Jiang Huai had long planned his trip to the Southern Region.
He and Xu Qing visited a tribe in the Southern Region. Jiang Huai took out various rare and precious treasures he had selected from the Eastern Region and exchanged them for dozens of jars of fine wine from the tribe that was particularly skilled at brewing. Then, they went together to get the Phoenix Tail Flower.
The Phoenix Tail Flower spirit had seen him many times this year.
The Phoenix Tail Flower was carefully held in Xu Qing’s hands and temporarily kept in her spirit boat’s cabin. During the day, the two of them traveled in the Southern Region, killing some remnants of the Rebirth Church. At night, they were intimate in the small cabin of the spirit boat.
Xu Qing, having just begun to experience intimacy, was obedient and eager to learn. Although her cheeks were flushed, she still gently asked what else she could do.
After traveling in the Southern Region for half a month, the two finally took their spirit boat to the Guanxue Sect in Aolai Continent, Eastern Region, to propose to Xu Qing’s father, Xu Ting.
Xu Qing meekly shrank behind him, awaiting Jiang Huai’s proposal. Xu Ting and Pei Ning had been waiting for a long time.
Xu Ting had many things he wanted to say, but upon sensing Jiang Huai’s Ninth Realm fifth-level cultivation, he didn’t know where to start.
Pei Ning also had some words to say, but seeing Xu Qing cautiously take out the bouquet of Phoenix Tail Flowers from her arms as she was about to speak, she swallowed her words.
So, the four of them sat down at the table and began to discuss the wedding date.
The wedding date was set very soon, just a few days later. However, this time, the wedding would be held at the Guanxue Sect. Jiang Huai had no objections, leaving everything to Xu Qing’s parents. Thus, the entire sect began to make preparations, while Jiang Huai and Xu Qing stayed for the time being.
He still wrote and sent out many invitations. In the following days, he accompanied Xu Qing strolling around the Guanxue Sect and listened to her stories from her childhood.
On the wedding day, streaks of spiritual light appeared in the distance. Jiang Huai’s friends and family all arrived, including Ninth Realm cultivators Bai Jin and Jun Anshui, as well as Jiang Zhi. Jiang Huai had already arranged seats for them.
At the wedding banquet, Jiang Huai respectfully served tea to Pei Ning and Xu Ting before him.
When the ceremony was completed, Jiang Huai gently lifted the red veil from Xu Qing’s head. At this moment, a slight mist appeared in Xu Qing’s dark eyes. Jiang Huai gently held her hand, “What’s wrong?”
“It feels like… everything is like a dream.”
Xu Qing obediently let him lead her to the guest seats. She poured wine and toasted glass after glass. Xu Qing had always had a good alcohol tolerance. Perhaps wanting to dispel the hazy feeling of unreality in her heart, Xu Qing gripped Jiang Huai’s hand. After toasting at each table, she returned to Wen Wanwan’s table and took turns drinking with the sisters at the table. Her cheeks turned flushed, and she softly collapsed into his arms.
“Should you rest for a while?” Jiang Huai lowered his head and gently coaxed her.
Xu Qing tried to open her hazy eyes, but she raised the wine glass on the table again and gently brought it to his lips. Her eyes became gentle and soft, as if she were acting spoiled. “We haven’t… had the cross-cupped wine yet.”
“I was planning to drink it tonight.” Jiang Huai picked up the wine glass, brought it to her lips, and slightly lowered his head to drink the wine from her hand. Then, he heard Xu Qing softly whisper, “Husband…”
“I’m here.”
Perhaps due to shyness, Xu Qing’s body suddenly nestled into his embrace. Jiang Huai gently held her and reached out to stroke her soft, dark hair.
***
On the Tian Xuan Sect.
Flowers fell in the courtyard as the wind blew.
A full month had passed since Jiang Huai and Xu Qing’s wedding. Only a few pages remained uncompleted in Jiang Huai’s thick wedding plan book.
Recently, Mu Yao had been hopping around him. With her ice-snow smart little head, even if Jiang Huai hadn’t shown her the wedding plan book, by calculating the order, she should have been next.
But no matter how she hinted, Jiang Huai acted as if he had forgotten. Mu Yao’s gaze towards him gradually became resentful, yet she was too shy to bring it up directly. After days of this subtle tug-of-war, Jiang Huai was lying in the courtyard. The girls had gone out shopping for new arrivals from Ziyun Pavilion. Mu Yao, who usually loved buying jewelry, unusually chose not to go. Instead, she went to Jiang Huai, who was basking in the sun in the courtyard, preparing for a nap. She suddenly sat opposite Jiang Huai, lifting a white-silk clad leg from under her white dress. Before Jiang Huai could speak, her white and tender feet rested on his lap.
Jiang Huai slowly opened his eyes.
Mu Yao’s cheeks were slightly puffed out, like a little hamster. She didn’t speak, just stared straight at him. Jiang Huai looked down again, her calf under her skirt was slender and white.
“Didn’t you go shopping with them?” Jiang Huai’s voice was lazily weak.
“No,” Mu Yao puffed out her cheeks. “Are you doing it on purpose?”
“Doing what on purpose?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know!”
Jiang Huai gazed tenderly at her cheeks for several seconds until he saw the frustrated expression on her face. He finally couldn’t help but chuckle and then nodded, “Yes.”
“Bastard!” Mu Yao raised her white and tender foot, as if intending to kick him hard. But at the moment she raised it, she suddenly thought of something. So, her white and tender foot hung in the air. This action caused her skirt to slide down a bit, revealing her fair, slender legs under the skirt.
“Don’t you want to marry me anymore?”
After a moment of stiffness, Mu Yao’s expression changed from a grumble of annoyance to a wronged, spoiled plea.
Indeed, women were natural actors. She had gradually understood that Jiang Huai was not swayed by force but was completely defenseless against acting spoiled and cute. Jiang Huai gently grabbed her slender ankle, took off her white socks, lightly pinched the sole of her foot, and said softly, “Aren’t you still young?”
“But, but they’ve all gotten married!”
“You’re still young too. No rush, getting married at twenty is also fine.”
Mu Yao counted on her fingers. “No! Do you want to marry Ji Qingxuan first?”
“Her age is about right…”
“I’ll cry, I’ll really cry!” Mu Yao’s voice was filled with a deep sense of grievance. Jiang Huai winked at her. “Then when do you want to get married?”
Mu Yao was slightly stunned, her dark eyes rolled, and she immediately replied, “Tomorrow!”
“That’s too hasty. We need to prepare and make it lively, right?”
“That’s true.” Mu Yao pouted her delicate pink lips, but in an instant, she heard Jiang Huai reply, “Come to my room tonight.”
Mu Yao immediately crossed her arms. “To do what?”
“Since we’re getting married, what do you think?” Jiang Huai deliberately wore a playful expression. Mu Yao began to shake her head again. “No, no, you have to marry me first.”
“That won’t do,” Jiang Huai shook his head. “You don’t trust me.”
Mu Yao puffed out her cheeks and stared straight at him, only to realize she couldn’t refute him.
“I’m afraid of pain…” she began to act spoiled again.
“Oh,” Jiang Huai nodded. “Then forget it.”
“What about the marriage then…”
“There’s no rush if you’re a bit older,” Jiang Huai put on an innocent expression again.
Mu Yao turned back into a little hamster. After her white and tender feet struggled in his palm for a while, she lightly kicked him twice on his lower abdomen.
She finally understood that Jiang Huai was deliberately teasing her.
***
At night, Jiang Huai slept soundly in the courtyard.
A petite figure tiptoed in, looking quite guilty, as if she were stealing. Fortunately, there was no one else in Jiang Huai’s courtyard. She carefully approached Jiang Huai’s room and reached out to gently push the door.
The door was locked.
Mu Yao outside the door gritted her teeth, suddenly wishing she could bite Jiang Huai to death.
“Open the door,” her voice rang out from outside.
A short while later, Jiang Huai opened the door and pulled her petite body into his embrace, closing the door as he did. Mu Yao tried to struggle a few times but couldn’t break free. He held her like that and brought her to the bed.
The dress on her body was still neat. Jiang Huai’s fingertips fiddled with the tie on her waist. He leaned closer, sniffed the sweet scent on her body, and said, “What are you here for?”
Mu Yao looked up, her eyes filled with a desire to kill.
Jiang Huai reached out and gently caressed her ear, his voice softening considerably. “There’s no rush for Dual Cultivation. As for marriage… it’s only half a year until you’re twenty. No matter how you calculate it, there’s no rush, right? You’re in the courtyard every day, lively and bustling. There’s not much difference whether we’re married or not, is there?”
“Then why can’t you marry me now?!” Mu Yao hugged his arm and leaned in to gently bite his finger.
“Because even if we get married, you’ll find that there’s no real difference…” Jiang Huai felt like crying and laughing.
The fact was that there was no significant difference between being married or not. The person was still the same person; it was merely adding a secular ceremony. It didn’t increase or decrease his love for her. It was just an insignificant ritual.
“If we get married, you can bully me then!”
Jiang Huai lowered his head, reached out, his fingertips brushed over her chest, then touched her slender waist, and felt her legs through the dress. He looked at her intently, then remained silent.
He stared at Mu Yao for several seconds. Within moments, Mu Yao became flustered again.
“What do you mean?! What do you mean! I, I, I’ll tell you! Don’t look down on people! I just haven’t… haven’t fully grown yet… Is it just because I’m a little short? Bai Li is also short, and Jun Anshui is also short!”
“Bai Li already turned twenty, and Jun Anshui is old enough to be a great-grandmother.”
“Alright, alright,” Jiang Huai gently pinched her earlobe. “Then let’s set the wedding for the end of next month? We can do some more preparations.”
Although Jiang Huai’s previous tone could have made Mu Yao furious, her face turned red when he softened. A moment later, her body shifted in Jiang Huai’s embrace. She nuzzled against his chest and mumbled softly, “Then… you can bully me now.”
“I’m sleepy,” Jiang Huai closed his eyes and pretended to be dead.
Mu Yao’s forehead bumped against his chest several times. Jiang Huai was forced to “boot up” and opened his eyes. Her white and purple palace dress only needed one tie to be undone, and the ties of her underwear around her neck. It took Jiang Huai a total of five seconds for her clothes to become loose. With a gentle tug, they all fell off.
She was wearing a light purple lace-trimmed camisole, which was quite alluring, as if she had prepared it long ago.
However, after taking off her clothes, Jiang Huai stopped moving, resting his hands behind his head, gazing at her face, and softly said, “Okay, the rest is up to you.”
Mu Yao bit her lip in frustration.
Fortunately, she had been living in Wen Wanwan’s courtyard for more than half a year, and she understood what she needed to know now. She carefully tiptoed, not to consume him immediately, but to rub against him slowly and gently until her lap was sticky and glistening with moisture, and her body could barely support itself, before nuzzling against his chest and softly pleading, “I have no strength…”
