The Aloof Master Relies on This Cat's Kisses to Survive - Chapter 22

What Do You Mean, Impolite? Does the “Rite of Zhou” Not Count as a Rite?

Ji Wu let out a muffled groan as she leaned back.

Ming Xi’s claws suddenly pressed against her spine, rubbing repeatedly along the rise and fall of her butterfly bones.

That wicked cat was even muttering to herself, sounding quite reasonable: “This medicine needs to be rubbed in to take effect.”

As she spoke, she stirred the medicinal soup again, found another piece of medicinal root, crushed it in her palm, and pressed it onto Ji Wu’s body once more.

This time, it was Ji Wu’s upper arm.

Plum-blossom paw prints, carrying medicinal mud, were stamped onto Ji Wu’s flawless, snow-white skin.

“Nonsense,” Ji Wu said, truly feeling embarrassed.

How—how could a medicinal bath for healing be done like this!

She understood, of course, that physical contact with Ming Xi could activate the contract seal, which was most beneficial for healing. Ming Xi had clearly put a lot of thought into getting Ji Wu to “adapt.”

But Ji Wu still found it difficult to overcome her inner resistance.

The righteous Taoist cultivation she had practiced for hundreds of years could not be set aside overnight.

She simply closed her eyes, hoping to use the penetration of the medicine as a catalyst to try once more to circulate her spiritual power and repair her spiritual mansion.

Of course, she was also trying to distract herself, to stop caring about those medicinal plum prints touching her body.

However, just as she urged the spiritual power flowing from the contract seal, her mind inadvertently fell into chaos. When she opened her eyes again, the scene had changed.

This was clearly no longer her bedroom; it was a mountain valley.

“Hmm? Wuwu!” Ming Xi ran over from not far away, her eyes full of joy.

She was dressed the same as before, but with added splendor.

Fresh flowers were pinned all over her silver-white hair; a few fell out as she ran, but one couldn’t even tell the difference.

Her eyes had also taken on the colors of the flower clusters, dazzlingly vibrant under the warm sun.

“This is a dream.” After a moment of trance, Ji Wu sat up slightly. How had she entered this rebellious beast’s dream again?

“It’s the Dream Court Flower Valley. Is it pretty?” Ming Xi knelt beside Ji Wu, having no intention of maintaining boundaries. She leaned over in a flying pounce. “Wuwu, do I smell good?”

“Presumptuous!” Ji Wu leaned back and was caught in a full embrace by Ming Xi. “Get up!”

“Heh, I’m not listening. Outside, Wuwu has the final say, but in the dream, it’s Ming Xi’s turn.” The dream beast refused to comply, pressing tightly against Ji Wu. “A contract is an equal relationship; Wuwu wouldn’t be unreasonable, would she?”

“What nonsense are you talking about? Get up quickly, do not be impolite,” Ji Wu scolded again.

However, lying in the thick grass, she had no way to break free from Ming Xi’s restraint. The emerald greenery beneath her was soft and fine, not prickly at all; instead, it was so comfortable it felt like falling into the clouds.

The scent of grass was fresh, and the fragrance of flowers was sweet; everything was refreshing.

Ji Wu, exhausted from the entire night, had no way to resist this moment of relaxation.

Ming Xi pressed her head into the crook of Ji Wu’s neck, tilting her chin to nuzzle and grind slowly against Ji Wu’s ear. “What do you mean, impolite? Does the ‘Rite of Zhou’ not count as a rite?”

“Wild talk!” Ji Wu turned her face away, unwilling to be so close to Ming Xi. Yet this struggle was so weak it felt more like flirting, only causing their bodies to rub together a few inches more.

“Wuwu, do you think you dreamed of me this time, or I dreamed of you?” Ming Xi asked with a smile. “Is Wuwu entertaining me, or am I entertaining Wuwu?”

Who is whose gift?

Ming Xi laughed after asking.

Her breath brushed against her ear, making the tone of her voice carry a heat that made Ji Wu’s face flush red. “Be quiet.”

“Stay where? Here?” Ming Xi stopped her lips at Ji Wu’s earlobe. “Mm-hmm, I’ll stay right here.”

“Move away!”

“Wuwu permitted it, I’ll listen to Wuwu.”

Ji Wu was a complete mess of softness; even her rebuttals seemed powerless. “Get up quickly, dissolve this dream. I still need to circulate my breath to heal.”

“Circulating breath to heal is so tiring,” Ming Xi shook her head. “Since we’re in a dream, there’s no reason to be tired. The wife of a dream beast only needs to enjoy herself in the dream.”

Or rather, enjoy the beast.

She leaned over Ji Wu’s hair and sniffed deeply, her breath sweeping over the fine downy hair at the nape of the neck, making Ji Wu itch again.

Ji Wu already found it hard to maintain self-control in the dream. Under such provocation, she had nowhere to flee. Yet a sliver of clarity remained, demanding she uphold her righteous path, leaving her in an agonizing state of shame.

As the grand ancestor of the Xuanling Sect, to lose her composure like this in the Dream Court—even with the spiritual mansion’s deficiency and the contract seal’s influence—made Ji Wu unable to stop loathing her own reactions.

Her thick black eyelashes trembled slightly; Ji Wu’s eyes grew red, and the bridge of her nose felt a sour sting.

“Wuwu, don’t cry.” Ming Xi gently licked the teardrops on Ji Wu’s cheek, then followed the watery trail to place a kiss under Ji Wu’s eye.

Ji Wu kept her eyes squeezed shut, yet she could still feel Ming Xi’s light suction lingering on her eyelids.

“Although healing in a dream isn’t as effective as in the real world, it’s not a waste of effort. Why cry, Wuwu? You won’t remember much when you wake up anyway. Just treat it as a fleeting moment of vanity, okay?”

Ming Xi coaxed Ji Wu, her tone much gentler and more tender than her usual mischievousness.

But Ji Wu was not as open-minded as she claimed. In fact, she remembered some fragments of the dream every time she woke up; she simply refused to admit it.

“I have already said I will not enter a dream to behave absurdly with you again.” She used her remaining logic to refuse once more.

“No rush, no rush,” Ming Xi replied perfunctorily.

A few strands of silver hair climbed onto Ji Wu’s shoulder. The flowers tangled in the hair betrayed the dream beast’s “no rush,” as they scrambled to fall onto Ji Wu’s body.

Ming Xi casually picked up a flower, plucked a few petals, and pressed them to Ji Wu’s face, catching her tear stains as she took them into her mouth. “Mm-hmm~”

“What are you doing!” Ji Wu, disturbed by this teasing, opened her eyes again, only to see the rebellious beast leaning extremely close. There was half a pink petal stuck to the corner of her mouth, wet and clinging, looking like a messy rouge kiss mark.

Ming Xi chewed the sweet petal, narrowing her eyes in satisfaction. “Even the taste of Wuwu’s tears is wonderful.”

“Madness!” Ji Wu gave a cold snort, truly annoyed. How did this dream beast always have such strange ways to make people feel embarrassed!

She kicked her legs in the grass, attempting to push herself up, but it only caused Ming Xi to press closer.

“Oh dear, I told you not to rush.” Ming Xi picked another petal she liked, pinched it between her fingers, and pressed it against Ji Wu’s lips. “I’ll let you taste it too.”

The fragrance of flowers rushed into Ji Wu’s nose, followed by the freshness of the petal carrying a hint of the morning sun, melting onto Ji Wu’s lips with the warmth of Ming Xi’s fingertip.

Before she could refuse, Ming Xi leaned forward, supported her neck, and landed a kiss.

When the lips touched, they were light and soft, behaving properly like a polite little bird standing by a window, tilting its head to invite you to see the warm sun and spring scenery outside.

Then came the little pecks and nibbles. When the bird received no response, it took a few more steps, hopping and fluttering, insisting on telling you that the mountain scenery was infinite and you simply must look.

No.

Ji Wu furrowed her brows and held the line at her lips, but such resistance was futile. The little bird used “courtesy before force”; seeing Ji Wu so unwilling, it would not agree, and actually fluttered its wings to burst through the softness and enter the inner chamber.

“Mmph!” Ji Wu felt her whole body tremble. Her pearly teeth were clenched tight, unwilling to lose another inch.

But how could Ming Xi let her go? This was the Dream Court. The Dream Court knew no boundaries, no sense of weight or proportion.

The master of the Dream Court was the dream beast.

A hint of spicy sweetness seeped in as the crimson tip of a tongue chased the scent inside, flirting wantonly.

The valley was vast, and the songs of birds carried harmonies on the breeze, but Ji Wu could only hear the sound of her own flustered swallowing as she was sought after.

She hadn’t even… had time to swallow.

Ji Wu’s consciousness was stirred into a blur. Long ago, she had ceased to care about what was improper. The warmth coming from her lips was soft, like melting sugar cake, cloyingly sweet.

Every curve of her body was restless, as if it were truly absorbing the healing, or perhaps using the solemn excuse of “healing” to engage in unbridled and absurd behavior.

The deep invasion made her entire body weak and numb. Her tongue was caught and sucked until it felt sore. Her lower back was gently lifted, forcing their bodies to fit together even more tightly.

Ming Xi’s body temperature warmed Ji Wu. Fine beads of sweat broke out on the Grand Ancestor’s nose, and a decadent red flush floated on her cheeks.

“Hee.” The dream beast watched with great satisfaction. A Ji Wu like this was just like the flowers in the valley, enticing a kitty to pluck them.

The kitty only cared about plucking.

A small tooth mark landed on Ji Wu’s shoulder, calling back a bit of her attention. “No, don’t leave marks carelessly.”

“I’m gnawing seriously, not being careless.” Ming Xi raised a finger to point at the mark she had left. “The previous paw print faded; I’m leaving a new one.”

In her trance, Ji Wu remembered the burning sensation of those few red plum prints. “So… so that’s how it is.”

This rebellious beast wasn’t teasing when she said “seriously.” The paw prints she left on Ji Wu had indeed protected her several times last night; otherwise, Ji Wu couldn’t have held out so long under the triple siege.

And then there were those few strands of golden fluff Ming Xi had hidden in her hair.

“You’ve been thoughtful,” Ji Wu murmured, yet she still couldn’t express her gratitude calmly.

She still felt that Ming Xi’s love was too baseless. It was just a contract; why was she so certain that Ji Wu was worth it?

Clearly, the one who had swung a sword at her eight years ago was Ji Wu.

“What is Wuwu thinking about? You can’t be distracted at a time like this.”

The kiss fell again. Lips that had chewed flower petals brought a crisp sweetness. Ming Xi patiently enticed Ji Wu to accept her, yet couldn’t help being mischievous. While kissing, she fed Ji Wu another cherry petal dipped in fragrant nectar. “Is it sweet?”

The fragrance dissolved in her mouth, a lingering sweetness blooming between her teeth. Ji Wu half-opened her phoenix eyes, which were misty with tears. “We… we cannot continue.”

“Why? Why not?” Ming Xi insisted.

She cradled the back of Ji Wu’s neck to deepen the kiss, unexpectedly flirting and stealing every bit of Ji Wu’s breath. Every sense was heightened, yet Ji Wu felt as though she were floating away.

“To you, I am nothing more than… an error of the moment.” Ji Wu restrained herself from responding to Ming Xi, but in the dream, she had no defense against the dream beast’s entanglements.

She could only rely on a momentary flash of clarity to warn Ming Xi, “No more… mmph!”

Ming Xi didn’t like hearing that.

She simply blocked Ji Wu’s words back. Only after she had her fill did she prop herself up slightly, whispering softly, “An error of the moment? What does that mean? I can never understand Wuwu’s way of speaking. I only know that if I find you cute in the moment, I shall love and draw near to you in the moment. What is wrong with that?”

As she spoke, she cupped Ji Wu’s face, touched her nose lightly against the other’s, and asked, “Doesn’t Wuwu find Ming Xi cute in this moment?”

Not cute?

Ji Wu couldn’t answer.

Ming Xi’s eyes were large and clear. When she looked at Ji Wu, there was only a surge of love, without a hint of concealment.

“I…”

“Ah!” Ming Xi interrupted Ji Wu again, shaking her little cat head. “I almost forgot that!”