The leaves by the lake were covered in dew.
A sliver of pale white light appeared on the horizon, like a hazy ink painting. Jiang Huai and Luo Yueguan had been fishing by the lake all night, catching several fish, but the Snow Spirit Fish they were so keen on had not taken the bait. Jiang Huai had considered using his super bait again. He wasn’t worried about Real Master of Snow Spirit getting angry and interrogating him, but he was concerned about what his Master would say if she found out he had stolen Real Master of Snow Spirit’s fish again, and how embarrassed they would both be.
Jiang Huai got up, intending to discuss with Real Master of Snow Spirit about getting a Snow Spirit Fish. Just then, a hazy white figure was already approaching, treading on the water. It was Real Master of Snow Spirit herself.
Upon seeing Real Master of Snow Spirit, Jiang Huai felt inexplicably guilty. Fortunately, Real Master of Snow Spirit merely glanced at him and asked, “Fishing?”
“Yes, I wanted to catch a Snow Spirit Fish to nourish my Master’s body.”
“Is Chu Xianning’s injury serious?”
“It’s alright, thank you for your concern, Real Master.”
Real Master of Snow Spirit looked at him, then pointed at the lake. Moments later, she effortlessly pulled out a plump Snow Spirit Fish and tossed it into Jiang Huai’s arms. Jiang Huai caught it steadily and looked at Real Master of Snow Spirit in front of him.
“It’s for you.”
“Thank you, Real Master.”
Real Master of Snow Spirit’s voice was gentle. “Go back now.”
Holding the fish, Jiang Huai and Luo Yueguan rode their swords back to the mountain. It was still early, and Chu Xianning had not yet woken up. Jiang Huai went to the kitchen to prepare the Snow Spirit Fish. The bones would be used for soup, the soup for cooking porridge, and the fish slices would be added when the porridge was almost done. The tender and sweet fish slices would blend with the fragrant rice. Jiang Huai then prepared several small dishes, each containing a bit of exquisite preserved vegetables, chopped scallions, cilantro, and peanuts.
Afterward, Jiang Huai went to his room to wake up Luo Qingyu. He had told her last night that he was going fishing tonight, and Luo Qingyu had obediently agreed. She was sleeping soundly now. Jiang Huai leaned closer and gently pinched her cheek. Luo Qingyu slowly opened her eyes, and her delicate pink lips pouted slightly. Jiang Huai moved closer and kissed her lips gently.
Only then did Luo Qingyu obediently get up and dress.
Chu Xianning, as always, opened her room door punctually. Dressed in a simple and elegant moon white Daoist Robe, she went to the table and looked at the fish slice porridge in the porcelain bowl before her. “Did you steal Real Master of Snow Spirit’s fish again?”
“No, Real Master of Snow Spirit gave it to Master,” Jiang Huai replied softly.
Chu Xianning nodded gently. Jiang Huai added, “I’ll send her a couple of Formation Diagrams later when I have time. We shouldn’t be indebted without reason.”
Chu Xianning hummed softly and then picked up a porcelain spoon to eat the porridge.
The sunlight was pleasant today. After breakfast, a knocking sound came from outside the courtyard. It was Wen Wanwan. She had naturally witnessed the terrifying battle that had taken place above the Tian Xuan Sect yesterday and had come to visit Chu Xianning.
Chu Xianning gently assured her that she was fine and invited her to sit in the courtyard. Jiang Huai prepared tea and snacks. The courtyard was unusually lively, with everyone gathered together. Since they had nothing to do, they started playing cards again, though the stakes were much lower this time, as Wen Wanwan’s Spirit Stones were not as abundant as theirs.
Jiang Huai then guided Wen Wanwan on the side, but because he kept pointing things out, Wanwan ended up losing a hundred or two Spirit Stones. Jiang Huai was immediately depressed. It was time for lunch, so he went to prepare it, asking Wen Wanwan to call Wen Fufu over to the courtyard as well. After lunch, Jiang Huai called Luo Yueguan to the bamboo forest in the backyard for sword practice. Wen Fufu then took Luo Yueguan’s place.
When Luo Yueguan and Jiang Huai returned from sword practice, Wen Fufu’s chips were piled up like a small mountain.
During dinner, Wanwan came to the kitchen to help Jiang Huai. The four of them continued playing in the courtyard. The rare liveliness in the courtyard gave Jiang Huai a sense of peace. Sometimes, he worried that Chu Xianning might not like too much noise, but occasionally glancing at the courtyard, he saw that the naive and talkative Wen Fufu could always make Chu Xianning’s lips curve into a slight smile. He breathed a sigh of relief.
……………………………………
Moonlit night.
Chu Xianning sensed a presence outside her door and asked softly, puzzled, “What is it?”
“It’s too noisy next door. I’m here for some quiet,” Luo Yueguan grumbled in a low voice. Chu Xianning hesitated for a moment, then softly replied, “Come in.”
So, Luo Yueguan pushed open the door. In the room, Chu Xianning had just taken off her clothes and lay down. She didn’t like wearing clothes when she slept in the summer. For many years, she had lived alone in the courtyard and had gotten used to it.
Fortunately, Jiang Huai had always been well-mannered and never rashly pushed open her door. Before entering each time, he would wait outside for a moment. If she sensed Jiang Huai’s presence, she would inquire. If she didn’t speak, Jiang Huai wouldn’t even knock to disturb her.
Luo Yueguan, wearing a purple nightgown, walked to the bedside, pulled over a chair, and sat down. Suddenly, she noticed something and casually picked up the bra Chu Xianning had placed on the bedside table. She then looked at Chu Xianning playfully. “Why is your bra size a bit larger than before?”
Chu Xianning didn’t blush, merely saying, “The previous one was too small and too tight, so I bought a larger size.”
“Oh…” Luo Yueguan leaned back in her chair and sighed, “You’re much quieter now.”
“Why?”
“Qingyu’s room is right next to mine, and the young couple makes a lot of noise.” Luo Yueguan then suddenly thought of something. “Wait, will you be unhappy if I say this?”
Chu Xianning merely glanced at her indifferently, saying nothing.
“That’s true, you take everything lightly… You know, why did you think of bringing Jiang Huai to me to propose back then?”
“I’m only familiar with you.”
“It’s only you that I would agree to. If it were anyone else, I definitely wouldn’t. Qingyu looks so much like me. Back then, I selfishly thought that if possible, I would never want Qingyu to get married. Otherwise, it just feels awkward.” Luo Yueguan replied with a smile. After a moment, her eyes flickered. “Speaking of which, after so long, do you regret it at all?”
“I don’t regret the decisions I’ve made,” Chu Xianning replied softly.
“That’s true.” Luo Yueguan blinked at her. “How about we sleep together tonight?”
“Not a good idea.” Chu Xianning refused so decisively.
“I have a reason for suggesting this,” Luo Yueguan began earnestly. “Before, I couldn’t sleep at night, so I would secretly use Qingyu’s eyes to watch what they were doing…”
“Shameless,” Chu Xianning shot her a sideways glance.
“That was in the past. When I really couldn’t sleep, I just wanted to go crazy. So, let’s sleep together tonight. If we sleep together, I can sleep soundly and won’t try to peek at Qingyu’s side anymore.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Don’t be so stingy. We even slept on the same mattress several times in the Secret Realm. Back then, you didn’t get angry if I touched your chest a couple of times. Now you’ve become so stingy.”
“You have the nerve to say that?”
“Didn’t I pinch you back? Sigh, it’s your fault that you’re this big now. You pinched me until it swelled,” Luo Yueguan puffed out her chest and laughed heartily. Chu Xianning glanced at her disdainfully, wrapped herself in the quilt, and turned over. “I’m going to sleep.”
“Chat with me, anyway, I guess you can’t sleep either.”
“You’ve guessed wrong. I can sleep.”
“What if I toss and turn later and can’t sleep and secretly peek at them again?”
“Are you threatening me?”
“Alright, alright, I know you hate this the most. You’re the best, Chu Xianning. Please sleep with me, I can’t sleep alone.” Luo Yueguan started to act spoiled again. Chu Xianning turned her head with dissatisfaction, stared at her seriously for a few seconds, and said, “Don’t say ridiculous things.”
“Just kidding. I’ve figured it out and won’t do that kind of thing anymore. I’ve become well-behaved. Shouldn’t you reward me?”
“…” Chu Xianning had never been able to do much about the shamelessly bold Luo Yueguan. She finally moved reluctantly, then tightened her grip on the quilt and pointed to the cabinet. “There’s another quilt over there.”
“Okay, okay, okay.” Luo Yueguan went to get the quilt, then happily shed her clothes and came over to Chu Xianning, naked. Tucked tightly under the small quilt, she only needed to lean in slightly to smell the faint floral fragrance on Chu Xianning.
“You still smell so good,” Luo Yueguan chuckled.
Chu Xianning lay flat on the bed, her body wrapped tightly in the bedding, gazing at the ceiling. “Go to sleep soon.”
“Let’s chat for a while, I can’t sleep anyway.”
“Chat about what?”
“Let’s chat about the past. Do you remember that time in the Ziwei Secret Realm? When we stole that Red Zhu Fruit together…”
Luo Yueguan started chattering again. As she spoke, Chu Xianning’s wandering thoughts gradually disappeared, and she was drawn into a past memory. Drowsiness gradually came over her. She could no longer keep her eyes open, so she closed them and said softly, “I’m going to sleep.”
“Mmm, I’m a bit sleepy too.” Luo Yueguan also snuggled under the quilt and obediently closed her eyes.
……………………………………
The next day, early morning.
Jiang Huai was surprised to see Chu Xianning emerge from her room, dressed in a moon white Hanfu dress. Chu Xianning’s earlobes were adorned with exquisite earrings, and her hair ornament had tassels. She was breathtakingly beautiful.
Jiang Huai was even more surprised to see Luo Yueguan following closely behind her. In his memory, his Master was quite a洁癖 (germaphobe). Even when Luo Yueguan had stayed in the courtyard before, and had acted spoiled towards Chu Xianning after drinking too much at night, Chu Xianning had been unwilling to sleep with her. Yet tonight, she had granted her a great pardon. It was truly rare.
Jiang Huai felt as if he was blinded by the bright light surrounding Chu Xianning. Luo Yueguan’s lips curved, and she tilted her head up slightly, saying to him with a hint of boastfulness, “Hmph, doesn’t the hair I braided for your Master look good?”
“It looks good,” Jiang Huai nodded with a smile.
After breakfast, Luo Yueguan went for a walk with Chu Xianning. Jiang Huai returned to his room. With no one in the courtyard, Jiang Huai began to draw a picture for Luo Qingyu. Qingyu’s clothes were partially off, and the sunlight from outside fell on her collarbone, making it bright and radiant.
After finishing one drawing, Luo Qingyu carefully put it away. Then, she innocently rolled up the hem of her skirt to her waist, exposing her porcelain white, fair legs to the sunlight. She looked at Jiang Huai innocently. “I want to draw another one.”
Her clothes were pulled down to her waist, serving as mere decoration, unable to conceal anything that should be hidden. It was overwhelmingly sultry, and as Jiang Huai concentrated on drawing, he felt Luo Qingyu’s breathing gradually quicken, her flower-like petals slightly glistening with moisture.
Jiang Huai exerted a great deal of effort to finish this drawing. His reward was Luo Qingyu coming to his side, lifting the hem of her skirt, and carefully, little by little, sitting on his lap.
