The past few weeks had been tense, and also nerve-racking for Akagi, who with dedication prayed to whichever god out there, to look after her fiancé.
It was so bad that she couldn't even sleep soundly at night without waking up pale faced and drenched in sweat...
'Milord, please be safe...' She kept him in her thoughts regularly while observing the cute bundle of joy, Xiao Ling struggle to understand the concept of what was inscribed on the scroll she had been given to follow.
"Big sister!" Xiao Ling ran towards her with an angry pout, her eyes seemingly getting bigger and redder as if she was about to cry.
"Hmm? What is it Xiao Ling?" Akagi giggled over how adorable she was, 'Maybe that's why Lord Xieren took her as his disciple.' Her eyes looked at the little girl lovingly and calmly helped her through...
"You will be a good mother" Hōjo Ikki who had arrived at his daughter's quarters to check up on her, spoke to let himself be known.
"..."
"..."
"S-Sorry, I'll be leaving now..." Ikki smiled sadly, it would seem that she wouldn't let go of her past, therefore he turned around to walk away when his daughter called him out.
"Wait! Did you... really mean what you said?" She asked him shyly, hoping to get some reassurance for when she would be having children of her own.
Ikki was mind blown over how adorable his daughter behaved, he then smiled gently at her, "My dearest daughter, please do not worry about it, you will a great mother!" He walked out of the guest manor with a smile tugging on his lips.
•••••
"Big sis... can you explain the cultivation realms?" Xiao Ling inquired Akagi with a downtrodden expression on her face, if anyone else were to see it, they would be depressed the whole day and go on being depressed for a week...
This was the third time she had asked Akagi about the same question.
Xiao Ling started losing confidence in herself and also over the prospect of her master looking at her with disappointment evident on his face...
She then started sniffling which was immediately caught by Akagi's motherly instincts as she worriedly walked over to the little girl and gently caressed her head.
"Mind telling me what happened?" Akagi's soothing voice helped Xiao Ling open her mouth.
"I-I thi-think I'm stupid..." She sobbed silently in Akagi's embrace, whimpering over everything that had happened, she was still an eight year old child at heart...
"No you are not, Xiao Ling. When I was your age, I was only reading children's books!" Akagi spoke softly, to which Xiao Ling looked up with her teary big eyes, her little nose had turned red.
"You are a very smart girl! You have completely understood nearly a third of what is written in the scroll... If Xieren thinks you are stupid, then I will beat that fellow!" Akagi grinned and pat her non existent biceps...
Xiao Ling giggled, forcing the older beauty to curl her plump red lips and let out of an elegant chuckle.
"But If it makes you feel any better, I can repeat the realms again" She kept caressing Xiao Ling's head, who was now seated on her lap.
"Listen closely! The first step is known as, Qi condensation, however it not considered a realm by some cultivators, eventhough it is the first step to climbing up the ranks of cultivation therefore the most important!"
"Then comes the standardized realms, and in the ascending order comes, the Mortal realm, Earth realm, Heaven realm, Saint realm and finally, the celestial realm." Akagi narrated while Xiao Ling listened quietly.
"Each realm is divided further into four levels, Sword, Knight, Duke and Emperor, from the weakest to strongest."
"What is your realm big sis?" Xiao Ling asked curiously to which Akagi could not decline.
"I'm in the Celestial Sword realm... the celestial realm is a bit different and consists of an extra realm known as Celestial rebirth realm, what this realm does is, it turns you to an immortal." Akagi spoke with a smile.
"Waa... Big sis is so strong!" Xiao Ling exclaimed in shock.
"Your master is stronger than I could ever be..." Akagi replied with a smile, feeling proud over being called strong.
"I thought so too... he beat that bad fellow with a single punch!" Xiao Ling re-enacted the scene from the banquet to which Akagi giggled at her cuteness.
"That bad fellow is also the emperor of the country"
Akagi gasped and turned around instantly seeing Xieren seated on a chair behind her, waving his hand.
"M-Milord!" She shouted and lunged at him with Xiao Ling still in her hand.
'What the hell happened to her?' Xieren panicked seeing his otherwise cold fiancée now throwing herself at him.
He embraced her tightly, and she too reciprocating the same, even tighter.
"Kuh!" He felt his breath leaving him and choked.
"Big sis! Master is dying!" Xiao Ling cried out in panic.
"Ah?!" She releases him instantly and blushed, Xieren swooned and fell on the chair taking deep breaths of air and turned to Akagi while snickering.
"Aw, I can't believe you missed me so much!" He spoke happily, feeling better already.
Akagi pinched his arm hoping to get him to stop teasing her so much.
"Hahaha, it doesn't work! My skin is too strong to feel pain!" Xieren laughed and pulled Akagi over to his side and tickled her thin waist getting melodious giggles from the girl...
"Milord please stop!" She said through bursts of laughter and got up with a pout.
"Xiao Ling, help me!" Akagi ordered the little girl that felt envious of the pair.
"Un!" Xiao Ling nodded and jumped at Xieren with a toothy grin, she was then joined by Akagi who bashfully made contact with Xieren.
•••••
Duke Qiu who had been eager to see his son overheard the distorted laughs coming from within his son's manor and smiled.
"At this rate, they will bring me grandchildren within a year or two..." Duke Qiu spoke to his wife who sighed at his words.
"Stop making me feel old!" Matriarch Qiu said with a smile and walked away with her husband, back to their manor...
••••••••••
A/N: Just between you and me, I planned on killing Akagi to give character development to Xieren, but after putting much effort to creating her, I decided not to.
Besides, this novel isn't like those serious ones, I wanted to make something light-hearted, simple and casual enough to make someone's day :)