Cultivating Immortality, Starting from Childhood Sweethearts

“Zheng!”

With the release of Xu Ming’s arrow, the arrowhead pierced through the air, and in the distance, a spotted deer fell to the ground.

The arrow had shot straight through the deer’s head, killing it instantly and painlessly.

During this hunt, Xu Ming deliberately refrained from using any techniques or spiritual energy.

If he had, the quiver of arrows on his back, with each arrow representing a potential prey, would have resulted in a literal mountain of game.

Even so, with Xu Ming’s current martial prowess, achieving near-perfect accuracy with every shot wasn’t particularly challenging.

Of course, Xu Ming wasn’t a sharpshooter by trade. He could easily pierce through a stone with an arrow, but treating a bow and arrow like a sniper rifle was another matter. Hitting a specific target every single time wasn’t guaranteed.

Still, achieving nine hits out of ten was effortless for him.

However, Xu Ming intentionally missed a few shots here and there.

It’s like when the boss invites you to play cards—you can’t keep winning every hand and taking their money. Where would that leave their dignity?

“Hyah!”

Xu Ming grabbed the deer with one hand and tossed it into his storage pouch. Then, he continued leisurely hunting.

If all went well, he figured he could take these spoils back to the Xiaochun Courtyard for a barbecue tonight.

On the other side, Wu Yanhan was also drawing her bow and releasing arrows. Every arrow she shot pierced the sky, and with each one, another prey fell to the ground.

Compared to Xu Ming, Wu Yanhan had no such reservations.

She saw no need to spare her father’s pride, nor did she want to lose to Xu Ming.

Grabbing her prey, she tossed the wild boar into her storage pouch.

Though martial artists couldn’t use traditional storage pouches, the craftsmen of the Mo Clan had developed a type of pouch that could be activated with martial energy. ṜαΝȪ𝐁ȧ

Aside from being extraordinarily expensive, these pouches had no real drawbacks.

For someone like Wu Yanhan, a royal princess, “extraordinarily expensive” wasn’t even a concern.

After storing her prey, she continued forward, intent on hunting something larger.

However, she hadn’t ridden more than a few steps when she suddenly felt the world spinning around her.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest, Xu Ming experienced the same sensation.

Both of them quickly realized that the hunting grounds’ formation array had been activated, though neither knew the reason why.

As their consciousness wavered, Xu Ming soon found himself standing in a massive underground cavern.

The cavern was deep, at least a hundred meters.

Xu Ming attempted to fly out but quickly discovered that a no-flight formation had been set up in this place.

While he was still puzzled, a shadow appeared at the entrance of the cave.@@novelbin@@

The shadow grew larger and larger until it fell directly into Xu Ming’s arms.

“Yanhan?” Xu Ming stared at the girl in his arms, his expression full of confusion.

Gradually regaining her senses, Wu Yanhan slowly opened her eyes.

“Xu Ming?” she said, momentarily stunned.

Xu Ming chuckled. “That’s right. It’s me.”

Wu Yanhan looked around and finally noticed that she was in a cave—and in Xu Ming’s arms, cradled like a bride.

“Put me down,” she said, lightly punching him in the chest with a clenched fist.

“Come on now. If I hadn’t caught you, you’d have crashed straight onto the ground,” Xu Ming retorted with a playful tone, setting her down gently.

“Where is this place?” Wu Yanhan asked, still disoriented.

Xu Ming rolled his eyes. “This is the royal hunting ground—your family’s property. Why are you asking me, an outsider?”

Wu Yanhan rolled her eyes at Xu Ming. “It’s not like I know every blade of grass and every tree in Wudu. But judging by the situation, this is probably my father’s doing.”

“Definitely,” Xu Ming nodded, agreeing with her assessment.

The Emperor had absolute control over Wudu, and that went doubly so for the royal hunting grounds. Without a doubt, the Emperor had activated a formation to send the two of them to this place.

But why?

Could it be that he thought this would somehow bring him and Yanhan closer together?

While Xu Ming and Wu Yanhan were still pondering, thin wisps of white smoke began drifting down from the hundred-meter-high cave opening.

The smoke carried a faint, pleasant fragrance.

The longer they breathed it in, the stronger the strange restlessness in their hearts grew.

As Xu Ming and Wu Yanhan locked eyes, each thought the other seemed inexplicably more attractive—more alluring—and felt an uncontrollable urge to draw closer.

Indeed, they began to move closer, their faces nearly touching, their lips only a hair’s breadth apart.

But just before they crossed that final line, Xu Ming’s firm will reasserted itself, and he turned his head away at the last moment.

“I think I know what your father is trying to do,” Xu Ming said, his tone steady but tinged with exasperation.

Wu Yanhan’s cheeks flushed as she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and nodded slightly. “I’ve figured it out too.”

A man and a woman, alone in a confined space, with a seductive incense filling the air—it didn’t take a genius to realize that the Emperor was trying to speed things up.

“Does your father underestimate our self-control that much?” Xu Ming chuckled. “Does he really think this smoke is enough to make us lose ourselves?”

Wu Yanhan shook her head. “My father never keeps things simple. He always overthinks, planning everything down to the smallest detail.”

“You’re saying your father might have a backup plan?” Xu Ming asked.

Wu Yanhan nodded. “Most likely. Otherwise, this wouldn’t feel like his style.”

“And what might that backup plan—” Before Xu Ming could finish his sentence, he suddenly felt a sharp pang in his chest.

Clutching his heart, Xu Ming’s breathing grew heavier, his pulse racing, and a wave of scorching heat coursed through his body.

It wasn’t just Xu Ming—Wu Yanhan was experiencing the exact same symptoms.

“That meal—something was wrong with it!”

The realization hit both of them simultaneously. The food or wine they’d consumed earlier must have been laced with something—and not just any substance, but a high-grade aphrodisiac.

Their breathing grew hotter and heavier, their senses—smell, touch, and sight—heightened to an unbearable degree. A parched thirst clawed at their throats, and their bodies burned with an intense heat.

Under the influence of the incense, they had already found each other irresistibly alluring. Now, with the drug taking full effect, their rationality began to crumble.

“Yanhan, we—”

Before Xu Ming could finish speaking, Wu Yanhan had already risen on her tiptoes, placed her hands on his shoulders, and lifted her face to kiss him.