The time from dusk to night seemed to stretch out endlessly, every minute and second becoming incredibly long.
Jiang Huai sat in the pavilion, watching the sunset fade as the bright moon hung high in the sky, shrouding the distant mountains in a thick mist. The late autumn moisture enveloped the entire mountain forest. Chu Xianning sat quietly beside him, neither of them speaking.
Chu Xianning’s expression was blank, her eyes cold and aloof, as if lost in thought. Jiang Huai, however, was the complete opposite. His mind was filled with anticipation of how Chu Xianning would reward him tonight. Would she allow him to kiss her delicate pink lips, or perhaps caress her white and tender little feet? The thought of Chu Xianning’s seemingly reluctant blush made Jiang Huai let out an involuntary silly grin.
“You’re grinning so lewdly.”
It wasn’t until Chu Xianning’s cold voice entered Jiang Huai’s ears that he snapped back to reality.
“What are you talking about?!” Jiang Huai looked up abruptly, feigning innocence. Chu Xianning merely shot him a cold, disdainful glance before walking towards the bathhouse in the backyard.
Master has gone to get a fragrant bath.
Jiang Huai propped himself on the table, continuing to fantasize. He tried to gauge the passage of time by counting his heartbeats, yet he wished his heart would beat even faster.
After waiting for what felt like a long time, Chu Xianning emerged from the mist.
Tonight, she was still wearing that black sling nightgown, which concealed her slender, well-defined figure. Her hair was spread out behind her, still seeming to carry a hint of moisture. Her eyes, through the mist, cast a distant glance at Jiang Huai. He heard her whisper very softly, “Go bathe.”
Jiang Huai immediately went to the bathhouse and played with bubbles for a while. Then, he arrived at the door of Chu Xianning’s room.
***
Before pushing the door open, Jiang Huai made an effort to compose his expression to look very serious.
He knew his fairy Master was thin-skinned. If he acted like a little scoundrel again at this moment, she might get shy and annoyed and go back on her word. But the moment he saw Chu Xianning’s eyes, Jiang Huai felt he might have been overthinking.
She sat quietly by the bedside, her eyes cold as she looked at him. Jiang Huai carefully closed the door. At first, he gave Chu Xianning an innocent blink. But Chu Xianning remained silent. Beneath her dress skirt, her white and tender little feet lifted slightly, and Jiang Huai’s gaze was almost involuntarily drawn to them, following the slight sway of her toes.
It was as if Chu Xianning had a seductive halo above her head; she always managed to make Jiang Huai lose himself and willingly fall into her trap.
“So, what’s the reward?” Jiang Huai looked at Chu Xianning with anticipation.
Chu Xianning raised her hand. It was then that Jiang Huai noticed she was holding a porcelain bottle containing a flower liquid used for painting nails. Seeing her innocent, cold eyes look at him, he heard her say, “Help me apply it.”
Jiang Huai was momentarily amused and speechless. “So this is the reward.”
“You’re not satisfied?” Chu Xianning’s eyes revealed a hint of playfulness.
“Of course not.” Jiang Huai fetched a chair and sat opposite Chu Xianning, extending his hand to her, gesturing for her to obediently lift her calf, and then replying softly, “I’m very satisfied.”
This was the truth.
What mattered wasn’t how Chu Xianning rewarded him, but that she was willing to reward him. Jiang Huai took the bottle of flower liquid and carefully used the small brush to gently apply it to Chu Xianning’s white and tender toes. It was a light purple nail polish. Chu Xianning’s small feet were already fair and delicate, and with the polish applied, it created a subtle contrast. The light purple looked noble and elegant, yet exuded a hint of femininity.
Jiang Huai painted with great concentration, his face showing no signs of dissatisfaction.
After he finished applying it, he withdrew his hand with satisfaction and looked at Chu Xianning’s slender, delicate white feet. He then looked up at Chu Xianning. “All done.”
“Mm,” Chu Xianning looked down. Then she moved to the inner side of the bed, turning to look at Jiang Huai beside her. “Come sleep.”
So Jiang Huai also got into bed. The light in the room was extinguished, and the world plunged into darkness once more.
Jiang Huai could hear the thumping sound of his heart.
For some reason, his mind began to fantasize again. Perhaps it was just a test from Chu Xianning, who wanted to see if he was dissatisfied. If he wasn’t, Chu Xianning would grant him a great pardon and reward him handsomely.
Unfortunately, he had miscalculated.
Until he heard Chu Xianning’s breathing become steady and even, she hadn’t spoken again. It was clearly just his own baseless fantasy. Jiang Huai could only glance sheepishly at Chu Xianning, looking at her peaceful sleeping face. In a state of amused helplessness, he turned sideways and continued to gaze at her until a sense of drowsiness washed over him, and he quietly closed his eyes.
As he drifted in and out of sleep, he seemed to smell a faint floral fragrance drawing closer. Then, his lips felt a soft touch, and his cheeks felt the tickle of eyelashes brushing against them. Jiang Huai slowly opened his eyes, but in the darkness, he couldn’t see anything clearly.
He parted his lips slightly and captured the approaching delicate pink lips. The next moment, he began to trespass illegally, greedily drawing in the sweet floral dew from Chu Xianning’s pink lips. Chu Xianning did not evade, only fumbled awkwardly.
After what felt like a long while, Jiang Huai was pushed away from Qin Yu’s shoulders. No sound came from the darkness anymore.
***
He woke up in the early morning.
Jiang Huai stared at the ceiling, lost in thought. After a long while, he heard Chu Xianning’s clear, cool inquiry by his ear, “Aren’t you getting up yet?”
“I’m thinking about something.”
“Thinking about what?”
“I had a fragrant and soft dream last night.” Jiang Huai turned his head to look at the cold and aloof Chu Xianning, blinking innocently at her. “I’m still savoring it.”
Chu Xianning’s eyes immediately showed a hint of disdain. She reached out and pinched Jiang Huai’s waist, commanding, “Get up.”
Only then did Jiang Huai obediently get out of bed and look at Chu Xianning. “What do you want to eat today?”
“Wontons.”
“I’ll go make them now.” Jiang Huai got out of bed and walked towards the kitchen.
***
In the pavilion.
While eating breakfast, Jiang Huai glanced at Chu Xianning from time to time. For some reason, he felt that his iceberg fairy Master was becoming more and more like a young girl lately. After being stared at by Jiang Huai for a while, Chu Xianning looked up and met his gaze coldly. “What?”
“Nothing.” Jiang Huai shook his head, answering innocently.
After breakfast, the two sat idly in the courtyard.
It was always like this in the mountains; there was nothing that needed to be done. Occasionally, Jiang Huai would think that if life were to be just as idle for the next thousand or hundred years, it might become lonely at times.
But if someone were by his side, it wouldn’t.
The sun didn’t come out today, and the courtyard was slightly damp. Jiang Huai went to tend to the flowers and plants, tidying them all up. Chu Xianning sat in the pavilion drinking tea and casually said, “That Purple Moon Spirit Flower, did you bring it back from the Western Region?”
Jiang Huai paused for a moment, then shook his head. “No, I brought it back from the Flower Spirit Valley.”
“How did you gain the acknowledgment of that senior’s remnant soul to allow you to bring the flower back?”
“No, Luo Yueguan gave it to me.” Jiang Huai answered casually, as if it were a minor matter.
Chu Xianning’s hand, holding the teacup, trembled slightly. She lowered her head, gazing at the ripples on the surface of the tea in her cup.
She and Luo Yueguan had been close friends for many years and of course knew that Luo Yueguan could procure a spirit flower from the Flower Spirit Valley. Luo Yueguan had boasted to Chu Xianning more than once. She had also coquettishly begged Chu Xianning to accompany her to the Flower Spirit Valley, but after looking for a long, long time, Luo Yueguan couldn’t make up her mind. Yet this time, she had made her choice and given it to Jiang Huai.
Jiang Huai inadvertently looked up at Chu Xianning. He thought Chu Xianning would say something, but she said nothing, as if it were just a casual question and nothing more.
After tending to the flowers and plants, Jiang Huai approached Chu Xianning again, refilled her teacup, and leaned back in his chair, gazing at the overcast sky.
Chu Xianning put down her teacup and asked nonchalantly, “What are your plans regarding your injuries in the future?”
“Hmm?” Jiang Huai was taken aback, then replied softly, “It shouldn’t be urgent for the next ten years or so. My cultivation level should be enough to participate in the Five Regions Grand Competition.”
In the Eastern Region Grand Competition, the highest cultivation level, Mu Jiaoyang, was only at the Spirit Transformation tenth layer. Even if he had a fortuitous encounter in the Jade Kui Secret Realm this time, he would at most reach the Void Refinement cultivation level. As for the strongest in the Western Region, Su Qingyi, it was only because her mother’s origin was injured that her talent became so formidable, yet she was only at the Seventh Realm, Body Integration cultivation level.
Although he understood the principle that there’s always someone better, Jiang Huai estimated that by the time of the Five Regions Grand Competition, his cultivation level would at least reach Void Refinement fifth layer. That should be enough to contend for a leaf of the Life Divine Tree.
“If it’s enough, you’ll just neglect it?” Chu Xianning asked indifferently.
“Not exactly. Although I can’t cultivate on my own, Dual Cultivation can still be considered my own cultivation.”
“Meaning you haven’t had enough Dual Cultivation with Bai Jin in the Western Region yet?”
The tea Jiang Huai drank almost spurted out. He looked at Chu Xianning before him with a mournful expression. “No! I meant Dual Cultivation with Wanwan and Qingyu can also increase my cultivation.”
Chu Xianning looked at him deeply, but ultimately said nothing more.
She understood Jiang Huai.
Perhaps even she herself understood clearly that if Jiang Huai had Dual Cultivated with Luo Yueguan, and she was the only one left on the prescription, she might have half-heartedly agreed. Even if they didn’t Dual Cultivate, the effect of drinking flower nectar three times, as he had mentioned last time, was the same as Dual Cultivatin with him.
If he really wanted to reshape his spiritual vortex, it seemed to be just a matter of his will. Luo Yueguan would not refuse him.
It was as if the knot in her heart, caused by Jiang Huai’s cultivation being crippled, was slowly dissolving, but new knots were unconsciously appearing. Sometimes, even Chu Xianning couldn’t distinguish what was truly trapping her.
So she just quietly gazed at Jiang Huai for a long time, gradually becoming engrossed until Jiang Huai waved his hand in front of her.
Chu Xianning snapped back to attention and heard Jiang Huai say softly, “Then I’ll go out for a while? I’ll be back later.”
“Go ahead.”
Chu Xianning’s white and tender leg under the table lifted and kicked Jiang Huai’s calf.
Jiang Huai immediately looked up at her with a wronged expression. “Why did you kick me?”
“By accident.”
Jiang Huai resentfully leaned closer to her cheek, looking into her cold eyes. Even as he moved closer and closer, Chu Xianning didn’t retreat, as if certain he wouldn’t dare do anything naughty.
Until their noses were touching, Jiang Huai suddenly leaned in and lightly pecked her lips.
“Then it was accidental too,” he said.
Chu Xianning’s eyes remained cold as she looked at him, neither shy nor angry, just gazing at him with a cool detachment. Such a gaze made Jiang Huai flinch slightly, his previous courage receding like a tide. It wasn’t until Chu Xianning reached out and pinched his chin, speaking indifferently as if issuing a warning or a playful scold,
“Be more careful next time.”
With that, she withdrew her hand, stood up, and walked towards her room.
