107 Cold and Aloof
The next day.
Jiang Huai Gege got up early to prepare breakfast, but Luo Qingyu tangled him into sharing kisses for a good while before she would let him leave. After Jiang Huai got dressed, he playfully slapped Luo Qingyu’s snowy buttocks as she lay on the bed, causing her to pout in grievance.
For breakfast, Jiang Huai decided to make glutinous rice balls, and the subtle aroma of rice soon filled the courtyard. He went to Bai Li’s room, where she obediently got up. Last night, Bai Li had stripped down completely to sleep, and in front of Jiang Huai, she put on her underwear. Afterward, she turned her back to him and glanced over her shoulder, saying, “Buttons.”
Jiang Huai reached out to help her fasten it.
After Bai Li put on her black qipao, she joined Jiang Huai in the courtyard. He intentionally prepared a lot of food since Bai Li had a big appetite. Soon, the glutinous rice cakes were all devoured by her. After their bellies were full, Jiang Huai noticed that they had nothing else to do, so he called for Luo Qingyu and then Bai Li, taking them both with him to stroll around the Qingxuan Sect.
Bai Li had never been to a human cultivator’s sect before, so everything piqued her curiosity. Leaning beside Jiang Huai, Luo Qingyu’s small hand occasionally flitted near him, and when Jiang Huai gently grabbed it, the corner of her lips curled up in a smile.
Today, she wore a gorgeous purple palace dress and had her hair styled intricately, adorned with beautiful hairpins. The embellishments on her dress radiated an air of elegance, dazzling many disciples of the sect.
In contrast to her splendid attire, Bai Li appeared much simpler in her qipao, which accentuated her petite figure, looking particularly cute. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity about her surroundings, although there was a hint of restraint as she stayed close to Jiang Huai.
When she first arrived in the Eastern Region, she felt lost among the human crowd, constantly uneasy and wary of the cultivators who sought to capture her. The only times she felt at ease were when she was by Jiang Huai’s side.
Jiang Huai spent the whole day accompanying the two girls until evening when he went to the kitchen to start preparing dinner. Luo Qingyu came in to help him, while Bai Li felt uncertain about what to do and instead sat in the courtyard with her chin resting on her hand, daydreaming while gazing at the white birds in the trees.
Occasionally, she would sneak peeks at the kitchen, where Jiang Huai and Luo Qingyu were working together. After years of reading scripts filled with illustrations, she couldn’t help but think that they looked quite fitting together in that moment.
She continued to watch them, gradually becoming lost in thought, feeling an inexplicable pang of emptiness in her heart.
Am I feeling jealous?
Bai Li suddenly pondered this question seriously.
But he is clearly your good friend. Seeing him playfully interacting with his fiancée should make you happy. He is a human and should indeed marry a human wife, especially since his fiancée’s mother is formidable and capable of protecting him during his cultivation journey… while you alone are a little snake demon roaming the Eastern Region, not even knowing what your future holds.
No, no, how can I think like this? It’s so awkward.
Bai Li shook her head vigorously, trying to dispel these strange thoughts. Before long, Jiang Huai and Luo Qingyu had finished making dinner, and the dishes were brought out one by one. Delighted, she picked up her chopsticks, though her eating habits remained rather uncouth.
Jiang Huai had prepared a plethora of delicious dishes.
In the secret realm, he hadn’t been able to gather too many ingredients, but now at the sect, he could easily obtain whatever he wanted. Bai Li ate until she felt completely stuffed, unable to move even a bit. Jiang Huai took out a handkerchief and leaned over to gently wipe the grease from her lips.
“I’m so full,” Bai Li burped.
Jiang Huai looked at her with a mix of amusement and exasperation. “Then eat a little less.”
“But it’s so delicious!” Bai Li rubbed her small belly. “I want to lie down for a while.”
“Go ahead,” Jiang Huai said, lying down beside her.
The season had moved into summer, and the evening breeze felt wonderfully cool on their skin. After Luo Qingyu finished cleaning up, she suddenly vanished. When she reappeared in the courtyard, she was wearing a light, purple dance skirt.
The dance skirt had a design that left the ends separate, showcasing the slender and snowy whiteness of her waist. Jiang Huai couldn’t help but wonder if she had grown a little taller recently; she seemed to have become even more graceful. After all, he had watched her transition from a cute loli to the petite young lady she was now.
He had met Luo Qingyu when she was only fourteen years old.
The firefly stone lights in the courtyard shone down on her purple skirt. Bai Li also turned her gaze toward Luo Qingyu, losing herself in the moment. Under the lights, Luo Qingyu looked radiant, dazzling like the moon.
“You’re so beautiful,” she couldn’t help but whisper.
Luo Qingyu’s cheeks flushed slightly as she replied, “I wanted to show Jiang Huai Gege… my progress…”
“Okay, okay! What pieces have you learned?”
“I’ve learned a lot!”
“Then let me test you,” Jiang Huai said, bringing out his instrument and gently plucking the strings.
Under the moonlight, the young girl’s dance was graceful, her skirt swirling like a blooming flower. Bai Li laid on the table, watching Luo Qingyu’s delicate figure sway. After one tune ended, Luo Qingyu looked expectantly at Jiang Huai.
“Very good!” Jiang Huai clapped his hands. “Let’s see what else you’ve learned.”
“Hum!” Luo Qingyu tilted her small face upward.
Jiang Huai played several more pieces, all of which Luo Qingyu handled effortlessly. It seemed she had picked up a hint of charm from the Luo Yueguan, though far from the natural allure of the sect; this intentional charm, tinged with girlhood shyness, made her even more captivating.
As she danced, Luo Qingyu slid into Jiang Huai’s embrace, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Jiang Huai Gege…”
“Yes?”
“I’m all sweaty now; let’s bathe together later, okay?”
“…Oh.” Jiang Huai grinned at the cunning gleam in her eyes, pinching her cheek lightly.
……………………………………
In the bathhouse.
Luo Qingyu was clad only in a small white garment, her body submerged in the water while Jiang Huai sat next to her. The young girl swung her snowy long legs in the water, causing ripples to form. After a while, she swam to the edge of the bathhouse, sitting on the steps, her snow-white body emerging from the water. She lightly raised her toes and beckoned with her fingers. “Jiang Huai Gege, come over!”
“Mm?” Jiang Huai joined her at the edge.
Luo Qingyu held out a bottle of fragrant flower dew, pouring it onto the smooth, snowy surface of her feet. Almost instantly, her white and tender little feet began to glisten. She pressed her feet together, her toes resembling crystal grapes, and gazed innocently at Jiang Huai.
“Jiang Huai Gege…”
“Yes?”
“Can you… help me spread the flower dew evenly?” Luo Qingyu blinked innocently at him.
Jiang Huai suddenly realized that, at that moment, Luo Qingyu’s eyes were a mix of innocence and mischief, showing not the slightest hint of embarrassment, yet she clearly hinted at something more intimate.
Unlike Wen Wanwan, who would have blushed deeply at such a moment.
Wait, Jiang Huai, how can you start thinking about other girls at a time like this?
………………………………
“Eh? Mother.”
Luo Qingyu casually turned her head to glance outside the bathhouse, making Jiang Huai jump in fright, but when he followed her gaze, he found that the area outside the bathhouse was empty.
When he turned back, he saw Luo Qingyu stifling a laugh.
Overwhelmed with embarrassment, Jiang Huai seized Luo Qingyu’s ankle tightly and muttered, “Have you been learning bad habits while I wasn’t around?”
“It’s clearly Jiang Huai Gege’s fault that I’ve learned bad habits,” she pouted.
“Why am I suddenly being blamed for this?”
“If I don’t learn any bad habits… what if Jiang Huai Gege gets taken away by another woman?” Luo Qingyu looked up at him with puppy eyes, and Jiang Huai felt a strange contrast watching her innocent gaze.
………………………………
“Alright, are we done bathing now?”
“Not yet,” Luo Qingyu replied, swimming back to the edge of the bath. She approached Jiang Huai, pouring the flower dew over her snowy neck. The fragrant liquid cascaded down her back as she turned away from him, but then she reached out, pulling Jiang Huai closer to wrap her arms around his waist, leaning back slightly. She glanced back at him and asked, “Which one looks nicer, Jiang Huai Gege’s or Wen Wanwan’s?”
“Stop asking strange questions!” Jiang Huai poked her in the waist.
“Then… which feels better, Jiang Huai Gege?”
“How would I know?”
“Then Jiang Huai Gege… can’t you compare to find out?”
……………………
“It should be you.”
In the next instant, Luo Qingyu grabbed Jiang Huai’s wrist, turning to look up at him with eyes that were now serious and searching. “So Jiang Huai Gege has already touched Wen Wanwan while at Tian Xuan Sect?”
Just moments ago, her expression had been innocent, but now, her eyes seemed as dark as water.
Jiang Huai felt cold sweat break out on his forehead.
Damn.
His head was spinning from her teasing, and he lost his rationality.
Luo Qingyu’s gaze was chillingly dark, almost intimidating. Jiang Huai felt an unsettling anxiety creeping in; he rarely saw her display such an expression, and how could she show him such a look? Most of the time, she was sweetly soft.
“Why aren’t you speaking?” Luo Qingyu looked up, her tone deliberate.
“I was thinking about how to come up with an excuse…” Jiang Huai began to stammer.
“So… Jiang Huai Gege has kissed Wen Wanwan too, right?” Her emphasis grew heavier with each word.
“I got drunk once, so…”
“Jiang Huai Gege.” Luo Qingyu suddenly cupped his face in her hands.
Jiang Huai uneasily met her gaze; her little face felt cold and aloof. Without saying a word, she just stared into Jiang Huai’s eyes for ten seconds, twenty seconds, perhaps even thirty seconds.
The water in the bathhouse seemed to grow colder, chilling Jiang Huai’s body a little. When he inadvertently averted his eyes, he noticed that the surface of the water had silently begun to freeze.
Luo Qingyu’s lips moved slightly. “Then when we meet next time, will Jiang Huai Gege have to tell me that you’ve already shared a marital bond with her? Clearly, I could never refuse Jiang Huai Gege’s requests, yet you still can’t help but want to cheat…”
“What should I do… to make things right?”
Luo Qingyu’s hands slid down from Jiang Huai’s cheeks, her tender fingers gently grasping his neck. Her gaze remained ice-cold, and the chill from her fingertips made Jiang Huai shiver uncontrollably.
