The sky was clear and blue, with white clouds drifting leisurely.
It was early summer, and the peach blossoms in the courtyard had all fallen. Small peach fruits had begun to form on the green branches. This peach tree had been in Chu Xianning’s courtyard for many years, but the peaches it bore in the past were always sour. When Jiang Huai was twelve, he grafted the tree, and now it produced large, sweet honey peaches that Chu Xianning loved.
The peach tree was lush and leafy, so Jiang Huai moved his lounge chair under it to bask in the sun lazily. Chu Xianning sat quietly to the side, reading “Warm Jade Exquisite Melody” in the pavilion. Jiang Huai gazed at her snow-white profile, his eyes fixed on her without blinking.
Because his master looked exceptionally beautiful today, Jiang Huai really liked seeing Chu Xianning in this qipao, especially her fair and tender, smooth, beautiful back underneath, slender and straight, and her snow-white, tender neck, long and elegant like a swan’s.
“Master,” he called out suddenly.
“Hmm?”
“Let’s practice swordplay?” Jiang Huai asked expectantly, looking at Chu Xianning.
Chu Xianning paused, then slowly closed the book in her hand. After a moment of hesitation, she slightly lifted her leg, unbuckled her high heels, and slipped them off. Her jade-colored feet, clad in anti-evil ice silk white stockings, landed on the ground. The thin white stockings were like a veil, making her white and tender little feet appear hazy and soft. The next moment, Chu Xianning’s hand gripped the Suoxue Sword.
The corners of Jiang Huai’s eyes twitched slightly. “Master, use a different sword. If Suoxue pokes me, I’ll die for you to see.”
So, Chu Xianning went to get the peach wood sword she had made when she taught Jiang Huai swordplay as a child. She walked towards Jiang Huai, step by step, arriving at the center of the courtyard, her posture tall and straight.
“It’ll be a good chance to see what preparations you’ve made for going to Dragon Burial Valley.”
Jiang Huai also stood up and picked up the peach wood sword. Chu Xianning had deliberately suppressed her cultivation level and temporarily sealed her spiritual qi. However, even so, she had previously cultivated the Ice Snow Exquisite Body, and the current Jiang Xiaohu, who was only at the ninth realm of the Immaculate Golden Body, could not possibly compare.
Jiang Huai simply wanted to see his master swing her sword while wearing a qipao up close.
Soon, sword shadows swung through the courtyard. Jiang Huai only smelled a scent of fragrant wind brush past his face. Jiang Huai’s swordplay today was characterized by cunning and despicable tactics, focusing on the lower body, with every strike aimed at vital points, holding nothing back.
Of course, he didn’t need to hold back against Chu Xianning either. Chu Xianning was a cultivator of the Eighth Realm. It would be absurd if a wooden sword could harm her. As he quietly watched Chu Xianning’s flowing dress, he earnestly familiarized himself with his current strength.
He had two sets of swordplay. When sparring in the sect, he focused on flashy moves and fancy sword techniques that looked decisive but might not have had that much actual killing power. His second set of tactics was for when he was down the mountain. The outside world wasn’t a place for fair sparring. Jiang Huai had suffered losses in the past due to his merciful swordplay. Once bitten by a snake, one fears a well rope for ten years. When competing for resources on the mountain, if he encountered something precious that no one was willing to back down from, it would truly come down to who drew their sword faster and whose moves were more devious.
Since he was going down the mountain, he naturally had to properly review his despicable sword techniques.
“Master’s sword momentum has changed again,” Jiang Huai couldn’t help but sigh softly.
Chu Xianning was already the foremost female Sword Immortal in the Eastern Region, yet she still practiced swordplay diligently. Perhaps it was because she had nothing else to do, and practicing swordplay had become a habit, so her sword momentum improved steadily every year. However, these words felt slightly awkward when Chu Xianning heard them.
Because Jiang Huai’s Silver Ray was used better than hers.
Years ago, Jiang Huai had mastered Chu Xianning’s Silver Ray and even tried to teach her some new interpretations of sword momentum. However, Chu Xianning had watched him swing his sword several times but couldn’t grasp the deeper meaning. In those years, Chu Xianning practiced even more diligently and finally caught up to Jiang Huai’s progress.
But later, Chu Xianning accidentally discovered that Jiang Huai had been intentionally letting her win, giving her face.
Although she was still a little annoyed, it seemed that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t keep up with Jiang Huai’s pace, so she decided not to expose him.
“Why aren’t you using your own sword momentum?”
“It consumes my soul. I used a lot of it recently to open acupoints for Luo Yueguan. I’ve just recovered, so I need some more time.”
“Oh, in that case, never mind.”
“What never mind?”
“I originally wanted… to have you open an acupoint for me today.” Chu Xianning turned her face away. “Next time.”
“No, Master, opening acupoints for her consumed my soul because I had to kill a cold toxin poison spirit. It’s different. Just opening acupoints only consumes a tiny bit, it’s not a problem at all.”
“You… you should still rest properly.”
“It’s really not necessary!” Jiang Huai’s slight urgency seemed more apparent.
Chu Xianning glanced at him sideways, watching his clumsy appearance. She stared for several seconds, a hint of awkwardness in her cold eyes. “Oh, we’ll talk about it tonight then.”
“Okay, okay.”
Then, because Jiang Huai was distracted thinking about which acupoint to open for Chu Xianning that night, Chu Xianning hit him hard on the butt with her sword, making him jump up in pain.
Dinner time.
“Master, a little drink?”
As Jiang Huai took out the wine pot, Chu Xianning glanced at him sideways and then calmly refused, “No, aren’t we opening acupoints later? I’m not drinking.”
Bad.
Jiang Huai had no choice but to obediently put away the pot of Forget Worry Wine.
After a full dinner, Jiang Huai cleared away the bowls and chopsticks to wash them. When he returned, Chu Xianning was sitting quietly in the pavilion. Jiang Huai sat down beside her.
Chu Xianning had five blocked points in total: one in her lower abdomen, one at the tailbone, one on the inner thigh, one on the sole of her foot, and one on her waist ribs. Jiang Huai had told her about them last time, so at this moment, he put on a particularly serious expression and asked his master, “Master, which acupoint would you like to open first?”
Seeing Jiang Huai in front of her, appearing so gentle, refined, and innocently soft, Chu Xianning was unaccustomed to it for some reason. She clearly remembered that Jiang Huai had told her where the blocked acupoints on her body were. She suddenly regretted agreeing to him.
“Can we do it through my clothes?”
“No,” Jiang Huai blinked innocently.
Chu Xianning fell silent, biting her lips. Her eyes darted about uncertainly. Jiang Huai suddenly had a bad premonition. If Chu Xianning showed such an expression, she would probably say “let’s forget it” or “next time.”
She didn’t want this.
“However, if it’s the acupoint on the sole of your foot, it’s actually okay through thin white silk,” Jiang Huai subtly winked at Chu Xianning. Chu Xianning hesitated for a moment, and her eyebrows seemed to relax slightly. She muttered softly, “Then… let’s start with the sole of the foot.”
“Okay, then Master, obediently extend your jade foot.”
“Don’t call Master ‘obediently,’ you’re asking for a beating,” Chu Xianning looked at him displeased.
“Please, Master, extend your jade foot.” Jiang Huai immediately changed his wording. Chu Xianning hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly lifted her slender leg from under her qipao. She was still wearing those jade-colored high heels. Jiang Huai felt a little dizzy. He reached out and gently grabbed her ankle, unbuckled her high heels, and carefully slipped them off.
At this moment, Chu Xianning’s white and tender feet were completely covered by ultra-thin white silk. The touch from Jiang Huai’s fingertips was soft with a slight rustling sound. Chu Xianning obediently kept her leg raised, her eyes seemed unsure where to look, so she turned her head to the side, leaving only her profile for Jiang Huai. She asked calmly, “How long will it take?”
“I need to use medicinal liquid to pry open the acupoint, and then use my silver needles with some spiritual qi to open it. About two sticks of incense worth of time.”
“Can I apply the medicinal liquid myself?”
“It requires a special technique, so no.”
Jiang Huai could only hope that the prideful Chu Xianning wouldn’t compare notes with Luo Yueguan one day. If she found out that she could apply the medicinal liquid herself, she would probably come after him for an explanation. Chu Xianning kept her leg raised like this. She felt that this posture was a bit awkward, but she suddenly recalled the scene from her childhood when Jiang Huai obediently massaged her feet.
Young Jiang Huai was so considerate. He would come over to give her shoulder rubs and leg massages, and foot baths. Unfortunately, as Jiang Huai got older, Chu Xianning felt it was inappropriate to let him do so like when he was a child, after all, there was a difference between men and women.
Jiang Huai took out the porcelain bottle containing the medicinal liquid, opened the stopper, and gently dripped some liquid onto the back of Chu Xianning’s foot. The silk stocking on the back of her foot was quickly soaked by the transparent medicinal liquid. It looked a bit sticky before being spread evenly. Jiang Huai carefully used his fingertips to spread the medicinal liquid all over Chu Xianning’s white-silk-clad feet. Chu Xianning’s toes curled up slightly from unease, like budding flower buds.
“Why do I feel like you haven’t used any spiritual qi? You… you’re not lying to me, are you?”
“How dare I lie to Master? If you don’t believe me, ask Luo Yueguan next time?” Jiang Huai could only silently pray in his heart that his master wouldn’t be too embarrassed to ask Luo Yueguan.
“But what if you lied to Luo Yueguan as well?”
Jiang Huai couldn’t help but reach out and press down on her white and tender, soft sole. “In Master’s heart, do I seem that unreliable?”
This time, it was Chu Xianning who felt a little guilty. She mumbled softly, “I’m just asking… press lighter… it tickles…”
“I need to apply more force for the medicinal liquid to soak in properly and take effect,” Jiang Huai reasoned.
Jiang Huai held Chu Xianning’s white and tender feet with a righteous demeanor, watching as she was forced to bring her feet together. A barely perceptible blush appeared on her snow-white cheeks, but unfortunately, the light in the pavilion was dim, and Jiang Huai couldn’t see clearly.
But to be able to openly and righteously play with his ice mountain master’s white and tender feet, and for her to have to obediently comply and not resist, was truly wonderful.
“Don’t move around,” Jiang Huai looked up at Chu Xianning, but she had turned her face away. She suddenly felt a little inexplicably wronged, feeling like her disobedient disciple was bullying her, yet she couldn’t find any evidence.
“How much longer?”
“It’ll just be a little while longer, Master, please bear with me.”
“But… it tickles.”
“Isn’t Master not afraid of tickles?”
Chu Xianning turned her head and looked at Jiang Huai’s playful eyes. She pouted slightly. “You’re pressing too hard.”
“But you’re still ticklish, aren’t you?”
“I want to whip you, Jiang Huai.”
Jiang Huai looked at her with a deep gaze.
