Time flowed quietly, and Jiang Huai’s condition improved day by day.
The most obvious change was that opening his eyes was no longer such a struggle, and he could occasionally manage a few words in a voice that was still husky but now audible.
Though his body remained thin and frail, the withered vitality in his depths was like an old tree brushed by a spring breeze, quietly sprouting new green.
Under the dual nourishment of precious Immortal Medicine and pure Dragon Essence, his skin and flesh grew and filled out at a speed far beyond common logic.
Although he was still far from a full recovery, that heart-wrenching, skeletal look had already faded.
At the very least, he looked like a living person, albeit a sickly one.
Su Yingman would visit him whenever she had the chance.
She would sit by the bed, holding his hand, and chatter endlessly about her private feelings.
Her words were nothing more than expressions of concern and lingering fear, such as “You must never take such a risk again,” “Even if you had to go, you should have taken more people with you,” and “What would we do if anything happened to you?”
White Dew, however, never once showed her face.
It was not because she did not care, but because she was truly overwhelmed by work.
In his last desperate gamble, Jiang Huai had used his Essence Blood to drive the remains of the previous Yin-Yang Body, heavily wounding the elite Extraterrestrial Demons that had sneaked into the Northern Plains.
This had disrupted their plan to strike at the heart of the region, forcing them to temporarily retreat and turn to devouring other areas of the Five Provinces to replenish their losses.
This had bought a much-needed breathing spell for the Northern Plains and the remaining forces of the Five Provinces.
White Dew had seized this window of opportunity.
Working day and night, she personally led the Dragon Race and the Human Race Cultivators, including Formation masters, to exhaust all available resources to construct a complete defensive system.
The glow of Formations shone day and night on the borders of the Northern Plains.
Trenches, fortresses, and layers of Forbidden Arrays were rapidly established.
She was determined to turn the Northern Plains into a truly impregnable fortress, vowing never to let the tragedy of Chi Hong’s danger or Jiang Huai’s near-death repeat itself.
It was another morning.
The White Dragon Secret Realm was cold all year round, but a ray of bright sunlight from the outside world managed to filter into the room.
The light passed through the window, softly spilling into the chamber and casting mottled shadows on the floor.
It brought a warmth that seemed out of place in the Secret Realm yet was deeply reassuring as it quietly climbed onto the edge of the bed.
Jiang Huai lay quietly in the middle of the soft Bed of Soft Jade, sleeping soundly. Having suffered such severe injuries and exhaustion, his sleep was much deeper than usual, and his breathing was slow and steady.
Inside him, his Small World was recovering bit by bit under the autonomous circulation of the Two Energies of Yin and Yang.
It was an extremely difficult and stubborn process as it absorbed the continuous stream of nutrients from the outside to replenish itself.
This speed of recovery seemed slow, but it was actually heaven-defying.
If a Great Ascension Stage powerhouse like White Dew or Chi Hong had their Original Source damaged and their flesh withered to the point Jiang Huai’s had been, it would be a toss-up whether they could even survive, let alone show such visible signs of returning vitality.
At this moment, the warmth beneath the Brocade Quilt remained.
Two red Dragon Shadows, one on the left and one on the right, stayed in their coiled positions.
“Honored Master…” Chihuang’s small Red Dragon head lifted from the side of Jiang Huai’s neck.
Her voice was extremely low, tinged with a hint of a complaint as she used her Dragon Horn to gently nudge Chi Hong on the other side.
“Your tail is poking me.”
Chi Hong was coiled a bit further down.
Hearing this, her Dragon Eyes narrowed slightly as if she were still feigning sleep to enjoy the morning tranquility.
She replied vaguely, “Hmm? What nonsense. Where did I touch you?”
“Honored Master, stop joking with me,” Chihuang said, giving her another gentle nudge.
In truth, she felt a slight dissatisfaction toward her master.
Over the past few days, Jiang Huai’s body had clearly improved.
His blood and qi were gradually returning, and the frigid deathly aura within him had mostly been dispersed.
He no longer required them to output massive amounts of Dragon Essence to keep him warm.
Logically, her Honored Master’s mission of “helping to hold the spot” and “helping her create an opportunity” was mostly finished.
Why was she still lingering?
Chihuang could clearly feel that the amount of Dragon Essence her master was providing had decreased significantly.
Since that was the case, she could easily take care of Jiang Huai alone and maintain enough warmth for him.
Shouldn’t her Honored Master retire after a job well done and leave the alone time to her?
Chi Hong was becoming a bit impatient from her disciple’s nudging.
She was just about to scold her for being disrespectful when her Dragon Tail, without her realizing it, subconsciously probed upward along the contour of Jiang Huai’s thigh…
In the next moment, Chi Hong’s dragon body stiffened.
The words she was about to say were instantly swallowed back down as her Dragon Eyes widened.
Chi Hong felt as if she had been stung by something. Her Dragon Tail reflexively recoiled, and her red Dragon Scales rubbed against each other under the quilt, making a faint rustling sound.
‘Is his recovery really this fast? Or is it the Innate Talent of the Yin-Yang Body?’
A flash of surprise crossed Chi Hong’s heart, followed by a sudden realization.
“Honored Master?” Chihuang keenly noticed her master’s strange behavior.
The two of them were in the same bed, and they were so close that even the slightest movement was hard to hide.
Driven by curiosity, Chihuang mimicked Chi Hong’s unconscious movement.
She carefully controlled her own Dragon Tail and slowly explored upward along Jiang Huai’s other thigh.
“Yah!” Chihuang couldn’t help but let out a tiny gasp, her Dragon Tail snapping back instantly.
She stared with wide, red Dragon Eyes and turned to look at Chi Hong. her gaze filled with confusion.
“This is…?” She wasn’t entirely ignorant of the affairs between men and women.
The Red Dragon Clan was fiery by nature, and she naturally understood some of the relevant knowledge.
But understanding was one thing; witnessing it firsthand—especially when the subject was the severely injured and bedridden Jiang Huai, who had always seemed incredibly weak—was a bit too much of a shock.
‘Isn’t this… isn’t this something that only happens during… that time? How did he… while he’s still injured…’
Chi Hong glanced at her disciple’s stunned expression and felt both a bit amused and a bit embarrassed.
She turned her dragon head slightly and leaned closer to Chihuang to explain.
“This simply proves that his physical foundation is recovering exceptionally well. His vitality is bursting.”
“Oh…” Chihuang realized the truth, and the confusion in her heart was replaced by a sense of excitement and curiosity.
She couldn’t help but want to lean forward, attempting to lift a corner of the quilt to observe for herself.
“What are you trying to do?” Chi Hong noticed her disciple’s intention and immediately stopped her with a look.
“I just… I just wanted to see if I should help warm that part too,” Chihuang found a clumsy excuse, looking a bit sheepish.
It did seem a bit much.
Chi Hong rolled her eyes at her, thinking, ‘You know exactly what you’re planning. You can come up with any excuse.’
She was just about to quietly scold Chihuang and tell her to behave and not do anything too excessive on someone else’s territory.
In truth, Chi Hong felt a bit guilty, feeling that her own actions toward Jiang Huai were already somewhat questionable.
The door to the quiet room was pushed open softly.
Chi Lian arrived punctually to wipe down Jiang Huai’s body and change his medicine, just as she did every day.
Today, she was not wearing the solemn Saintess attire of the Nine Heavens Palace, nor was she wearing the brilliant red dress favored by the Red Dragon Clan.
Instead, she had changed into a delicate pink silk dress that looked like a peach blossom in early bloom.
The dress was well-tailored, accentuating her increasingly plump and graceful figure.
Her jet-black hair was pinned up in a gentle bun with a simple jade hairpin.
She had less of her usual charm today and more of the gentle temperament of a devoted wife.
She walked in quietly.
Her gaze first landed on Jiang Huai’s sleeping face, and the corners of her lips unconsciously curled into a tender arc as she whispered to herself, “Husband Lord’s complexion seems even better today.”
These words were spoken to herself.
She did not bother to greet the two Red Dragons on the bed, nor did she plan to.
She had already told Sister Su about the two of them.
Sister Su was furious, but considering that Jiang Huai’s body needed to be kept warm, it wasn’t a good time to have a falling out.
She told Chi Lian not to worry about it for now and to wait until Jiang Huai had recovered before settling the score.
Chi Lian had no choice but to let it go and maintain her composure, following Sister Su’s advice.
She skillfully took out a jade basin filled with warm Spiritual Spring water, a soft towel, and several small white jade bottles containing different medicinal liquids from her Storage Ring.
She began making preparations on the small table by the bed.
Then, she walked to the foot of the bed and gently lifted a corner of the Brocade Quilt, revealing Jiang Huai’s body from the calves down.
She wrung out the towel and, as she prepared to start wiping as usual, she said habitually, “You two, please move your bodies a little—”
Her voice stopped abruptly. Chi Lian’s gaze was firmly locked.
There were also those two sneaky, reddish Dragon Tails on either side.
Her movements froze, and the tender smile on her face stiffened for a moment.
“It seems my Husband Lord has indeed recovered quite well.” Chi Lian’s voice didn’t sound unusual; it was filled with gratification.
But when her gaze swept over those two Dragon Tails that were attempting to “stay invisible,” her eyes regained their usual tenderness and calm, as if she hadn’t seen a thing.
She continued in her normal tone, “This Concubine will clean your body.”
With that, she began her work earnestly, starting from the ankles and shins and moving upward bit by bit with gentle, meticulous movements.
Chihuang’s heart began to throb.
She quietly turned her dragon head and hid it by Jiang Huai’s neck, leaving only one eye exposed to closely monitor Chi Lian’s movements.
She watched that delicate hand holding the cotton cloth as it wiped from the calves to the thighs, getting closer and closer.
Suddenly, Chi Lian’s wiping motion paused, and she looked up.
Chihuang quickly pulled her head completely back into the crook of Jiang Huai’s neck, pretending she had been focused on being a “loyal dragon heater” all along.
Chi Lian pursed her lips, a flash of helplessness appearing in her eyes.
Then she ignored it, lowered her head, and continued her work. Her movements became even more gentle and slow, even carrying a sort of pious detail.
She felt that as her Husband Lord’s Concubine, she had a responsibility to maintain him properly. Conveniently, she was quite adept at this sort of thing.
Thus, she set aside all stray thoughts and focused entirely, using the warm Spiritual Spring water and the life-filled medicinal liquid to wipe every single inch with care.
She treated him like a rare treasure of the world, making sure he was clean, smooth, and in optimal condition.
The slumbering Jiang Huai seemed to feel something. His brow furrowed slightly, and his legs moved unconsciously as his lips parted.
‘Good.’ Chi Lian nodded secretly to herself, quite satisfied with the results of her “maintenance.”
Chi Hong kept her Dragon Eyes lowered the entire time, appearing to be feigning sleep.
She was more composed than Chihuang and had a better sense of boundaries, knowing that now was absolutely not the time to watch.
She thought to her herself, ‘There will be plenty of time in the future. Come what may, once I truly take Jiang Huai and he becomes my own, I can look however I want, do whatever I… cough.’
Chihuang, however, could not suppress her restless and curious dragon heart.
Seeing that Chi Lian seemed to be focusing on wiping Jiang Huai’s upper body, she began to quietly adjust the angle of her dragon body again, attempting to catch another glimpse from a different direction.
Right at that moment, Chi Lian shifted her body slightly.
Her long hair slid down, perfectly and tightly blocking the view Chihuang was trying to sneak, leaving her with nothing but the back of a graceful head.
‘Chi Lian!’ Chihuang complained in her heart, feeling quite frustrated. ‘Really, does it have to be like this? Can’t we go back to the way things were?!’
With her back to Chihuang, the corners of Chi Lian’s mouth curved upward, and a smile flickered in her eyes.
At this moment, Chi Lian’s gaze was fixed on the results of the meticulous maintenance she had just performed.
The more she looked, the more satisfied she became, and the more joy filled her heart.
This proved his body was recovering well. As long as her Husband Lord got better, everything would be fine.
In high spirits, Chi Lian couldn’t help but hum an unknown little tune.
The gloom that had clouded her brow for the past few days due to her worry was swept away, replaced by joy.
She believed the future would definitely be better. In time, the beauty of the past would return.
Chi Lian intended to continue wiping Jiang Huai’s chest and arms, but her gaze seemed glued to him.
She couldn’t resist sneaking another look.
Tenderness surged in her heart, and she leaned down slightly, like a pilgrim, and placed a pious, quick kiss.
‘I’m his Concubine, and an officially recognized one at that, approved by Qin Qingyue. A kiss is harmless.’
‘I’ll just kiss you once.’
“What are you doing?” Jiang Huai suddenly opened his eyes. He leaned forward and asked with a strange expression.
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