Chapter 61 - 55: Jiang Yuexin’s Visit
Bai Xiang’s clear, almond-shaped eyes widened.
She was the former Princess of Jing Country, the nominal Empress of Great Qing, a great personage who bore the Emperor and Empress Star Position.
’And I was just confessed to?’
’And had a shabby Storage Ring forced onto my finger?’
’Is this guy crazy?’
She tried to pull her hand away, but the man grabbed her other hand as well.
Jiang Mu said, "If you don’t say anything, I’ll take that as a yes."
’A man should marry a wife who can manage a household.’ he thought. ’Beauty is useless. Especially in our line of work, we’re often out slaying demons, so it’s even more important to have a stable home.’
Bai Xiang: "..."
She wanted to use sign language, but the man was gripping her hands too tightly, and she couldn’t very well use her Star Power to force him away.
’I’m honestly afraid I might accidentally swat him dead.’
"Don’t worry, I’m someone who greatly respects the other person’s wishes."
Jiang Mu said with a sincere and earnest expression, "As long as you say you’re unwilling with your own lips, I definitely won’t force you."
Bai Xiang: (︶︹︺)
"I’ll count to three. If you don’t object, we’ll get married tomorrow and consummate the marriage tonight."
Jiang Mu tightened his grip on her hand and began to count down. "Three... two..."
The woman suddenly opened her small, cherry-like mouth and bit down on his wrist.
’Holy crap!’
Jiang Mu instinctively pulled his hand back.
By the time he came to his senses, Bai Xiang had already gotten up, strode out of the main hall, and vanished, her skirt fluttering behind her.
Jiang Mu’s face darkened as he stared at the bite mark on his wrist.
"Are you a dog or something?!"
Clearly, this heartthrob had been rejected by the plain-looking Little Fairy.
’That’s a total slap in the face.’
’I’ll have my way with you yet!’
「...」
「Inside the room.」
Bai Xiang leaned against the cool wood of the door, a dazed look on her face.
Raising her hand, she stared blankly at the hand he had held, her gaze illuminated by the dim candlelight.
The warmth of his palm seemed to linger there.
As if it had been branded onto her skin.
Ordinarily, her state of mind was always tranquil.
The Pearl of Jing Country, the most beautiful woman in the world, the Empress of Great Qing... Beneath these grand and heavy titles, she had heard more than enough praise and admiration.
But none of it had ever caused the slightest ripple in her heart.
It was like willow catkins drifting in the air—scattering with a gust of wind, never landing on solid ground.
But this time was strange.
It felt as if a tiny hook was gently scratching at the tip of her heart.
"Why is this happening?"
She sat at her vanity, unable to make sense of it.
But when her gaze fell upon the ordinary face in the bronze mirror, she suddenly had a realization.
’That’s right.’
’In the past, with a peerless beauty that could topple nations, I heard all the world’s most beautiful words and thought nothing of them.’
’But now, I’m plain-looking, a mute who cannot even speak.’
’For someone to confess to me under these circumstances?’
’Especially when the one confessing, Young Master Jiang, is quite an outstanding man.’
’He’s never short on female admirers.’
’It seems that even without my looks, I still have enough charm to attract others. Hmph, hmph.’
A small, smug feeling welled up inside her.
A smile touched the corners of her lips, and the eyes in the mirror suddenly became animated.
As her gaze shifted, it was full of Spiritual Rhyme.
But the thought of his sudden marriage proposal gave Bai Xiang a headache.
She didn’t dislike Jiang Mu.
During their time together, he would casually order her to do things, hand her a cup of warm water when she was tired, chatter about interesting things he’d heard outside, and help tend the vegetable garden during his breaks from training...
There was no fawning, no obsession.
Only a growing familiarity, a down-to-earth way of getting along.
And this kind of interaction gave her—a woman accustomed to the loneliness at the top, to solitude and vigilance—a long-lost sense of peace.
’But no matter how at ease I feel, I can’t stay here and have his children.’
After all, their statuses were as different as clouds and mud. They were separated by unspeakable secrets and a future destined to be difficult.
’How could we possibly be together?’
"In any case,"
Bai Xiang let out a breath. "Having children is absolutely out of the question!"
The woman’s eyes were resolute.
’Letting him hold my hand is the most I can allow.’
’He’s already done it, anyway.’
’As long as I hold my ground, it doesn’t count as him taking advantage of me.’
Her gaze fell on the Storage Ring on her hand. Bai Xiang wrinkled her delicate nose and huffed aloud,
"Trying to marry me with a shabby Storage Ring? Dream on!"
Though she cursed him, her eyes curved into slight crescents, filled with a sparkling light.
She gently stroked the ring.
’You know, it actually looks quite nice on me.’
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
The door was suddenly knocked upon.
"Open up!"
It was Jiang Mu’s voice, and he sounded furious.
Bai Xiang furrowed her willow-like brows. ’Don’t tell me this guy is here to confess again. Does he have to be so persistent?’
’Frankly, being this frequent is just getting annoying.’
Bai Xiang made up her mind.
’This time, I have to reject him firmly to keep him from getting even more out of line.’
She opened the door.
Jiang Mu held out his hand. "Give me back the betrothal gift... ah, no, give me back the ring!"
"?"
The woman was stunned. She slowly clenched her delicate fists.
’Shrimp head!’
「...」
After snatching the engagement ring back from the woman’s hand, Shrimp-head Mu returned to his room, resentful.
He wasn’t bothered by his first failed proposal.
It was just a whim, anyway.
’Yeah, whatever.’
’I’ll dock her pay next month!’
After quickly washing up, Jiang Mu lay on his bed, staring absently at the spot on his arm where the birthmark had disappeared.
His proposal to Bai Xiang had indeed been a whim.
What bothered him, however, was why his emotions and desires had become so much stronger.
Before he transmigrated, he had actually been rather zen-like.
He had no interest in things like lust, which led everyone around him to joke that he was the reincarnation of a Saint Monk.
But after transmigrating, he seemed to have suddenly come alive.
His emotions became normal.
He had desires now.
It felt like everything had become complete.
’Forget it. I’ll focus on slaying demons and raising my Cultivation Level for now,’ he thought. ’A guy with my qualifications won’t lack for women. I’ll marry a whole bunch of them later.’
’And when my wives are giving birth,’ Jiang Mu thought to himself, ’I’ll make Bai Xiang deliver each and every one of them.’
Exhausted from a full day of demon slaying, he quickly fell into a deep sleep.
In a daze, he had a dream.
In the dream, he was lying in a coffin, but only half of his body was there.
As if he had been sawn in half.
Then his body kept shrinking and shrinking, until the half-torso molded itself into a tiny baby.
Immediately after, a pair of slender, jade-white hands picked him up.
"Go. I will wait for you to return."
The woman spoke.
Jiang Mu tried to see who she was.
The figure was graceful and familiar, but her face was a blur, shrouded in a fog that he couldn’t see through.
Soon, this dreamscape vanished.
The scene changed abruptly.
He was standing in a pool of blood, a long saber in his hand. In front of him, countless Demon corpses were piled up like a mountain.
Just then, an icy voice came from behind him:
"Brother, are you going to kill me, too?"
Jiang Mu spun around.
SHLICK!
The next moment, a pale hand plunged straight into his chest!
"A family... should be whole and complete, you know."
---
Jiang Mu shot bolt upright in bed.
Cold sweat soaked his nightclothes, his heart still pounding wildly in his chest.
He gasped for breath, his eyes darting around the room.
The room was pitch-black.
Only the chilly moonlight filtering through the window illuminated the floor.
"Hah... What a stupid dream."
Jiang Mu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and cursed under his breath, "Damn you, Little Demon! I’ll kill you for good!"
After calming himself, he lay back down, ready to go back to sleep.
However, just as he lay down, his peripheral vision caught something on the ceiling beam above him.
A petite figure was sitting on the crossbeam.
The incoming moonlight happened to illuminate half of her face.
Her skin was snow-white, her lips a vivid red. Her eyes shone with an eerie light, and the corners of her mouth were turned up in a ghastly smile.
"Brother, did you miss me?"
SWOOSH!
Without any hesitation, Jiang Mu erupted into action.
His long saber left its sheath.
The flash of the blade, like a bolt of blood-red silk, tore through the darkness, carrying a sharp Evil Qi as it slashed straight toward the petite figure on the beam.
The strike was fast, precise, and ruthless, without a shred of mercy.
’My path to enlightenment begins with killing my sister! Today is the day!’