Reassurance in the Morning Mist

Three hundred li outside the Azure Feather Immortal Sect, the morning mist had just begun to dissipate.

Xia Yi soared through the clouds on his sword, holding Bing Yingying close in his arms, continuously coaxing her in a low voice:

“My dear Yingying, please don’t be angry. It’s all my fault.”

Bing Yingying puffed out her cheeks, yet a faint blush subtly crept across them.

Just three days prior, when the two had awakened from their ‘Good Fortune Enlightenment’.

At that time, Xia Yi’s cultivation of the ‘Azure Radiance Dragon Transformation Art’ had progressed too rapidly, leaving him brimming with excess energy that he hadn’t managed to release in time.

Coincidentally, Bing Yingying had also gained a profound new understanding of the art of weaving during this ‘Good Fortune Enlightenment’.

On a whim, she had meticulously sewn a training garment as light as mist using spirit threads, intending it as a surprise for Xia Yi.

As fate would have it, Xia Yi, whose ‘Azure Radiance Dragon Transformation Art’ had advanced too swiftly, was experiencing a turbulent surge of vital energy and was deep in meditation to regulate his breathing.

Her playful words, “My dearest husband, try on your new clothes!” had inadvertently disturbed his focus, causing his vital energy to stray, directly leading him to ‘suffer a qi deviation’.

As was previously established, Bing Yingying, being a ‘novice’, was no match for Xia Yi. It was only when Fei Miaoyun arrived to intervene that the ‘demonic deviation’ of Xia Yi could finally be suppressed.

Due to this ‘joyful’ incident, Bing Yingying, burdened with guilt, had required a full two days of rest to recover her spirits.

She had initially believed that having formed her Golden Core would make her ‘combat prowess’ more enduring, yet to her dismay, she found herself even more ‘vulnerable‘.

Bing Yingying’s frustration stemmed from her own perceived ‘lack of prowess’, and she held no resentment towards Xia Yi.

Unfortunately, due to the ‘Good Fortune Enlightenment’, neither of them had completed a single mission in half a year.

According to the regulations of the Azure Feather Immortal Sect, inner disciples were required to complete one mission every two months; those who failed to complete a mission for over half a year would be demoted to ordinary disciples.

Furthermore, they would be ineligible for promotion for ten years, much like a performance review system.

Although the Saintess had personally vouched for him, it just so happened that their private arrangement to make Xia Yi a Saint Son had angered the Azure Feather Immortal Sect Master, who was also the Saintess’s father.

Consequently, all ‘preferential treatments’ for Xia Yi were revoked by the Sect Master, and his aspiration to directly become a personal disciple was also dashed.

The Azure Feather Immortal Sect Master’s exact words had been: ‘Since you think so highly of him, let him start from scratch. It will be a good opportunity for me to see what kind of man could make you secretly appoint him as Saint Son behind my back.’

Thus, no sooner had Xia Yi released his accumulated vital energy than Li Junying, in a frantic rush, sought him out and practically slapped three mission scrolls onto Xia Yi’s face.

Li Junying then informed him that these missions had to be completed within two months, or he would be demoted to an ordinary disciple.

This concession was only granted because of his recent enlightenment, an extra leniency allowed by the Sect Master.

With no other recourse, and to better safeguard the Demonic Sword from falling into Zhen Aoyu’s hands, Xia Yi could not afford to lose his status as an inner disciple.

Otherwise, by the time he could regain inner disciple status, it would be far too late.

Fortunately, Li Junying, aware of Xia Yi’s predicament, had specifically brought him a joint mission for two.

In his urgency, Xia Yi could not delay any longer and hastily set off with Bing Yingying.

After flying for some time, Xia Yi noticed that Bing Yingying’s mood seemed off.

Seeing her quietly unhappy, he assumed she was upset about his abruptness the previous night and offered a soft apology.

This led to the scene at the beginning of the chapter.

Hearing Xia Yi’s apology, Bing Yingying was instead left bewildered.

However, understanding that Xia Yi was simply worried about her, she didn’t hesitate to convey her true feelings to him.

The guilt-ridden Bing Yingying embraced Xia Yi from behind, burying her pretty face against his back.

She whispered, “Husband, I am useless…”

Although Pei Yunxiang and Fei Miaoyun had both assured her that Xia Yi would not mind such matters.

As Xia Yi’s formally betrothed fiancée, she felt she had failed in her wifely duties, unable to fully satisfy her husband.

This caused her considerable unease, and she yearned to hear Xia Yi’s true thoughts.

If all else failed, she would have no choice but to seek the help of her resourceful Sister Yunxiang.

When Bing Yingying suddenly embraced him, Xia Yi nearly suffered a relapse of his ‘Big Boss PTSD’.

Recalling the cautionary tale of the fallen sword in Hanhai City, Xia Yi decided it was best to proceed with caution.

Only after Xia Yi and Bing Yingying had safely landed in an unknown clearing.

Did he take Bing Yingying’s delicate hand, turning to meet the gaze of the lovely immortal maiden.

Xia Yi discerned her unease in Bing Yingying’s beautiful eyes. While his actions had been to release the turbulent vital energy from his ‘Azure Radiance Dragon Transformation Art’.

He acknowledged that he had, in the end, been somewhat excessive.

Previously, with Fei Miaoyun and Pei Yunxiang accompanying Bing Yingying, and his own attentive care, she hadn’t truly felt the reality of her own ‘inexperience’.

This time, however, his ‘demonic deviation’ had forced her to ‘single-handedly endure a night of experience’, exposing the truth that Bing Yingying was, in fact, a ‘novice’.

Yet, Xia Yi genuinely did not mind this aspect; in fact, he rather cherished Bing Yingying as a ‘Water Spirit Root cultivator’.

Turning back, Xia Yi clasped her hand and spoke earnestly, “Yingying, you are my wife, a fated good fortune…”

Xia Yi’s thumb gently stroked her cool knuckles, his voice low and steady:

“You have always been exactly as I love you. No matter what form my wife takes, I would never disdain it. You simply need to be yourself.”

Bing Yingying’s eyelashes trembled slightly, her eyes misting over, yet she stubbornly refused to let the tears fall.

Rising onto her tiptoes, she pressed her forehead against Xia Yi’s, her voice a mere whisper, “But I wish to stay with you longer as your wife… even if it’s just for a little while more.”

Xia Yi chuckled softly, his fingertip gently touching her chest.

“My wife, within you lies the sincerity of sewing clothes for me, the worry of keeping vigil for me, for me the blush of shyness—this is already the best companionship I could ever ask for.”

Bing Yingying froze, the mist in her eyes finally coalescing into a single clear tear that traced a path down her fair cheek.

Xia Yi leaned down to kiss away that tear, finding a surprising hint of sweetness amidst its saltiness.

“Moreover, my dear wife, the garment you sewed, as thin as mist, was truly beautiful. I actually preferred it.”

“…Pervert,” Bing Yingying burst into laughter through her tears, playfully tapping his chest with her small fist.

Xia Yi, seizing the opportunity, caught her hand and pressed it against his own heart.

Beneath her palm, his heartbeat was steady and fervent, like a drum beating solely for her.

A sudden morning breeze arose, scattering the strands of hair by her temples.

Xia Yi raised his hand, using his fingers as a comb, meticulously tidying her hair, his movements as gentle as if tending to fragile snow.

Bing Yingying gazed at his focused profile, then suddenly reached out to embrace his waist, burying her face in his chest.

Her muffled voice emerged, “Then… after we return, I’ll sew my husband an even prettier one. This time, it’ll be your favorite external attachment type.”

Xia Yi raised an eyebrow.

“With a tail?”

Bing Yingying looked up, her eyes still red at the corners, yet shining with astonishing brightness.

“Yes, and it’ll have ears too~”

Xia Yi’s heart felt a sudden warmth, as if dragon flames surged through his blood vessels, burning into every limb and bone.

He tightened his embrace, pulling her fully into his arms, resting his chin on the crown of her head as he murmured like a sigh, “My silly girl, even without those, you are still my most beloved wife.”

In the distance, the morning sun finally broke through the clouds, casting golden rays that bathed the embracing pair in a warm glow.

Bing Yingying quietly rubbed her face against his lapel, inhaling the familiar scent of ambergris mingled with morning dew.

This, she knew, was enough.