Marrying a wife as stunning as a celestial goddess, only to find myself, on my wedding night, unable to touch, unable even to approach the bed, forced to sit alone, knees drawn up, in a corner against the wall...
Xiao Che could truly feel the world's malice.
The red candles flickered, casting an intimate glow over the bridal chamber. Silence filled the room; both of them dressed in vibrant red, she seated at the bed's edge, serene and proud, while he curled miserably in the corner, hearing only the faint sounds of their breaths.
After a long pause, Xiao Che could no longer restrain himself, "Are you… really going to leave me here all night?"
Xia Qingyue's long lashes quivered, her graceful figure shifted as she reclined on the bed. The crimson curtains fell, and Xiao Che could only glimpse her shadowed silhouette through the candlelight. A wave of her delicate hand, and both candles extinguished in a gust of icy wind… even her shadow vanished.
Were it not for the certain knowledge that he couldn't possibly overpower this woman, her cool indifference would have tempted him to defy her.
"I was only joking earlier. Not only wasn't I drunk; I didn't drink a drop all afternoon… if you can't even take a joke, you truly lack a sense of humor," Xiao Che muttered bitterly.
"I know you weren't drunk," Xia Qingyue finally spoke. "But I find men who relieve themselves wherever they please repulsive."
Relieve themselves… wherever?
Could she… have mistaken the sound of him pouring out the wine from the Heavenly Poison Pearl?
Xiao Che's eyes widened, and he leapt to his feet. "You thought I relieved myself on the floor? Which eye saw that? What you heard was the sound of me pouring wine! I, Xiao Che, a dignified seven-foot man of the Xiao Clan, would never do something so crude and uncultured! Mock my profound strength if you must, but do not insult my dignity and character!"
His voice echoed into silence, and after a moment, Xia Qingyue's serene voice replied, "I was joking."
"@#￥%…" Xiao Che nearly spat blood.
He slumped back to his corner in dismay, falling silent… this woman could actually make a joke!
Usually, he could sleep comfortably in his bed, yet on his wedding night, he was relegated to a corner. Sleep would be impossible like this! After holding back for a while, Xiao Che spoke again, "So, when will you be returning to Frozen Cloud Asgard? Tomorrow, or the day after?"
Xia Qingyue: "!?"
Xiao Che offered a slight smile, his tone calm, "Though I know little about Frozen Cloud Asgard, I am at least aware they admit only women, strictly forbidding emotional entanglements. Despite their countless beauties, I have never heard of any marrying. And yet here you are, married to me. It seems that even in Frozen Cloud Asgard, your talent is truly remarkable, perhaps even unparalleled in a century. Otherwise, the sect would never have broken precedent on your behalf."
Xia Qingyue: "…"
Xiao Che raised his head, staring into the darkness above. "For someone like you, Frozen Cloud Asgard would surely wish to have you return as swiftly as possible. There, among masters beyond the reach of ordinary profound practitioners and boundless treasures, your profound strength and status would soar. You must be leaving soon, I presume?"
Xia Qingyue remained silent, and after a long while, she murmured, "One month."
"One month?" Xiao Che's face registered mild surprise before he gave a faint smile, lowered his head, and whispered, "Thank you."
Xia Qingyue: "?"
"This one month… you must have fought for it, for my sake. Frozen Cloud Asgard would hardly wish for you to waste such time on someone like me. You are heaven's chosen, clearly cherished by Frozen Cloud Asgard. Your future achievements may even reach the heights of the palace master. Though others mock and belittle me, seeing nothing of value in me, you—destined to stand above all in the Blue Wind Empire—not only chose to marry me but even uphold my ridiculous sense of pride. I know you do all this only to honor my late father, but still, thank you."
"No need," Xia Qingyue replied, her voice devoid of emotion. Yet inwardly, her heart stirred, for his intuition was entirely accurate. When her master had found her, she'd said Xia Qingyue's talent was rare even within Frozen Cloud Asgard. She had even promised that upon joining the sect, she would ensure Xia Qingyue reached the Earth Profound Realm before the age of twenty—a level beyond even Xiao Lie, the strongest in Floating Cloud City.
To reach the Earth Profound Realm before twenty… for the people of Floating Cloud City, this was beyond the realm of dreams.
"Before marrying you, I thought you would treat me with the same disdain as others. But in truth, you are far kinder than I expected. Not only are you beautiful and astonishingly gifted, but you also possess a kind heart. As a woman, you are nothing short of perfect…"Xia Qingyue: "…"
"Hm, since you're so kind-hearted, surely you wouldn't leave your husband to spend his wedding night curled up in a corner, right? My bed is quite spacious; it could easily fit two without feeling cramped…"
Before Xiao Che could finish, a frigid wave of killing intent rushed over him, making him shiver. "Keep spouting nonsense, and I'll throw you out!"
Xiao Che closed his mouth instantly, sulkily settling back into his corner.
"Someone's here," Xia Qingyue said suddenly.
After a pause, Xiao Che caught the faintest sound of footsteps. Had he not been intently focused, he would never have noticed. The person lingered by the courtyard gate, approached cautiously, and then halted at the center of the yard, unwilling to move closer... fearing Xia Qingyue within the room. After a moment of sneaky glances, the figure retreated with the same caution.
Deep into the night, Xiao Yulong remained sleepless, his gaze darkened as he stared outside, his expression shifting.
The door opened, and Xiao Yang hurried inside. Xiao Yulong turned, his eyes narrowing. "Well?"
Xiao Yang glanced at Xiao Yulong's face, treading carefully. "I just went to check… Xiao Che doesn't appear to have been locked out."
Xiao Yulong's expression grew darker.
Sensing trouble, Xiao Yang hastily continued, "But don't worry, Brother. Xia Qingyue has never cared for the sons of the City Lord's Mansion or the Yu family. How could she ever fancy a worthless wretch like Xiao Che? If he wasn't thrown out, it's probably out of pity… maybe to spare him ridicule… They may be sharing a room, but they're surely not sharing a bed. He's probably lying on the floor… it must be that."
Xiao Yulong's face remained stormy as he turned his gaze toward Xiao Che's small courtyard, fists clenched. "Xia Qingyue is mine, and no one shall lay a hand on her! Tomorrow, summon Xiao Che—I want to test him myself. I won't let him touch her!"
"Yes!" Xiao Yang answered quickly.
Xiao Che remained huddled in the corner, sleepless well into the night. He opened his eyes, lifted his left hand, and stared at his palm, where a faint green glow from the Heavenly Poison Pearl gleamed brightly in the darkness.
On the Azure Cloud Continent, armed with the powers of the Heavenly Poison Pearl, he had single-handedly stirred up unrest, causing the entire continent to fall into chaos… but he had nearly exhausted its venomous power in doing so.
Now, though the pearl had fused with his body, he could scarcely feel its poison. During his last desperate battle, he had depleted its power, pushing the Heavenly Poison Pearl to its limits, draining it until it was a mere shell… depletion and exhaustion were two different things. While exhaustion could recover slowly, overuse had nearly consumed the very source of the poison's power, perhaps irreversibly.
Now, all that remained of the Heavenly Poison Pearl were its abilities to detoxify, refine, and fuse… and, of course, store.
Crippled profound veins, a poisoned pearl drained of power, and a small, overlooked town as his world. After a long, quiet reflection, Xiao Che felt lost… Such as I am, I have no right even to defend myself from ridicule…
The most unbearable truth… was not even having the strength to lay claim to the very bride he had married!
To gain true power, the first step must be to repair these destroyed profound veins.
Repairing the profound veins…
Xia Qingyue was adamant that his veins could never be restored to normal. But to him, this was not impossible, for he was the heir of the Sacred Healer! His master had often told him that medicine follows the path of causation—where there is a wound, there is a cure. In this world, no affliction is truly incurable; only the healer's skill may fall short.
He had spent all day contemplating the restoration of his profound veins. His veins had not been damaged later in life, but crippled from birth, wholly beyond conventional means of repair. To restore them, he would need to first cleanse the crippled veins, allowing them to regenerate—a process akin to abolishing the current damaged veins and creating new ones. The challenge was immense, the risks equally so; the profound veins connect with life itself, and the slightest mistake could prove fatal.
And to accomplish this, he would need three specific items...
"Wife, are you asleep?" Xiao Che asked.
There was only silence.
"Cough, cough. Wife, you're not really asleep, are you?" he tried again.
"My name is Xia Qingyue!" Her voice was as soft as it was icy.
"I know your name is Xia Qingyue." Xiao Che scratched his brow, a slight smirk on his face. "Wife, there's something I need to ask you."
"Call me Xia Qingyue!" she snapped.
"Oh, right!" Xiao Che nodded solemnly, then continued, "Wife, if you return to Frozen Cloud Asgard, would you be able to obtain these three items: Seven Profound Linglong Grass, Violet Vein Heavenly Crystal, and an Earth Profound Realm beast's profound core?"