novelraw Chapter 144 - 143: Brief Liyuan Wants to Become Enduring
Chapter 144 - 143: Brief Liyuan Wants to Become Enduring
Qing Yueqiu and Yu Xiaoyan stood before the residence, watching a distant figure on a flying sword draw closer and grow larger.
Clearly, their master had returned with his wife.
"Greetings, Mistress."
After the Fairy who had been using Sword Control with their master landed, both disciples greeted her respectfully.
"Little Yueqiu, I heard from your master that you've already advanced to the Nascent Soul realm. That's so amazing~!"
"Not at all... In my heart, Mistress has always been the model Female Sword Cultivator I look up to."
"Oh, don't be so modest. I was nowhere near as accomplished as you are when I was your age."
'Ye Liyuan felt that Ah Han's senior disciple, Qing Yueqiu, was wonderful in every way. The only problem was that she was always so nervous around her, acting as if Ye Liyuan were some high-ranking superior. She spoke so cautiously, creating a sense of distant formality... Sigh. Do I really seem that hard to get along with?'
Fairy Ye felt a little hurt.
"Mistress, we brought you a present from our trip~"
The sweet, bright voice rang out, and Ye Liyuan turned her head. She looked toward Ah Han's junior disciple, the one she felt closer to and was fonder of.
"Oh? What is it?"
"A Dragon Blood Pendant!"
Yu Xiaoyan took out a golden-orange pendant that looked as if it were crafted from pure gold.
"Master and I made it together with Dragon Blood. He said it has the wondrous ability to ward off evil and misfortune. Mistress, quickly, try it on and see if it fits!"
Ye Liyuan glanced back at Pei Yuhang, who nodded. "Xiaoxiao designed it," he said. "Liyuan, try it on."
"Alright!"
An irrepressible smile spread across Ye Liyuan's face. She placed the Dragon Blood Pendant around her slender, snow-white neck. It was a perfect fit. In the sunlight, the pendant shone with a brilliant golden luster, accentuating the delicate lines of her collarbone.
"Thank you for such a thoughtful gift, Xiaoxiao!"
"It's my pleasure! After all, I lent you my master for a whole month. As long as you're happy now, Mistress, that's all that matters~!"
Watching her delighted mistress, Qing Yueqiu couldn't help but pinch the corner of her robes between her fingers.
'How could I have been so careless... I can't believe I forgot to bring a gift for Mistress...'
'Honestly, when Xiaoxiao was making the gift, why didn't she tell me so I could have prepared something too...'
'Qing Yueqiu felt her image in her mistress's eyes had surely taken a hit. If Mistress whispers a complaint about me to Master during their pillow talk, what will I do...'
Just as the silver-haired girl's expression darkened, Pei Yuhang's voice echoed in her mind.
["I made Xiaoxiao's pendant. I just had her give it to your mistress to make Liyuan happy... In a moment, I'll give you a Dragon Blood Ring. Just pretend you made it and give it to her..."]
The silver-haired girl blinked, and a brilliant golden ring materialized in her palm as if by magic.
She looked up to see Pei Yuhang give her a subtle wink.
Clutching the warm, smooth golden ring, Qing Yueqiu smiled in relief.
'Master is so good to Mistress, always preparing these little surprises for her... Their relationship is truly something to be envied.'
...
...
A bright moon ascended into the pitch-black night, like a white-robed fairy falling into corruption within a sunless Demon Cave.
At night, even the most noble and reserved of people have needs they are too shy to voice, desires that must be fulfilled.
What's more, when a couple is reunited after a long separation, they are like dry tinder meeting a blazing fire—ready to ignite at the slightest touch.
No matter how proud and standoffish Ye Liyuan could be, she had surely missed her Dao Companion during the lonely nights. Now, with the man she loved right before her, the feelings she had suppressed could no longer be restrained.
Although Ye Liyuan was still a novice in this regard, this past month of cultivation to strengthen her physique had given her a great deal more confidence.
She vowed to wash away the humiliation of her past—the shameful tears, the cries for mercy. All of it would end tonight!
And so, Ye Liyuan took the initiative, challenging the Pei Sword Immortal.
"Bring it on, Ah Han! I don't need you to go easy on me this time. This is the perfect chance for you to test the fruits of my cultivation~!"
Seeing his Dao Companion so full of confidence, Pei Yuhang nodded, gratified.
Out of respect for his Dao Companion, the Pei Sword Immortal would, of course, give it his all.
"Liyuan, in that case, I shall begin with the Sword Immortal's One-Finger technique to test the depths of your Dao Practice after this month of hard work."
"How arrogant! You think a little trick like that is enough to leave me utterly defeated?"
「A short while later.」
Ye Liyuan stared blankly at the ceiling, the corners of her eyes still glistening with tears.
"There, there, Liyuan, don't cry... Really, three minutes is adorable in its own way."
Pei Yuhang's attempt at comfort clearly backfired. A wave of sorrow washed over Ye Liyuan. She, who had always been so proud and competitive, had never felt this aggrieved. A sense of despair—that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't last longer—overwhelmed her, and she buried her face in her pillow and began to cry again.
Pei Yuhang looked at his "finger," inwardly cursing himself. 'I got way too serious just now. How could I use the same methods on my Dao Companion that I use with Shang Miaoyan?!'
'It's too much for Liyuan. I'm just bullying her at this point.'
Pei Yuhang seriously reflected on his mistake as he comforted the sobbing, dejected woman in his arms.
Ye Liyuan wiped away her tears and said between sobs, "Ah Han, are you truly happy being with me?"
Pei Yuhang frowned. "Liyuan, why would you say something like that?"
"The truth is, I've always known you've never been truly satisfied when we're together.
"There's never any passion in your eyes; they're always so calm... It's because I can never make it to the end with you. Even when you're gentle and take care of me... I always finish too early."
Ye Liyuan spoke as if in a trance, muttering the words to herself. This was clearly a monologue she had kept locked away in her heart, and today, she had finally let it out.
"That's not true. You know I'm not the type to be obsessed with carnal pleasures. I love *you*, as a person, not for some base desire—"
Before Pei Yuhang could finish, a delicate fingertip pressed against his lips, silencing him.
"Ah Han, I'm a little tired."
"Can you just hold me while we sleep?"
As she spoke, Ye Liyuan snuggled into Pei Yuhang's embrace like a little hamster, seeking the furnace-like warmth of his chest in the chilly night.
Pei Yuhang stroked his Dao Companion's head. After a moment of silence, he said, "Liyuan, if you want to be able to last longer... I do have a way."
"You're impossible! Didn't I say I didn't want to talk about this anymore?"
Ye Liyuan gave Pei Yuhang a light tap with her fist, but her voice betrayed an unconscious hint of anticipation.
Clearly, despite her words, she was not at all uninterested in a matter so closely tied to her pride.
On the contrary, apart from her cultivation, it was the one thing she currently desired most.
But Pei Yuhang decided to be mysterious just then, saying he needed to go find some "reference materials" first.
'Where could he possibly find information on something like this?'
Ye Liyuan was puzzled.
And there was certainly no way Pei Yuhang was going to tell his Dao Companion the truth: that he planned to go consult with Shang Miaoyan and ask her to impart some of the Yin Yang Sacred Land's... advanced techniques to Liyuan.