At the very moment the bell finished tolling, the broken cabin of the Golden Boat revealed the figures of three women.
All three looked exhausted, but the instant they emerged, their parched eyes simultaneously searched for one person’s silhouette.
When their gazes finally found him, the three of them nearly collapsed on the spot.
“Sir!”
“Sir…”
“Sir?”
The three called out at once.
Though their tones differed, there was no mistaking it—their entire focus was on that one man.
Seeing the weariness on the faces of the three women, Xu Ping’an couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt in his heart.
“It’s all right now… Don’t worry, everything’s been resolved. You’ve all suffered.”
He hurried forward and pulled all three women into his arms.
Fortunately, his height was decent enough; otherwise, it would have been impossible to embrace all three at once.
“All right, all right, I’m here. There’s nothing to be afraid of anymore. Rest assured, it’s all in the past.”
Li Yuer glanced at Xu Ping’an, then suddenly stood on tiptoe and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek.
“Yuer! You—?”
Caught off guard, Xu Ping’an only felt a soft warmth on his cheek.
He was just about to speak when, to his surprise, Li Zhi’er, that little rascal, plucked up her courage, stood on tiptoe, and lightly kissed his chin.
Last was Xiao Jing’er. She hesitated a little, ending up at the end of the line, but still managed a light kiss on his neck.
Xu Ping’an stared at the three women in a daze, unable to believe what had just happened.
In this era, women were exceptionally cautious about such matters.
Even brushing sleeves with a man on the street was considered a loss of purity.
How could these three women, raised with such feudal thinking, dare to do such a thing!?
Right now, before him, Li Yuer’s pretty face was tinged with red, but her moist gaze held not a trace of fear as she looked straight at Xu Ping’an.
Li Zhi’er had her head bowed so low she seemed intent on hiding her little head in her barely-there chest.
Xiao Jing’er glanced at Xu Ping’an in embarrassment, then lowered her head in shyness.
Truly, with all these flowers blooming at once, his heart was a swirl of confusion and longing.
“You three…”
Xu Ping’an helplessly raised his hand to touch his cheek, then felt his chin, finally rubbing his neck, all at a loss for words.
What were these three up to?
Each one chose a different spot—were they planning to divide him up among themselves?
But what caught him even more off guard was that, just as he was fumbling for words, a hand suddenly reached over and grabbed him by the collar.
Before Xu Ping’an could react, he was yanked over, and a faint fragrance filled his nose.
When his vision settled, he found his mouth covered by someone else’s lips.
Everything he meant to say was scattered by the scent of that orchid breath, as if blown to the ends of the earth.
Was this… a declaration of ownership!?
Only after a long moment did Lady finally release his collar.
By now, Xu Ping’an’s clothes were already disheveled.
He glanced at Lady, then at the three girls who were covering their faces but peeking out with wide eyes.
“You… you lot have gone too far!!”
Xu Ping’an finally understood. These women had grown bold—his once-obedient Lady had even launched a direct assault.
He couldn’t allow strife in his own home!!!
As for striking them, he wasn’t the sort. He could never bear to hit any of the four; he loved them dearly.
But letting them quarrel like this every day? That would never do. There would be no peace.
No, he had to lay down the law this time!
If he didn’t, he might never have a peaceful day for the rest of his life.
All at once, Xu Ping’an put on a stern face and looked at the three women.
“You three, off to bed! Look at yourselves—your faces are turning into panda eyes! And you, you go to sleep too!”
He pulled the Folding Fan from his sleeve, his aura already built up.
He could not afford to go soft-hearted this time.
“Husband~”
Lady seemed a little unwilling, as if she wanted to say more, but before she could, Xu Ping’an unceremoniously raised the Folding Fan and gave a sharp smack to her plump spot!
A crisp ‘pa!’ echoed through the Golden Boat.
Pei Qingxuan’s pretty face turned crimson, and she hurriedly covered her backside with both hands.
“Hu…Husband~”
“Enough nonsense! Off to bed with you!”
Xu Ping’an scolded, then turned to the other three.
“You three, off to bed and behave! Otherwise, don’t blame me for resorting to family discipline!”
The three girls looked a bit deflated, but they nodded obediently and went into the cabin to sleep. Pei Qingxuan wanted to linger, but Xu Ping’an chased her off as well.
Let the four girls have some time to talk among themselves.
As for himself… he needed to give his waist a rest.
He took out the Medicine Box, retrieved some Calming Incense, and lit a stick.
Only then did Xu Ping’an step out of the Golden Boat, thinking about preparing something nourishing for the four ladies.
The next morning, all four women had recovered.
Pei Qingxuan mainly needed to heal her soul from the invasion of evil energy.
The other three had been badly frightened the day before.
Thankfully, with Xu Ping’an’s Calming Incense, all four had returned to normal.
As for Xu Ping’an, he hadn’t rested that night either.
To prepare a meal for the ladies, he had run more than ten li, finally using Beast-attracting Incense to lure in a Wild Deer.
He quickly prepared some roast venison.
Though the cooking tools were sparse, the barbecue was so tasty the four ladies devoured it with delight.
Next, it was time to hit the road. Pei Qingxuan put away the damaged Golden Boat and stepped onto her Flying Sword. The other three girls clung tightly to Xu Ping’an, and only then did the sword take flight toward the Floating Cloud Sect.
Fortunately, nothing else unexpected happened along the way.
They stopped in a small town for a night, then continued traveling the next day. They flew like this for three days straight.
Finally, on the third evening, as the sun set, they caught sight of Misty Mountain in the distance.
“Husband, up ahead is Misty Mountain.”
By now, the three girls had adapted to flying at such heights, and with Talismans protecting them, they wouldn’t easily fall.
The three sat quietly, while Xu Ping’an came to Pei Qingxuan’s side and struck up a conversation.
As they spoke, Pei Qingxuan raised her hand and pointed forward.
Xu Ping’an followed her gesture.
Sure enough, these were the very mountains he’d sought out on his quest for immortality.
The number one sect in all of Great Qi—Misty Mountain’s Floating Cloud Sect.
“We’re finally here? I can finally get some real rest. When the time comes, I’ll be counting on you to take care of me, Lady.”
“Mm~”
Pei Qingxuan looked at Xu Ping’an, hesitating slightly before saying,
“Husband, your current identity really shouldn’t be revealed, so…”
“I understand, I understand. When the time comes, you’ll be my Master, right? Master?”
As he spoke, Xu Ping’an clasped his hands and bowed mischievously.
Pei Qingxuan’s face instantly turned red, her eyes filled with a thousand expressions. She glanced back at the three girls.
“You all remember this as well—do not reveal the relationship between Husband and me. Otherwise, if some ill-intentioned people take notice, and Husband is in danger, I will not let it go.”
“There’s no need to worry, Sister. We care for Sir’s safety as much as you do. Rest assured, we won’t reveal a word about your relationship with him.”
Li Yuer was very straightforward.
After the recent incident, she hadn’t seen everything with her own eyes, but she understood just how dangerous the Cultivation World could be.
For Xu Ping’an’s sake, she would never give up this secret.
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