After Being Certified by the Immortal Lord on the Path of Ruthlessness - Chapter 52

Jiang Mianhao had initially worried about struggling to adapt to the new environment, but by the third day, she realized her concerns had been entirely unnecessary.

 

Jiang Yuanjuan had not yet reached three months of pregnancy. According to human customs, the first three months were particularly critical.

 

Thus, Feng Mingyi treated her as if she were a treasure held in the mouth, afraid it might melt, or carried in the hands, afraid it might fall. He attended to every detail personally, even helping Jiang Yuanjuan put on her shoes and change clothes.

 

For this, Jiang Yuanjuan often expressed mock annoyance.

 

But Jiang Mianhao knew her complaints were merely verbal; the happiness shining in her eyes and the faint blush at the tips of her ears could not be concealed.

 

Yet, when affection becomes too overwhelming, it can be hard to bear.

 

On the third day, during breakfast, Jiang Yuanjuan finally couldn’t take it anymore and protested, “Enough, enough! I really can’t eat anymore!”

 

Feng Mingyi looked at the half-bowl of congee left and coaxed softly, “Just a little more. Your constitution has always been weak, and you never liked eating breakfast before. We can’t neglect it now.”

“I said, enough!” The usually mild-tempered Jiang Yuanjuan slammed the table, startling everyone into silence.

 

Ling Lan quickly finished her meal, picked up her sword, and hurriedly stood. “Master, I’ll go practice my sword now. Please take your time.”

 

Without waiting for a response, she turned and left, not looking back.

 

The other junior disciples eating nearby also hastily finished their meals, grabbed their swords, and departed.

 

The bickering and teasing between the sect leader and her wife were a common sight, and everyone was accustomed to it.

 

The formidable Feng Mingyi, known for striking fear into others and with legendary tales of founding the sect through blood and steel, was, behind closed doors, a “henpecked husband.”

 

Everyone in Fengming Villa knew that when the sect leader lost her temper, it wasn’t a big deal—but when the mistress grew angry, that was when chaos truly erupted.

 

Seeing the others gradually leave, Jiang Mianhao quietly stood and slipped away. With no sword practice duties to attend, she gently pushed open the door to her room.

 

The person on the bed was still asleep, and the thin blanket she had covered them with before leaving had been half-kicked off.

Jiang Mianhao tiptoed closer, just about to pull the blanket back up, when her wrist was suddenly seized.

 

With a strong tug, she was pulled down onto the bed.

 

The person, still half-asleep, caught a familiar scent and instinctively nuzzled Jiang Mianhao’s arm.

 

Watching this puppy-like display of affection, Jiang Mianhao couldn’t help but laugh.

 

She leaned against the bed and gently brushed the hair from the other’s forehead.

 

Since settling in Huashan, Lu Jiu had insisted she was uninjured.

 

Yet Jiang Mianhao noticed something was off. Compared to before, Lu Jiu had become unusually drowsy, often clinging to her and sleeping until late in the morning.

 

Whenever Jiang Mianhao tried to shift or move even slightly, the arm wrapped around her waist instinctively tightened its grip.

 

Jiang Mianhao suspected that Lu Jiu was still unwell in some way. However, Feng Mingyi practiced sword cultivation, not immortality.

 

Apart from herself and Ling Lan, almost no one else in Huashan possessed spiritual power.

 

Even their combined power was too weak to transfer to Lu Jiu.

 

Gazing at the peaceful expression of the person in her arms, Jiang Mianhao sighed, her heart aching.

 

How she wished she could become stronger—stronger still. Strong enough to stand beside Lu Jiu and share her burdens.

 

As if sensing her thoughts, the person who had only been holding her arm reached up and effortlessly wrapped both arms around her waist.

 

Jiang Mianhao looked down at the head buried against her chest and couldn’t help but smile wryly.

 

A person who was usually cold and aloof, completely unguarded when asleep; just like a clingy little puppy.

 

And this clingy side was shown to her alone, she realized.

 

Her heart softened even more, and her eyes filled with affection.

 

Jiang Mianhao lowered her head and kissed the top of the person in her arms’ head, whispering softly, “I think I’m liking you more and more.”

The doors and windows were closed, leaving the room dimly lit.

 

Breathing in the familiar, subtle scent of the person in her arms. Like jasmine washed by mountain rain at dawn, comforting and serene—Jiang Mianhao rested her head gently atop the other’s. Her eyelids grew heavy, and drowsiness tugged at her.

 

A peaceful return to sleep, until the increasingly heavy rain, mixed with muffled thunder, began to drum against the window ledge.

 

Jiang Mianhao stretched lazily and slowly opened her eyes. The room remained dim, but the sound of the rain outside had grown louder.

 

She lowered her gaze and met a pair of bright, golden-hued eyes.

 

Ye Qingge had already awakened. She had intended to loosen her hold and sit up, but Jiang Mianhao clung to her so tightly that she could barely move.

 

With no choice but to surrender, Ye Qingge lay there, silently gazing at the person before her.

 

Jiang Mianhao was slightly shorter than her, so usually, it was Jiang Mianhao who looked up at her.

 

But now, because of the way they were holding each other, it was Ye Qingge who was looking up at her.

 

The girl’s face still carried a hint of youthful innocence, yet her features had already grown delicate and beautiful.

 

Beneath her petite, high nose were pale pink lips. Her most captivating jade-green eyes, now hidden beneath long lashes, lent her sleeping form an indescribable serenity.

 

A clap of thunder rumbled outside, and the long lashes of the person before her trembled slightly. Slowly, those jade-green lakes of her eyes came to life, rippling with gentle waves.

 

“Awake?” Ye Qingge’s voice was soft as she smoothly extricated herself from the embrace.

 

Still not fully awake, Jiang Mianhao let out a soft murmur and instinctively reached out to hold her again, whining, “Just a little longer.”

 

The person who had been about to sit up was gently pulled back by the neck, collapsing onto the pillow once more.

 

Seeing the girl’s soft insistence, Ye Qingge’s lips curved with sudden playfulness. She shifted her weight, turning the embrace into one she now controlled, subtly reclaiming the hold.

 

Seeing the closed eyes of the person in her arms, Ye Qingge leaned down and kissed those jade-green eyes.

 

Her kisses were light and gentle, like the brush of a small feather.

Jiang Mianhao couldn’t stand the tickling sensation; her eyelids fluttered uncontrollably as she pleaded, “Alright, alright, I’m getting up! It’s so ticklish!”

 

This time, it was Ye Qingge who refused to let go.

 

“Just a little longer,” Ye Qingge murmured, tightening her arms, unwilling to release her.

 

Now fully awake, Jiang Mianhao began to playfully tease in return. Her hand slipped beneath Ye Qingge’s inner garment, gliding along soft skin and tracing a path down the spine.

 

Feeling the arm around her waist loosen slightly, Jiang Mianhao couldn’t help but curl her lips into a mischievous smile.

 

Finally, when her hand reached the spot where her head had just rested, her wrist was suddenly caught.

 

Ye Qingge glanced at the grinning girl before her and pretended to scowl. “Oh, you’re getting bolder and bolder.”

 

“Hmph,” Jiang Mianhao replied, her fingertips intertwining with the ones holding her wrist, turning the grip into a clasped hand. “I let you hold me to sleep every day. What’s wrong with letting me touch you a little?”

 

Ye Qingge snorted twice, “You won’t even let me kiss you, so of course, I won’t let you touch me.”

“You!” Jiang Mianhao boldly freed her other hand and cupped the face of the person before her, leaning in for a kiss.

 

Feeling the inexperienced and clumsy technique, Ye Qingge pressed down the hand holding her, flipped Jiang Mianhao over, and pinned her gently to the bed.

 

With one hand, she grasped the other’s chin and whispered, “How come you still haven’t learned? Your kissing is terrible.”

 

Jiang Mianhao looked up at her, biting her lip lightly, saying nothing.

 

Ye Qingge sighed softly, lowered her head, and kissed her again. “One more lesson. Pay attention.”

 

A tender yet passionate kiss unfolded amidst the rumble of thunder and the heavy rain outside.

 

The storm outside marked the official farewell to autumn, the biting wind driving the downpour harder against the windows.

 

Yet, within the room, the temperature continued to rise.

 

Jiang Yuanjuan sat in the hall, flipping through the storybook in her hands until it was nearly worn out, but the familiar figure she awaited never appeared.

 

Watching the rain grow heavier, Jiang Yuanjuan let out a sigh tinged with disappointment.

 

Feng Mingyi immediately set down her needlework and asked with concern, “What’s wrong, Madam? Are you feeling unwell?”

 

“Mian Mian promised to come play with me today,” Jiang Yuanjuan grumbled, pouting. “It’s all your fault for arguing with me this morning. I didn’t even notice when Mian Mian left.”

 

Feeling guilty, Feng Mingyi scratched her head and tried to coax her, “Then I’ll go wake her up so you can play together.”

 

Jiang Yuanjuan’s eyes widened in alarm. “What are you doing! Children need more sleep to grow. Why wake her up?”

 

Caught in the scolding, Feng Mingyi looked pitifully at her, stepping aside silently.

 

Ling Lan, stranded on the back mountain by the increasingly heavy rain, watched quietly.

 

Seeing the sect leader, so stern and ruthless just moments ago in front of the sword cultivators now bow her head obediently under Jiang Yuanjuan’s scolding, Ling Lan felt a strong sense of dissonance.

 

She shook her head with a sigh and subtly shifted to the side, unwilling to interfere.

Footsteps echoed along the corridor as a young girl hurried over, holding an oil-paper umbrella.

 

Jiang Yuanjuan’s face immediately lit up, overjoyed at the sight of the long-awaited figure.

 

Jiang Mianhao stopped in the hall and closed her umbrella. Not a single drop of rain had touched her.

 

“Lu Jiu,” she said softly, “I told you it’s fine. You don’t need to use spiritual power on me anymore.”

 

The person following behind the girl stepped forward slowly, her white robes perfectly dry. Even the pouring rain hadn’t splashed the hems of her clothes.

 

Seeing that her words had fallen on deaf ears, Jiang Mianhao sighed and turned to greet the other. “Lanlan!”

 

Ling Lan looked up and smiled in acknowledgment.

 

“Sister Jiang~” Jiang Mianhao trotted over and sat down obediently. “Sect Leader Feng.”

 

“Your Highness, you’ve finally arrived,” Feng Mingyi said with a wave of her hand. “Ling Lan, let’s go. We’ll spar a few more rounds.”

 

Freed from the situation, Feng Mingyi pulled Ling Lan along and hurried toward the training hall without looking back.

 

Jiang Yuanjuan gently stroked Jiang Mianhao’s cheek and asked softly, “Did you sleep well?”

 

“Very, very well,” Jiang Mianhao replied. She looked up, only to realize that, without her noticing, Lu Jiu had already disappeared.

 

Not finding the person she had been searching for, Jiang Mianhao sighed, feeling a tinge of dejection.

 

This had become a pattern over the past few days, Lu Jiu always seemed occupied with something important. Every time Jiang Mianhao came to play with Sister Jiang, Lu Jiu would quietly vanish.

 

“What’s wrong?” Jiang Yuanjuan asked, noticing her sudden gloom. She glanced upward. “Is something over there?”

 

Jiang Mianhao shook her head. “No, it’s nothing.”

 

Lu Jiu was used to concealing her presence on the mountain, seemingly taking deliberate care to hide her whereabouts.

 

When she had escorted her earlier, she had been invisible, and when speaking with her, only the two of them could hear each other.

 

Jiang Yunlian was unaware of the emotions stirring in the person before her. She reached out and gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind Jiang Mianhao’s ear. “If you’re tired, sleep a little longer. Next time it rains this heavily, you absolutely mustn’t run. What if you fall?”

 

“Got it, Sister Jiang,” Jiang Mianhao replied softly. “I have a question I want to ask you.”

 

She recounted everything that had happened that afternoon to Jiang Yunlian.

 

After a moment of thought, Jiang Yunlian asked, “This Lu Jiu, does she have feelings for you beyond friendship?”

 

Looking at the playful, slightly gossipy expression on the other’s face, Jiang Mianhao shook her head. “I don’t know. It seems like she’s never said anything about it.”

 

“Never said anything?” Jiang Yunlian remarked. “But from what you just described, it sounds like she lost her temper out of jealousy.”

 

Jiang Mianhao looked up at her, puzzled.

 

“Because your other friend said they would always be by your side, Lu Jiu got jealous and upset,” Jiang Yunlian explained with a light laugh. “It’s probably like feeling as though someone is coveting something that belongs to you.”

 

Jiang Mianhao only half-understood, still unable to fully grasp the concept. “But she’s never said she has any special feelings for me.”

“That’s because liking someone isn’t just about saying it out loud,” Jiang Yunlian said. “There are many ways to express affection and love. Some people use words, pouring out every bit of their feelings, while others especially those who are naturally quiet prefer not to say much.”

 

“Those kinds of people usually show how they feel through their actions.”

 

“This Lu Jiu, has she done a lot for you?”

 

Without hesitation, Jiang Mianhao nodded. “She’s done an awful lot for me.”

 

“Has she done the same things for others?” Jiang Yunlian asked. “Is she only good to you, or is she equally kind to everyone?”