In the early morning, rain and snow mixed.
Xu Qing had already changed into a moon white fitted long dress. Her slender, snow-white legs under the skirt were clad in pearl-colored stockings, and she wore a pair of open-toed transparent high-heeled sandals. At this moment, she sat by the table, appearing dignified and elegant, but in reality, she was soft and timid.
She didn’t even dare to look into Jiang Huai’s eyes anymore.
If anyone was to be called a bully, Jiang Huai had just touched her white and tender little feet again. Even during her bath, Jiang Huai had only carried her to the bathhouse and let her bathe herself. But as soon as she recalled everything that had just happened, Xu Qing couldn’t help but press her legs together under her skirt, her cheeks becoming flushed and hot once more.
At this moment, she was eating the fish soup noodles made by Jiang Huai. She had already finished the noodles and was now sipping the soup. The fish soup noodles were exceptionally delicious, the secret being the white pepper powder added to the soup.
Xu Qing always secretly watched Jiang Huai while he ate noodles. When Jiang Huai’s gaze turned to her, she would quickly avert her eyes to her noodle bowl. Jiang Huai noticed these small actions, but he said nothing, just innocently ate his noodles, appearing to be a gentleman once more.
The Jiang Huai of the past probably wouldn’t have done such wicked things. He had been corrupted by Qingyu. Luo Qingyu always wished Jiang Huai could be a little rougher with her. As time went by, Jiang Huai’s sense of shame gradually diminished, and in the art of bullying, he had already achieved some success.
The more shameful and exciting something was, the more one would indulge in it.
“Weren’t we supposed to go see the sword monument later?” Jiang Huai asked innocently, looking at Xu Qing. Xu Qing hurriedly nodded in agreement, “Mm…”
“Oh.”
Jiang Huai nodded gently. Seeing Xu Qing finish the last sip of fish soup, she stood up, came to Jiang Huai’s side, and timidly said, “I’ll take you.”
She stood beside Jiang Huai, her slender waist held straight. Although she tried her best to regain her previous gentle and calm demeanor, just a casual glance at his profile would make her legs inexplicably weak.
But, but… you’ve already bullied me so much, so, what is our relationship now?
Xu Qing thought and pondered in her heart, but after several hesitations, she still didn’t dare to ask. Her white and tender little hands would occasionally brush against Jiang Huai’s, lightly rubbing his hand before quickly pulling away. Jiang Huai pretended not to notice. Xu Qing lowered her head, her heart growing heavy with grievance again.
It wasn’t until her hand was grasped by Jiang Huai, his fingers interlaced with hers, that Xu Qing’s body tensed up. Even her steps became strange. She turned her head to look at Jiang Huai in a flurry of anxiety, and Jiang Huai was also looking at her innocently.
If she didn’t speak, Jiang Huai wouldn’t speak either. So Xu Qing turned her face away and continued to lead Jiang Huai forward, arriving at the sword monument of the Guanxue Sect.
***
The sword monument was located halfway up Slaughtering Sword Peak in the Guanxue Sect. Along the way, Xu Qing explained the origin of the sword monument to Jiang Huai. A thousand years ago, the Guanxue Sect owed a favor to a ninth-realm sword cultivator. Before that cultivator went into seclusion, she left a sword monument for the Guanxue Sect. Within the monument were her lifelong insights into the Sword Dao. Any cultivator who had comprehended Sword Intent or Sword Momentum could come forward to study it.
When Jiang Huai and Xu Qing arrived, the disciples of the Guanxue Sect were practicing swordplay in the wind and snow.
The sword monument was not particularly large, only about as tall as Jiang Huai. It was covered with densely packed sword marks. Each sword mark flowed with the aura of Sword Momentum. Perhaps due to the passage of time, there was a hint of ancientness in these Sword Momentum auras.
Jiang Huai closed his eyes before the sword monument and touched the Sword Momentum with his soul. Instantly, the vision before him shifted. He fell into a phantom realm created by the sword monument. Before him was a sea of clouds. He stood above the sea of clouds, and a hazy figure appeared, swinging a sword towards the sky.
The clouds were layered and dark, lightning flashed, and the figure’s sword light was sharp and graceful. Jiang Huai watched quietly for a long, long time. He could vaguely feel the Dao Charm contained within the sword light, but he couldn’t directly deconstruct it for the first time and failed to grasp the essentials.
He immediately became interested and observed intently for a long time until the figure had split the sky with its sword.
The light and shadow before Jiang Huai flickered, and the scene changed. Everything returned to its original state. He saw the figure wielding a sword to cleave the sky again, but after observing for a long time, he couldn’t even learn one-tenth of it. Instead, his soul began to falter, and his head ached faintly.
Forcibly comprehending was not worth the loss. Jiang Huai withdrew his soul. If there was a chance in the future, he would study it again when his soul cultivation was higher.
Xu Qing looked at him with concern. Jiang Huai shook his head gently, said he was fine, and extended his hand towards Xu Qing.
When the two of them arrived here, they had already attracted many gazes. Now, under the eyes of many disciples, Jiang Huai naturally extended his hand towards her. Xu Qing was slightly stunned for a moment. After a moment, she came to Jiang Huai’s side and held his hand tightly.
“Where do we go next?” Jiang Huai asked softly.
“To the mountaintop to roast sweet potatoes.” Xu Qing’s steps became bouncy and cheerful, no longer as shy as before, but light and carefree like a little girl.
***
Xu Qing gathered firewood and started a bonfire under the eaves of the pavilion on the mountaintop. She sat cross-legged opposite Jiang Huai. When Jiang Huai looked at her, Xu Qing would shyly avoid his gaze. After a few such instances, Jiang Huai suddenly laughed.
“What are you laughing at?” Xu Qing asked softly.
“Why does it feel like Miss Xu Qing has suddenly become so afraid of me?”
“No, no, that’s not it?” Xu Qing poked the bonfire with a stick, then looked away after a while and suddenly muttered, “Calling me Miss Xu Qing is too formal.”
“Qingqing?”
“It’s… too mushy.”
“I meant ‘kiss kiss’.”
“Wh-what kiss kiss and Qingqing…” Xu Qing shot him a shy and annoyed glance. Jiang Huai still maintained his innocent demeanor. She puffed out her cheeks and looked at Jiang Huai, until Jiang Huai softly called out, “Xu Qing.”
“Mm,” Xu Qing replied softly.
When the bonfire died down, Xu Qing put two large sweet potatoes into the embers. Then she and Jiang Huai sat by the cliff’s edge, looking at the distant Guanxue Sect. In the early morning, rain and snow had mixed, and now it was a vast expanse of snow. The sky in the distance was dim, and a snowy day was always incredibly quiet.
The sound of a clock striking the hour echoed from the distance, reverberating through the valley. Xu Qing sat beside Jiang Huai, wanting to move closer to him, but inexplicably becoming a coward again. So she shifted her body from time to time, swinging her little legs, appearing restless, until Jiang Huai gently put his arm around her shoulders.
“You… suddenly hugged me again…” Xu Qing looked at the falling snow, her voice stuttering.
“Oh, then I’ll let go.” Jiang Huai released his arm. Just as he was about to put it back, Xu Qing turned her head again, her eyes looking at him with grievance. As soon as she started feeling wronged, Jiang Huai activated his innocent little eyes. They stared at each other for several seconds, and Xu Qing’s small fists punched his chest.
After a flurry of little pink punches, her body was pulled into Jiang Huai’s embrace. Just as she was about to struggle, Jiang Huai pinched her earlobe and said softly, “Don’t fidget.”
So she became obedient again.
The roasted sweet potatoes were very sweet. Xu Qing peeled her sweet potato, leaned close to Jiang Huai, and took a bite of his. She also leaned in and took a bite of Jiang Huai’s sweet potato.
Jiang Huai looked at the corner of her mouth. “Kiss kiss.”
Xu Qing’s cheeks instantly turned red. She averted her face. “Wh-what are you saying?”
“Qingqing, I just called you that casually. After calling it more, it won’t feel mushy anymore,” Jiang Huai answered righteously. Xu Qing’s lips pouted slightly, her dark eyes staring at him like a cat.
Unfortunately, Jiang Huai had a thick skin and was not moved at all. Instead, he laughed.
Xu Qing rested her forehead on Jiang Huai’s shoulder and began to squirm, venting her slight dissatisfaction.
***
After eating the roasted sweet potatoes, the two of them went fishing by the lake.
This time, it was Jiang Huai who cooked lunch. Xu Qing looked at the dishes on the table with curiosity. They were aesthetically pleasing and smelled delicious. She had eaten with her parents since childhood and had never practiced辟谷 (pì gǔ – a Daoist practice of abstaining from grains). She had always been a foodie. After tasting a small bite, her eyes became starry, and her cheeks puffed up.
She never knew fish could be cooked so deliciously. Xu Qing had thought her father was the best cook in the world.
After eating their fill, Xu Qing leaned forward, picked up a handkerchief, and wiped her lips. Then Jiang Huai looked at her and pointed to his own lips. Xu Qing was stunned for a moment, then folded the handkerchief and leaned in, gently wiping the corner of his mouth as well.
After wiping Jiang Huai’s lips, Xu Qing straightened her waist and stared intently at Jiang Huai for several seconds. Jiang Huai imitated her, straightening his waist as well, waiting for her to speak.
Her posture was so formal, and her presence seemed to match it, but as soon as she spoke, her spirit deflated. Her voice became small, her eyelashes drooped slightly, and her cheeks puffed out slightly. “So… what is our relationship now?”
Jiang Huai almost blurted out the standard “Aren’t we good friends?”
For some reason, Jiang Huai felt that he was becoming more and more mischievous. It seemed more enjoyable to tease Xu Qing into a state of grievance than to directly answer what she wanted to hear. Because of his mischievousness, he punched himself on the head, then rested his elbow on the table, propped up his face, and looked at Xu Qing. “What do you say our relationship is now?”
“You say it,” Xu Qing said, feeling wronged again. She lightly kicked him under the table with her lower leg.
“You say it,” Jiang Huai gazed into the girl’s eyes and said softly.
Xu Qing didn’t know how to say it. Perhaps she was worried that once certain words were spoken, everything would come to an end. She didn’t dislike the current ambiguity, but she also felt an inexplicable unease because of it. She always seemed to be so conflicted, which was why she wanted to ask him.
“Anyway… we’re no longer just good friends, right?” Xu Qing looked at him with expectant eyes.
“Yes, we are,” Jiang Huai nodded gently.
“Then…” Xu Qing’s fingertips lightly clenched the hem of her skirt, seeming to want to say something, but stopping herself.
“It’s strange,” Jiang Huai suddenly said.
“Wh-what’s strange?”
“Good friends can talk about everything. Since our relationship is even better than good friends, why do you hesitate and twist when you want to say something?”
Xu Qing immediately understood Jiang Huai’s meaning. She straightened her waist, but her voice remained timid, and she mumbled very softly, “Since, since we’re more than just good friends, then can, can…”
“Can what?”
“Why do you always interrupt people…” Xu Qing looked at him with grievance. The courage she had painstakingly mustered was slowly melting away because he had interrupted her. But Jiang Huai spread his hands and said, “Because I want you to finish quickly. After you finish, can we kiss?”
“I, I haven’t even said I want to kiss yet, and you’re being naughty again…”
“So, do you want to kiss?” Jiang Huai winked at her.
Xu Qing’s cheeks burned. She guiltily shifted her gaze, but after a moment, she softly, very softly, made a sound of assent. Jiang Huai reached out to her and said softly, “Come into my arms.”
Xu Qing slowly stood up, hesitated for a moment, then sat sideways on Jiang Huai’s lap. She turned her head, looked into Jiang Huai’s eyes, and her fingertips touched her chest. Her heart pounded in her chest. Jiang Huai leaned in slightly, and she, in a flurry, closed her eyes.
“So what were you originally going to say just now?” Jiang Huai’s face was already very close.
“I won’t tell you,” Xu Qing mumbled softly.
“Then I won’t kiss you.”
Xu Qing, who had her eyes closed, opened them. Instantly, another wave of grievance washed over her. A moment later, that grievance transformed into courage. She wrapped her arms around Jiang Huai’s neck, leaned in, and her delicate, soft lips pressed fiercely against Jiang Huai’s lips.
The next instant, she became flustered again.
How would she know what to do?
Jiang Huai gently embraced her back, his fingers running through her dark, smooth hair. When Xu Qing’s lips parted slightly, Jiang Huai seized the opportunity. His movements were gentle and slow. The dazed Xu Qing began to cooperate with him, gradually getting used to it, until she was almost out of breath. Xu Qing then gently pushed Jiang Huai away, but not long after, her neck was also gently kissed by Jiang Huai. Xu Qing’s waist stiffened instantly, her body became rigid, and a tingling sensation spread from her back to her entire body. After a while, her body turned into a puddle of soft mud.
She suddenly began to crave this feeling.
“Can I sleep with you tonight too?” Her eyes were hazy and soft, her delicate skin seemingly moistened with mist.
“No,” Jiang Huai replied righteously.
His gentlemanly restraint was exhausted. If they slept together tonight, under the influence of the devilish Little Huai, he might do things to Xu Qing that went beyond what good friends should do.
