Jiang Huai found his thoughts becoming incredibly jumbled. He could honestly admit that he likely harbored no lust for Bai Jin; as he gently massaged her thighs, no strange thoughts crossed his mind. Yet, he couldn’t help but want to touch more of her skin, like a vulnerable little boy clinging to his mother’s embrace.
Damn it, Jiang Huai, you’re already an adult hamster baby.
Evidently, his massage technique was particularly effective for Bai Jin. She narrowed her eyes slightly, a smile on her lips, looking utterly blissful. But her body wasn’t as yielding as it seemed; when her soft, tender skin was squeezed, she’d occasionally let out a soft, coquettish hum, her voice so sweet and delicate that it made Jiang Huai feel inexplicably restless.
Soft and smooth.
His hands moved to Bai Jin’s calves, and he looked at the dark gold high heels she was wearing, gently taking them off. The moment his palms touched her white and tender little feet, Bai Jin’s toes curled slightly, clearly due to their extreme sensitivity.
Jiang Huai had always enjoyed kneading girls’ fragrant and soft little feet because they would blush with shyness and curl up nervously when touched – that was the source of his obsession. He had just sworn to stop focusing on little feet, but now, seeing a flicker of fluster and anticipation in Bai Jin’s eyes, Jiang Huai felt his head grow light again.
The sound of rain outside was like living by a stream.
The incense burning inside the room drifted lightly in the humid air, intertwining with the faint scent of Bai Jin. The moment seemed to become incredibly tranquil, a stillness that gradually calmed Jiang Huai’s heart.
If things went smoothly in the Fan Hua Secret Realm this time, he would obtain the last ingredient, the Snow Velvet Flower. Then… he would have to seriously consider asking Luo Yueguan to dual cultivate with him. In fact, Jiang Huai had a vague premonition that if Luo Yueguan truly dual cultivated with him, his Master would likely be upset for a while, and then… she would relent.
But Jiang Huai also felt a vague sense of fear, though he couldn’t pinpoint why. He felt like something was still missing. Whether it was from Auntie Luo or his Master, he wanted the dual cultivation to stem from mutual love, not just as a means to heal his injuries. He felt it would tarnish the purity of love, but perhaps this was just his own overthinking.
He remained lost in thought until Bai Jin’s gentle voice reached his ears, “You’ve been kneading for a long, long time. Do you like it that much?”
Jiang Huai snapped back to attention, hastily withdrew his hands, and awkwardly replied, “I was just spacing out and thinking.”
However, Bai Jin’s eyes showed no hint of resentment or anger. She simply stretched her snow-white calves straight, her toes lightly poking his lower abdomen as she softly said, “If you like it, you can play a little longer.”
Jiang Huai’s face immediately flushed. After a moment, looking into Bai Jin’s eyes, he felt a hint of playfulness in her gaze, as if she were teasing him. He playfully tickled Bai Jin’s white and tender little feet. Bai Jin, who had been composed moments before, began to wiggle her legs and struggle, her bell-like laughter echoing throughout the room.
Her cheeks flushed a delicate pink. She retracted her snow-white calves, hugged herself, and glared at Jiang Huai with an almost petulant expression.
“I’m very ticklish.”
***
“Aren’t you sleeping with Auntie Bai tonight?” Bai Jin looked at Jiang Huai, her jet-black eyes fixed on him, her gentle gaze making him inexplicably flustered.
“I, I can sleep by myself,” Jiang Huai stammered in response.
Bai Jin bit her lip, her eyes lingering on him for a moment before she reluctantly replied in a small voice, “Okay.”
Her disappointment was palpable, her hurt evident, making Jiang Huai feel like a terrible sinner. He couldn’t help but ask in a low voice, “Auntie Bai, why did you suddenly want… to sleep with me?”
“Because when I see you sleeping so peacefully, I feel at ease too,” her voice was soft and lingering. Jiang Huai blinked in surprise and mumbled, “But… it’s a bit strange, isn’t it?”
“If Little Huai has strange thoughts in his head, then it would indeed be strange.”
“Wh-what are you talking about?!” Jiang Huai reacted as if he were a cat whose tail had been stepped on. But Bai Jin merely pouted slightly, looking at him innocently, her eyes seeming to say, ‘Prove it to me.’
Knowing it was a trap, Jiang Huai still fell into it. Late at night, he lay on Bai Jin’s fragrant and soft lower abdomen, while Bai Jin gently tapped his collarbone with her fingertips. The room was quiet, so silent that only their breathing could be heard.
There had been so many lonely nights like this, where he had listened to his own breathing as he drifted off to sleep. The rain pattered outside the window. Jiang Huai softly asked, “Auntie Bai, aren’t you sleeping yet?”
“I always have trouble sleeping too.”
“Oh? Is it because of the Snake Clan?”
“Perhaps, but also maybe more,” Bai Jin’s voice was very soft. “Sometimes I think about many meaningless things…”
“Tell me about them?”
Bai Jin lowered her head slightly, looking at Jiang Huai’s eyes in the darkness, and gave a helpless smile. She reached out and gently pinched his cheek, softly saying, “It’s nothing really, just sometimes I feel uneasy. Earlier, the drought in the Snake Clan caused a plague, and seeing my kin die one after another, I felt deeply distressed. But this was because of my choice, the choice for so-called dignity… that led to their deaths.”
Her voice suddenly seemed to recede into the distance, and Jiang Huai felt an indescribable sense of loneliness.
“That’s not it,” Jiang Huai shook his head gently. “Since the original Heavenly Way Rules didn’t allow the Snake Clan to reproduce excessively, even if the Dragon Clan brought rain for them a few times, what difference would it make? Other great disasters would befall them in the future, and they couldn’t possibly rely on the Dragon Clan to solve every disaster, could they? This isn’t a matter of choosing dignity, and it’s not your fault, Auntie Bai.”
Bai Jin was silent for a long time in the room before softly replying, “So, thank you, Jiang Huai.”
“It’s nothing, really. It’s just that I happen to know a friend, and for her, it was just a simple effort.” Jiang Huai seemed to sense something and softly asked, “Auntie Bai, are you worried about more than just this?”
Bai Jin hesitated for a moment before finally softly replying, “The Dragon Clan won’t just let this go.”
“Hmm?”
“What’s important isn’t that Bai Li broke off her arranged marriage, but the attitude of the Snake Clan. For the past thousand years, the Monster Clan has been servants of the Dragon Clan. Now that they suddenly refuse to be enslaved by them, the Dragon Clan won’t let it go so easily.”
Jiang Huai fell silent. Then Bai Jin spoke softly, “I’m just saying it casually. These aren’t things you need to worry about. After this year’s Five Regions Grand Competition, once Bai Li has completely received the Ancestral inheritance, she can go with you to the Eastern Region. She likes it there, and she likes you, and she wants to stay by your side.”
“And what about you, Auntie Bai?”
“The Snake Clan is my homeland after all. Although I recently entered the Ninth Realm, I am still in the Ninth Realm. As long as I remain in the Snake Clan, the Dragon Clan won’t easily attack them. When the Snake Clan grows stronger again, or when I try my best but can no longer achieve their self-determined dignity, that day of utter despair, I will leave here.”
This was the mission she had to bear by choosing to become the Snake Emperor. She could have ignored everything; with her cultivation in the Ninth Realm, she could have taken Bai Li to travel the world. Yet, she still chose this path.
Jiang Huai didn’t try to dissuade her from her choice. He was, after all, an outsider and couldn’t understand what the Snake Clan meant to Bai Jin. So, he simply said softly, “Auntie Bai, don’t be too hard on yourself.”
“I understand.” Bai Jin pinched his cheek again and lowered her head. “If, in the future, I leave the Snake Clan and have nowhere to go, will Little Huai take me in?”
“Of course, you are always welcome.”
“Then you’ve agreed?”
“Of course, I’ve agreed.”
“You can’t go back on your word.”
“I never go back on my word.”
In the darkness, Bai Jin chuckled softly. She slowly leaned down and lightly kissed his forehead with her delicate pink lips, her voice as soft as a dream, “Alright, alright, go to sleep now.”
She no longer sat by the bedside but slowly slid down. Jiang Huai buried his face in her chest, inhaling the faint scent of her. Jiang Huai felt his head grow heavy again, but Bai Jin gently held his neck, not allowing him to fidget.
So soft.
***
The next day, in the early morning, rain poured heavily.
Jiang Huai wrote a list and asked Bai Jin to send people to find the ingredients. They were all common meats and vegetables, and they were delivered soon after. Jiang Huai went to the kitchen and began to cook diligently. When the time was almost right, Bai Jin took him outside the Ancestral Secret Realm.
Jiang Huai stood beside her, waiting quietly, until a white light emerged. Bai Li, dressed in a dark qipao, appeared before them. Compared to half a year ago, Bai Li was now in her Holy Dragon Lady form, her eyes cold and proud, her slender and tall figure making her seem almost unfamiliar to Jiang Huai at first sight.
Bai Li’s gaze first fell on Bai Jin, and then, moments later, on Jiang Huai standing beside her.
Jiang Huai winked at her.
Bai Li froze, her eyes gradually turning red, her nose feeling a strange sting. She suddenly ran towards Jiang Huai. Jiang Huai opened his arms, and the next second, Bai Li threw herself into his embrace, as if leaping. Her snow-white and tender legs, clad in the qipao, tightly wrapped around his waist as she hugged him fiercely.
“How have you been lately?”
As soon as Jiang Huai asked, Bai Li didn’t answer. She brought her delicate pink lips close to his and pressed them against his. Jiang Huai’s lips parted slightly, and he quickly captured Bai Li’s soft, slippery tongue. Bai Jin stood quietly to the side, watching the entwined lips and tongues with gentle eyes. Tears slipped from the corners of Bai Li’s eyes. After a while, she finally kissed him enough and mumbled, “I’m fine. How about you?”
“I’m also very good.”
“That’s good then.” Bai Li’s body remained pressed against him, unwilling to let go.
“Aren’t you coming down yet? Lunch is ready, and it’s all your favorite dishes.”
“Carry me over,” Bai Li buried her face in Jiang Huai’s chest, grumbling petulantly and acting childish.
