Su Xuan chuckled deeply, holding Sang Dai close and planting a kiss on her dark hair. “We’re just getting started. There’s still so much Miss Sang doesn’t know. I’ll teach you everything myself.” (2,354)
Sang Dai retaliated by biting down on his shoulder.
Su Xuan tilted his neck back, breathing heavily, savoring the sensation of her small teeth against his shoulder blade. It didn’t hurt—on the contrary, it felt exhilarating.
His voice was husky: “Dai Dai, why don’t you bite somewhere else?”
Sang Dai: “…?”
Startled, she looked up at him in alarm, her eyes full of panic.
Su Xuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he cupped her face, kissing her from her forehead down. He stopped her from struggling as he kissed, murmuring, “It feels amazing. Your teeth are wonderful, Dai Dai. Why don’t you bite somewhere else?”
Sang Dai pushed him away: “You’re utterly shameless!”
He pointed at his lips. “For example, here. Or anywhere else you like—it’s all yours. My entire body is yours to bite as you please.”
Of course, he fully intended to return the favor later.
Sang Dai struggled to climb out of his embrace, but Su Xuan had already captured her lips again. By now, he had become quite adept, prying her lips apart and diving back in.
She was defeated once again.
It wasn’t until the fox was on the verge of exploding, his body unbearably uncomfortable, that he finally let go of the sword cultivator.
He gently nipped at her neck, eliciting a muffled groan from her, and then used his small teeth to softly lick the spot. The sword cultivator’s voice took on a different tone.
Su Xuan pulled the blanket from the side, removed Sang Dai’s shoes, and tucked her inside. He planted a kiss on the little sword cultivator’s flushed face.
“Wait for me.”
Su Xuan strode quickly toward the water room attached to the house.
Sang Dai lay on the couch, her mind hazy, unable to think straight.
Was kissing really like this?
It turned out to be so profound.
Sang Dai thought it was even more intricate and difficult to understand than swordsmanship. She was completely clueless, letting the fox take the lead the whole time. At first, he wasn’t very skilled either, but by the end, it seemed like he had already mastered the craft.
She curled up in the blanket. This blanket had been used by Su Xuan for many days, imbued with the scent of grass and wood from his body. During the height of their passion earlier, Sang Dai had felt as though that scent might drown her.
After lying down for a while, her thoughts gradually became clearer.
The room was too quiet, and as a Heavenly-grade Spirit Root awakener, her five senses were exceptionally sharp.
She could hear… the movements in the water room.
Restrained, labored breathing, accompanied by the increasingly hurried sound of running water.
Sang Dai’s mind suddenly exploded. Earlier, Su Xuan’s breathing near her ear had been urgent, but it hadn’t sounded like this—it now seemed as if he was enduring something. It sounded painful, though not entirely.
Realizing he might be doing something else, Sang Dai quickly got up, completely forgetting Su Xuan’s instruction to “wait for him to come out.”
She put on her shoes, opened the door, and ran out, not daring to listen to those sounds or think about what Su Xuan might be doing.
She didn’t understand much, only a vague idea.
He had clearly said that kissing wouldn’t hurt, so why did he always seem so uncomfortable afterward?
Sang Dai attributed it to the fox suppressing his heat for too long.
She had no idea it was because the fox liked her so much.
He only felt desire for her and only wanted to be close to her.
Even her mere breathing could easily ignite his longing. Because he loved her, he wanted to indulge in every form of intimacy.
Sang Dai covered her eyes, her cheeks flushing red, her heart pounding.
Worried that Su Xuan might come out and see her, she hurried away, finding a quiet spot to sit down.
Both Changmang and Zhiyu, her swords, were asleep in her Qiankun Bag. Sang Dai usually didn’t wake them unless necessary, so she was alone for the moment.
She stood on the balcony, letting the cold wind blow away some of the heat from her face. Exhaling deeply, she tried to steady her frantic heartbeat.
Her lips were still numb and tingling. After hesitating for a moment, she retrieved a bronze mirror from her Qiankun Bag.
Sang Dai didn’t dare to look at herself. Holding the mirror, she hesitated for a long time. But in the end, curiosity got the better of her. She cautiously held up the mirror and peeked into it.
It was obvious, far too obvious—anyone with eyes could guess what had just happened to her.
Su Xuan had kissed her so intensely, with both sucking and biting, for nearly half an hour, leaving Sang Dai’s lips slightly swollen and the area around them tinged with redness.
Her face was still flushed, her earlobes faintly marked. Earlier, Su Xuan had even kissed the dangling earrings on her ears.
Sang Dai: “…”
She covered her face and leaned against the railing, her exposed skin tinged with a soft pink.
“Sister?”
A familiar voice sounded from behind her.
Sang Dai’s back stiffened.
Qiu Chengqi had spotted someone leaning over the railing on the balcony from far away. Though he couldn’t see her face as she was turned away, he recognized her clothing immediately.
“Uh… are you alright? Are you feeling unwell?” Qiu Chengqi instinctively moved closer to check on her.
Sang Dai quickly said, “I’m fine! Don’t come any closer!”
The marks on her body hadn’t faded yet, and Qiu Chengqi wasn’t ignorant—he would surely figure out what had happened.
Scratching his head awkwardly, Qiu Chengqi said, “Sister, have you been crying? Don’t worry about Su Xuan—he’s really fine. After all, he’s a Heavenly-grade Spirit Root awakener. Don’t stress too much about him.”
He completely misunderstood, assuming Sang Dai had been crying because Su Xuan hadn’t woken up yet.
From his angle, he could see the redness on Sang Dai’s exposed neck. Had she cried so hard it left marks?
Sang Dai: “…”
Well, she had to admit, Qiu Chengqi being a bit clueless wasn’t entirely bad.
She replied in a muffled voice, “Yes, I cried for a little while, so just leave me be for now. I want to be alone.”
Letting him misunderstand was better than him seeing her in this state.
Qiu Chengqi nodded. “Alright then. Sister, don’t be too upset. I’ll be inside. Call me if you need anything.”
“…Okay.”
Finally, Qiu Chengqi left, leaving Sang Dai alone once more.
Her face felt like it was about to burn right off.
Still covering her face with her hands, Sang Dai leaned on the railing, too embarrassed to lift her head for fear that someone else might come by and see her like this.
The nights in the Beast Realm were cold, and the chilly wind helped clear her mind considerably.
Nearly an hour later, estimating that Su Xuan should be finished by now, Sang Dai patted her cheeks and turned to go back inside.
She carefully pushed open the door, only to be met with pitch darkness.
Sang Dai froze. Could it be that Su Xuan hadn’t lit the lamps this whole time?
Before she could make sense of it, someone suddenly grabbed her arm. A powerful force yanked her inside.
Sang Dai let out a startled cry, falling into a warm, searing embrace.
The wooden door closed behind her.
By reflex, Sang Dai kicked the person in the shin, then immediately went for her sword to retaliate. But before her blade could strike, a familiar scent of grass and wood reached her nose.
“Hiss, trying to murder your husband?”
A certain fox’s teasing voice came from above her head.
Sang Dai instantly retracted her sword. “Did I kick you just now?”
She hurriedly reached out to check on him, but the moment her hand touched him, it was captured in his grasp.
In the darkness, the fox took her fingertip into his mouth and gently nipped at it.
“It’s fine, doesn’t hurt.”
Sang Dai’s face flushed red again as she struggled to pull her hand back. “You—you let me go first.”
Su Xuan, still somewhat considerate, realized the sword cultivator must be mortified. With a smirk, he chuckled softly and released her hand, following her movements.
Sang Dai retreated from his embrace, almost fleeing to the table, where she busied herself with lighting the lamp.
“Why didn’t you light the lamp?” she asked.
As she turned around, her face turned bright red in an instant.
The fox, likely fresh from a bath, wore only a pair of black trousers. His chiseled upper body was bare, cold white skin accentuating defined abs and a broad chest, with taut and powerful muscles. Droplets of water dripped from his silvery hair, and a scar stretched across his right shoulder.
It wasn’t the first time Sang Dai had seen Su Xuan like this—she had caught glimpses before in the Spirit Beast Hall. But considering what they had just been through…
Catching sight of the fox’s playful gaze, Sang Dai immediately turned around, covering her eyes. “Why aren’t you wearing clothes?!”
“Aren’t I wearing something?”
“I—I mean a shirt!”
“I just got out of the bath, noticed someone was missing, and got anxious. Couldn’t risk being left behind, didn’t have time to dress properly.”
Sang Dai: “I—I just went out for some air!”
“Just for air?”
His voice came from behind her, and Sang Dai suddenly realized that the fox had moved, pressing his chest against her back.
A strong arm circled her waist, and he kissed her neck. “Or was it because you heard something and didn’t dare to stay here?”
Sang Dai: “…Su Xuan!”
The little sword cultivator was thoroughly flustered, but Su Xuan’s mischievous grin showed he had achieved his goal. His laughter was both wicked and infuriating.
He always enjoyed teasing the sword cultivator, relishing her vivid reactions.
Su Xuan hugged her and planted a kiss on her cheek, gently coaxing her, “Just teasing. I really just finished bathing and forgot to grab a change of clothes, so I came out to find something. I had only just put on my trousers when you came in—it wasn’t intentional.”
He wasn’t lying.
Sang Dai glanced toward the nearby couch, where a freshly washed but unworn outer robe lay.
It was just that her timing upon returning was unlucky—he hadn’t had a chance to put on his clothes yet.
Realizing she had misunderstood him, Sang Dai’s trace of embarrassment and anger dissipated.
The fox was still kissing her cheek, again and again, as if he particularly enjoyed it.
Sang Dai shrank her neck slightly and whispered, “It tickles, stop kissing.”
Her voice was very, very soft, and it melted Su Xuan’s heart into a puddle. Anything she said or did could completely sway him.
Letting go of Sang Dai, he grabbed the outer robe nearby and began putting it on.
Sang Dai kept her back to him, too embarrassed to look. Her ears were still red—he couldn’t tell if it was from the marks left by his kisses or her renewed shyness.
Su Xuan’s smile was impossible to suppress. As a member of the spirit beast clan, he was naturally carefree and unrestrained, and he had never encountered someone with a temperament as shy as Sang Dai’s.
She blushed so easily, and teasing her always turned her cheeks red.
And he particularly enjoyed teasing her.
Fully dressed, the little sword cultivator was still standing with her back to him, seemingly reflecting on her life choices.
Su Xuan found it amusing. Turning her by the shoulders, he said, “Let me see you.”
Sang Dai covered her face, her voice low. “Don’t look at me… it’s not like you haven’t seen me before.”
Su Xuan laughed outright and leaned forward to pry her hands away. “Just let me look.”
“No.”
“Come on, Dai Dai, let me see.”
“I said no.”
“Let me look just once.”
Sang Dai clutched her face tightly, and Su Xuan dared not forcibly pry her hands away.
Seeing her retreat into her shell like a turtle, Su Xuan raised an eyebrow and asked, “Really won’t let me see?”
“No.”
“So stingy.”
Suddenly, something soft and warm pressed against the back of her hand.
Realizing what it was, a shiver ran through Sang Dai. She immediately pulled her hands away.
“Su Xuan!”
The fox cupped her small face in his hands. “Now I’ve seen you—you moved your hands on your own.”
Sang Dai retorted, “It’s because you kissed my hand!”
“Then why don’t you kiss me back?”
Sang Dai: “…”
She couldn’t help but think that certain foxes were destined to live their lives without any sense of shame.
Su Xuan’s gaze lingered on her face—a face that had never faded from his memory. No matter how long it had been since they last met, he could always recall every single one of her expressions with clarity.
He had never dared to imagine a day when he could touch the moon amidst the clouds, and yet, now he truly could.
[So beautiful.]
Sang Dai’s attempt to push his hands away suddenly lost its strength.
She had heard him say this many times before. Every time he complimented her beauty, it was with sincerity and gentleness, as if her face—even her entire being, down to the smallest strand of hair—was unparalleled in his eyes.
[I really like her. After all these years, I still like her so much.]
Sang Dai’s eyes inexplicably grew misty.
[From now on, I’ll only like Dai Dai. Only Dai Dai. Only my Dai Dai.]
He leaned down, bringing his face closer to hers, and began kissing her—starting from her forehead and working his way down.
Her long lashes, dark as raven feathers. Her bright phoenix eyes. Her petite nose. Her smooth, glowing cheeks.