Mu Ran had not yet received an answer to her question, but she couldn't help laughing along with him.
She leaned down, rubbing her nose against his. Seeing her own reflection in his eyes, a surge of satisfaction and happiness welled up within her, making her care even more about the grievances he had suffered.
Mu Ran kissed the corner of his lips and whispered, "So, during all those times I didn't know, you actually forced yourself for my sake more times than I can count."
"I did it willingly."
Cangshu Bai longed for her lips, chasing after them to kiss her for a long while. He laid her down on the bed, and his tall figure covered hers, though he was careful not to press his weight down uncomfortably.
He gazed into her eyes and murmured, "Besides, I am very satisfied. Every time we share intimacy, I feel completely fulfilled."
Indeed, he couldn't indulge himself, but just touching her a little longer made his soul tremble.
Compared to physical pleasure, his soul had long since attained the ultimate bliss.
Yet, Mu Ran still felt a pang of heartache for him.
Without blushing or skipping a beat, she said, "Now that I've recovered my cultivation, you don't need to hold back anymore."
But as soon as the words left her mouth, she inevitably felt her ears burning.
A spark of light flickered in his eyes.
Mu Ran knew he had definitely seen through her bravado, but she bit the bullet and bluffed, "Even if you go all out, I can take it."
Cangshu Bai simply smiled, his eyes curving slightly, but he didn't say a word.
It was as if he was waiting to see how long she could keep up the act.
Mu Ran's competitive spirit instantly flared up. With sudden boldness, she pushed him back down onto the bed. In an instant, the tables were turned.
She declared, "Cangshu Bai, you are already in the palm of my hand. You have no chance to escape; you can only obediently listen to me!"
Just as Mu Ran was about to lower her head and dive in, she saw a drop of red blood fall onto his chest.
She froze for a moment.
Cangshu Bai reacted faster. He sat up, held her, and asked nervously, "Ranran, your nose is bleeding. Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
Mu Ran sluggishly covered her nose, staring blankly at her husband's anxious expression.
He covered her body with the quilt.
"Does anything hurt?"
"It must be my fault. I knew you had only recently woken up, yet I was still so impatient and lustful."
"I have collected quite a few panaceas and spiritual medicines. I'll go find them."
Mu Ran hastily hugged the man who was about to leave.
Cangshu Bai lowered his eyes. "Ranran?"
Her expression was very complicated. After holding it in for a long time, she finally squeezed out a sentence: "I think my body is... too weak to handle all this nourishment."
Cangshu Bai: "..."
Afterward, Cangshu Bai finally remembered that he was also a doctor.
He checked Mu Ran's pulse and used his divine sense to examine her body, confirming that she was indeed too weak to handle the excessive nourishment.
In other words, during this past month of dual cultivation where they hadn't even left the bed, he had poured far too much spiritual energy into her.
And yet she had shamelessly boasted that he was in the palm of her hand.
Mu Ran felt incredibly embarrassed and didn't dare to look Cangshu Bai in the eye for several days.
Cangshu Bai's mood was equally delicate. He didn't dare to touch her for several days, and even the frequency of their kisses decreased significantly.
Thus, the two of them had to temporarily live a life of abstinence.
But neither of them were truly ascetic people at heart. If they continued to stay cooped up in the room, they feared their passions would ignite once more. So, they decided to go out together for the first time in a long while.
Doctor Hu was sitting on a recliner in the medical clinic, chewing peanuts, living a very comfortable life.
He used to be a sinister fellow who liked to bend with the wind and rob others of their resources, until he met Cangshu Bai, who was even more sinister than him, and was reduced to an errand boy.
Of course, he was unwilling to accept this.
However, after being immersed in the mortal world for years and witnessing many of the joys and sorrows of ordinary people, his mindset gradually became peaceful, and his cultivation progressed even faster.
Up until now, as Doctor Hu watched the people coming and going on the street, he felt an indescribable sense of comfort and tranquility.
Two figures slowly walked towards the door.
The woman wore a bright yellow ruqun, the hem embroidered with delicate interlaced branch patterns. As she walked, it looked like flowing gold trailing on the ground. Her brows and eyes were radiant, her skin smooth and translucent. With a single glance, it seemed as if the whole courtyard was filled with the light of spring; she was so dazzlingly beautiful that one couldn't look away.
The man beside her wore a plain green robe that accentuated his upright posture. His head was full of snow-white hair, yet he was missing an arm, the empty sleeve hanging down.
His temperament was inherently aloof and cold, like lonely snow on a freezing peak, warning strangers to keep away. Yet, when he looked at the woman beside him, the layer of ice in his eyes quietly melted, hiding a tenderness and intimacy that others couldn't see.
One warm, one cold; one bright, one pale. Surprisingly, they were an indescribably perfect match.
Doctor Hu was stunned for a good while. When he came to his senses, he was so frightened that he immediately sat up. The words "Godfather" were about to blurt out, but he quickly remembered that Cangshu Bai was hiding his identity. He could only forcefully swallow the word "Godfather," making his expression look even more bizarre.
"Um, little Cang, you actually remembered to come back to work! You've been late for so long, I thought you didn't want your wages anymore!"
Mu Ran looked at Cangshu Bai. When he lowered his eyes to look back at her, the corners of his lips curled up slightly.
Mu Ran then looked at Boss Hu. "How strange. It's been five hundred years, is Jinzhi still working in this shop?"
Doctor Hu's face stiffened.
Right, what kind of normal boss would hire someone for five hundred years?
"This... that, I mistook him for someone else! Yes, I just mistook him for someone else. Miss, please don't misunderstand..." Before Doctor Hu could finish his lame excuse, he saw Mu Ran already laughing out loud.
Doctor Hu realized something was wrong and cautiously sought confirmation from Cangshu Bai. "You confessed?"
Cangshu Bai held Mu Ran's hand and gave a slight nod. "Yes."
No wonder.
No wonder Cangshu Bai, who had worn lifeless black clothes for five hundred years, suddenly changed back into bright green clothes.
No wonder Cangshu Bai, who had been mad and covered in a murderous aura for five hundred years, had now recovered his peaceful aura.
Doctor Hu was a shrewd man. He immediately knelt down before Mu Ran, performing three kneelings and nine kowtows. "Your unfilial son greets Godmother. I have offended you many times in the past, please be magnanimous and forgive my faults, Godmother!"
Mu Ran was frightened and took a step back. She hurriedly said, "Get up quickly, don't kneel to me like this, I can't bear it."
Doctor Hu said flatteringly, "Godmother, your status is noble, you can bear it! You can bear it! From now on, this lowly one's life belongs to Godmother. If you tell me to go east, I will never go west!"
Mu Ran looked at her husband for help.
Cangshu Bai said, "Get up."
"Alrighty!" Doctor Hu stood up nimbly, his movements so fast it left one speechless.
Mu Ran used to think that Doctor Hu was an arrogant and bossy person. Seeing him like this for the first time was quite a novelty.
Just like before, Cangshu Bai seemed to still be the little doctor in the medical clinic, standing in front of the medicine cabinet taking inventory of the medicinal herbs.
Mu Ran, on the other hand, was full of curiosity. In the past, she was afraid of causing trouble for him, so she had never properly looked at the place where he worked so diligently. But now it was different; she was jumping around all over the place, and no one dared to say a word against her.
Dr. Hu watched Mu Ran playing with the mortar and pestle on the other side of the room, then whispered to Cangshu Bai, Godfather, I was afraid you had fallen too deep into your demonic state and would not be able to turn back. Thank goodness you have returned to normal now.
Cangshu Bai simply gave a faint, Mm.
Mu Ran put down the pestle and ran into the inner hall with a few quick steps.
Dr. Hu was still figuring out how to flatter him a bit more when a sudden, piercing coldness violently seeped into his bones.
The gentle and mild-mannered young doctor before him instantly had a trace of dark gloom spread from the corners of his eyes. A sinister aura surged silently around him, making even the herbs on the medicine cabinets tremble.
Dr. Hu's face paled, and his legs gave out, nearly dropping him to his knees.
This, this demonic nature could just trigger at the drop of a hat?!
Those who succumb to their inner demons recognize neither family nor friend!
Just as he was debating whether to run for his life, the door curtain was pulled open with a swish.
Mu Ran poked her head out, grinning playfully. Jinzhi, I just saw some sugar cakes in the inner hall!
The next second, the demonic aura vanished without a trace, as if extinguished by a massive splash of water.
Cangshu Bai transformed back into the aloof yet gentle-eyed doctor. If you want to eat some, I will take you to buy fresh ones.
No need, these are good even when they are cold. Mu Ran ran over and fed the rest of her half-eaten pastry into his mouth.
A moment later, she turned and went into the adjacent medicine room.
As soon as the curtain fell still, the air pressure around Cangshu Bai plummeted once again. Dark wisps faintly coiled around his cuffs, and his eyes grew as cold as forged ice.
Terrified, Dr. Hu did not dare to breathe, screaming frantically in his mind: Here it comes again, here it comes again!
While he was trembling, Mu Ran ran back out. Jinzhi, I saw some datura flower juice here. I want to buy some to take back and make circuits.
The demonic aura evaporated on the spot once more, vanishing so completely it was as if it had never existed.
Mu Ran came to his side and looked at him with a smile. Can I buy things here?
Cangshu Bai's eyes held a deep tenderness. You can.
Dr. Hu watched, utterly dumbfounded.
Mu Ran smiled. Jinzhi, you are the best.
Her sharp nose caught the scent of food. It is mung bean cake, your favorite! I will go buy some for you!
The instant Mu Ran ran out of the clinic, a murderous aura skyrocketed within the room.
Cangshu Bai kept his gaze fixed on the doorway, completely motionless. His silent demeanor was like that of a dead man.
However, not long after, the moment the girl returned holding the piping hot pastries, his eyes, which had been as empty as a freezing pool, suddenly lit up with a faint gleam.
Mu Ran brought the mung bean cake to his lips. Eat up, it is still hot.
After three rounds of this, Dr. Hu stood in the middle, his expression shifting from nervous to stiff, then to numb, until all that was left was a look of absurd and comical blankness.
He came to an earth-shattering conclusion in his heart:
From ancient times to the present, there has never been any way to reverse one's descent into a demonic state.
Cangshu Bai was naturally no exception.
It was only because she was in his line of sight that he forced himself to pretend he was still human.
