A flicker of bewilderment passed through Shi Yeshan's eyes.
Su Zhai suddenly burst out laughing, quickly pulling her hand away, then swatting the back of his hand with mild irritation. "Legs. Let go."
Instead, he grabbed her and pulled her down, this time landing her squarely on top of him. The two of them squeezed into the rocking chair together, and because of Su Zhai's instinctive struggling, the wooden chair let out a series of creaking groans as if bearing more than it could handle.
Su Zhai stopped squirming after just a couple of flails—the sound was a little embarrassing to hear. She stayed curled up against Shi Yeshan, both hands braced against his shoulders as she glared at him.
She remained perfectly serious. "Huzi, I'm telling you the truth. I think Fang Da… is off. He was recommended by you—if something goes wrong later, you'll be dragged into it too."
Shi Yeshan didn't respond, just pressed his lips together and looked at her.
He wasn't moved by her warning—he didn't even blink.
He probably already had his own thoughts on the matter, but didn't want to tell her.
Su Zhai used some force to try and stand up, but unexpectedly her hand slipped, and she fell straight down, her lips brushing past his chin. Her face flushed hot, and he was already pressing close.
The kiss that landed was like wind with a shape.
His body temperature was high—so hot it felt like it could burn her.
Gathering his arms around her, Shi Yeshan held Su Zhai in his embrace, casually adjusting her position as he kissed her for a while. Sensing her stiffness, he reached up and stroked the back of her head.
In the brief space between kisses, Shi Yeshan nuzzled her cheek, still dissatisfied. "He gets 'Big Brother,' and I get 'Huzi'?"
Su Zhai didn't answer.
Her face was very red. She wouldn't meet Shi Yeshan's eyes, and with nowhere to put her hands, she just grabbed at the clothes at his sides.
When they'd gotten married, Shi Yeshan had been upfront that he couldn't perform in bed.
Even though he was… quite handsome and charming, like a 3D-modeled character come to life, exactly Su Zhai's type, they'd never been this intimate on their own initiative.
At most, they'd hold hands, and when feelings ran naturally high, they'd press close—more like two kittens showing affection through small gestures.
And conveniently, he was "Huzi" (Tiger).
Su Zhai hummed twice, her lips still wet, and teased him again. "Huzi."
Huzi was a bit petty. Last time he'd competed with a red panda for treatment, and now he was getting competitive over a villager she barely had any contact with.
Shi Yeshan sighed, his thumb and forefinger gripping the back of her neck as he pressed her against him, kissing her again. This time it was heavier—his tongue quickly pried open her teeth, his whole body pressed tightly against hers.
Su Zhai unconsciously wrapped her arms around his neck, melting bonelessly against him. The rocking chair creaked again from their movements, but neither of them paid it any mind.
In the haze of the kiss, Su Zhai's fingernail scraped across Shi Yeshan's palm, and he wrapped his whole hand around hers. She wanted to say, "Let's take a break," but he still wouldn't let go—until heavy footsteps sounded from outside the door.
"Whoa!" Chu Yi startled herself, stumbling back two or three steps and muttering under her breath, "In broad daylight…"
And she hadn't even closed the door.
Su Zhai awkwardly jumped off immediately. Glancing at Shi Yeshan—whose clothes were slightly disheveled, lips and chin glistening with ambiguous dampness—she figured she probably looked the same. So she just called out from behind the courtyard wall to the person who'd already retreated down the steps. "Can I help you?"
"I'm from out of town, planning to stay here for a while." Chu Yi answered loudly. "Asking if you, missus, know of any empty houses nearby?"
Su Zhai was curious. "So you're all alone?"
"Yep."
Speaking of empty houses—there were two thatched cottages behind their place, run-down and never torn down, but still livable.
If they could rent them out, the extra income wouldn't be bad.
"No." Shi Yeshan straightened his clothes and put an arm around Su Zhai's shoulders to lead her back inside, tossing out one line. "Go look somewhere else."
His tone was less than friendly.
Chu Yi grew anxious and darted back into the courtyard in a few quick steps. "I already asked around—you've got two empty rooms in the back. I've got money, and spirit stones too. Why won't you rent to me!"
"Afraid I'll interrupt your kissing?" She studied Shi Yeshan's displeased expression and frowned in return. "Then just keep your courtyard gate closed from now on. I'll knock before I come over."
Su Zhai: …
"Are you a cultivator?" she asked curiously. "I see you're carrying a sword."
"That's right. I'm a rogue cultivator." Chu Yi glossed over it, chin lifted, but at least had the courtesy to ask Shi Yeshan, "I heard you're also a cultivator? Though the spiritual power on you is thin—not a shred of talent. Even if you cultivated until you died, you probably couldn't cast the most basic spell. At best you'd extend your lifespan a bit, scraping by a few extra years in this world."
Su Zhai was dumbfounded, then said slowly, "…Well, I suppose your cultivation base must be, um, quite profound."
Otherwise someone would've cut you down long ago.
Chu Yi was quite pleased to hear that, and gave Su Zhai a once-over. "Your aptitude is even worse than his, but at least your eyes aren't blind."
Then her tone shifted, and she began to humble herself: "My cultivation base isn't that profound, certainly not comparable to my grandmaster's, but it's still passable. If you have me as a neighbor, I can occasionally give your man some pointers—better than him burying himself in solitary training. So, what do you say? Still going to refuse me?"
Words alone were unconvincing. Chu Yi suddenly let out a shout and made a move as if to draw the sword from behind her shoulder to demonstrate, but Shi Yeshan casually pushed the sword back with a single palm strike.
Her movements were flashy and elaborate, while Shi Yeshan only moved once—it was a bit like watching a monkey show.
Su Zhai didn't dare laugh, afraid that this scatterbrained female cultivator might get angry and start a fight.
"You may stay, and I won't charge you rent." Shi Yeshan said flatly, pushing her a bit farther away from Su Zhai. "But sometimes I'm not home, so I'll ask you to help look after my wife. I'll let you know in advance when that happens."
Su Zhai looked at Shi Yeshan in surprise, listening as he continued with an expressionless face, "She has a soft temperament and is easily bullied. Understood?"
It wasn't a negotiation but a command, yet it wasn't overbearing either.
Every time Immortal Lord Ziying had a task for her, he would always ask if she understood. Chu Yi felt it was unfair, knowing it was because her grandmaster thought she was stupid.
She instinctively answered, "Understood!"
Only after saying it did she realize something was off, but Shi Yeshan had already pushed her out the door with a blank face, slammed it shut, and turned back with an impatient tsk.
A fierce dog had been taken in.
But now he felt annoyed, knowing this dog was very rowdy. A little noise now and then was tolerable, but now that she was near Su Zhai, she would surely cling to her in the future.
With that thought, Shi Yeshan had the urge to kick Chu Yi back out.
"Is something about to happen recently?" Su Zhai looked at him worriedly. "Why do you need someone to protect me?"
It was rare to see Shi Yeshan wearing such a contemplative expression tinged with worry, and Su Zhai couldn't help but feel a sense of impending storm.
Shi Yeshan thought briefly. "Something's coming."
A hint of worry crept into Su Zhai's brows and eyes. The man took her hand and led her over, and as she watched him lean down to kiss her, her eyes were still wide open.
Then he gently brushed them shut.
There would be a thunderstorm tonight.
Summer clothes were thin, and Su Zhai's sleepwear was a short-sleeved top she had altered herself. Before going to sleep, she still went to Shi Yeshan's bedroom across the way.
The two of them slept separately—Shi Yeshan usually slept in the study, and they never shared a bed.
The lamp in Shi Yeshan's room was still lit, and the room was filled with the earthy smell of an approaching storm.
He looked up as Su Zhai walked over casually. There was no particular emotion in his eyes; he simply shifted aside naturally to make room for her.
But Su Zhai wasn't there to sleep in his bed. She said, somewhat hesitantly, "With rain this heavy, those two thatched huts in the back are definitely going to leak. I'm also a bit worried they might collapse."
The two thatched huts contained only the most basic furniture, as if they didn't even have a candle.
Even though the other party was a cultivator, she was still a girl after all.
Su Zhai stood by the bed, placing a hand on Shi Yeshan's shoulder and giving it a gentle shake—a gesture of goodwill—her tone soft as well. "How about letting her come sleep with me for the night? You already agreed to let her live nearby, so she probably isn't a bad person."
Just a bit scatterbrained and tactless in speech, that's all.
But Su Zhai was easygoing and didn't mind either way.
Shi Yeshan, however, countered, "You've only met her once, and you already want to sleep with her?"
His tone was strange, and he was about to ask more when Su Zhai gave his shoulder an exasperated punch.
Jealousy should have its limits.
Shi Yeshan wasn't being jealous without reason, but given Su Zhai's succubus constitution, he couldn't quite gauge her thoughts.
From what he'd seen so far, Su Zhai was no different from ordinary people—she didn't think of everything in lewd terms or constantly seek to take people's yang essence and yin fluids.
But right now, Shi Yeshan felt displeased.
He frowned and added, "And you're hitting me for her?"
Just then, an impatient voice came from outside the window. "You two, stop flirting already."
With that, Chu Yi called out, "I'm coming in then, hehe."
Su Zhai was startled, and Shi Yeshan stood up as well, draping a blanket over her as the two of them went to the main room.
Chu Yi had already come in. She was covered in mud and water, with messy straw in her hair, speaking in a very matter-of-fact tone, "Your hut collapsed. I knocked on the courtyard gate but no one answered, so I climbed over the wall. I happened to hear you say you wanted to sleep with me—that's great."
A hint of ferocity crept into Shi Yeshan's voice. "Get out."
This startled Su Zhai, who quickly grabbed Shi Yeshan's hand and patted it soothingly. Afraid the female cultivator might get angry, she said in a very kind tone, "Let me take you to wash up first."
Only then did Chu Yi notice that her muddy footprints had dirtied the house. She said "alright," then retreated back outside, not minding the heavy rain soaking her.
"Why are you bothering with her?" Shi Yeshan's hand was still tightly held by Su Zhai, and he sounded impatient. "Can't she find her own place to shelter from the rain?"
"Keep your voice down," Su Zhai said in a low tone. "She rented our house, and it collapsed. She has nowhere else to go, so of course we have to take care of her."
At least she wasn't hurt.
Shi Yeshan scoffed. "Let her sleep on the pile of firewood in the kitchen for the night. She's not allowed inside."
Chu Yi had originally planned to find any place that could shelter her from the rain and make do for one night. The kitchen wasn't a bad option, but when there was a soft, fragrant bed to sleep in, who would want to roll around in dry straw?
She immediately shouted over the rain, "You're such a petty man! All that nagging—watch out, your future wife might run off on you."
Shi Yeshan, surprisingly, cracked a faint smile at her words, though his expression remained darker than the storm outside. Su Zhai quickly shoved him back into the study. "Go to sleep now. You have things to do tomorrow. Don't come out tonight—I'm taking her to get cleaned up."