Chapter 101: Legs Went Soft

Chapter 101: Chapter 101: Legs Went Soft

Meeting Que Hongjin’s gentle, watery eyes, Qiao Suluo found herself unable to utter a word of refusal.

Seeing him unconscious for so long had already buried her heart in guilt. She genuinely wanted to make it up to him. But from the tone of his voice, this was the specific kind of compensation he wanted.

This... No matter how thick-skinned she was, she had never done something like this in the Spiritual Sea before. The only time was in Chu Moyuan’s Spiritual Sea, when he had kissed her while delirious.

Right now, with Que Hongjin kissing her, she couldn’t stop her entire body from trembling. Her senses in this space were far too acute, and she couldn’t help but let out a soft whimper. She reached out to push him away, but he didn’t budge an inch.

Hearing her voice made Que Hongjin’s heart flutter. A dark hunger colored the depths of his eyes as he held her tightly. He lowered his head and whispered hoarsely into her ear, "A Luo, I missed you so much."

As he said this, his voice carried a hint of suppressed restraint.

Qiao Suluo’s heart skipped a fierce beat. She felt as though her heartstrings had been gently plucked. "How could you miss me when you were unconscious?"

She didn’t believe his nonsense for a second.

Que Hongjin’s jade-like fingers gently caressed her brow before tracing down to her lips and neck. Qiao Suluo swallowed hard, finding him exceptionally seductive at this moment.

Watching her reaction, he said, "A Luo, you want it too, don’t you?

"Even when I was asleep, floating in the void, I was thinking of you."

Subconsciously, he had sensed that she was gone. The agonizing despair had wrapped tightly around him. It had been too painful. Therefore, upon waking, he desperately needed a physical way to feel her presence.

Hearing those words, Qiao Suluo didn’t have the heart to refuse. The Spiritual Sea it was, then.

Seeing her become obediently still, Que Hongjin knew she had consented.

"Be good. I’ll let you out in a little while."

He lowered his head to kiss her gently, and before long, he ignited a fiery passion. What followed was a tumultuous tossing and turning within the illusions of the Spiritual Sea. His picturesque eyes reflected her flushed cheeks as he grew increasingly wild and unrestrained.

He had said "a little while," but Qiao Suluo had no idea how much time actually passed. By the time she finally emerged from the Spiritual Sea, she could barely stand.

Fortunately, the Que Hongjin in the physical world had also woken up on the bed. In a flash, he caught her and pulled her into his embrace.

"Are your legs weak?"

Qiao Suluo glared at him reproachfully. "You’re still laughing? You promised it would only be a little while, but it took so long!"

Satiation was written all over Que Hongjin’s handsome features. He indulged her with good temper, "Alright, I shouldn’t have treated my wife that way. Next time, I will be gentler and more patient..."

He coaxed her softly and patiently, a gentle smile curving his lips. His picturesque eyes looked more enchanting than ever.

Seeing him like this made her feel like she was the one in the wrong. "Am I very heavy?"

Her physical body was completely different from her form in the Spiritual Sea. She also wanted to use her points to exchange for a weight loss pill to slim down quickly, but after her trip to the Ancient Secret Forest, she had spent all her points.

"Not heavy at all. You’re just right."

He truly didn’t want her to become as slim as her Spiritual Sea avatar. That version of her was too beautiful to keep hidden from the world.

Qiao Suluo leaned against Que Hongjin’s chest, panting softly as she tried to calm her breathing. The heightened sensations from earlier were still too intense.

As Que Hongjin held her, he finally felt his hollow heart fill up. "We’ll go home in a bit."

To him now, home was wherever she was.

Qiao Suluo explained, "The village is completely flooded right now. Bai Qianluo, Chu Moyuan, and I are currently living in a cave. If you come back with us, you’ll have to live in a cave, too."

She wasn’t sure if he would be able to adapt.

"If you want to live somewhere else, I can find a way to rent a house."

Renting a small courtyard in the county town would probably cost one or two taels of silver a month. She had silver on hand and could earn more every day, so it was entirely feasible.

Que Hongjin replied gently, "As long as you are there, I can live anywhere. There is nothing wrong with living in a cave."

He had once quickly adapted from a life of luxury to a rural village environment; adapting to a cave would be no different. The only thing that mattered was having her by his side.

"My wife cannot leave me out here all by myself."

If he didn’t go back, who knew how Bai Qianluo and Chu Moyuan would monopolize her?

As if recalling something, Que Hongjin’s slender fingers twitched slightly. He noticed two mate marks near her collarbone. One was his peacock mark, and the other was a White Whale mark. It was small, but the imprint was unmistakable.

His fingers paused, and a sharp pang pierced his heart. Even though she had explained her experiences in the Ancient Secret Forest to him while in the Spiritual Sea, and he knew she had formed a Contract with Bai Qianluo, actually seeing the mark still made his chest feel heavy.

But he didn’t let Qiao Suluo see his distress. It was natural for females to have multiple Beast Husbands. She was so wonderful; it was even more impossible for her to belong to him alone.

"When I came here, I noticed Nanlu Academy next door. I was thinking that since I have some silver now, I should send you to study there."

This area was relatively remote. If they rented a house nearby, it might make attending the academy easier for him.

A galaxy of stars seemed to swirl within Que Hongjin’s picturesque eyes. She had mentioned sending him to study before, but he had thought she was just saying it casually. He never expected her to be serious.

He affectionately stroked her hair and said, "Silly girl. The gift fee, along with the cost of brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, is far too expensive. There’s no need."

She worked so hard setting up her stall to earn money. He couldn’t bear to see her exhaust herself. She really was silly. No female would use her hard-earned silver to fund a Beast Husband’s education. Not only that, but it was an unspoken rule that Beast Husbands were required to surrender their dowry silver to their wives.

Unfortunately, he had been abandoned by his family and hadn’t brought her any dowry at all. At the thought of this, Que Hongjin’s guilt deepened.

"It’s nothing. I can always earn more money. Besides, once you become a government official, you can protect my business."

Having power and influence was the only way to run a successful business.

"Doesn’t my wife also need to redeem Tushan Feishang?

"Moreover, I can’t bear to be separated from you."

The silver she had was probably just enough for that. Sending him to Nanlu Academy would stretch her finances thin, and he really didn’t want her to struggle.

Thinking of Tushan Feishang, Qiao Suluo frowned slightly and said, "Fifty taels of silver is more than enough to redeem him, and the remaining ten or so taels are plenty to send you to study.

"Plus, I can earn more."

This was the silver she had obtained from selling the secret tofu recipe.

Que Hongjin sighed softly, his voice dripping with affection. "Whatever my wife wants me to do, I will do it."

Qiao Suluo blinked. "I want you to be happy.

"I know you love books, so you should enjoy studying. I just want to make you happy. As for the imperial exams, don’t feel any pressure. Even if you don’t do well, you still have me to earn money and support our family."

Qiao Suluo didn’t want Que Hongjin to feel any pressure. She purely wanted him to find joy in his studies. Her talk of him becoming an official to protect her business was just a way to coax him into agreeing. If he could become an official, that was naturally wonderful. But if he couldn’t, it didn’t matter at all.

Although Qiao Suluo was rather innocent and slow to pick up on matters of the heart, once she developed feelings and let someone in, she would fiercely protect and cherish them.

"Silly girl, why are you so silly?"

At this moment, his heart felt bathed in the nourishing, comforting warmth of a gentle spring rain. Her words were truly moving.

"But even if I study away from home, I will return every night."

Being apart from her for even a single day would feel like three long years. He could never bring himself to board at the academy.

Pacing back and forth in the courtyard, Chu Moyuan looked at Gu Songlan, who was busy sun-drying medicinal herbs. "Young Master Gu, what’s taking them so long?"

Gu Songlan’s movements paused. Blessed with Inner Strength, he had inadvertently caught the sounds coming from inside the room. Within a split second, he had tuned out the noises.

Even so, he knew exactly what they were doing in the Spiritual Sea...

A subtle ripple of emotion flickered through Gu Songlan’s elegant eyes.