273: Honing the Craft (Bai Ye's Memory)

Honing the Craft (Bai Ye's Memory)

Bai Ye didn't know what to say or think. His mind went blank, still adrift in that impossible land of euphoria. The two of them stayed in each other's arms wordlessly for a while, and the only thing he was aware of was her violent heartbeats ramming against his chest, matching the erratic pulses of his own.1

He enjoyed the blissful quiet that way, and he wouldn't mind staying there all night with her just like that. But in the end, it was her who broke the silence.

"Um …" She shifted a little in his embrace. "Is this when we should … start the spells for that technique? Do you … remember what they are?"

Spells? It took Bai Ye a little while to come back to reality and realize what she was saying. Right, that technique … that was how all of this started … But …

"The spells …" he repeated in a mumble as clarity finally trickled back into his mind. "I … um … didn't get a chance to look at those yet …"

It wasn't really his fault though … He hadn't given a proper thought to dual cultivation this past week at all, and his only goal had been to talk the sword spirit out of it. Until everything changed this evening, of course. But how could anyone expect him to become familiar with those spells immediately after that turn of events? It wasn't the type of technique he would just know like the back of his hand.

The sword spirit stared at him. He stared at her back. Then they both broke into laughter. He rolled himself off of her and brushed a strand of damp hair away from her face.

"I suppose that means … there has to be a next time," he breathed.

She hooked her hands behind his nape before he got a chance to pull away. "Oh yes." Glitters danced in her eyes. "I'm not letting you back out of this so easily."

Then she sealed their lips together once more.

~ ~

In the almost one hundred years of Bai Ye's life, he had never imagined his daily routine to take on any dramatic changes. He was used to waking up before sunrise, revisit his sword techniques, meditate, spend some time in his library going through old literature, meditate, and repeat. Sometimes, trying out a new technique might lengthen or shorten certain parts of this schedule temporarily, but it wouldn't be long before things settle back into normality. Nothing had ever made an everlasting effect on his life since he started on the path of cultivation, and he expected it to stay that way.

Well, maybe not anymore. Maybe it was finally time for a change now. It turned out that whatever this new technique they just started was utterly unlike anything he knew. It was … too time-consuming, as they would find themselves spending hours just to get to the point where they could start summoning the spells. On a couple of occasions, things had gotten so out of control that they stayed up all night, and it ended up being the first time in almost a hundred years that he slept in the next morning, not able to drag himself out of the bed till noon.

He thought it would get better with experience. With all the other myriads of techniques he had tried before, he had always become proficient quickly with enough practice, and he thought this wouldn't be any different. But the truth proved him wrong. There simply seemed to be too much to learn this time. The two of them would experiment with new approaches almost every day, and strangely, things never felt repetitive. There always seemed to be more to explore, more time to spend.

Bai Ye enjoyed learning new things though, and it was no exception with this one. Or maybe it was particularly true with this one. He reveled in every new realm they reached together, every new sensation that he didn't know existed before, and every new sound he elicited out of her with all the different ways he discovered. Sometimes, he would get so carried away by all of it that he didn't even feel like finishing up with the spells at the end anymore. He simply wanted to relish the journey of getting there. But he had to remind himself that despite all the surprises they found on the way, the end was still the ultimate goal of their shared practices, and he would diligently follow through the remaining process, albeit a bit reluctantly.

The process did work wonders though. Within months, the culmination of spiritual power within him had pushed his cultivation progress to another breakthrough, making his advancements even faster than during the years when he used Twin Stars himself. His sword art took great leaps at the same time, and it wasn't long before his morning practices with the sword spirit turned into a perfectly equal match, where neither of them could keep the upper hand for more than a couple of days.

"I think I need to sleep in my own room tonight," the sword spirit would complain whenever she lost for a few days in a row, though not without a smile dancing over her face. "I only have myself to blame for continuing to let you win. If you steal any more power from me—"

Bai Ye would pull her into his arms then, stopping her complaints with a lingering kiss. "You said your power is mine," he would argue against her sweet lips. "Just like the rest of you."

His hands would start sliding down her body, tracing her curves as he spoke—a new habit he couldn't stop himself from developing over time. She would chuckle, chiding him for his incredible lack of self control. He would ignore her, and those conversations would almost always end up with another round of cultivation where he would steal even more power from her.

And he would wish every day that their time together could freeze like this forever.

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