“No, don’t… go bully Fufu.”
“Fufu won’t let Brother-in-law bully her.”
“I won’t bully Fufu, I’ll bully Wanwan,” Jiang Huai said fiercely.
…
“No, no, no, don’t bully Big Sister anymore!” Wen Fufu looked at Jiang Huai with a wronged expression. “You can’t bully her anymore, Big Sister is about to cry…”
“I, I, I’ll kiss you, okay? You won’t bully Big Sister anymore?” Wen Fufu tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
…
I’m going to die.
Jiang Xiaohu lay on the soft big bed, staring at the ceiling with vacant eyes.
At this moment, Wen Wanwan was already lying beside him, fast asleep. Wen Fufu was still awake, her eyes dim as she traced circles on his chest with her fingertips.
“Hmph, pretending to be reluctant, but you’re actually so happy inside, aren’t you?” Wen Fufu pouted slightly. Jiang Huai turned his face to look at her and nodded, “Yes, yes, yes.”
“My throat still hurts,” Wen Fufu said, waving her little fists and hitting his shoulder.
“Who told you to…”
“Big Sister taught me before,” Wen Fufu said shyly and angrily. “Fufu didn’t know… I’ll never kiss you again, hmph, perverted brother-in-law only deserves to be punished by little feet.”
Jiang Huai leaned closer and tickled Wen Fufu, who began to struggle on the bed. Their playful tussle disheveled her dress, revealing glimpses of her spring scenery.
When Wen Fufu finally ran out of strength, she hugged Jiang Huai’s body and lifted her leg to rest on him. “Brother-in-law can’t go anywhere tonight, you have to sleep with us.”
“Alright, alright.”
Wen Fufu leaned in and gently bit Jiang Huai’s shoulder again before closing her eyes contentedly.
…
Midnight.
When Jiang Huai woke up, both sisters were still fast asleep, holding him tightly on either side. Jiang Huai was at a loss for words, his arms bound by their soft bodies. He had no choice but to close his eyes and go back to sleep obediently.
When he woke up again, Wen Wanwan’s cheek was pressed against his chest. Jiang Huai opened his eyes and looked at her. Wen Wanwan gazed at him obediently, “Senior Brother Jiang Huai is awake?”
“I’m awake.”
“Then you should tell Wanwan what’s for breakfast this morning.” Wen Wanwan cast a quick glance at Wen Fufu, who was still fast asleep, and quietly crawled onto Jiang Huai.
…
Back in the courtyard.
Tomorrow, Jiang Huai would be leaving for Qingxuan Sect. He would travel with Wen Wanwan, and in Qingxuan Sect, they would have a competition against the two cultivators chosen by Qingxuan Sect. One would be eliminated, and the remaining three would proceed to the Eastern Region Grand Competition in Qingmu Immortal Palace.
Qingmu Immortal Palace was the territory of True Person Qingmu, an Eighth Realm cultivator at his peak, only one step away from the Ninth Realm. He was a renowned immortal venerable throughout the entire Eastern Region.
The location for this Eastern Region Grand Competition had not been decided initially. True Person Qingmu generously offered to host it at his Qingmu Immortal Palace. True Person Qingmu had a good reputation over the past millennium, so various powers agreed.
Jiang Huai had heard some rumors about True Person Qingmu. True Person Qingmu was a cultivator from the generation of the previous sword master of Jiang Huai’s Yening Sword. It was said that he once had an opportunity to break through to the Ninth Realm, but for reasons unknown, whether he had angered the Heavenly Way or not, his cultivation had been stuck at the peak of the Eighth Realm for three hundred years.
There were indeed a few Ninth Realm true persons in the Eastern Region, but they had long since grown tired of power and vanity, mostly living in seclusion, their whereabouts unpredictable. Perhaps only when a great crisis or a grand opportunity arose in the Eastern Region would they reappear in the world.
Jiang Huai’s gaze fell on the pavilion. Tomorrow, he and Wen Wanwan would go to Qingxuan Sect. He wondered if Chu Xianning would accompany them.
At this moment, Chu Xianning was sitting in the pavilion, lost in thought. Her immortal master’s white dress was immaculate, her jade-like skin bathed in the bright moonlight. Jiang Huai approached her and sat down obediently, asking softly, “Tomorrow, I’m going to Qingxuan Sect with Wanwan for the Moon Wave Continent Grand Competition. Will Master accompany me?”
Chu Xianning remained silent for a moment, then suddenly remembered the days Luo Qingyu had spent in the Guanxue Mountain courtyard. A vague unease filled her heart. “You go, I won’t.”
“Okay.” Jiang Huai was not disheartened. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, “Since Master isn’t ready to sleep yet, would you like to have a small drink?”
This was the third time Jiang Huai had asked Chu Xianning these days. The first two times, she had coldly refused. Her refusal was as he expected, but Jiang Huai thought, if Chu Xianning refused again this time, should he stop asking for a while? To avoid annoying his master.
Chu Xianning shifted her gaze to him.
She rested her elbow on the table, her white and tender jade hand supporting her fragrant cheek. Her eyes were cold and serene. The courtyard was filled with brilliant moonlight, the wind was clear and the moon bright. And tomorrow, Jiang Huai would be leaving. Perhaps having a drink would not be a big deal.
In fact, her refusal the first two times was due to an unspeakable panic.
Normally, when her disobedient disciple acted up in front of her, she could always remain aloof and politely refuse. But it seemed that every time he got drunk and acted up, she would appear to be both willing and unwilling.
She suddenly recalled the moment Jiang Huai had embraced her earlier that day.
She had expected Jiang Huai to kiss her, taking advantage of their bet. She had nowhere to run and had even prepared herself for it. At worst, she would pretend nothing had happened, as if she had been bitten by a dog. But unexpectedly, Jiang Huai had only given her a gentle hug.
What was this?
Perhaps the kiss he wanted, or even more, had already been satisfied by Wen Wanwan. Perhaps before returning to the courtyard, he had already indulged in debauchery with Wen Wanwan in the courtyard, causing her to let out soft and charming moans and beg for mercy in a tender and weak voice.
If she could still guess Jiang Huai’s thoughts before, Chu Xianning suddenly realized that she could no longer see through the Jiang Huai in front of her. He was no longer the innocent child in her eyes. Or perhaps he never was; she had simply been wishful thinking that Jiang Huai was as she imagined. As she finally began to face their relationship squarely, the veil over her eyes gradually lifted.
“Let’s drink,” Chu Xianning sighed softly.
At this moment, she finally realized that nothing was under her control. All she could do was go with the flow.
Jiang Huai seemed to sense a hint of melancholy in Chu Xianning’s expression. After a moment of hesitation, he cautiously asked, “If Master is unwilling, then we don’t have to drink.”
Chu Xianning raised her eyelashes slightly, her beautiful eyes growing colder. Her voice rose slightly, “Drink.”
So Jiang Huai obediently took out the pot of Spring and Autumn wine, set out the wine cups, and poured half a cup for each of them. The Spring and Autumn wine was potent, and Jiang Huai was worried that if he drank too much, he would speak carelessly. However, Chu Xianning’s eyes were fixed on the half cup of wine. When Jiang Huai put down the wine pot, she picked it up again and filled both their cups to the brim.
Jiang Huai began to feel uneasy.
“Don’t you like drinking?” Chu Xianning put down the wine pot and snorted coldly. “Today, I’ll drink as much as you want with you. If you don’t stop, you’re not allowed to stop.”
Jiang Huai was amused and frustrated. “Why does Master’s words have a tone of ‘it’s ruined anyway’?”
“Too talkative.” Chu Xianning picked up her wine cup, her eyes looking at him coldly. Jiang Huai had no choice but to raise his cup obediently. However, after taking just a small sip, he was surprised to find that Chu Xianning had not stopped. By the time she put down her cup, it was empty.
Jiang Huai immediately drank his own cup of wine, but when he was about to say something else, Chu Xianning once again picked up the wine pot and refilled his cup, her voice cold and sharp, “Drink.”
Jiang Huai’s head was already swimming. The strong wine he had drunk made him feel like fire was burning in his chest.
He looked at Chu Xianning. Her cheeks were already fair, and now they were flushed red. Her cold eyes had melted away, and it was clear that Chu Xianning was not doing much better. Jiang Huai cautiously asked, “Is Master in a bad mood?”
“Too talkative.” Chu Xianning picked up her wine cup.
So Jiang Huai had no choice but to raise his cup again, secretly lamenting his misfortune. Chu Xianning drank this cup without the slightest hesitation. After finishing it, her eyelashes trembled, and even her skin seemed to have a faint blush of peach-pink.
Jiang Huai began to regret buying so much wine from Li Qiushan. There were at least four cups of wine left in this pot. If they were divided equally, each person would have two more cups. He felt that he would rot after drinking them all. The Chu Xianning of tonight had suddenly become terrifying. As Jiang Huai looked at her face, the moonlight illuminated it with unparalleled brightness.
Chu Xianning reached out to grab the wine pot, and Jiang Huai quickly reached out and gently grasped her snow-white wrist. He looked up, “Still… drinking?”
“Don’t you like it?”
“I, I don’t like drinking, I just like drinking with Master…”
“I’m right here, I’ll accompany you however much you want to drink.”
“I…” Jiang Huai gritted his teeth. This was a provocation.
This was Chu Xianning’s provocation!
Clearly, Chu Xianning’s alcohol tolerance wasn’t that great either. Jiang Huai looked at her eyes; they were already hazy with drunkenness. His head was spinning. He extended a finger and pointed at Chu Xianning’s lips.
Chu Xianning’s lips parted slightly, and she bit his finger without hesitation. Jiang Huai felt the pain and wanted to pull his finger out, but Chu Xianning was relentless. The two of them stared at each other across the distance for several seconds, like children sulking.
“Let’s not drink anymore…” Jiang Huai surprisingly had a terrible premonition that if they finished all the wine in this pot tonight, something terrible would happen.
In a daze, he suddenly realized that he disliked gambling, no matter what. He always sought stability in his cultivation, rarely taking any dangerous opportunities. The same was true for his affection for Chu Xianning. He always wanted to rely on the ‘slow and steady wins the race’ approach, thinking that one day he would melt Chu Xianning’s defenses, like water dripping on a stone. But Chu Xianning’s defenses were like wild grass in spring; whenever he pulled one patch, another would quickly grow back.
What if he set a fire to burn everything in that land to ashes?
Chu Xianning finally released her teeth from his finger. She took the wine pot and silently poured it into her own cup, but she didn’t pour any more for Jiang Huai.
“Who are you looking down on?!” Jiang Huai stretched out his neck.
Chu Xianning leaned back slightly, her white and tender calves crossed lazily beneath her skirt hem, her toes lightly tapping. She picked up her wine cup and gently spun it between her fingers, watching the clear wine liquid ripple.
She suddenly chuckled and beckoned to Jiang Huai.
“You come here.”
