Chapter 63: Untying the Knot.
Li Tianxing gazed at the flustered, aggrieved little wife in his arms, caught up in the “brothel misunderstanding,” a knowing smile curling his lips.
Tightening his hold, he lifted her in a princess carry, leaning close to whisper in her ear, his breath warm: “My lady, this isn’t like you.” His voice was soft, teasing. “Seems you really… can’t live without me, huh?”
But Xie Qiyang barely registered his words or actions. The fleeting shame and hurt from the brothel mix-up were like pebbles tossed into a deep pool, swallowed by darker, more turbulent waves in her mind.
Who am I? Am I the ‘he’ from my past life, or Jiang Ningshuang now?
The thrill of transmigration, the ecstasy of letting go after their marriage, and the ease of boosting her cultivation while basking in comfort had clouded her vision.
Am I still Xie Qiyang? Or has Jiang Ningshuang’s mind completely overtaken me?
Her past life as an ordinary office worker felt like a fading photograph, growing blurrier. Familiar faces and names were being overwritten by Jiang Ningshuang’s memories.
Whenever someone came to mind, Jiang Ningshuang’s perspective leaped out first!
Li Tianxing was reborn… did he pine for the original, radiant Jiang Ningshuang? Or this impostor, gluttonous, lustful, and lazy Xie Qiyang?
The thought coiled around her heart like a venomous vine, tightening, bringing suffocating panic and sharp pain.
She feared Li Tianxing leaving her once he learned the truth.
Forcing herself to confront the deepest recesses of her soul, peeling away resistance and pretense, she faced a despairing truth: whether as Xie Qiyang or Jiang Ningshuang, her soul was indelibly marked by Li Tianxing, inseparable, and she didn’t want to let go.
The effortless cultivation gains, the leap from a precarious worker to a potential world-shaker, and the constant presence of Li Tianxing since transmigrating…
This immense temptation had eroded her initial resistance.
She craved this ease, this power, and even… that domineering Li Tianxing from that night.
Fine… A long sigh echoed in her heart, laced with resigned exhaustion and a touch of self-mocking relief.
Xie Qiyang shook her head, as if to cast off pointless struggles.
No matter how she resisted, she couldn’t return to the Xie Qiyang slaving away in a cubicle late at night.
Just like how she resisted marrying Li Tianxing, only to be tamed step by step into a gentle, insatiable, beautiful wife. And… she actually found it… comfortable?
Wasn’t this just her past life’s pattern? An unwanted college, a hated major, insufferable roommates, failed grad school exams, a tasteless job…
Life was nine parts misery, and her only strategy was: resist → relent → accept → adapt → find some joy in it.
Maybe this was the root of her ingrained “weakness”? Even if she flipped the table to break free, things wouldn’t necessarily improve.
Life was mostly discontent, with loathsome things always lurking. Instead of being tormented, why not… lie back and enjoy?
She’d done just that, burying her desires and the ecstasy of dual cultivation, hypnotizing herself into believing she was just fulfilling a wife’s duties.
This “knot” she’d ignored, buried deep, was now laid bare.
She knew running from it was futile—it would only fester, either destroying her one day or rotting with her in obscurity.
“Li Tianxing…” She lifted her head, voice trembling faintly, meeting his deep eyes. “What… do you like about me?”
Li Tianxing, holding her steady, navigated the Bliss Pavilion’s suggestive corridors, deftly dodging the reaching arms and playful fists.
Hearing her question, he didn’t pause, just glanced at her, his gaze complex, then looked ahead, speaking slowly: “Oh? Why ask this now?” He paused, choosing his words, his voice low and warm.
“Liking someone doesn’t need a list of reasons. Maybe… in a fleeting moment, I saw a light in you no one else could, and it dazzled me. Everything after just keeps proving I chose right.”
He tightened his hold, reassuringly. “What’s this, my lady losing confidence? Afraid I’ll abandon you?” He chuckled, utterly certain. “Relax. Long ago, you did things that made me want to strangle you, and I still didn’t let go. Now… with my wife so obedient, so… delectable?”
His gaze lingered on her lips, possessive, before tossing out a bombshell: “Or… shall we sign a contract? A true bond of hearts and souls, merging us forever, so you’ll stop overthinking?”
Xie Qiyang fell silent, not resisting as fiercely as before.
…
Meanwhile, on the top floor of the Bliss Pavilion, in an elegant, serene terrace, Ye Zhuxian sat sipping tea with several old women whose auras were unfathomably deep. The tea’s fragrance carried a trace of the Dao, clearly no ordinary brew.
A plainly dressed, kind-faced old woman in a gray robe gazed through the floor, as if seeing something below.
Sipping her tea, she sighed, “Little Xian’er, your boy’s got a silver tongue. That girl’s spooked by her clan’s nonsense, even doubting your lad.”
“But that’s tied her heart entirely to him.”
Setting down her cup, a glint of pity flashed in her eyes. “Such a shame… that girl’s more than just a Lunar Sacred Body. Yet her heart’s bound to your boy. What a waste!”
Her last words carried a hint of frustration.
Ye Zhuxian’s eyes twinkled as she refilled the old woman’s tea, grinning. “Ancestor, if you’re so fond of her, why not… beat up those blind fools in her clan to vent her anger? Maybe she’ll be so moved she’ll beg to be your disciple!”
The gray-robed woman rolled her eyes, flicking Ye Zhuxian’s forehead with a ding. “You sly imp! Always scheming to drag me into trouble!” she huffed, feigning anger. “Those clan folks travel with imperial weapons. If they get desperate and go all-out, these old bones can’t handle it!”
Despite her words, her eyes showed no real fear, only exasperation at Ye Zhuxian’s suggestion.