Peerless Bodyguard of a Stunning Beauty

Chapter 216: Chapter 184: Ice Lake Cultivation

And so, Zhao Rong followed Tao Hua under the cover of night, heading toward the cultivation cave halfway up the mountain. Along the way, he thought to himself, Soon, I’ll be alone with Tao Hua in the cave. Maybe something might even happen... Why don’t I take advantage of the night to set the mood? That should help things along later...

So, Zhao Rong pointed at the sky and said to Tao Hua, ”Tao Hua, on this beautiful night with the full moon and blooming flowers...”

Before Zhao Rong could finish, Tao Hua looked up at the sky, frowned, and said, ”Beautiful night? What are you talking about? Look, the clouds are covering the moon and there isn’t a single star out...”

Hearing this, Zhao Rong was taken aback. He glanced up and saw that it was, indeed, a cloudy night. Undeterred, he tried to find something else romantic to say. ”Tao Hua, it’s just the two of us tonight, walking along this country path, smelling the fragrant air and seeing the ground covered in flowers... It feels so romantic...”

Just as Zhao Rong was getting lost in the moment, Tao Hua frowned, pinched her nose, and said, ”Brother Zhao Rong, is your rhinitis acting up again? We’re walking right past the Zhenwu Gate’s septic tank... And what flowers are you talking about? This whole area is a minefield of pollution from the tank.”

Hearing this, Zhao Rong froze. He pinched his own nose and thought, Every spring when the flowers bloom, my rhinitis does flare up for a while.

As he pinched his nose, he suddenly spotted the septic tank nearby and couldn’t help but gag. ”Damn, why is the septic tank right here? I didn’t even see it.”

Tao Hua teased him, ”Brother Zhao Rong, with your beady little eyes and their narrow field of vision, plus your nearsightedness, of course you didn’t notice the septic tank right next to us.”

With that, Tao Hua continued leading Zhao Rong toward the cultivation cave on the mountainside. Along the way, the bungling Zhao Rong thought to himself, Why is my luck so terrible today? I tried to create a romantic atmosphere, a little prelude, but not only did it fall flat, I even made Tao Hua laugh at me. Does this mean nothing’s going to happen tonight?

Just as Zhao Rong was feeling discouraged, Tao Hua suddenly pointed to the nearby cultivation cave. ”Brother Zhao Rong, we’re here! Let’s hurry inside. Tonight, it’s just the two of us in here...”

After she spoke, she gave Zhao Rong a seductive smile. Seeing her smile, his heart began to race. Could there still be a chance tonight?

After entering the cultivation cave, they arrived at their usual training spot, one of the lower areas in the cave that was especially good for gathering True Qi. Once they arrived, Tao Hua looked at Zhao Rong and said, ”Alright, we’re here. Take off your clothes.”

Hearing her tell him to take off his clothes, Zhao Rong was startled. Whoa, it’s been a while since I’ve seen Tao Hua. I didn’t expect her to be even more forward than before! But... I like this kind of forwardness.

With that thought, Zhao Rong stripped off his clothes as fast as he could and asked, ”Tao Hua, I’m completely naked. So, are we... heading to the bed next?”

Tao Hua blinked in surprise. She pointed to the nearby Ice Lake and said, ”Brother Zhao Rong, you’re so naughty! I told you to get undressed so you could follow me into the Ice Lake to cultivate. How could you get such a wrong idea?”

Zhao Rong was mortified. He quickly pulled on his shorts and said awkwardly, ”Oh, so it’s for cultivating in the Ice Lake. I thought...”

With that, Zhao Rong followed Tao Hua, who was already in a swimsuit, into the Ice Lake. The moment he stepped in, he felt a chill so deep it seemed to freeze his very bones. Shivering uncontrollably, Zhao Rong asked, ”Tao Hua, this lake is freezing. Do we really have to cultivate in here?”

Although Tao Hua was also cold, she gritted her teeth and said, ”When Heaven is about to bestow a great task upon a person, it first tests their heart with hardship, tires their muscles and bones, and starves their body...”

Before she could finish, Zhao Rong quickly cut in. ”Tao Hua, I get it! Cultivation is a process of self-torture. You don’t have to recite classical Chinese at me.”

Saying this, he and Tao Hua moved to the very center of the Ice Lake. Tao Hua settled into a horse stance in the water, with only her head remaining above the surface. ”Brother Zhao Rong,” she said, ”let’s begin cultivating.”

Zhao Rong copied her, sinking into a horse stance in the Ice Lake before closing his eyes and beginning to cultivate. However, he hadn’t even been cultivating for three minutes before the freezing water became unbearable.

So, he asked Tao Hua, ”How long do we have to cultivate in this Ice Lake?”

With her eyes still closed in deep concentration, Tao Hua answered, ”The first half of the night in the Ice Lake, the second half in the sauna...”

Hearing this, Zhao Rong nearly fainted from shock. Damn, isn’t this a trial of ice and fire? This is the ultimate test of the body’s adaptability!

He could only comfort himself silently. Oh well, I’ll just have to endure it. I’m a cultivator, after all.