Jiang Huai stayed behind as the judge for the autumn recruitment competition because he had promised Li Qiushan. Su Qingyi sat quietly on a chair beside him, her fox tail gently flicking behind her, her posture dignified and elegant. Jiang Huai was judging on stage. He had intended to maintain his image as a refined and amiable senior brother to leave a good impression on the newly admitted disciples, but after Su Qingyi’s stunt, all the new disciples looked at him strangely.
There was reverence, envy, and a hint of sour jealousy.
Su Qingyi sat quietly and obediently for the entire afternoon, no longer causing trouble. By the time the autumn recruitment ended, Jiang Huai let out a sigh of relief and walked over to her. He said to her, “Come with me.”
So, Su Qingyi stood up obediently. Jiang Huai led her to Wen Wanwan’s courtyard. Many disciples turned to look as they passed. Most of them had never seen a demon from the Western Region before, and Su Qingyi’s tail was so ostentatious, and her beauty so exquisite and alluring.
Jiang Huai arrived at the entrance of Wen Wanwan’s courtyard. After knocking, a moment later, Wen Fufu’s voice, light and soft, called out from behind the door, asking who it was. After hearing Jiang Huai’s reply, she opened the door. At this moment, the girl was wearing a thin nightgown and looked somewhat surprised as she opened the door, “Brother-in-law, why are you here again?”
“I’m here to introduce you to a friend,” Jiang Huai said, pointing to Su Qingyi behind him.
Su Qingyi was still maintaining her image as a cold princess, her expression indifferent, her fox tail fluffy. The moment Wen Fufu saw her, she was first startled, and then a hint of suspicion flickered in her eyes, “She is…?”
“I mentioned her to you before, the Grand Princess from the Western Region, Su Qingyi. She’s here in the Human Clan to learn Daoist magic and talismans, so she’s come to the Tian Xuan Sect. I was thinking, if it’s convenient for Fufu, perhaps she could stay with you for a while?”
Wen Wanwan’s courtyard was already quite large, and it was more than enough to accommodate Su Qingyi. Since it was Jiang Huai’s suggestion, Wen Fufu naturally had no reason to refuse. She walked over to Su Qingyi and looked at her snow-white cheeks, staring at her for several seconds without blinking. Then, she smiled sweetly at her, “Hello, Sister. My name is Wen Fufu. You can just call me Fufu.”
Jiang Huai muttered softly, “She’s my Dao Companion, you don’t need to put on airs.”
Immediately, Su Qingyi’s demeanor relaxed. She walked over to Wen Fufu and wagged her tail at her, “Su Qingyi, you can just call me Qingyi.”
Since he was introducing the two of them, Jiang Huai couldn’t just leave Su Qingyi there. He stayed to chat with them for a while longer. So, he and Su Qingyi walked into the courtyard. Jiang Huai asked Fufu if she had eaten dinner. Fufu shook her head. Jiang Huai then went to the courtyard to cook, telling them to chat in the courtyard for a while.
Wen Fufu was normally quite reserved with strangers, while Su Qingyi…
At this moment, the two women sat side-by-side on chairs. Su Qingyi’s fox tail swayed again behind her. Wen Fufu quietly looked at her fluffy tail, growing more and more envious. Several times she wanted to reach out and touch it, but being strangers, she didn’t dare. That was until Su Qingyi brought her tail close to her hand.
“Do you want to touch it?” Su Qingyi blinked innocently.
So, Wen Fufu’s hand went out, and she contentedly stroked the fluffy tail. She tilted her face up slightly and said, “I’ve heard my brother-in-law talk about you.”
“Oh? What did he say about me?”
“He said you’re beautiful, kind-hearted, and pretty,” Wen Fufu replied playfully.
With a topic, the conversation naturally flowed. The two women chatted idly. When Jiang Huai emerged from the kitchen with a table full of dishes, Wen Fufu was laughing so hard she couldn’t straighten her waist, tickled by Su Qingyi.
“What are you two talking about to be laughing so happily?” Jiang Huai placed all the dishes on the table and looked at the two women, puzzled. Wen Fufu then came back to her senses, sat up straight, and replied, “Sister Qingyi is telling me the details of what happened between you two in the secret realm…”
Jiang Huai’s eyes twitched slightly. He decided to let them talk.
He had prepared a very sumptuous dinner. Su Qingyi sat at the table, and after picking up a bite with her chopsticks, her eyes quickly turned into starry eyes.
She had snatched Jiang Huai’s meat quite a few times in the cave before, so Jiang Huai had made many more dishes. In the end, all the dishes were finished. Wen Fufu went to the lounge chair and rubbed her belly. Su Qingyi, on the other hand, started cleaning up the bowls and chopsticks, not even needing Jiang Huai to ask.
Having been the Grand Princess of the Fox Clan for so many years, her mind was naturally sharp and delicate. Perhaps in some matters of human relationships, she was even more skilled than Jiang Huai. Seeing that Wen Fufu and Su Qingyi were getting along, Jiang Huai quietly breathed a sigh of relief. “Then I’ll be going back? I’ll come find you again tomorrow morning.”
“Okay,” Su Qingyi nodded obediently.
***
When Jiang Huai returned to his courtyard, only a small lamp was left lit inside. Chu Xianning was not in the courtyard. Usually, at this time, she would already be asleep in bed.
Jiang Huai was still thinking about how to arrange things for Su Qingyi in the future. Since she had come to the Eastern Region, he had a feeling that once she became attached, it wouldn’t be easy to shake her off. Lost in thought, he naturally walked towards the bathhouse. He lifted the curtain and was about to undress and get into the bath when suddenly a splash of water hit his face.
Jiang Huai was stunned at first. When he came to his senses, he realized that Chu Xianning’s snow-white body was submerged in the bath.
“I, I, I, I…”
Under the clear moonlight, Chu Xianning’s slender body was hidden beneath the surface of the bathwater. The ripples drifted by her collarbones. Mist wafted from the bath. In this moment, Jiang Huai broke out in a cold sweat and stammered, “I, I was just thinking, and I saw the light in the courtyard was out, so I thought Master was asleep. No, that’s not…”
Chu Xianning crossed her arms in the water, biting her lips lightly. A faint blush appeared on her snow-white cheeks. Her voice held a hint of gritted teeth, “I trust you wouldn’t do it deliberately.”
Jiang Huai then quietly breathed a sigh of relief, “It’s good that Master believes me.”
“Then aren’t you going to leave?”
“I, I’m leaving…”
Before leaving the bathhouse, Jiang Huai glanced at Chu Xianning out of the corner of his eye. The water rippled by her collarbones as she hugged herself, covering up tightly. But at this moment, the slight blush on her cheeks was especially captivating. This was a rare sight.
He waited quietly outside the bathhouse. After a while, Chu Xianning, wearing a thin white nightgown, emerged from the bath. She walked up to Jiang Huai, her cool eyes staring at him without blinking for several seconds. Just as Jiang Huai was about to explain, he saw Chu Xianning simply reach out and tap his forehead lightly. Then, she turned around and walked towards her room.
Jiang Huai also entered the bathhouse. After freshening up in the bath, he changed into his sleepwear and went to Chu Xianning’s room. He gently pushed the door open. Chu Xianning inside was already wrapped tightly in her quilt. Jiang Huai went to the bedside and looked at Chu Xianning, who was wrapped like a mummy, “Share some of the quilt with me.”
“No, you’re not allowed to cover yourself with the quilt tonight,” Chu Xianning’s voice had a hint of a small grievance. Jiang Huai had no choice but to go to bed obediently. However, without any bedding, he felt inexplicably uncomfortable.
So, he looked resentfully at Chu Xianning’s profile as she lay flat. After a while, she began to beg again, “Share a little bit with me. I can’t sleep without the quilt.”
“Not sharing,” Chu Xianning’s voice sounded like a sulking little girl.
“Then I’ll stare at you, and when you fall asleep, I’ll steal your quilt!” Jiang Huai muttered fiercely. Chu Xianning ignored him and closed her eyes, preparing to sleep. Time slowly passed, and the room became quiet again, with only the sound of their breathing.
Jiang Huai didn’t know how long he waited, but he vaguely guessed that Chu Xianning was asleep. He reached out and quietly began to test, gently pulling. Chu Xianning didn’t wake up, so he cautiously pulled the quilt open a little. However, he didn’t dare to pull too much, so he leaned closer to Chu Xianning’s body, getting a small portion of the quilt to cover himself.
The quilt was filled with a pleasant fragrance and was warm, instantly dispelling the cold of autumn. Chu Xianning didn’t react; she was probably truly asleep.
A moment later, Jiang Huai suddenly came to his senses. Chu Xianning was asleep, and he was only thinking about stealing her quilt, not secretly kissing her cheek? What a sin!
No, what Master gives is yours. What Master doesn’t give you, you can’t take yourself.
Wait, Jiang Huai, when did you become so manipulated by Chu Xianning?!
Jiang Huai’s mind became chaotic for a while longer, until Chu Xianning next to him, as if she was sleeping restlessly, shifted her body. She changed from lying flat to facing him. Jiang Huai was slightly stunned.
This was fate’s decree, the arrangement of destiny.
Jiang Huai did not move rashly. After a while longer, waiting until Chu Xianning was sound asleep, he slowly leaned closer, his breath falling on her cheek. At this moment, there was still a hint of hesitation.
Until he heard Chu Xianning let out a very, very soft sigh, “Itchy.”
Jiang Huai was almost scared out of his wits, but Chu Xianning did not open her eyes. Her voice was so light, as if she were dreaming. A moment later, he seemed to suddenly realize something. He leaned closer and gently kissed her delicate lips.
Chu Xianning’s lips parted slightly, her snow-white teeth not tightly shut. Jiang Huai once again, as he wished, tasted the tenderness and moisture of his Master’s lips. His greed now greatly satisfied, Jiang Huai obediently retreated.
The sleeping Chu Xianning still seemed restless. After a while longer, her body shifted again, and she turned to be facing away from Jiang Huai. Jiang Huai inhaled the fragrance of her hair and closed his eyes, at ease.
***
The next day, early morning.
After making breakfast for Chu Xianning and eating with her, Jiang Huai played a few rounds of chess with her before going out. He first went to Li Qiushan’s courtyard and spoke to Li Qiushan about Su Qingyi. He also asked Li Qiushan to do him a small favor. Li Qiushan naturally agreed and personally sculpted a jade token for an inner sect disciple for Su Qingyi. With this jade token, she could move freely within the Tian Xuan Sect.
Li Qiushan would also inform the elders about Su Qingyi, so that the elders at the Body Integration realm wouldn’t mistake Su Qingyi, who was also at the Body Integration cultivation level, for an invading foreign race and cause trouble. Then, he took the jade token and went to Wen Fufu’s courtyard. He knocked on the door. Su Qingyi opened it. She was wearing a white nightgown, revealing her slender collarbones and snow-white thighs. Wen Fufu was lying on the lounge chair, and the two of them were enjoying the morning sun.
