She hesitated for a moment and then shook her head. Changtian was right; over the past three years, at least four hundred thousand cultivators had met a grim fate at the Hidden Stream’s butcher’s knife because of her, and the Heavenly Dao would surely account for this sin upon her head. She couldn’t escape this karma. Nangong Zhen faced the Sixth Layer Heaven Tribulation for some unknown deed, yet she had accumulated a life full of blood debts—experiencing the Seventh Heavenly Tribulations was the lightest punishment the Heavenly Dao could impose! Though Changtian didn’t explicitly say it, she understood in her heart that he speculated the eventual heavenly tribulation that would come to test her was likely the Eighth Level.

Even in Ancient Times, there were very few cultivators capable of surviving seventy-two tribulation thunders! The most important thing was, the man before her, even if he had earth-shattering abilities, could not withstand the Heavenly Thunder for her. Though he could shelter her from wind and rain in everything else, when it came to major matters like Heavenly Tribulation, whether it’s life or death, she had only herself to rely upon!

Ning Xiaoxian’s nature was always lazy, wilting without supervision. She knew Changtian’s deep love for her meant he was strict in his care, but she had never considered something as distant as a Heaven Tribulation, and meeting him flooded her heart with joy, momentarily dampening her cultivation mindset. Now being admonished by him so earnestly, she felt half-troubled, half-panicked, and less inclined to speak with him.

Changtian understood her thoughts but did not raise his head, urging her to stabilize the Jade Boat while continuing to learn new mantras from him. He was incredibly strict with this lesson, and Ning Xiaoxian initially wanted to act playfully, but upon realizing her lover’s heart was as hard as stone, she let go of her intentions and focused wholeheartedly on cultivation.

By the third day, she had already seamlessly controlled the Jade Boat’s steady flight and proficiently mastered three divine skills, perfectly embodying the phrase ’where there is pressure, there is progress.’

#####

On this evening, the sky to the west was layered with clouds swirling around, the twilight glow graceful.

Changtian glanced at the sky twice and suddenly said, "The weather is changing fast, let’s find a place to stay overnight."

Feeling as if pardoned, she saw a town ahead and quickly descended the Jade Boat without needing his direction. Just as she stored the magic artifact away, the sunlight had already faded, and the north wind began to rise. When they entered the small town, fine ice crystals were falling from the sky.

She reached out to catch a few small ice crystals, and only then did she realize the sky was dropping ice hail. They were now far from the Ba Snake Mountain Range, where the temperature wasn’t as low as to the west, yet late spring was bringing ice hail here. This kind of weather was worse than snowfall; the streets instantly emptied of pedestrians.

Both opened their Protective Gang Qi, so the ice hail naturally wouldn’t touch them. Ning Xiaoxian grabbed his sleeve and walked down the street, quickly finding the biggest and most luxurious inn. This town seemed small but was indeed located at a pass, a must-visit place for travelers north and south, and there were quite a few people inside the shop at the moment.

"Shopkeeper, is there a room available?" Ning Xiaoxian tossed a silver ingot onto the counter.

What a generous guest. The shopkeeper looked at her, then at Changtian standing behind, beaming with joy, "Yes, yes, Room A-7 is upstairs, turn right. It is the room most inside. This is our best room, with a single door and household, entirely peaceful without disturbance!" His aged eyes had seen countless people and quickly discerned the relationship between these two.

Her face blushed instantly. "Only this room?"

"This shop only has this room left. You know, with the New Year just a few days away and so many merchants coming and going, everyone is rushing home."

Without waiting for her to speak again, Changtian already reached out to take the wooden room card, "No matter, we’ll take this room." He took her hand and stepped up the stairs briskly without waiting for the clerk to lead the way. His grip was tight and filled with an irresistible meaning, causing Ning Xiaoxian to instinctively catch up quickly.

The only room when turning right on the second floor. The shopkeeper was correct; this place was far removed from other guest rooms, seemingly very quiet. As soon as she entered, she shook free of Changtian’s hand, casting several Cleaning Techniques over the table and bed and taking out a complete White Tiger pelage from the storage bag to spread over the bedspreads.

Both she and Changtian were naturally neat, disliking items others had used, hence wouldn’t directly sleep on the inn’s ordinary guest bed.

Such simple actions, never trembling during combat with others, but now feeling uneasy, her ten fingers grew significantly clumsier. There was only one reason: although she faced away from him, she could feel his scorching gaze linger over her body, wherever he looked, she felt a surge of heat.

She straightened the bedding, her dense dark hair cascading, revealing her gracefully lined neck. He stared for several moments, and she seemed aware; her fair skin blushed bit by bit until her ears were red, yet she dared not turn to look at him.

He found it amusing, stepped forward two paces, hugged her from behind, and softly whispered in her ear, "Little baby..." then nipped this tender jade-like neck, savoring it thoroughly. As their skin touched, he distinctly felt her body tremble suddenly.

Her back leaned against the warm and firm embrace; this room seemed to become suddenly small. She breathed nervously twice, yet felt like her entire breath was filled with his scent. She wanted to speak but couldn’t utter a single word, only feeling his lips and tongue trailing down her neck, gradually invading her chest, his restless hand also probing into her neckline to caress her smooth skin.

Night was falling; his bet had been delayed by five days... Her mouth dry tongue parched, intending to refuse, yet unsure what she ought to say. This body was originally very sensitive, unable to resist him teasing like this, almost collapsing. She caught his mischievous hand, showing a plea on her face.

Before she could speak, Changtian already raised his head towards the door and released his hold on her.

Someone’s here? Feeling as if pardoned again, she breathed heavily several times, instinctively distancing herself.

Sure enough, there soon came a gentle knock on the door, "Honored guests, the hot water is here!"

Changtian said blandly, "Come in."

The clerk outside placed a full pot of hot water on the table and respectfully gave both a salute, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the gleaming whiteness exposed at her neck, inevitably straightening slightly. "So white! This man’s in for quite the treat." This girl, slender and beautiful, with slightly disheveled clothes now, clearly disrupted the couple’s affair.

How long had these two just stepped into the room, yet already so eager? The clerk laughed secretly to himself.

Ning Xiaoxian sensed a sudden burst of killing aura beside her, quickly handed two broken silver ingots to the clerk, and hurried him away.

She poured a cup of hot water, slowly sipping, to mask the flush on her face.

Changtian remained silent, only watching her intently with his golden eyes, the desire in his eyes utterly undisguised. She recognized this gaze; it was the look of a man admiring a woman, yet from him held an added arrogance as though surveying his own possession.

The atmosphere in the room had become tense and strange. She suddenly put down the cup and stammered, "I, I need to go out for a bit." Not completing the sentence, she already hastened toward the door.

A blur crossed her vision, and she ran into a black figure’s embrace.

Changtian held her gently, unhurriedly saying, "Where do you intend to escape again?" Her skills were all taught by him, as long he desired, how could she escape his grasp?

So quick! She stammered, "I, I’m hungry. Haven’t eaten anything for several days, I want to go down..." (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you’re welcome to visit qidian.com to vote for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)