Jingxi stood at the door and knocked lightly. “Young lady, it’s time for meals. You didn’t eat lunch, and if you don’t eat dinner, how can your body hold up?”
It was quiet behind the door for a long time before a slow sound came.
“Come in.”
Jingxi pushed the door open and laid out the prepared soup and food on the table. Seeing the young girl burying her head on the table edge, she couldn’t help but smile gently. “I thought the young lady would shut herself in all day.”
“Wasn’t the young lady in the demon realm with the Sword Sovereign? Why are you back alone today? Did you have a quarrel with him?”
Sang Ying was drinking her soup when she heard this. Her ears, which had finally cooled down, heated up again. Embarrassed and annoyed, she said, “Don’t mention him!”
She clearly had good intentions helping him avoid qi deviation, yet he bit her, and moreover bit her there. When she came back this morning, she could still see a bite mark.
And that was not the only place he bit…
Sang Ying buried her head back into the table, her burning small face hidden in her arms, only her wet, glistening eyes exposed.
She slowly raised her hand and covered her neckline. Where the collar covered, there was a deep-colored kiss mark.
When he kissed her, he was fierce and painful, like he was very dissatisfied while biting her. Now there was no real feeling, but just thinking of last night, the sensation seemed to reappear, making her ears burn involuntarily.
She now also understood where those marks on her back and legs came from. Last night he was clearly asleep, yet he held her so tightly. That dragon tail also wrapped around her, and she couldn’t move at all.
At first she wanted to struggle, but when she realized she couldn’t get free, she let him be. When she woke the next day, she was still being held, like she had become the young man’s body pillow, completely held in his arms.
Afraid of struggling too hard and waking him, she ultimately used a phantom-change talisman to transform into a small fox and squeezed out.
After getting up, looking at the marks on her body, she didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know how to face him, so in a panic she put on clothes and left the demon realm and ran back home.
Although it was said to be eating, Sang Ying had no appetite at all. Her head was a mess.
Yesterday’s events could be understood as not intentional on his part, passed out and only the dragon race’s rut period instincts. But the past few days he should have been conscious. Otherwise, how would he have left in the morning?
Or was he also unconscious those past few days? Did he hold her while unconscious, then leave after regaining rationality?
…How annoying.
His white moonlight, her senior brother and sister relationship with him, these three years after marriage… and what happened these past few days.
Sang Ying’s brain, which only knew how to sleep late every day, really couldn’t hold all this. And she was at a loss about matters of emotion.
She only knew that Xie Lingyu didn’t love her.
Sang Ying quickly finished eating, put down her chopsticks. “Jingxi, go get the household ledger.”
Jingxi didn’t understand but complied, quickly bringing all the ledgers.
Sang Ying felt that this hesitant way was not her style anyway. Since she had already decided to divorce, she would cut through the tangle with one swift stroke [1]a fast blade cuts through tangled hemp (kuai dao zhan luan ma, 快刀斬亂麻) (Idiom), to resolve a messy, complicated situation decisively and without hesitation jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3389891_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3389891_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });.
She calculated what he had turned over in salary over these three years, clearly divided the family property and houses, one half each.
The house they now lived in originally belonged to Xie Lingyu. After sorting things out, Sang Ying handed the ledger to Jingxi and called Lengmian to hire people to move.
Both of them were stunned.
Jingxi: “Young lady, why suddenly divide the family?”
Lengmian: “Miss, why are you suddenly moving?”
As soon as both spoke, they looked at each other and instantly understood the reason, it was Xie Lingyu.
Sang Ying’s expression was calm and indifferent. “Just do as I say.”
Lengmian was someone Sang Ying had picked up, and naturally obeyed only Sang Ying’s orders. Although full of doubt, she complied and called a team to pack and move the house.
Jingxi was different. She was brought by Xie Lingyu after marriage to care for Sang Ying. Her brows slightly furrowed. “Young lady…”
Sang Ying waved her hand. “From now on there’s no need to call me that. Jingxi, thank you for taking care of me these years. These properties I’m leaving to you. If you have any difficulties in the future, you can always come find me at Yunshui.”
The sky grew darker.
A terrible headache.
Xie Lingyu supported his head as he got up, brows furrowed. Seeing a small fox doll being held in his arms, he looked around to find this was Sang Ying’s room, but she was nowhere to be found.
…He had slept in her room last night?
But she wasn’t here. Where had she gone?
The glass mirror suddenly rang.
【Sword Sovereign, I’m not sure what happened between you and the young lady, but after she came back, she divided the family property and plans to move today.】
【The young lady has treated me well. After careful consideration, I’ve decided to go with the young lady.】
【Sword Sovereign, take care.】
Sang Ying hadn’t been to Cloud Embrace Mountain for a long time.
The core-formation ceremony for cultivators should more accurately be called a graduation ceremony. A cultivator who has formed their core has the ability to stand alone and will no longer stay in their sect, but will venture into the cultivation world.
Her senior brother had left Minghua Mountain after forming his core. Sang Ying rarely went out, having only been to Cloud Embrace Mountain once.
There were restriction formations at the base of the mountain. Sang Ying contacted her senior brother with a spirit butterfly. Her senior brother said to have Xiaomi come down to pick her up.
In her memory, Xiaomi (“Little Meow”) was a beautiful and petite cat. She often took Xiaomi out to play, pulling Xie Lingyu to fish from the back mountain and roasting fish for Xiaomi.
A white figure flashed before her eyes. Sang Ying opened her mouth. “Xiao…”
A cat as tall as a person jumped over, sitting elegantly before her, licking its paw and swishing its tail, pressing affectionately with a meow.
Sang Ying: “…”
Sang Ying sat on Xiaomi’s back, patting its solid body. “Xiaomi… you’ve eaten well these past few years.”
She pulled out an oil-paper package from her pocket, looking at the small dried fish that could barely fill the cat’s teeth, and fell silent for a moment. “Xiaomi, how about I help you pick them?”
Xiaomi’s tail brushed against her, opening its mouth wide. It took one big bite and swallowed the whole small dried fish package.
Xiaomi chewed the small dried fish, carrying Sang Ying to her senior brother’s residence at the top of the mountain, a clean and elegant courtyard. From far away, the aroma of food wafted out, the smell of home cooking thick.
A young man carrying a plate came out from the kitchen. Seeing her, his gentle eyes curved with a smile as he called to her. “Xiaoxiao.”
Sang Ying looked at him and for a moment her nose felt sore.
Mother had passed away early, and Sang Ying never got to see her. Senior brother was like her mother, always gentle and soft, making her delicious food, braiding her hair, telling her stories to lull her to sleep.
When she was little, senior brother was always like this, coming to call her after preparing something delicious.
She jumped down from Xiaomi and trotted over, throwing herself into his arms. She hugged him, burying her head in his chest, her voice muffled.
“…Senior brother.”
The young man froze, then his brows and eyes softened. One hand held a plate while he held it up, the other gently patting her back.
Hearing her choked sobs, his voice also softened. “Our little Ying has been wronged.”
Xiaomi crouched to the side, its tail also brushing against her back.
“You must be hungry from the journey. Come, sit and eat something. Senior brother still has two more dishes to bring out.”
Sang Ying sniffled and released him. “Senior brother, do you have oil-sugar cakes? I want to eat some.”
“We have them. What else would you like?”
“I want to drink alcohol.”
Senior brother’s brows slightly furrowed. Considering her weak body, he was about to say they didn’t have any alcohol when Xiaomi had already run to the peach blossom tree and scraped at the ground with its paw.
Sang Ying understood immediately. She rolled up her sleeves and took a small spade and started digging. Soon she pulled out a sealed jar of peach blossom wine.
She cradled the jar with starry eyes looking at senior brother.
The young man sighed gently, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe her dirty little face. “Only a little bit allowed.”
Sang Ying stretched out her small face and promised eagerly.
Then… as expected, she got drunk.
Sang Ying had been in poor health since childhood and had never drunk before. She had only heard from Xiao Lingzhou that alcohol was a wonderful thing, that one cup could drown a thousand sorrows [2]one drunk dissolves a thousand worries (yi zui jie qian chou, 一醉解千愁) (Idiom), the idea that getting drunk can wash away all of one’s troubles jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3389891_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3389891_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });.
But Xiao Lingzhou was an unreliable liar who always liked to trick her.
She first took a small, experimental sip and was pleasantly surprised to find it was sweet, with rich peach aroma. Xiao Lingzhou hadn’t lied to her after all.
Then she took a big gulp, a cup… then her eyes lit up as she clamored for Xiaomi to pour her another cup.
Xiaomi pondered for a long time, took the jar in its mouth, and with difficulty managed to pour into the small cup.
Senior brother: “…”
Unable to help himself, senior brother took the jar from the cat’s mouth and waved his hand before the girl’s eyes who was sitting obediently waiting for the cat to pour. “Little Ying?”
The girl’s dispersed gaze fell on his face, slowly focusing. After seeing who it was, her mouth went flat and tears filled her eyes as she complained grievously.
“Senior brother… sob… someone is bullying me.”
Senior brother spoke gently. “Who’s bullying little Ying?”
The girl started sobbing, tears streaming down her face. “Xie Lingyu… bastard, kissed me and still likes someone else… I hate him. I hate him the most.”
She was truly drunk.
Unable to distinguish between what happened in the illusion and reality, she mixed them all together.
When senior brother heard her mention Xie Lingyu, he sighed softly.
Sang Ying was someone he had watched grow up. From childhood, she had an untruthful nature. The more she liked something, the more she wouldn’t admit it. Xie Lingyu was his junior brother, also a dull character who wouldn’t reveal his true emotions.
With two people like this together, there was hardly a good outcome. Or rather, if not for the circumstances forced upon them three years ago, these two would have had no opportunity to be together at all.
He had long seen that these two people liked each other. He thought after marriage they would be more honest, but from what he just heard, apparently not.
The girl’s tears dripped and dripped. Senior brother pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her.
Sang Ying took the handkerchief, clenched it in her hand, pulled Xiaomi’s tail, and wiped all her tears on the tail.
Xiaomi looked at her, then at its own tail, aggrieved but silent.
“…”
Sang Ying sobbed and cursed Xie Lingyu while at it.
“Bastard Xie Lingyu!”
“Didn’t they say dragons love that, we’ve been married for three years and he’s only slept with me a handful of times, one, two, counting yesterday makes just three times!”
“I thought he was incompetent, but turns out he has another girl he likes and dislikes being intimate with me!”
Senior brother pulled out a handkerchief, calmly wiping the cat, and spoke concisely. “Divorce.”
The girl froze, her momentum weakening slightly. “Just… just like that?”
“What else?”
Senior brother raised his eyes. “He already has a girl he likes. If you don’t divorce, are you planning to watch them be affectionate?”
The girl slammed the table and stood up. “Divorce! Write the divorce agreement right now!”
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