After dinner, Zhou Che returned to her cultivation once more.

Zhou Che had become increasingly proficient in the method of absorbing spirit energy.

At this moment, having just eaten and drunk her fill, her mental state was excellent, so she wanted to take advantage of this evening to accelerate her cultivation progress.

After all, she had a specific purpose in coming to the Hehuan Sect, and to gather useful intelligence, she would need to become an Inner Sect Disciple at the very least.

Within the Hehuan Sect, reaching the Minor Attainment Realm in cultivation qualified one to become an Outer Sect Disciple. Only after breaking through the final three stages of the Minor Attainment Realm could one have the opportunity to participate in the Inner Sect Trial.

Therefore, Zhou Che had already prepared herself for a long-term endeavor.

While she was cultivating, Wang Er in the living room was staring fixedly at the door that separated the two of them.

His gaze, compared to the restrained relief he had shown after opening up the day before, now carried an added layer of complexity.

* * *

The next day, Zhou Che got up when the sun was already three poles high. She had cultivated late into the night before stopping, so even though it was nearly noon, she still wasn't fully awake.

After washing up, Zhou Che took some fish feed to the pondside to feed the carp.

Having absorbed spirit energy the previous day, her perception had also strengthened considerably. After scattering a handful of feed, Zhou Che cast her gaze outside the courtyard gate.

"Why are you standing out there in a daze? Didn't I give you the access code for the abode gate?"

As soon as Zhou Che finished speaking, she saw Wang Er push open the gate. He wore a sheepish smile and carried some food in his hands.

"I saw you feeding the fish and didn't want to disturb your enjoyment," Wang Er said, walking up to Zhou Che's side.

Seeing him approach, Zhou Che frowned slightly but didn't show outright rejection.

The two stood side by side. Zhou Che raised her hand to scatter more feed, but at that moment, her shoulder brushed against Wang Er's as she twisted her body.

The reason for this was simply that the other had gotten too close.

"Ah, sorry, Qingyue. I wasn't paying attention; I got too close. I apologize!"

Seeing this, Wang Er quickly stepped back, an embarrassed look appearing on his face.

"It's fine. I'm hungry too; let's eat first."

Zhou Che shook her head, indicating it didn't matter, then turned and walked into the house.

But just as she turned, Wang Er's eyes, laden with thick desire, slowly traveled down the line of her back.

"Oh, right!"

Zhou Che suddenly turned around, startling Wang Er so much that his heart nearly leaped out of his chest.

He hurriedly reined in his lustful thoughts and looked at her with a straight face.

"The spirit incense in the abode is almost used up. Remember to buy some when you go to the market this afternoon. Also, I don't drink alcohol. If you want some, buy a little for yourself. Of course, if there's spirit tea, you can buy some to brew as well; it's good for the body." After saying this, Zhou Che turned and entered the house.

Looking at the peerlessly beautiful figure before him, the desire in Wang Er's heart grew increasingly intense.

"Alright," he replied, following Zhou Che into the house.

His greedy gaze swept back and forth over the slender waist wrapped in the white dress.

After the meal, Zhou Che began cultivating again. Though she sat cross-legged in meditation day after day, she never found it tedious.

Each absorption of spiritual power brought her an indescribably pleasurable sensation.

The day before, out of ten attempts at absorption, she might have succeeded only once, but now her success rate had stabilized at one in five.

* * *

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye, and the spiritual power within Zhou Che's body had already occupied seventy percent. Under the improvement of this spiritual power, her strength, stamina, and perception had all been greatly enhanced.

But as time went on, a particularly vexing problem grew increasingly imminent.

For a youth with a woman's body and a man's soul, who had yet to shed mortality and practice inedia, the matter of bathing was unquestionably a major dilemma.

Though she had adapted somewhat to the changes in her physical structure over these days, and had even grown accustomed to using the toilet, she still couldn't overcome the hurdle of bathing.

Even with the influence of spiritual power, the contamination of her body by dust and grime had been somewhat mitigated, but she was still a mortal after all and couldn't cleanse herself with spiritual power. So after nearly ten days, a faint odor had gradually appeared.

Watching the deepening dusk outside the window slowly fade among the swaying bamboo groves, Zhou Che finally gritted her teeth and heated some water.

The bathhouse and privy were on the other side of the living room. Though the furnishings were still of ancient design, they were operated by special runes, no less advanced than modern technology.

After filling the tub with water, Zhou Che steeled herself and stepped in.

It had been over ten days since she had turned into a woman, yet she had never deliberately touched her own body.

The thought of having to thoroughly wash herself in a moment brought a flush of red to her cheeks.

‘Forget it, the faster I wash, the sooner it's over. Let's do this!’ After hesitating in the water for a few minutes, Zhou Che finally prepared herself mentally.

Gritting her teeth, she began to seriously wash her body.

But just as she was struggling with her inner turmoil while bathing intently, her now exceptionally sharp perception detected someone outside the bathhouse door!

"Who's there?!"

Zhou Che cried out in alarm, then leapt into the air, snatching up her clothes and wrapping them around herself.

Thanks to her continuously improving physical functions, her movements had become increasingly nimble. In the blink of an eye, she had already dressed and arrived at the door.

When Zhou Che pushed open the bathhouse door, she saw Wang Er sitting paralyzed on the ground, his face full of terror.

Fear was written all over his face, yet a layer of sharp light flickered in his eyes, making Zhou Che's heart inexplicably jolt.

"What are you doing?!" Zhou Che asked icily.

At first, Zhou Che had felt strong compassion for this pitiful man.

But after just a few days of living together, her compassion had turned to disgust.

This was solely because the other's gaze always seemed to intentionally or unintentionally sweep over her, making her entire being feel extremely uncomfortable.

It was as if what he was looking at wasn't her as a person, but a plate of delicious delicacies that made him drool.

"I... I just got back from the market. I saw you weren't around, so I wanted to find you. I never expected you were bathing! Right! Right! I didn't know you were bathing. I'm sorry, Qingyue! I was wrong, but I truly didn't do it on purpose!"

Wang Er stammered his reply, his face pale as death, his entire body trembling uncontrollably, as if he'd seen a ghost.

Hearing this, Zhou Che's expression did not soften. She still looked at him icily. At this moment, her heart had reached the peak of fury.

"Couldn't you have called my name?"

As a youth of seventeen or eighteen, she was extremely shy around the opposite sex. She knew that women were naturally delicate, so after turning into a woman, she cherished her body more than anyone else.

Yet this person before her had peeped on her while she was bathing. This was undoubtedly challenging her bottom line.

Hearing Zhou Che's interrogation, Wang Er was so frightened that he hurriedly knelt down.

"I... I was momentarily neg... negligent. Usually you're cultivating in your room, so when I saw you weren't there, my first thought was to look for you. It didn't occur to me to call your name!"

His explanation was exceedingly forced, so forced that even Zhou Che couldn't think of a reason to help him smooth it over.

Looking at Wang Er's cowering actions, Zhou Che was so angry she laughed.

The lean man before her was now groveling at her feet, trembling. His appearance was exactly like a wild dog despised by all in some desolate, harsh land.

"Back then, I took pity on you and bought you, and I promised you that once I break through the Minor Attainment Realm and advance to the Outer Sect, I would take you back to the mortal world and grant you your freedom. But I've only taken you in for a few days, and you've repeatedly engaged in all sorts of vile behavior. You stole spirit jade from the abode and secretly pocketed the leftover money from purchases. You even took advantage of my cultivation time to kill a spirit fish from the pond and stew it with spirit lotus root to eat. I can ask myself if I've ever treated you poorly, and I haven't haggled with you over these things. Yet you've repeatedly crossed my bottom line. Why is that?"

Zhou Che questioned. Her words shifted from coldness to anger, making Wang Er's already trembling body shake even more violently.

"Qingyue, I'm sorry! I really didn't do any of it on purpose! I didn't know the use of that spirit jade; I only thought it was currency like silver. That's why I put it away, but I wasn't trying to embezzle it! I was thinking of saving it for you, and when the day came for me to leave, I would organize it all and hand it over to you, so you wouldn't have to waste time cleaning up bits and pieces scattered around the abode. I was afraid of delaying your cultivation, Qingyue!"

As Wang Er spoke, his hands began to fumble haphazardly on the ground. Perhaps even he couldn't believe such a far-fetched explanation, so he then hugged Zhou Che's calf and looked up imploringly.

"Qingyue, I was wrong, Qingyue! Though I did do those things, every word I've said is true! And as for stewing the spirit fish, it was because I saw that your cultivation had gone awry that day, so I thought to stew a spirit fish to nourish your body. I did it all for you, Qingyue!"

Wang Er wailed, as if he had suffered the greatest injustice, yet his explanations remained utterly feeble.

Zhou Che watched his wretched display, which perfectly epitomized the image of a petty scoundrel.

She truly wanted to drive this Wang Er away right then and there, but the thought that he had nowhere else to go in the Hehuan Sect and would inevitably meet a dead end made her icy heart soften again.

After letting out a long sigh, Zhou Che did not drive him away. In the end, she was still just a youth inexperienced in the ways of the world, and she couldn't bear to be ruthless.

"Now my cultivation has entered the right track. I believe it won't be long before I can break through to the Minor Attainment Realm. As for your actions, I don't wish to argue over them anymore. In the days to come, you'd best behave yourself. Once I advance to Outer Sect Disciple, I will naturally keep my promise and send you away."

With these words, Zhou Che turned and walked toward the living room. She didn't want to see him for even a moment longer.

"Yes! Yes! As long as you're willing to forgive me, Qingyue, I will definitely behave from now on, I guarantee I won't transgress again!"

Wang Er knelt on the ground, repeatedly kowtowing toward Zhou Che's retreating figure.

Only after she had disappeared did he slowly pick himself up off the ground.

‘So she actually knew everything I did! But she was clearly in cultivation at the time. Could it be... because of a cultivator's powerful perception?’

Wang Er looked in the direction of the living room, a flicker of ruthlessness slowly surfacing in his eyes, only to vanish again in an instant.