Chapter 22

Habit is a terrifying thing; it can quietly alter a person's heart without them even noticing.

When Xiao Che tried to support Xia Qingyue during the wedding, she mercilessly froze his arm. The first time he called her "wife," she almost flew into a rage. The first time he held her hand, Xiao Che could feel the icy killing intent emanating from her...

But in just a few days, the phrase "Qingyue wife" rolled off Xiao Che's tongue more and more smoothly. She had become accustomed to it, accepting the title on the surface, regardless of what she felt inside. Not only did she no longer mind being held by him, but even undressing in front of him was no longer as awkward.

During these few days, Xiao Che undoubtedly slept in the corner of the room, but with thick blankets on the ground, it wasn't too uncomfortable. Every day at three in the morning, he would wake up on his own and use silver needles to "adjust" her. Over these few days, she had increasingly felt the astonishing changes in her body.

The light was dim, but Xia Qingyue's bare back still shone like jade, her skin whiter than snow. Xiao Che held the silver needles, his fingers dancing, and soon he was drenched in sweat. After half an hour, another "Tongxuan" session was complete. Xiao Che put away the silver needles, took a deep breath, and felt a sudden dizziness. His body swayed, and he fell directly onto Xia Qingyue's bare back, feeling an indescribable warmth and smoothness against his chest.

Xia Qingyue's eyes snapped open, a flash of anger in them. She was about to push Xiao Che away with force when she suddenly noticed his incredibly weak aura, weaker than any time before, several times over.

Xia Qingyue retracted her玄力 (mystical power) and gently pushed Xiao Che away. She quickly pulled on her clothes, turned around, and supported his body, asking, "What's wrong with you?"

Xiao Che's face was pale, devoid of any color. His eyes were half-open, seemingly unable to fully open. He shook his head weakly and said, "Nothing... just a bit... overexerted... I'll be fine after a rest."

Xia Qingyue's eyes flickered, a pain she shouldn't feel stirring in her heart. After the first time he used the needles on her, he had been completely drained. One time might be easy to recover from, but over these few days, he had to use his most extreme mystical power for each needle. His body was already weak, and such continuous weakness... how could it possibly hold up? This could very well cause permanent damage.

"…You don't need to push yourself so hard for me," Xia Qingyue said with a complex look in her eyes.

Xiao Che smiled, "No, you deserve it… because you are my… officially married wife!"

Xia Qingyue: "…"

Xiao Che closed his eyes, slowly regaining his strength, and said in a soft voice, "Even though you married me just to repay a debt and never see me as your husband, I can't help but see you as my wife. Unless I divorce you, being good to my wife is one of a man's basic responsibilities and dignity…"

After saying this, a warm feeling rose in Xiao Che's chest… Damn! Even I'm moved by myself. I don't believe you, this woman, don't feel anything at all!

After a while, he didn't hear Xia Qingyue speak. He opened his eyes, took a few deep breaths, and with a pitiful look, said, "Qingyue wife, I might not be able to walk now. Can you… help me to that corner?"

His eyes indicated the corner where he usually slept.

Xia Qingyue glanced at the blanket on the ground, and the pain in her heart deepened. She shook her head and turned to the bed, "You sleep on the bed, I'll sleep there."

Hearing this, Xiao Che immediately panicked. He somehow found the strength to quickly grab Xia Qingyue's arm, "No! Absolutely not! Even though you're stronger in every way… I'm a man, and you're a woman! How can I, as a man, sleep on the bed and let a woman sleep on the ground! If you sleep there, I'd rather sleep in the courtyard!"

His voice was urgent, and his determination was unshakable. He struggled to get up, as if to get out of bed.

Xia Qingyue's face showed a complex expression. She bit her lip and, after a brief struggle, finally made a decision. She gently pushed Xiao Che's weak body inward, pulled the red blanket over both of them, and said, "Don't touch me."

Xia Qingyue lay down on the outer side of the bed, her back to Xiao Che, not letting him see her expression.

Xiao Che smiled silently, quickly found the most comfortable position, and closed his eyes contentedly, "Don't worry. With your mystical power, even if I wanted to, I couldn't do anything to you… sigh, sharing a bed… this is what being a couple means…"

Xia Qingyue: "…"

"So tired… Qingyue wife, I'm going to sleep… um, ask Auntie to make me a snow ginseng chicken soup tomorrow… um…"

Xiao Che's voice grew softer, and his breathing became steady as he fell into a deep sleep from exhaustion.

Xia Qingyue quietly turned over, looking at Xiao Che's face, her eyes filled with complex emotions…

Since joining the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, she had decided to live a life of abstinence, never imagining she would share a bed with a man. She had always believed she would never allow such a thing to happen. Before marrying Xiao Che, she wouldn't even let him touch her…

But now, she was sharing a bed with him, and surprisingly, she didn't feel too much resistance…

What's happening to me? Is it because of the guilt I feel towards him?

Maybe…

Lost in thought, she gradually fell asleep. She didn't realize that being able to fall asleep so quickly with a man beside her meant that her subconscious had almost no guard or rejection towards Xiao Che.

Xiao Che slept until the sun was high in the sky. When he opened his eyes, Xia Qingyue was gone, and there was no sign of her in the room.

Although he had rested all night, his body still felt severely sore and weak. He sat up, took a deep breath, and muttered to himself, "If this continues, my body might really collapse. I might have been a bit too overambitious."

"But only by doing this can I make her actively seek out those three things."

Xiao Che got out of bed, changed into a new set of clothes, and as he took off his outer garment, he touched the pendant hanging around his neck, pausing for a moment… On the first day of his rebirth, the overlapping memories had made him question this pendant. In the world of Cangyun Continent, he also had a pendant, and it was identical to the one he now wore! The pendant seemed to be made of silver and could be opened to reveal two smooth, small mirrors, but that was all, nothing particularly special.

In the Cangyun Continent, his master told him that he had found him wearing this pendant. The one he now wore had been on him since he could remember. His grandfather told him that it was a relic from his father, Xiao Ying, who had given it to him at birth.

Two lifetimes… identical pendants… what's going on?

After changing his clothes, Xiao Che's consciousness entered the Heavenly Poison Pearl. In the emerald green world, the red-haired girl still floated there, showing no signs of waking up.

Over the past two days, he had indirectly asked his grandfather and Xia Qingyue if there were any people with red hair, but both had replied, "Never heard of it." This made Xiao Che even more curious and puzzled about the girl's identity. However, he didn't tell anyone about her existence.

After changing into a light, comfortable outfit and stretching, a tempting aroma suddenly filled Xiao Che's nose, making his mouth water. He followed the smell and saw a pot of soup on the table. He rushed over, opened the lid, and a warm, enticing aroma rose.

"Snow ginseng chicken soup… sigh! Auntie is the best!" Xiao Che was immediately hungry and started eating voraciously. When he had eaten about half, the door opened, and Xiao Lengxi, dressed in light yellow, walked in. Seeing Xiao Che's eating, she said, "Eh? Chicken soup? It smells so good! It even has the scent of snow ginseng. Xiao Che, who made the chicken soup for you? Humph, you didn't even tell me, eating it all by yourself!"

Xiao Che was taken aback, "Auntie, didn't you bring this?"

"Of course not!" Xiao Lengxi's eyes became strange, "In the Xiao Clan, who else would make chicken soup for you besides me? Humph… it seems it could only be your Qingyue wife! Looks like your marital relationship is quite good."

Xiao Lengxi's words were clearly tinged with jealousy. Xiao Che put down his chopsticks and said softly, "She… how could she… make chicken soup for me…"

That's not scientific at all!

"Humph! No matter who made it, you like chicken soup, so just drink it all… I came to tell you that the Xiao Clan's people will arrive in the afternoon. The entire Xiao Clan is preparing, and you must be careful not to offend anyone from the Xiao Clan." Xiao Lengxi said seriously.

"Got it, I won't go out. They won't choose me anyway," Xiao Che replied indifferently.

"Not going out is not an option," Xiao Lengxi wagged her white finger at him, "According to the Clan Head, the young master from the Xiao Clan will review everyone in the Xiao Clan… no one can be missing! You must not lose your manners."

"Don't worry about that. Auntie knows I'm always the most polite," Xiao Che smiled and continued eating.

"Alright. I'll go help Dad. If you have nothing to do after finishing the chicken soup, come over too." Xiao Lengxi said and left.

…………………………

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