Chapter 122 Birthday "You murdered your husband!"

The afterglow faded, and the moon rose above the treetops.

Suddenly, dozens of lights illuminated the tranquil ancient temple, making the purple and blue hues of the trees appear even more dreamlike.

Cui Ying's eyes shone even brighter as she stared in disbelief at everything before her, afraid to blink lest the scene before her vanish.

Xiao Qiyu gazed at her profile illuminated by the lamplight, watching her long eyelashes tremble slightly, and the bright amber pupils beneath them.

His eyes softened more than ever before, and he asked her softly, "Would you like to come up and sit for a while?"

Cui Ying was still in shock and couldn't come to her senses for a moment. She blankly uttered a "Huh?"

Xiao Qiyu stretched out a hand, his long arm encircling her waist. With a burst of strength, he lifted her up nimbly, using a few tree trunks as steps. In the blink of an eye, the two landed steadily on a thick branch.

Cui Ying opened her eyes, and the whole world was surrounded by this misty purple-blue color.

Sitting amidst the blooming flowers, surrounded by dreamlike blue and purple hues, Cui Ying felt as if she had fallen into an exquisitely woven dream, so beautiful that it seemed unreal. Even though she had just obtained it, she was already subconsciously afraid of losing it.

She reached out and cupped a bunch of flowers in front of her, wanting to smell their fragrance carefully so that she could etch it into her memory. But when the flowers actually landed in her palm, she was stunned.

The touch from my fingertips was equally soft and delicate, but it wasn't flower petals; it was silk.

That's right, it's silk.

Silk that has been dyed, cut, and carefully sewn together.

Not only is it as thin as a cicada's wing, but even the fine veins on the petals have been replicated. If you didn't hold it in your hand, you could easily mistake it for the real thing.

It was only then that Cui Ying suddenly realized that jacaranda trees were far away in Yunnan and preferred warm climates. How could they possibly appear out of nowhere in an ancient temple in the capital? Moreover, although she didn't remember what kind of tree it was, it was definitely not a tree that could produce jacaranda flowers.

A mix of emotions welled up inside her, a feeling she couldn't quite describe—a bittersweet mix.

She has never lacked gifts since childhood, and she has received many more precious things in her life, but none of them have made her feel so clearly valued and cared for as she does now.

"This tree of flowers must have taken a lot of your energy, right?" Cui Ying forced herself to suppress her excitement and asked calmly.

In fact, she had her suspicions. She wondered if Xiao Qiyu had lost his chance to become the martial arts champion because he was busy secretly doing these things.

Xiao Qiyu did not answer her question. Instead, he looked intently at her and asked softly, "Do you like it?"

Cui Ying pursed her lips and did not answer. She looked up at the tree full of purple and blue flowers and began to imagine how much patience it must have taken to arrange them.

Xiao Qiyu didn't get a reply from her, so he didn't press her for an answer. He also looked up at the flowers and said, "Unfortunately, it's not true."

“I like it even if it’s not real!” Cui Ying blurted out quickly.

Meeting Xiao Qiyu's smiling eyes, Cui Ying instantly realized she had let something slip.

She punched Xiao Qiyu, turned her face to the other side, and said fiercely, "You know perfectly well why you're asking this."

Xiao Qiyu chuckled: "I didn't."

He was just asking a question he already knew the answer to.

Cui Ying was a person whose good or bad mood was written all over her face; her facial expressions said it all. But he just wanted to hear her say it herself, to hear her say that she liked it, liked the gift he gave her.

In all his life, Xiao Qiyu had never gone to such lengths to prepare anything for anyone. It was the first time in his life, and he was actually quite afraid that he wouldn't do a good enough job.

A dim, yellowish light filtered through the treetops, flowing among the layers of purple-blue flowers. A night breeze rustled the petals, making them whisper softly, adding to the tranquility.

The two sat side by side on a thick branch, with an endless dark blue night sky above them, a bright moon hanging in the sky, and countless stars twinkling. Beside them were the long, purple-blue shadows of flowers, and their beloved was so close at hand.

In the quiet, Xiao Qiyu unconsciously grasped Cui Ying's hand, his warm palm gently caressing the delicate back of her hand.

Cui Ying didn't speak, but her heart inexplicably tightened.

It's strange, the two of them have done shameless things countless times, and taking off their clothes is nothing new to them, but now they can't help but blush when they hold hands.

"Ahem." Cui Ying coughed, feigning ease. "But speaking of which, isn't my birthday tomorrow? Why did you bring me here today?"

Xiao Qiyu's gaze, which had been focused on her face, turned silently to the side upon hearing this, staring at a flower intentionally or unintentionally. He said in a cool and muffled tone, "You're popular. Tomorrow, many people will be vying to give you birthday gifts. The line of people offering their congratulations will probably stretch from the Marquis's mansion to the city gate. I don't want to be squeezed with those people. I want to be the first one."

Seeing his behavior, Cui Ying suddenly found it very amusing and deliberately said, "But even if you are the first one, it doesn't count until the appointed time."

Xiao Qiyu paused, gazing at the vast, boundless night sky.

He spoke again, his voice low and earnest: "If it's not the right time yet, I'll stay here with you and keep watch until dawn tomorrow. No matter what, I want to be the first one, both the first to give you a birthday present and the first to accompany you as you grow a year older."

The voice became more and more resolute towards the end, and by the end it was so stubborn that it was rare to see such a thing, like that of a four-year-old child.

But the mockery in Cui Ying's eyes gradually disappeared.

The shadows of flowers and moonlight intertwined, the lamplight was hazy, and as she looked at Xiao Qiyu, a warm current seemed to surge in her heart, flowing gently through her entire body.

She reached out and gently patted his head, her voice irresistibly tender: "Xiao Qiyu, you really are like a little child right now."

Xiao Qiyu frowned, grabbed the hand that was patting her head, and turned to stare into her eyes: "You can't pat a man's head."

Cui Ying raised an eyebrow, withdrew her hand, and then struck again: "What if I just take a picture? What will happen if I do?"

Xiao Qiyu's gaze shifted downwards, fixing on her full lips. His handsome, aloof face, framed by a pale, refined expression, held a serious expression as he said:

"You'll get hit."

Cui Ying froze. It was the first time in her life that she had heard such explicit and vulgar words from a human mouth. She felt a surge of heat, like boiling magma, rush from her body to the top of her head. She screamed, "You pervert!" and kicked Xiao Qiyu in the waist.

Caught off guard, Xiao Qiyu swayed and actually fell to the ground.

"Cui Ying!"

After a muffled thud, he gritted his teeth under the tree: "You murdered your husband!"

Cui Ying leaned over the edge of the tree trunk, peering down. Seeing that he was safe and sound, and without a trace of remorse on his face, Cui Ying raised his chin and swung his legs leisurely, enjoying the spectacle: "Isn't that perfect? ​​Now that you're gone, I can find another obedient one."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Qiyu smiled instead of getting angry. He slowly and methodically stood up, brushing the bits of grass and dirt off his robes. His posture remained as upright as a pine tree. His phoenix eyes narrowed slightly in the moonlight and lamplight as he looked at the smiling girl in the tree. His tone was calm, and he spoke slowly and deliberately:

"You should know that I've already cleared out everyone from this temple, right?"

"So what if it's cleared out? What does it have to do with me?"

Before he could finish speaking, Cui Ying realized what was happening, his smug expression instantly froze, and he immediately got up to jump down from the tree.

However, she was fast, but Xiao Qiyu was even faster.

As soon as she found the right angle to jump, Xiao Qiyu had already darted to her landing spot, catching her in his arms without even letting a speck of dust touch her shoes, like he was waiting for her to run into a trap.

“I hadn’t even gone up to find you when you jumped down.”

Xiao Qiyu lightly lifted Cui Ying onto his shoulder, strode confidently toward the dark and empty hall, raised his hand, and gave Cui Ying a heavy slap on the buttocks.

"So eager?"

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Author's Note: If the next chapter has some more explicit content, I'll go for a big plot twist. I've been incredibly busy lately, working at least 11 or 12 hours a day. My cat also got FIP, so the first thing I do after get off work every day is take him to get vaccinated. I'm out of options, really out of options! [heart emoji]