After Breaking Off the Engagement, I Started Pursuing My Master-Chapter 4 - Annulment

Chapter 4: Annulment

In the courtyard, Chu Xianning was silent for a long time before her lips moved slightly.

“You don’t need to worry about these things, nor do you need to prove anything to me. Just focus on healing, and Master will find a way to heal your injuries.”

“Master…”

“Shut up,” Chu Xianning turned away.

“You are the only disciple I, Chu Xianning, have taken in these six hundred years. I taught you to care for the common people. Therefore, I will not disregard your well-being. What you need to do is to recover properly, understand?”

“Understood,” Jiang Huai could only nod in agreement.

The seemingly cold and distant master to outsiders was actually a maiden at heart who couldn’t stand being contradicted. Jiang Huai, having spent many years with his master, knew exactly how to handle her. Right now, all he needed to do was obediently nod; talking back might earn him a knock on the head.

Jiang Huai gathered the bowls and chopsticks from the table and headed to the kitchen, not expecting Chu Xianning to follow him. As he set down the dishes, water without a source enveloped them, cleaning them. Chu Xianning’s tone softened slightly.

“Go rest.”

“Mm, you should sleep early too, Master.”

Jiang Huai returned to his room.

……

Truth be told, Jiang Huai found it hard to sleep.

These days, his sleep was troubled and restless. Recently, his injuries had somewhat healed, and his body felt more energetic. However, his meridians suffered the torment of spiritual energy overflowing from his sea of qi every night, causing him pain that made him toss and turn in bed like a spinning top.

Fortunately, he had other ways to entertain himself.

There was a tiny hole near his door that didn’t let in much cold air during the day but proved very useful at night. Jiang Huai slowly made his way to the door, placed a chair by the small hole, and sat down. Through the narrow gap, he could see the glowing firefly stones in the courtyard, their light illuminating the area as if the thin layer of snow was also shimmering. The moonlight, silver as water, bathed the courtyard, surrounding the white-robed fairy at its center.

She held a sword in her hand, her dance with the blade graceful, the hem of her dress rippling around her slender, snowy legs.

It was Chu Xianning practicing her swordsmanship.

She had demonstrated this sword dance to Jiang Huai when he was a child, but she never taught it to him because the moves weren’t particularly powerful; they were more about the graceful postures integrated with dance steps.

It was a dance she created in her maiden years, revealing that she, too, once had the heart of a young girl.

Through the tiny hole, Jiang Huai’s gaze was fixed on the white-robed fairy dancing under the moonlight. Her eyes were colder than the moon above, yet it seemed that the faint chill also numbed his pain, calming his heartbeat to a quiet stillness.

It was a pity that his master only practiced quietly after he had gone to sleep.

After about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Jiang Huai reluctantly withdrew his gaze, knowing his master would be preparing to bathe and rest. But just as he shifted his gaze away, he saw the feet of his master tip-toe lightly.

In the courtyard, his master preferred to go barefoot.

Jiang Huai always remembered this habit and often silently scolded his master in his heart for being so indulgent. Her feet were now tip-toeing, her sleeves fluttering, her dress rippling with her movements.

Jiang Huai’s eyes widened slightly.

After thirteen years with his master, he never knew she could dance.

Another incense stick’s time passed, and Jiang Huai contentedly lay back in bed.

My master danced for me, she has me in her heart, hehehe.

Jiang Huai felt as if his body had also become warm and cozy. Snuggling into his blanket, sleep gradually overtook him.

…….

The next day, early morning.

The dawn mist rose, and the clouds parted to reveal clear skies.

Jiang Huai climbed out of bed early, wrapped himself in his fur coat, and after washing up, he went to the kitchen to knead and wake the dough, preparing to make hand-rolled noodles for breakfast for his master.

Even the coldest woman has a soft tongue, and when the tongue softens, the ears follow. Taking good care of his master’s tongue with food was Jiang Huai’s duty as her sole direct disciple.

While kneading the dough, Jiang Huai pondered for a while. Since that woman Luo Yueguan was coming, should he knead an extra portion? After all, eating someone’s food softens the heart. He was well aware that the marriage had to be called off; delaying it would only lead to more gossip about Luo Qingyu. The girl was already socially anxious; it had taken her a lot of effort to become a bit more outgoing with his company, and it wouldn’t be good to scare her again.

With that thought, Jiang Huai decided to knead an extra portion. If it wasn’t finished, they could make stir-fried noodles for lunch. He had thoroughly studied the culinary skills he had acquired when he was idle, mastering eighteen different cooking techniques, making him the unrivaled little chef of the Tianxuan Sect.

Jiang Huai had indeed met Luo Yueguan before. As his master’s close friend and the mother of his future nominal spouse, he had seen her on several occasions. Compared to his master’s cool and ethereal demeanor, Luo Yueguan was the extreme opposite. She had particularly seductive eyes that always seemed watery and alluring. When visiting his master, she would dress lightly, often revealing her long legs.

When he was younger, she liked to hold Jiang Huai in her arms and tickle him. Jiang Huai regretted not being two years old when Chu Xianning had taken him in; otherwise, he would have definitely rubbed his little face against Luo Yueguan’s bosom while crying out for milk.

The water in the pot was boiling. Jiang Huai added his homemade chili oil to the bowl, and Chu Xianning’s voice quietly arose from behind.

“It’s cold today; you don’t need to make breakfast anymore.”

“The house is cold; it’s good to warm up by the fire,” Jiang Huai turned around, his eyes revealing a trace of astonishment.

Perhaps because she was meeting an old friend and it was a day to make an impression, Chu Xianning was dressed in a black gold-trimmed tassel long dress, which highlighted her graceful figure. The fitted waist of the dress accentuated her slender curves, and the hem revealed a section of her fair, tender legs. Mm, she was also wearing the silver high heels Jiang Huai had made for her, which made her already tall figure appear even more commanding.

The dress made Chu Xianning’s cool temperament fade slightly, replaced by elegance and radiance.

“It’ll be ready to eat soon.”

Jiang Huai lifted the noodles from the pot into the bowl. The well-cooked noodles were soft yet chewy, and the aroma of his secret chili oil was enticing. Chu Xianning and he each took a bowl to the courtyard, but just as Jiang Huai picked up his chopsticks, a luxurious spirit boat arrived in the sky above.

Every cultivator of the Tianxuan Sect could see the excessively luxurious spirit boat hovering above. It was unmistakably the personal spirit boat of Qingxuan Sect’s sect master, Luo Yueguan.

Anyone could guess the purpose of Luo Yueguan’s visit to the Tianxuan Sect.

Some felt pity, some sighed, and some were secretly pleased.

Jiang Huai was momentarily stunned, then continued to eat his noodles, reminding Chu Xianning.

“Master, the noodles are best eaten while hot.”

Half an incense stick’s time later.

Luo Yueguan’s sword hovered in the courtyard.

Jiang Huai looked towards her.

In the cold winter weather, Luo Yueguan wore a purple sleeveless cheongsam, a modified version that hugged her slender waist. The collar of the dress reached her neck, leaving her smooth shoulders bare. The hem reached her ankles, but the high slits on the side revealed her snowy legs intermittently.

The most outrageous part of the cheongsam was how it accentuated her figure. Jiang Huai watched her from the side, her full, round behind stretching the dress’s curve excessively like ripe peaches. The thought that this woman was probably about to give him a piece of her mind made Jiang Huai shift his gaze away discreetly.

Chu Xianning sat calmly without speaking while Luo Yueguan’s gaze fell on Jiang Huai’s face. She first used her spiritual energy to scan his body, confirming that his meridians were completely broken and his sea of qi shattered. She stepped down from her spirit sword and approached Jiang Huai.

Jiang Huai thought for a moment, then stood up, went inside to fetch a chair, placed it beside Luo Yueguan, and said softly,

“Aunt Luo, please sit.”

Luo Yueguan sat down, adjusting the hem of her cheongsam. Her pale blue eyes, usually lazy and seductive, now held a deliberate coldness.

After a moment, she spoke, “Your cultivation is ruined?”

“Mm,” Jiang Huai nodded lightly.

“What did Granny Jiuyou say?”

“There’s basically no chance of recovery.”

The three medicinal ingredients needed weren’t that hard to find. What was more difficult to find were the Flower Spirit Body and the Ice Soul Profound Body. Interestingly, Jiang Huai’s master, Chu Xianning, was a Flower Spirit Body, and the woman before him, Luo Yueguan, was an Ice Soul Profound Body.

She was asking about things everyone knew, asking a few more questions just to make the cruel words she was about to say seem more palatable and dignified.

So Jiang Huai simply waited quietly.

“Jiang Huai, you’re a smart man. Do I need to spell out the rest for you?”

Luo Yueguan crossed her long legs, her sharp high heels glinting coldly. She propped her elbow on her thigh, resting her cheek in her hand, her eyes unwaveringly fixed on Jiang Huai, her expression indifferent.

Such a posture was not at all graceful or dignified, but it was provocative.

“Of course, I understand, but there’s one thing I want to ask, Aunt Luo.”

“Speak.”

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“Is calling off the engagement also Luo Qingyu’s wish?” Jiang Huai’s gaze settled on her face, his only confusion.

“Qingyu has been in closed-door cultivation these days and will be out in a few days. She doesn’t even know that your cultivation has been destroyed.”

“Then why doesn’t Aunt Luo wait for her to finish her cultivation before making a decision?” Jiang Huai asked softly.

Luo Yueguan’s eyes flickered with unease at that moment. She looked at Jiang Huai lightly.

“Do you know how much gossip has spread in the Qingxuan Sect these days? Most of it mocks me for finding a mentally deficient partner for Luo Qingyu. I didn’t rush over immediately after your cultivation was destroyed, which already gave you enough face. It’s been three months, and since your cultivation cannot be restored, the engagement will have to be called off sooner or later.”

“But that’s not Luo Qingyu’s wish,” Jiang Huai said softly.

“I am Qingyu’s mother, and my wish is Qingyu’s wish! Are you planning to cling to my daughter and drag her down for the rest of her life?!”

Luo Yueguan’s eyes showed a hint of anger.