In the deep winter season, heavy snow had been falling continuously for days.
Jiang Huai woke up early. Su Qingyi and Bai Li were sweeping snow in the courtyard. Seeing them in maid dresses sweeping snow gave Jiang Huai a strange sense of absurdity, which he found particularly amusing. However, after a short while, Su Qingyi grabbed a snowball and threw it at him. Jiang Huai dodged it, and in the next instant, spiritual energy condensed countless snowflakes into snowballs, which he then hurled at Su Qingyi.
Even though Su Qingyi activated her Nine-tailed Fox Clan bloodline to try and evade, Jiang Huai, with his Mahayana third stage cultivation, found it as easy as an adult playing with a child. It was an excessive display, and Su Qingyi’s eyes turned wistful.
“I’m not playing with you anymore.”
After their playful sparring, Jiang Huai went to the kitchen to prepare steaming hot bowls of noodle soup and built snowmen in the courtyard. They had agreed to go to the Desolate Sword Mountain of Tian Xuan Sect today for a sword discussion, so Jiang Huai set off with the girls. Each of the girls was dressed in gorgeous and vibrant attire. Upon arriving at the Sword Discussion Platform of Desolate Sword Mountain, Jiang Huai leaned against Wen Wanwan, practicing swordsmanship with Su Qingyi, and gradually explained the deeper meanings of the Sword Dao. He also thoroughly deconstructed the New school Heaven Profound Thirteen Swords, which he had researched with Li Qiushan.
The disciples below listened, understanding bits and pieces, their eyes earnest. During the break, they inadvertently glanced at the girls beside Jiang Huai, their eyes filled with envy. Seeing their intimate demeanor left no doubt in the disciples’ minds, even without Jiang Huai’s explicit words, that they were all his Dao Companions.
The cultivation world had never stipulated a practice of “one lifetime, one couple.” Most people were content with finding just one Dao Companion and focused on cultivating the Great Dao. There were even sects like the Joyous Union Sect, where it was common for a woman to have over a dozen Dao Companions, or a man to support more than a dozen Dao Companions.
Jiang Huai lectured on swordsmanship on the platform for three consecutive doubled hours. When the session ended, the young disciples below still felt unsatisfied.
After spending two full days in the succubus cave, fully satisfying the three succubi to the point where they even began to feel a sense of camaraderie, referring to each other as good sisters and pushing Jiang Huai towards each other, Jiang Huai finally managed to escape the succubus cave and return to his courtyard.
The courtyard was blanketed in white snow. Jiang Huai didn’t see Chu Xianning, but he caught a faint scent. Following the aroma, he arrived at the kitchen and found Chu Xianning staring blankly at the fish soup simmering in the pot in front of the stove.
“Hmm?” Jiang Huai came up behind her and gently hugged her waist. “Master, why are you here?”
“Yesterday, I went fishing alone and caught one. I wanted to try cooking fish soup myself.”
Chu Xianning answered softly. The fish soup was ready. She carefully lifted the clay pot, picked up a soup ladle, and tasted it gently, asking in a low voice, “Why is it a little different from yours?”
“It’s missing a tiny bit of white pepper.”
“Oh.” Chu Xianning added a bit of white pepper and tasted it again. Her eyes softened slightly. “This is the taste.”
She then took a small ladleful and brought it to Jiang Huai’s lips. Jiang Huai obediently drank it all. “It’s delicious.”
The milky white fish soup from the clay pot was brought to the pavilion. Jiang Huai and Chu Xianning each had a small bowl. It was still snowing in Tian Xuan Sect, and masters and disciples, holding their soup ladles, sipped the fish soup bit by bit.
“Jiang Huai,” Chu Xianning suddenly called out softly.
“Hmm?” Jiang Huai looked up at her.
“Teach me how to cook?” Chu Xianning said softly.
“Ningning, why do you suddenly want to learn this?”
“I suddenly find it very interesting,” Chu Xianning replied softly.
“Alright, I’ll teach you slowly in the future.” After saying that, Jiang Huai suddenly thought of something. “Then shouldn’t Ningning call me Master?”
Chu Xianning subtly lifted her white and tender little feet, clad in crystal sandals under the table, and gently stepped on his toes. Her expression turned cold again. “What did you say?” she asked calmly.
“Nothing,” Jiang Huai replied wistfully, but he couldn’t help but chuckle.
…
Jiang Huai began to seriously study the Azure Water Green Vine Divine Art.
This was truly a profound cultivation technique. Lin Qing had intended to use this technique to test if he truly possessed the Primordial Chaos Dao Fruit, but he didn’t expect it to ultimately benefit Jiang Huai. The cultivation of the Azure Water Green Vine Divine Art relied on extreme comprehension. Therefore, Lin Qing, after cultivating for thousands of years, had only managed to reach the eighth stage. However, Jiang Huai, after another half day of serious study, had already reached the fifth stage.
When he raised his hand to activate a spiritual technique, the flowers in the courtyard bloomed in profusion. In this cold winter month, the scene was a riot of colors. The green spiritual energy around him continued to spread outwards, causing the flowers and trees throughout Guanxue Mountain to flourish out of season.
He estimated that in another two days, he would be able to cultivate the Azure Water Green Vine Divine Art to the sixth stage. Jiang Huai then understood what Jiang Zhi meant by being able to sense the traces of those evil cultivators once he reached the sixth stage. After cultivating the Azure Water Green Vine Divine Art to the sixth stage, several Green Vine Dao Seeds would appear within his body. These would add several vortexes within his Qi sea to absorb worldly spiritual energy. Lin Qing had once bestowed these Dao Seeds upon those three evil cultivators, greatly increasing their cultivation speed while preventing them from suffering backlash from the蛊虫, and also giving him absolute control over their lives.
Over the past two days, he had started teaching Chu Xianning how to cook. Cooking wasn’t a difficult task and was much easier than comprehending complex sword techniques. Chu Xianning, being intelligent and quick-witted, learned very quickly. She methodically prepared each dish. At night, in the snow-covered courtyard, with the wind and snow blowing outside, they enjoyed the fragrant dishes and a cup of warming, sweet winter wine.
That night, Jiang Huai slept together with Chu Xianning again. However, when he woke up groggily in the early morning, Chu Xianning gave his forehead a gentle kiss and got out of bed, disappearing without a trace. When Jiang Huai finally woke up, he realized the bed beside him was empty. He was stunned for a moment before remembering that today was the day Chu Xianning had to suppress the desires of her Flower Spirit Physique.
So, he went to Wen Wanwan’s courtyard. Today, it wasn’t about visiting the succubus cave. Wanwan was teaching Fufu sword practice, while he taught Su Qingyi how to draw talismans and taught Bai Li how to grill delicious skewers. Giving someone a fish is not as good as teaching them how to fish.
Bai Li seemed to have a special talent for grilling, while Su Qingyi watched from the side with a longing look, her mouth watering. She was not being reserved at all, her fox tail wagging playfully for a treat, until Bai Li handed her a skewer of grilled beef.
“Sister Bai Li is so kind, hehe.”
She was actually about Bai Li’s age, but Jiang Huai looked at Su Qingyi’s fawning expression, willing to abandon all pretense just to fill her belly.
…
The heavy snowstorm still continued unabated. The sky was dim and hazy. In the early morning, Jiang Huai returned to his courtyard and cooked noodles in the kitchen, quietly waiting for Chu Xianning’s return. When she returned to the courtyard and had just sat down in the pavilion, Jiang Huai brought over two bowls of steaming hot noodle soup.
After breakfast, Chu Xianning browsed through a script by the fireplace, while Jiang Huai continued to study the Azure Water Green Vine Divine Art.
At night, he could sleep with Chu Xianning again tonight.
Except for that one time they bathed together, there was no mention of bathing together in subsequent accounts. Jiang Huai hesitated several times about shamelessly following her, feeling that Chu Xianning wouldn’t refuse. But several times, he gave up. It wasn’t out of timidity, but rather he thought… there would be many, many more opportunities in the future.
However, as he watched Chu Xianning walk towards the bathhouse today, a small rodent began to squeak in Jiang Huai’s heart. He looked at Chu Xianning in her grey Daoist robe, her white and tender jade feet bare as she walked towards the bathhouse, and suddenly felt a prickle of curiosity. He then spoke softly, “Master.”
“You’re not allowed to follow,” Chu Xianning turned to look at him.
Jiang Huai lowered his head dejectedly.
A moment later, Chu Xianning gently bit her lip and turned her face away. “This time… no.”
“Oh…” Jiang Huai nodded slightly, and a moment later, he belatedly thought to ask why it couldn’t be this time? But Chu Xianning had already walked into the bathhouse, leaving him no opportunity to ask.
Jiang Huai began to scratch his ears and jaw, his mind conjuring all sorts of strange fantasies.
…
Inside the bathhouse.
It was a starless and moonless snowy night. Large snowflakes fell into the bath, melting instantly in the hot spring pool. Mist swirled around as Chu Xianning shed her clothes and slowly stepped into the pool.
Her body was fair and slender, as beautiful and pure as moonlight. But usually, she carried herself with a cold and dignified demeanor. Now, however, she gently bit her lip, a blush of unexplainable shyness on her cheeks.
She had just taken off her bra. But now, as she cupped her white bra in her hands and saw the small damp mark on the inside, she hastily put it away, lowering her head slightly, and looked at her chest below her clavicle.
There had been a slight mishap during the Suppression of Desires yesterday. In a moment of passion, it seemed like a switch inside her body had been accidentally flipped. It was truly damnable… She had never been like this before. She had tried to suppress it with her cultivation for the entire day, but this switch had been activated by her own carelessness.
Whenever desires surged, Chu Xianning would see many illusions. Perhaps it was because this time, in her illusion, she saw Jiang Huai getting close to her and deliberately and excessively calling her “Mother,” which was why…
Fortunately, it wasn’t a severe flare-up, just a subtle and unexplainable awkwardness.
After hesitating for a long time in the bath, Chu Xianning finally reached out and gently cupped the soft, warm, snow-like mounds. She pinched them very lightly, as if kneading dough. Her skin was already delicate, and this kind of touching left a small red mark. At the moment, there seemed to be no unusual reaction, and Chu Xianning quietly breathed a sigh of relief. But then, as she tried to use her fingertip to play with the tips…
The winter-blooming plum blossoms by the hot spring were once again covered in white snow.
Chu Xianning’s entire body submerged into the hot spring and did not surface for a long while.
…
Jiang Huai waited quietly outside the bathhouse.
Chu Xianning’s bath seemed to take longer than usual today. Jiang Huai wasn’t impatient; he was just scratching his ears and jaw, wondering what Chu Xianning meant by “this time, no.” After much thought, he still had no answer. A while later, Chu Xianning emerged from the bathhouse.
She was still wearing the same white nightgown. But why today… was there an extra layer of white silk, like a breast wrap, around her neckline?
