***
Because Wenren Ying was an exceptionally thoughtful and gentle man, whenever they bathed together, he would wash Little Yue from head to toe, carefully cleaning away all the mess he had made. But precisely because of that, he…
So, of course, he lost control again…
After all, the feeling of having his beloved in his arms was simply too wonderful. Little Yue melted into a soft, warm puddle in his embrace, like a flattened cat. He rubbed her gently, and then… then…
Well, naturally, there followed a thoroughly enjoyable “what happens behind closed doors stays behind closed doors” sort of scene.
In short, by the time everything was over, the horizon where the sky met the mountains had already begun to pale with the first light of dawn. The colorful morning mist gradually thickened, carrying with it the chill of late autumn.
Weather like this always seemed to evoke a sense of desolation.
And yet, inside this humble room at the back of the inn, everything felt as warm as spring. Wu Guanyue was curled up in Wenren Ying’s arms, her head resting against his full, muscular chest. Her long, soft hair brushed lightly against his skin with each movement of her sleeping body, leaving his skin tingling with a pleasant, joyful itch.
His heart, too, seemed to have been completely filled to the brim.
This was… the satisfaction of falling asleep in the arms of the one you loved.
It was… truly a wondrous feeling.
Half a year ago, Wenren Ying had been merely one among countless wandering cultivators. He had been alone, coming and going like the wind. Those who knew him always praised him as a carefree, unrestrained man—but freedom was nothing more than another name for having nothing.
A person could only restrain himself; a person could only control himself. Complete freedom existed only because one’s heart had nowhere to settle, because one needed no one and no one truly needed him.
Sometimes, Wenren Ying felt as though he were already dead—as though he were merely a resentful spirit drifting out of Donghua City, surviving solely on the hatred that had sunk deep into his bones. At other times, he felt that living this way was simply unbearably dull.
But… now, everything was different.
Because he had Little Yue, everything was different.
He suddenly felt that his life had actually become rather colorful. For example, ever since meeting Little Yue, he could never guess when she might directly pick the lock and break into his home…
Wenren Ying: “……”
Er… although it was undeniably strange, Wenren Ying had never disliked it.
Perhaps this was… love in the style of a home invasion?
At the thought, Wenren Ying couldn’t help laughing.
His body felt heavy, because Little Yue was sleeping on top of him.
She was dry and warm, giving off the fresh fragrance of soapberry soap. Just moments ago—only moments ago—he had washed her completely clean with soap.
In truth, he had a Dust-Cleansing Talisman tucked inside his clothes, but he… had not wanted to use it.
Wenren Ying couldn’t help lowering his head to look at his Little Yue. Her long eyelashes fluttered softly with each breath, and she looked perfectly quiet and obedient… nothing like her usual mischievous, devilish self, always bouncing all over the place.
Well, the devilish Little Yue was adorable too…
But… what exactly was going on with Little Yue’s body?
Today, when she had faced the Dashing Lord, her three souls and seven spirits had suddenly left her body, leaving behind nothing but an empty shell. At that moment, Wenren Ying had felt as if he had been struck by lightning. An immense panic had swallowed him in an instant. At that time—at that time…
At that moment, he had been unable to spare even a thought for the enemy in front of him. His mind had gone completely blank. He had not even dared to consider the possibility that Little Yue was truly gone.
Thank the heavens… Little Yue was all right. Everything had been under her control.
But… what exactly was going on with Little Yue’s body? An Eastern Radiant Spirit Puppet…? Was this body of hers an Eastern Radiant Spirit Puppet…?
The thought that Wu Guanyue’s three souls and seven spirits were incomplete, and that she could only control a spirit puppet through a soul flame, made Wenren Ying’s heart feel unbearably heavy. Besides, he had heard the term “soul flame” before.
Back when he was still in the Xuantian Sect, he had come across the term in an ancient text in the Archives.
It was… a forbidden technique of evil cultivation, one that had been lost for a thousand years.
Little Yue…
Just who, exactly, was Little Yue’s grandfather? Where had her physical body gone when her soul had departed?
Wenren Ying’s arms tightened around Wu Guanyue without him realizing it.
“Mmm…”
Even in her sleep, Little Yue let out an exceedingly adorable murmur.
“Brother Ying… what’s wrong…?”
Her eyes were still closed as she mumbled the words.
Wenren Ying gently stroked her cheek and said softly, “It’s nothing. Go back to sleep, Little Yue.”
Wu Guanyue opened her sleepy eyes.
She must have been sleeping very deeply, because at that moment, her eyes looked hazy and adorably pitiful.
With those pitiful, adorable eyes, she gazed at Wenren Ying in confusion—and immediately fell into his deep, gentle eyes.
Wu Guanyue: “Mmm…”
A vague sound escaped her lips.
The next moment, she wrapped both arms around Wenren Ying.
Her hands climbed onto his broad, sturdy back and stroked it gently again and again. Her head rested against his chest, and although her face was utterly exhausted, she continued mumbling sleepily.
“Brother Ying… Brother Ying… go to sleep. Little Yue will stay with you…”
She offered him these words of comfort.
Wenren Ying’s heart melted instantly. Ever since getting together with Little Yue, he often found himself completely helpless before her cuteness. Whenever she did something this adorable, he always wanted to… bite her.
That was probably a little strange.
Wenren Ying forcibly suppressed this odd impulse. Instead, he lowered his head and kissed her cheek lightly, saying in a gentle voice, “All right… go to sleep, Little Yue.”
Wu Guanyue nodded in his arms, mumbling like a little child. Before three breaths had passed, she had already fallen into a deep snore once more.
After all… she had truly had a very… exhausting day.
The corners of Wenren Ying’s lips curved into another rather subtle smile, the peculiar smile that any big bad wolf of a man (…) ought to possess. Fortunately, he was secretly smiling during this hour of utter silence, so no one could see him.
Sleep, sleep.
They both deserved a good rest today.
Holding Wu Guanyue close, Wenren Ying turned onto his side and let her rest on his arm. Then he reached out, pulled the quilt over them, and wrapped them both up tightly. After that, he closed his eyes and slowly drifted into a dream-filled sleep—a deeply satisfied sleep.
Early the next morning…
Er, all right. Actually, by the time they had finished their little… activities, it was already the small hours of the morning. So, “early the next day” consisted solely of Wuyun leaping up with boundless energy, rushing to the door of the room where Little Yue was sleeping, and scratching at it furiously!
“Meow! Meow! Meow-meow! Meowww!”
Wuyun cried out miserably!
Roll, roll, roll~
Although Wuyun could play by itself, hunt by itself, and even develop its own games (?), today—just today!—it really wanted to play with Little Shopkeeper Yue～～～
Although it had absolutely no idea what was going on, Wuyun’s tiny head was filled with the instinctive urge to get inside and join the fun!
Wuyun: (>ω<*)
The wicked little cat Wuyun wore a delighted expression.
Then it began rustling and squirming, trying to flatten itself into a thin cat pancake so it could squeeze through the crack beneath the door in the most stealthy manner possible…
With a timely creak, the door swung open.
Wenren Ying stood in the doorway and grabbed Wuyun, who had been trying to break in and rob the place!
Wuyun: OωO!
Wuyun’s eyes flew wide open. It put on an utterly adorable, utterly innocent expression, staring up at Wenren Ying with two round, bell-like eyes.
Wenren Ying: “…………”
Why did this feel so much like Little Yue…?
And the way it had just desperately tried to squeeze through the door was, honestly, very similar to the cute way Little Yue picked locks… Well, all right, he had never actually seen Little Yue pick a lock, but somehow his intuition told him that was exactly what it would look like.
Like master, like beast. Besides, Wuyun was actually a great contributor, always able to carry Little Yue away from the scene of the crime at lightning speed (?), so Wenren Ying rather liked it, if he was being honest.
Wenren Ying held Wuyun up and stared at it for a while before letting out a helpless sigh.
“Is Wuyun hungry? Want something to eat?”
That was what Wenren Ying said.
Wuyun: OωO!
Wuyun: “Woof! Woof woof!”
Wuyun made a sound no one could understand!
Wenren Ying: “…………”
No matter how many times he heard it, it was still incredibly bizarre to hear this cat-shaped mirage beast bark like a dog…
Had it perhaps grown up in a litter of puppies?
Whatever…
Wenren Ying carried Wuyun to the kitchen and prepared a fish for it as a cat’s meal… But, driven by curiosity, he also prepared a bone and placed it beside the fish, one on either side, to see which one Wuyun would eat.
He suddenly felt like he had become terribly bored…
But perhaps this was the change Little Yue had brought about in him.
Because of Little Yue, everything in this world that could somehow be connected to her seemed so interesting, so worth exploring.
Wuyun crouched on the ground, lost in thought as it stared at the fish and the meaty bone. Then it lifted its head and glanced at Wenren Ying.
Wenren Ying folded his arms and watched it with leisurely interest, waiting for its reaction.
Wuyun tilted its head, then suddenly let out a brand-new cry from its tiny triangular mouth!
“Coo coo! Coo-coo-coo!”
Wuyun raised its head again and looked at Wenren Ying with intense curiosity. A distinctly sly glimmer flashed in its round eyes.
Wenren Ying: “…………”
Wenren Ying was speechless for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing.
His laughter was cheerful and relaxed, and his whole person seemed cheerful and relaxed as well. He crouched on the ground and rubbed Wuyun’s tiny head with one hand. His hand was large and strong, and he ruffled the little cat’s head until Wuyun was practically rocked from side to side.
“You little rascal… All right, help yourself. I’ve got to make something nice for our Little Shopkeeper Yue.”
After all… Little Yue had worked hard yesterday～
