“Good morning, did you rest well?”
In the early morning courtyard, the spiritual dew had not yet evaporated.
The plants breathed out a lush green essence, and a gentle spring breeze, carrying the unique coolness and freshness of the Secret Realm, brushed past.
Jiang Huai stood in the courtyard, speaking warmly to Qin Xuange as she pushed open the door of the side room.
“It was… alright.” Qin Xuange nodded slightly, her voice very soft.
Her gaze involuntarily drifted toward the closed door of the main house.
In truth, she had barely closed her eyes last night.
The commotion in the main house next door had not been earth-shattering, but the faint, lingering sounds—Su Yingman’s alternatingly charming and bold, explicit moans mixed with Jiang Huai’s low pants and muffled groans—had filtered into her ears.
It had disturbed her mind and caused her blood and qi to surge.
Fortunately, as a cultivator, her constitution was special.
Even though she had stayed up all night, she still looked radiant as she quietly walked to a position half a step behind Jiang Huai.
Inside the main house, Su Yingman and Zhu Siyao were currently huddled together under soft quilts, enjoying a moment of peace after the storm.
Even for cultivators who usually substituted sleep with meditation, it was often difficult to resist the peace and satisfaction brought by a deep, relaxing slumber after experiencing such pleasure and the blending of soul and flesh.
“It is good that you are alright. I plan to visit the Red Dragon Clan again today. Do you want to come along?” Jiang Huai asked.
After being turned away yesterday, he decided to try again.
It would be best if he could explain things clearly to Chi Hong.
In truth, he had not fully decided how to phrase it.
He could hardly say to Chi Hong directly: ‘Please, my cultivation cannot progress without you, so let us go enjoy the clouds and rain together!’
‘Is that not a bit too frivolous?’
Most importantly, what if she did not agree or made some incredibly difficult request?
“Young Lord Jiang does not need to be so polite with me.” Qin Xuange had already walked to the stone table.
With practiced movements, she poured him a cup of warm spiritual tea and offered it with both hands, her voice calm and steady.
“I came here because of a bet. I am your maid and servant, here to follow your orders.” She continued, “There are no urgent matters within the Black Dragon Clan at the moment. You may simply give me your commands, Young Master.”
Jiang Huai took the teacup and took a sip.
The crisp, slightly sweet aroma of the tea dissolved in his mouth. He smiled.
“Then come with me. It will be good to have the company. Siyao and Yingman had some unpleasantness with the Red Dragon Clan a few days ago, so it might be inappropriate for them to follow. White Dew is busy with defense duties and is not here.”
Qin Xuange felt a flash of surprise, and confusion appeared on her face.
“Now that you mention it, has Clan Leader White Dew really not come to see you? I thought she would care quite a bit.”
After all, the two of them even had a child together.
Little Lai Jia’s appearance had caused quite a stir within the Dragon Race.
Many dragons were gossiping, and the topic of Jiang Huai being a “Dragon Knight” was very popular.
Jiang Huai shrugged, not caring about such things.
His tone was relaxed. “No. The Northern Plains defense line needs to be consolidated, and her responsibilities are heavy. Romantic sentiments can be set aside for now.”
“We will eventually meet again. We both know each other’s feelings, so there is no need to use anything else to prove it. Even if she does not come to see me, it does not matter.”
To use a single action to unconditionally prove someone’s heart was inherently unreasonable. Jiang Huai did not mind.
White Dew understood this logic as well, and since their hearts were connected, they did not dwell on it.
The two of them walked one after the other, slowly heading toward the Red Dragon Clan’s territory.
After walking for a distance, Jiang Huai suddenly stopped and turned around to look at Qin Xuange, who had maintained a distance of exactly half a step behind him.
“Actually, I have never truly considered you a maidservant. While you are by my side, you do not need to…”
Qin Xuange raised her eyes.
Those eyes, which were extremely similar to Qin Qingyue’s, held a shallow smile as she looked steadily at Jiang Huai.
Her lips curved into a knowing arc, and she interrupted him softly.
“What do you mean by that, Young Lord Jiang? Is this a little trick to make me stay? A way to keep me from leaving too quickly because of the discomfort of being a ‘maid’?”
Her words were sharp, turning into a sword of truth that pierced through Jiang Huai’s minor schemes.
“You…” Jiang Huai was choked up by her direct question. With his thoughts exposed, he suddenly felt a bit embarrassed.
“You can interpret it that way for now,” he muttered vaguely before quickening his pace.
‘I hope this similar face can stay a bit longer.’
At the Red Dragon Clan’s temporary residence, outside the Clan Leader’s quarters.
“The Saint Son of the Nine Heavens Palace, Jiang Huai, has come to visit Clan Leader Chi Hong.”
The attendant’s clear announcement drifted through the door.
Behind the warm jade desk, Chi Hong was holding a brush and reviewing a jade slip.
Her wrist did not stop, and she did not even lift her head. She simply gave a faint instruction.
“Tell him that I am in seclusion, comprehending a critical cultivation technique, and am not receiving guests.”
Her brush continued to move as she added, “If he brought gifts again, return them all unopened for the same reason.”
To the side, Chi Huang, who was practicing sword techniques with a longsword flowing with crimson flames, paused her lithe body.
She halted her sword stance and urgently turned her beautiful eyes toward Chi Hong, frantically sending “please see him” signals with her gaze.
Unfortunately, her Honored Master seemed completely immersed in official business.
She ignored her disciple’s “eye language” and showed no intention of changing her mind.
“Why won’t you see him? What if there is something important?” Chi Huang sheathed her sword and sidled up to Chi Hong’s side, asking in a whisper as she leaned against her.
Being nudged by her, Chi Hong’s brush tip wobbled slightly.
She irritably raised her other hand and flicked her finger against the girl’s smooth forehead, her tone carrying a hint of mockery.
“If you are so bored that you are going crazy, go outside and practice your sword properly! Didn’t you say you wanted to surpass that Qin Xuange as soon as possible? What use is there in just being a chatterbox here?”
When she handled official business, many matters were either done through the clan’s communication jade or by having Chi Huang take her jade slips to others to strengthen the girl’s authority.
Consequently, while handling clan affairs in her private room, Chi Hong dressed very casually and comfortably.
She had recently bathed and was wearing only a loose, thin red gauze robe.
Underneath, she wore only a light tube top and undergarments.
The gauze material was soft and light, barely hiding anything.
Instead, it outlined her plump, towering, and breathtakingly undulating curves in a hazy fashion, adding an infinite amount of charm.
Especially since she was close, Chi Huang could glimpse the neatly trimmed, exquisite, and lustrous red hair—not too much, not too little, just right.
“He only brought Qin Xuange with him this time. It is obviously a private matter,” Chi Hong said indifferently while fluently annotating the jade slip.
“If it were truly a vital matter regarding the alliance between the two clans or the Northern Plains defense, he would not have come for a private visit alone. That woman Su Yingman would have surely accompanied him personally to conduct formal negotiations in the name of the Nine Heavens Palace.”
“As for the matter of Qin Xuange…” Chi Hong chuckled softly, not caring at all.
“Just listen to her nonsense. She is still only at the Nascent Soul stage. I expect she lost that bet last time and cannot overcome the Heart Demon in her own mind. In truth, the geniuses of the Black Dragon Clan sometimes just take face too seriously and struggle with themselves.”
At this point, she glanced at her disciple, who was leaning against her like she had no bones.
Her tone became complex as she secretly mocked, “If it were you, you probably would not have that kind of worry.”
Hearing this, Chi Huang was not angry. Instead, she giggled, her tone becoming soft, charming, and full of imagination.
“If I had known, I would have bet something with Jiang Huai that day too. If I lost, I would just cling to his side and refuse to leave even if I were killed.”
“I really did not expect that Qin Xuange actually lost to Jiang Huai that day.”
“Useless. Her cultivation is higher than yours now.” Chi Hong glared at her, too lazy to deal with this disciple whose head was full of “crooked ideas.”
She refocused her attention on the jade slip in front of her.
‘Sigh, how did my disciple end up like this?’
Jiang Huai stood alone in the hall. This time, he did not even get to see Chi Huang’s face.
The attendant politely relayed the news of the Clan Leader’s seclusion.
He did not even get to give the gifts he held, and he left with Qin Xuange in disappointment.
The next day, Jiang Huai visited again.
The response was the same: “The Clan Leader is in seclusion and is not seeing outside guests.”
On the third day, Jiang Huai’s figure appeared once more at the entrance of the Red Dragon Clan’s territory.
As a result, without any surprise, it was still that closed door and that same old excuse.
For the next several days, it was the exact same story.
The other party still refused to see him.
Jiang Huai grew anxious. Grabbing Qin Xuange, he prepared to sneak inside.