Jiang Huai couldn’t escape in the end.
He should have known long ago that reasoning with women was futile, but realizing it now was too late. He leaned against the bedside, reading a book, while Jiang Zhi had curled up in his quilt. She had shed her previous attire but donned a pale purple silk nightgown with thin straps. The neckline was low, revealing her snow-white clavicle, delicate and protruding.
This already short nightgown was more revealing than if she were naked in the quilt. Furthermore, her legs were crossed, her fair thighs beneath peeking out. Jiang Huai pretended to read, his gaze fixed on the pages to distract himself, while Jiang Zhi simply nestled beside him, seemingly plotting something big that would officially commence once he returned to the quilt.
The night was quiet and long. Jiang Huai finally felt a touch of drowsiness. He put the book aside and slipped into the quilt himself.
The quilt was already warm from Jiang Zhi’s presence, carrying her faint fragrance. As soon as he lay down, Jiang Zhi began playing with the ties of his clothes, murmuring, “Your clothes are making me uncomfortable.”
Jiang Huai hesitated for a moment, then got up, took off his outer layer, and crawled back into the quilt. Jiang Zhi’s soft body pressed against him again.
Her fingertips drew circles on Jiang Huai’s chest. The slightly ticklish sensation made him uneasy. He heard Jiang Zhi whisper close to his ear, “Really not going to cultivate?”
“No.”
Jiang Zhi suddenly leaned in, her delicate pink lips parting slightly, and lightly bit his ear. Jiang Huai shivered, instinctively wanting to push her away. But Jiang Zhi grabbed his wrist, pressing so close that they were locked in a stalemate. After a while, Jiang Huai turned to look into Jiang Zhi’s eyes and heard her ask again, “Really not going to cultivate?”
“No.”
Even though Little Huai, at this moment, didn’t want to listen to Big Huai, Big Huai still managed to control Little Huai.
Even though forcefully pinning Jiang Zhi down and bullying her until her eyes welled up with tears didn’t seem like an act of heartlessness or immorality, Jiang Huai couldn’t help but wonder if this would only give Jiang Zhi more leverage over him. For the entire year they would spend in the Upper Realm, Jiang Zhi would be the only one by his side. If she could control him at will every time, then Little Huai would be doomed.
If Big Huai couldn’t control Little Huai, then Little Huai was the true master.
“Sigh, pretending,” Jiang Zhi hummed lightly. She then lifted the quilt. Now she was propped up on the bed, knees raised, her feet beneath the nightgown resting on the bedsheet. Her slender, well-proportioned legs slowly parted, and she slightly rolled up the hem of her nightgown. Jiang Huai heard her soft murmur, “Are you pretending with all women, or just with me?”
The lights in the room were still on. Jiang Huai watched as she brought one finger to her lips and gently bit it. The room was initially silent, so her suppressed gasps and slight trembling sounds reached Jiang Huai’s ears. He tried to pull the quilt tighter, wanting to avert his eyes, but he was captivated by the scene.
Jiang Zhi’s fair toes had already messed up the bedsheet. Her slender waist arched unconsciously. Glancing back at Jiang Huai, she suddenly reached out, grabbing his wrist. Jiang Huai couldn’t pull away.
“If you’re not cultivating, then fine, but keep me company first.” Her voice was both pleading and commanding.
Jiang Huai reached out and poked her. Instantly, Jiang Zhi’s eyes rolled back, and her snow-white calves instinctively lifted, kicking wildly. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she looked at him with a grumble.
Jiang Huai had dual cultivated with Jiang Zhi many times in the Lower Realm. Even now, he wasn’t sure what their relationship had become, but their understanding of each other’s bodies was like that of a married couple. In just a few dozen breaths, Jiang Zhi had gone limp on the bed, sweating profusely. Now, sparkling sweat beads clung to her fair skin, and the thin silk of her nightgown stuck to her body. In the dim light, her figure was semi-visible.
It seemed that ever since Jiang Huai had known Jiang Zhi, her body had always been this fragile, much more sensitive than ordinary people. Was this one of the reasons she was so fond of dual cultivation?
Jiang Zhi’s breathing gradually became even. Jiang Huai had a strange feeling that he had ultimately been toyed with by a woman.
His hand hung in mid-air. After much deliberation, he angrily brought his fingertip to Jiang Zhi’s lips. But Jiang Zhi seemed to have anticipated this and immediately opened her mouth, biting his fingertip. Jiang Huai reluctantly withdrew his finger.
“I’ll ask one last time before bed tonight, okay? Are you truly unmoved?”
Jiang Huai’s response was to grip the quilt and pretend to be dead, ignoring her. But a moment later, Jiang Zhi’s body wriggled back into the quilt, her fingers once again poking and drawing circles on his chest. She showed no sign of wanting to sleep
“Can you be a little more well-behaved, hey…”
“I’ll see how long you can last?”
“Stop fooling around, okay?”
Jiang Huai, now exasperated, threw off the quilt. He met Jiang Zhi’s gaze. Jiang Zhi felt her current appearance was extremely pathetic. A sense of shame welled up from her bones, causing a tingling sensation all the way to her tailbone. She suddenly looked back in panic, realizing that her current posture, seeking his intimacy, was akin to a shameless slut.
But aside from her shame and annoyance, she suddenly felt her heartbeat quickening uncontrollably. The sense of danger and unease made her feel even more infatuated. Yet, when Jiang Huai questioned her, she started to cry tears of humiliation, as if Jiang Huai were some great villain forcing her to do bad things.
Jiang Zhi’s body trembled again. She gradually shifted her position, unwilling to face him. Instead, she moved her buttocks to Jiang Huai’s side. In his sight, her nightgown was disheveled, and the skin beneath it was revealed and hidden as her skirt swayed.
He slowly reached out and slapped her buttocks. Jiang Zhi’s body trembled again, but there was no anger in her expression, as if she were expecting more.
…
“I like it,” Jiang Zhi murmured, looking at Jiang Huai, her voice laced with tears.
“What?”
“I admit I like you.” Jiang Zhi looked at Jiang Huai expectantly. “Hurry and cultivate with me. You don’t believe in the talk of being even, you never did. Don’t play dumb now.”
“I won’t.” Jiang Huai glared at her fiercely. “Heh, you rejected me first during the day.”
“How can you be so roguish?” Jiang Ning’s body suddenly pounced on him. Before Jiang Huai could say anything, she grabbed his shoulders, her fingertips digging into his skin. Instantly, the disappointment and grievance on her face vanished, and her lips curved into a smile again, as if she had regained her beloved toy. However, it was usually Jiang Huai who coaxed her. In this position, she was exhausted in a short while and was then flipped over and pinned to the bed by Jiang Huai. She instinctively clutched the bedsheet, her snow-white feet kicking wildly.
“I told you to sleep well… If you don’t want to sleep, then neither of us will sleep tonight.”
Jiang Zhi turned her face away and pulled the quilt over her face.
…
The next day, early morning.
Jiang Huai looked at Jiang Zhi, who was sleeping soundly beside him, and suddenly felt a surge of anger.
Last night, he hadn’t tamed Jiang Zhi at all; he had been toyed with by her again. He had failed to resist Jiang Zhi’s temptation and had become her plaything. The more this happened, the less initiative he had in front of Jiang Zhi. Therefore, seeing her sleeping so soundly, Jiang Huai angrily reached out and patted Jiang Zhi’s buttocks again.
Jiang Zhi’s eyes snapped open almost instantly. Her voice was hoarse, and she didn’t even have the strength to wiggle her fingers.
However, her eyes were not submissive but still looked at Jiang Huai provocatively, as if to say, “Your tricks for toying with women can only make my body obedient, but they can’t win my heart.”
After a long moment, Jiang Zhi finally regained her voice, her delicate pink lips curving slightly. She looked at him, “What are you looking at me like that for?”
“You weren’t satisfied with bullying me like that last night, so let’s continue. This body is yours to do as you please, however you want to toy with me… If you still feel it’s not enough, brand me with a slave mark now. From now on, I’ll be your concubine. Will that satisfy you?”
Although her words were submissive, her eyes were filled with extreme arrogance.
“I’m more curious as to why you’ve suddenly become so decadent since arriving in the Upper Realm.”
“How so?” Jiang Zhi still just smiled, as if unaware. “I’m just calmly accepting all of this and enjoying it. What’s wrong with my proposal? From now on, you will be my master, and I will be extremely obedient and pleasing to you. What’s wrong with that? Don’t you want it?”
“I don’t understand what has happened to you, but can you wake up a little? You are Jiang Zhi. Where is the arrogant and cold woman I first met?”
“So, in your eyes, I was like that before?”
“Back then, you were proud and radiant. You’re almost unrecognizable from who you are now.”
At this moment, Jiang Zhi had countless things she wanted to say. She wanted to say that this wasn’t what your sister had been hoping for? This was all arranged by your sister for me. She bound me with that promise for a thousand years, making me wait in fear for all these years… and then casually said forget it, granting me freedom from now on?
What do I even count for in her eyes? What do I count for in your eyes?
But Jiang Zhi ultimately lost the strength to speak. She just lay there on the bed, gazing blankly at the distant clouds. After a while, she turned over and fell into a deep sleep.
A knocking sound came from outside the room. Ning Yuzhu had prepared lunch. Jiang Huai hesitated for a moment before going to the deck. Ning Yuzhu asked about Jiang Zhi, and Jiang Huai said she was sleeping. She didn’t ask further, calmly eating lunch with Jiang Huai before clearing the plates and leaving. When Jiang Huai returned to the room, Jiang Zhi was still asleep on the bed.
He didn’t get back into bed. Instead, he pulled over a chair and sat beside her, earnestly contemplating everything about Jiang Zhi. It wasn’t until Jiang Zhi slowly woke up and sat up on the bed, stretching, that her beautiful curves were fully revealed before Jiang Huai.
As she stretched, Jiang Huai reached out and lightly poked her waist.
This childlike trick made Jiang Zhi glare at him with a grumble. She bit her lip and met his gaze for a few seconds until Jiang Huai suddenly spoke, “If you feel that your future life is aimless and that living has no meaning, then would you consider being my Dao Companion?”
Jiang Zhi froze for a moment, then smiled at him. “You really think of things on the fly, don’t you…”
Her voice held a hint of mockery, but Jiang Huai was unusually serious. “I’m serious.”
