“So confident?” Kong Hou saw that the surging spiritual energy around them had stopped and loosened her arms from around Huan Zong. Who knew that in the next moment she would be pulled back by Huan Zong and firmly locked in his embrace.
“I will treat you so well that all other men in the world won’t compare.” Huan Zong held the person in his arms, his voice tender as water.
“You men just love to say pretty words.” Kong Hou tilted her head back to look at Huan Zong, though unfortunately she could only see his chin. “What happened to you just now?”
Huan Zong looked down and saw the wounds on her body, his eyes dimming slightly: “Don’t move yet. Let me apply medicine for you.”
His movements while applying the medicine were very gentle, his fingers trembling constantly, as if suppressing countless emotions. Kong Hou grasped his wrist and sighed: “Huan Zong, look up at me.”
Huan Zong raised his head. In his clear black and white eyes were full of guilt and sorrow. This made Kong Hou think of the golden silk dog raised by Yunhua Sect—though it looked majestic and imposing, after making a mistake it would always look at people with dark glistening eyes, so pitiful that one couldn’t help but feel heartache.
“They’re all superficial wounds, nothing serious.” She, the injured one, instead had to comfort this culprit. But this was her own man—what could she do about it?
“It’s my fault.” Huan Zong’s voice was hoarse and deep, like layers of dark clouds over the ocean, with surging thunderstorms hiding behind the cloud layers. “It won’t happen again.”
“Huan Zong…” Kong Hou observed Huan Zong’s expression and reached out to probe his body with spiritual energy. His spirit platform showed no problems. She secretly breathed a sigh of relief. “You made such a huge commotion. Sect Master Jin must be very worried. Let’s go out shortly.”
The hand applying medicine paused slightly. Huan Zong glanced at the tightly closed cave entrance. Inside here were only the two of them, a world belonging to them—quiet and undisturbed.
“Alright.” Huan Zong took out a new set of flowing immortal robes from his storage ring and handed them to Kong Hou. “Your clothes are all torn. Change into these.”
“Why do you have so many things suitable for girls in your storage ring?” Kong Hou used a spell to change clothes. The size fit perfectly—it should have been specially custom-made by Huan Zong for her.
“Some days ago when you were staying in a hall with your fellow sect members, I had nothing to do at night, so I refined several sets of dharma robes for you.” Seeing that they fit Kong Hou perfectly after she changed, Huan Zong’s face showed a smile. “Do you like them?”
“Very pretty.” Kong Hou took out a jade bone comb and placed it in Huan Zong’s hands. “Just now your spiritual energy went out of control and blew my hair into a complete mess. Now I’m punishing you by having you tie it up properly.”
The nearly omnipotent Zhongxi Zhenren’s first failure in life turned out to be with a woman’s hair.
Kong Hou’s hair was smooth as silk. He finally managed to grasp the hair on the left side, but several strands on the right side secretly slipped down. When forming the hair bun, his entire hand felt awkward, not knowing whether to turn left or right. Before long, he had even broken out in a sweat.
Kong Hou didn’t rush him either. She lazily sat on the soft couch, holding a mirror in her hand to see how Huan Zong was doing with the styling.
After struggling for half an hour, Kong Hou felt that her hair at this moment was even messier than before.
“It seems that in the future, you won’t be able to handle things like grooming yourself in the mirror.” Kong Hou couldn’t help laughing aloud. She took the jade bone comb from Huan Zong’s hands and very skillfully formed a bun for herself.
“I’ll practice hard in the future.” Huan Zong looked at Kong Hou’s profile with a pitiful expression, his whole person lacking energy.
“Good boy, I believe in you.” Kong Hou removed his hair crown and helped him comb his disheveled hair neatly, straightened his spotlessly white clothes. “Let’s go.”
Huan Zong reached out to hold her hand but didn’t stand up: “Kong Hou.”
“Mm?” Kong Hou turned to look at him. Seeing he was still sitting cross-legged on the ground, she bent down and squatted in front of him. “What’s wrong? Is the cave more interesting than outside?”
“With you here, living anywhere is interesting.” Huan Zong looked into her eyes with an extremely earnest gaze.
Kong Hou blinked and reached out to touch his forehead: “Huan Zong, did you suddenly comprehend the secrets of sweet words?”
Taking her hand and placing it at his lips for a gentle kiss: “I’m speaking the truth.”
Kong Hou: “…”
A handsome man saying pleasant words—which woman could resist?
Seeing the chaotic spiritual energy suddenly stop, Jinyue breathed a huge sigh of relief. Though Qiushuang appeared composed, inwardly she had also secretly wiped away nervous sweat. But as an elder, in front of juniors she had to maintain a calm demeanor no matter what.
The cave entrance suddenly opened, and Huan Zong and Kong Hou walked out hand in hand. Jinyue stared at Huan Zong for several glances, secretly feeling somewhat puzzled. When his disciple developed inner demons, did he bite his lips as well? Why did they look somewhat red and swollen?
“Qiushuang Zhenren, Master.” Huan Zong didn’t immediately release Kong Hou’s hand. Only after pulling her forward to stand before Jinyue did he let go and bow to both of them. “This junior is useless and made you worry.”
“As long as you’re fine, that’s good.” Though Jinyue had a thousand words in his heart, seeing his disciple standing before him completely unharmed, he couldn’t say anything at all. He patted Huan Zong’s shoulder and said to Kong Hou, who stood beside Huan Zong looking obedient and sweet: “Thank you for your hard work, Miss Kong Hou. Please rest well.”
“Sect Master Jin is too kind. It wasn’t hard.” Kong Hou secretly turned her head to glance at Huan Zong’s lips, the smile on her face becoming even more obedient and bashful.
The tips of Huan Zong’s ears turned slightly red, and he said nothing.
Watching from the side, Jinyue felt secretly anxious. The young lady was already proactively smiling at him—why was his disciple still like a wooden gourd, only knowing how to lower his head? As a man, how could he act like this?
He turned his head to glance at Lin Hu standing behind him. It seemed he could only have Lin Hu find more books on how to please girls for his disciple to read more, study more, and preferably memorize them by heart.
“Kong Hou, come back to the room with me. I’ll examine your meridians.” Qiushuang watched the two juniors exchanging glances and knew that Jinyue definitely had things to say to his disciple Zhongxi, so she could only play the villain.
“Oh.” Kong Hou looked at Huan Zong longingly before following behind Qiushuang.
Huan Zong watched her departing back until he could no longer see her, then finally withdrew his gaze. Turning to see his master watching him, he lowered his head and bowed: “Master.”
“The Yunhua Sect disciples will be returning in three days. What are your plans?” Jinyue knew his disciple had feelings for Kong Hou, but he hadn’t expected that his feelings for Kong Hou had already reached such a degree. He had raised Zhongxi for over three hundred years and had never seen his emotions so openly displayed. In his memory, even as a small child, Zhongxi had already been cold and disinclined to talk. Whether elders teased him or gave him rare magical artifacts, he never showed much emotional fluctuation.
But just now when Miss Kong Hou left, the reluctance in Zhongxi’s eyes was so obvious—so obvious it alarmed him. At the same time, he also felt fortunate that at least Miss Kong Hou wasn’t indifferent toward his disciple. Otherwise…
Sword cultivators didn’t easily develop romantic feelings, but once they did, it was the only one for this lifetime.
“Master.” Huan Zong bent down in a guilty bow. “This disciple wishes to go with Kong Hou.”
“Even if everyone in the entire cultivation world mocks you, you still won’t regret it?”
“No regrets.”
“Even if Yunhua Sect makes things difficult for you everywhere, you still won’t regret it?”
“No regrets.” Huan Zong shook his head. “Yunhua Sect is her home. I can’t bear to make things difficult for her.”
Listening to this, Jinyue felt both heartache and helplessness. Raised from childhood as the pride of heaven, he was now willing to suffer such grievances. If he himself didn’t feel the heartache, he as the master couldn’t bear it: “Is Miss Kong Hou truly so wonderful that she’s worth your putting aside the cultivation world’s reputation, putting aside pride and dignity?”
“Master, before meeting her, I never cared about such things. Whether reputation or dignity, to me they didn’t exist.” In his life there had only been the sword and cultivation, without joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness, and without desires. “Moreover, Kong Hou definitely won’t bear to see me suffer grievances.”
Jealousy, yearning, greed—these emotions were foreign to him until he met Kong Hou. He began to feel jealous that Kong Hou had given the first thumb ring she refined to Cheng Yi. He yearned to be closer to Kong Hou, greedily wanting all of Kong Hou’s emotions.
Such a mental state couldn’t bear the light of day, yet he found it novel and unwilling to give it up.
“I understand.” Jinyue placed his hand on Huan Zong’s life pulse. Huan Zong’s index finger trembled slightly, but his hand didn’t move, allowing Jinyue to probe.
“Your spirit platform has stabilized quite a bit. It seems dual cultivating with Miss Kong Hou through heaven and earth harmony has greatly benefited you.” Jinyue withdrew his hand. “Regarding the spirit medicines, I’ve already sent people to Wuwang Sea and Tingfeng Valley. You don’t need to worry too much.”
“This disciple has troubled Master.” Huan Zong lowered his eyelids.
“As long as you’re well, this master can be at ease.” Seeing Huan Zong return to his usual indifferent appearance, Jinyue waved his hand. “Enough, enough. You should still go find Miss Kong Hou.”
That wooden face—he found it awkward to look at.
“This disciple takes his leave.” Huan Zong obediently left. Lin Hu glanced once and was preparing to follow when he was called back by Jinyue, so he had no choice but to stop.
“Lin Hu, that child Zhongxi is unwilling to let other people get close. You’re different from others…” Jinyue sighed long and deeply. “In the future, I’ll still have to trouble you to stay by his side.”
“Please rest assured, Sect Master. I understand.”
Jinyue managed a strained smile and didn’t say anything more.
Three days later, under the farewell of Liuguang Sect members, Qiushuang brought out the magnificent flying palace they had arrived in. The Yunhua Sect disciples boarded the flying palace and turned to see Zhongxi Zhenren following behind Kong Hou as he flew up. They sighed inwardly—Zhongxi Zhenren and Junior Martial Sister Kong Hou’s relationship was truly good. He had even come onto the flying palace to see them off.
Seeing that the Liuguang Sect Master had personally come to bid them farewell and the flying palace had already taken off, yet Zhongxi Zhenren still hadn’t descended from the flying palace, the Yunhua Sect members finally understood—Zhongxi Zhenren intended to return to Yunhua Sect with them?
“Senior Martial Brother Wu Chuan, with Zhongxi Zhenren’s attitude, could it be that he wants to marry into our Yunhua Sect?” Ling Hui sat in the room drinking tea with Wu Chuan and several other martial siblings. She turned her head to glance out the window where Kong Hou and Zhongxi Zhenren were still leaning on the railing looking at the scenery. Junior Martial Sister Kong Hou had always had this hobby—she liked flying in high places to look at the scenery below the clouds, saying it gave her the feeling of being an immortal.
She didn’t quite understand Kong Hou’s little hobby, but seeing Zhongxi Zhenren willingly accompanying their little junior martial sister in this boring game, she was also very happy. Who would complain about their own junior martial siblings having great charm?
“Mm?” Wu Chuan held a mouthful of tea in his mouth, not knowing how to answer this question.
Even if Zhongxi Zhenren truly wanted to marry in, Master-Uncle Wang Tong might not necessarily agree.
In any case, that matter with the Dragon-Phoenix Cauldron absolutely couldn’t be let known by Master-Uncle Wang Tong.
**Author’s Note:** Wang Tong: My ears have been itching lately. What’s going on?