“Are you alright?”
Jiang Huai unconsciously asked. He even wanted to reach out and touch Xu Qing’s forehead, to see if she was sick and her head had overheated. But after a moment, he was amused by his own thought.
“I’m fine.” Xu Qing’s eyes showed a hint of puzzlement, as if she didn’t understand what Jiang Huai meant. She just stood there in front of him, her expression gentle.
“Never mind, it’s nothing.” Jiang Huai scratched his head and took out the Sword Manual from his hand, handing it to the Xu Qing in front of him. “I flipped through it casually last night and made some minor improvements according to the Sword Manual. You can take it back and discuss it with your mother to see if these improvements are worth learning.”
“Okay.” Xu Qing took the Sword Manual with both hands. Jiang Huai brushed past her. It wasn’t until he had walked several steps that Xu Qing came to her senses. “Then… where are you going?”
“I’m going to see if I can find something to eat. I’m hungry.”
“Can I go with you then?”
“I didn’t say you couldn’t.”
So Xu Qing hurriedly caught up and leaned beside Jiang Huai. The distance between them was neither too close nor too far. Jiang Huai didn’t speak, and Xu Qing didn’t disturb him. As they walked, Jiang Huai realized that the street was not as quiet as he thought. He soon saw breakfast stalls, small shops selling buns and wontons.
Jiang Huai suddenly started laughing.
Speaking of which, he really had to thank that穿越者 senior from Ziyun Pavilion. Many of his ideas seemed to align with Jiang Huai’s, which was why he could see these small vendors in Ziyun City. It was also why he could see the clothes of many people here were in the style of his memory, which made him feel a sense of familiarity in this completely unfamiliar world, giving him an inexplicable sense of belonging.
Jiang Huai and Xu Qing sat down at the bun shop. Jiang Huai ordered two baskets of small steamed buns and a bowl of wontons. Xu Qing ordered a small basket of small steamed buns. The two sat opposite each other in silence, with wisps of cooking smoke rising between them, and the air filled with the aroma of breakfast.
“Are you going back to Tian Xuan Sect?” Xu Qing asked softly.
“Yes, back to Tian Xuan Sect. I’ll go to Qingmu Immortal Palace in half a month. We’ll meet again then, perhaps?”
“Mm…” Xu Qing nodded gently.
Both of them started eating their breakfast quietly, without speaking further. Jiang Huai found the small steamed buns tasted very good, so he ordered another basket to take back to Luo Yueguan. After breakfast, the two walked towards Ziyun Inn.
Xu Qing’s steps were very slow, and Jiang Huai did not deliberately walk fast. Leaves fell from the branches on the roadside, gently swirling in the breeze before falling to the ground. The sun in the distance gradually rose, and the originally dim world slowly became brighter. Xu Qing kept her head down, looking at her toes as she walked, until Jiang Huai stopped. Only then did she realize they had arrived.
“Then we’ll part here…”
“I, I…” Xu Qing suddenly looked up at Jiang Huai.
Jiang Huai was stunned, and his words stopped. It was only then that he noticed that Xu Qing’s fair cheeks had once again turned slightly pink. Perhaps that was the downside of having fair skin; even a slight blush was so clear and unmistakable.
“Mm, speak, I’m listening.”
“Are… are we friends?” Xu Qing’s voice was stuttering.
“That sounds like a child playing house,” Jiang Huai said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. “Do you always talk to others like this?”
“No…” Xu Qing lowered her head dejectedly. “It seems I’m only like this with you.”
“Okay, it doesn’t matter anyway. Of course, we’re friends. Continue, I’m listening.”
“I want to ask you… when you go back, can I still ask you for advice on sword techniques when you have time?”
“How can you ask me for advice after you go back? Communicate by letter? That would be inconvenient. I’ll teach you when we meet at Qingmu Immortal Palace then.”
“I bought… this…” Xu Qing took out two jade pieces. They were a pair of jade pendants, one black and one white. Jiang Huai was stunned for a moment and asked curiously, “What is this?”
“It’s a Spirit Treasure developed by Ziyun Pavilion last month, similar to a mother-child communication pendant. However, besides having the function of a mother-child communication pendant, its range is very, very far. Even if I’m on Aolai Continent and you’re on Moon Wave Continent, we can communicate. The spiritual qi contained within can transmit two hundred words, and it can also transmit images and sound twice, each lasting the time it takes for one incense stick to burn.”
Hearing Xu Qing say this, Jiang Huai became very interested. He took the black jade piece from Xu Qing’s hand. He had also made two jade mirrors that could transmit text, and had made one for himself and Luo Qingyu before, but they would become ineffective if the distance was too far. How could these two jade pendants transmit text, and even images and sound, over such long distances? Jiang Huai couldn’t help but become curious. He took it in his hand and examined it for a while. He soon sensed the power of the formation within, but his soul was still relatively weak at the moment, so he couldn’t probe and deconstruct it.
“How many Spirit Stones did it cost?” Jiang Huai asked curiously.
“Three hundred thousand Spirit Stones,” Xu Qing mumbled softly.
Jiang Huai’s eyes widened. “You bought it even though it’s so expensive?”
Perhaps sensing the urgency in Jiang Huai’s tone, Xu Qing became a little guilty again. “I thought it was very interesting… so I bought it.”
“So, you mean you want me to keep one, and teach you sword techniques when I have time?”
Jiang Huai stated Xu Qing’s thoughts, and Xu Qing nodded hurriedly, her cheeks becoming even redder. Jiang Huai hesitated for a moment. “Fine.”
He could act with a clear conscience. At worst, when he taught her sword techniques, he could let Qingyu sit nearby and chat with her. After clearly stating that he was already engaged, Xu Qing should naturally retreat.
Or maybe she had already given up and just wanted him to teach her sword techniques? Was he being too narcissistic thinking this just now? Jiang Huai thought to himself and accepted the jade pendant.
He planned to study the formation structure within when he had time, to see if he could make a few himself. That would make traveling further away more interesting, and he could chat with people using the jade pendant when he had nothing else to do.
Jiang Huai scratched his head. “I remember three years ago you clearly said that you would definitely defeat me. I’m not used to you being so modest now.”
Xu Qing’s eyes immediately became wronged. Looking at her wronged expression, Jiang Huai couldn’t help but laugh, so heartless.
“Then I’ll go upstairs now, shall I? I’ll have to go back with Sect Master Luo when she wakes up.”
“Mm.” Xu Qing nodded gently.
Jiang Huai turned and walked upstairs to Luo Yueguan’s room. He reached out and gently knocked on the door. Luo Yueguan’s voice sounded from inside, “Who is it?”
“Who else could it be?”
Luo Yueguan agreed. After Jiang Huai pushed the door open, he closed it heavily again. Luo Yueguan was lying on the bed. On the cabinet beside the bed, her clothes were neatly arranged, along with a stack of towels. However, that stack of towels seemed to be slightly damp at the moment, as well as a pile of crumpled handkerchiefs, which also had some water stains on them.
“Are you… awake?”
“I haven’t slept.” Luo Yueguan lay flat on the bed, covered by the quilt, her eyes looking at the ceiling. Only then did she turn her head to look at him. “I’ve been spacing out for a long time, thinking about many things seriously.”
“Oh, do you want to eat something?” Jiang Huai sat on a chair nearby and took out the steaming basket of small steamed buns.
“I’ll eat if you feed me.”
Jiang Huai picked up a bun and brought it to her lips. Luo Yueguan sat up a bit, and the quilt slipped down. There was indeed nothing under her quilt. It was clear that she had lost even the most basic sense of shame in front of Jiang Huai. Even though the quilt had slipped down to her waist, she couldn’t be bothered to pull it up.
Jiang Huai couldn’t help but sigh at Luo Yueguan’s excellent figure. Where it should be full and rounded, it was full and lustrous; where it should be slender, it was like a tender willow branch. Luo Yueguan parted her lips slightly and bit into a small steamed bun.
Jiang Huai slowly picked up the small steamed buns one by one and fed her until she had eaten them all. Jiang Huai took out a clean handkerchief to wipe his hands, then said, “Then you should get up and go back to Tian Xuan Sect, right?”
“Dress me.”
“You’re spoiled,” Jiang Huai pouted, remaining still. Luo Yueguan stared at him intently for a while. Finally, she lifted the quilt herself and started to dress. Jiang Huai no longer deliberately avoided her gaze. He neither deliberately avoided it nor looked at it intently, as if everything was gradually fading.
However, Luo Yueguan’s eyes were filled with resentment at this moment.
“You looked at me.”
“What about it if I looked at you?”
“You didn’t dare to look at me before.”
Luo Yueguan did not hurry to finish dressing. Instead, she sat facing Jiang Huai. Her round, delicate pink knees rested against the edge of the bed. Her two fair and slender legs were spread apart to the left and right. Her jade feet, with their fair insteps and ankles, were exposed. Her toes were round and cute, each one crystal clear. She leaned back slightly, her fingertips sliding down from her waist. She spread her fingers slightly apart. The rosebud was wet and tender, with a crystal-clear watery sheen. Jiang Huai hurriedly closed his eyes.
Luo Yueguan finally revealed a triumphant smile, but moments later, more panic arose in her heart.
If this proved that he still had lust for her, what about next time? And the time after that? Would he eventually get tired of it if this continued for a long time? What chips would she have left to make him continue to be good to her?
She began to feel anxious and uneasy in this state of fluctuating emotions. The unease made her body tremble. Wild thoughts flooded her mind, and she began to do what she had been doing all night.
Until Jiang Huai heard faint panting sounds. But when he opened his eyes, Luo Yueguan was crying.
He had never seen such a scene before, but the impact of the image made his breathing almost stop. He asked blankly, “Why are you crying again?”
“You don’t like me as much as you did a few days ago,” she said.
“If I only had lust for you, you would get tired of me. But if I don’t, you’re still worried and uneasy. Doesn’t this clearly mean you’re overthinking things yourself?”
“Then admit that you don’t dislike me.”
“No.”
“Swear it.”
“I swear I don’t dislike you.”
“I want to bite your finger.”
“What?”
“I want to bite your finger.”
Jiang Huai was stunned and didn’t understand, but he still reached out and brought his fingertip to Luo Yueguan’s lips. Luo Yueguan reached out and gently bit his index finger.
After a while, Luo Yueguan extended her slender finger towards him. Her knuckles were as fair and tender as green onions. The only downside was that they were wet at the moment.
“You bite my finger too.”
“I advise you to pack yourself up and get dressed quickly to leave with me, before I abandon you and go back to Tian Xuan Sect alone.”
“Just bite it, just once.” Luo Yueguan looked at him obstinately.
Jiang Huai looked at her expectant eyes and finally, with a look of reluctance, gently bit her finger. Luo Yueguan immediately laughed happily.
