Chapter 420: The Punishment
In the bathhouse, Jiang Huai once again buried himself underwater, blowing bubbles. He still felt a dreamlike sense of unreality. Chu Xianning had actually agreed. Now, he was the one becoming timid and hesitant, as if all the shamelessness he’d learned in the Western Region had vanished the moment he returned to Chu Xianning’s presence.
After a long while, he finally emerged from the bath, changed into clean clothes, and slowly walked to Chu Xianning’s room. Before entering, he reached out and gently knocked on the door. Hearing Chu Xianning’s soft reply, he pushed the door open.
The room was lit by a single dim lamp. Chu Xianning was lying on her side in bed, her eyes quietly gazing at him. Jiang Huai carefully closed the door and stepped into the room. Chu Xianning remained motionless, just watching him with her usual cold demeanor.
“I, I’m coming in now?” Jiang Huai asked softly.
“Mm.”
Given Chu Xianning’s assent, Jiang Huai cautiously lifted a corner of the quilt and then quickly slipped under the covers. Instantly, he caught a faint floral scent; Chu Xianning’s quilt was filled with her fragrant aroma. He turned to face Chu Xianning, gazing into her eyes.
By the dim lamplight, he could faintly make out Chu Xianning’s face. Jiang Huai’s heart began to pound. Here he was, sleeping in the same bed, under the same quilt, in the same covers as Chu Xianning, so much so that his breathing became ragged.
Chu Xianning remained silent, merely looking at him with that cold gaze.
Yet, even under such a frigid gaze, Jiang Huai’s cheeks felt hot, and he was more timid than ever. As he regained a sliver of composure, his breathing became cautious, doing his best not to disturb Chu Xianning.
“Now, what are you thinking about?” Chu Xianning suddenly spoke.
Her voice was cool, like silver bells falling into Jiang Huai’s ears in the dim light. Jiang Huai was first slightly startled, then mumbled softly, “Just, I’m not thinking about anything in particular. I’m just very happy.”
“Just happy?”
“Yes, yes.” Jiang Huai didn’t understand Chu Xianning’s intention. Chu Xianning’s eyes looked at him indifferently. “Nothing else?”
“No more.”
“What about your restless desire?”
“Eh? Oh, right.” Jiang Huai was instantly stunned. How strange.
Here they were, lying together, sharing the same quilt, yet his mind wasn’t conjuring any wicked thoughts about Chu Xianning’s body. He was completely filled with happiness, without any trace of desire dictating his actions.
“Strange…” Jiang Huai scratched his head. “Why is it that when I’m with my most, most, most favorite Master, I’m not thinking any strange thoughts?”
Chu Xianning’s eyes looked at him coldly, then quickly provided the answer, “Because you dare not.”
“Huh?” Jiang Huai blinked in confusion.
“You know what you did to me. You fear I might become cold towards you in the future, so you dare not. But Bai Jin actively coaxed you into dual cultivation, so you were driven by desire.”
“That’s true as well,” Jiang Huai replied guiltily. “But I still feel like I’ve changed, Master.”
“How have you changed?”
“In the past, I, I would never have done anything improper before establishing a relationship with a woman, but in the Western Region, I couldn’t hold back…”
“Because the Western Region doesn’t care much about these things. You were influenced by your surroundings, or perhaps you felt that your first dual cultivation with Bai Jin was a debt you owed her, so when she brought it up again, you couldn’t refuse. Isn’t that always how you are? Indecisive and hypocritical,” Chu Xianning stated calmly.
“Master truly understands me,” Jiang Huai said, unsure whether to laugh or cry. He looked carefully into Chu Xianning’s eyes and softly asked, “I have another question I want to ask.”
“Go ahead.”
“Master… are you angry with me?”
But Chu Xianning didn’t answer directly this time. Instead, she casually glanced at him and softly asked, “Do you wish for me to be angry, or do you wish for me not to be angry?”
Humans are always contradictory. Jiang Huai realized he was no different. He worried that Chu Xianning might be angry and become distant from him, yet he also worried that she wouldn’t be angry, for that would mean she didn’t care about him that much either.
“I’m not angry,” Chu Xianning replied coldly.
Jiang Huai’s heart sank to the bottom.
“However, as your Master, you did something I dislike, so you must be punished.”
“I accept the punishment,” Jiang Huai replied in a panic.
“You’ve grown a much thicker skin than before, a beating won’t hurt you anymore,” Chu Xianning looked at him calmly. “Didn’t you just say you wanted to challenge your weakness?”
“Eh?” Jiang Huai was stunned.
“Starting today, for one month, you can sleep with me every night.”
In an instant, Jiang Huai felt as if fireworks exploded in his heart, crackling noisily and making his head buzz. He widened his eyes. “A month? Every night?”
“Yes.”
He stared intently at Chu Xianning, even starting to suspect if his icy Saintess Master had been possessed or drugged, to become so charming and agreeable.
“But,” Chu Xianning’s icy voice reached him the next moment.
“But, but what?” A bad premonition suddenly arose in Jiang Huai’s heart.
“You are not allowed to touch me, not allowed to kiss me. If you violate this even slightly… I will go on a journey to the Five Regions and return in two years.”
Jiang Huai’s eyes widened. The fireworks in his heart extinguished instantly, turning into dust on the ground. His precious little pearls felt like they were about to fall out. This, it turned out, was the most cruel punishment.
“No, no, this, this is not acceptable, not acceptable, not acceptable! I won’t sleep with Master anymore, alright?”
Could he endure it? He couldn’t! Would he have to spend the next month watching Chu Xianning right beside him, unable to touch or kiss her, only to look? This would be more painful than killing Jiang Xiaohu.
“You must sleep with me,” Chu Xianning’s eyes stared at him without blinking. “Not a single day less.”
“Bullying! You’re bullying me! Chu Xianning, you’re bullying me again!”
Jiang Huai was almost on the verge of rolling around on the bed in frustration.
“So noisy,” Chu Xianning said coldly. “Shut up.”
And in an instant, Jiang Huai obediently shut his mouth.
Chu Xianning no longer lay on her side but turned over and lay flat on her back. Her eyes gazed at the dark ceiling, and she said calmly to Jiang Huai beside her, “Turn off the light and go to sleep.”
Jiang Huai extinguished the light, and the room was plunged into darkness. However, Jiang Huai’s mind began to wander uncontrollably. Chu Xianning was sleeping right beside him. Had Chu Xianning not said he wasn’t allowed to touch her, Jiang Huai wouldn’t have had so many greedy thoughts. But the moment she said it, the more forbidden it became, the more inexplicably restless Jiang Huai felt.
So much so that even after Chu Xianning had fallen asleep, Jiang Huai continued to overthink for a long time and couldn’t sleep. A strange thought suddenly surfaced in his mind: since Chu Xianning was already asleep, couldn’t he secretly kiss her? She might not even know.
But as he opened his eyes and attempted to shift his body closer, he suddenly froze.
No.
He had been tricked by Chu Xianning’s “fishing” many times before, always falling for it the same way. What if this was another trap? If Chu Xianning had said she would whip him if he misbehaved, he wouldn’t have been afraid. But the moment he heard her say that she would go on a journey if he wasn’t obedient, all of Jiang Huai’s courage vanished.
He ultimately didn’t dare to sneak a kiss and angrily pulled the quilt over his head. If he couldn’t kiss her at night, he would find a way during the day.
In the darkness, Chu Xianning, sensing the movement of the bedding, a hint of helplessness flickered in the corner of her eyes. A moment later, the corners of her lips curled up slightly.
***
The next day, early morning.
Rain pattered outside the window. The autumn rain was hazy, carrying a hint of chill.
Chu Xianning always woke up precisely on time. She opened her eyes and turned sideways. The moment she saw Jiang Huai’s resentful gaze, the slightly groggy Chu Xianning first froze, then recalled why Jiang Huai was in her bed.
Jiang Huai had been awake for a long time. He lay on his side, staring at Chu Xianning, silently cursing her in his heart.
“Get up,” Chu Xianning said coldly.
Jiang Huai lifted the quilt and sat up, his face etched with indignation. However, when he looked back at Chu Xianning, he became incredibly ingratiating. “Master, what do you want to eat this morning? I’ll make it.”
“Soup dumplings.”
“Alright, I’ll go now.” Jiang Huai got out of bed and left Chu Xianning’s room, feeling a great sense of relief the moment he stepped out. He had woken up particularly early today and was sure Chu Xianning was fast asleep. His heart had been engaged in an internal battle: he longed to taste the faint sweetness of Chu Xianning’s delicate pink lips again, but ultimately, he dared not.
The more he struggled, the more it tormented him. Coming down from the bed had become a form of liberation. Huming a small tune, Jiang Huai started making soup dumplings, deliberately making two extra baskets. After they were done, he brought them out. Chu Xianning was already sitting in the pavilion, quietly watching him.
Jiang Huai ate breakfast with her. He softly inquired, “Did Wanwan go into the secret realm to explore with Qingyu?”
“Yes,” Chu Xianning replied calmly. “Accompanying them was the Saintess Xu Qing from Guanxue Sect, who visited Tian Xuan Sect a few days ago.”
“Oh, I see…” Jiang Huai suddenly felt a bit guilty.
However, Chu Xianning didn’t dwell on the matter. She calmly said, “The Jade Kui Secret Realm won’t open for some time yet. They will likely not return until about half a month later.”
“Mm, I made two extra baskets of dumplings earlier. Wanwan isn’t here, and Wen Fufu is alone in the courtyard without anyone to look after her. I’ll take them to her.”
“When Wanwan isn’t around, she occasionally comes to my courtyard to talk,” Chu Xianning said indifferently.
Instead, Jiang Huai was slightly taken aback. “Then what do you and she talk about?”
Jiang Huai was very curious if Wen Fufu would say something that would make Chu Xianning furious. But Chu Xianning merely replied calmly, “She is very well-behaved in front of me. Most of the time, she asks about you.”
Jiang Huai immediately felt extremely guilty. “Is that so… Then, shall I take the dumplings to her first?”
“Go ahead,” Chu Xianning turned her face away, her eyes indifferent.
