Alas (╥ω╥`)… Ever since I transmigrated, this is the first time I’ve been this exhausted.
Xu Ping’an opened his eyes, gazing at the familiar ceiling and letting out a sigh.
In those years of seeking immortality and pursuing the Dao, he had also lived a life of eating in the wind and sleeping under the stars.
But back then, he at least had some wealth to his name.
Traveling through mountains and rivers, though tiring, was still joyful at heart.
The outcome, however, wasn’t exactly joyful.
Last night, he had to keep Pei Qingxuan’s life force from fading while constantly replenishing her with Snow Lotus Dew.
He was fighting both his own instincts and the girl.
It nearly killed him from exhaustion.
Recalling the events of last night, he touched the corner of his mouth.
Last night… in the latter half, Pei Qingxuan had completely lost her rationality.
She couldn’t even swallow the dew, so in the end, he had to use his tongue to feed her a drop of it, mouth to mouth.
Thankfully, his unique constitution made it possible; otherwise, that drop of dew wouldn’t have gone down.
“Hmm… That girl’s probably almost done sleeping, and the medicine’s effects should be mostly absorbed by now. I’ll catch a bit more sleep…”
For some reason, the bedding today seemed to smell better than usual.
Unable to resist, he pulled the blanket over his head, closed his eyes, and rolled over.
Hm? What’s this?
That peculiar sensation, that irresistible urge to press his face against it, made him instinctively tighten his grip, pulling the thing closer.
Then, with uncanny precision, he opened his mouth and latched onto something.
It was as if he’d returned to infancy—that overwhelming sense of comfort, that familiar feeling in his mouth.
But something felt… off?
“Ah~”
Suddenly, a soft moan echoed in his ear. Xu Ping’an opened his eyes in confusion, only to feel as if a mountain was crashing toward him.
Hm? What’s this?
Soft, smooth, tender?
He took a small suck, and that sound rang in his ear again.
“Mm~”
He seemed to realize something.
At some point, the foolish girl who was supposed to be soaking in the tub, absorbing the medicinal water, had climbed into his bed!?
His gaze fell on that delicate, radiant peak.
There seemed to be a faint glimmer of moisture still lingering there.
He instinctively wiped his mouth.
Then his mind went blank.
At that moment, the girl, who had been sound asleep, seemed to sense the blanket being lifted.
The morning breeze made her slightly open her hazy, captivating eyes.
Her dark pupils reflected his figure, their gazes locking.
He didn’t know how to explain.
“Mm~ Husband~ Morning…”
“Uh… morning.”
“Are you… still sleepy?”
“Mm…”
Pei Qingxuan nodded drowsily.
Xu Ping’an took a deep breath, flipped out of bed, and bolted to the courtyard’s well in three strides.
Grabbing a bucket weighing dozens of pounds, he doused himself head to toe.
Splash~
“Hiss!”
Even in late spring, when all things revive and the air brims with vitality, the early mornings and late evenings remain chilly.
This bucket of water, left out all night, was ice-cold.
Pouring it over his head doused the nameless fire raging in his heart.
“Phew…”
Letting out a long breath, he felt the frigid water soak through his clothes, clinging to his skin.
A gust of cold wind blew, instantly making him feel a hundred times more alert.
“By the sage Zhuge… If this keeps up, even a eunuch would have nosebleeds gushing out!”
Shaking his head to clear his finally calmed mind, Xu Ping’an suddenly froze.
He hurried to the west room.
As soon as he entered, he noticed water stains on the floor and a towel nearby, clearly just used to wipe a body.
He scooped a handful of water from the wooden tub and brought it to his nose to sniff.
This wasn’t perverse—it was the instinct of a physician.
He needed to confirm whether the medicinal potency in the tub had gone to waste.
After all, he had intended for Pei Qingxuan, that foolish girl, to soak in it all night.
But she had gotten out early.
As for why she got out early?
A glance at the deformed copper lock told the story.
She had likely twisted it right off before escaping.
What a waste of his ten-pound copper lock!
“Not bad… It looks like the medicinal potency in the tub has been almost completely depleted.”
“These are all heavenly treasures and rare herbs. Most people would waste a lot even soaking for three days and nights, but she absorbed it all in one night?”
His heart skipped a beat.
He knew that a body capable of absorbing such potent medicinal power so quickly was far from ordinary.
Add to that the mysterious longsword that appeared out of nowhere last night, her extraordinary vitality, and the enigmatic power within her.
If he wasn’t mistaken, she was likely exactly as he had suspected.
A cultivator.
If she was a practitioner, it meant their lives would likely have little overlap.
The faint ripples in Xu Ping’an’s heart, stirred by her presence, began to subside with this realization.
Before, he had dreamed that once he cured Pei Qingxuan, if she was willing, she could stay here and become his wife.
That would fulfill the impulsive claim he made in a moment of urgency: “I’m your husband!”
But now, it seemed there was no such chance, was there?
She was walking the path of cultivation, while he? He had long been deemed the type with no aptitude for it.
Xu Ping’an gave a bitter smile.
“Fine, fine… Let it be fate.”
Though he had the system as a foundation and wasn’t afraid, the gap between them was still vast.
What the future held could only be left to destiny.
Wallowing in sorrow and regret was just a waste of time.
Better to figure out what to eat for breakfast instead.
But… did she even eat?
According to legend, those who pursued immortality and the Dao lived on wind and dew, fasting and abstaining from food.
What if she didn’t eat at all?
The young man scratched his head, his face full of helplessness.
“Where am I supposed to get dew for her…”
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