My Husband’s Ascension C33
Chapter 33 Affection
There was something odd about the way the two were interacting.
Zhao Zhao’s gaze swept between the two figures. By all logic, these two should have been strangers meeting for the first time, yet their eyes intersected with a subtle recognition, as if some hidden secret lay quietly between them.
Half in doubt, Zhao Zhao resolved to witness the truth herself and made her way into the mountains.
Xiao Bai, following close behind, cast a brief glance at Zhao Zhao, then leaned toward the Dao Lord at his side, whispering, “Dao Lord, what is the meaning of this?”
“The Tushan Clan employs gu to control the operatives they dispatch. The gu residing within you can be removed by her master.”
Xiao Bai’s amber eyes shone with sudden hope, yet a shadow of hesitation crossed his features. After a moment, he spoke cautiously, “Grateful for your guidance, Dao Lord… but this is not merely a matter of gu…”
“I will negotiate with the Tushan Clan. You need not fear execution at their hands.”
Xiao Bai could scarcely believe his fortune. Joy sparkled in his peach-blossom eyes, and his fair, spring-like features blossomed into a smile that could have rivaled the dawn.
“Thank you, Dao Lord, for your magnanimous salvation. Should there ever be a time I can repay this debt, I shall do so without hesitation, even at the cost of my life…”
“No need for such sacrifice,” Dao Lord’s voice remained even and cool. “You need only stay by her side. Should any abnormality stir upon Beaconlight Mountain, report it immediately.”
“……”
Again, he was being asked to act as a spy!
He knew it, nothing in the heavens ever fell without cost. Being redeemed from the Tushan Clan only to become the secret agent of Dao Lord Tianshu…his situation and circumstance remained the same.
At least with the Tushan Clan, he had been among his own!
“Dao Lord, my talents are insufficient, and I have already been exposed once. I fear I may not be able to fulfill your instructions…”
“Are you refusing me?” The snow-clad female cultivator beside him slightly turned her head, a trace of mocking smile curving her pale features, “You do not seem to understand your situation. Without me, do you think you would still be breathing right now? Even if you returned to the Tushan Clan, with Mount Ling having lost two great shamans, wouldn’t you still be held accountable for your incompetence?”
At these last words, the arctic fox awoke as from a dream. Blood drained from his face.
That the people of Beaconlight Mountain had emerged unscathed this time could very well have been due to him finishing implanting the gu and immediately reporting it. If Mount Ling found out, they would never forgive him.
For the lowest-tier operatives like him, were they not merely tools for the higher-ups to vent their wrath?
Xiao Bai quickly shifted his stance, turning toward Dao Lord Tianshu with an obedient smile, “Thank you for your guidance, Dao Lord. Xiao Bai understands. It is just…before I give my answer, may I ask you one question?”
“Speak.”
Xiao Bai lifted his gaze to the silhouette of the young woman walking ahead.
They had already entered the forest, where corpses lay strewn across the ground. Not only were there lowly evil demons, but also some demonic creatures with intellect.
Months ago, Zhao Zhao would have retched at the sight of such bodies. Now, however, she could squat beside these grotesque corpses and carefully examine their wounds.
Xiao Bai withdrew his gaze and, with a bright smile, said, “To speak frankly, I harbor affection for Miss Immortal Xie. Though I once harmed her for self-preservation, I have no desire to do so a second time. Dao Lord, unlike the Tushan Clan or Mount Ling, sending me to remain at Miss Immortal Xie’s side…surely it is not to endanger her life, is it?”
As he spoke the words “harbor affection”, Xiao Bai clearly felt the gaze above him sharpen, as if it could pierce his skull.
The instinct of a beast is keen; were he to assume his true form, it was likely that every hair on his tail would bristle in that instant.
From above came the female cultivator’s calm, measured voice, “Whether I take her life is of no concern to you. You need only know this: taking yours would be far easier.”
Xiao Bai’s smile froze.
He had not been mistaken. This lofty Dao Lord Tianshu truly held feelings for his master.
“What are you two talking about?” Zhao Zhao, not far off, interrupted their exchange.
She had sensed them whispering just now. Were they truly struck with a sense of familiarity upon their first encounter?
“Master—” Xiao Bai immediately leapt to Zhao Zhao’s side. The arctic fox, a full head taller than her, acted coquettishly yet naturally.
He took her hand and placed her fingers against his own neck. “Just now, an evil demon grabbed my neck…it hurt so much, Master. Look, is it all purple? Will it leave a scar?”
Zhao Zhao had already examined the corpses scattered on the ground.
Their injuries were not from blades or spears, but from bones shattered and meridians disrupted through spiritual power. Kunwu cultivators always relied on swords, so it likely was not this female cultivator who had struck them.
She lifted her gaze to the bruises on Xiao Bai’s neck and finally asked, “Did you really block all those evil demons? Why? Are you not from Tushan Clan; did you not just inflict gu upon those two children?”
The arctic fox’s face darkened with melancholy, his long lashes dipping slightly. “This servant was wholly without recourse. The gu they planted within my body grants the Tushan Clan full command over my life and death. Had this servant disobeyed, my fate would have been sealed. This humble life is cheap; dying would matter little, but to perish without ever beholding Master again…”
Xiao Bai was on the verge of clutching her and weeping, when Zhao Zhao jabbed a finger at his forehead to prevent the embrace. “Enough. Shut it. Let me see your injuries.”
Xiao Bai bore several marks from his encounters with the evil demons. Though his cultivation was high, a fox of his kind rarely fought head-on. A thousand years of practice had been spent on maintaining his beauty; even minor wounds caused unbearable pain.
He was about to close his eyes and savor Zhao Zhao’s care when—
Suddenly, a hand seized Zhao Zhao’s wrist without any warning.
Xiao Bai and Zhao Zhao both looked up, seeing the female cultivator clad in Kunwu Sect robes.
Dao Lord Tianshu’s grip on her wrist was not overly forceful, yet the arm hidden beneath his sleeve exuded terrifying power. If unchecked, that surging desire might break free, snatching her from the nauseatingly insistent arctic fox.
The warmth radiating from her wrist made Zhao Zhao glance at her with mild puzzlement, “What’s wrong?”
Dao Lord Tianshu closed his eyes, restraining the possessiveness clamoring in his spiritual consciousness, bit by bit.
“…Your own injuries haven’t healed. Why are you tending to him?”
Zhao Zhao blinked.
She had initially thought this female cultivator, aloof and seemingly indifferent, would be difficult to approach—a high-cold beauty. Yet unexpectedly, she was considerate, albeit in a reserved way.
Zhao Zhao raised her hand to cover his, patting it gently in reassurance, then tiptoed to whisper into his ear, “It’s nothing, just a small wound. Tomorrow I’ll have my master treat it properly. Xiao Bai is afraid of pain; if I don’t heal him now, he’ll fuss for days.”
Dao Lord Tianshu froze, his throat tightening.
This millennium-old arctic fox feared pain and yet, this mortal who had only cultivated for a single year was unafraid?
Back at Yunmeng Pier, she had clearly been just a little girl afraid of pain.
A needle pricking her finger would make her refuse to embroider ever again. A cut while cooking would keep her from the kitchen. She feared the scorching sun, dreaded the winter cold. Though the Xie Residence was not unimaginably wealthy, she had been raised in comfort from a young age and had never truly endured physical suffering.
Yet now—
Her shoulders remained swathed in thick bandages, faintly carrying the metallic scent of blood. Even the external-healing pills could not fully mend her, revealing how deeply the blade had cut.
And yet she did not cry out in pain. Were it not for the pallor of her face, no one would have guessed she had been injured at all.
“His injuries do not require the medicinal arts of a Divine Farmer practitioner.” Dao Lord Tianshu produced a vial of pills and handed it to Zhao Zhao, tossing the remaining one to Xiao Bai. “This is the Divine Farmer Sect’s White Jade Marrow‑Nourishing Pill (白玉修髓丹), specialized for internal injuries.”
The famous White Jade Marrow‑Nourishing Pill.
Xiao Bai cradled the vial carefully. This pill was one of the Ten Great Medicines of the Divine Farmer Sect. True to its name, it could heal all internal injuries. Even if the spirit and marrow were damaged, or near-fatal wounds had been sustained, taking it could help restore the body.
However, because the materials required to make the White Jade Marrow‑Nourishing Pill were rare and difficult to obtain, this pill was almost never seen on the market.
Zhao Zhao had also seen this pill in the books given to her by Daoist Ming Jue and was somewhat surprised.
But considering that the female cultivator before her was entrusted to handle matters for the Zhongli Clan on behalf of Dao Lord Tianshu, it was clear she had a close relationship with him. Without hesitation, Zhao Zhao shook her head and said, “Miss Immortal, you are generous, but such a precious item…I cannot accept it without reason…”
Dao Lord Tianshu’s fingers contracted slightly.
Though she no longer regarded him with the cold distant gaze she once had after he had assumed this new identity, the warmth in her eyes still carried a trace of unfamiliar detachment.
She would not order him around unscrupulously, nor would she make demands with bold confidence.
Even for this small vial of pills, her first instinct was to politely decline.
“Then why would you accept what Shi Lanyan offers you?”
The question came abruptly, and Zhao Zhao paused before she realized the meaning.
Shi Lanyan had grown up alongside Dao Lord Tianshu, and it was natural for her to associate closely with Kunwu disciples. Zhao Zhao mistakenly thought she was merely a friend of Shi Lanyan’s, and probed cautiously, “You’re acquainted with Shi Lanyan? Close, perhaps? Otherwise, how did you know she had given me something?”
“…Yes, I am acquainted with her.”
Once the words had slipped out, he could no longer claim ignorance.
Having not seen the bright and bold Miss Immortal for some time, Zhao Zhao found herself quietly nostalgic and could not help asking about her current circumstances.
Dao Lord Tianshu’s face bore a faint smile, but it did not reach his eyes; rather, it evoked a subtle awe: “She has gone into closed-door cultivation. Briefly, it may be a matter of years; at most, over a decade. Even if you journeyed to Polaris Confucian Sect, you would not encounter her.”
Zhao Zhao cast him a few glances.
She had never said she intended to seek out Shi Lanyan at Polaris Confucian Sect.
After a moment’s thought, Zhao Zhao figured this was probably just the possessiveness between close friends. This female cultivator’s earlier remark might have been because of jealousy over Shi Lanyan.
“It’s fine. I have many matters to attend to now, and little time to go looking for her.” Zhao Zhao lifted her lips in a smile, “Word has it that she and Dao Lord Tianshu are to be wed. Since she has done much for our sect, once she marries, our sect ought to prepare a grand gift in celebration.”
“Shi Lanyan… the daughter of the sect master of Polaris Confucian Sect?” The terrain of Jimo Sea is isolated and news often arrives slowly. Xiao Bai, curious, asked, “Then wouldn’t that be a marriage between Immortal Realm of Kunwu and Polaris Confucian Sect, two of the largest sects joining forces? That wedding feast must be extravagant indeed.”
Zhao Zhao nodded. “They will most likely invite every sect in the Cultivation Realm; it will certainly be lively.”
Though, of course, their own sect would likely not be invited; otherwise, it would only trouble the couple.
Night had deepened. Zhao Zhao was about to ask the female cultivator behind her whether she would stay on Beaconlight Mountain tonight, but when she turned back, she saw that the cultivator who usually carried a faint smile now bore none at all.
Bathed in pale moonlight, he remained still, yet his countenance appeared even paler than the silvered glow.
Author’s note: Hm? Why the long face? Or just naturally not inclined to smile?
