Yet when the appointed time came, Xiyue returned. This time, she came before Taiheng and merely lay quietly in his arms. The two of them lingered in tenderness for quite a while.
Then Xiyue rose, looked at Taiheng's face, caressed his cheek, and got up to leave.
Not a single word passed between them.
Taiheng, meanwhile, found it hard to adjust to Xiyue's change. He could only stare blankly at his own hands. He had been in seclusion all this time—what on earth had happened in the outside world to change Xiyue so greatly?
Taiheng waited bitterly for a month. When the time they had agreed upon arrived, Xiyue entered this time wearing a red dress.
This time, Xiyue's entire bearing had changed drastically. Taichu was still a hot-blooded young man, while Xiyue emanated an aura possessed only by those who held power.
"Taiheng, tell me—have you ever loved me, from beginning to end?"
Xiyue looked earnestly into Taiheng's eyes, her red lips parting softly. Hearing this, Taiheng was at a loss.
Her question had utterly stunned him. He had no chance to gather his words and could only nod blankly.
"Good. Since you like me, then today, you and I shall consummate our marriage."
After saying this, Xiyue pulled Taiheng into his quarters behind them. In the blink of an eye, the night had passed.
Taiheng looked at Xiyue lying beside him, his gaze brimming with tenderness.
After a while, Xiyue slowly opened her eyes and dressed herself before Taiheng.
"Xiyue, why? What exactly happened?"
Taiheng looked at Xiyue and spoke softly. Xiyue had changed so quickly, and he could not even discern her cultivation anymore. During his seclusion, not even his master had come to see him.
What had happened in the meantime? Hadn't Master said he wanted