In an instant, the tables turned.
Almost the moment Jiang Huai spoke, Ning Yuzhu’s feet retracted as if shocked by electricity. She readjusted her skirt, which had slipped down, and now clutched it tightly with both hands, no longer daring to meet Jiang Huai’s gaze. She knew clearly that Jiang Huai had seen, but after a long pause, she finally stammered, “You… you saw, right?”
“Didn’t see anything,” Jiang Huai immediately shook his head firmly. For some reason, he felt that telling the truth now, especially if he added another comment about how delicate and pink it looked, might make Ning Yuzhu cry.
“This is strange,” he thought, “Where did I get the nerve to tease Senior Disciple Sister like this? How did I become so brazen?”
“You…” Ning Yuzhu realized that Jiang Huai’s words were merely a well-intentioned lie. She stuttered several times, trying to say something else, but ultimately said nothing. Perhaps it was the current torment and unease that made her keep her legs tightly together. And because he had been so carelessly playing with her feet earlier, with her legs slightly apart, she seemed to vaguely sense a hint of stickiness.
At this moment, she was truly ashamed and furious, on the verge of tears, yet she also felt a sense of reckless abandon. Her eyes fixed on Jiang Huai, no longer looking elsewhere. She stared at him, her voice trembling, “If you saw it, you saw it…”
“Then… you saw it, right?” Seeing that their unspoken understanding wasn’t working, Jiang Huai had no choice but to answer truthfully. The atmosphere seemed to turn a little stiff. Being stared at so fiercely by Ning Yuzhu made Jiang Huai’s legs tremble guiltily. Ning Yuzhu’s body trembled again. After a long while, she seemed resigned to her fate. Her delicate pink lips moved slightly, and her voice became much quieter, “Was it beautiful?”
Jiang Huai’s expression was strange. “No, after all these years, women are bound to become a bit abnormal in extreme situations.” At this moment, Jiang Huai wanted to run, but he felt completely unable to extricate himself, so he could only answer guiltily, “It was beautiful…”
“Beautiful… where?”
“So pink…”
“Pink… is beautiful, is that right?”
“Very… full…”
They stared at each other like this. Jiang Huai sat on pins and needles, yet dared not look away. Ning Yuzhu didn’t say a word, just kept staring directly at him. “Have you… seen enough?”
“Seen, I’ve seen enough, probably…”
“Don’t you want to see more?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Really don’t?”
“Really, really don’t.” Sweat was already beading on Jiang Huai’s forehead. He actually began to suspect that Ning Yuzhu might suddenly sit up and chop his head off with a sword. Jiang Huai suddenly had an idea and began to backtrack, “Senior Disciple Sister, didn’t you see me a few days ago too… This, this cancels it out, doesn’t it… Don’t be angry… Don’t be angry…”
Ning Yuzhu was suddenly taken aback, unsure if this was Jiang Huai offering a way out or him starting to act shamelessly again. His hand was still tightly gripping the hem of her skirt, and her fair, tender calves were placed awkwardly. Her toes were curled tightly, like flower buds about to bloom.
“Or, or maybe Senior Disciple Sister could give me a chance to atone?” Jiang Huai carefully asked again, “How about I dance for Senior Disciple Sister?”
Ning Yuzhu tilted her head, and in an instant, curiosity filled her mind, replacing her chaotic thoughts. “You, dance?”
“Yes,” Jiang Huai nodded. “See it and you won’t be angry, okay?”
Ning Yuzhu crossed her arms, her eyes fixed on him, and gradually those emotions disappeared. “You dance.”
Jiang Huai stood up, turned around, and transformed into his silver fox true form. A snow-white, large fox stood directly in front of Ning Yuzhu, waving its paws, wagging its tail, and sticking out its tongue, looking like a silly dog. Ning Yuzhu’s cheeks were initially icy, but when she saw the little fox wiggle its ears, she couldn’t help but smile.
Seeing her happy and smiling, Jiang Huai finally breathed a sigh of relief, transformed back into his human form, and winked at Ning Yuzhu. Ning Yuzhu’s smile vanished instantly, but in the end, she just puffed out her cheeks slightly and said in a small voice, “You, you have no bottom line when it comes to pleasing women.”
“I’m just trying to make Senior Disciple Sister happy, it’s not shameful.”
The next moment, Jiang Huai began to ask questions about his recent cultivation of the Heaven Mending Divine Art. Although Ning Yuzhu hadn’t cultivated this technique, she had spent a long time with her Senior Disciple Sister and had some understanding, so she began to explain generously to Jiang Huai. The conversation gradually returned to normal. He sat in the courtyard and chatted with Ning Yuzhu for a while longer before finally finding an excuse to slip away. As he walked out of the courtyard, Jiang Huai breathed a sigh of relief.
On the way back to his courtyard, he slowly came to his senses. It seemed that because of the times he and Ning Yuzhu had merged their souls, he subconsciously wanted to be closer to her, and his true nature had unintentionally revealed itself. Perhaps the reason Ning Yuzhu hadn’t immediately attacked him with her sword was also due to their soul merging?
***
Ning Yuzhu entered the bathhouse. She loved water. Now, her entire body was immersed in the hot spring. The warm water enveloped her completely, and her heart gradually calmed. But when she closed her eyes, she felt a call in her mind. She then guided the spiritual Qi in her body to connect with that call. A hazy illusion appeared before her. The illusion was wearing a gorgeous red dress, and even as an illusion, she was ethereally beautiful.
“It seems you’re getting along well with him.” Her Master was no longer as cold as before, and now seemed to be smiling. Ning Yuzhu had always been respectful and obedient to her Master, but this time, she instinctively turned her face away and replied in a small voice, “Disciple… was momentarily careless in my haste and stepped on him to insult him… Please punish me, Master…”
But the illusion before her chuckled heartily and said, “No need. I already told you, your marriage with him is canceled. I won’t punish you for how you play with him, as long as you don’t truly harm him.” “If you become his Dao Companion in the future, that would be nice too. I can take you with me when I leave, after all, you’ve been my disciple for so long, and it would be hard to part.”
Ning Yuzhu’s pupils seemed to flicker with a hint of light for a moment, but a moment later, her Master’s voice sounded in her ear, “Such things cannot be forced. Don’t think you can deceive him. He’s not a fool. If you are insincere towards him just to stay by my side, he will surely notice.” “But it seems you yourself are already a little flustered by his teasing? Be careful.”
Ning Yuzhu looked at the illusion before her. After hesitating for a moment, she softly asked, “Since Master guided him to the Upper Realm and made so many preparations for it, and now that he has arrived, why not use a soul fragment or an illusion to meet him personally?”
The illusion before Ning Yuzhu suddenly fell silent. After a while, she slowly replied, “There’s a kind of fear I can’t articulate.”
“Fear?”
“I always worry that Brother will be very angry if he knows the truth. It’s not the kind of anger that can be forgiven with a spanking,” Jiang Ning’s voice carried a hint of worry. “Besides, during the Void Dark Night, I can only share a soul fragment for a short time and cannot see him every day. Meeting now would only increase my longing.”
“Alright, let’s not talk about this,” Jiang Ning said softly. “At the Lantern Festival in a few days, remember, absolutely do not mention that these women are all prepared for him to choose from. If he finds out… he’ll probably be even more angry with me.”
“What about the princesses of the Star Soul Domain and the Moon Soul Domain…?”
“Tell them all to scram, a bunch of seductive sluts. If they dare to pester him because he possesses the original ancestral blood of the Star God and Moon God, you give each of them ten slaps.” “But if Brother is interested in their beauty and wants to taste them, you don’t need to stop him.”
“Disciple understands,” Ning Yuzhu nodded slightly and asked again, “Senior Disciple Sister contacted me a few days ago, saying she will also come to the Lantern Festival this time. Why is that?”
“She probably wants to see the husband I chose for her back then, right? That girl is stubborn. She left White Dew Mountain because she didn’t agree. But now it doesn’t matter. I don’t plan to marry her to him again anyway. I have no complaints about your Senior Disciple Sister. She has helped me a lot in the Corrupted Domain over the years. When you see her, don’t hold any grudges, but be sure to make her keep her mouth shut and not talk about what happened back then.”
“Disciple understands.”
“Speaking of which… your Senior Disciple Sister has a certain connection with him herself.”
“Connection?”
“That’s truly just a twist of fate, a coincidence completely unrelated to me. You’ll know later.” As Jiang Ning said this, she seemed to think of something, her lips almost unable to suppress a smile.
“Alright,” Jiang Ning’s illusion came to Ning Yuzhu’s side. She reached out and gently pinched Ning Yuzhu’s cheek. This intimate gesture made Ning Yuzhu stunned for a moment. She had been with her Master for a thousand years and had rarely seen her Master act like this. But it seemed that in recent times, her Master had become increasingly gentle.
“I’m not here to punish you. I’m just too lonely and want someone to talk to,” Jiang Ning suddenly thought of something. “By the way, find an opportunity to meet Jiang Ning privately and tell her… to stop calling him Brother so casually.” Hearing this, Ning Yuzhu seemed to detect a hint of resentful annoyance in her Master’s voice. Ning Yuzhu didn’t understand, but she obediently nodded.
“Yuzhu.”
“Hmm?”
“You’ve been my disciple for so long, and you’re good at everything, except you’re too obedient,” Jiang Ning gently pinched Ning Yuzhu’s cheek again. “You should listen to your Senior Disciple Sister more and treat yourself as a person, not an object.”
“Master… knows everything?”
” I know all the past causes and effects in the Upper Realm. I was angry when your Senior Disciple Sister left, thinking she was ungrateful, but later I thought, perhaps I just became too heartless over this long period of time.” “When you see your Senior Disciple Sister again, apologize to her on my behalf.”
