CHAPTER 4: SHADOWS BENEATH THE MORNING SUN (18+)

Shadows Beneath the Morning Sun

At dawn, the sun slowly rose, warm sunlight spilling down as the dew on the tips of grass blades turned to transparent vapor, vanishing into the ever-warming world.

I rested for a while in the training ground, drenched in sweat, my clothes soaked and clinging to my back. At that moment, hurried footsteps approached it was Second Senior Brother rushing over.

Second Senior Brother steadily carried a food box, came up to me with a caring look, and said, "Junior Brother, you’ve been practicing so long, you must be hungry. Eat something." He gently set the box on a stone bench nearby and opened the lid.

I leaned over to look just a few simple vegetarian dishes and some coarse-grain cakes, the food still steaming.

After setting down the meal, Second Senior Brother pursed his lips slightly, as if he’d finished an important task, and turned to leave.

I quickly called out, "Second Senior Brother, wait!" He stopped abruptly, his body freezing.

After a while, he slowly turned around, the caring look gone, replaced by nervousness and discomfort. His eyes darted everywhere, sometimes at the ground, sometimes into the distance, but never at me like a kid who’d broken a precious vase, feeling guilty and afraid of being scolded, or as if he were hiding something that was about to be discovered.

Trying to ease the mood, I casually asked,

"Second Senior Brother, what’s it like down the mountain?"

He lifted his head slightly, a look of reminiscence in his eyes, and slowly said,

"A few years ago, some refugees came to the outer gate at the foot of the mountain, just ordinary folks. Because of war and disasters, they lost their land and fled to our outer gate area, starting to clear land and farm to survive. At first, the sect pitied their hardship and let them farm for free, but later, the sect wasn’t doing well either, with fewer people and less income, so we started charging a token rent. That’s how they settled there. Now there are a dozen or so families, forming a small village, living pretty well. If you walk five li east from the village, there’s a bustling town, with shops selling cloth, herbal pharmacies, and stalls full of fresh vegetables and fruit, with crowds and carriages everywhere."

My curiosity grew, so I tilted my head and asked,

"Is there any government there?"

Second Senior Brother stroked his chin, thought for a while, and replied,

"There is, but we basically don’t deal with the government. Cultivation sects usually only manage their own cultivation and sect affairs, not getting involved in mundane matters. The government handles the common people security, taxes, that sort of thing. The imperial government is huge and complex, from county offices to prefectures, each level overseeing the next. There seems to be a tacit understanding between the government and cultivation sects. The government doesn’t interfere in sect matters as long as the sects behave and don’t use their skills to do evil. Sects manage their own affairs, which is why the cultivation world and the mundane world can coexist peacefully. After all, cultivators are too powerful; if the government meddled in sect affairs and a conflict broke out, it’d be disastrous. Likewise, if sects meddled in mundane affairs, it would mess up the normal social order."

Second Senior Brother then frowned, looked at me with concern, and said,

"Junior Brother, focusing on cultivation is good, but you must take care of your body. Our sect has this mountain as protection, and the surrounding refugees pay rent, so at least we don’t have to worry about food and drink. The cultivation path is long and hard; if you hurt yourself from overtraining, it’s not worth it. The body is the foundation of cultivation only with a healthy body can you go far and steady on this road. Don’t just think about quick results; sometimes you need to stop and rest."

I frowned too and replied seriously,

"Second Senior Brother, have you thought that our sect might be in danger? There are so few of us, the glory days are gone, and there’s no real expert holding the fort. In a world full of power struggles, we’re like a piece of fat meat in the open. Those with bad intentions and ambition must be eyeing us, maybe already plotting in some corner, just waiting for the right time to pounce like wolves. The sect’s resources and this good land they’re all things others might want. We can’t just be carefree anymore; we need to plan ahead, or we’ll regret it when trouble comes."

Second Senior Brother sighed softly, nodded, his eyes full of helplessness and emotion, and slowly said,

"You’re right, Junior Brother. But the cultivation path is too hard. Very few can become cultivators one in a thousand, even one in ten thousand isn’t an exaggeration. Take us, for example: Senior Brother and I have never slacked off, always practicing hard whenever we can, but we’re still stuck at the Qi Refining stage after more than ten years, unable to support the sect. We’re like lost in a maze, searching everywhere but unable to break through. The hardship and difficulty, only those who experience it know. So many days and nights, hoping to make progress, only to be disappointed again and again. Cultivation requires not just talent, but luck and perseverance missing any one of them won’t do."

He paused, then added,

"A few days ago Mistress said you broke through, so from now on, the sect may depend on you alone. It’ll be hard on you, Junior Brother."

I understood, my fingers unconsciously rubbing the green ring on my hand. The ring was cold; I thought to myself, if not for the mysterious, powerful green energy inside, I’d probably still be struggling on the path like Senior Brother and Second Senior Brother.

Second Senior Brother patted my shoulder and said,

"Don’t let the food get cold, eat while it’s hot." Then he turned and slowly walked out of the training ground along the winding path.

I watched him go, then took a deep breath, pushing aside all the messy thoughts.

After eating my fill, I gripped my sword tightly. The sound of the blade scraping the scabbard rang clear, as if urging me to start a new round of cultivation.

After several days of training, with the help of the ring’s mysterious power, I could feel the Golden Core realm was within reach. Spiritual power surged inside me, as if trying to break through something, crashing through my meridians, wave after wave battering the barrier to the Golden Core realm. Each time I circulated my power, my body tingled, as if slowly transforming. But though I was just one step away, that step felt as hard as reaching the sky.

These days, Mother had ordered a stop to morning practice, saying she didn’t want to get up so early. Second Senior Brother seemed to be pondering something; today he’d gone down to the town and hadn’t come back yet. Senior Brother wasn’t so well-behaved always "accidentally" dropping his chopsticks to taste his "delicacy." At night, he’d even heat up a basin of water, carrying a big log to give Mother a foot bath. He’d become a total "jailer."

At night, I sat upright in my room, the only light the flickering lamp, shadows swaying on the walls. I focused on running the Azure Sword Technique, trying to break through to Golden Core. As I was immersed in the flow and guidance of spiritual power, Mother’s smiling, slightly lazy voice sounded in my mind:

"Son, your Senior Brother just made a request of me."

I sat quietly, Mother’s words grabbing my heart like an invisible hand. I didn’t know if it was nervousness or excitement, but my heart pounded, blood racing, my whole body feeling slightly feverish. The silence was so deep I could hear my own heavy breathing. I didn’t rush to answer, waiting for what Mother would say next.

"I agreed to him."

Although I didn’t know what Mother had agreed to, that pleasure always fascinated me, and the green energy in the ring began to surge rapidly into my body.

"Son, do you want to watch? If you do... come outside my room and peek, but don’t startle your Senior Brother."

After hearing this, I licked my dry lips, coughed to clear my throat, stood up, and went outside. The night wind was cool, but it couldn’t cool the fire inside me. I flipped a few times and arrived at Mother’s bedroom door.

I quietly crouched at the crack of the wooden door to peek inside. The candlelight flickered, casting a hazy glow on the walls.

Mother sat on the edge of the bed, her expression playful, half-smiling, half-scolding. Her hands rested casually on the bed, while Senior Brother was half-kneeling on the floor, his figure in the dim light looking especially focused.

From the glimpse I caught, Senior Brother was probably, as usual, carefully washing Mother’s feet.

I immediately moved to the side, my footsteps echoing lightly on the stone path in the silent night. There was a window on the side, the carved patterns on the frame faintly visible in the moonlight. I gently pushed the window open, leaving a small gap to see inside.

Perhaps sensing my presence, Mother’s face blushed in the dim light, her eyes misty. She cleared her throat, as if hiding the excitement of being watched by her son. Senior Brother was not just squatting, but kneeling on both knees. His eyes were closed, his expression tense and excited, throat gulping, chest heaving with rapid breaths he was anticipating something. I saw Mother lift her right foot, her beautiful jade foot precisely stepping onto Senior Brother’s crotch, where his erection pressed against his pants.

"Ah... sss... ha..."

Senior Brother moaned, his buttocks clenched, hips thrusting upward for more pleasure. "So hard..."

Mother’s lips curled in a meaningful smile, her jade foot began to rhythmically rub. Even through the cloth, the sensation made Senior Brother tremble all over.

"Do you like Mistress doing this?"

Mother’s voice was teasing, her foot’s pressure alternating between light and heavy, as if playing with a toy.

"...Li...ke...ah..."

Senior Brother couldn’t help but moan, fists clenched, body unconsciously thrusting forward for more pleasure.

While continuing with her foot, Mother reached out with her slender fingers, caressing her collarbone, then slowly moving down to her chest. The fabric there was stretched tight, and she slipped off her little inner garment, exposing her huge breasts completely to the air.

"Why don’t you dare look at me?"

Senior Brother kept his eyes closed, not answering. Seeing his silence, Mother’s eyes flashed slyly. Her other jade foot deftly undid his belt and pulled down his pants. His already hard, swollen cock sprang out, trembling in the air, radiating masculine energy.

"So big... so hot..."

Mother licked her lips, eyes greedily fixed on that thick cock. Her left foot cupped his balls, gently kneading them, while her right foot pressed on his cock, sliding up and down. Each toe seemed to have a life of its own, precisely stimulating the most sensitive spots coronal ridge, tip, frenulum everywhere was carefully attended to.

"Tell Mistress..."

Mother’s voice suddenly turned stern, "Why don’t you dare look at me? Do you feel guilty toward your Junior Brother?"

Senior Brother’s breathing grew heavier, soft moans escaping his lips, but he still didn’t dare look at Mother’s face.

Mother definitely knew I was watching, deliberately mentioning me to stimulate both Senior Brother and me. At this moment, she seemed like a seductive queen, her toes skillfully kneading Senior Brother’s glans, her nails occasionally scraping his sensitive spots, sending waves of tingling electricity through him.

Thick pre-cum began to ooze from the tip, wetting Mother’s jade foot.

"Haah... so good... Mistress..."

Senior Brother leaned his head back, panting, his body trembling with pleasure, "Don’t stop... Mistress..."

Hearing Senior Brother’s plea, Mother smiled proudly, "That’s my good child... good... call out louder..."

Her arch completely wrapped around his cock, squelching sounds as she sped up, both feet rubbing his cock relentlessly.

"Ugh... can’t hold it... Mistress..."

Senior Brother’s voice was almost crying, feeling himself at the edge, instinctively trying to hold back his orgasm.

"Let it out... good disciple..."

Mother’s eyes sparkled with excitement, her feet moving faster, jade toes rubbing back and forth on the erupting rod. The squelching and sticky rubbing sounds echoed in the room.

Senior Brother couldn’t hold back any longer, biting his lip hard ugh!!

A torrent of semen burst out, instantly coating Mother’s entire foot and between her toes, some even splashing onto her body and her blushing, beautiful face.

"Huff... huff..."

Mother didn’t mind at all. Instead, she smiled with satisfaction and lewdness, wiped her face with her fingers, and slowly tasted it, "Ah~ delicious..."

Senior Brother opened his eyes, looking at Mother’s slutty expression and wanton words, and his just-spent member even showed signs of reviving.

Outside the window, my cock was already aching painfully, twitching in my pants, waves of intense pleasure shooting from my tailbone to my brain. I couldn’t help but bend over, trying to reduce the friction of the fabric on my glans, but it was useless cum still leaked out. At the same time, the ring in my hand erupted with surging energy, helping me break through the bottleneck I’d faced for days. I had advanced to the Golden Core realm.