Chapter 40

Xiao Changyuan held Yun Pianpian in his arms and moved swiftly through the mountain forest using martial arts.
Before long, they returned to the village.
Xiao Changyuan carried Yun Pianpian back into the house and gently set her down.
As soon as her feet touched the ground, Xiao Changyuan grabbed her slender, pale wrist.
She lifted her eyes and stared blankly at him.
“Husband, what's wrong?”
Xiao Changyuan lowered his gaze to look at her. His dark, profound eyes were as deep as a cold pool, yet turbulent undercurrents surged within them.
Like a dangerous and greedy white wolf.
His voice was hoarse as he said, “Wife, I want my reward.”
Yun Pianpian froze for a moment before remembering her promise to give him a reward.
Her delicate face instantly flushed red.
Her breathing quickened.
Xiao Changyuan was tall and towered over Yun Pianpian. Her height only reached his chest, right where his heart was beating, allowing her to hear his increasingly fierce heartbeat. As she listened, her face grew even redder.
Her petite figure was enveloped by the tall man's shadow.
His intense gaze fixed on her rosy lips.
Under his scorching stare, Yun Pianpian felt breathless.
Earlier, she had kissed him confidently to save someone.
But now, she was beginning to feel shy.
Yun Pianpian stood frozen in place for a long time.
Xiao Changyuan frowned slightly, leaned closer, and urged her impatiently.
“Wife, I want my reward.”
Hearing his urging, Yun Pianpian’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, it seemed too late to play the ostrich now.
There was no other way, she had to give him his reward.
With her face flushed, Yun Pianpian grabbed the front of Xiao Changyuan’s robe.
She stood on her tiptoes and quickly planted a kiss on his handsome face.
She was about to run away after the kiss, but suddenly, her waist tightened.
Xiao Changyuan wrapped his arms around her, lowered his head, and pressed a kiss onto her burning, rosy cheek.
Yun Pianpian was stunned by his kiss.
She covered her face with her hands and stared at him in a daze.
“Wh-what are you doing?”
Xiao Changyuan’s dark, intense gaze fell on her glistening almond, shaped eyes.
“Rewarding my wife.”
His words stole her breath away. Her face flushed all the way to the tips of her ears, and her voice grew slightly stammering.
“But I haven’t done anything worthy of a reward.”
“You have.”
Xiao Changyuan lowered his gaze to her, his dark, profound eyes rippling with a hint of almost tender ink, like waves.
“Every day you’ve been my wife is worthy of a reward.”
His voice was deep and husky, his tone cool, yet it carried a trace of tenderness.
Yun Pianpian slightly widened her clear, sparkling eyes.
She lifted her head, staring blankly at the gentle, faced great tyrant.
Yun Pianpian felt as if her heart had suddenly melted because of Xiao Changyuan’s words.
So, every day she was worthy of being rewarded by him?
Did that mean she wasn’t a little liar, but a good child instead?
Yun Pianpian blinked, her nose suddenly tingling with a hint of sourness.
For some inexplicable reason, she felt like crying.
Yun Pianpian had deceived Xiao Changyuan for so long. Initially, her reason for lying to him was to complete her mission and return home. When she told him she was his wife, she hadn’t hesitated in the slightest, because in her heart, Xiao Changyuan was a cruel, ruthless, and cold, blooded villain. Deceiving a villain was like ridding the world of evil, Yun Pianpian believed she had done nothing wrong.
But the more time she spent with Xiao Changyuan, the more she began to feel she might have been mistaken.
Xiao Changyuan had never harmed her from start to finish; instead, he protected her like a valiant knight.
Yet she had constantly deceived him in countless ways, nearly causing him to cut off his hand and almost driving him to take his own life.
Yun Pianpian started to feel as if she were a bad child, bullying the kind and pure, hearted tyrant, Xiao Changyuan.
But now, Xiao Changyuan was saying that every day of hers was worthy of reward.
Did that mean he cherished her lies?
Were cherished lies worthy of forgiveness?
Yun Pianpian didn’t know if she could be forgiven by him, but she knew, she seemed to have developed a bit of a fondness for the great tyrant.
That night, Xiao Changyuan held Yun Pianpian in his arms and kissed her fair, rosy cheek.
Feeling the atmosphere was just right, Yun Pianpian took advantage of his kiss to secretly reach out her small hand and tug at the sash of Xiao Changyuan’s robe.
But then.
Xiao Changyuan abruptly tapped three quick points on Yun Pianpian’s shoulder.
His handsome face slightly flushed, panting, he said in a flustered tone, “Wife, calm down quickly. Do not let yourself fall into demonic possession.”
Yun Pianpian: “...”
You’re the one falling into demonic possession!
All you tyrants are the ones possessed!
Xiao Changyuan spent the entire night reciting the “Scripture of Clarity and Tranquility” to Yun Pianpian.
And so, the little heart that had melted for Xiao Changyuan that morning turned to stone once again, hardened by his actions.
Yun Pianpian resolved coldly and ruthlessly in her heart:
If she ever took the initiative again, she wouldn’t bear the surname Yun!
The next day, Yun Pianpian woke up and cast a dissatisfied, longing look at Xiao Changyuan.
Xiao Changyuan pretended not to see it. Instinctively feeling it was unsafe to linger, he hurried to the kitchen to light the fire and cook for Yun Pianpian. After they finished eating, Xiao Changyuan suddenly said, “Wife, starting tomorrow, you must copy the 'Scripture of Clarity and Tranquility' once every day.”
Yun Pianpian asked, “Why should I copy the 'Scripture of Clarity and Tranquility'?”
Xiao Changyuan looked at her with a complicated expression.
“To purify the demonic nature within you.”
His wife was delicate and frail, certainly unable to withstand the agony of being consumed by flames. He must prevent her from descending into the demonic path.
Yun Pianpian felt as though Xiao Changyuan regarded her as some sort of monster.
She retorted defiantly, “I refuse to write.”
Xiao Changyuan slightly furrowed his brows, pursed his lips, and said, “Then I will recite the ‘Scripture of Clarity and Tranquility’ eighty times for my wife every night before bed.”
The moment Yun Pianpian heard the tyrant mention reciting scriptures, her scalp tingled with dread.
“I'll copy the scriptures, I'll copy them, alright.”
She would rather wear her hand out from writing than endure another session of the tyrant's chanting.
Every time he recited, Yun Pianpian felt like a spider demon in a cave, who had failed to seduce the Tang Monk and was instead subdued by his chanting, forced back into her true form and purified, leaving her feeling wronged, angry, and deeply sorrowful.
Hearing Yun Pianpian agree, Xiao Changyuan finally relaxed slightly.
He gazed at her with a cool expression.
“Go copy the scriptures.”
Reluctantly, Yun Pianpian moved the table and chairs outside where the light was better and wouldn't strain her eyes. She spread the scripture on the table, dipped the brush in water, and began grinding the ink. These four treasures of the study had been bought by Yun Pianpian at the market just for fun, never expecting they would come in handy today.
Xiao Changyuan stood tall and elegant beside her, supervising.
Yun Pianpian lowered her head, copied a couple of characters, then glanced at him.
“Don't disturb me.”
Xiao Changyuan lowered his gaze to look at her, his expression serene.
“I haven't spoken.”
Yun Pianpian argued unreasonably, “You may not be speaking, but you're breathing, and your breathing is bothering me.”
Hearing this, Xiao Changyuan frowned slightly. “Then I'll leave. Wife, continue writing.”
Yun Pianpian felt she might be going mad.
When he stood there, she found him irritating, but the moment he decided to leave, her heart felt even emptier.
She lifted her head and gazed at him with reluctant longing.
“Husband, where are you going?”
Xiao Changyuan replied, “I'm going to practice martial arts with the old man.”
Yun Pianpian blinked, her voice tinged with melancholy. “How long will you be gone?”
Her dewy, pleading almond, shaped eyes were filled with unmistakable attachment to him.
Suddenly, Xiao Changyuan felt an itch in his palm. He extended his pale, slender hand and gently patted Yun Pianpian's fluffy head.
“I'll return once you've finished copying the scripture once.”
Yun Pianpian asked curiously, “How do you know how long it will take me to copy it once?”
Xiao Changyuan pressed his lips together. “Definitely longer than the time I’ve been away from my wife.”
He didn’t want to be apart from his wife for even a moment, he wanted to see her all the time.
But his breathing would disturb her.
He needed to solve this problem.
Yun Pianpian asked, “What if you come back late?”
Xiao Changyuan thought for a moment and said, “Then punish me by not allowing me to receive my wife’s rewards for three days.”
Yun Pianpian thought shyly to herself that she didn’t want to reward him every day anyway…
Xiao Changyuan asked in a low voice, “And if I return on time, how will my wife reward me?”
Yun Pianpian met his dark, profound gaze and suddenly blushed.
Stammering, she said, “Then I’ll reward my husband one extra time.”
Xiao Changyuan insisted firmly, “Make it ten times.”
Yun Pianpian seemed to think of something, and her face grew even redder.
Her eyes darted around nervously, her dark lashes fluttering, and her flushed cheeks burned as if about to steam.
“Th-then ten times it is.”
This terrible conversation was just too embarrassing!
Xiao Changyuan’s voice was hoarse as he replied, “Good.”
Yun Pianpian tried her best to control her wildly beating heart.
After Xiao Changyuan left, Yun Pianpian slumped onto the table like soft spring mud.
She covered her burning cheeks with her hands and rolled them back and forth on the cool surface of the table.
“What on earth did I just say…”
This wicked world was just too wicked.
Xiao Changyuan brought Wan Shanke into the forest.
Wan Shanke eagerly asked, “Are you here to continue our sparring today, young friend?”
Xiao Changyuan lifted his gaze and said expressionlessly, “I want to learn the breath-holding technique you mentioned the other day.”
Wan Shanke was taken aback. A few days ago, he had tried everything to persuade this young man to learn his martial arts, to no avail. He never expected the young man to take the initiative today. “What made you change your mind so suddenly?” he asked.
Xiao Changyuan had used up all his patience on his wife; for others, he had none to spare.
“Are you going to teach me or not?”
Wan Shanke immediately replied, “Of course I’ll teach you! Right now, immediately.”
Xiao Changyuan’s learning ability was exceptional. After being taught just once, he had mastered it.
He had even grasped and integrated Wan Shanke’s other techniques.
The entire process took less time than it takes for an incense stick to burn.
Wan Shanke wanted to continue teaching, but Xiao Changyuan suddenly stopped.
In a low voice, he said, “I have to go.”
Wan Shanke, still eager, said, “Don’t leave yet, I haven’t finished teaching you.”
Having finally found someone worthy of inheriting his legacy, Wan Shanke was reluctant to let him go so easily.
Xiao Changyuan looked in the direction of his home, his voice filled with deep longing.
“My wife should be finished writing by now.”
With that, Xiao Changyuan lightly tapped his toes and soared away using inner strength, leaving the forest behind.
His retreating figure, without so much as a backward glance, appeared utterly cold and detached.
Left alone, Wan Shanke stood there, stunned.
You’ve only been away from your wife for the time it takes an incense stick to burn.
What on earth is there to miss?!