Chapter 55 The Bandit Husband.

Coming to her senses, Jiang Huaisu realized something was wrong. She had come to test Nezha's feelings, even going so far as to personally lure him into revealing a weakness. How come she ended up being the one lured by Nezha instead!

This man was incredibly skilled; he almost made her lose all her composure.

Squinting as she adjusted his collar, Jiang Huaisu said in a very gentlemanly manner, "Well, we just returned from Lingshan not long ago. Brother Jinzha said that since he is recovering from a serious injury, he should rest and recuperate. We should be more cautious."

Nezha lowered his head and kissed her lips again, this time just a fleeting touch, but his voice was unusually loud. "...It's okay if it's just this much. Don't you want to kiss me?"

Jiang Huaisu avoided his gaze, turning her head away somewhat shyly. Having tasted love for the first time, this man seemed to have some kind of switch flipped, his flirtatious advances leaving her somewhat overwhelmed.

She muttered to herself, changing the subject: "By the way, how come you're so skilled at this..."

Now it was Nezha's turn to feel uncomfortable. He mumbled, "Just consider it as me having practiced beforehand. Anyway, it's not difficult to do this kind of thing."

"Huh?" The image of Nezha kissing thin air flashed through his mind, which was bizarre.

Seeing Jiang Huaisu's strange expression, Nezha knew she must have imagined something again. But there was nothing he could do; he couldn't very well tell her the truth, saying, "I've done this kind of thing with you several times in my dreams..." Saying that would lower his favorability, wouldn't it?

Fortunately, Jiang Huaisu didn't delve into the issue further. Instead, she patted his shoulder and said, "Don't hug so tightly, loosen your grip a little."

"Oh." He released both hands at the right time.

Jiang Huaisu, held in the arms of the remaining four hands: "..."

It was a suffocating feeling, like being coiled by a python.

"So what's our relationship now?" Nezha asked, a hint of anticipation in his voice. He had actually planned to be the one to confess his feelings first, but Jiang Huaisu had beaten him to it. But it didn't matter; the result was the same anyway.

"Couple...?" What else could it be but that? Could it be friends who have kissed?

Lost in thought for a moment, Nezha kissed her again. As if he'd tasted something special, he kept kissing her, but what could he do besides get her face covered in saliva? Even with their intense affection, he didn't go all the way, probably because he'd taken her words to heart.

However, Jiang Huaisu wasn't entirely confident in her self-control; faced with such beauty, she didn't know how long she could resist.

Fortunately, before things got out of control, Nezha managed to pull back from the brink, stopping his dog-chewing behavior and instead planting a kiss on her forehead. The kiss was so gentle that she almost didn't realize it was a kiss; she only felt as if her skin had been lightly brushed by a flower petal, tickling her.

After tidying up her hair, Nezha looked at her with bright eyes and said, "I like you."

"Jiang Huaisu," he said solemnly, "I like you the most."

The boy, whose ears were turning red, added domineeringly, "'The most' means that I'm number one among the people who like you. No one can like you more than me. Also, you're number one among the people I like. You're more important than anyone else."

Receiving such a serious confession so unexpectedly felt like listening to a tongue twister, but the burning affection in his words made Jiang Huaisu's face burn even more than the previous kiss. If Nezha hadn't restrained her body, she would definitely have snuggled into the quilt again.

It felt very strange. After knowing each other for so long, we suddenly changed our relationship mode and started dating. And we started arguing as soon as we started dating. It felt absurd, like old classmates turning into lovers. But thinking that she had personally certified the word "couple," she responded with the same serious attitude: "I like you too."

"Aren't you going to add a name?"

He started staring at her with those big, expectant eyes again, as if he had already discovered that she was very receptive to this.

Jiang Huaisu realized that he was quite cunning. He didn't care much about appearance. Sometimes when he went out to fight demons, he would have more wounds on his face than on his body. But he was a natural at seduction. He realized that she would soften when she saw his face, so he immediately used his beauty without any burden.

"Nezha, I like you." This fulfilled his request, and this time it was a standard sentence with a complete subject, verb, and object.

"Isn't there a 'best'?"

I love you the most!

Nezha was satisfied this time, his eyes crinkling with a smile as he patted her hair.

She thought they were going to have another intimate encounter, but to her surprise, he let her go this time and got out of bed to leave.

Seeing that he was almost walking with his arms and legs moving in unison, Jiang Huaisu realized that he was not as calm as he seemed on the surface, and his embarrassment could not be hidden as soon as he got out of bed.

She chuckled and reminded him, "Watch your step. Why are you in such a hurry? Where are you going?"

Nezha didn't turn around. He quickened his pace and walked away, telling her that he needed to find a place to vent his excitement and that she didn't need to worry about him and should rest.

He said he needed to vent, which most likely meant he was going to find a fight. Jiang Huaisu also wanted to vent, but her method was much gentler: she went to sleep. However, after tossing and turning in bed for two hours, she still couldn't fall asleep; she felt like she had forgotten something.

Just as she was about to fall asleep, she suddenly sat up.

...Oh no, I just remembered! I was so busy munching on my food that I forgot to mention we were going back to Flower Fruit Mountain!

There was no other way but to find another opportunity to greet Nezha.

However, she didn't expect the opportunity to come so quickly. She had just dozed off for a while when she heard something splash into the water outside the door. Since she couldn't sleep well anyway because she was worried about Nezha, she decided to go out and check what was going on, wondering if another spirit bird had run into Nezha's lotus pond to swim.

As a result, the spirit bird didn't see him, but only saw Nezha in the lotus pond, with a corner of a bandage in his mouth, concentrating on applying medicine and bandaging the wound on his shoulder.

The spiritual energy in the lotus pond would help him heal faster; this level of injury would heal in half a day at most. Nezha didn't care much, and even felt that the fight hadn't been satisfying enough.

There haven't been any major demons causing trouble in the lower realms lately, and the remaining second-rate ones are easy to deal with. Without powerful enemies, he can't concentrate fully in battle; Jiang Huaisu's image keeps lingering in his mind—the aftereffects of that first kiss are too great.

"How did you get hurt again?" Jiang Huaisu strode over and squatted down on the bank to examine his injuries. A surge of anger welled up inside her, and she questioned him sharply, "Does venting mean getting beaten up?"

Previously, when she was idly chatting with Jinzha on Mount Ling, the two reached a consensus that Nezha didn't take care of his body enough. Probably because he relied on his resilient lotus body, he often only attacked and didn't defend when fighting.

"I wasn't hit." Seeing how serious she was, Nezha's tone became tense as he looked up to meet her gaze. "I won a great victory."

"Who told you that? Of course I know you won." She sighed. "Even if you don't die, you can't just act recklessly like this. You've only been back from Mount Ling for a short time, and you've already added new injuries to yourself."

"It will heal quickly..."

"Wouldn't it be better if we didn't get hurt?"

He understood what Jiang Huaisu meant: he was telling him to be more careful when fighting in the future. Instead of feeling angry at being scolded, he felt a little pleased. Things were different after they confirmed their relationship; he felt that Jiang Huaisu cared about him more than before.

"...Did you even listen, Third Prince?" Seeing his absent-minded look, Jiang Huaisu felt the embers of anger that had just been extinguished in her heart begin to reignite.

"I will remember your instructions." Nezha went ashore, sat down next to her, and obediently promised, "I will be more careful when I fight in the future."

Jiang Huaisu's expression softened slightly: "It's not that you can't take any injuries at all... it's just that the strategy of trading injuries for injuries is too unprofitable."

"I understand." Nezha nodded politely. Looking at his innocent face, Jiang Huaisu inexplicably thought of Miaolian when they were children. So many years have passed, but his feigned innocence is exactly the same as before, without the slightest change.

She knew he was a man of strong will; despite his sincere apology, she wondered how much of what he said today had actually been taken to heart.

Sigh, she used to think Nezha was possessive, but she herself couldn't help but interfere in his life. Now that they were in a closer relationship, how could she not care about him even more?

"You're going back to Flower Fruit Mountain soon, aren't you?" Nezha suddenly brought it up.

This reminded Jiang Huaisu. She nodded and said, "I wanted to tell you this before, but I didn't have time."

Nezha said listlessly, "Go ahead."

"But your injuries haven't healed yet..."

"What's the big deal about this little injury? I've kept you here for so long, there's no reason to stop you from going back to the mountain." His seemingly polite and sensible words sounded strangely sarcastic when he said them. "Oh, right, there's also Sun Wukong. You haven't visited him at the foot of the Five Fingers Mountain for the past two weeks. More than ten years have passed in the human world. He must miss you very much."

If he wanted to evoke pity, then Jiang Huaisu could only say he succeeded. Even knowing he might have some ulterior motives, she simply couldn't leave him alone in the lotus pond, injured, and just walk away.

"Once you're better, we'll go together tomorrow."

"May I?"

...As if you've never let him go before. Let's see if you can pretend again.

Considering his current injury, Jiang Huaisu didn't hold it against him. She continued to coax him gently, "Not only can you come with me to see Sun Wukong, but you can also come and stay with me at Flower Fruit Mountain. Isn't the scenery there quite nice? You've stayed there before, didn't you like it?"

Nezha said awkwardly, "It's not as comfortable as staying in the Cloud Tower Palace."

"But the entertainment options are much better than at Yunlou Palace!" She listed the advantages of staying on Huaguo Mountain: she could pick fruit and roast meat herself, till the soil and plant vegetables, fish by the stream, and even go hiking to exercise when she had free time...

It sounded like all physical labor, and she felt a little guilty, as if she were trying to trick the young master into going back to the village to help her carry corn. But living on Flower Fruit Mountain was definitely not like being waited on hand and foot by fairy maids and servants in Cloud Tower Palace.

Nezha was listening with great interest when he saw Jiang Huaisu suddenly stop trying to persuade him. He immediately sensed that something was wrong and decided to stop while he was ahead, saying, "Alright, it sounds pretty good. I'll go back with you."

"Are you sure? I might be staying for a long time this time."

"Sure."

"When you go back to the mountain, you might have to help me with some work."

"Let's do it."

"Gathering firewood, brewing wine, cooking... are all these things okay? Don't worry, it certainly won't be something you do every day, but since you're no longer a guest, there will inevitably be times when you have to do things yourself."

Nezha was somewhat puzzled. What kind of reason was that? Did Jiang Huaisu think he was so arrogant that he couldn't even do such a small thing properly? With the help of magic, wouldn't these things be easy for him? Was she just making excuses to avoid taking him back?

Damn it, I should have known better than to act all high and mighty. Who would have thought this fickle woman would change her mind so quickly!

His face darkened: "I'll do anything, as long as I go back with you."

Since the young master had said so, how could Jiang Huaisu disagree? Seeing that he did not seem to be forced, but repeatedly assured her that he was proficient in all household chores, she felt relieved. She only needed to wait for Nezha to recover before she could bring her husband back to the mountain.

As it turned out, Nezha was incredibly resilient, recovering even faster than expected. They didn't even wait until the next day; later that evening, the two packed their things and set off.

First, he returned to Flower Fruit Mountain to settle his belongings, and then went to Five Elements Mountain to find Sun Wukong.

The news of Jiang Huaisu being with Nezha was naturally spread far and wide. The monkeys of Flower Fruit Mountain were quite surprised, initially thinking Jiang Huaisu was joking. Nezha, exasperated, almost pulled Jiang Huaisu aside and kissed her on the spot to prove his identity, but she refused on the grounds that it was "inappropriate for children." With Baby Monkey present, it was better to do such things privately.

When Sun Wukong heard about this, he didn't react much. He said "Congratulations" in a teasing tone, and from an angle that Nezha couldn't see, he even gave Jiang Huaisu a thumbs up, meaning that she had gotten him so quickly.

"No wonder you haven't come to see me lately, you've been busy with your love life."

"I've moved back to Flower Fruit Mountain, so I can come visit you every year from now on!"

Sun Wukong chuckled: "That would be great."

Nezha repaired the slightly crooked pergola for him, still muttering to himself, "Once every ten years is about right. He's not a child anymore, he doesn't need someone to accompany him."

Sun Wukong glanced at him sideways: "Then why do you need Susu to accompany you? Are you a child?"

"Yes, that's right." He wasn't guilty at all; he lied through his teeth.

The two, Nezha and the monkey, still seemed to be at odds, their interactions appearing unchanged from the past. However, Jiang Huaisu keenly sensed a change. In the past, when Nezha spoke like this, it was genuinely hostile. Whenever he spoke to the monkey, he would automatically switch to a sarcastic mode, with nine out of ten sentences containing barbs. Now, it was mostly playful banter, lacking that subtle, veiled irritation.

I never expected that being in a relationship could have this purifying effect.

However, after returning to Flower Fruit Mountain, he remained as harsh as ever towards the monkeys, showing no mercy when disciplining the naughty little ones. In fact, with his new identity as the second-in-command and "husband of the bandit chief," he felt even more at ease disciplining them.

Surprisingly, his reputation among the monkeys didn't worsen. This was probably because he was skilled at various games and tricks, and some of the bolder little monkeys would try to get close to him. Over time, they realized that as long as they became familiar with Nezha, they would not only get spanked less often, but they would also see many new and fun things.

For example, the swings he made were sturdy and beautiful; a breath of air would cause colorful little flowers to bloom, and they moved on their own without anyone pushing them. He could also cook many beautiful dishes, although the taste was inconsistent, like opening a blind box each time, but that was part of the fun—they were at least visually appealing and delicious. He would also make many strangely shaped handicrafts for Susu, some so ugly they could ward off ghosts, others cleverly hidden—seemingly whistles but actually concealed weapons. He said he could trick enemies into blowing them during fights, causing them to bleed profusely. But he hadn't figured out exactly how to do it yet.

Jiang Huaisu rarely interfered in the trivial matters of Huaguo Mountain, not because she wanted to be lazy, but because Nezha strongly requested that she spend more time cultivating.

It seems that the incident with White Fang last time had a significant impact on Nezha, and it also made him discover something important: Jiang Huaisu, as a transmigrator, does indeed have a slightly different physique compared to the natives.

Logically, the soul and the body should be inseparable, like a mortise and tenon joint, with no possibility of any gaps. However, Jiang Huaisu's body can simultaneously house two souls. If she hadn't embarked on the path of cultivation from the beginning, this constitution would definitely not have allowed her to live long, and she would have been extremely vulnerable to being parasitized by wandering ghosts.

Therefore, Nezha instructed her to specialize in soul techniques, cultivate the art of unifying body and mind, and take elixirs to further solidify her soul.

This phase lasted for about two hundred years. When Nezha finally determined that her physique had reached the passing grade he required, Jiang Huaisu was momentarily dazed, feeling a bittersweet feeling of finally getting a graduation certificate after two hundred years of hard work.

Two hundred years, a full two hundred years! To ensure the final effect, both theory and practice must be grasped simultaneously. Sometimes, Nezha would even specifically seek out demons skilled in mental attacks to spar with her. Cultivation was done with her eyes open and closed. Due to the special nature of the cultivation method, Nezha also required her to maintain a state of purity and detachment as much as possible.

She finally understood why Nezha had acted like a lustful demon when they confessed their feelings for each other at Lianxin Residence, biting her until her lips were swollen before stopping. He must have foreseen this day!

What kind of couple's relationship goes like this? She barely got a taste of meat before being forced to be a vegetarian for two hundred years. The most they can do is hug and hold hands. Occasionally, when she's captivated by his good looks and tries to kiss him, Nezha avoids her, saying that this is the most crucial year for cultivating his skills and he can't be careless! His tone is exactly like her high school homeroom teacher's, which instantly chills her heart and extinguishes all her lust.

If she kept practicing, she felt she could shave her head and become a nun.

Fortunately, she was determined enough to graduate before completely losing her desires, so she could temporarily stop practicing this skill. Otherwise, her relationship with Nezha would probably have continued to develop in a spiritual Platonic direction. It would be such a pity to have such a handsome young man around her every day, yet she could see him but not have him.

To celebrate her advancement in cultivation, Nezha said he would cook her a big meal.

Jiang Huaisu sat by the stove helping to tend the fire, lost in thought as she watched Nezha chop minced meat with his Yin-Yang swords. The minced meat was so fine that it was almost impossible to scoop it up, so she had to switch to a regular kitchen knife.

The large, plump meatballs were put into the pot, and Nezha added a lot of miscellaneous side dishes, as well as white and red radishes carved into various shapes. The colors looked bright and appetizing, and the presentation was very appealing; I just don't know how they taste.

Drawn by the aroma, Jiang Huaisu walked to the pot to check. Just as she lifted the lid, Nezha stopped her, saying, "It's not cooked yet. It needs to cook a little longer."

Seeing how seriously he spoke, she had no choice but to give up her idea of ​​trying it out early and awkwardly withdrew her hand from the spoon.

Not knowing how much longer she would have to wait, she decided to sit back down by the stove and make the fire burn even brighter. However, as soon as she turned around, Nezha blocked her way.

She asked in confusion, "What?"

"You can't eat meat, but you can try other things first."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Huaisu looked around. The fish hadn't been cooked, the shrimp and crab were still jumping around in the basin, the glutinous rice balls were steaming in the steamer, and the two vegetable dishes hadn't been stir-fried either. It seemed like there was nothing she could bring herself to eat.

"Did you buy prepared food...?"

Before he could finish speaking, his lips and tongue were sealed.

After a brief, suggestive kiss, Nezha looked down at her, a little embarrassed and annoyed, and braced himself against the stone wall behind her. "Who was talking about food! You've finished your cultivation, haven't you thought about being with me, with me...?"

Jiang Huaisu touched her lips, thinking that this time the pressure was much gentler than the last time at Yunlou Palace. The young man's handsome face, as beautiful as a lotus flower, came into view, and she was also somewhat aroused. She hadn't truly experienced sensuality since starting a relationship, and had been forced to remain celibate for two hundred years; perhaps a little taste of meat wouldn't be so bad...

He wrapped his arms around Nezha's slender waist, and was about to stand on tiptoe to respond to the kiss when he heard a cracking sound behind him.

Turning around, she saw a large crack had appeared in the stone wall, and rubble mixed with dust was falling down. Jiang Huaisu exclaimed in shock, "The wall is broken!"

She frantically began to salvage the situation, complaining to Nezha for not holding back; if this place had collapsed, it would have been disastrous. Luckily, she was quick enough. When she finished and turned around, she saw that nothing dirty had fallen into the pots, pans, or steamer, otherwise there would have been a few fewer dishes on the table tonight.

It's very different from the romantic scenes in TV dramas. Nezha's impulsive wall slam almost buried the kitchen, which was quite a close call.

"If you can't control your strength, God of War, don't try to do that wall-slamming thing!" Jiang Huaisu complained angrily.

Nezha, however, was unconvinced: "It's because of the bad location! Next time we'll find a spacious place, and I guarantee this won't happen again."

Jiang Huaisu's face turned pale: "This kind of thing is only suitable for indoors! Didn't you control it very well at Lianxin Residence last time, without damaging the equipment? We're not fighting, so why are you using so much force?"

“Last time, last time was…” Nezha’s momentum deflated. “Last time was too intense! This time I wanted to be gentler with you, but I couldn’t help using a little force.”

Got it, the law of conservation of force, right? If she could only choose one, Jiang Huaisu thought numbly, she'd better vent her excess energy on the equipment; it can be repaired anyway.