Cangshu Bai had many titles: The Green-Clad Guest, Black-clad Venerable, murderous demon, bloodthirsty madman...
But no matter which title it was, none of them could ever be associated with the word incapable.
He was supposed to be high and mighty, omnipotent, holding the power of life and death in a single thought.
Yet, such a man was actually taking aphrodisiacs in secret behind his wife's back.
Doing it in secret was one thing, but now he had been caught red-handed by her.
Cangshu Bai was completely at a loss, having no idea how to face Mu Ran.
He was used to his wife looking at him with eyes full of joy and adoration. If her gaze were to turn into one of disgust or disdain, what would he do?
Han Yu finally seemed to realize it had done something wrong and slinked off to who knows where, vanishing without a trace.
Mu Ran opened her mouth several times, hesitating to speak, her expression torn.
This was her first time experiencing such a thing, and she truly did not know how to comfort him.
And so, in this supposedly cozy little home, the two stared at each other. The moment their eyes met, they would uncomfortably look away, both feeling incredibly awkward.
Finally, unable to bear this agonizing torture any longer, Cangshu Bai said, "I... once I clean this up, we can eat."
He crouched down to pick up the shattered pieces on the floor, but the next moment, a weight pressed onto his back.
Mu Ran lay against his back, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in the crook of his neck. She muffled, "Jinzhi."
Cangshu Bai did not dare to look up, only offering a low response, "Mhm."
"I like you."
His Adam's apple bobbed. "I know."
"I think you have always been... very amazing."
Cangshu Bai's eyes flickered, but he remained silent.
"And being amazing of course also... also includes..." Mu Ran suppressed her embarrassment and whispered, "includes that aspect."
Cangshu Bai's fingers, which were touching the cold shards, trembled. Even though what he was touching was cold, his hands felt blisteringly hot. The heat rising within his body simply could not be suppressed.
Mu Ran continued, "Um... anyway, every time, I've been quite satisfied."
This time, she was the one burning up.
But she wasn't lying. Whether it was the frequency, the duration, or the intensity, she was very satisfied.
Cangshu Bai was not young anymore, yet now, feeling the girl's warm breath against his neck, the tips of his ears burned fiercely.
He said with difficulty, "But, you want a child."
Mu Ran lifted her face. "When did I ever say I wanted a child?"
Cangshu Bai whispered, "That day, you said it would be wonderful if our future child could be as lively as Han Yu."
Mu Ran thought for a long time before she recalled that she did seem to have said something like that in the past. At this moment, she finally realized that it was her passing remark that had caused Cangshu Bai to secretly take medicine behind her back.
Mu Ran fell into a brief silence. "Jinzhi, I just said that casually. It doesn't mean I'm in a rush to have a child."
Cangshu Bai paused slightly. "It doesn't?"
"No." Mu Ran relaxed her body against his back, resting her chin on his shoulder, and said with a smile, "Excluding the five hundred years I was asleep, I've only lived with you as a married couple for two years. I still want to enjoy our time together, just the two of us, without any children."
Cangshu Bai's eyelashes fluttered. He raised his eyes, his ink-black gaze fixing on her face. "Just... the two of us?"
"Right." Mu Ran's tone was casual. "Things like children should just happen naturally. Even if we don't have a child right now, I feel very happy and fulfilled just being with you. Jinzhi, don't take random medicines anymore. You don't need to change a thing; our life is already wonderful."
Cangshu Bai held her hand, the corners of his lips curving up to reveal a joyous smile. "Mhm, I understand."
Seeing that he probably wouldn't overthink things anymore, Mu Ran added, "Oh, and you're not allowed to blame Little Fish!"
Cangshu Bai had no choice but to dismiss his idea of peeling off Han Yu's scales.
Previously, Mu Ran had been wondering why Cangshu Bai had been exceptionally energetic at night over the past few days. Only now did she realize it was the result of the medicine.
However, after they cleared the air and Cangshu Bai promised not to take any more random pills, Mu Ran felt a passion from him that night that far exceeded anything before.
After the storm of passion subsided, peace returned to the room.
Mu Ran lay in his arms, looking at him curiously. "Did you really not take any medicine today?"
Cangshu Bai was quiet for a moment. "No."
Mu Ran closed her eyes and muttered, "It seems taking the medicine before actually hindered your performance."
Cangshu Bai: "..."
In the middle of the night, Mu Ran groggily felt the person beside her moving. She opened her eyes a crack and grabbed the corner of his clothes.
"Jinzhi."
He leaned down and gave her a kiss. "I'll leave Han Yu here to keep you company. I need to take care of some things, but I'll be back soon."
Mu Ran could guess that the matter he needed to handle was related to the arrival of Cangshu Fenming. Letting go, she said, "I'll wait for you to come home."
Cangshu Bai gently stroked her face. "Go to sleep."
Mu Ran closed her eyes and drifted back into dreamland.
Late at night, it was a time when all was completely silent.
On Chongyang Mountain, even the chirping of insects had faded away. Only the mountain wind blowing through the pine forest remained, making a faint, hollow rustling sound.
The moonlight was filtered extremely thin by the clouds. It spilled onto the stone steps, looking like a thin layer of frost.
Recently, there had been constant incidents of demonic beasts harming people in the surrounding areas. Yue Qingfeng had been so busy that his feet barely touched the ground. It wasn't until the moon was high in the sky that he finally returned to his sect.
In truth, the major sects all looked out for themselves. What cultivators valued most were their own interests; they lacked any real sense of upholding justice or slaying demons to protect the innocent.
Whether they cultivated the path of immortals or demons was merely a matter of a single thought.
Cultivators like Yue Qingfeng, who would run themselves ragged to purge evil from the mortal realm, were incredibly rare.
Suddenly, a somewhat familiar figure appeared in Yue Qingfeng's line of sight.
The shadows of the trees in the forest were heavy, with layers upon layers of ink-black branches and leaves. That person stood in the deepest part of the shadows. His green clothes looked as if they had been soaked in freezing water, exuding a coldness that was almost eerie.
His white hair hung down loosely, unbound and untied. As the night breeze swept past, a few strands fluttered lightly, appearing even paler than the moonlight.
Yue Qingfeng subconsciously tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword but offered a friendly greeting, "So it is Fellow Daoist Cangshu. May I ask what brings you to Chongyang Mountain at this late hour?"
"Looking for someone."
Yue Qingfeng asked, "Who might you be looking for? Perhaps I can be of assistance."
Cangshu Bai replied, "An evil entity that raises demonic beasts and steals human bodies."
Yue Qingfeng froze.
It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky the next day that Mu Ran slowly climbed out of bed.
Walking into the kitchen, she discovered that Cangshu Bai had already prepared food for her.
The rice porridge cooked last night was kept warm by a spell. When she woke up and ate it, the taste was still very fresh.
Han Yu lay on top of Mu Ran's head, its tail swaying lazily back and forth, looking incredibly comfortable.
