The pen tip was sharp and towering, the body of the pen sturdy as a mountain, radiating an aura like that of a sword.
Qin Qingyue sat cross-legged atop the dragon’s tail, her slender jade-like fingers gently tracing the patterns of the spirit sword. Her delicate nose twitched slightly as she sniffed the air, as if savoring some rare treasure.
“Is this really painted by Wu Zhaohua?” Her cold voice carried a subtle trace of bitterness, barely perceptible.
Jiang Huai lowered his head, his gaze sweeping over Qin Qingyue, who was scrutinizing the patterns with great care, before resting on Su Yingman, who knelt on one knee beside them, leaning in closely to observe as well.
The two stunningly beautiful faces nearly touched, as if trying to see every single line with perfect clarity.
A strange impulse suddenly surged within Jiang Huai’s heart—an urge to seize Qin Qingyue’s Dragon Horn with both hands, a wicked thought flashing through his mind.
“Hm, she said it’s a secret technique passed down by the Wenxuan Sect. It helps with foundation building and can even enhance combat power,” Jiang Huai explained.
He thought for a moment, then added, “It’s truly powerful. Back when I was in the Wenxuan Sect, I took down several foundation-builders all by myself. None of them were a match for me.”
He had no clear concept of his own strength.
He never expected to be this formidable, defeating multiple opponents single-handedly and rising to fame overnight.
Qin Qingyue’s lips twitched almost imperceptibly. “Wu Zhaohua told you that? To help your cultivation?”
She was inwardly annoyed. How was this any different from her own Black Dragon Mark?
In fact, it was even more conspicuous, even more audacious!
Had she not considered tattooing it somewhere else? Allowing Wu Zhaohua to gain the advantage by occupying such a crucial spot.
“Why do you trust her so easily?” Qin Qingyue’s dissatisfaction nearly spilled over.
“What if she’s deceiving you?”
“But she has sworn the Five Thunders Oath of the Heavenly Dao,” Jiang Huai replied calmly.
Qin Qingyue immediately fell silent, her expression becoming extremely subtle as her fingertips unconsciously brushed the pattern.
Su Yingman blinked in confusion beside her, glancing between Qin Qingyue and Jiang Huai.
Is the Five Thunders some great calamity? Has her husband been deceived?
Main Wife, why aren’t you saying anything?
Bound nearby, Zhuxin watched Qin Qingyue and Su Yingman nearly pressing in to study the pattern with a chill running down her spine.
How could they bear such closeness?
Did they have no standards for a man’s chastity?
How licentious!
But then, thinking of Su Yingman’s identity as a Hehuan Sect female cultivator, Zhuxin felt “relieved.”
Hehuan Sect, well, those who understand, understand.
Su Yingman seemed to sense the disdainful gaze. She turned her head slightly, her beautiful eyes narrowing, her glance carrying the fox-like charm of a temptress, smiling and smirking as she shot a glance at Zhuxin.
Zhuxin immediately looked away, chin lifted arrogantly.
To be honest, in terms of cultivation, she really looked down on Su Yingman.
Only at the early Coalescing Period, practically half an evil cultivator.
But at the moment, circumstances trumped strength.
“I can’t find any clues. I suspect Wu Zhaohua might have poisoned you, so I’ll taste it first,” Qin Qingyue slightly opened her dragon’s mouth, ready to fiercely inspect the food’s quality.
Jiang Huai’s reflexes were swift. He firmly grasped Qin Qingyue’s Dragon Horn, stopping her just in time.
The warmth of his lips hovered mere millimeters away, the burning breath igniting a fire in Qin Qingyue’s heart.
“What are you doing?!” Qin Qingyue forced herself to remain composed, her thick dragon skin snapping back.
“How can you be sure she didn’t poison you?”
Jiang Huai asked strangely, as if holding a steering wheel: “Haven’t you passed your Yuq Period yet?”
“How long has it been?”
From the time Qin Qingyue entered the secret realm and experienced the Yuq Period, how long could it possibly last?
Qin Qingyue immediately shook her head, her beautiful eyes flickering as the lie came naturally: “No, I’m still in my Yuq Period.”
“As the husband of our Black Dragon Clan, you should be fulfilling your duties properly.”
Being the husband of the Black Dragon Clan, being dutiful was only right.
Su Yingman lowered her head, hiding her subtle expression from Jiang Huai.
She understood the Dragon Clan’s Yuq Period—it wasn’t that one liked something because of the Yuq Period, but rather that because one liked something, the Yuq Period intensified such desires.
Besides, hadn’t the Yuq Period long passed? How could the Dragon Clan’s Yuq Period last so long?
Su Yingman glanced curiously at Qin Qingyue, who was fixated on the Dragon Horn, then at Jiang Huai, who was holding the “steering wheel,” keeping her from crossing the line.
Qin Qingyue treated Jiang Huai very well—that was obvious to Su Yingman. She truly liked Jiang Huai.
But as a dragon, she was far too cunning; not a single word she said was entirely truthful.
“Stop messing around,” Jiang Huai sighed helplessly, his fingers unconsciously stroking the warm, slightly fuzzy texture of the Dragon Horn in his palm.
“I actually came here with something serious to discuss.”
Though Little Jiang was very happy, he still knew how to prioritize. Wu Zhaohua was waiting just next door.
At these words, Qin Qingyue reluctantly straightened up, muttering, “What’s there to talk about? Say what you want.”
She paused, then suddenly became serious, speaking with unwavering resolve:
“I want to make it clear—I won’t accept Wu Zhaohua one bit!”
“Today, between her and me, you have to choose one!”
Qin Qingyue’s love for Jiang Huai made her indifferent to mere flesh-and-blood connections—Su Yingman? Zhuxin? They were just concubines.
But Wu Zhaohua was different. From the moment that woman appeared, Qin Qingyue felt as though half of Jiang Huai had been ripped away.
The position that should have belonged solely to her was facing an unprecedented threat.
Moreover, the grievances accumulated since childhood made her simply dislike Wu Zhaohua.
“But you two can’t keep fighting like this,” Jiang Huai reiterated.
Qin Qingyue’s beautiful eyes flared with displeasure.
“Let’s fight then! She and I have always been like water and fire. What’s wrong with a fight to the death?”
“Do you think I’m afraid of her? If she wants to snatch, she might as well come and snatch my man!”
She usually disliked direct confrontations, but for Jiang Huai, she was determined to settle the score with Wu Zhaohua once and for all.
“But I don’t want to see you get hurt. I don’t want to see you die,” Jiang Huai said softly, his gaze fixed on Qin Qingyue.
“I can’t accept that outcome.”
Death was the end.
Whether it was Wu Zhaohua, who had accompanied him for years, cared for him intimately, and slept by his side; or Qin Qingyue, who had become his wife through twists of fate and shared physical intimacy—he did not want to see either of them perish.
The atmosphere suddenly grew heavy.
Qin Qingyue’s red lips parted slightly, a flash of unexpected joy flickering in her eyes, only to be tangled once again by deeper torment.
She loved hearing such words.
When the whole world wished for her death, she struggled to survive.
When everyone said she deserved to die, only Jiang Huai spoke and acted to keep her alive.
But she still couldn’t accept Wu Zhaohua.
Qin Qingyue shifted her gaze elsewhere, speaking quietly:
“Jiang Huai, no matter what you say, I cannot accept Wu Zhaohua.”
“Don’t waste your efforts on me anymore. Unless you can convince Wu Zhaohua to serve me tea and recognize me as Main Wife, I will never agree.”
She loved Jiang Huai deeply, but she would not always yield to him.
From what she knew of Wu Zhaohua, that woman would never agree. So this was nothing but a hopeless fantasy.
Qin Qingyue absolutely would not allow any woman’s status to surpass her own.