Late autumn, golden osmanthus fragrance in October.
Jiang Huai was diligently making the year’s osmanthus cake in the courtyard and preparing to brew some Osmanthus pine nut wine. The late autumn season was gradually turning cold, but luckily, it wasn’t as severe as the beginning of the year, when he had to shiver with cold because he had no spiritual qi.
He paused for a moment in front of the calendar and realized that more than half a year had passed. In these months, he had gone from a废弃 cultivation base to the Seventh Realm, and from being a minor celebrity to being famous throughout the Eastern Region. Perhaps the biggest change was that the mountain was no longer as leisurely. He could often visit Wanwan and Fufu, and sometimes tease the Little Fox.
He would exchange letters with Qingyu and Xu Qing. When he had nothing to do, he would sit quietly in the courtyard, watching the wind blow the flowers, and play chess with Chu Xianning.
His chess skills had not improved much, and he was always easily defeated by Chu Xianning. Occasionally, watching the falling leaves in the courtyard like rain, and looking at the quiet and composed Chu Xianning opposite him, Jiang Huai would suddenly feel as if everything was the same as last year, without the slightest change.
No, there were still changes.
“Master?”
“Mm?” Chu Xianning raised her eyes and placed a white jade chess piece.
“The weather has been cold lately, you should wear some warm white socks so your White and tender little feet don’t get cold.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Xianning’s White and tender little feet in the courtyard had already moved closer and stepped on his shoetips. She was wearing crystal high heels, and stepping on his toes hurt!
“It hurts.” Jiang Huai whined again, but unfortunately, Chu Xianning was almost completely immune to this tactic. Her eyes showed no pity. Jiang Huai stuck out his tongue at him and placed a chess piece.
Osmanthus cake was also on the table, and it became the two people’s lunch. After eating their fill, Jiang Huai went outside the courtyard. After a while, he ran back, holding a jade bottle in his hand, and whispered, “I’ve extracted some Osmanthus essential oil to moisturize the skin lately. Master, would you like to try it?”
“Okay.” Chu Xianning replied faintly, indicating for him to put it down.
“It’s best to massage it in to spread it evenly.” Jiang Huai said softly. Chu Xianning glanced at him sideways, staring at him intently for several seconds.
Jiang Huai was gradually learning the ropes. If he wanted to tell Chu Xianning directly that he wanted to touch Master’s White and tender little feet, Chu Xianning would consider it a good mood if she only kicked him twice. But if he found a seemingly proper excuse, even if Chu Xianning knew very well what bad intentions he had, there was still a possibility that she would agree.
Hmph, this was tsundere.
Chu Xianning finally stood up and lay down on the lounge chair in the courtyard. Jiang Huai came to her side, gently grasped her slender and delicate ankle, and placed it on his lap. Then, he poured the flower dew from the porcelain bottle onto her delicate and smooth foot sole, and slowly spread it with his fingertips.
Even though he had seen it many times and touched it many times, Jiang Huai’s heart would still pound every time he touched it. He looked at Chu Xianning’s tender and smooth little feet, which were now glistening with a faint oily sheen after applying the Osmanthus essential oil. He suddenly recalled the appearance of Wanwan applying flower dew to her delicate jade feet earlier. The memories made him daze for a moment. Fortunately, Chu Xianning just lay there obediently.
She closed her eyes, without thought or desire, until Jiang Huai, from somewhere, found a feather and gently tickled the bottom of Chu Xianning’s delicate feet. Chu Xianning opened her eyes and glanced at him sideways.
“If you want to try a surprise attack, will Master be ticklish?” Jiang Huai answered guiltily. Chu Xianning turned her head away and still replied indifferently, “No.”
So, Jiang Huai picked up the feather again and tickled her foot. Gradually, Chu Xianning’s cheeks flushed a pale pink. She bit her lips gently, but still didn’t laugh. Jiang Huai put away the feather and used his fingertips to gently play with her toes, which were as crystal clear as Crystal grapes. He separated them one by one, and then saw her toes close together again, then separate again, as if playing with a toy, never getting tired of it.
Well, this was the change.
In the past, if he dared to outrageously toy with Chu Xianning’s White and tender little feet like this, Chu Xianning would have hung him on a tree and whipped him severely.
“Shall we go to the lake for night fishing later? The fish fry I raised last time have all grown up, Master.”
“Okay.”
After a while, Chu Xianning raised her slender leg, and her White and tender little feet broke free from Jiang Huai’s grasp. The toes pressed against Jiang Huai’s chest with dissatisfaction. There was a hint of dislike in her eyes. “Isn’t that too much?”
What she meant was, haven’t you had enough fun yet?
Jiang Huai came back to his senses and immediately changed the subject. “Actually, this Osmanthus essential oil can be applied to other places too, to moisturize the skin. The autumn weather is dry, it’s inevitable…”
Chu Xianning’s toes lifted a bit higher, pressing against his chin.
Jiang Huai still wanted to say more nonsense. Chu Xianning finally couldn’t stand it anymore. She raised her toes further, and her White and tender toes touched his lips. “Shut up.”
“Oh…”
Chu Xianning’s eyes were still full of disdain. Before, she always avoided showing too many expressions in front of her disobedient disciple, whether it was anger or disdain. Now, she no longer hid it. Her eyes looked at him coldly, “You clearly want to be punished by me on purpose.”
“Wh-what are you talking about?” Jiang Huai suddenly looked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. But the next moment, Chu Xianning’s White and tender little leg was retracted, and she turned her head away. “I won’t let you succeed.”
***
At night.
Having agreed to night fishing, Jiang Huai took a bath early. After his bath, it was Chu Xianning’s turn. He waited idly, but when Chu Xianning walked out, he was suddenly stunned.
Chu Xianning occasionally wore light dresses in the courtyard, but when she went out, she usually wore a Daoist robe. But today, she was wearing a dress. It was a black and white short-sleeved dress with a lace hem that reached her knees.
This was clearly a new style that Jiang Huai had seen in Ziyun Pavilion last year. It was clearly a Maid dress, but only he knew its meaning. So he bought it based on guessing Chu Xianning’s approximate size, but no matter how much he cajoled or threatened, Chu Xianning refused to wear it. But today, he saw Chu Xianning wearing it.
The most outrageous thing was that her slender and Snow-white legs under the dress were now wrapped in sheer White silk. Because the hem of the skirt reached her knees, he couldn’t guess whether Chu Xianning was wearing thigh-high socks, pantyhose, or suspender stockings under her skirt. But no matter how he thought about it, it was too alluring. A White silk fairy Master was rare. Jiang Huai stared until his eyes were almost stuck. Watching Chu Xianning walk towards him step by step, she was also wearing black chunky high heels. Each step landed on Jiang Huai’s heart.
“Staring at what?” Chu Xianning asked indifferently.
“Ah, no, it’s… nothing.” Jiang Huai stammered some nonsense and then came back to his senses. Chu Xianning had already given him a cold glance and turned to walk out the door. Jiang Huai obediently followed her. It was already late at night. In Guanxue Mountain, there was a large pond that Jiang Huai had transformed into a fish pond years ago and stocked with many fish fry. It was autumn now, and it was the season for plump fish.
The two people walked through the mountain path illuminated by the Firefly Stones and arrived at the fish pond. Jiang Huai had long reserved bluestones by the fish pond for sitting and for placing fishing rods.
There were not many amusements in the mountains, so fishing was a great way to pass the time. Jiang Huai had planted peach trees by the fish pond, but unfortunately, it was late autumn now, and the peach blossoms were no longer blooming. Jiang Huai walked to the peach tree, gently raised his hand, and in an instant, green leaves budded out on the peach tree by the fish pond, and then bloomed into peach blossoms one by one.
Chu Xianning sat by the bluestone. “You’re reluctant to use spiritual qi when riding swords normally, but you’re willing to make the peach tree bloom now?”
Jiang Huai was about to say that he had been cultivating Dual Cultivation with Wanwan these days and his spiritual qi was full, but he quickly swallowed the words and started to make excuses. “I raise Peach Blossom fish in the fish pond. Whenever the peach blossoms bloom, they surface to smell the fragrance of the peach blossoms, making them easier to catch.”
“You’re talking nonsense.” Chu Xianning finished speaking, but couldn’t help but smile.
Jiang Huai hung a string of Firefly Stones next to the peach tree where the two of them were. The faint light fell down, but it wasn’t too bright, still a bit dim. If it were too bright, it would be like broad daylight, which was not conducive to the subtle flirty atmosphere. Jiang Huai took out his fishing rod and baited it. He didn’t choose a very effective bait.
Fishing, fishing, catching Ningning is real, and catching fish is false. If the fish kept biting, how could he have a romantic evening with Chu Xianning and talk about love?
After everything was ready, Jiang Huai and Chu Xianning sat together on the bluestone. The fish pond was right below them, their calves hanging in the air, and the fishing rods placed beside them. The distance between Jiang Huai and Chu Xianning was neither far nor near, about a fist’s width, and he could already smell Chu Xianning’s faint fragrance.
It smelled so good.
The light fell on the lake, and peach petals drifted gently in the wind. The world was silent.
Jiang Huai had prepared many things to say, and had thought of various topics when he invited Chu Xianning for night fishing, but now that they were sitting here, he suddenly didn’t want to say anything.
The current tranquility was enough to satisfy him.
He and Chu Xianning sat there quietly for a long, long time, so long that Chu Xianning became a little surprised. She quietly turned her head and looked at Jiang Huai, only to find that his eyes were already quietly looking at her. They looked at each other in the dim light.
“You… are not right,” Chu Xianning suddenly said.
“Mm? What’s not right?”
“It’s rare to see you so obedient,” Chu Xianning whispered.
The next moment, Jiang Huai moved closer, a few inches nearer to Chu Xianning. Now there was no distance between them. He quietly, quietly reached out his hand from behind them, but he couldn’t bring himself to gather Chu Xianning into his arms. He continued to say, “Since I’m so obedient, shouldn’t I get a good reward?”
“No,” Chu Xianning shook her head.
“You’re smiling,” Jiang Huai said softly, looking at the corner of her lips.
“So what?” Chu Xianning looked at the pond in front of her again with innocent eyes.
Jiang Huai’s hand finally fell, gently embracing Chu Xianning’s slender waist.
Chu Xianning’s body trembled slightly, but she didn’t struggle or frown. Her dark eyes still looked at the lake. She didn’t speak, so Jiang Huai couldn’t guess her mood. After a while, he heard her say, “I… am still not used to it.”
“Then Master hates being hugged by me?”
Chu Xianning was silent for a moment, then turned her head back, “Hate it.”
“Master doesn’t play by the rules…” Jiang Huai immediately became flustered. The script should have been that Chu Xianning would say she didn’t hate it, and then he would shamelessly say that Master would get used to it slowly, but Chu Xianning answered like this.
Chu Xianning stared at him for several seconds, her eyes still cold, with a hint of disdain.
Jiang Huai was flustered at this moment. The hand embracing Chu Xianning’s slender waist was neither holding nor letting go. His head felt dizzy and sore, and tears were about to well up in his eyes.
The moonlight fell on Chu Xianning’s cool and clear face. One second, two seconds, three seconds.
Chu Xianning burst out laughing. All the pretense of coolness and disdain melted away in an instant.
She suddenly leaned closer and extended her hands. Her index fingers of both hands gently touched Jiang Huai’s mouth, gently pulling up the corners of his mouth. The smile on his lips had not faded. “Why do you look like you’re about to cry?”
“Master is bullying me.”
“Oh? So you’re going to cry?”
“I’m going to cry.”
“Cry for me to see.” Chu Xianning’s eyes were still as clear as ever. At this moment, her playful teasing made Jiang Huai nowhere to hide. Jiang Huai thought of all the sad things he could, but couldn’t squeeze out a single tear. Looking at Chu Xianning’s playful eyes and the upward curve of her lips, his heart seemed to melt along with them.
Peach petals fell with the wind, landing in front of their cheeks. Before the peach petals fell, Jiang Huai leaned towards Chu Xianning. Unfortunately, his movements had been perfectly predicted by Chu Xianning. Chu Xianning simply turned her face away easily, and Jiang Huai’s lips could only kiss her delicate cheek.
Even though it was soft and fragrant, Jiang Huai was not satisfied.
“Kiss me,” Jiang Huai had already put his arms around Chu Xianning’s shoulders and began to be shameless.
“Kiss my cheek.”
“Why can I only kiss your cheek?”
“I don’t want you to succeed so easily.”
“Alright, alright, Chu Xianning, alright, a kiss on the cheek it is.” Jiang Huai grabbed Chu Xianning’s shoulders and leaned in to kiss her cheeks repeatedly, like a woodpecker treating a little tree.
Chu Xianning was stunned by his kisses for a while. After a long time, she reached out and cupped his face. Her White and tender cheeks were stained with some moisture, but she didn’t feel angry at all. Instead, she felt a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
“You scoundrel…”
