He gazed at her red lips. During all these years of his rut period, when he was alone suppressing it in his cave abode, his mind had been filled with her.
By relying on memories of their little moments together—even though she had never shown him a kind face, and most of their encounters had ended in fights—he still hopelessly thought of her, yearned for her, and hoped that one day she would willingly embrace him, kiss him, and do the most intimate things with him.
If she were his Beast Queen, during his rut period, she would go through it with him. Then, it would no longer be a torment for him but an ecstasy that pierced his very soul. A month-long rut period would turn into a time of passionate entanglement with his wife.
Su Xuan stared at her lips, his eyes growing darker and darker, as he tilted his head and leaned closer without restraint.
He was only a fraction away from touching her when the hand pressed against his chest exerted a slight force. For him, this strength was insignificant, yet it forcibly pushed back a demon cultivator at the Grand Ascension stage.
“Su Xuan, I’m hungry.”
Her voice was calm and light, with her fragrance lingering as her lips parted.
They were so close that Su Xuan could feel her breath brushing against his.
Their noses were nearly touching, their posture intimate.
His eyelashes lifted slightly as their gazes met.
There was no ripple in Sang Dai’s eyes. She quietly looked at him, as if completely unaware of the meaning behind his previous actions.
She wasn’t angry—she was still as gentle as ever.
Su Xuan sat up and released her from his embrace.
He turned his head away and closed his eyes lightly.
He had been too impatient. The relationship between them was never something that could be achieved in a single stroke. Sang Dai’s heart was wholly dedicated to the way of the sword, devoid of love or affection, and their positions were fundamentally different.
He had long prepared himself to wait thousands, even tens of thousands of years. Ultimately, she didn’t like him, nor would she like anyone else. And he had always had the patience to guard her. Over the years, the only one who had stayed steadfast by Sang Dai’s side was him, unwavering for more than a century.
But why, as soon as she came near him, could he no longer control himself?
Su Xuan stood up, turning his back to Sang Dai. She could only see his silver hair and the luxurious black robe he wore.
She couldn’t see his eyes and thus couldn’t hear his thoughts.
“Cui Shao.”
The palace doors were pushed open, and the person who had been waiting outside entered.
Cui Shao bowed to him. “Sovereign Lord. Miss Sang.”
“Prepare a meal.”
Cui Shao obeyed. “Understood.”
She withdrew to make the preparations, leaving only Sang Dai and Su Xuan in the hall again.
He didn’t turn back. Silence stretched on for a long time before, amidst the deathly stillness, he finally said, “What this sovereign truly desires is something you cannot give me at this moment. A clever person like Miss Sang should think carefully about what this sovereign truly wants and whether you’re willing to give it to me.”
Sang Dai responded softly, “What if I’m unwilling?”
Su Xuan paused for a moment before replying, “This sovereign is merely a demon. Unlike you people from the Immortal Realm, I am not hypocritically virtuous, nor do I care about others’ opinions. What I desire, I must obtain. If Miss Sang cannot give it to me, this sovereign won’t mind employing certain methods to take it.”
Sang Dai found it a little amusing. Listening to his somewhat rigid tone, she could easily imagine Su Xuan’s current cold expression.
In certain aspects, she still knew Su Xuan very well.
Her nemesis was actually quite easy to guess.
“This time, take good care of your injuries. In half a month, we’ll set off for Bairen Alley.”
Leaving those words behind, he parted the beaded curtain and strode out briskly. Just as he was about to step out of the room, Sang Dai called out to him, “Su Xuan.”
Su Xuan still didn’t turn around. “What else?”
Sang Dai said, “I’m fine now, so you don’t need to cry anymore.”
Before losing consciousness, she had caught a glimpse of the tears in his eyes. For a moment, her heart was genuinely shaken, but she had been too exhausted to dwell on it.
Su Xuan: “…”
He clenched his teeth, tightened his grip on the door handle, and growled through gritted teeth, “Miss Sang must have been dreaming. When has this sovereign ever cried?”
With that, as if afraid Sang Dai might see through him, he quickly walked out.
The tips of his ears were bright red, and even the sides of his face were tinged with a faint blush. If Liu Lixue had been there, she would undoubtedly have secretly laughed at him.
Liu Lixue.
Su Xuan’s fists clenched again.
He strode outside, the sound of his footsteps carrying a faint air of retreat.
Inside the room, Sang Dai sat quietly, staring at the tightly shut doors of the hall, and suddenly chuckled.
Her nemesis seemed a little…
cute.
This word was entirely unfamiliar when associated with him, yet it felt strangely fitting.
Changmang coiled around her wrist, spinning in circles, then playfully poked her. It seemed to enjoy teasing her, as if its primary purpose wasn’t to protect her but solely to amuse her.
Sang Dai stroked it gently. She watched as Changmang coiled itself around her ring finger, shrinking down to the size of a ring.
She asked, “Changmang, why does your master like me?”
She hadn’t been able to get an answer from Su Xuan, and asking Changmang was even more futile.
Changmang only knew that its master had created it because of the swordswoman before it. Many times, its master had taken it to the Sword Sect, sitting on the mountain drinking wine while watching the distant swordswoman practice her swordsmanship.
Changmang had often been placed in a wooden box. When its master drank too much, he would ask it, “Will she accept you?”
Usually, he would answer his own question, not waiting for Changmang’s response. He’d let out a self-deprecating laugh, “Forget it. She won’t accept you. She doesn’t like me and won’t like you either.”
Changmang didn’t understand why he said that. He hadn’t even asked her, so why had he sentenced himself to such a dead end?
It pressed lightly against Sang Dai’s ring finger, poking at her hand in an attempt to communicate, to tell her that Su Xuan liked her—liked her very much. But as it hadn’t been formally bound to her, the swordswoman before it couldn’t understand what it was saying.
Changmang eventually gave up, lazily draping itself over her wrist. It only hoped that this swordswoman would let it formally recognize her as its master soon. Its feeble appearance made Sang Dai laugh again.
Sang Dai stroked it, the smile on her lips slowly fading.
The room was quiet—so quiet she could hear her own breathing.
Sang Dai activated her spiritual energy, and faint ripples of energy surrounded her.
She lowered her gaze and withdrew her line of sight.
Her meridians had already been reconstructed, and the next step was heading to Bairen Alley.
After over a hundred years, she was finally one step closer to uncovering what had happened back then.
“Master, was it really you?”
The Immortal Velvet Grass and Heaven-Grade Spiritual Root—were they truly from Ying Heng?
What exactly was his fate? Was he truly dead?
After a long time, a faint sigh echoed in the hall.
—
Sang Dai saw Su Xuan again half a month later.
Her meridians had fully healed, and her nights were no longer plagued by alternating heat and cold that made it hard to sleep peacefully. Su Xuan no longer needed to watch over her through the nights. Over the past half month, apart from the medicinal meals delivered to her at the same time every day and Liu Lixue coming at noon to help her recover, she hadn’t seen Su Xuan at all.
But she could tell the medicinal meals were made by him. Sang Dai could recognize his cooking.
Tomorrow, they were set to depart for Bairen Alley. That night, she had intentionally bathed and rested early. With her hair still damp, she returned to her room and immediately saw the tall figure standing in the hall.
Sang Dai froze for a moment. After not seeing him for so long, she found herself unprepared for the sudden encounter.
Su Xuan asked, “Miss Sang, it’s only been half a month, and you don’t recognize this sovereign anymore?”
[…Haven’t had time to keep Dai Dai company lately. Could she really not recognize me anymore? Damn it, it’s all that idiot royal family’s fault.]
His expression was cold, but his inner thoughts were warm.
It was Su Xuan.
Sang Dai set aside the towel she had been using to dry her hair and replied softly, “Su Xuan.”
She had a guess as to what had kept Su Xuan busy these past few days. The enchantments around the Spirit Beast Hall had recently grown much stronger, so something must have happened outside.
Su Xuan walked toward her.
Her waist was encircled, and his palm rested against her lower back. Spiritual energy flowed from his palm into her meridians, while misty steam rose from her hair.
Sang Dai, long accustomed to him drying her hair for her, didn’t resist.
She stood quietly in place and asked, “Still the royal family?”
“Mm.”
Su Xuan didn’t evade the question and admitted it directly. Sang Dai was so clever that even if he didn’t say it, she would have guessed.
“Can you handle it?”
Su Xuan met her gaze, his expression still indifferent. “Naturally. Is Miss Sang concerned about this sovereign?”
It was a habitual tease, expecting her to respond with silence or something sarcastic. Who would’ve thought she would simply nod.
“Mm, I’m worried about you.”
Sang Dai never spoke falsehoods. She often said what was on her mind, honest and straightforward since childhood.
Su Xuan had been good to her, and she now considered him a friend.
Su Xuan’s hand tightened around her lower back, pulling Sang Dai closer into his embrace.
“You’re worried about this sovereign?”
Sang Dai hesitated and asked cautiously, “Am I… not allowed to worry?”
Su Xuan’s face remained expressionless, his thoughts indecipherable.
In her ears, she could hear a cacophony of faint, chaotic sounds—disorganized and jumbled. She couldn’t make out the words but could tell that his inner voice was in turmoil.
Suddenly, Su Xuan withdrew his hand and stepped back, releasing her from his arms. Her hair was now fully dry.
Holding the towel in her hands, Sang Dai looked a little uneasy, worried that her words had offended him. “Su Xuan, if you don’t want me interfering in matters of the Beast Realm, I—”
[“I like her so much.”]
Sang Dai furrowed her brows. “…What?”
Su Xuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, his jaw tight.
[“So adorable. Too adorable. Even the way she frowns is so beautiful. I want to kiss her.”]
Sang Dai: “…Huh?”
[“Dai Dai cares about me. What is this called?”]
Sang Dai: “…I only think of you as a frie—”
[“This is called love!”]
Sang Dai: “…”
Her patience was usually good, but even she couldn’t take any more. She closed her eyes, turned, and walked toward the inner hall.
“Su Xuan, I’m tired. I want to rest.”
This way, she could finally block out his inner voice.
The luminous pearls lit up her face, her fair complexion now tinged with a rosy blush. She could clearly feel the heat rising in her cheeks, her heart skipping a beat.
As the eldest daughter of the Sword Sect and the number one in the Immortal Realm’s swordsmanship, people had either revered or used her throughout her life.
No one had ever cared for her like this.
Not for her swordsmanship, not for her protection.
But simply for her, as a person.
Even at over a hundred years old, she was still an inexperienced young girl when it came to matters of the heart. Sang Dai found herself utterly incapable of calmly listening to those…
Those thoughts of his.
Behind her came the faint sound of shuffling. Sang Dai exhaled softly and turned to look back.
Su Xuan was lying on the soft couch with his eyes closed, still dressed in his outer robe.
TL: This is chapter 16. I forgot to post this and stayed in the drafts!!!