin Feng transformed into a ray of light and returned to his Taibai Peak.

Sitting cross-legged in the quiet room, he slowly exhaled a mouthful of turbid Qi, calming the somewhat restless Qi and blood within his body.

After the satisfaction, a trace of doubt quietly surfaced in his mind.

He frowned.

Something felt off.

Recently, his desire for matters between men and women seemed to have become somewhat overly frequent.

In the past, although he was not a saint who remained unmoved by beauty, he was more inclined to let nature take its course and follow his heart.

But now, he felt as if there was a ball of fire within him, burning constantly, needing to find an outlet for release at all times.

This feeling was like an instinctive urge, even affecting his Dao Heart to a certain extent.

Could it be a problem with his Cultivation?

Lin Feng immediately calmed his mind and looked inward.

He meticulously checked his Meridians, Dantian, and even his Divine Soul.

His magical power was pure and circulated smoothly.

His Physical Body’s Qi and blood were vigorous, without any stagnation.

His Divine Soul was clear, and his thoughts flowed freely.

There were no signs of Qi Deviation; his physical condition was as good as it could be.

He ruled out any issues with his Cultivation Technique.

Then what could be the reason?

Lin Feng’s pupils constricted slightly at this moment.

He thought of an existence he had almost overlooked.

The System.

Ever since he reached Foundation Establishment, the presence of this “Beauty Opportunity Dual Cultivation System” had become increasingly faint.

Aside from occasionally releasing some tasks, or popping up to give rewards when he intercepted Han Li’s Opportunity or improved the female supporting characters’ bonds, it was otherwise as quiet as if it didn’t exist.

So much so that Lin Feng had almost forgotten that this thing might not just be a cold program.

Could it have its own consciousness?

What was its current silence plotting?

Could this sudden surge in his carnal desires be some kind of side effect of it, or rather… was it secretly guiding him?

One thought after another flashed through Lin Feng’s mind, causing a trickle of cold sweat to break out on his back.

He had always regarded the System as his greatest reliance for establishing himself in this world, a tool that could be used at will.

But he had never considered that the tool itself might contain unknown risks.

If the System was truly influencing him subtly, what was its purpose?

To make him indulge in pleasure, eroding his Dao Heart?

Or was Dual Cultivation with female Cultivators itself a way for the System to upgrade or acquire energy?

Lin Feng’s expression remained normal, his eyes returning to their calm, unruffled state.

He did not try to summon the System, nor did he make any unusual moves.

He simply, in his heart, quietly guarded against this Golden Finger bound to his Soul.

While it was true that his strength came from the System, he couldn't fully trust it.