After Breaking Off the Engagement, I Started Pursuing My Master
Chapter 197 - Mist Rises, Mist Clears

Chapter 197: Mist Rises, Mist Clears

Jiang Huai’s words awakened Chu Xianning from her confused thoughts.

Perhaps he was right; it was never difficult to keep such a matter from someone. If she wanted to heal Jiang Huai, they could do it right now in the courtyard, with only heaven and earth, you and I knowing, never worrying about anyone else finding out. But she couldn’t fool herself.

“So in the end, isn’t it all because you were too eager for Luo Qingyu’s body that you even forgot about this?” Chu Xianning’s tone seemed to carry a hint of reproach.

Jiang Huai could only smile wryly,

“That’s what Master doesn’t understand.”

“I don’t understand?”

“I almost had an argument with Qingyu before over whether to dual cultivate or not. I always wanted to delay it as much as possible, but Qingyu was also anxious about it. At that time, I didn’t remember the dual cultivation healing method. Otherwise, if I had told Qingyu about this prescription, we probably could have delayed it for a very long time without arguing.”

“Before, I always wanted to delay the marriage because I had some inexplicable fear of it, as if I would lose something once I got married. But later, in the secret realm, I accidentally consummated the marriage with Wen Wanwan, and Qingyu didn’t get angry or feel wronged about it. But if I continued to delay with Qingyu, then I would be the one in the wrong.”

“What about now?”

“What?”

“What are you thinking now?”

Chu Xianning’s voice was clear and cold.

“Now I’ve come to terms with a lot of things. Wanwan is gentle by nature, which is exactly the type I like. Qingyu is charming and cute, and she likes me so much that I have no reason not to like her. I was just always afraid, fearing that after getting married, I wouldn’t be able to live as freely as before. But recently, I’ve come to realize that the old me was always harboring despicable and selfish thoughts. All the unrequited desires were my own doing.”

Chu Xianning’s eyelashes trembled slightly as she gazed at the young man in front of her.

He was very serious, his voice gentle, and she believed that Jiang Huai was not lying. He had no reason to lie, nor was there any need to. The boy who always had a flirtatious glint in his eyes seemed to have truly grown up. He wouldn’t trouble her anymore, nor would he do all sorts of absurd and bastardly things to keep her tossing and turning all night.

Isn’t this what you’ve always been hoping for, Chu Xianning?

Jiang Huai had quietly finished saying what he wanted to say.

He didn’t even dare to look into Chu Xianning’s eyes, nor did he dare to think about what her reaction might be at this moment. But these days, he really couldn’t sleep at night. Even when he was with Wanwan or Bai Li, they would fall asleep first, and he would lie alone, staring at the dark ceiling, lost in thought for a long time.

He didn’t have the slightest bit of hatred towards Chu Xianning; all of this was his own wishful thinking. He always tried to force Chu Xianning to go against the norms, to be with him, and he smugly thought that even if it meant mutual torment, they should just drag it out until they grew old together.

But recently, he understood that if there was mutual affection, there was never any need for mutual torment.

The heart of the fairy-like master was cold as ice, not something he, the low-level Jiang Huai Jr., could easily move.

If he really could move Chu Xianning’s heart, perhaps at the age of sixteen, Chu Xianning would have wanted to take him to travel the world, to a place where no one knew them, where they could live a shameless life in private every day.

Even if they still maintained the decorum of master and disciple in front of others, what of it?

If the master liked him enough, then what would it matter if she healed his wounds for him?

After all, it would be a little secret known only to the two of them, with no outsiders aware. In the end, it was because Chu Xianning might have had a slight fondness for him, but not that much.

He always fantasized, “I like you so much, Chu Xianning, you should like me just as much.”

But liking someone never really made sense.

...

Jiang Huai had rested enough. He got up and continued to practice his fist technique. The sound of his punches echoed through the courtyard. He didn’t dare to look at Chu Xianning’s face. Perhaps she didn’t care about what he said, perhaps she was already laughing it off, perhaps she was relieved, thinking that she wouldn’t have to be licked by a little scoundrel anymore.

Chu Xianning in the courtyard was very quiet. She didn’t say a word, just sat there quietly, looking up at the night sky. The bright moon was obscured by dark clouds, only a faint halo visible. The mist in the courtyard grew thicker, and she seemed to be unable to see Jiang Huai’s outline clearly anymore.

Surely... the fog should have cleared by now.

But at this moment, the dense fog had tightly enveloped the two of them.

Chu Xianning’s fingers tightly clutched the hem of her dress, only slowly letting go after a long time. Jiang Huai in the courtyard collapsed on the ground, gasping for air. He had swung his fists countless times to disperse the fog in front of him, but after a while, the fog would envelop him again, obscuring everything in his vision.

Jiang Huai gasped for air until Chu Xianning stood up in the mist and looked at him from afar, her voice soft.

“Jiang Huai.”

Jiang Huai held his breath, and the courtyard fell silent, leaving only Chu Xianning’s clear, cold voice.

“If, I mean if.”

“If you can’t find the herbs to replace the Flower Spirit Body and the Ice Soul Profound Body, if you can convince Luo Yueguan to cultivate with you, if you find the other two ingredients besides the Fire Luo Sacred Fruit... the last ingredient you need, I’ll give it to you.”

Jiang Huai felt as if something in his heart had suddenly cracked.

It was unclear what had quietly shattered, but he suddenly felt a sense of madness, rolling around on the spot.

Like a childish kid.

“Ah ah ahhhh!”

“What are you yelling for?”

Chu Xianning approached him, looking down at him indifferently.

“Here we go again! You’re cheating! Chu Xianning! I’m telling you! You’re cheating!”

Jiang Huai continued to roll on the ground, causing Chu Xianning to become annoyed.

She couldn’t help but lift her foot and step on Jiang Huai’s chest to stop him, looking down at him coldly.

“Make yourself clear.”

Jiang Huai couldn’t roll anymore, pinned down by his master.

He looked down at the foot on his chest, then looked up at Chu Xianning.

“Why does the master always say such inexplicable things at just the right moment?”

Jiang Huai was on the verge of tears.

These days, he had been tossing and turning, sleepless, and had finally made a firm decision. But just then, Chu Xianning had punched a hole in his absolute defense.

He had secretly sworn in his heart that no matter how much Chu Xianning indulged him or showed him a little warmth in the future, he would absolutely, absolutely stop being a little scoundrel!

But the words Chu Xianning had just said were like a thunderclap, shattering all of Jiang Huai’s defenses. These words didn’t sound like something Chu Xianning would say at all. It wasn’t like her.

You’ve turned a person into a ghost, Chu Xianning!

“With your intelligence and your proud talent for alchemy, do you really think there will come a day when ‘if’ happens?” Chu Xianning looked at him indifferently.

“What am I cheating about?”

“Then, taking ten thousand steps back, if what the master just said really happens, and there’s really only one last ingredient left, what then?”

“Then I’ll treat it as if I was bitten by a dog.”

“I’ll bite you right now!”

Chu Xianning was taken aback, then her eyebrows lifted playfully, and her toes hooked under his chin, her tone rising slightly.

“What did you say?”

Jiang Huai couldn’t tell if he was frustrated, annoyed, joyful, or resentful. His emotions were mixed, tangled into a knot.

At this moment, Chu Xianning’s toes were pressing against his chin, the snowy back of her foot seemed to be entwined with mist, slightly cool.

Jiang Huai bit down.

At that moment, Jiang Huai bit down on the crystal-clear toes of the fairy-like master, full of indignation. But when he actually bit down, he couldn’t bear to use force. He seemed to sense a hint of floral fragrance.

Damn it.

“Let go!” Chu Xianning said in embarrassment and anger.

“I won’t!” Jiang Huai mumbled, and even as Chu Xianning tried to pull her tender foot away, Jiang Huai’s teeth held it tightly.

The two of them were stuck in this awkward position, the absurd farce in the fog playing out once again.

Chu Xianning’s toes moved slightly, trying to pry Jiang Huai’s tongue to make this scoundrel let go immediately, but Jiang Huai’s eyes were also fierce as if he was determined to fight Chu Xianning to the end.

Chu Xianning’s snow-white leg hung in mid-air. She took a deep breath, the embarrassment in her eyes gradually disappearing, replaced by coldness, her voice carrying a hint of scorn.

“Let go, if you like it so much, why don’t I let you lick to your heart’s content now?”

The moment she finished speaking, Jiang Huai let go. He turned his face away proudly.

“I don’t like it!”

Chu Xianning finally managed to retrieve her foot, her foot stepping back onto the stone slab. She looked down at Jiang Huai lying on the ground, her voice cold.

“The words I just said, if there’s anything you don’t like, you can say it now, there’s no need to sulk.”

“How come you’re biting back now? It’s clearly you who often sulks at me!”

“You say?” Chu Xianning’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

“I won’t say!” Jiang Huai turned his face away,

“I don’t need the master to reluctantly cultivate with me to heal. I will find a substitute for the Flower Spirit Body, and I will not rely on Luo Yueguan. I am the upright gentleman Jiang Huai Jr., not as despicable as the master thinks.”

“When did I say you were despicable?”

“I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care, that’s what you think, you think I want to cultivate with Luo Yueguan, you think I covet your body, even though I alway...”

“I never said that.” Chu Xianning suddenly interrupted Jiang Huai.

Jiang Huai was stunned.

Chu Xianning looked down at him, her eyes deep and cold.

She raised her hand to disperse the fog in the courtyard, the light from the glow stones falling on her cheeks, allowing her to see Jiang Huai’s eyes clearly.

“I never said you had improper thoughts about Luo Yueguan, nor did I ever say you coveted my body. You always think too poorly of yourself, and you always imagine that I think you’re a bastard. But in my eyes, you never were. I’ve watched you grow up since you were little. Although you’re ambiguous with women, I’ve never thought you did anything wrong in any other matter. You’ve done much better than I did at your age. You’re my only disciple, and the one I’m most proud of in my life.”

“It’s because I taught you to care for the world that you, who should have had a smooth path of cultivation, have ended up in this state. This is what I, as your master, owe you. So... I want to give it back to you, that’s why I said ‘if.’”

Chu Xianning’s voice was cold and gentle. Jiang Huai looked into her dark eyes, and his heart seemed to quiet down as well. He looked at her for a long time, then turned his face away.

“...don’t worry, I will repair my Qi sea on my own. The master doesn’t need to give me anything back. All the choices were my own, and I can’t blame the master. The master doesn’t need to feel guilty.”

After a while, Chu Xianning turned her face away and no longer looked at Jiang Huai.

“I was just saying ‘if’...”

“Yeah, I know.”

Jiang Huai slowly sat up from the ground. He looked up at Chu Xianning’s profile, seeing her awkwardness at the moment, and he seemed to suddenly understand.

Perhaps this was what Chu Xianning had always wanted to say, but had never found the opportunity to express.

Jiang Huai had known Chu Xianning for many years, and he was very clear about what Chu Xianning was thinking. With Chu Xianning’s pride, if he no longer liked her, she wouldn’t lower herself to please Jiang Huai. She was used to being alone, and maybe being alone wasn’t so bad.

But if Chu Xianning really had to lower herself to heal him out of guilt, Jiang Huai would rather his Qi sea be ruined for life and never repaired.

But Jiang Huai suddenly began to worry again.

What if he had misjudged Chu Xianning’s thoughts?

Perhaps he needed to test her a little.

So he looked at Chu Xianning innocently and said,

“The master just said that if I let go, I could lick to my heart’s content... was that true?”

Chu Xianning looked down.

She stretched out her snow-white leg, and her toes seemed to really approach Jiang Huai’s cheek. Jiang Huai watched the master’s pink and white jade foot in his vision, his heartbeat starting to thump...

The next second, Chu Xianning’s toes pressed against his chest, and a force kicked him out, slamming him against an old locust tree in the courtyard, with leaves falling all around.

“Go die.”

Chu Xianning turned and hurried back to her room.

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