“N-No…”
“M-My… injury… hasn’t healed yet!”
Jiang Huai begged Wu Zhaohua in broken phrases.
His body was covered in scratch marks, especially on the Black Dragon Mark and Red Dragon Mark areas, all red welts that Wu Zhaohua had ruthlessly scratched out.
Fingernails raked across his skin, leaving crescent-shaped marks.
Wu Zhaohua moved harshly up and down, watching those marks with heartache.
She looked down at him from above, her black hair flying, her heart a mix of emotions, staring at the marks all over Jiang Huai’s body.
Black Dragon Mark, White Dragon Mark, Red Dragon Mark, Yellow Dragon Mark, Azure Dragon Mark.
Every single mark was left by other women! It was like the heartache of seeing her own good boy go out and come back covered in other people’s marks.
“You’re mine! Mine! Mine!” Wu Zhaohua grabbed Jiang Huai’s throat, her voice rapid, filled with fierce possessiveness.
Jiang Huai nodded repeatedly, gasping for breath as he answered, “Yours, yours… Stop hitting me!”
He turned his head, looking past Wu Zhaohua’s shoulder toward the window.
The sky was gradually brightening; a sliver of light slipped in through the windowsill, illuminating the chaotic scene inside the bridal chamber.
The red candles were nearly spent, the wedding clothes scattered across the floor, the brocade quilt crumpled into a ball.
When they entered the bridal chamber, the sky hadn’t been dark yet, but now it was already light. Jiang Huai had thought it would be a gentle, loving wedding night, but he never expected it to turn out like this.
She seemed to want to vent all the resentment and possessiveness she had accumulated over the years in this one night.
Wu Zhaohua suddenly stopped, looked down at Jiang Huai’s face, her beautiful eyes narrowing slightly. She reached out and patted his cheek.
“As long as I’m alive, you’re not allowed to go to other women. Not a single one!”
“That way, you’ll be mine alone.”
A bitter smile appeared at the corner of Jiang Huai’s mouth. He said helplessly, “Is this the tyranny of a Heavenly Immortal?”
If he went by what she said, he probably wouldn’t see anyone else for a very, very long time.
A Heavenly Immortal’s lifespan was unimaginably long, often measured in tens of thousands of years.
If he were really locked up by her for life, he might not even know if someone’s lifespan was nearly over.
“Yeah, you said it yourself: even if I turned into a stone, you’d still like me.”
Wu Zhaohua rolled over and lay down beside Jiang Huai, pillowing her head on his arm. She closed her eyes and enjoyed this rare quiet moment.
Time trickled by. Neither of them spoke, but it was just comfortable.
Breathing even, heartbeats close. Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on their overlapping shadows.
Only Jiang Huai felt pain in his waist—Wu Zhaohua didn’t treat him like an injured person at all! He turned his head and saw tears flowing from the corners of Wu Zhaohua’s eyes.
She was staring blankly, reaching out her hand as if touching something invisible.
“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” Jiang Huai panicked, grabbing Wu Zhaohua’s hand and struggling to sit up.
“I really want to grab time, to make it stop at this moment,” Wu Zhaohua murmured, her voice choked with sobs.
Jiang Huai comforted her, “We’ll have many more moments like this.”
“It’s okay. Tomorrow works, and the day after, and the day after that.”
Wu Zhaohua suddenly broke into a smile through her tears. She patted Jiang Huai’s shoulder and waved her hand, making the tears on her face disappear.
She turned back into that aloof female Sword Immortal, the one who cut down the Heavenly Demon with a single sword strike, the first to return from the Immortal Realm.
“Alright, that’s it. You should go into seclusion to recover.”
“All this time, I’ve been clinging to you. Actually, I’ve been delaying your recovery speed.”
Wu Zhaohua reached out and gently touched Jiang Huai’s cheek, her movements tender. Her tone was too gentle, so gentle that it felt unreal to Jiang Huai.
“It’s fine. The Five Provinces are at peace. With you, a great Sword Immortal, around, it doesn’t matter if I recover a bit slower.”
“Actually, I don’t want to go into seclusion either,” Jiang Huai said, leaning against her with a grin.
“Why don’t you want to go into seclusion? Cultivate properly!” Wu Zhaohua poked his head.
“I don’t know how long seclusion will take. Actually, I really want to spend more time with you,” Jiang Huai said softly, staring into Wu Zhaohua’s eyes.
Wu Zhaohua was startled. She lifted Jiang Huai’s chin and gave a light snort.
“I knew you’d say something that makes people cry.”
She pinched Jiang Huai’s cheek and suddenly said regretfully, “If only you were mine alone.”
“But I don’t mind anymore. During this time, you’ve been mine alone.”
“Maybe after thinking about it for so many years, my wish has already been fulfilled.”
Wu Zhaohua paused and withdrew her hand. “In a few days, go into seclusion.”
“Not only to recover from your injuries and break through to Great Ascension, but also to take another step forward.”
“I want to see the first Heavenly Immortal with a Yin-Yang Body. He must be very powerful, and he can definitely protect the path of our Wenxuan Sect forever.”
“The Wenxuan Sect will be yours in the future too! You need to take good care of it!” She suddenly sat up, her expression serious as she told him.
Jiang Huai kissed her palm and said softly, “Alright, I will definitely break through to Heavenly Immortal and show you.”
—
In the next few days, Jiang Huai and Wu Zhaohua wandered around Central State like an ordinary couple.
Wu Zhaohua used her Sword Qi to mark out a large territory and forcibly brought in a lot of people. Central State actually had a bustling, prosperous scene.
Shops lined both sides of the street, with pedestrians coming and going like weaving.
There were those selling sugar-coated hawthorns, those making dough figurines, those performing acrobatics and street shows. Children chased and played, old men played chess under the trees.
Wu Zhaohua changed into an ordinary cloth skirt, her makeup plain. Walking among the crowd, she looked like an ordinary young wife.
Jiang Huai wore a green robe and walked side by side with her.
They visited the market, watched acrobatics, and ate wontons at a roadside stall. They spent a whole day watching the water at the lake.
She hugged him from behind, her chin resting on his shoulder. He didn’t turn around. His hand covered hers, fingers interlaced.
At dusk, they climbed the city tower and gazed into the distance. The setting sun stretched their shadows very, very long.
On the last day, Jiang Huai stretched lazily on the inn bed, only to find that Wu Zhaohua had already woken up and was sitting by the bed, watching him.
“What? Didn’t you rest?” he asked with a yawn, his tone lazy.
“I’ve been so comfortable lately. I don’t want to go into seclusion anymore.”
Wu Zhaohua watched for a while longer, then suddenly laughed. “No, you need to go into seclusion.”
“Huh?” Jiang Huai frowned in confusion.
Wu Zhaohua ignored his confusion. She grabbed him by the collar and flew up into the air.
“Right now? Isn’t that a bit rushed?” Jiang Huai floated in the air, eyes wide as he asked.
…
Wu Zhaohua did not speak. Along the way, her Sword Qi raged, quickly bringing him to a forbidden land of the Wenxuan Sect.
It was a deep tunnel, with both stone walls carved with runes, emitting a faint white light. At the end of the tunnel was a stone door.
Behind it was a small stone chamber, the spiritual energy so abundant it almost condensed into mist. In the center was a putuan, and around it a Spirit Gathering Array was slowly operating.
Wu Zhaohua shoved Jiang Huai inside.
She leaned against the stone door and said with a light smile, “Alright, my wish ends here.”
“Jiang Huai, your future is far from over.”
“You must cultivate well and not let down the hopes I have for you.”
Suddenly, the door rumbled. The stone door was slowly closing, making a rumbling sound.
Jiang Huai looked blankly at the stone door slowly closing, Wu Zhaohua’s face gradually disappearing behind it.
“You—”
Why did he always feel that Wu Zhaohua was a bit off? Every step seemed especially rushed, as if she was hurrying for something. Yesterday they were still cuddling watching the sunset, chatting about the future. Why did she suddenly lock him in today?
He couldn’t figure it out. He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to absorb spiritual energy. The two energies of Yin and Yang slowly circulated.
The damaged meridians reconnected under the nourishment of spiritual power.
The cracked small world began to repair itself inch by inch.
If that was the case, then he would emerge from seclusion and show her his cultivation speed! He sank into cultivation, with no more distracting thoughts.
The stone door closed completely, separating the inside from the outside.
Wu Zhaohua could no longer hold back. A mouthful of blood sprayed out, spattering onto the stone door. Her whole body slid down against the stone door.
She crouched on the ground, covering her face with her hands, her shoulders trembling slightly.
Tears fell silently, mixing with the blood.
“I really, truly love you, Jiang Huai.”
This was the last moment she could hold on.
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