The door was tightly shut.
The delicate girl in his arms said nothing, only burrowing deeper into his embrace, and Xu Ping’an could do nothing but gently comfort her.
“Alright, alright, with your husband here, nothing is a problem.”
Though he didn’t know why Pei Qingxuan was so anxious, his first instinct was still to soothe the woman in his arms.
After some time spent in tender embrace, Pei Qingxuan’s emotions gradually calmed down.
Only then did Xu Ping’an ask seriously:
“What happened? Can you tell your husband?”
The girl in his arms was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.
“Mhm~”
With Pei Qingxuan’s explanation, Xu Ping’an finally understood why she had been so busy these last few days.
Lately, disciples from various righteous sects had been dispatched to the Floating Cloud Sect to probe for information. Their main concern was to see what state she, the current Flowing Cloud Sect Master, was in.
At the same time, there was another matter: recently, the Demonic Sect had begun to stir, and some Evil Sects long hidden in the shadows also seemed poised to make a move.
Even the Yao Clan from the Myriad Demon Mountains had begun to act.
All of this… was because of the loss of Dragon Qi.
A few days prior, the Emperor of Great Qi had fallen critically ill, and instability rocked the realm, with princes vying for the throne, causing the Dragon Qi of Great Qi to wane.
Dragon Qi was always determined by the rise and fall of a dynasty.
Now, with the Dragon Qi in decline and unable to suppress problems across the land, all manner of trouble was beginning to surface.
Another problem was that, since the last weakening of the Dragon Qi, it had been extremely difficult for Great Qi’s Dragon Qi to recover.
No one knew the exact reason, which was why all the sects had sent their own Great Elders to the Floating Cloud Sect.
After all, Great Qi had always relied on the support of the Floating Cloud Sect, and the current royal bloodline owed their throne to the sect.
Without the sect, they never would have claimed the Dragon Vein.
Thus, when trouble struck Great Qi, the cultivation sects first set their sights on the Floating Cloud Sect.
When Pei Qingxuan had gone missing, the other sects sensed something was amiss and shut their doors, afraid to get entangled in karmic consequences.
Now that Pei Qingxuan had returned, the sects wasted no time in sending people to visit.
On the one hand, it was to express concern; on the other, to seek information.
That was the real reason Pei Qingxuan hadn’t had a moment to see Xu Ping’an these days.
Of all these matters, what worried her most was the trouble with the Great Qi Dragon Vein.
“You’re saying that since that day, Great Qi’s Dragon Vein began to weaken?”
“Mhm…”
Pei Qingxuan nodded slightly, her eyes tinged with helplessness.
Xu Ping’an frowned slightly as he looked at his wife.
He’d always harbored a certain doubt, and now seemed the time to let her clear it up.
“Wife, I have a question—though I’m not sure if I should ask.”
“My husband?”
“You go to such lengths to support Great Qi—is there a reason?”
Pei Qingxuan showed little surprise at the question, merely nodded her head and said:
“Mhm, because… I am of the Royal Bloodline of Great Qi. My mother was the eldest daughter of the Founding Emperor, and my father was the founding general, Pei Ji.”
“I see.”
Xu Ping’an nodded in understanding.
No wonder Pei Qingxuan had always supported the royal family of Great Qi.
So she was a direct descendant of the Founding Emperor.
If you figured it by seniority, then what was he supposed to be?
Grand… grand… grand-uncle-in-law?
He couldn’t help but twitch his mouth.
In a thousand years, how many emperors had come and gone?
Now, the younger generation’s connection to Pei Qingxuan’s bloodline was so distant it hardly mattered.
Yet, strictly speaking, the line had been maintained.
Blood runs thicker than water—no wonder Pei Qingxuan would protect the royal family so fervently.
“Mhm, I understand the general situation now. What you’re worried about is the Dragon Vein of Great Qi, isn’t it?”
“Mhm. In my Floating Cloud Sect, there’s a magical treasure that can show the prosperity or decline of the Dragon Vein. Now, the Dragon Vein is waning. It seems desperate to recover, but it can’t manage it.”
That was clear enough.
Because of her lineage, his wife had a special connection to Great Qi.
And now, as the Dragon Vein of Great Qi began to fade, she was anxious but uncertain whether to confide in him.
That was why she had been so downcast lately.
“Mhm, I understand the general situation. There’s no need to hide this from me. We are husband and wife, two halves of the same whole—your honor is my honor, your loss is my loss. Since this is your family’s matter, I won’t just stand by and do nothing.”
Xu Ping’an smiled and nodded, then glanced at Pei Qingxuan.
“No need to be so anxious, my wife. Leave this matter to me—rest assured, I will find the answer you seek.”
“Mhm.”
Pei Qingxuan’s trust in Xu Ping’an was absolute.
Although Xu Ping’an had not the slightest cultivation, Pei Qingxuan never doubted that he could accomplish whatever he said.
Perhaps it was because she had spoken her heart and felt some relief, or perhaps she’d found her support, but Pei Qingxuan’s body softened, and she clung to Xu Ping’an.
Who knew what she suddenly thought of? She raised her head, eyes like autumn water, voice as soft as the spring breeze.
“My husband, you’ve had it hard these days~ Let me help you relax…”
“Ah?”
Before Xu Ping’an could react, his wife, who had been clinging to him, suddenly slid down.
Relax… Is that what she meant by relaxing?
“Hiss! Mmm…”
But… it was nice, too.
The Hundred-Turn Spirit Serpent coils around the pillar, the Vermillion Gate opens above and below—not for delicacies to moisten the jade lips, but for the little scholar to show the swan’s neck.
When Xu Ping’an walked out of the Pavilion of Immortal World, his legs felt a little weak.
After days of restraint, this natural-born temptress was indeed hard to handle.
He forced himself to appear composed, pretending nothing had happened.
He didn’t care about others, but his wife was still the Sect Master in public. He couldn’t let Pei Qingxuan lose face.
Stepping out of the Pavilion of Immortal World, Xu Ping’an let out a long breath and set off on the path back to Autumn Water Hall, the wind in the nearby woods rustling.
“Dragon Qi… huh?”
Xu Ping’an slowly raised his gaze.
The Chaos Golden Eyes could see through illusions and also had the Qi Viewing ability that countless cultivators dreamed of.
Dragon Qi was among them.
Ordinarily, Xu Ping’an wouldn’t pay attention to Dragon Qi—it had nothing to do with him.
But today, since his wife had opened her immortal lips for this and even moved her clever tongue, how could he, as her husband, not do his part?
He slowly closed his eyes.
Although many abilities of the Chaos Golden Eyes required spiritual energy to activate, Qi Viewing did not. So long as he willed it, he could see the flow of Qi at any time.
When he opened his eyes again, a faint golden light glimmered in his black pupils, and the distant scenery began to change color.
Above the night sky, a golden dragon, its length immeasurable and its width like a mountain range, slowly emerged in his vision.
Yes, when the Dragon Qi was strong, the entire dragon’s body…