Chapter 72: Warm Jade Exquisite Melody
Chu Xianning quickly closed the door and returned to her room.
Jiang Huai chuckled to himself where he stood for a while. It was rare to have such an opportunity for playful banter with his Master. When his Master was in a bad mood previously, she couldn’t even be bothered to pay him any mind, or he would get a beating if he got too carried away. It seemed his Master was in a good mood today.
Jiang Huai picked a peach branch from the courtyard and swung it like a Spirit Sword. With the ninth level of the Immaculate Golden Body, he should theoretically possess combat power close to the peak of Foundation Establishment. He needed to adapt to it first.
…
In the room.
Chu Xianning had not yet gone to sleep.
She often suffered from insomnia, so she always slept late. After locking the door, Chu Xianning opened her cabinet. She first took out her diary. After a moment of hesitation, she added a few sentences.
“My disobedient disciple has become increasingly audacious lately. I must find an opportunity to teach him a good lesson.”
Chu Xianning had made it a habit to record everything that happened each day for years; otherwise, she would easily forget. She had lived for six hundred years. Many people and events she had encountered during these centuries were no longer clear in her memory. Only the memories from the past few decades were relatively sharp.
After finishing her diary, she carefully put the notebook away and took out a delicate small book from the other side of the cabinet. The small book even had a few illustrations. The cover was adorned with five gilded characters.
Warm Jade Exquisite Melody.
Chu Xianning knew who A Mumu’s true identity was. Once, when Jiang Huai went down the mountain to explore a Secret Realm, she was left alone in the courtyard. It was the plum rain season on the mountain, and it was very damp. It was a rare sunny day, and Chu Xianning suddenly remembered. She went to his room to air out his quilt. Casually, she saw the still unfinished Floating Clouds Flowery Records on his desk.
Floating Clouds Flowery Records was A Mumu’s first book.
A Mumu’s works were very popular among the younger generation of Cultivators in the Eastern Region. Chu Xianning had never heard of the name before. It was only later, during a casual chat with Luo Yueguan, that she heard Luo Yueguan recommend it, saying that the descriptions of romance and beauty were particularly exquisite and aesthetically pleasing. Chu Xianning was not interested at first, until she suddenly discovered that these things came from her disobedient disciple’s hands.
So, Chu Xianning took a curious glance.
Although she already knew that her disobedient disciple was no good, what he wrote in the book seemed to be far too excessive. Hmph, her disobedient disciple’s liking for women’s delicate feet was already fully exposed in the book, which was why Chu Xianning would not give him any advantage.
And when she went to his room that time and saw him holding her white silk socks, Chu Xianning, in an instant, thought of the Fox Demon in Warm Jade Exquisite Melody, who, in front of the Scholar, took off the silk stockings still warm with her body heat and gave them to him, so he could alleviate his lonely longing on a solitary night. Chu Xianning was so angry that her chest burned, which was why she hung Jiang Huai up and beat him.
She had almost finished reading this issue of Warm Jade Exquisite Melody. She didn’t know why, but she had a strange premonition that the ending of the next issue of Warm Jade Exquisite Melody would also be an irretrievable tragedy. The endings of A Mumu’s previous two books were tragic. The main characters originally had the chance to be together, but unfortunately, due to a twist of fate, they missed each other and regretted it for life. And this book, Warm Jade Exquisite Melody, at this moment, strongly suggested the possibility of the Scholar growing old with white hair, the Fox Demon accompanying him until old age, burying him in the earth, and she herself growing old alone.
After all, the title of this volume was, “You are buried in the earth, your bones turned to dust, I remain in the mortal world, with snow covering my hair.”
Rumor had it that a Seventh Realm Cultivator, after reading the endings of A Mumu’s first two books, was so enraged that he stomped his feet and rushed to Ziyun Pavilion, demanding to skin A Mumu alive. Fortunately, Ziyun Pavilion’s secrecy was well-maintained; they never revealed A Mumu’s true identity, otherwise, Jiang Xiaohu would have caused much more trouble.
There was also a Seventh Realm Cultivator who was willing to offer thousands of Spirit Stones, not for anything else, but just for Ziyun Pavilion to pass a message to A Mumu. As long as he was willing to change the ending, these thousands of Spirit Stones would be his. But A Mumu was unyielding, saying that he had the integrity of a scholar and would not change it if he said he wouldn’t! Not even the King of Heaven could make him!
Chu Xianning held the small book and reread Warm Jade Exquisite Melody. After closing it, she returned to bed and lay down, turning to look at the bright moon outside the window.
She did not like this ending.
…
The next day, early morning.
Chu Xianning’s eyes fluttered open precisely on time.
She sat up and walked to the wardrobe. She actually had quite a few dresses in her closet. When Jiang Huai had gone down the mountain previously, he had brought her some new styles of dresses from Ziyun Pavilion. She had never given Jiang Huai her measurements, and he had deduced them roughly. They fit reasonably well, but Chu Xianning had never worn them.
She disliked dresses that exposed too much skin. Even in the courtyard, even when it was just the two of them, she felt as if the gazes falling on her skin were burning, making her slightly uneasy.
Chu Xianning’s fingertips brushed over those dresses. Suddenly, she caught sight of a pale jade qipao. The qipao was sleeveless, and the hem was quite long, but the slit was slightly high. When she moved, the skin of her legs would be revealed intermittently. Moreover, the back of the qipao was exposed, nearly revealing half of it. When Jiang Huai had given her this dress before, she had hit him on the head with a wooden sword. But to throw it away… it was bought by Jiang Huai for over one hundred Spirit Stones, which would be a waste.
Chu Xianning had always been thrifty. A portion of the considerable assets she had accumulated over the years was used to hire Granny Jiu to treat Jiang Huai’s injuries. Another portion was given to Jiang Huai for him to purchase medicinal materials for cultivating the Immaculate Golden Body. Her personal savings were not much now, only tens of thousands of Spirit Stones left.
So she always suspected if she owed this debt collector from her past life.
For some reason, Chu Xianning took down that dress. Her fingertips gently stroked the embroidery on the qipao’s fabric for a moment. She looked at herself in the mirror and, after a moment of hesitation, gently shed her current clothes. Her snow-white and tender body was fully exposed in the room, bathed in the soft moonlight streaming in from outside the window.
…
Jiang Huai woke up on time to prepare breakfast.
He always tried to make various kinds of breakfast, because breakfast could bring a good mood for the day. Over the years, Jiang Huai had devised over a hundred varieties. Today’s breakfast was steamed rice cakes and a cup of his specially blended milk tea.
However, Chu Xianning seemed to open her door a little later today. Jiang Huai sat in the courtyard and waited quietly until the door to Chu Xianning’s room opened. He looked toward it.
Something was wrong.
Jiang Huai closed his eyes, then opened them again, and looked once more.
Still wrong.
Jiang Huai tilted his head, looking at Chu Xianning, who was now standing before him, wearing that off-white qipao.
Master Chu Xianning had an excellent figure, slender and tall. Although her chest was slightly lacking, it was only a minor regret when compared to the voluptuous and charming figures of someone like Luo Yueguan. The qipao’s chest contours were accentuated by her breasts, and the curve between her slender waist and snow-white hips was like a winding landscape painting.
This qipao was bought by Jiang Huai for Chu Xianning a long time ago. Now, it seemed his calculation was good; it fit perfectly. Jiang Huai looked at his Master’s delicate, snow-white shoulders, now bathed in the sunlight quietly falling from the eaves.
Strange.
Was his Master in such a good mood today?
Could it be that she was so happy to hear he would be going down the mountain in two days? Hmph, Jiang Huai started overthinking again. Chu Xianning calmly walked up to him and sat down. It was only then that Jiang Huai suddenly realized he had been so focused on the qipao that he hadn’t noticed his Master’s slender legs beneath the outfit were also wearing御邪冰丝白袜 (Exorcising Evil Ice Silk White Socks).
They were super, super thin Exorcising Evil Ice Silk White Socks. Her white and tender little feet, below her ankles, were stepping on delicate heeled jade-colored high heels, making a tinkling sound on the bluestone ground.
Chu Xianning picked up a rice cake and brought it to her lips, taking a gentle bite. She then picked up the milk tea from the table and took a sip. Her gaze remained calm and aloof. Jiang Huai did not dare to say anything. When something goes against the norm, there’s usually a reason. What if he acted cheekily and got beaten?
Jiang Huai silently ate his rice cakes. After he was full, his gaze fell upon Chu Xianning. Chu Xianning’s expression remained unchanged. She went to the pavilion, her white and tender jade hand holding a white chess piece. Jiang Huai came and sat opposite her, picking up a black chess piece.
The two of them played two rounds of chess in silence. Chu Xianning suddenly spoke, “Have you read Warm Jade Exquisite Melody?”
“Huh? What, what is it? I haven’t heard of it,” Jiang Huai suddenly felt guilty. Warm Jade Exquisite Melody was written by A Mumu. A Mumu was Jiang Huai, and Jiang Huai was A Mumu. Why was his Master suddenly asking about this?
“Still pretending?” Chu Xianning slightly lifted her chin, her eyes revealing a hint of disdain.
“Alright, I’ve read a little,” Jiang Huai nodded, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
Warm Jade Exquisite Melody was fine. The overall story was quite pure love. Apart from some spicy content, there was nothing particularly reprehensible. However, the previous book, Floating Clouds Flowery Records, was not something decent from beginning to end. Mother-daughter, sisters, master-disciple, confinement, and all sorts of flamboyant styles – nearly none of it was omitted.
“How did Master know about this? Is Master also interested in such vulgar novels?” Jiang Huai immediately asked innocently, trying to gain the upper hand no matter what.
“A while ago, Luo Yueguan recommended it to me, so I borrowed a copy of Warm Jade Exquisite Melody from her. I thought that at your age, you might also like these scripts, so I asked you.”
“Oh, that. I’ve also read a little. The writing style, the prose, and the convoluted plot are undeniable. It’s just that the author is a lecher, which must be condemned. When it comes to any spicy scenes, I usually skip them! I never read them!”
Chu Xianning was stunned speechless by Jiang Huai’s retort. She stared at him for five or six seconds, watching him tell blatant lies. After thinking about it, she finally did not expose him, but the corner of her lips curved slightly, “Where did you read up to?”
“Up to the latest issue, I guess.”
“The ending… what do you think will happen?”
Jiang Huai thought for a moment, “In my opinion, the Scholar will eventually pass the imperial examinations and achieve his lifelong ambition. However, he will be favored by the princess, who wishes to select him as her consort. The Scholar remembers his promise with the Fox Demon, so he decides to abandon his decade of hard work and fly away with the Fox Demon. But the Fox Demon has a lifespan of thousands of years. Even though the Fox Demon tried her best to find many spiritual medicines for the Scholar, he still only lived for a hundred years before turning into a handful of loess. The Fox Demon has since guarded his lonely grave, never remarrying for a thousand years.”
“You understand it quite well?” Chu Xianning narrowed her eyes slightly, leaning back. Her snow-white legs crossed beneath the qipao, her sharp high heels glinting.
“These details were hinted at in the earlier plot. Everyone could have guessed the ending. However, precisely because it was unavoidable, it became a tragedy. Moreover, based on my understanding of A Mumu’s previous two books, he will likely emphasize that the Fox Demon had the opportunity to find a spiritual medicine to extend the Scholar’s life for a thousand years, but she missed it by just a sliver of luck. Then, he will likely focus on the Scholar’s grave illness and their reminiscing. As the Scholar’s consciousness faded, he would feel regret, suddenly longing for a life of wealth and status, thinking that his years with the Fox Demon had been too poor and uninteresting. Yet, the Fox Demon would not blame him and would still guard his grave for a thousand years.”
Chu Xianning stared at him, “I don’t like this ending.”
“But it’s more realistic. The Scholar is a mortal. When one’s consciousness is blurred, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by one’s hidden desires. The meaning of tragedy is to allow those who witness it to have no regrets in reality. Haha, I think it’s very good.”
“But I don’t think it’s good.”
“I think it’s very good.”
“I don’t like it.”
“I like it.” The more Jiang Huai answered, the more guilty he felt.
Chu Xianning’s eyes seemed to become slightly sharper.
“You like it?” Chu Xianning slightly raised her chin and asked him again.
“I, I actually… also, not that much…” Jiang Huai’s voice stammered. “Then what does Master think should happen?”
“The Fox Demon found the spiritual medicine to extend the Scholar’s life. The two of them, disregarding worldly prejudices, fell in love for a thousand years, passing down a beautiful tale.”
“Too cliché!” Jiang Huai blurted out subconsciously, but the next second, Chu Xianning blinked her eyes slightly, “What did you say?”
“Nothing, I mean, Master’s idea is really too wonderful. If I were A Mumu, I would definitely write it like this!” Jiang Huai answered guiltily. Chu Xianning, with her arms crossed, looked into his eyes, “Do you really think so?”
“Of course, a disciple’s ideas must be the same as his Master’s.”
“I didn’t force you to think that way. If you don’t like it, then don’t like it.”
“No, I like it. The story ending should be beautiful and complete.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“But you don’t seem like the kind of person who thinks that way. Are you really not thinking this way because you’re afraid of me?”
“How could that be? How could I be afraid of Master? Master won’t hurt me. I only have reverence and affection for Master.”
“I didn’t hit you much when you were little.”
“Hitting is affection, scolding is love. Master hitting me when I was little was all because she hoped I would become better in the future. If Master hadn’t taught me properly back then, I might have turned into some sort of bad guy now.”
Chu Xianning’s gaze drifted towards the clouds under the vast blue sky. “Regarding Warm Jade Exquisite Melody, I was just thinking about it. How A Mumu wants to write it is his business. I don’t care.”
“It’s okay, maybe this time A Mumu will have a change of heart in Warm Jade Exquisite Melody,” Jiang Huai chimed in, subtly observing Chu Xianning’s micro-expressions. Chu Xianning remained unmoved. According to her usual personality, she was direct with her words.
It seemed she hadn’t discovered that he was A Mumu, and it was just a coincidence that the topic came up.
That was good, that was good. There was still hope. Otherwise, if Chu Xianning found out about his plan to write a master-disciple tragic romance next, she would probably take his life.
