Chapter 18 I Want to Kiss You She didn't recognize me. ...
(eighteen)
Chu Li actually knew very little about the merchant's curse. She mostly heard bits and pieces from others. Shang Xinglan never told her in detail, and he would never bring it up unless she asked.
Therefore, Chu Li only knew that every three hundred years, a true immortal would descend to earth, and that the immortal would have a divine bone attached to his back. Where the divine bone was located, it would be as if struck by a bolt of lightning, leaving a light golden lightning mark.
Are there two people in the world with golden lightning marks on their backs? They are even exactly the same in that they might die before the age of twenty-five. Unfortunately, he just happened to lose his memory and even forgot his own name.
Chu Li didn't know if there were any other ascended families like the Shang family in the world. If there were, the curse of the ascended people shouldn't have beenfallen a demon.
No, it's definitely not what she thinks.
That person is dead. She pushed him off the cliff herself. The cliff was unfathomably deep; there was no way he could have survived.
She looked up, the sunlight was blinding, and her vision went black for a moment. She took a deep breath, "When will Wuming come back?"
Seeing that she asked again, Gu Ye chuckled softly, "Looks like you really miss him. Shall I urge him for you?"
Chu Li didn't refute, but simply replied softly, "Yes, the sooner the better."
Gu Ye took out a talisman from his pocket, easily ignited it with a flick of his fingertips, and then moved the wood to build a wall. "Just wait, Master will be back soon if he wants to."
Hearing his words, Chu Li nodded, moved a stool out of the house, and sat down at the gate of the courtyard to wait.
Gu Ye glanced at her, saw her sitting at the door with her chin resting on her hand, looking like she would keep waiting until Wuming returned, and looked away in confusion.
Did you really fall in love?
This young widow is really something else. She follows her husband wherever he goes, whether he's a chicken or a dog, and if she marries a devil, she'll follow him wherever he goes.
As dusk settled and twilight descended, the sky above Xiaofushan sank into a tranquil deep blue, and crows flew into the forest, startling a flurry of falling leaves.
Chu Li propped her head up, feeling sleepy again.
"Mother, it's time to eat."
The little boy ran over to call her for dinner, but she waved him off and told him to go eat first. Suddenly, a shadow fell over her head.
Chu Li's heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously turned around, only to see Gu Ye staring at her with a hammer in his hand.
"He won't be back today. If he doesn't come back before dark, it means he's not coming back," Gu Ye said casually, then carried his hammer into the house to eat.
Chu Li remained silent, looked up at the empty doorway, and after a long while, picked up a small stool and went back inside.
At the dinner table, Yan Xinbai placed the food and dishes on the table and said calmly, "This is my first time cooking, so it may not taste good. Just make do with it."
They ate yesterday's leftovers for lunch, but now there aren't even any leftovers left, so he has to cook for them.
Chu Li and the little boy exchanged a glance, then looked at the burnt and charred food on the table.
This might not taste good, but this is completely inedible!
Gu Ye obligingly took a sip, then spat it all out with a "pfft," saying, "Did you throw a handful of ashes in there?"
Yan Xinbai's lips twitched slightly as he threw the bowl of rice in front of him. "Eat it or don't, it's up to you."
Seeing the little boy pick up his chopsticks to grab some food, Chu Li quickly grabbed his little hand, took a deep breath, and slowly got up. "I'll go cook a few dishes."
Yan Xinbai said calmly, "No, the master ordered that you cannot do any work."
Chu Li: "?"
She laughed in exasperation, and stood up abruptly, saying, "So you want to see your master's wife and children poisoned to death when he returns?"
After saying that, Chu Li threw away all the food. Her heart was bleeding. What a waste of food. She should have just asked her to cook.
Yan Xinbai seemed to want to say something more, but Gu Ye grabbed her arm.
"Alright, alright, Madam is right. Even the dogs wouldn't eat the food you make, so don't make things difficult for us."
Upon hearing this, Yan Xinbai angrily shook off his hand and went out to cultivate in a depressed mood.
When he'd be willing to cook? He'd never done anything like that before—cooking for ordinary people. If word got out, he'd be ridiculed by countless people.
After all, he was once the Demon Lord—at least before Wuming arrived.
After working for a long time, Chu Li finally managed to prepare some decent food and serve it to the little one.
A dish of stir-fried eggs with garlic sprouts and cold cured pork salad, though somewhat makeshift, doesn't take much time to prepare and can be made quickly.
The little one wasn't picky about food and happily started eating, but suddenly stopped after a couple of bites.
It's so salty.
My tongue is about to fall off.
My mother didn't cook like this before.
He looked up at Chu Li with a puzzled expression, only to find her looking absent-minded. She picked up a few mouthfuls of rice and then put down her chopsticks.
"I'm full. Yinyin, go to sleep after you finish eating. Don't stay up too late reading."
The little boy stared blankly as she picked up the stool again and walked towards the door.
What's wrong with Mother?
She didn't eat anything properly all day.
He suppressed his doubts, lowered his head and started eating. After finishing his meal, he covered the leftovers and, as he passed by the door, saw Chu Li still sitting in front of the courtyard gate, feeding the chicks while lost in thought, seemingly preoccupied with something.
Do you miss your father?
Whenever Mother misses Father, she would stay quietly by herself, and it was as if she couldn't hear him when he spoke to her.
After observing for a long time, the little boy ran into the house, picked up a slightly thicker coat, and quietly covered Chu Li's shoulders.
Chu Li was stunned for a moment, then turned around and saw the little boy's smiling face.
"Mother, I'll stay with you."
He also brought over a small stool, sat down next to Chu Li, and, imitating her, rested his chin on his hand and looked out the door.
A pang of tenderness welled up in Chu Li's eyes, and she pursed her lips, unable to utter a word. She gently stroked his face.
With a cause and effect, it seems there's no problem in the world that can't be overcome.
As the night breeze blew by, Chu Li wrapped the little boy in her coat and whispered softly to him.
"Mom, the stars are so bright today."
"Yes, the stars on Xiaofushan Mountain are the brightest."
The little boy leaned against her and whispered, "Mother, I will definitely become Huaijin Jun in the future. Someone told me that I will do even better than Huaijin Jun."
Upon hearing this, Chu Li's eyelashes trembled slightly, and then she heard him say, "Mother, there's something I don't understand. Why do demons never harm us?"
Chu Li suddenly covered his mouth and whispered, "You've been deceived, Yin Yin. Don't believe their lies. Demons are all bad people; they're just pretending."
The little boy stared at her blankly until Chu Li let go of his hand, then whispered, "I know, I'm sorry, Mother."
Hearing his words, Chu Li choked slightly. She leaned down and kissed his face, saying gently, "You did nothing wrong. Why should you apologize? The devils are the ones who are wrong. They deceived you. They deserve to die."
The little boy pursed his lips and leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. "I'm sorry I didn't stand by your side and believe in you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Li stared at him speechlessly. His face, with its distinct features that resembled hers, increasingly resembled Shang Xinglan's.
Shang Xinglan trusted her too much, which is why he died under mysterious circumstances.
She knows she's not always right, but when she makes a mistake, she swallows it silently and keeps moving forward; looking back is meaningless to her.
If Shang Xinglan were still alive...
She's gone mad, actually fantasizing that he's still alive.
Even if Shang Xinglan were still alive, the first thing he would do would be to come back and kill her; he would never reconcile with her.
The cracks in the mirror will never be repaired, the past cannot be made up for, the stars shine and disappear day by day, but it will always be the same star as yesterday.
Chu Li wiped her eyes and said softly, "Go back to sleep, Mother is sleepy."
The little boy obediently got up and was about to lead her into the house, but he couldn't pull Chu Li away.
He paused for a moment, then turned around to look, and saw Chu Li standing there in a daze.
Before her stood a man wearing a bamboo hat, who had appeared out of nowhere, his body emanating the chill of the night wind. The bamboo hat was the very one Shang Xinglan used to wear.
Chu Li's breath hitched for a moment. She instinctively rushed forward to take off his hat, but before she could touch him, her wrist was grabbed.
She couldn't break free, and she heard the other person's ambiguous laughter in her ear.
"Gu Ye said he missed me."
Upon hearing his voice, Chu Li's head buzzed.
How come I only realized it now? Even their voices are so similar.
She felt annoyed and wanted to slap herself twice, then tried to pry his hands off, saying, "Let go."
The hand loosened its grip, and Chu Li hurriedly went to remove the straw hat from his head. As soon as she took it off, she discovered that he was still wearing the demon mask.
She cursed under her breath, then immediately realized the baby was still beside her and quickly covered the baby's ears, "Yinyin, go back to your room and sleep."
The little boy was coaxed away by her, but he kept turning back curiously.
Why?
When Wuming came back, Mother seemed less disappointed. It's amazing. Was she angry?
After the little one obediently returned to the house, Chu Li took a deep breath, turned to look at the person in front of her, and said, "Take off your mask."
As soon as the words were spoken, the moonlit courtyard became even quieter.
Shang Xinglan narrowed her eyes and said calmly, "I remember telling you, no."
Hearing this, Chu Li became even more itchy, as if the itch was deep in her bones, and she clamored that she absolutely had to see his face now, "Why not? Give me a reason!"
Shang Xinglan lowered her eyes, walked past her, and said calmly, "I'm ugly."
Chu Li choked, quickly caught up with him, and reached out to remove his mask. "I don't mind, just let me see you, just one look, I promise I won't tell anyone."
Before she could reach him, Chu Li was suddenly lifted off the ground and picked up around the waist.
She was startled, lost her balance, and clung tightly to him.
Shang Xinglan carried her in one arm, picked up the stools from the ground, stacked them up, and put them back by the side of the house.
"It's late, go to sleep."
Just as he was about to put her down, Chu Li clung tightly to his shoulder and wrapped herself around him.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to reach for the mask, but her wrist was grabbed. Chu Li gritted his teeth in anger and said, word by word, "I want to sleep with you."
Shang Xinglan stopped abruptly, looking at her in confusion, "Did you fall into the pit again?"
Chu Li struggled until she was completely exhausted, but that hand always managed to grip her precisely, preventing her from touching the mask. She could only weakly lean against his neck, panting, and plead repeatedly, "Just one look, please, my husband..."
The voice beside her was soft, like a murmur. Shang Xinglan lowered his eyes and slapped her on the buttock. "I said no, and that means no. If you bring it up again, I won't be polite to you."
Chu Li was suddenly struck and became furious. She suppressed her anger and said softly, "Fine, I cooked dinner myself tonight, but it seems you can't enjoy it. It was a meal I specially prepared for you. You've really broken my heart."
Hearing her words, Shang Xinglan felt even more uneasy.
The sun rose in the west.
He placed the person on the ground and slowly walked into the house.
There was indeed food on the small table.
A bowl of cold rice and two plates of leftover food.
Shang Xinglan: "...Prepared meticulously?"
Chu Li: "Yes, I'll heat it up for you. You have to eat it, or you'll be letting me down."
Just as she was about to take the food to reheat it, she heard Shang Xinglan say calmly, "No need, I've already eaten out."
Chu Li gritted her teeth and turned to look at him. "Really? What did you eat? I'll count to three. If you can't answer, you're lying."
"They ate people."
"..."
Shang Xinglan smiled and said gently, "You're not full yet? You want to eat more? Why don't you go take a shower?"
Chu Li remained silent and quietly put the leftovers back in the kitchen.
Shang Xinglan thought she had finally given up, so she sat down to rest for a while. Not long after, Chu Li came out of the kitchen with a teacup in her hand.
With a whoosh.
She splashed the glass of water on his face.
"Oh dear!" Chu Li feigned surprise and casually picked up a rag from the table, wiping it across his face. "I'm so sorry, I got your mask wet. Take it off and I'll wipe it for you..."
Shang Xinglan's hair was wet with tea, and drops of water slid down her chin. He took a deep breath and grasped her wrist.
"Need not."
He cast a cleansing spell, and his body quickly became clean, without even a drop of water remaining.
Chu Li stared at him with great resentment, trying to find the slightest flaw in his face, but unfortunately, she couldn't see anything.
We have to resort to our last resort.
"Let's go to the bridal chamber." She grabbed his hand and led him into the inner room. "How can newlyweds not consummate their marriage? I was wrong last night, I'll make it up to you tonight."
Shang Xinglan let her pull him into the room and push him onto the bed.
Chu Li stared intently at him, then leaned down and cupped his face in her hands. "Husband, I want to kiss you."
Those eyes held a clear desire; they wouldn't give up until they achieved their goal.
Shang Xinglan gave a blank laugh, "Sure."
Chu Li was surprised that he would agree. Her eyes lit up, but before she could speak, he pointed to the mask and said, "Just kiss him."
"I don't want to!"
Chu Li was so angry with him that she was about to die.
She's completely unresponsive, like a stubborn piece of meat. What more do you want from her?
Seeing her expression, as if she was about to cry from anger, Shang Xinglan's eyes darkened slightly, a faint candlelight glow in them, and she asked in a low voice, "You really want to see that?"
Chu Li wiped away non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes and nodded with a wronged expression.
Shang Xinglan stared at her quietly for a long time, seemingly lost in thought.
After a long pause, he said, "Okay."
As soon as he finished speaking, the candlelight in the room went out without a breeze, and even the windows were tightly closed, plunging the world into a quiet darkness.
It was pitch black, and Chu Li panicked, thinking he was angry. She quickly explained, "I was just too curious. If you really don't want me to see, I won't..."
Shang Xinglan remained silent.
Chu Li's heart was in her throat, and she became increasingly nervous. Her mind was filled with his words from earlier: "I'm not full and I want to eat more." Could he really be going to eat her flesh?
Suddenly, a hand grabbed her wrist.
Chu Li trembled and subconsciously tried to pull back, but then heard the person in front of her calmly say, "Didn't you want to know my face? Touch it yourself."
Her movements faltered, and her heart began to beat again.
As my fingertips approached that warm skin, my heart pounded harder and harder, as if it were about to burst out of my chest.
A night filled with the subtle fragrance of perfume.
Shang Xinglan stared at her intently. With his cultivation level, it wasn't difficult for him to clearly see every change in Li's expression.
Fingertips touched the side of her face, gently and haphazardly stroking upwards.
Knowing she might be recognized, he still allowed her to do so.
I both hope she will discover me and fear that she actually will.
It's best not to recognize them.
Chu Li's fingertips trembled more and more, and she swallowed nervously. "I...I can't feel it. Come closer."
Shang Xinglan also took a trembling breath. After a pause, he got up from the bed, helped Chu Li to sit down on the edge of the bed, and knelt down, holding her hand to his face.
This time, Chu Li can get a clear picture of things.
She carefully examined his features, but she had never had much of an imagination, and she couldn't piece together his nose and eyes into a complete face. After touching him for a while, she could only feel that his nose was very high, like a fine piece of jade, smooth and flawless; his eyelashes were long, slightly tickling her palm; and his lips were soft. She dared not touch them too much, afraid he might bite her. After touching him for a long time, she figured he wasn't bad-looking.
After a long while, Chu Li hesitated for a moment, then said awkwardly, "Why don't you light a candle and let me see it directly?"
Shang Xinglan paused for a moment, then slowly closed her eyes.
She didn't recognize him.
After all, they were husband and wife, living together day and night for two whole years!
Well, he knew it would turn out this way, so he shouldn't have expected anything from her. That's better!
Shang Xinglan pulled her hand away, put the mask back on her face, and said indifferently, "You should go to sleep."
Chu Li hurriedly coaxed him, "No, please let me try again, just one more time, please."
Shang Xinglan gave her no more chances, pressing her down onto the soft couch, wrapping her tightly in the blanket, and coldly saying, "Go to sleep."
After doing all this, Shang Xinglan was about to leave when someone behind her called out urgently, "Wait!"
He sighed. "Is there anything else?"
“We haven’t consummated our marriage yet, come back,” Chu Li said through gritted teeth, clenching her fingers. “Light the candles, since you’re wearing a mask anyway.”
She refused to believe it; surely she could keep him on their wedding night?
Shang Xinglan stopped and thought for a moment before turning to look at her. "No, you'll just say I don't care about you."
Upon hearing this, Chu Li felt a headache coming on, and could only bite the bullet and say, "How could that be? You love me the most, my dear husband, come here quickly."
"No, what if you cry and say I'm hurting you and ask me to stop? I'll find it very difficult to bear."
That bastard seems determined to go against her today.
Chu Li angrily ripped off the soft blanket covering her, got out of bed barefoot, and rushed over to grab him.
Before she could even get close, he scooped her up and tossed her back onto the bed.
"Who taught you to get out of bed barefoot?" Shang Xinglan frowned at her.
Because of the constant exposure to cold, Chu Li would suffer excruciating pain during her period. After finally recuperating at the merchant's, she started walking barefoot on the ground again, disregarding the cold. She simply couldn't take care of herself.
"What's it to you?" Chu Li grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the bed. "If you're a man, shut up."
Without any hesitation, she unbuttoned his shirt and bit his neck. "Take it off quickly, I want you now."
Shang Xinglan: "..."
He gently rubbed his forehead and let out a sigh of relief.
No matter the situation, Chu Li always manages to do something unexpected and unpredictable. There isn't a single day of peace between them; it's as if they can't get by without constantly battling wits and strength.
His eyes were deep and dark. He suddenly grabbed her slender waist and easily dragged her down to his body.
"You asked for it."
A note from the author:
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