Bei Bei's Immense Resentment

Jiang Che and Ma Xiaotao spent the entire night discussing how Nüwa created humanity, and by the end, both were exhausted. Perhaps it was because Jiang Che was too excited last night, but it was already well past sunrise by the time he woke up.

He slowly opened his eyes, his consciousness not yet fully returned. The first thing he felt was the warmth in his arms and the fresh, faint fragrance lingering at the tip of his nose—a scent that belonged uniquely to Ma Xiaotao.

Jiang Che's hand was still resting on her soft curves, and he subconsciously gave a gentle squeeze. This tangible sensation and scent allowed him to clearly recall how they had finally opened their hearts to each other last night, becoming true lovers and sleeping in such intimate closeness for the very first time.

Perhaps sensing Jiang Che's restlessness, Ma Xiaotao let out a soft "un-hun" and woke up as well. She blinked in a daze for a moment, and then, Jiang Che's handsome face, mere inches away, came clearly into view.

Memories of the previous night flooded back instantly. A wave of intense shyness washed over her, and a pink flush spread rapidly from her fair neck to her cheeks and earlobes, like a blooming peach blossom.

She instinctively wanted to shrink back or pull the quilt over her head, only to realize that one of her arms was still draped over Jiang Che's waist, and her body was nestled almost entirely in his embrace.

This situation left her feeling even more flustered and at a loss. Her eyes darted around in panic, not daring to meet Jiang Che's gaze, which was filled with a gentle smile.

"What's wrong? You were quite wild yesterday, weren't you? Now you don't even dare to look at me." Jiang Che kissed Ma Xiaotao's cheek first, then whispered with a mischievous smirk in her ear.

Ma Xiaotao was so choked by Jiang Che's words that her earlobes turned even redder. She bit her lower lip and forced herself to glare at him, but the look was soft and lacked any real bite, carrying instead a hint of indescribable coquettishness.

"Who... who doesn't dare look at you!" she retorted stubbornly, though her voice was as faint as a mosquito's hum. "I'm just... just not fully awake yet..."

Before she could finish, Jiang Che leaned in and planted another kiss on her forehead, his warm breath brushing against her brow.

Ma Xiaotao stiffened for a moment, then, as if a switch had been flipped, she abruptly buried her face in his chest. She let out a muffled "mmph" and completely gave up on resisting.

Jiang Che looked down at the girl in his arms. Her fiery red hair was scattered across the pillow and her shoulders, with a few stray locks clinging to her flushed cheeks. She looked like a shy little turtle hiding its head in its shell.

He couldn't help but laugh out loud, his chest vibrating slightly. Feeling the vibration, Ma Xiaotao pinched his waist in annoyance.

"You're still laughing!" she muttered into his chest.

"Alright, alright, I'll stop." Jiang Che tightened his arm around her.

The two lingered in bed for a long time, until finally, Ma Xiaotao chased Jiang Che out.

"It's already noon. If... if you have things to attend to, you should go. I need to go cultivate in a while, too."

"Alright. You've just been through a lot, so it's normal for your body to feel a bit uncomfortable. If you don't feel up to it, don't force yourself."

"Mm, I know."

Jiang Che held Ma Xiaotao in his arms, kissed her one last time, and then left, feeling completely satisfied.

Watching Jiang Che actually leave the room, Ma Xiaotao finally let out a sigh of relief. Although they had done everything they should—and shouldn't—have done yesterday, the thought of being so exposed in broad daylight was still hard to accept.

With Jiang Che gone, Ma Xiaotao finally removed the quilt, revealing her flawless, delicate body. She picked up the silk handkerchief from the middle of the bed; the previously colorless plum blossom pattern was now stained red.

She wanted to get up and dress, but felt some discomfort in her body. She furrowed her beautiful brows, silently cursing Jiang Che for being a "bull-demon," then endured the soreness to put on her clothes before placing the handkerchief into a box to keep as a memento.

On the other side, Jiang Che felt refreshed as he stepped out of Ma Xiaotao's room. The crisp air of Sea God Island greeted him, carrying the faint, pleasant scent of grass, trees, and moisture.

He subconsciously stretched, his joints popping with a faint crackle. His entire body felt as if his meridians had been cleared, leaving him feeling completely at ease.

This sense of comfort wasn't just physical; it was mental as well.

Before he knew it, Jiang Che arrived at his small villa. As he pushed open the courtyard gate, Ice Empress was sitting at the stone table, several books on soul tool theory laid out before her. It seemed she was trying to learn about soul tools, and she only looked up when she heard the gate open.

"You're back?" Ice Empress asked.

Jiang Che nodded, walked over to the stone table, and sat down to pour himself a glass of water.

His gaze swept over the soul tool books by her side, and he asked casually, "What are you reading?"

Ice Empress tapped the open page with her fingertip, her eyes filled with curiosity. "The structure of human soul tools is far more complex than the innate soul skills of soul beasts. Why does the soul power flow node in this 'Linked Sealing Array' have to bypass three times before being injected into the core?"

As she looked up, her nose twitched, and she suddenly frowned. "Why is there a strange scent on you? It smells like gardenias scorched by flames."

"Cough!" Jiang Che choked on his water. Feeling awkward, he set down his glass and changed the subject. "The first bypass is for diversion, the second for pressure stabilization, and only the third is the actual soul power infusion."

After speaking, he used his soul power to simulate the process, sketching a three-dimensional array above the page, precisely replicating the pattern in the book.

Ice Empress's attention was instantly captured. Once she finished studying it, she remarked thoughtfully, "So that's how it is!"

Seeing that Ice Empress seemed quite interested in soul tools, Jiang Che asked, "Are you very interested in soul tools?"

"It's alright. I can't cultivate right now, so when I saw these books last night, I just had a whim to study them," Ice Empress replied.

Seeing this, Jiang Che said nothing more and let Ice Empress continue to study the soul tool book.

The two sat by the stone table in silence. Because they weren't talking, the atmosphere felt peaceful and serene. Ice Empress was engrossed in her book, while Jiang Che was engrossed in Ice Empress's stunning beauty. He couldn't get enough of looking at her; after all, she was a "legal loli," and she was certainly much more charming than that "Shen He" loli, Xiao Xiao.

Over in the Outer Court, Huo Yuhao was visited by his senior brother, Bei Bei.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

Following a series of knocks, Huo Yuhao opened the dormitory door and immediately saw his senior brother's miserable expression.

"Senior Brother! Why are you here?" Huo Yuhao first exclaimed in surprise, then asked in confusion why he had come.

"I'm here to take you to apply for a hunt for soul beasts," Bei Bei said, looking at Huo Yuhao with a resentful expression that radiated deep grievance.

After all, he had originally planned to go on a date with Tang Ya today, but yesterday, Jiang Che had ordered him to take Huo Yuhao to apply for the hunt today.

Bei Bei didn't dare refuse, so he had to painfully cancel his date with Tang Ya. For a Bei Bei who was in the middle of a passionate romance, this was no less than a natural disaster, so it was no wonder he was so full of resentment.