Chapter 48: Zhong Jiuli touched her while they were in the same bed!
Taking advantage of the woman's absence, Bai started trying to get information out of the child, "Baby, can I ask you something?"
"What do you want to ask?" Liu Baobao's big, bright eyes darted around, her face serious.
"Is there any fishing village around here... where people are surnamed Chu?" Looking at the little girl's confused eyes, Bai added, "Have you ever seen a really, really beautiful older sister surnamed Chu?"
The little girl stopped chewing, cupped her cheeks with her greasy little hands, and frowned into a small knot.
Bai thought she was going to say something, but then he saw Liu Baobao pick up the crab claw again and take a big bite, then concentrate on gnawing on it.
"Hmm~ I think I've heard of it!" the little girl mumbled between chews. "Let me think about it carefully."
Bai also waited expectantly, watching Liu Baobao finish gnawing on a crab claw, then reach for the large shrimp on the plate. With her short little hands, she deftly peeled the shrimp shells, and with a gusto, she devoured half a shrimp in one bite, eating with such focus.
A quarter of an hour passed...
"Hiccup~"
Liu Baobao let out a loud burp, patted her belly, stood up, and called into the house with droopy eyelids, "Mommy, I'm sleepy, I want to go to sleep!"
Bai Ye's lips twitched slightly, belatedly realizing that she seemed to have been tricked by a little kid.
Upon hearing the sound, the woman quickly came out of the side room, took the little girl into her arms, and gently coaxed her, "Baby, wait a while before you sleep. You haven't washed up yet."
The little girl nestled in her mother's neck like a kitten, rubbing against her gently, making soft, whimpering noises that melted anyone's heart.
The woman smiled apologetically at the two women, "The side room has been prepared, please come with me, ladies."
The two followed to the door of the side room, and Bai said to the woman, "You should take the child to rest. The little girl is very sleepy."
The woman lowered her head and answered softly, "The place in the countryside is simple, so please bear with us, young ladies. This quilt is new and I guarantee it will be warm."
"Mmm, it's warm," Liu Baobao mumbled sleepily.
The babyish voice made the others laugh.
"Then I won't disturb the two young ladies' rest any longer," the woman said politely at the end, before leaving the room with her child.
The door closed gently, and the room fell silent, with only the faint crackling sound of the oil lamp burning.
Bai Ye's gaze involuntarily fell on the wooden bed placed against the wall, where brand-new bedding was neatly laid out.
The sea breeze swept through the window, carrying a salty, damp scent, and lifted a corner of the bed curtains, vaguely revealing two embroidered pillows placed side by side at the head of the bed.
Sharing a bed, whispering sweet nothings, a lonely woman and a raging fire, adding fuel to the fire, crackling and popping! In an instant, all sorts of strange thoughts flashed through Bai Ye's mind, and the tips of her ears immediately burned bright red.
This seems to be progressing a bit too fast; she's not ready yet!
“Staring at the bed…” Zhong Jiuli’s voice rang out in the quiet room, “Are you thinking of something naughty?”
Bai was startled by the sudden sound and shuddered, turning her head sharply, her chin nearly colliding with the red lips that were inches away.
Their eyes met, the warm yellow candlelight flickering in her eyes, and the cool, refreshing fragrance wafted around her, making Bai's breathing become erratic.
"I was thinking..." Bai stammered and took a half step back, her lower back hitting the small round table in the center of the room. She stumbled and ended up sitting on a wooden stool.
"What are you thinking about?" Zhong Jiuli looked down at her.
Bai Ye's gaze wandered aimlessly. He dared not look up at Zhong Jiuli, nor at the bed that seemed somewhat ambiguous at the moment. He only dared to mutter softly, "The bed seems a bit narrow."
Zhong Jiuli glanced at her, then placed her hand on the soft bone of Bai Ye's throat, her fingertips tracing along the neck line, finally settling on her fair chin, forcing her to tilt her head back and look at her.
"Could it be that you're afraid of being crowded?" Her red lips parted slightly, her breath sweet as orchids. "Or...are you expecting something?"
The sound of waves crashing against the rocks outside the window suddenly became more rapid, strangely coinciding with the frantic beating of Bai's heart.
"No!" Bai denied it outright.
"Heh~" Zhong Jiuli chuckled, released her hand, stepped back, and sat on the bed, facing Bai Ye from a distance.
After creating some distance, Bai Ye finally dared to breathe deeply. Clutching her wildly beating heart, she thought to herself, "This is really going to kill me! Xiao Wang never said that his wife, who appears aloof and reserved on the surface, actually knows such seductive tricks!"
"Sigh~!" Bai also sighed deeply, a sigh that seemed to go on and on.
By the time she snapped out of her self-pity, Zhong Jiuli was already lying on her side on the inside of the bed.
The empty space on the outside of the bed looks like it was reserved for her.
Bai stared at the hard bench he was sitting on, then glanced at the soft bedding, and hesitated, wondering if he should go over there.
What if I misunderstand? Will I get a beating from Zhong Jiuli?
"Don't be a coward, kid!" Xiao Wang's voice suddenly rang in my mind. "That spot was obviously reserved for you!"
"Xiao Wang!" Bai was also a little angry. "You're not allowed to peek at my wife while she's sleeping."
【Tch~】
Xiao Wang's electronic voice was full of disdain: "This system automatically blocks all 18+ restricted content! Besides, with your cowardly appearance, what restricted content could you possibly have?"
Bai was speechless, and as if to prove that she wasn't a coward, she stood up angrily. However, she stood up too abruptly, and the wooden stool under her bottom fell to the ground with a "bang".
The figure on the bed stirred slightly. Zhong Jiuli, with his back to her, said in a somewhat languid voice, "Get on!"
These words were like a pardon. Bai immediately moved quietly to the bedside, carefully lifted the corner of the quilt, and sat on the bed. The old wooden bed made an ambiguous "creaking" sound with her movements, which was particularly clear in the quiet night.
Bai lay down stiffly, her whole body instantly enveloped by a familiar, cool fragrance. The fragrance was stronger than usual, carrying the warm temperature of the bedding, and went straight into her nostrils.
She could hear even breathing beside her and felt the warmth of another person's body. All of this reminded her that she was now sleeping in the same bed as Zhong Jiuli, as an adult.
It wasn't the usual tiger cub form, nor the body of a toddler. Instead, it was two adult women, perhaps with some mutual attraction, sharing the same warm blankets on this not-so-spacious wooden bed.
This realization caused Bai Ye's heart to race once again, so fast it felt like it was about to leap out of his throat.
Bai held his breath, secretly turning his head to trace Zhong Jiuli's... rounded back of the head out of the corner of his eye.
Her long, flowing black hair spread out on the pillow, shimmering like satin in the moonlight.
"Squeak!"
The wooden bed made a soft creak, and Zhong Jiuli turned over, her eyes bright as stars, with the corners of her eyes slightly upturned, carrying a hint of helpless doting.
A warm palm unexpectedly pressed against Bai Ye's chest, calming his wildly beating heart.
"It's so noisy!" she murmured softly, her voice so low it sounded like she was whispering sweet nothings.
Her fingertips brushed lightly across Bai's thin inner garment, sending shivers down her spine.
Bai's body stiffened, and he stopped breathing. The presence of the hand on his chest was too intense, as if it carried endless heat, penetrating through his clothes and reaching his heart.
Her mind went blank, with only one thought screaming in her mind: Zhong Jiuli touched her!!!
Should she... return the favor and touch him back?
"Zhong Jiuli!" Bai also spoke in a hoarse voice, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
"Go to sleep!" Zhong Jiuli interrupted first, pressing her fingertips lightly against Bai's chest in a threatening manner. The pressure was not strong, but it silenced Bai instantly.
The room fell silent, with only the sound of their intermittent breathing echoing in the hazy atmosphere.
Bai stared at the yellowed bed curtains above his head, experiencing for the first time what it meant to "not be able to sleep peacefully."
Zhong Jiuli's soft breathing was so close to her ear that it stirred up her emotions.
I can't sleep!
I can't sleep at all!
Bai suppressed the urge to sigh, afraid of disturbing her partner. Tossing and turning in bed, she simply closed her eyes and regulated her breathing, attempting to calm her mind through cultivation.
The spiritual energy flowed slowly along the meridians. After one cycle, Bai opened his eyes, a trace of solemnity flashing in them.
The cultivation method of the Great Creation Scripture stopped abruptly at the Golden Core stage, and the subsequent content was shrouded in mystery, making it difficult for her to glimpse even a fraction of it no matter how much she urged her divine sense.
"Little Jin~ Little Jin~" Bai shouted in his mind.
A golden light flashed, and the little golden tiger sat cross-legged above the sea of consciousness, its little face full of impatience. "What is it, junior?"
Bai said pitifully, "Look, this cultivation method only goes up to the Golden Core stage, and then it's all over! Could you... please fill in the whole thing?"
Xiao Jin shook his head, "Whatever you receive, that's all I'll receive!"
"Wait a minute, you showed me how to make a planet with your hands earlier, that must have been a powerful move, right?" Bai asked, still not giving up.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jin proudly twitched his beard. "This is a personal gift and has nothing to do with the cultivation technique. Even if you master the entire Great Creation Scripture, you may not be able to comprehend the mystery of this Star-Plucking Technique."
"Alright, alright, I won't bother you anymore." Bai said, then withdrew his mind from his sea of consciousness.
Since Xiao Jin couldn't teach her, she stopped pressuring him. The main reason was that Bai also felt that since she was the protagonist, the remaining fragments of the cultivation technique would surely be waiting for her somewhere in Kyushu.
Once this matter is settled, she will travel the world with Zhong Jiuli, exploring the Nine Provinces. At that time, she will surely encounter the remaining fragments of the cultivation techniques.
After figuring it out, Bai stopped worrying and closed his eyes to immerse himself in cultivation.
The wooden bed creaked once again. Zhong Jiuli, who should have been fast asleep, quietly turned around and fixed her gaze on the face of the person next to her.
With fingertips hovering in mid-air, they lightly traced the smooth, white forehead and the upturned tip of the nose, finally stopping at the slightly parted lips.
The fingertips were only a hair's breadth away from the soft lips, and could feel the other person's warm breath.
Zhong Jiuli's eyes darkened, but in the end... she simply withdrew her hand, tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, closed her eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.
......
Early in the morning, Liu Baobao's clear voice drifted in through the thin wooden door, "Fairy sister, the sun's already high in the sky~~~"
Bai also awoke from his meditation, glanced at Zhong Jiuli who seemed to still be asleep, and tiptoed out of bed.
"Good morning, sister!" As soon as the door was opened, the little girl skipped and hopped to the front, her two pigtails sticking up on her head swaying slightly as she ran.
"Good morning, little brat." Bai Ye stretched and replied, his gaze sweeping across the courtyard, but he didn't see the woman. "Where's your mother?"
Liu Baobao took Bai Ye's hand and pulled her towards the stone table. "Drink fish porridge. My mother got up before dawn to cook it. She's already gone out to sea with the fishing boats."
Bai also picked up the porridge, took a sip, and found it to be extremely delicious. He praised, "Your mother's cooking is indeed very good. Compared to my mother, she's only slightly inferior."
She stretched out her index finger and thumb to make a tiny distance, indicating that it was just a little bit short.
"You have a mother too?" Liu Baobao asked with wide, bright eyes, her face full of curiosity.
"Hey, what are you talking about, little brat? Everyone has a mother."
Liu Baobao tilted her head, looking innocent: "But my mother doesn't have a mother! Besides, I heard the grandmothers in the village say that immortals all spring from cracks in rocks, so they don't have mothers."
"Hmm..." Bai frowned in thought, finding the little kid's question somewhat difficult to answer. She carefully chose her words: "Some demons may indeed not be born from a mother, but most creatures are born from a mother, so all life has a mother."
Bai also pointed to a small tree in the yard and said, "Look at this small tree. It was able to take root, sprout, and grow because of the seeds that fell from the mother tree. It is because your mother nurtured you that you exist."
"Can you understand what I'm saying?"
Liu Baobao shook her head, "I don't know what you're talking about, sister."
"Silly tiger~"
Zhong Jiuli's voice came from behind, the last syllable rising slightly, with a hint of amusement.
Bai also looked back.
The morning light slanted through the eaves, casting dappled shadows on her face.
Zhong Jiuli leaned against the doorframe, her arms loosely crossed in front of her, her plain clothes fluttering in the wind, the hem swaying gently. Her gaze fell on Bai Ye, yet seemed to encompass the entire courtyard, her eyes reflecting the morning light, like a clear pool of water, gentle and profound.
A breeze swept by, and a few strands of hair fell from her ears, shimmering with tiny gold in the sunlight.
The morning breeze seemed especially gentle at this moment.
"Zhong Jiuli, you're awake! Would you like some porridge?" Bai Ye's eyes crinkled into a smile, and a big smile appeared on his lips.
Zhong Jiuli stepped forward and sat down beside the two, taking out a handkerchief to wipe the rice grains from the corner of the little girl's mouth. "What nonsense are you spouting to a little girl?"
Bai chuckled twice, "That's just how it is."
"Then, sister, were you born from a stone?" Liu Baobao asked, tugging at Zhong Jiuli's sleeve.
“Yes, my sister was born from a stone,” Zhong Jiuli replied.
Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Liu Baobao was overjoyed. She slid off the stone bench and ran off on her short legs. Soon, all her friends heard her shouting, "My fairy sister said that she was born from a stone!"
Bai stirred the porridge in his bowl and muttered softly, "Zhong Jiuli, what you're doing will distort the child's values and is not good for her development."
"Oh? You think I'm lying to her?"
"Isn't that right?" Bai retorted.
Zhong Jiuli shook her head and didn't say anything more. "Drink the porridge. Don't waste the host's good intentions."
After the two finished breakfast, Bai washed the dishes and chopsticks. Liu Baobao, who had gone out to show off to her friends, also returned.
She skipped and hopped to the two of them, her little face flushed, and the two pigtails that used to stick up on her head had become a little loose.
Bai waved to her, "Baby, come here."
What's wrong?
"There are pretty stones inside that can be exchanged for candied hawthorns. You can only open it and give it to Mother when she comes back, understand?" Bai also stuffed a small bag of low-grade spirit stones into the little girl's arms.
She had intended to give them some gold and silver, things that would be most useful to the mother and daughter. Unfortunately, neither of them had brought any with them, and the least valuable thing they had on them was this low-grade spirit stone.
It wasn't that Bai was unwilling to give them something nice; he was just worried that if he gave them too much, it would bring trouble to the mother and daughter.
"Oh!" The little girl lowered her head, looking somewhat unhappy. She had thought that her sisters could stay at home for a few days, and she wanted to learn some magic from them so that if any bad people bullied her mother again, she could drive them away.
But now that her sisters are leaving, she won't be able to learn magic anymore.
"Sweetie, your sisters have things to do. They'll come back to see you when they're done, okay?" Bai comforted her, rubbing her head.
"Then you must come!" The little girl rushed up, hugged her neck, and gently rubbed her cheek with her little head.
"Shall we pinky swear?" Bai extended his little finger and hooked it around the little kid's chubby hand, then shook it gently.
"Okay, pinky promise, never to change~" the little guy chanted sweetly, then pressed his thumb firmly onto Bai Ye's thumb. "It's stamped! Fairy Sister is my witness, the one who goes back on their word is the little dog!"
"Okay, no change." Bai smiled and ruffled her slightly drooping pigtails.
After leaving the fishing village, the two traveled along the winding coastline, riding the wind. Zhong Jiuli's cheerful voice came from the side, "Our young hero Bai is quite good at coaxing young ladies."
Bai also glanced to the side; the sea breeze blew up the stray hairs at her temples, obscuring half of her eyebrows and eyes, making it difficult to see clearly.
She replied with a smile, "Me? I'd rather please a young lady."
"Greedy!" Zhong Jiuli snorted, then suddenly accelerated with a flick of her long sleeves, leaving Bai Ye with a graceful departing figure.
"Wait for me!" Bai hurriedly activated his spiritual power to catch up.
The two flew along the coastline of Tian Shu Island, landing at each fishing village they passed to inquire about the Chu sisters.
Persistence pays off. After visiting more than a dozen fishing villages, an old woman drying fish in one of the villages finally gave them directions: "Fly another sixty miles along this mountain forest, and you'll find Chujia'ao. I've heard that a girl there is as beautiful as a fairy. I wonder if she's the one you're looking for?"
Bai Ye immediately perked up, thanked the old lady, and then took Zhong Jiuli's hand and flew towards the direction of Chujia'ao.
However, when they arrived, all they saw was a charred ruin. This small fishing village nestled against the mountains and by the water seemed to have suffered a catastrophe. The charred beams of the houses had collapsed haphazardly, and among the few remaining burnt ruins, the faint outlines of charred human figures could be seen.
"This is... a village massacre?" Bai Ye's voice turned somber.
"Xiao Wang, can you check if this passage is described in the book?"
[Let me see. According to the timeline in the book, it should be around chapter 200 now. You should be, oh, you should be training in Eternal City, and having a sweet time with the city lord.]
"What the hell? I already have Zhong Jiuli, why would I be all lovey-dovey with other women?" Bai was also a little confused.
[Books are inanimate, but people are alive. Aside from the beginning, you haven't been following the storyline of the book, have you?]
"Never mind, it's alright, you can leave now."
Bai rubbed her arms. As a cultivator, she could sense the lingering resentment beneath this land.
If left unchecked, within a hundred years, this place will breed man-eating demons. If no cultivators come to deal with it, dozens of fishing villages nearby will likely suffer.
"Zhong Jiuli, don't the souls here need to be released from suffering?"
"Hmm." Zhong Jiuli flicked her sleeve, her delicate hand forming a hand seal, and the spiritual light flowing from her fingertips rippled out like water.
"When heaven and earth are clear and bright, the soul returns to the void!"
As soon as the clear shout came out, the black mist that had been lurking under the scorched earth surged out like boiling water, and then turned into wisps of green smoke the moment it touched the spiritual light.
Bai also saw countless blurry figures rise from the ruins. Under the cleansing light of the spiritual energy, those figures turned into fireflies and slowly rose into the twilight sky.
After doing all this, Zhong Jiuli took out a communication jade talisman, lightly touched it with her fingertip, and the talisman glowed faintly. Liu Xianyue's somewhat languid voice then came out.
"I was just looking for you. I found out that the young leader of the Sea Dragon Gang led his men to Storm Island a few days ago, so we missed each other perfectly."
"However, the Sea Dragon Gang has a good reputation in the city. It is said that the members of the Sea Dragon Gang often help the poor and needy. Moreover, the young gang leader is a woman, so it is unlikely that she would do something like forcibly abducting a woman."
Bai also said, "Sister Liu, then bring Jiaojiao back, and we'll go back to Storm Island."
"You think I don't want to go back? Your little pig turtle has been eating for two hours. Once she's full, I'll take her back to that forest. You can go and wait for me."
Zhong Jiuli put away the faintly glowing jade talisman, and the two of them flew through the twilight. Without the delay of asking for directions along the way, the return journey was much faster.
As Bai flew over the small fishing village where the Liu family lived, he looked at the scattered candlelight in the village and felt that since he had promised the girl, he should go and see her one more time.
This departure means we may never see each other again in this lifetime.
"Go if you want. Since you've received such a warm welcome from the host, you should thank them in person." Zhong Jiuli led her into the village.
Unlike yesterday, the village entrance is now deserted, with no sign of the children playing and laughing with their large bowls.
The night wind carried the cries from the depths of the fishing village. Bai released his divine sense to scan the area and was immediately overwhelmed by rage.
In the Liu family's courtyard, five or six burly men were surrounding the mother and daughter. The leader, a man with yellow teeth, kicked the woman in the back and sneered, "You slut, you won't listen unless you're beaten. If my brother hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known you were hiding such a good thing in your house."
The woman curled up, shielding Liu Baobao tightly beneath her. The coarse cloth clothing on her back had been torn during the fight, revealing large patches of bruises, which looked particularly shocking in the moonlight.
"You're courting death!" Bai Ye's angry shout pierced the night sky, and he and Zhong Jiuli appeared in the courtyard in an instant.
A chilling murderous aura swept through the entire courtyard.
Before the man with yellow teeth could even turn around, he felt a sharp pain in his back, and his whole body was lifted off the ground, crashing through the rammed earth courtyard wall, disappearing into the night like a kite with a broken string.
After a long while, the dull thud of the object hitting the ground was heard.
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Author's note: [Fireworks][Fireworks][Fireworks] Time for bed!
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