Chapter 214: Give Me a Parting Kiss

After the West Island Lord finished speaking, he watched Lian Li’s reaction.

He found that the boy listened very seriously, showing no signs of disappointment or reluctance. Instead, he nodded with a solemn expression and replied, “Alright, Junior Uncle, I will keep that in mind.”

The West Island Lord felt a bit more at ease.

Lian Li, for his part, truly felt there was nothing wrong with the advice; this was exactly how things should be.

A martial artist’s primary cultivation technique was their foundation.

This dual cultivation technique was merely a supplementary one. If he used it every day, practicing it more diligently than his primary technique, wouldn’t that be putting the cart before the horse?

After receiving guidance from the West Island Lord, Lian Li prepared to get up and leave. At that moment, the West Island Lord suddenly called out to him and tossed him a small medicine bottle.

“Hold one pill in your mouth before you circulate your energy every night. It can speed up the rate at which you stabilize that internal energy.”

The medicine the West Island Lord gave voluntarily was always of premium quality. If you were the one to actively ask him for medicine, it wasn’t necessarily guaranteed to be a top-tier product.

Lian Li clutched the small bottle like a treasure and tucked it into his robe. Then, he flashed a brilliant smile at the West Island Lord. “Thank you, Junior Uncle! I knew Junior Uncle was the best to me.”

The West Island Lord knew the boy’s tongue only turned sweet because he had gained a benefit, but he still felt quite pleased. After all, on Drunken Dream Island, this boy was the only one who would act so charming after receiving medicine.

Though he felt satisfied inside, he deliberately put on a look of disdain and said, “Qu Tingquan and Zhao Honglan have already left. Now that Drunken Dream Island is only populated by our own people, your one-year debt of wearing women’s clothing can begin.”

Lian Li’s brilliant smile froze for a moment. He had thought the West Island Lord had forgotten about this matter, but he hadn’t expected him to still be keeping track. However, since the creditor had brought it up, he was too embarrassed to continue dodging the debt.

Seeing the West Island Lord raise an eyebrow as if he were about to speak again, Lian Li hurriedly said, “Alright, I understand. I’ll start wearing it when I go back today. But Junior Uncle, I wore women’s clothing in front of so many people back in Fengyi City—can that offset some of the time?”

Hearing him mention Fengyi City, the smile at the corners of the West Island Lord’s mouth deepened. He looked Lian Li up and down before saying quite readily, “Then I’ll deduct thirty days for you.”

Thirty days was not a small amount; it was more than Lian Li had previously estimated. He was extremely satisfied and nodded quickly in agreement, fearing the West Island Lord might go back on his word.

Having settled this matter, the West Island Lord didn’t want to deal with him anymore. He leaned back, lying down on the soft couch, and waved his hand, sending Lian Li out.

Returning happily to the South Island, Lian Li rummaged through the large crates for the women’s clothing he hadn’t sent back to the West Island. After picking for a long while, he chose a water-blue dress and changed into it.

Thinking that he had just received a benefit from the West Island Lord, he even specifically went to the mirror to do his makeup.

Unfortunately, it had been a while since he had dressed in women’s clothing and applied makeup, so he was inevitably a bit out of practice. It took him quite a while to get everything sorted.

He stood up and checked himself in the full-length mirror. Finding nothing particularly strange or awkward, he took his whip to the clearing to practice his martial arts.

Yun Huizhou didn’t return for seven or eight days straight. Lian Li didn’t dare go over to check, fearing he might disturb him.

At night, after Lian Li finished bathing, he tucked one of the pills given by the West Island Lord into his mouth and sat cross-legged on the bed to continue stabilizing the internal energy gained from the dual cultivation technique.

In fact, two days ago, he felt he had already compressed that increased internal energy down to about twenty percent. But to be safe, he decided that stabilizing it for a few more days wouldn’t be a bad thing.

After two cycles of his internal energy, the effects of the pill had completely vanished.

When Lian Li opened his eyes, he caught a glimpse of a dark shadow to his right out of the corner of his eye. He looked closely and saw that Yun Huizhou had silently sat down by his bedside at some unknown point.

“You… you’re back?” Lian Li asked blankly.

Yun Huizhou teased him intentionally, “The way you said that makes it sound like you didn’t really want me to come back?”

Lian Li shook his head quickly in denial. “Not at all! I just thought you’d be staying over there for ten days or half a month.”

If reaching the Super-First Class rank were that easy, there wouldn’t be so many people stuck at the peak of the First Class rank.

Many had even strayed onto the wrong path because of it.

“Did you… get it done?” Before Yun Huizhou could reply, Lian Li asked another question. He originally couldn’t see through Yun Huizhou’s strength, and now Yun Huizhou’s entire aura was much more restrained, making it even harder to tell.

“Not yet,” Yun Huizhou said, shaking his head. “I always feel like I’m just a little bit short.”

“I see. Don’t be in a hurry; this kind of thing depends on a moment of insight.” Lian Li stood up on the bed and did a slow turn in front of Yun Huizhou, showing off the women’s clothing he was wearing. He continued, “Look, I’m still paying off my previous debt, so I’m in no rush to leave.”

Yun Huizhou looked up slightly. As Lian Li spun, the light gauze of the skirt brushed against his cheek. He reached out and caught the gauze of Lian Li’s skirt. Before he could speak, he heard Lian Li cry out again.

“Don’t tug on the gauze of my skirt! You’re going to pull the whole dress off!”

Yun Huizhou let go and saw Lian Li glaring at him, clutching the hem of the skirt with one hand and the sash at his waist with the other.

He rubbed his nose somewhat awkwardly, then noticed that his hand had been stained with the scent of incense.

“Hmm? You’re using incense?” Yun Huizhou asked.

Lian Li grabbed the hem of his skirt and shoved it under Yun Huizhou’s nose, saying, “Smell it carefully. Doesn’t this scent seem familiar? Haven’t you smelled it somewhere before?”

Yun Huizhou actually took a sniff and thought for a moment. “It seems to be the incense Junior Uncle West often uses.”

“Exactly. Junior Uncle West sent another crate of women’s clothing over, saying that one should wear new clothes for the new year. These clothes were already scented when they arrived.” Lian Li sat down cross-legged and complained about the West Island Lord to him. “And he even sent people over. After my clothes are washed, they all have to be treated with incense.”

Yun Huizhou smiled and said, “It’s fine. Once I’ve settled things on my end, we can just leave.”

Lian Li said in a low voice, “I told you there’s no rush. Prioritize your safety. Besides, everyone on Drunken Dream Island is one of our own now. If I have to wear it, I’ll wear it; it’s not like any outsiders will know. But why did you suddenly come back?”

Yun Huizhou replied, “I went to the West Island to pick up some things. Since I had some time, I came back for a visit. I’ll be heading back shortly.”

Lian Li was a bit surprised that he still had to go back, but he didn’t try to persuade him otherwise. He knew Yun Huizhou was likely at a critical stage. Since they were within the bounds of Drunken Dream Island anyway, it didn’t matter where he slept.

Lian Li hugged his pillow and looked at him, saying, “Then… you should head back quickly. It’s getting late.”

Yun Huizhou leaned in close to him. “Aren’t you going to give me a parting kiss?”

Lian Li didn’t hesitate for a second. He tossed the pillow aside, cupped Yun Huizhou’s face, and kissed him.

Once the kiss ended, Yun Huizhou stood up and departed.