For their race, so very deeply connected to nature, they had extremely high healing properties and capabilities to them thanks to it.

It was why they, both their males and females, were so prized by alchemists, and amongst the royals of humans, often highly desired as servants.

Normal humans could not use the pills that cultivators could to heal. They were simply either ineffective, or so strong that it caused damage and did not heal anything.

And thus came the elves.

Very long ago, humanity discovered how their special constitutions were beneficial to human health so kings and emperors, magistrates, and empresses all alike, even despite their races hatred against the elves, used them for healing and prolonging their lives through fornication.

There were some normal humans who managed to live over three hundred years simply by the benefit of the fact that they had done so.

And that was only in the case of the elf having violated a normal elf.

The effects of laying with a high elf, who were only ever found amongst elven royalty, were naturally far greater than that.

It was not as if the only means by which one could get these benefits from elves was through sex. It could be done through processing parts of an elves body through alchemy.

However, those methods degraded at the elf’s constitution over time, weakening them and ultimately killing them.

Thus, compared to the former option, even if they were a race that was despised, the sinful pleasure and logic of it all brought the ultimate consensus that they were better used as slaves.

And she, the stunning elven royal offering herself before him, was a remarkable case even amongst royal elves. Her bloodline was so pure that it had gone beyond her being a normal high elf.

Far from only healing him, it would significantly improve the haleness of his body—its vitality and condition.

"I like how much bolder you’ve become." Qianye laughed faintly, as his thumb caressed her cheek, "But do you not think you’re being hasty? Saying that you will make love to me when you have not even told me your real name?"

Gradually, her eyes widened.

It had been so long that she spent with Ouyang Qianye that by now, she had gotten used to the fact.

And before now, she hadn’t at all considered that it was a problem. It hadn’t mattered to her the night before, however, now bared before him under the light of the room, she couldn’t help her hesitation.

And Qianye knew that it was very convenient for her that the sect did not care about her name. He had never learnt what her name was from the novel. It simply hadn’t been revealed.

"My name..." Her countenance sobered a little from its blush, and he saw the difficult look in her eyes.

Qianye felt for her. He must have brought back unpleasant memories, feeling her hand that had been holding his over her cheek close around his tighter.

"I’m sorry... I..." Her other hand, having risen to rest over his chest, confessed, "I’ve let my name rest... I no longer have one that I may give you. Is that..." her hand over his chest clenched a little, and her voice fell slightly, "...okay?"

"So long as you remember that," He muttered, shaking his head a little, "I would like to know what it was, whenever it is that you’re ready to tell me."

She faintly nodded at that, and let a faint smile free.

A slight wind brushed between the two of them, and suddenly, her blush had grown once more.

Qianye felt her hand loosen on his, as the tense in her shoulders released that little more.

"Then we..."

Beneath the water, he felt her leg step forwards, brushing against his. The caress of her erect nipples against his upper chest sent shivers through him.

Then he sighed deeply, pulling his hand from hers and stepping back as he said, "I won’t have sex with you."

The water stirred, rippling high at how he had torn himself from the comforts of her body. He watched as her eyes widened and the colour gradually drained from her face.

"But—" She had stepped an urgent foot forward "But this is the only way that we can heal you soon. It would take too long—far too long to use my blood!" her arm had reached to catch him in his retreat, "If we don’t, even if there might be the chance that you say there is, you would still be crippled. Would they really listen if you hadn’t at least regained the ability to grow stronger with time?"

His expression stayed calm as she spoke, holding his wrist tight in the space between them.

’Honestly... all that book did is lie to me. She’s nothing like what it described her as... But even still,’ he thought, looking at the stirring emotions in her eyes, silently sighing to himself mentally.

’How do you care about me so much already?’

He shook his head a little and told her then, "This has nothing to do with healing me, or the people of the sect. I understand very well that you are the only way I have right now to restoring my body."

And his brows furrowed as he intoned, "And I still refuse. Nothing is changing my mind about this."

For a few seconds thereafter his response, neither of them spoke. The ripples of the water, and the rustling of the trees were their only company. Her white robe had drifted far off by now, deeper into the lake than they were.

And then, she released his hand, lowering her gaze as she retreated.

"I understand... Master," She whispered beneath the rustle of the grass, so inaudibly that he could have missed it were it not for her being so close. "I should have known you wouldn’t want to be intimate with an elf... its been so many years and not once had you forced me. It was my mistake to get so ahead of—"