Chapter 134: Calming and Exhilarating
With the spirit beasts having retreated from the area, Wan Ai had found a nice, isolated part of the Wood to cultivate that only Zou Tian knew about. It was perfect, really. Several trees grew tight together, forming almost a wall that hid any other sect members passing by from her sight.
Solitude and quiet were exactly what she needed.
She dropped into a deep meditative state. All her concentration was required to draw in qi and circulate it through her channels and meridians in the manner prescribed by her cultivation method.
From experience, she knew a cycle would take a half to three quarters of an hour, but it felt like only a few minutes to her. She purely loved the entire process. It filled her with peace and, at the same time, made her feel powerful and accomplished. Cultivating was somehow both calming and exhilarating.
Each time she finished a full cycle, she opened her eyes and looked around. So far, Zou Tian had not joined her, but she was sure he would once his training was complete for the day.
She chuckled. His presence was something else that she found both calming and exhilarating. Which in turn confused her and drew butterflies to her stomach and made her reevaluate her future.
Wan Ai of course knew people her age often found partners and got married. Orphans who moved on to apprenticeships would eventually pair themselves with someone and start a family. But she’d never considered anything like that for herself.
She enjoyed being alone way too much to have ever anticipated preferring the company of another.
Now, though…
Zou Tian and she spent every moment together they could whenever their responsibilities didn’t require them to be apart. But she didn’t know if that made them a couple or if he even felt the same way about her that she was starting to feel about him.
They just kind of fit together. Enjoyed each other’s company, often silently. Cultivating with him next to her was amazing. His presence was so slight as to almost not be there, so instead of being intrusive, he was a comfort. There had nothing beyond spending time together, though, save for him occasionally holding her hand to provide support.
She sighed. Thinking about him was not advancing her toward her goal of reaching the next minor realm, however. Not seeing him nearby, she started another cycle and another after that one. It was difficult to sense exactly how many would be required to breakthrough, but she was close. Maybe today. If not, definitely tomorrow or the day after.