Jiang Xingyan used a Soul Summoning Talisman given by Daoist Zhuihua to draw her and Yun Chunfeng’s souls into a dream.
When she opened her eyes again as her own soul, she was in the boudoir of the Jiang manor from her childhood.
Only, Young Master Yun wasn’t beside her.
She got up, left the bed, and as if she already knew where he would be, she ran barefoot towards the back garden without a moment’s hesitation.
Yun Chunfeng’s face was still flushed crimson.
Even though his senior brothers had given him a harsh “conditioning” that hurt him unbearably, the pain was mixed with the sweetness brought by his lady.
She had been so good to his master and senior brothers. Not only did she not look down on them for being so money-grubbing, but she also spared no expense to cheer them up.
Wasn’t all of this for his sake?
As Yun Chunfeng was thinking this, Jiang Xingyan, already out of breath, found him hiding behind the rockery.
“Young Master Yun!”
When he was little, this was where he would always come whenever he was sad or hurting.
This time was no exception.
When Daoist Zhuihua had led Jiang Xingyan into the tent and she saw Yun Chunfeng, she was stunned by how beautiful he looked.
He had changed into a moon-white, fine-gradual-patterned, shimmering brocade Daoist robe, with a misty-green, cicada-wing-veil outer cloak. His whole body radiated a soft, white glow.
The red marks on his neck had completely faded, replaced by skin as smooth and lustrous as jade.
His peach-blossom eyes, once shadowed, were now clear and bright again, shimmering like a spring-fed pool, the water’s sparkling reflections outlining the person before him.
The newly grown cinnabar mark on his brow added a touch of sacred, unapproachable holiness and aloofness.
But the tear-shaped mole at the corner of his eye was bewitching.
It made people want to gently lick it.
Earlier, with his senior brothers present, it wasn’t appropriate to show too much emotion.
Now that this was a dream belonging only to the two of them, Jiang Xingyan rushed forward recklessly and held Yun Chunfeng tightly.
“I’m sorry, Young Master Yun.
I shouldn’t have doubted your feelings for me.”
In that instant, Yun Chunfeng felt his entire life had been worthwhile.
The tearing pain from having his immortal bones forcibly reshaped by his five senior brothers, who had pulled him apart like they were dismembering him, and the searing agony caused by his Senior Master using his inner energy to cleanse his meridians and fill his dantian—all of it suddenly seemed trivial.
He picked Jiang Xingyan up. Even in a dream, he didn’t want her feet to touch the cold, bluestone floor.
He gently stroked her dark hair. Even though he was holding a soul form, it brought him immense peace.
“My lady, your Yun Ge’er won’t be willful anymore.”
If Yun Chunfeng hadn’t said that, it might have been fine. But as soon as he did, all of Jiang Xingyan’s pent-up grievance and lingering fear came flooding out.
She managed to hold back her tears, but her throat tightened up first.
“Young Master Yun, you not only left me and went away, but you were going to leave me for good?
Were you really planning to leave me and Xiao Ya alone in this world?”
She couldn’t bring herself to punch or kick Yun Chunfeng, so she just lightly pinched the ticklish flesh on his waist.
Yun Chunfeng held her tightly, a dense, prickling pain spreading across his heart.
He had indeed been too rash this time. He had scared his lady.
In an instant, the scenery around them shifted from the rockery to Jiang Xingyan’s boudoir.
The dream was initiated by her, so naturally, she controlled it.
Before Yun Chunfeng could even register what was happening, he was pushed firmly onto the bed.
“My lady… mmm…”
A tingling sensation, not belonging to a soul body, spread throughout his entire being.
It was because Jiang Xingyan had reached out to touch his neck, gently sucking on the spot where the red marks used to be.
“Did it hurt a lot?”
Yun Chunfeng shook his head, held Jiang Xingyan’s fingertips, and placed soft kisses on them.
“The pain was my own fault for being reckless.
My lady is so wonderful, don’t let Yun Ge’er fool you.
Sometimes Yun Ge’er pretends to be hurt just to get my lady’s pity.”
The next second, Jiang Xingyan firmly covered his thin lips with hers.
She kissed him harder than ever before, but because she was still inexperienced, their teeth and lips bumped awkwardly.
If they weren’t soul bodies, there would probably already be a taste of blood in her mouth.
“Is this the kind of pity you meant?”
For a moment, Yun Chunfeng was caught off guard by his lady’s boldness, and could only be at her mercy.
He was both startled and overjoyed, savoring every moment.
He cupped Jiang Xingyan’s face in his hands, and asked her solemnly, one word at a time:
“My lady, do you have no regrets?”
Jiang Xingyan looked directly into his eyes.
Yun Ge’er’s peach-blossom eyes were stunningly beautiful, and with the sheen of his white hair, he looked exactly like a celestial banished from heaven.
“Why would I regret anything?”
Yun Chunfeng lowered his gaze. “Yun Ge’er is just a playmate that Old Master Jiang saved. I can’t compare to General Huo’s noble status and the respect he commands from thousands.”
Jiang Xingyan lifted his chin, leaned in closer, parted her crimson lips, and bit down hard on Yun Chunfeng’s shoulder.
“If you say such nonsense again, I’ll bite you twice!”
Yun Chunfeng didn’t feel any pain at all, only sweetness.
They held each other tightly, with no more barriers between them.
“Young Master Yun, wait for me.”
“Alright. Yun Ge’er will always wait for you, my lady.
Forever.”
——-
Jiang Xingyan was completely immersed in being with Yun Chunfeng, paying no attention to anything else.
The night was dark, the wind high. A dark shadow flitted past the tent.
Huo Ci sat dazedly on his bed, unable to sleep.
He knew better than anyone that at this very moment, A Yan and Yun Chunfeng must be wrapped in a tender embrace.
It was only because of his own body that they could only meet in their dreams.
His heart ached as if twisted with a knife, but he could only blame himself.
Sometimes, he felt malicious, wanting to permanently occupy A Yan’s body, to force himself between them, unwilling to let go. Why should he make things easy for them?
Other times, he felt he should wish A Yan happiness and stop holding her back.
After all, she had given him the best years of her life.
She had never treated him poorly in any way.
He was the one who never knew how to cherish her, missing his chance again and again.
Huo Ci let out a heavy sigh in his heart. He decided to get up and light a candle, figuring he might as well go for a walk since he wasn’t going to sleep.
Rip!
The faint sound of tearing window gauze suddenly reached his ears.
If he hadn’t been awake, if the night weren’t so quiet, he would never have noticed something so subtle.
Years of warfare had ingrained vigilance into his very bones.
And now, he had to be especially careful with A Yan’s body.
He covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief, held his breath, and focused his eyes, searching intently for anything unusual on the window.
He had been in the dark for a long time, so his eyes had already adjusted. Otherwise, he might not have spotted the hole at the corner of the window, no bigger than a baby’s thumb.
A sliver of faint moonlight peeked through.
Huo Ci stared fixedly.
It seemed that at any moment, a thin bamboo tube would appear and blow some kind of smoke into his tent.
A full incense stick’s time passed.
Huo Ci’s eye sockets ached from staring, but still, nothing happened.
He found it strange: Did the intruder realize he was awake and decide to wait?
He didn’t make a move and continued to wait silently.
Whoosh!
A human figure appeared behind the window in the blink of an eye, casting a faint silhouette on the gauze.
Huo Ci’s heart leaped into his throat.
He told himself to stay calm, that he absolutely couldn’t panic.
Although his own senses were sharp, A Yan’s body still couldn’t fight.
He could only play for time, not take any risks.
With one hand, he groped on the bed, feeling a fallen hairpin. He quickly grabbed it as his only means of defense.
But the figure didn’t make another move. Instead, it let out a soft sigh.
Huo Ci was startled: That voice… why did it sound somewhat familiar?
“Nannan, your father truly doesn’t have the face to see you!
I owe Wanwan and you far, far too much…”
