Jiang Huai gazed at Chi Lian as she knelt by his side, her bright and beautiful face looking up at him. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and for a moment, he found himself lost for words.
‘Did she actually find out? How could she tell?’
Chi Lian’s robe was loose, sliding slightly off her shoulder, but a smile remained on her face.
He gave two dry laughs and weighed his words carefully before speaking. “Actually, it’s not what you think.”
Upon hearing this, Chi Lian’s long eyelashes fluttered gently.
She stood up, her slender hand casually smoothing out non-existent wrinkles on her robe.
She lowered her beautiful eyes to hide the turbulent emotions within.
“Is it about the Lady?”
Recalling his earlier avoidance of bathing together and the disappearance of the mark on his body, she already had a guess.
‘Was it Chi Huang? In the end, it still…’
She took a step forward and gently pressed her hands against Jiang Huai’s shoulders.
Her fingertips applied a slight pressure, and she forced a comforting, though strained, smile onto her face.
“It is really no big deal,” she said, her voice softening as if she were speaking to herself as much as to him. “I was only asking in passing. You do not need to take it to heart, Husband.”
“Today is the auspicious day of your breakthrough. You must be tired, so you should rest well first.”
“If there is anything else, it will not be too late to talk after you have rested.” Since he was unwilling to speak plainly, it was most likely related to Chi Huang.
Chi Lian felt a bitterness in her heart, but she was even more reluctant to spoil his mood at this moment. She felt a twinge of self-reproach.
‘I should not have asked if I knew this would happen. Husband is so happy right now; why did I have to insist on asking?’
He carried a heavy burden and had finally managed to achieve a breakthrough.
This was a time for celebration. How could she let her own small, selfish disappointment make things difficult for him?
Seeing her feigned generosity, which failed to hide her dejection, Jiang Huai’s heart tightened.
He reached out quickly and caught her slender hand just as she was about to pull away, holding her gently.
“It wasn’t Chi Huang.” He looked directly into her eyes, his tone certain. “There is nothing like that between her and me, really.”
Chi Lian was pulled forward slightly by his hand.
To maintain her balance, she had to support herself with one hand on the edge of the bed, bringing her face-to-face with him.
Chi Lian realized the proximity, and a flush of crimson suddenly bloomed on her face, yet a hint of surprise flashed through her mind.
‘It actually wasn’t the Lady?’
She composed herself and tried to pull her hand back, feigning a delicate weakness. “Fine. Since you say so, Husband, I believe you.”
“Let’s rest first. It won’t matter if we talk after we wake up.”
Knowing it wasn’t Chi Huang, the heavy stone in her heart suddenly dropped, and most of her stifled irritation dissipated.
Although she was still curious about who had erased the mark, she was no longer in such a hurry.
If it wasn’t the Lady, then it was just another one of her husband’s women, and it didn’t matter.
“It was White Dew,” Jiang Huai said helplessly, forced to confess.
“The White Clan Leader?” Chi Lian was stunned.
Her voluptuous body, which had been about to turn away, suddenly froze.
Then, like a soft cloud, she threw herself back into Jiang Huai’s arms.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, her voice filled with mock reproach and grievance.
“Husband, it was just the White Clan Leader? Why be so secretive about it? It was as if you were having an affair.”
She looked up at him, her eyes watery and bright.
“Look at me. Do I look like one of those ignorant, jealous hags who would say things like ‘I won’t allow other women to touch you’?”
After learning it was White Dew, the last bit of conflict in her heart vanished into thin air.
White Dew’s status was unique, her strength was transcendent, and her relationship with Jiang Huai was complex.
She was by no means an ordinary woman.
How could Chi Lian possibly stop her? Indeed, how would she even dare?
“I was afraid you would be unhappy, so I wanted to find the right time to tell you slowly.” Jiang Huai took the opportunity to wrap his arms around her soft, warm waist, gently rubbing his chin against the top of her head.
“Afraid I would be unhappy?” Chi Lian nestled in his arms, her gaze drifting toward the top of the bed curtains as she murmured the words.
A soft place in her heart was gently touched.
To her, his careful consideration was worth more than a thousand words. it was proof that she was in his heart and that he cared for her.
She sighed softly, her voice becoming even more tender. “Husband, you think too lowly of me.”
“I was just… just a little afraid. Afraid that, like before, I would be turned back into that pitiful creature who can only watch from afar and do nothing.”
She paused, her finger tracing a circle on his neck. “But the White Clan Leader is different.”
“You still need to grow, Husband. In the future, you might even have to rely on her protection. She is one of our own.”
Chi Lian looked up, her slender hand stroking Jiang Huai’s cheek, her fingertips warm.
“How could I ruin your great affairs for the sake of a woman’s petty thoughts? Forget the White Clan Leader; even if it were Sister Tang or Sister Su, I would not say a word if they desired it.”
“If it’s erased, it’s erased. It’s no big deal.”
The path of the Dao was long, and Jiang Huai needed powerful supporters like White Dew and Su Yingman. As a family, harmony was the most important thing. How could she not understand such a simple truth?
“I understand.” Jiang Huai’s heart softened, and he pulled her a little tighter.
Chi Lian looked at his handsome face so close to hers and blinked. A hint of mischief suddenly flashed in her eyes.
She suddenly exerted force, scooping Jiang Huai up from the edge of the bed with both arms.
She held him like a child, letting him lie back into her soft, ample embrace.
“Hmm? What are you doing?” Jiang Huai was caught off guard, his body suspended in the air as he asked in confusion.
“Look at me.” Chi Lian puffed out her proud chest, the fullness beneath her robe trembling enticingly with the movement.
“Am I not wearing this just to wait for my husband to come back so we can soak in the Spiritual Spring together?” Her eyes curved into crescents, her smile overflowing with radiance.
“Since everything has been said and I’m free of worry, let’s go bathe!” If she hadn’t been waiting for him to return so she could share the moment, she would have enjoyed the Spiritual Spring long ago.
Hearing this, Jiang Huai quickly patted her arm. “Wait, put me down first.”
Chi Lian complied and let go. Jiang Huai landed lightly and waved his hand. “Wait just a moment.”
Watching his back as he hurried out, Chi Lian suddenly remembered something. She covered her mouth and laughed softly, a look of realization and playfulness in her eyes as her tongue darted out slightly.
Jiang Huai rushed out of the room in his sleepwear and shouted toward the quiet courtyard. “Jianjia!”
Before his voice had even faded, a *whoosh* sounded.
A small white figure darted out from the flower bushes, kicking up a few blades of grass.
The figure climbed onto Jiang Huai’s shoulder with extreme agility, letting out a crisp Dragon’s Roar.
This little one had been brimming with energy since her Transformation. She was full of curiosity about everything and never seemed to tire.
“It’s time for you to sleep,” Jiang Huai said seriously to the Little Dragon on his shoulder.
Jianjia tilted her small head, her ice-blue Dragon Eyes filled with confusion as she wagged her tail.
‘Sleep? I haven’t played enough yet. Why sleep?’
She wasn’t sleepy at all.
“Children need to rest a lot to grow fast. Sleeping is the most important thing,” Jiang Huai explained patiently. Before Jianjia could protest again, a strand of soothing Lingli gathered at his fingertip, and he tapped it gently against her forehead.
Jianjia felt a wave of warm, comfortable drowsiness wash over her like a tide. Her father’s face gradually blurred before her eyes, and her little head tilted. She curled up on Jiang Huai’s shoulder and fell into a deep sleep.
“There we go.” A soft smile appeared in Jiang Huai’s eyes.
He gently stroked his daughter’s cool, smooth Dragon Scales, then turned back into the room.
He carefully placed her on the inner side of the bed and pulled a corner of the soft Brocade Quilt over her.
Chi Lian walked over and extended a slender finger, very lightly touching the adorable, curled-up sleeping form of the little white dragon. Her eyes were filled with a gentle, smiling light.
“Little Jianjia is truly precious.”
Back Mountain Hidden Valley.
A natural Spiritual Spring was wreathed in milky-white mist. Heat rose from the water, and tiny bubbles gurgled at the spring’s source. The air was filled with a faint, herbal fragrance and dense Qi.
The water was warm and pleasant. Chi Lian was soaking in the pool alone, her back against a smooth rock.
She seemed to find it a bit hot, so she brushed all of her wet black hair to one side of her shoulder, revealing a long, elegant neck and exquisite collarbones.
Water droplets rolled down her delicate skin, sliding into the deep valley of her chest.
The pair of exquisite red Dragon Horns on her head appeared even more translucent in the mist, and the tips seemed to be stained with a thin layer of crimson.
Chi Lian stretched her arms lazily, letting out a satisfied and languid sigh. “Mmm…”
Under the soaking of the spring water, her fair skin revealed a healthy pink glow, and her face was flushed.
“Congratulations on reaching the Nascent Soul Stage, Husband. From now on, you won’t need to seek out other women,” Chi Lian said with a smile to Jiang Huai, who was beside her.
Jiang Huai soaked in the hot spring, enjoying the warmth.
He stared at the vast mist and squinted, murmuring, “That’s right. I won’t have to trouble anyone else anymore.”
“In the future, Little Jianjia can also practice this Gongfa. The Yin-Yang Body can be considered to have an Inheritance.”
As he soaked in the spring, he suddenly remembered that Qin Qingyue had also liked to pull him here to soak in the water.
He wondered how she was doing in the Immortal Realm and if she was getting along well with Wu Zhaohua.
‘However, judging by the Spirit Sword Pattern and the Black Dragon Mark, the two of them should be coexisting peacefully. That’s a good thing.’
Through the hazy mist, Chi Lian could not see Jiang Huai’s expression clearly. She only murmured, “Husband, I am truly lucky.”
“Hmm?” Jiang Huai was confused.
A look of happiness appeared on Chi Lian’s beautiful face.
She stretched and smiled. “I was the last woman to be married because of your Physique, Husband. Is that not lucky enough?”
“If it weren’t for that, how would I have met you? And how would you have noticed me?”
She felt that she was happy enough, having the best husband in the world.
‘If only the Outer Realm Heavenly Demons didn’t exist, how good would that be? Back then, the Main Wife was still around, and Husband could have been even happier.’
As long as it wasn’t about the Lady, she prioritized her husband’s happiness above all else.
“Don’t think so much. This is fate,” Jiang Huai comforted her.
“Mm, fate.”
As she spoke, a flash of red light appeared, and she vanished. In the hot spring, a small red dragon appeared, swimming toward Jiang Huai.