Li Shuidao had been right on the mark. The difficulty of the popular Water Moon Flowing Pearl art lay in drawing in moonlight, but with the power of Jade Toad Gazing at Moon, he had crossed that hurdle with ease.
It felt much like grafting a fruit tree. Any Water Moon art could be grafted onto the rootstock of the Jade Toad Qi Cultivation Art.
As he circulated the method, the air around him grew damp. Tiny droplets began to condense in the air, but in the end, they did not flow together.
Even when grafting a fruit tree, there was a period of growth. Nothing could be accomplished overnight.
Water Moon Flowing Pearl had already merged with the Jade Toad Qi Cultivation Art. It was only a matter of time before they became fully connected. Perhaps the two arts could even fuse more deeply and ultimately complement each other.
After completing one cycle of cultivation, Li Shuidao returned to the bridal chamber.
Moonlight filtered through the window. Even its faint glow shone as brightly as day in Li Shuidao's eyes.
Xia Ruoxue.
She lay on the floor, delicate and serene. Anyone who looked at her would feel an irrepressible urge to cherish her.
Her Lineage had forcibly abducted her and made her marry him. In the end, she was a victim too.
Li Shuidao silently approached Xia Ruoxue. His warm hands gently caressed her face. Her skin was as smooth as jade, like a flower still in bud, and gave off a faint fragrance.
The moonlight spilled soundlessly across the room, like a thin veil, making everything seem like an Immortal Realm.
Li Shuidao bent down and gently gathered Xia Ruoxue into his arms. Their breathing mingled softly in the air.
Xia Ruoxue's body was so soft she seemed boneless. Just holding her felt comfortable.
Li Shuidao gently laid the unconscious Xia Ruoxue on the bed, as if placing a sleeping flower on a lotus leaf.
Xia Ruoxue's breathing was somewhat labored. Clearly, the poison had taken deep hold.
She had been poisoned with "Crane's Crown Red + Toad Poison." Both toxins were deadly, but often, when deadly toxins were mixed together, they became less lethal.
All she needed now was a Detoxification Pill to dilute the poison in her body, and she would be able to pull through on her own.
Li Shuidao rummaged through the room and found a Detoxification Pill.
He had no use for such a thing anymore, but ordinary mortals in the family still needed them, especially the younger children. That was why every room kept a supply of these pills.
Li Shuidao gently pressed Xia Ruoxue's chin with his fingers and slipped the pill into her mouth.
The night breeze brushed past the curtains, setting their soft shadows dancing...
Slowly, Xia Ruoxue's breathing steadied, as if she were seeking peace in her dreams.
Xia Ruoxue had delicate features, and her long lashes veiled her eyes, making one want to kiss them.
Her soft pink lips curved slightly, like a flower waiting to bloom, awaiting its tender.
Li Shuidao couldn't help comparing her to his master's wife.
In terms of looks, each had her own charms...
This woman clearly had someone she loved. She felt not the slightest affection for him.
That was fine...
The deeper the feelings, the heavier the shackles!
No feelings at all was best.
The morning sun spilled through the curtains onto the bed. Xia Ruoxue gradually awoke from her dream, her face still hazy with sleep...
She felt no discomfort at all. On the contrary, she felt refreshed, as if she had woken after a good night's sleep. It was as though the meridians throughout her body had been opened.
But why was she sleeping here?
Xia Ruoxue's heart gave a sudden leap. She hurriedly sat up and looked at the bedding beneath her, realizing that her body lay beneath it.
At last, she remembered. She had been abducted the night before and brought to this unfamiliar place as a bride.
She clutched the bedding tightly, fear and panic rising in her expression.
Just then, a maid quietly entered the room and said softly to Xia Ruoxue, "Madam, you're awake. I'm the maid the family sent to serve you and the young master. My name is Luo Xiaoxiao."
The maid, Luo Xiaoxiao, gently set a fine outfit beside the bed.
Xia Ruoxue stared at the clothes before her, unable to speak for a moment. Her feelings wavered between fear and confusion...
A little while later...
Xia Ruoxue sat at the dressing table as the maid, Luo Xiaoxiao, gently combed her long hair.
Before the broad bronze mirror, Xia Ruoxue gazed at the carefully arranged bun on her head.
In that moment, she felt a deep heaviness. Wearing her hair up meant she had stepped into the role of a wife and was no longer the innocent young girl she had once been.
Xia Ruoxue's feelings grew quiet and complicated.
She sighed, as if understanding that she could not escape the fate that awaited her.
It had already happened; the rice was cooked. All that remained was to conceive a child without trouble and become an ordinary woman.
Perhaps this was simply her fate...
After a long while... Xia Ruoxue finally accepted it—or could only accept it.
"What's his name?" Xia Ruoxue suddenly asked.
"Madam, who are you asking about?" Luo Xiaoxiao asked curiously.
"My husband..." Xia Ruoxue asked in a small voice.
"Li Shuidao. He's the Li Family's genius young man," Luo Xiaoxiao said excitedly.
"Li Shuidao..." Xia Ruoxue repeated the name over and over, intending to keep it in her heart.
Suddenly...
Another man came to mind...
"Yunzhi... In the end, we were fated to meet but not to be together. I became someone else's bride after all." Xia Ruoxue covered her face with her hands, tears slipping through her fingers.
"Madam... Your eye makeup is all smudged from crying. I'll have to redo it," Luo Xiaoxiao said anxiously.
"I'm sorry, Xiaoxiao. I won't cry anymore," Xia Ruoxue said, her voice trembling with quiet sobs.
Her makeup was redone, and she changed into fresh clothes.
The skirt flowed from her waist and swayed lightly with each step, giving her a graceful, dragon-like elegance.
A broad pink sash encircled her waist, adorned with delicate jade ornaments and sequins that glimmered faintly. Strings of tiny bells hung from its edge, chiming sweetly whenever they moved.
Xia Ruoxue's hair was pinned high, with an exquisite jade hairpin tucked into it. Tiny pearls and rubies inlaid in the pin accentuated her gentle beauty.
The romantic young girl she once was had vanished. Now she was beautiful as a moon embraced by immortals, peerless in her loveliness, and radiated the gentle grace of a mature woman.
She followed Luo Xiaoxiao and pushed open the door.
Beyond it lay a peaceful little courtyard. A breeze swept through as a young man dressed in black practiced his sword.
Li Shuidao's sword dance was like a beautiful melody. Bathed in sunlight, he looked especially handsome.
Xia Ruoxue stood quietly to one side, watching his nimble figure...
"Is he Li Shuidao?" Xia Ruoxue asked softly.
It had been too dark the night before. She hadn't dared to be sure.
"Yes, Madam. He's your husband," Luo Xiaoxiao said with a smile.
In the little courtyard...
Li Shuidao repeatedly practiced the Clear Pool Sword Dao.
He had begun before dawn, and he was still practicing even after his new bride, Xia Ruoxue, had finished dressing.
He paid no attention to the pretty woman standing beside him, fully immersed in practicing his sword moves.
The Jade Toad Qi Cultivation Art, Golden Toad Qi Locking Method, and Water Moon Flowing Pearl—the three internal-breathing arts—had laid a solid foundation for him, giving him abundant energy, surging strength, and a light, nimble body.
His vitality seemed endless...
Before you continue