Chapter 182 What kind of distance do you like?

The sound of rushing water filled the air. Bai Xiuming picked up Achan, who was slumped in the bathtub. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, buried her head in the side of his neck, and pressed her body close to his.

Until she was put back on the couch, Achan's hand touched the bed sheet. She reached out and pulled it over her body, and the light bed sheet covered her.

Bai Xiuming watched her finish doing all this before slowly bending down.

He braced himself against Ah Chan's side, his low, husky voice echoing in the darkness: "You've finished your bath."

Achan unconsciously gripped the bed sheet, a look of confusion in her eyes. Wasn't it already over?

However, Bai Xiuming clearly had a different idea; for him, this was just the beginning.

Sensing his approach, Achan panicked and immediately rolled over, crawling onto the bed on all fours, thinking she could still struggle a little longer.

Before she could climb two steps, her ankles were grabbed, and she was dragged back to the edge of the bed along with the sheets wrapped around her body.

Bai Xiuming chuckled: "Why are you running?"

Achan struggled weakly for a moment: "I want to sleep, let me go."

Laughter rang out behind her, and the warm, humid breath sprayed onto her thin back, causing her body to tremble slightly.

Achan couldn't see the person behind her, but her body became increasingly sensitive. She now looked like a little butterfly imprisoned in the palm of a hand, utterly pitiful.

"Not now." His hand moved up from Ah Chan's lower abdomen, while his lips traveled down her shoulder, his voice becoming increasingly indistinct, "You accepted my flowers, so tonight, you belong to me."

Ah Chan bit her lower lip lightly, and as the person behind her moved, her eyes welled up with tears, and her voice gradually broke: "What, what flower, I don't know."

"Little liar."

"Waaah..."

The bed curtains hung down, obscuring the enchanting scenery inside. A corner of the bed sheet, hanging outside the bed, was stretched into different shapes as the sheet was clenched and loosened.

The ornaments hanging on the bedposts swayed back and forth until dawn was almost breaking, when they finally stopped.

The afternoon sunlight peeked in through the crack in the door, and the man lying on the bed opened his eyes.

Feeling the weight on his body, Bai Xiuming slightly raised his head and looked down.

Ah Chan was half-lying on him, her face turned to the side, her head resting on his lower abdomen, fast asleep. Only a corner of the thin sheet was wrapped around her, the folds perfectly outlining her exquisite and graceful body.

Large areas of exposed skin were covered with red marks.

Bai Xiuming's fingers gently stroked the half of her face that was exposed. Even though she was asleep, she still looked pitiful. Achan didn't react at all; she was exhausted last night.

He pulled Achan back into his arms, adjusted her position to make her more comfortable, and then closed his eyes.

Ah Chan slept for a whole day. When she groggily opened her eyes, it was still dark outside, making her momentarily disoriented.

It took her a while to regain consciousness, and the strange soreness in her body made her instantly recall everything that had happened last night.

She remembered how she begged for mercy last night. The man who was usually easy to talk to coax her with his words, but in reality, he lied to her time and time again!

Achan propped herself up and sat up. Seeing a set of new clothes placed beside the bed, she reached out with difficulty to grab the top garment. The soreness in her waist made her grit her teeth and curse angrily, "Beast!"

She got dressed and got out of bed, only to find that the room had been cleaned thoroughly, especially around the bathtub, where all traces of the previous night had been completely removed.

Upon seeing this, she couldn't help but think of what had happened last night and wanted to destroy the evidence in the bathtub.

She looked away, walked to the table, and poured herself a glass of water. The water in the kettle was still warm, so Bai Xiuming must have left not long ago.

Sure enough, not long after, the door opened from the outside, and Bai Xiuming walked in carrying a bowl of shredded chicken noodles.

Compared to Achan, who looked tired and aches all over, he seemed refreshed, as if he were the fox spirit who liked to absorb people's life essence.

Upon seeing his face, Achan immediately turned her head away, not wanting to look at him any longer.

Bai Xiuming didn't deliberately provoke her. He placed the bowl of noodles in front of her and sat down to watch. Achan hadn't eaten all day and was starving. She didn't have time to be angry with him and picked up her chopsticks to eat the noodles.

After she finished eating and put down her chopsticks, Bai Xiuming slowly took out a bottle of ointment, placed it on the table, and said to her, "This is for you from the High Priest."

When he mentioned the high priest, Achan finally reacted: "What kind of ointment is this?"

"It's for relieving muscle tension. I heard it works very well. Want to try it?" Achan glanced warily at Bai Xiuming, whose expression remained normal and looked very serious.

Before she could answer, the soreness in her lower back returned. Ah Chan finally stopped thinking about it and nodded: "Okay, I'll give it a try."

Bai Xiuming smiled silently, walked to her side, and tenderly helped her back to bed, taking off her shoes and loosening her belt. After Achan lay down on the bed, he gently parted her clothes, poured out some ointment, dissolved it in his hand, and pressed it onto her slender, snow-white waist.

After a while, Achan felt her waist getting hotter and hotter, and the soreness gradually disappeared.

"Does your back still hurt?" Bai Xiuming asked.

"It doesn't hurt anymore." Achan was a little sleepy from his massage, and she hummed with her eyes closed, "Massage me a little longer."

Bai Xiuming chuckled: "And here?"

Without her noticing, a hand slipped under her skirt.

Achan opened her eyes warily, her little feet kicking backward. Bai Xiuming grabbed her restless feet and pressed them down on the spot where she was about to be kicked: "Be gentle."

She ignored him and deliberately stomped her foot twice. The sensation under her foot suddenly made her realize something, her face flushed, and she pulled her foot back: "I'm going to sleep. You can sleep next door."

Bai Xiuming raised an eyebrow: "Use and then throw away?"

"No, not at all." Achan withdrew her foot and emphasized, "A man and a woman alone should keep a proper distance."

This was something Hui Niang had said before, but unfortunately, she hadn't remembered it at the crucial moment. After the incident, she finally remembered, and now she's trying to make amends.

“A proper distance?” Bai Xiuming asked with interest. “But last night when I wanted to keep my distance, you wouldn’t allow it.”

"You're not allowed to say anything more!" Ah Chan buried her face in the mattress in despair; she had actually understood!

"Okay, I won't tell you. I'll go next door then?"

Bai Xiuming actually compromised?

A sense of doubt arose in Achan's heart. Before she could think further, she was scooped up and carried on Bai Xiuming's shoulder to the next room.

Fortunately, he still had some humanity left. He simply took off her clothes and put her back on the bed without doing anything else.

Achan, dressed only in her undershirt, lay on the quilt, her bright eyes filled with vigilance. Wherever he went, her gaze followed.

Bai Xiuming chuckled: "Don't want to sleep? Then let's discuss... what kind of distance do you prefer?"

Achan quickly crawled into the covers, turned her back to him, and began to try to fall asleep.

I don't want to talk to him tonight.

Perhaps due to the immense exertion of the previous night, she quickly fell asleep again. Bai Xiuming sat beside her, watching her peaceful sleeping face, before finally turning over and lying down himself. As if sensing his presence, Achan nestled closer to him.

Bai Xiuming held her in his arms and fell asleep with her in his embrace.

After resting for two full days, Achan finally recovered her energy.

Now that the sacrificial ceremony is over, it's time to put the return journey on the agenda.

Achan could stay here for a long time, but Bai Xiuming had an official position and had already delayed for so many days because of her, so he couldn't stay any longer. Besides, after being away from the capital for so long, she also missed Huiniang.

Fortunately, in a few months, Lie Xian and his group will be transporting goods and horses to the capital for trade with Bai Xiuming, giving them a chance to meet again. Perhaps she can even bring Hui Niang over for a visit. Therefore, she didn't feel any sense of loss upon leaving this time.

Before leaving, Achan went to see the high priest again.

When she arrived, there was a brazier in front of the high priest, and she was throwing a white tortoise shell into it.

Achan didn't disturb her, but sat quietly to the side watching. This was a method of divination. She had heard that some people could see the trajectory of fate from the cracks in tortoise shells, but Achan was sure she didn't have that talent.

The tortoise shell crackled in the fire, and soon several cracks appeared on it.

The high priest used fire tongs to remove the tortoise shell and set it aside, then bent down to carefully examine the cracks on it. Seeing that the other party had been looking at it for a while without saying a word, Achan finally couldn't help but ask, "High Priest, what are you divining?"

The high priest shifted his gaze from the tortoise shell to Achan: "You'll be leaving in the next few days, won't you?"

Achan nodded: "Yes, it's been almost a month since we came out, it's time to go back."

"Going back... How are you settling into life in the capital?"

"I'm used to it. The capital is very lively. The High Priest can come and visit sometime."

The high priest simply smiled and answered Achan's question: "I don't have much to give you, so I thought I'd do a divination for you before you leave. Do you have any questions for me?"

"Can you predict when I will see A-Mian?" A-Chan asked.

The high priest shook his head: "Your fates have long since deviated from their original course; they cannot be calculated."

"Will what I'm trying to do ultimately succeed?" Achan asked again.

Transforming from human to demon is a very dangerous thing, and she couldn't be sure that she would be lucky.

The high priest shook his head again: "I can only bless you, but I cannot tell you the outcome. Achan, your future depends on the choices you make. As long as you don't make choices you'll regret, you will never fail."

A puzzled look flashed in Achan's eyes. She felt that the high priest had said something, but she didn't understand.

However, she will not allow herself to fail, no matter what.

"I will succeed," Achan said with certainty.

The high priest simply smiled and handed the now-warm white tortoise shell to Achan: "This is the shell of a white worm. Keep it with you as a warning. Take it and play with it."

Achan took the tortoise shell, and the cracks on it gradually disappeared. The lustrous white shell looked like it was carved from the finest jade. She played with it for a while and decided that when she got back, she would ask Huiniang to make the tortoise shell into an accessory so she could wear it.

Two days later, Achan and Bai Xiuming packed their things and prepared to leave. Lie Xian specially prepared a horse for them.

During this time, everyone Achan knew in the village came to see her off, bringing her many fresh fruits and dried food. Huixue asked her to take gifts back to Huiniang, and Liexian specially prepared a horse for them.

After packing his things and saying goodbye to everyone, Bai Xiuming carried Achan onto the horse's back and then mounted himself.

"We're leaving, goodbye." Achan waved to them.

"Goodbye, Miss Achan."

"goodbye."

As the horse galloped into the distance, Achan turned back to look at the ancient village and the receding figures, who were still waving at her.

The two did not travel fast on their way back. They had been in a hurry on their way there and had hardly stopped to rest, but they did not need to rush on the way back.

This time they can stop and rest when they're tired, and if they see a beautiful place, they can enjoy the scenery together and even spend the night there.

The last time they traveled from the border of the Great Xia Dynasty to the wilderness, it only took them a little over two days, but it took them a full five days to leave.

Finally back on the border of the Great Xia Dynasty, at Achan's insistence, Bai Xiuming took her to Bailong Village.

At this time, the Mingjing Division guards were stationed outside Bailong Village. When they saw someone approaching, they were about to drive them away when they saw several people come out of the village.

The leader was a middle-aged man who looked somewhat serious. He looked up and saw Bai Xiuming, raising an eyebrow: "Bai Xiuming, what are you doing here?"

This man's name was Pang Qi. Before Bai Xiuming, he held the position of the Governor of Shangjing.

Bai Xiuming rode closer on horseback and answered the other party's question with a calm expression: "I was just passing by and saw a village here, so I was planning to rest here for a while."

"Take a break?" Pang Qi looked at A Chan sitting in front of him with a strange look in his eyes, but he probably believed him.

"And you? Aren't you in Youzhou?" Bai Xiuming asked.

"When the King of the Northern Wilderness went to the capital, I escorted him all the way to Jeju before turning back. On the way, I heard about a strange case that might involve the Dragon Clan, so I came to take a look."

Upon hearing the other party mention the King of the Northern Wilderness, Achan couldn't help but glance at the man a few more times, guessing his identity in her mind.

"What's strange?" Bai Xiu ordered her to dismount and then lifted A Chan down from the horse. A Chan stood obediently beside her, listening quietly to their conversation.

Pang Qi curled his lip: "The people in this village are incredibly audacious. They trapped a dragon, and when it escaped a while ago, all the villagers died."

"If they're all dead, what's the point of investigating?"

“If only it were that simple. A couple of days ago, we discovered that the dead villagers had reappeared.” Pang Qi looked at the sky, estimated the time, and said, “They will probably reappear in about two hours, looking just like they did in life. Then their bodies will start to burn until they are completely burned. I guess that’s how they died.”

Bai Xiuming showed a hint of surprise on his face.

“I remember you know a lot about the dragon race. Do you know what’s going on?” Pang Qi asked.

Bai Xiuming pondered for a moment: "After that dragon escaped, it probably went back to its clan to find its elders. Although the dragon clan is not good at manipulating spirits, there are exceptions. The people in this village should all have their souls bound, and they experience the agony of death every night."

The villagers of Bailong Village probably never imagined that they would suffer unbearable pain when they died, and that they would still not find peace in death.

Pang Qi frowned, his tone worried: "With such ruthless methods, won't the other side take their anger out on the imperial court?"

"Perhaps you can report to the Chief, and if they really come, you won't have to take the blame."

Pang Qi immediately understood the meaning behind Bai Xiuming's words. It seemed that the one who made the move was a fifth-realm dragon king, so the other party should just be venting his anger and would not appear in the Great Xia territory.

As for the souls of the villagers who were imprisoned, they can only remain here until the day they can no longer endure it and they dissipate on their own.