Though Chu Dingjiang's movements were as gentle as could be, An Jiu still felt the searing pain of being torn apart.
This sensation was more unbearable than anything she'd experienced before—not just because of the pain, but also because of the strange psychological effect that made the entire process feel agonizingly prolonged.
An Jiu opened her mouth and bit down hard on Chu Dingjiang's shoulder.
But all of his attention was focused elsewhere, and he didn’t feel the slightest bit of pain.
By the time the two were finally joined as one, Chu Dingjiang was drenched in sweat, as if he had just emerged from water.
He had expended all his endurance on the process itself, so the first round ended quickly—though a second soon followed.
An Jiu shifted from taking the lead to being led, then gradually took charge again. Her unrestrained passion left Chu Dingjiang both astonished and deeply satisfied.
The night burned with fervor.
The next day, the snow stopped.
Outside, the sky was dim. Chu Dingjiang opened his eyes to the sound of steady, even breathing beside him and couldn’t help but smile, pulling the person in his arms even closer.
An Jiu cracked one eye open, glimpsed Chu Dingjiang’s silhouette, then closed it again—only to suddenly feel that thing of his rapidly swelling once more. Her eyes flew open.
"I want to see."
This phenomenon fascinated An Jiu. Though she had a general understanding of relations between men and women, this was the first time she had witnessed the process firsthand. She was deeply intrigued and had even forced Chu Dingjiang to "demonstrate" for her multiple times the night before.
"No more watching, or don’t blame me for being rough," Chu Dingjiang growled.
But this tactic had no effect on An Jiu. She immediately ducked under the covers again.
Helpless, Chu Dingjiang had no choice but to forcibly drag her out. "I have something to ask you."
"Speak." An Jiu paused her mischief.
"Clearly, it was your first time, yet you were so skilled. I suppose you’ve secretly read quite a few secret manuals before?" Chu Dingjiang teased. The so-called secret manuals , of course, referred to erotic literature.
"No." An Jiu lifted her chin proudly. "It’s animal instinct. Pure natural talent."
She couldn’t remember where she’d learned such things, but she had never deliberately sought out any material. Besides, she was naturally uninhibited—even if her movements were inexperienced, her complete lack of shyness made her seem like an expert.
This proved that sometimes, whether you truly know something or not is irrelevant—attitude is what matters.
Then, An Jiu suddenly remembered something else. "The first few times, you finished so fast I could barely keep up. Clearly, you have innate deficiencies. You’re not going to silence me to cover it up, are you?"
Probably no one else in the world would dare joke like this! Chu Dingjiang thought wryly.
Now that he was certain there was nothing wrong with him, he didn’t mind such harmless teasing. He even chuckled and said, "Then I’ll have to ask for your guidance in the future."
An Jiu patted his shoulder solemnly. "Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone."
Chu Dingjiang, soothed by her words, couldn’t help but laugh at her serious expression.
He finally understood that what had drawn him to An Jiu in the beginning was her fiery, unrestrained nature, so reminiscent of the women of the Warring States period. But now, he could no longer clearly pinpoint the reason—he only knew that holding her filled him with contentment and peace.
At this moment, Chu Dingjiang truly felt alive.
After last night, he could now temporarily control his desires with ease. But when he habitually circulated his True Energy, he realized he had fallen from the peak of the second rank of the Transformation Realm back to its early stages.He calmly accepted this reality and anticipated that his condition might continue to deteriorate in the future.
Based on his analysis of the current situation, nearly all the Transformation Realm Masters in the world had been either killed or severely injured. It could be said that those capable of matching him were as rare as phoenix feathers. Moreover, with the forces he had secretly cultivated over the years, he had more than enough strength to protect himself.
What concerned Chu Dingjiang the most was the Liao Kingdom’s relentless pursuit of the blood essence of the medicine man. He had already eliminated many Shadow Wraiths in secret, yet they seemed endless, emerging in wave after wave. It was clear that the Liao Kingdom had mobilized nearly all their Shadow Wraiths to seize the blood.
“The Liao Kingdom’s Shadow Wraiths have recently appeared near Bianjing. Avoid going out too often for now,” Chu Dingjiang warned.
An Jiu, who had been listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, simply nodded in response.
Lost in thought, Chu Dingjiang absentmindedly stroked her hair.
For a while, neither spoke, but both found comfort in the quiet peace of the moment.
In this era, marriage was the most significant event in a woman’s life—no different from a second chance at rebirth. Chu Dingjiang felt a pang of guilt when he realized he hadn’t even given An Jiu a proper wedding. So, setting aside worldly affairs, he stayed on the island with her for some time.
Outside, the world was bitterly cold, but inside, the room was as warm as spring. Chu Dingjiang, dressed in loose robes with his hair half-tied, reclined on a couch reading a book. His unrestrained ease stood in stark contrast to the rigid furnishings around him.
Meanwhile, An Jiu sat cross-legged nearby, engrossed in repairing the small trinkets she had collected from various places—so absorbed that she was even more focused than Chu Dingjiang with his book.
“Trifling with toys weakens the will,” Chu Dingjiang set his book down. “Wouldn’t practicing martial arts or reading be more useful than playing with these?”
An Jiu gave a vague hum of acknowledgment without even looking up.
Chu Dingjiang lightly tapped her head with the book. “Look up.”
An Jiu frowned, glaring at him with deep resentment.
“I’m not forbidding you from playing,” he said. “But with enemies at our doorstep, can’t you take your own life a little more seriously?” He grabbed a cloth bag and stuffed all her things inside. “Go train.”
“I’ve already trained for four hours,” An Jiu grumbled.
“How long did you train before?” Chu Dingjiang asked.
“How long ago?”
“In your past life.”
“About seven or eight hours.”
“What was the last thing that happened in your past life?” Chu Dingjiang pressed.
An Jiu hesitated but answered truthfully, “Got shot in the head.”
Chu Dingjiang quickly grasped the meaning. “See? That’s the consequence of inadequate training. Even after seven or eight hours a day, you still ended up like that. And now you dare to settle for just four?”
“Pfft.” An Jiu scoffed without hesitation. “The pot calling the kettle black. Weren’t you outsmarted by others before? At least I can make up for it with hard work, but your intelligence is what it is—you were already behind from the start. And now that you’re getting old, everything’s going downhill. No amount of struggle will help. I’ll go train! You’d better not waste your time.”
“You little brat!” Chu Dingjiang’s figure blurred as his sleeves fluttered, and in an instant, he appeared right in front of her.
An Jiu naturally wouldn’t just surrender.
The two clashed noisily, tussling around the room.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Shi Si! Shi Si!” A girl’s bright voice interrupted their fight.
An Jiu stopped and, still disheveled, went to open the door.
Lou Xiaowu bounded inside, grinning. “I heard you were back! Come to my place and play. That handgun you mentioned—I finally made it!”She tugged at An Jiu's hand and pulled her outside, completely unaware there was another person in the room.
A year had passed since they last met, and Lou Xiaowu had grown much taller, her features even more radiant. Only those large almond-shaped eyes remained unchanged. Yet her lively, chattering demeanor made it seem as though they had parted just two or three days ago. (To be continued...)
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