Morning.
The fiery red sun leaped from the clouds, its warm rays painting the Vatican’s papal palace with a dazzling golden glow, making it appear sacred and majestic.
Two figures stood side by side on the palace walls, gazing into the distance.
They were Ye Qiu and the Prophet.
“The compensation and peace agreements with the nine nations are all settled. Ye Qiu, thank you,” the Prophet said gratefully.
“No need for thanks,” Ye Qiu replied. “Find a quiet place, and I’ll help you restore your cultivation.”
“You can restore my cultivation?” The Prophet’s beautiful eyes widened in shock.
Ye Qiu said, “I’ll try, but I’m not certain of success.”
“Whether you succeed or not, I’m grateful,” the Prophet replied. “You fought the nine nations’ experts yesterday, then went to the Burj Al Arab at midnight, travelling all night without sleep. Why not rest first?”
“There’s no rush. We can restore your cultivation after you’ve rested, alright?”
Ye Qiu knew she was concerned for him and smiled, “Don’t worry, one sleepless night is nothing for me. I’m a King realm expert, after all.”
The Prophet suddenly realised, indeed, as a King realm expert, the pinnacle of this world’s strength, Ye Qiu could go days without sleep, food, or drink without issue.
Ye Qiu said, “Find a quiet place quickly. After restoring your cultivation, I need to return to my country.”
“Return? So soon?” the Prophet said. “Didn’t you say yesterday you’d stay in the Vatican for two days?”
“Yes, yesterday and today.”
At that, a deep disappointment clouded the Prophet’s expression.
Pretending not to notice, Ye Qiu urged, “Hurry and find a place!”
The Prophet hid her disappointment and asked, “Is this spot fine?”
Ye Qiu scanned the area. The high walls ensured privacy, making it a good choice.
“It’ll do. Let’s begin!”
They sat cross-legged, facing each other.
Ye Qiu first took out a dozen centuries-old herbs from his Qiankun bag, crushed them into powder, and had the Prophet consume them.
Then, with their palms pressed together, Ye Qiu channelled his energy through her hands, helping her absorb the medicinal power.
Soon, wisps of white steam rose from the Prophet’s head.
Half an hour later, she had fully absorbed the herbs’ power.
Ye Qiu checked her pulse, finding her cultivation still at the Venerable realm. Frowning, he took out golden needles and began acupuncture.
This was his first attempt at restoring someone’s cultivation.
When his own cultivation had dropped recently, he had restored it using a dragon vein.
Logically, only rare treasures or miraculous pills could restore the Prophet’s cultivation, but with his recent power surge, Ye Qiu’s medical insights had grown, and he wanted to try.
“Swish, swish, swish!”
Ye Qiu’s needling was swift, alternating between flicks and jabs, like a magic performance, dazzling to behold.
In under a minute, he inserted ninety-nine golden needles into her body.
With a flick of his finger, the needles emitted a brilliant golden glow, trembling in unison with a humming sound.
“Feel anything?” Ye Qiu asked.
“Not yet,” the Prophet replied.
Ye Qiu’s frown deepened.
“That’s odd. The acupuncture should have triggered signs of recovery. Why is there no reaction?”
Thinking this, Ye Qiu placed his right hand on her head, channelling energy into her body through his palm.
After a quarter of an hour, he found no sign of recovery.
“Strange, what’s gone wrong? Is my energy insufficient?”
Ye Qiu activated the Nine-Turn Dragon Technique, pushing his power to its limit.
“Roar!”
A deafening dragon’s cry echoed.
Seventy-two streams of dragon aura appeared behind him, each about nine metres long, golden and radiant, like true dragons dancing, exuding immense power.
These seventy-two streams represented Ye Qiu’s maximum strength.
Under his control, they enveloped the Prophet, their boundless energy flooding into her eight extraordinary meridians.
Gradually, her complexion grew rosy, and her cultivation began to recover.
But the process was slow.
Time ticked by.
Half an hour passed.
Sweat beaded on Ye Qiu’s forehead, his face pale from the immense exertion, nearly causing him to collapse.
With no choice, he plucked a leaf from the Golden Sacred Tree in his Qiankun bag and swallowed it.
Instantly, his strength returned.
He continued aiding her recovery.
Another hour passed, and just as Ye Qiu was on the verge of collapse, the Prophet’s cultivation finally reached the initial King realm.
Ye Qiu stopped, withdrawing his hands.
The moment he did, he could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground with a thud.
The Prophet, initially overjoyed, saw his pale face, and her happiness vanished, replaced by worry. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Too much energy spent. I need time to recover,” Ye Qiu said, panting.
Relieved, the Prophet asked, “Once you’ve regained your strength, you’ll return to your country?”
“Yes,” Ye Qiu nodded faintly.
“Can’t you stay?” the Prophet said reluctantly.
“You know I have to go back,” Ye Qiu replied. “My family is in Jiangzhou.”
The Prophet said, “You’ve helped me so much this time. I don’t even know how to thank you. Honestly, I don’t want you to leave.”
Ye Qiu smiled, “You helped me before. This time, I helped you. We’re even.”
Even?
The word stung the Prophet, and she thought to herself, I don’t want to be even with you.
“Want some water?” she asked.
After such exertion, Ye Qiu was indeed thirsty and said, “Could you grab me a glass of water…”
Before he finished, the Prophet leaned forward, her fragrant lips sealing his, her arms wrapping around his neck in a fervent kiss.
Ye Qiu tried to push her away, but in his weakened state, he couldn’t budge an initial King realm expert.
Suddenly, she pressed him to the floor, straddling him.
“What are you doing?” Ye Qiu’s heart raced with a hint of panic.
The Prophet gave a seductive smile, then, under his gaze, removed her clothes, revealing a flawless, radiant body.
Breathtakingly perfect!
She leaned down, whispering in his ear, “Don’t you love a fight? Let me keep you company.”
