On the first day of the first lunar month, dawn was just breaking.
Ye Jingtang stood before the wardrobe mirror and put on a plain, spotless black robe. He tied his long hair with a ribbon, hung the Fat-Headed Bird Jade Pendant Yunli had given him from his belt, and secured the black-cloth-wrapped Chi Dragon Blade and his sword at the back of his waist.
Once he was ready, he turned and lifted the bed curtains for a look.
Third Madam slept on the innermost side. As yesterday's main force, she had gone several rounds of riding, the cat's stretching pose, feeding him herself, and the like, leaving her utterly exhausted. A tipsy flush still lingered on her cheeks.
Shui'er slept with Ning'er in her arms. Although the two had received less bullying, their combined fighting strength was still no match for Third Madam's. Evenly matched, they had stacked themselves together to endure the torment, only for the flood to overwhelm the Dragon King's own temple. Both were utterly drained and had yet to recover.
On this journey to the Northwest, he needed to race there on his exceptional horse. Third Madam might head Beyond the Pass under the pretext of opening a branch, and Fan Qinghe also had to return to the Dongming Tribe. But no matter how fast their horses were, they could not keep up with Rouge Tiger, and would probably arrive several days later.
That meant another ten days or half a month without seeing them. Ye Jingtang inevitably felt reluctant to part, but Year's End was over, a new year had begun, and all manner of troublesome affairs lay before him. Only by finishing them as quickly as possible could he truly find some leisure.
After gazing at them for a long while, Ye Jingtang