I CULTIVATED BY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE DEMON LORD

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CHAPTER 8: Candle Wax

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Even without knowing anything about the Bliss Sect or what being a partner truly meant, Little Lian could hardly be blamed for reading something inappropriate into the geoduck's rather unfortunate shape.

Watching him lean in closer, studying the creature with obvious confusion, Chu Li rushed over and snatched the geoduck out of his hands without a word of explanation. "This is clearly some kind of mistake!"

She waved a finger threateningly above the alarming-looking siphon, hoping to startle it back inside and spare herself the visual any further.

The geoduck, it turned out, had never been through anything like this before, and at Chu Li's mild intimidation, it promptly retracted its trunk.

Just as Chu Li was congratulating herself on her quick thinking, the timid creature, in the very act of retracting its siphon, suddenly shot out a jet of water from the tip.

Absolutely unforgivable!

The spray caught Chu Li square in the face, droplets clinging to her lashes, the excess running down the bridge of her nose and straight into her mouth, a briny, fishy taste so overwhelming she very nearly gagged on the spot.

She wiped the seawater off her face with the back of her hand, bent down to retrieve the box and its lid, hastily stuffed the geoduck back inside, and forced herself to sound composed. "I'll be returning this. The radish and celery clam stew should be ready by now. Let's get you something to eat."

The moment Chu Li lifted the lid off the pot, a rich, savory aroma filled the air, drawing several small birds to perch at the window, chirping away as though they, too, wanted a taste of the broth.

Knowing Little Lian didn't care for the taste of celery or white radish, she picked out every last piece of clam meat and piled it high in a bowl, then ladled it generously with broth.

Watching him hesitate, unsure what to do, Chu Li calmly pulled out a golden-yellow spirit fruit and bit into it with obvious relish.

Little Lian scooped up small spoonfuls of clam meat, eating cautiously, glancing up at her every so often, looking distinctly nervous.

By the ninth time he shot her one of those uncertain glances, Chu Li finally couldn't hold back. "Doesn't it taste good?"

Little Lian shook his head, his eyes dropping to the clear broth in his bowl. "I was perfectly happy just eating fruit. You didn't need to go to all this trouble for me, Sister."

"That won't do at all." Chu Li set her half-eaten fruit pit down on the table with a decisive clack, propping an elbow up and pointing a finger at him. "Don't you want to be a good partner? A good partner starts by taking proper care of his own body. That's what makes me happy."

Little Lian fell quiet, nodding silently, and finished off every last spoonful of clam meat in his bowl, before finally lifting the bowl itself and drinking down the remaining broth in loud, steady gulps.

Chu Li, pleased to see him so obedient, watched with real satisfaction as he drained the entire bowl of broth without spilling a drop.

Little Lian covered his mouth as a series of small hiccups escaped him, one hand pressed to his chest, seemingly unable to stop patting himself there.

As Chu Li cleared the bowls away, she happened to notice a faint hint of red seeping into his wrist cord.

At first she thought she'd simply imagined it, but when she pulled his hand closer to check, sure enough, there was a pinprick-sized spot of red now visible on the Xuanzhu binding.

So the cord doubled as some kind of progress tracker, did it?

Which meant this meal had actually worked as proper nourishment!

Overjoyed, Chu Li ruffled the top of Little Lian's head, praising him warmly under his bewildered gaze. "Good boy!"

For lunch and dinner that followed, Chu Li worked her way through fish, then duck, then rabbit, the menu escalating rapidly until she'd reached the absolute limit of what she knew how to cook.

And after every meal, Little Lian, clearly full to the brim, would inevitably let out a long string of involuntary hiccups.

The Xuanzhu binding on his wrist was visibly reddening bit by bit, starting from the end, at a pace she could track with her own eyes.

That evening, before bed, Chu Li happily brought over a plate of spirit fruit and set it in front of him. "I collected six or seven different kinds. The orange ones are tangy and sweet, the yellow ones are crisp and sweet, the purple ones are rich and sweet... which would you like?"

Little Lian looked up at her from where he sat on the bamboo cot, only to let out another hiccup without meaning to, his expression apologetic. "I appreciate the thought, Sister, but I really can't eat any more."

Chu Li's smile vanished instantly. "You can't eat any more?"

That simply wouldn't do!

At this rate, even if she stewed three pots of duck soup a day and served three plates of roasted rabbit legs alongside them, it would take at least a full year before the Xuanzhu binding turned completely red.

And if she couldn't fill his spiritual reserves quickly enough to actually cultivate with him, her own body couldn't afford to wait that long.

Little Lian lowered his head and reached out to tug gently at the hem of her robe. "Sister, are you unhappy again? If it would make you happy, I could try a little harder..."

Before he could even finish the thought, another small hiccup escaped him, and he pressed his lips together immediately, rubbing his stomach over and over. Even as his body kept trembling faintly with each hiccup, he refused to let another sound slip out.

Watching him force himself to endure the discomfort like that, Chu Li thought back to the pitiful, downtrodden partner she'd seen in the orchard that morning, and a wave of guilt rose up in her chest.

If she forced Little Lian to keep eating against his will, how was she any different from that awful Jin Lan, treating her own partner like nothing more than livestock?

No, absolutely not. She refused to lower herself to that kind of person's level.

Chu Li set the plate of fruit down and pulled Little Lian's head gently against her chest, soothing him in a soft voice. "It's fine if you can't eat any more. It's not a big deal at all. All I need is for you to be happy. That's what puts my mind at ease."

Since food alone clearly wasn't an efficient enough method, she'd need to find a better way.

The next morning, Chu Li picked the wooden box back up off the windowsill, determined to return the geoduck, box and all, to Qi Ying, and take the opportunity to ask her advice on properly nourishing a partner.

After a bit of searching, Chu Li located Qi Ying's courtyard on the eastern side of the Bliss Sect.

Every Core Formation stage disciple had their own private cottage, a rather comfortable arrangement, quite unlike the outer disciples' cramped quarters, packed tightly together and relying on the sect's soundproofing barriers just to keep from disturbing one another.

When Chu Li knocked on Qi Ying's door, she found her with a hairpin held between her teeth, her partner trailing anxiously behind her. "Ah Ying, your hair still isn't done."

Without even turning around, Qi Ying let out a light huff. "It's just a hairstyle. I can manage it myself. Go rest in your room. I'm going to catch up with a new friend."

Caught in the crossfire of what could only be described as a display of relationship sweetness, Chu Li did her best to feign indifference and turned to admire the scenery instead.

Qi Ying waved the hairpin in front of Chu Li teasingly. "So, did you get a chance to feed that nourishing gift I sent you to your partner? How did it work out?"

Chu Li held the wooden box back out to her. "Let's not talk about it. I was hoping to nourish his spiritual energy, not... nourish that particular part of him."

Qi Ying pinned her hair up into a loose bun with practiced ease, took the box back with a grin, and pulled Chu Li inside. "It's all good ingredients regardless. Might as well let it nourish him either way."

"Food alone is simply too slow." Chu Li propped her chin in her hand and sighed. "Yesterday, from morning to night, I basically force-fed him like a Peking duck. He was clearly uncomfortable with it, and the results still weren't nearly what I'd hoped for. Do you know of any way to speed up the process?"

"Hmm," Qi Ying mused as she walked, then suddenly seemed to think of something. "You could try daily acupuncture on his pressure points. It would help stimulate his body's absorption of spiritual energy, and the nourishment would go a lot further with half the effort."

She dug out a medical text and pressed it into Chu Li's hands. "Just follow the acupuncture points laid out on page fifteen. It explains everything quite clearly."

Chu Li accepted the gesture gratefully, though she hesitated, pressing her lips together. "But he's afraid of pain. I don't think I could bring myself to stick needles into him every single day."

Qi Ying reached out and tapped Chu Li lightly on the shoulder. "You can't even bear the thought of a single needle touching him? What kind of person is he, to have you this soft on him?"

"Well, he's the partner I chose myself, after all. If he's happy, I'm happy." Chu Li pursed her lips. "Even without acupuncture, surely there's some other way to stimulate those points?"

Qi Ying rested a hand on her chin, thinking it over. "I've heard the medical clinics down the mountain use cupping and moxibustion. Not quite the same as acupuncture, but the results are supposed to be quite good too. Plenty of people swear by it. Why not give that a try?"

"Cupping's still a bit painful, and moxibustion's a bit too hot, and both of them tend to leave marks behind." Chu Li thought of the scars already scattered across Little Lian's chest, and her heart ached at the thought of adding more.

"Those marks fade eventually. There's no need to worry about him quite that much, is there?" Qi Ying tapped a finger against her temple. "Or, you could try massage instead, to stimulate his pressure points that way. But that method's far too gentle. It probably wouldn't get you anywhere near the results you're after."

At the word "massage," something clicked in Chu Li's mind, and she pumped a fist excitedly into the air. "I think I've found the perfect solution, something that stimulates his pressure points without hurting him at all!"

She pointed at the candlestick sitting nearby and asked Qi Ying seriously, "Could I have that candle?"

Qi Ying had no idea what she meant, but pulled the candle free and handed it over regardless. "Why on earth do you suddenly need that?"

"Thanks. A wise hermit always has a trick up her sleeve." Chu Li tucked the candle away and turned to leave at once.

"Wait," Qi Ying called after her, reaching out to catch her arm. "You haven't even told me what this plan actually is!"

Chu Li was already moving fast, managing only a quick parting line over her shoulder. "I'll have to try it on him first before I can tell you anything, won't I!"

The moment she got back to her quarters, Chu Li greeted Little Lian in passing and ducked straight into the inner chamber, pulling out the half-burned candle Qi Ying had given her to compare it against the one at her own bedside.

The candles issued to outer-sect disciples were mass-produced from ordinary tallow, with a burning point well over three hundred degrees, alarmingly hot; enough of them bundled together could practically be used to boil a hot pot.

The candles used by inner-sect disciples, on the other hand, were specially provided by the sect itself, made from beeswax produced by the sect's own spirit bees. These burned at only around fifty degrees, gentle enough not to burn the skin.

The half-candle Qi Ying had given her carried a faint, pleasant fragrance up close, the result of the Bliss Sect deliberately blending calming, mood-lifting fragrances into the wax during production.

Chu Li conjured a small spirit flame with her bare hand to light the wick, and once the beeswax at the top had begun to melt, carefully dipped a fingertip into the warm liquid.

It was hot, certainly, but entirely within a range she could tolerate.

The moment the wax left the flame, it cooled almost instantly.

Working up her nerve, Chu Li tilted the candle and let a single drop fall onto the inside of her wrist. The wax stung faintly the moment it touched her skin, but the sensation faded almost as quickly as it came, leaving behind only a small, orange, faintly fragrant petal of hardened wax.

After trying it a few more times, she felt confident enough in the method.

When Chu Li brought Little Lian over to the bamboo cot and instructed him to remove his top and lie down, the boy shrank back visibly, his fingers unconsciously clutching at his sleeves. "...Sister, you're acting a little strange."

"Don't be afraid." Chu Li leaned toward him slowly as she spoke. "You've seemed rather tense these past few days, and I think all that eating might have upset your stomach a little. I just want to help you relax and settle your body."

Little Lian kept backing away until the edge of the cot caught the back of his legs, forcing him to sit down abruptly.

He clasped both hands tightly at his sides, his doe-like eyes wary, his face turned slightly to one side, his voice carefully composed. "If this is what you want, Sister... then, all right."

He turned to the side, undid the ties of his robe, slipped it off his shoulders, and slowly lay down on the cot. Only then did Chu Li reach over and pull the fabric down to rest at his waist.

Little Lian folded his arms beneath his chin, his eyes flicking toward her every so often, unmistakably tense.

Without another word, Chu Li climbed onto the cot and knelt beside him.

Unlike his chest, the boy's back bore no visible wounds at all, smooth and flawless, like a fine piece of jade kept carefully hidden from view.

Chu Li reminded herself firmly that she needed to proceed with the utmost care and under no circumstances accidentally hurt him.

Little Lian pressed his lips together, his voice sounding somewhat stiff. "Sister, when are you going to start?"

Chu Li reached behind her and produced a lit candle, waving it gently near the side of his face.

Little Lian's voice came out small and frightened, a fine tremor running down his spine that he couldn't quite suppress. "Sister, what exactly are you planning to do to me?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Chu Li said, studying the candle in her hand with perfect seriousness. "Wax dripping."

【Author's Note】

【Bonus scene】

Ji Wuyan: No wonder I fell for this woman. First thing she does is try to get me into wax play.

Chu Li: Please, you've got nothing on me. The moment we met, you demoted yourself to calling me "Sister" of your own accord, and you still haven't taken it back.

Ji Wuyan: ...Those two things are in no way comparable!

Translator's Notes for Curious Readers 🤍

填鸭 (force-feeding like a duck): Chu Li's comment about feeding Little Lian "like a Peking duck" references the traditional method of force-feeding ducks to fatten them for roasting, a long-standing idiom in Chinese for cramming someone with far more than they want or need (also used for rote-memorization "cramming" in education).
狗粮 ("dog food"): When Chu Li describes herself as having been "fed dog food," this is common Chinese internet slang for witnessing a couple's public displays of affection, the joke being that onlookers are figuratively "fed" the couple's sweetness the way you'd feed a dog scraps. It has nothing to do with actual dog food.
事半功倍 (half the effort, twice the results): A four-character idiom Qi Ying uses when suggesting acupuncture, meaning to achieve a much better outcome with comparatively little effort. Rendered here more naturally as "the nourishment would go a lot further with half the effort."
山人自有妙计 ("a mountain hermit always has a clever plan"): A stock, slightly theatrical phrase often used (half-jokingly) by characters in Chinese fiction to brush off a question about their plans, implying they have some secret scheme up their sleeve. Chu Li uses it here playfully, refusing to explain her plan involving the candle just yet.
藏而不露 (hidden and unrevealed): The description of Little Lian's back as being "like a fine piece of jade kept hidden from view" draws on this common idiom for something valuable being modestly concealed rather than shown off, often used to describe understated talent or beauty.
The chapter's central device, dripping warm wax onto the skin as a form of massage or stimulation, is presented here within the story's fantasy medical framework (as an alternative to acupuncture) using beeswax candles that burn at a much lower, skin-safe temperature, distinct from the ordinary tallow candles used elsewhere in the sect.