The rain fell on the budding lotus, and mist swirled around.
Chu Xianning listened to the sound of the rain all night, but after getting up, she realized belatedly that with such a heavy downpour last night, the lotuses in the courtyard pond were probably battered to pieces. She put on her Daoist Robe and went to the lotus pond. Some lotus leaves, already unable to bear the weight, floated scattered on the water. Looking at the messy lotus pond, a vague sadness suddenly welled up in her heart.
Why hadn’t she thought of this earlier? If she had used her faint spiritual energy to stop the downpour sooner, perhaps these lotuses wouldn’t be so fragmented at this moment. Some branches had already broken and fallen into the mud.
Some things are only understood too late.
…………………………
Jiang Huai got up a little later than usual today, but it was only a little bit, and the breakfast time remained the same. Chu Xianning looked at the red date, lotus seed, and white fungus soup in the bowl in front of her. Before she could speak, Jiang Huai already said.
“I remember Master doesn’t like things too sweet, so I put less sugar in this. The weather is damp; is Master’s old injury acting up badly?”
“Much better than before; you don’t need to worry.”
“That’s good,” Jiang Huai nodded slightly, then picked up the remaining red date, lotus seed, and white fungus soup. He first knocked on the door to tell Bai Li that there was white fungus soup on the table for her to drink later, and then carried the soup back to his room. He closed the door gently.
Chu Xianning looked at the closed door, always feeling a sense of unfamiliarity in her previous conversation with Jiang Huai. She couldn’t quite explain if it was just because her mood was sensitive and she was overthinking.
In the room, Jiang Huai was feeding Luo Qingyu spoonful by spoonful with a spoon.
Luo Qingyu leaned against the bedside, wrapped in a quilt. Her snow-white face was delicate and rosy. Her body was soft and weak, and she couldn’t muster any strength at this moment.
She liked the pain. Perhaps because the pain could bring the numb her a trace of stimulation, it gradually became a bad habit. Jiang Huai had also tried hard to correct this habit, but later he felt at ease. As long as it didn’t seriously harm her body, she could like it if she liked it. Last night, Luo Qingyu had been insatiably demanding several times, even passing out from pleasure once, her mouth unable to stop drooling, yet she still wouldn’t give up.
It wasn’t bullying to the point of harm. Jiang Huai thought she was a novice, so he should have restrained himself. But Luo Qingyu knelt on the bed, her tender white hands gently parting her buttocks, and looked back.
Only when she had completely lost all strength and could no longer endure any torment did Luo Qingyu curl up and sleep in Jiang Huai’s arms like a sleeping kitten. At this moment, the girl obediently drank the white fungus soup Jiang Huai gave her, then looked at him aggrievedly, “Qingyu can’t get out of bed…”
“Then sleep a little longer.”
“What about Jiang Huai Gege?”
“I’ll stay here with you; I’m not going anywhere.”
After feeding her breakfast, Jiang Huai picked up Luo Qingyu and placed her on the long chair in the room before starting to tidy up the bedsheet. Following Luo Qingyu’s request, he cut out that small smear of blood and Luo Qingyu carefully put it away. Then he changed the bedsheet, brought a bathtub into the room, and carefully washed Luo Qingyu’s body. There were still some red marks on the girl’s tender white skin; some were self-inflicted last night, and the palm prints on her snow-white buttocks were left by Jiang Huai.
After bathing, Jiang Huai dried her body. Luo Qingyu snuggled back into the quilt, gazing at him with her eyes unblinking. Jiang Huai also climbed into the bed and stayed with her in the warm quilt. The two looked into each other’s eyes, blinked, and said nothing. Luo Qingyu giggled, then her small face moved closer to Jiang Huai, her delicate pink lips slightly parted.
A kiss made her head spin and became the best sleep aid. Luo Qingyu snuggled into his arms and fell asleep again. Jiang Huai gently stroked the girl’s dark hair, lightly patted her snow-white back, and looked out at the gloomy sky.
The sky was a dull gray, with occasional raindrops falling. The wind blew the dark clouds into rolling masses, and he gradually became lost in thought.
He suddenly felt a burden on his shoulders, but not a heavy one. Even he himself couldn’t quite explain it. He had never thought about responsibility or ties in the past, so he wasn’t too sad or upset even when his cultivation was crippled, as he didn’t pursue profound cultivation and longevity that much. But now, marrying Luo Qingyu and Wen Wanwan was inevitable, so he naturally had to put more effort into recovering his cultivation.
The prescription given by Granny Jiuy listed three medicinal ingredients: Fire Luo Sacred Fruit, Snow Velvet Flower, and Azure Falling Vine. These three ingredients were crucial for rebuilding the Qi Sea. The role of the Ice Soul Profound Body of Luo Yueguan was likely to suppress the fire poison in these three ingredients, while the Flower Spirit Physique’s role was to harmonize the medicinal properties of these three ingredients for better absorption.
He was already one of the best alchemists in the world. If he wanted to rebuild his Qi Sea without relying on Dual Cultivation, he would need to find spirit medicines that possessed the effects of the Ice Soul Profound Body and the Flower Spirit Physique. Then, he could refine medicine to seek a chance for healing.
After the Moon Wave Continent Grand Competition was settled, he would happen to go to Linglong Continent. The Ziyun Pavilion was located in Linglong Continent. Jiang Huai planned to sell his Pill Formation and alchemy methods there to use Ziyun Pavilion’s resources to find the remaining spirit medicines for himself.
After the Moon Wave Continent Grand Competition, three people would be selected to participate in the Eastern Region Grand Competition, and then five spots would be decided from the Eastern Region Grand Competition to participate in the Five Regions Grand Competition held every ten years. Jiang Huai had heard long ago that the rewards for the top few places in the Five Regions Grand Competition at the end of the year included a green leaf from the Life Divine Tree, which grew in the Extreme Origin Realm. It was the best spirit medicine for healing. If he could obtain that leaf… Chu Xianning’s old injuries might be completely healed.
This was the only reason Jiang Huai planned to participate in the Five Regions Grand Competition at the end of the year.
…………………………
At lunchtime, Luo Qingyu still couldn’t get out of bed, so Jiang Huai fed her one bite at a time with his chopsticks. Bai Li, bored, also came to the room and, seeing Luo Qingyu looking so delicate and weak, reached out and poked Jiang Huai’s head, “You don’t even feel sorry for Qingyu.”
“No, I’m fine,” Luo Qingyu replied softly. She finally got out of bed near evening. After having dinner together in the courtyard with Bai Li and Jiang Huai, they took a walk in the Tian Xuan Sect. Late at night, back in the room, Luo Qingyu snuggled into Jiang Huai’s arms and looked up at him, “Jiang Huai Gege, undress me.”
Jiang Huai peeled off her clothes piece by piece, revealing her fair, tender skin like sheep’s fat jade. Before he could speak, Luo Qingyu pushed him onto the bed. Her delicate white face flushed slightly, “We agreed to go to Butterfly Valley together tomorrow morning, so…”
“So what?”
Luo Qingyu carefully rolled up her white silk stockings and sat on the bed, slowly putting her tender white feet into the stockings. Then she mumbled softly, “So… tonight, tonight I can’t be bullied too many times… otherwise I won’t be able to walk properly tomorrow…”
As she spoke softly, she had unknowingly put on her white silk over-the-knee stockings. The girl came to his chest and sat down, facing away from him. She bent down with effort, tucking her hair behind her ear.
…………………………
Compared to the turbulent weather of last night, tonight’s sky was like a gurgling stream. Luo Qingyu’s body leaned into Jiang Huai’s arms, her buttocks gently supported by him, his movements extremely gentle. Gradually, the girl also learned to twist her waist on her own. When she was weak, she would lean into Jiang Huai’s arms, her hands resting on his shoulders.
“Can we just sleep like this…” Luo Qingyu’s body lay on him. Jiang Huai pulled the quilt over and wrapped them tightly. Jiang Huai looked down at her blinking eyes. “Can Qingyu sleep?”
“Let’s try… This way, it’s like… Jiang Huai Gege and Qingyu are connected…”
In reality, she couldn’t sleep at all. After a while, Luo Qingyu’s fingertips gently touched her lower abdomen and pressed lightly with a faint sigh. Then, reluctantly, she tried to get up. Such a small movement made her legs so weak that she retreated into Jiang Huai’s arms again, lying on her back. Jiang Huai gently hugged her waist from behind.
Another night of good sleep.
…………………………
Jiang Huai suddenly realized how quickly time passed.
It seemed Luo Qingyu hadn’t been in the courtyard for a few days, but tomorrow she was returning to Qingxuan Sect. These days, Luo Qingyu spent her days wandering around Tian Xuan Sect with him and Bai Li. When bored, they would play cards together, or Jiang Huai would teach them to cook. Yesterday, they even went flying a kite. At night, the two would snuggle in the room. After feeding Luo Qingyu, she would obediently nestle in his arms. The girl seemed to be becoming more and more experienced, sometimes not satisfied with just the night. Even in the evening, she had once come to the kitchen while Jiang Huai was cooking alone, grabbed Jiang Huai’s hand, and touched her skirt. When Jiang Huai realized she was wearing nothing under her skirt, the girl obediently leaned against the wall.
Luo Qingyu even wanted to go to the pavilion in the courtyard late at night under the bright moon, but Jiang Huai was always worried about making too much noise and disturbing Chu Xianning, which wouldn’t be good, so he didn’t agree. The girl’s resentful gaze quickly melted away after her body became weak. Since she was returning to Qingxuan Sect tomorrow, the girl was exceptionally flexible tonight. Even though she couldn’t muster any strength, she was reluctant to sleep and hooked his waist with her legs, softly asking for more.
Jiang Xiaohu could now only say that the Overlord Art had been a great help.
The next morning, Luo Qingyu’s
