Inside the warm Xianzhou room, the air was filled with the faint scent of spiritual medicine.
Chihuang had shed almost all her clothing, pressing her naturally plump and soft body against Jiang Huai’s cold, withered frame without reservation.
Compared to other dragon races, the Red Dragon Clan possessed bodies that were more voluptuous and full.
Their skin was delicate and exceptionally warm to the touch, as if they were born to provide warmth.
The crimson Dragon Tail behind her quietly extended and grew larger.
Carrying a searing but not scalding heat, it tightly wrapped the two of them inside.
Chihuang propped up her upper body slightly, lowering her gaze to quietly watch the man in her arms.
His face was ashen, his cheeks were deeply sunken, and his cheekbones protruded.
His skin, pale from excessive blood loss, clung tightly to his bone structure, making it nearly impossible to see the handsome and elegant young man he once was.
His originally full muscles had atrophied, and even through the thin fabric of his clothes, his bones felt sharp to the touch.
A surge of pity and a stinging pain gripped Chihuang’s heart.
This man, who had drained nearly all his blood and burned his very life to save her Honored Master and help Bai Lu escape, was now as weak as a shattered, withered leaf.
She no longer hesitated.
Closing her eyes, she fully activated the unique, scorching Dragon Essence of the Red Dragon Clan within her body.
A pure and gentle stream of heat flowed continuously from her soft, curvaceous body into Jiang Huai’s freezing frame.
Perhaps the warmth transmitted through their skin was too real, or perhaps the crimson Dragon Tail covering him brought a sense of familiarity.
In his coma, Jiang Huai’s brow smoothed slightly, and he stopped unconsciously letting out vague, cold moans.
Chihuang felt a surge of joy, and a spark of light flickered in her Dragon Eyes.
‘It works!’
She focused even more on driving her Dragon Essence, pouring that warmth into him without holding anything back.
Jiang Huai’s consciousness drifted among grotesque fragments of memory.
The scenes from the past were incredibly clear, yet they were shattered and jumped erratically.
He felt the warmth and softness enveloping him, as well as the heavy weight of the “blanket” covering him.
‘Is this the touch of a Dragon Tail?’
In his daze, he thought he had returned to the Longyin Hall of the Nine Heavens Palace, back to that wide Bed of Soft Jade.
That was it.
Only Qin Qingyue would act this way, using such a domineering yet tender method to pull him entirely into her embrace, covering him with her Dragon Tail while they slept.
“Qingyue…” his dry, cracked lips moved.
Chihuang’s face froze.
She lowered her eyes, and a wave of indescribable bitterness washed through her heart.
She was a proud person.
She had undressed to provide Jiang Huai with warmth, yet she was being treated like a substitute.
But as soon as that bitterness rose, Chihuang slashed through it with a mental sword. She stopped dwelling on it and instead pressed herself even closer to him.
It was common knowledge that Jiang Huai loved Qin Qingyue.
If not for the requirements of his special Physique, given his identity and potential, and Qin Qingyue’s status and strength, he probably wouldn’t have allowed anyone else by his side.
‘Calling out Qin Qingyue’s name now… doesn’t that just prove my warmth is awakening his memories of her? Doesn’t it mean he is feeling better and no longer sinking into the cold?’
‘Is my purpose not to make him feel better and help him live?’
‘As long as he can recover, as long as he can live, what does it matter whose role I am playing right now?’
Once she reached this realization, the bitterness receded like the tide.
Not only did she not let go, but she held Jiang Huai even tighter, leaving almost no gap between them as her Dragon Tail tightened its seal around him.
Chihuang was startled by the subtle change in her own mindset.
‘Since when did I become so understanding, even somewhat submissive?’
This was completely unlike her usual personality.
In the past, if she brought him breakfast and he didn’t look back, she would never have chased after him to deliver it.
At most, she would have thrown it away.
Then, the face of Chi Lian flashed through Chihuang’s mind.
‘That’s right, Chi Lian.’
If she hadn’t been so reluctant back then and hadn’t forced Chi Lian to go spar with Jiang Huai, perhaps she would already be his rightful Dao Companion? If that were the case, wouldn’t this skin-to-skin contact and undressing to keep him warm be perfectly natural and justified?
But the thought only lasted for a moment before Chihuang gently shook her head.
‘It’s impossible.’
Back then, she was arrogant and looked down on everyone. Even without Chi Lian, given her attitude and behavior at the time, she likely would have only caused Jiang Huai frustration.
The past, after all, could not be changed.
As the Scarlet Dragon Essence continued its steady and gentle infusion, the temperature of Jiang Huai’s cold body finally began to rise slowly.
Although it was still on the lower side, it was no longer deathly cold.
His breathing gradually became more distinct and longer, and his chest showed a faint rise and fall against Chihuang’s chest.
“Zhaohua, take your medicine…” another muffled mumble sounded.
Jiang Huai’s consciousness seemed to jump into another fragment of memory.
It was a simple but cozy bedroom in a Little Courtyard. On the bed, Wu Zhaohua sat leaning back, looking sickly and pale. Her beautiful eyes were fixed stubbornly on him, filled with low spirits.
He carried a bowl of steaming decoction to the bedside, sat down, and gently offered the spoon to her lips. His voice was tender.
“Take your medicine properly. I have to go out soon.”
“Rest peacefully at home. I’ve finished writing the storybook. I’ll bring you lunch at noon.”
‘Does that medicine really work?’ He wasn’t quite sure, but last time, he had clearly seen her able to get out of bed and walk around.
‘Huh? Today’s Wu Zhaohua seems exceptionally beautiful.’
She was as cool and elegant as moonlight, with features as beautiful as a painting, though her brows were slightly furrowed with a touch of pitiable sorrow.
‘Wait, Wu Zhaohua doesn’t look like this, does she?’
‘But why am I so certain in my heart that the person before me is Wu Zhaohua?’
The Wu Zhaohua on the bed obediently lowered her head and took a small sip of the medicine.
Then, she raised her slender hand and gently pushed the bowl away.
Her voice was ethereal, tinged with grievance.
“What medicine does a Great Ascension Stage Cultivator need to drink? You should accompany me back to the Sect to get married.”
“You promised me. This time, you won’t reject me again, will you?”
Having said that, while Jiang Huai watched in shock, Wu Zhaohua actually floated up from the Bed of Soft Jade.
The coarse cloth clothes she wore transformed at some point into an elegant, otherworldly white immortal dress.
She reached out and grabbed his collar, effortlessly lifting his entire person.
Her other hand swept through the air, snatching the stack of storybooks he had just finished from the table.
Then, she simply carried him like that, drifting toward the sky.
‘She seems to be a Cultivator… but how do I know that, yet not know it at the same time?’ In his half-conscious state, Jiang Huai thought dizzily.
In reality, Chihuang’s large, beautiful eyes blinked.
Listening to the names of the two different women Jiang Huai was whispering, she couldn’t help but make comparisons in her heart.
‘Between Qin Qingyue and Wu Zhaohua, which one does Jiang Huai like more?’
‘It should be Qin Qingyue, right?’ Even though he was Wu Zhaohua’s commoner husband, he spent most of his time by Qin Qingyue’s side. Their feelings were likely deeper.
‘A grand victory for the Dragon Race!’
She gently rested her chin on Jiang Huai’s shoulder, her warm breath brushing against his cold earlobe.
Yes, Chihuang felt that her temperament hadn’t actually changed; her pride was still there. Even without Chi Lian, things probably would have ended poorly between her and Jiang Huai.
But so what?
The past cannot be undone, but the future is still within reach. What happened yesterday is dead; what happens today is a new life.
Chihuang’s gaze fell upon the very real body in her arms.
‘He is right here, lying in my embrace, accepting my warmth.’
‘What is the point of dwelling on the ethereal “what if” of the past?’
Just like in the Five Provinces — many Great Ascension Cultivators used to awe the world, but where are they now? A person should grasp the future! This sentence held true even for a Dragon!
With her thoughts cleared, Chihuang felt her heart become transparent and honest.
She quietly turned her head, glancing out of the corner of her eye toward the distance.
Her Honored Master, Chi Hong, was still in her original Red Dragon form, coiled on the soft couch on the other side of the room.
Her eyes were tightly shut as she focused on healing herself.
Confirming her Master wasn’t watching, Chihuang turned back and buried her burning cheek against the side of Jiang Huai’s neck.
Her heartbeat involuntarily quickened.
Holding her breath, her cherry lips approached his cold earlobe. She whispered a quiet call.
“Husband Lord…”
The moment she said it, a wave of shyness swept through her entire body, dyeing her ears and neck a deep crimson.
Yet, at the same time, a surge of excitement and sweetness — carrying a hint of forbidden pleasure — rose within her. Her heart skipped a few more beats.
On the soft couch, Chi Hong opened her eyes and looked at Chihuang with surprise. Feeling somewhat amused, she slowly shook her head.
‘Calling him that randomly… the man might not even want you.’
Chihuang naturally noticed her Master’s gaze, but her heart remained calm.
She even felt a sense of righteous defiance, as if she had nothing left to lose.
‘So what if I called him that? We are already skin-to-skin, embracing each other tightly. What’s wrong with me calling him “husband”?’
‘Could anyone other than a husband and wife be pressed together like this?’
After comforting herself this way, the remaining bit of shyness in Chihuang’s heart was suppressed by a more fervent emotion.
As if wanting to seize this rare opportunity, or perhaps wanting to completely convince herself, she leaned close to his ear again.
Her voice remained gentle as she repeated in a low whisper.
“Husband Lord, Husband Lord, hurry and wake up.”
‘He was supposed to be my husband in the first place, I just accidentally lost him for a moment.’
‘This time, no matter what, I must work hard to get him back.’
The unconscious Jiang Huai frowned slightly. He seemed instinctively puzzled by this familiar voice calling him “husband.”
Chihuang was immersed in her emotions and intended to call out a few more times, but the Xianzhou came to a smooth halt, making her heart jump.
‘Oh no.’
Immediately after, the door to the room was pushed open.
Bai Lu’s figure appeared at the doorway, her face filled with worry and her tone urgent.
“We’ve arrived. Carefully carry Jiang Huai out, we need — “
Her voice cut off abruptly.
Those ice-blue eyes turned cold.
She clenched her teeth, squeezing out a frustrated, bewildered, and icy demand.
“Get out here, put your clothes on, and explain yourself!”
Bai Lu saw the red clothes neatly folded by the bed, the curve of a plump hip silhouetted under the blanket inside her own husband’s bed, a bare shoulder peeking out, and Chihuang holding Jiang Huai tightly.
‘Was this female dragon of the Red Dragon Clan insane?’
“I… I was just helping him stay warm,” Chihuang said, her voice sounding guilty.