Warm Jade pressed close, recalling March,
The fair beauty’s eyes flicker like autumn waves.
Anger surged in his chest, slamming down the embroidered cushion!
A crisp “smack” echoed throughout the spacious East Warm Pavilion.
“Memory restored?”
The charming lady seemed to understand what was coming next. She dared not lift her head, burying it deeply against Xu Ping’an’s chest, inhaling the reassuring scent.
“Mm~”
“So you’ve gotten bolder? You dared to leave your husband without a word?”
This time, the lady fell silent, her delicate body shrinking tightly into Xu Ping’an’s embrace, as if trying to melt completely inside him.
“Speak!”
“I… I was afraid you wouldn’t want to…”
“Not want what? Not want to involve yourself in state affairs, or not want you as the famed Pei Sect Leader anymore?”
The mention of this sparked an inexplicable anger within Xu Ping’an’s heart.
Though he was clearly at fault at the start, her current attitude made him, the original wrongdoer, feel braver.
“A fine Flowing Cloud Sect Master, a fine Master. What? Now that I’ve come to find you, you want me to become your disciple? Fine… if that’s the case, then from now on, I shall greet you with the courtesy due a teacher. Xu Ping’an greets you…”
Before Xu Ping’an could finish, a slender, fair fingertip pressed gently against his lips.
“Master~ Qingxuan misses you. Qingxuan wants your child.”
Looking at the lady in his arms, her eyes shimmering like autumn waves, cheeks flushed like peaches, no man could resist at a moment like this.
He raised his hand horizontally, one arm wrapping around her slender back, the other crossing beneath her knees to lift Pei Qingxuan entirely into his embrace.
“Master, would this be considered great disrespect from your disciple?”
Pei Qingxuan’s delicate face flushed crimson as she buried her head deeply into Xu Ping’an’s chest, a weak and tender voice igniting a fire in his heart.
“The teacher admits fault and knows he’s wrong. Today… do as you wish~”
Meow—any man would crumble at those five words!
Suddenly like a torrential rain beating banana leaves, the night wind could not mask the sound of sweet dewfall.
Misty veils hide the moon behind drifting clouds, dawn breaks in the east and only then ceases.
They say brief partings are better than new marriages, and now with Pei Qingxuan’s memory restored, everything felt utterly different.
Somewhat familiar, yet somewhat strange.
Her usual delicate demeanor could not hide the initial shyness within.
A feeling of déjà vu, as if recognizing the warm jade in his arms.
After the storm, Xu Ping’an calmed the fluttering in his heart, while the lady, weary from the tempest, rested her head on his chest.
“Husband…”
“Mm?”
“Am I still your lady?”
“Yes.”
Her worry over that day’s sudden departure was far more serious than he had imagined.
“As long as you are Pei Qingxuan, as long as you still recognize me as your husband, I will always be your husband—past, present, and future.”
“Then… husband, can you grant me one condition?”
“What? Haven’t had enough?”
Xu Ping’an wondered if his Nine-turn Divine Pill had lost its effect—why was he so tired today yet still not satisfied?
“Not that, it’s… my status.”
Pei Qingxuan’s slender fingers traced lightly over his broad arm, examining every inch carefully.
“Do you mean you really want me to be your disciple?”
Xu Ping’an was stunned before realizing she was planning something elaborate—an underground romance?
“I am the Flowing Cloud Sect Master, and now… there are too many matters in Great Qi. If we were to announce this publicly, it might affect the Flowing Cloud Sect, and…”
“And what?”
“And those villains with ill intentions toward me might also target you.”
Pei Qingxuan suddenly lifted her head, her moist eyes filled with worry.
“You’re afraid I might be killed by those people?”
“Not just that.”
She lowered her head, her voice soft as a mosquito’s buzz. If the room hadn’t been so quiet, Xu Ping’an would have thought he misheard.
“I’m afraid…”
“What? Do you really think that way?”
Pei Qingxuan kept her gaze lowered, hesitant to meet Xu Ping’an’s eyes. Gathering some courage, she clearly spoke her thoughts.
“I’m afraid that one day, you’ll grow tired of this life. You don’t like trouble, but being with me means endless complications. I’m afraid… I’m afraid you’ll grow tired of this life, tired of my status… I, I…”
Tears welled in the lady’s eyes.
Seeing the silly, naive Pei Qingxuan in his arms, Xu Ping’an felt both amused and exasperated.
He laughed because even with her memory back, she was still so foolish when it came to love.
He was angry because she didn’t trust him enough.
“How dare you doubt your husband! That calls for a punishment!”
He raised his hand and firmly smacked the well-worn cushion they’d just been on.
The crisp “smack” startled her, sending a ripple of charm through her eyes as she shot him a coquettish glance.
Looking at the beauty in his arms, Xu Ping’an sighed but couldn’t help gently rubbing her.
“All right, don’t worry about those things.”
“Mm~”
The two held each other, quietly savoring this long-lost intimacy.
No one knew how much time passed before dawn fully broke outside.
Perhaps by the Emperor of Great Qi’s order, no one stood guard outside the East Warm Pavilion, but after a while, two palace maids arrived and stopped outside the door.
“Pei Sect Leader, His Majesty has instructed us to attend to you. Have you risen?”
The sudden voice made them both startle. Pei Qingxuan quickly sat up, hastily grabbing nearby clothing to dress.
Suddenly remembering something, she turned around, a faint blush coloring her beautiful face.
“Husband~ help me put this on~”
Seeing the lady’s shy expression, Xu Ping’an smiled gently.
“Alright.”
He helped her dress, but the rosy face and those liquid, wave-like eyes revealed what had just transpired.
However, this expression didn’t last long. In a blink, she calmed the surging blood in her body, seemingly using some Immortal Art.
With a hand gesture and incantation, the previously rumpled gauze garment instantly became neat and clean.
Then she pointed at Xu Ping’an, who clearly saw spiritual energy swirl around him, purifying impurities and smoothing the wrinkles on his clothes.
“Come in.”
“Yes.”
The two palace maids waited patiently without showing irritation, but they looked somewhat surprised as they entered.
Seeing the hopeful look in Pei Qingxuan’s eyes, Xu Ping’an quickly spoke:
“Thank you, Master, for the enlightenment. This cultivation method is truly profound. I only grasped a bit overnight, and without you, I fear I would be stuck in isolation, unable to harmonize body and mind.”