Chapter 30: I Admit I Spoke a Little Too Loudly Earlier

Zhao Yong and Xu Sanduo brought quite a few things.

Carrying a sack on his back, Xu Sanduo said, "This is cured meat my family has stored for a long time. It’s all marinated from the Exotic Beast, Hua Zilu. My father hid it for ages. There’s only ten pounds, so please don’t mind the small amount."

Xu Guang wanted to decline.

"Promise me, don’t invite me if you ever get married again. I won’t have this much to give you next time," Xu Sanduo added.

Alien Species and Exotic Beasts were somewhat different. Alien Species were equivalent to Abnormal People among wild beasts, while Exotic Beasts were like the Martial Artists of the animal kingdom. Therefore, Exotic Beasts were much more common than Alien Species. Still, the fact that Xu Sanduo could bring out such an item made it incredibly precious.

Zhao Yong brought far fewer items: just a chicken, a sack of eggs, and a... Black Tiger?

"What is this?" Xu Guang asked.

The tall and burly Zhao Yong looked incredibly good-natured. He lifted the Black Tiger in his hands and looked at Xu Guang, whispering, "Junior brother, aren’t you curious about how I started my martial arts journey? I went through the Liu Family, one of the three great families in the Inner City. An uncle of mine used to be a steward at the Liu Mansion. The Liu family has a hobby of keeping tigers. Although they aren’t Alien Species, tigers are naturally ferocious, and the Liu family has tamed them to be quite obedient. This little guy was born from one of them. Since you plan to join the army, your mother, wife, and children at home will need some protection. Once this little guy grows up, it can deter petty thieves."

Xu Guang knew that the prominent clans in the city all had the habit of taming ferocious beasts and hounds. Such was the extravagance of the wealthy clans. While people in the Outer City were so poor they couldn’t even fill their stomachs, those in the Inner City continued to live in luxury, eating fine foods and even raising dangerous beasts in their homes.

Before Xu Guang could decline, Zhao Yong smiled and added, "The Liu family felt that Black Tigers were unlucky and originally wanted to throw it away. You don’t think my gift is too shabby, do you, junior brother?"

Xu Guang looked touched. Both Zhao Yong and Xu Sanduo treated him as a true friend. Feeling emotional, he closed his eyes briefly to suppress the welling sentiment.

"Senior brothers, please come in. You two are the only guests today. Let’s eat."

Wang Ming had brought wine, and everyone drank to their hearts’ content. They were, after all, young and full of spirit. Once Wang Ming started bragging, the others couldn’t stop themselves from joining in.

Xu Sanduo patted Xu Guang’s shoulder. "Junior brother, I admire you. I don’t have your courage to just join the army right off the bat. Who can really say they understand the true intentions of the Yellow Heaven Sect outside the city?"

Xu Guang smiled in response.

It wasn’t just Xu Sanduo; Zhao Yong also expressed a desire to join the military. However, his agreement with the Liu family was far harsher than Xu Guang’s gentleman’s agreement with the Cheng family. Zhao Yong was a man who valued his promises. For the rest of his life, his life belonged solely to the Liu family.

Xu Guang didn’t drink too much. Around nightfall, he escorted each of them home. His mother, Mrs. Xu, and his eldest sister, Xu Chun, were already cleaning up the mess, and Wang Wen had long since gone to sleep.

"Alright, Lu is already waiting for you in your room. Hurry up and go, don’t make her wait anxiously." His eldest sister was as fierce as ever. Her words always left Xu Guang speechless.

In this world, marriages among the commoner class were quite simple, especially now when the city was experiencing a massive food shortage. Xu Guang wasn’t entirely used to it, but he felt rather comfortable.

Even though he hadn’t known Ji Xiaolu for long, he had a very favorable impression of her. He could clearly sense that his mother had been smiling much more these past few days. He already knew how important carrying on the family line was in this world. Now that he was married, he felt the weight of it on a much deeper level.

CREAAK. The ancient wooden door always let out a harsh, raspy sound when pushed open. Standing at the doorway, Xu Guang suddenly felt a sense of loss. It was his first time getting married across two lifetimes. It felt incredibly wonderful, yet also a bit terrifying.

"Is... is that Brother Guang?" Ji Xiaolu’s recovered voice sounded soft and heartwarming, carrying a hint of shyness and joy.

A young girl could never hide her feelings. After Xu Guang erected a tombstone for her mother, she had completely accepted him as her husband. He was the only hope keeping her alive. When her eldest brother escorted her and her mother across the river that day, that unsteady little boat had carried her hopes and her dreams for the future. However, to lure away their pursuers, her brother had jumped into the turbulent Wei River. Deep down, she knew he was likely never coming back.

Xu Guang had no idea Ji Xiaolu was having so many thoughts in that brief moment. He merely stood stiffly in place. Nervously hugging the Little Black Tiger that Zhao Yong had gifted them, Ji Xiaolu looked timidly toward the doorway as Xu Guang awkwardly broke the silence.

"Lu, are you... not asleep yet?"

Even though Ji Xiaolu had heard Mrs. Xu describe how dense Xu Guang was when it came to romance, she still felt utterly dumbfounded at this moment. On their wedding night, the very first thing the groom asked upon returning was whether the bride was asleep yet?

Ji Xiaolu felt a bit annoyed. The touching emotions that had just filled her mind instantly vanished. Speechless, she said, "Brother Guang, just come inside already!"

She swore that if it weren’t for the tradition forbidding a bride from touching the floor, she would have dragged Xu Guang into the room herself.

As Xu Guang stepped inside, Ji Xiaolu blew out the candle. In the pitch-black night, Xu Guang felt as if he were being controlled by some unknown entity as he walked toward the bed. The young girl’s hot body pressed against him.

"Brother Guang, I am yours from now on."

Xu Guang was still nervous, but his primal biological desires seemed to ignite. He turned around abruptly and tightly embraced the fiery body pressed against his back.

YOWL, YOWL!

The Little Black Tiger was kicked off the bed, looking extremely wronged.

The night grew unprecedentedly passionate. For the first time, Xu Guang tasted the pleasures of the flesh and understood why Xu Sanduo was so obsessed with it.

"Lu, let’s do it one more time."

"Mmhmm."

It wasn’t until midnight that Xu Guang finally released his long-accumulated desires. He looked tenderly at Ji Xiaolu, who had long since fallen asleep. The young girl looked exhausted, but with a smile on her lips, she exuded a unique kind of beauty.

A deep sense of peace washed over him. For some reason, after making love to Ji Xiaolu just now, he felt his Two Paths of Bloodline Power boiling. Whether it was the Blood Eye or the Stone Skin, both were constantly active, as if undergoing some sort of transformation. They seemed to have grown stronger. The enhancement of his Bloodline Power fed back into his body. Astonishingly, just by lying in bed, his Bone Forging progress had imperceptibly increased by a significant margin.

Xu Guang looked surprised. He wondered what was going on and whether Bloodline Power could actually be improved through Yin-Yang Harmony. That shouldn’t be the case. He had previously asked Wang Ming about the Abnormal People in the city. Many of them had wives, but according to Wang Ming, those people only treated women as a channel to vent their lust.

Unconsciously, his gaze landed on Ji Xiaolu’s face. He wondered if this was happening because of Ji Xiaolu. Was this the godly anomaly on Ji Xiaolu that the Searcher had mentioned? The legendary Furnace Body Constitution? Or something else entirely?

Xu Guang was quite astonished. He now admitted that he had spoken a bit too dismissively of the Searcher earlier.

Outside, it started snowing again.

Early the next morning, Ji Xiaolu got up to help Mrs. Xu cook. Hearing his mother telling Ji Xiaolu to go back and rest, a smile crept onto Xu Guang’s lips.

CREAAK. The wooden door once again let out an unpleasant sound. Carrying a washbasin, Ji Xiaolu walked in from outside with a strange gait, bringing a gust of cold wind with her. She hurriedly set the basin down and closed the door.

"Brother Guang, are you awake? Mother asked me to help you wash your face."

Xu Guang sat up in bed. Watching Ji Xiaolu bustling about, a thought unexpectedly sprouted in his heart: living just like this would be wonderful. Spending every day with his lovely wife, raising children, honoring his mother, and living out his life just like this.

However, he tossed this thought aside in the blink of an eye. Setting aside his blood feud, he needed to continue working hard just to ensure his family’s safety. He never wanted to experience the helplessness of five years ago again, when his father was severely injured by someone and he could only watch from the sidelines.

Over the next few days, Xu Guang truly understood what it meant for a woman to be a "hero’s tomb." Ji Xiaolu’s soft, tender, and luscious body left him so captivated that he nearly neglected his cultivation altogether. A day later, Xu Guang finally made up his mind to buckle down and push himself to work hard again.

There was another reason for this: he discovered that when he was intimate with Ji Xiaolu, the changes triggered in his Bloodline Power were becoming fewer and fewer. It was as if that mysterious power within her body had vanished. Worry rose in his heart as he wondered if that had been Ji Xiaolu’s core essence.

Xu Guang immediately examined Ji Xiaolu’s body. He even disguised her with some makeup and took her to the medical clinic for a checkup. Only after confirming that she was perfectly fine did he finally relax. However, he made up his mind that once the Searcher finished its cooldown, he would investigate exactly what was going on with her body.

The clingy affection following their marriage made him quite fond of Ji Xiaolu now.

In the depths of winter, it snowed increasingly often. Frequently, a fresh layer of snow would fall before the previous one had even melted. Feiyun City was covered in a blanket of pristine white snow. Xu Guang wore black martial attire while Ji Xiaolu stood in front of him, standing on her tiptoes to drape a cloak over his shoulders. This cloak was newly made for him by Ji Xiaolu and Mrs. Xu a few days ago, using the wolf pelt Xu Sanduo had given them.

"Brother Guang, it’s so cold outside, and we still have enough food at home. Must you go out?"

Xu Guang reached out and patted the head of Lu, who had now blossomed into a young woman. He smiled and replied, "I know what I’m doing. I’m just going out for a walk."

Ji Xiaolu said no more. Ever since they got married, her whole heart was set on Xu Guang. She never contradicted anything he said; at most, she would just voice her opinion.

Donning the wolf-pelt cloak, Xu Guang cut quite a striking figure. He was already handsome to begin with, and coupled with the physical changes brought by his Stone Skin Bloodline Power, he truly gave off the aura of a noble lord standing amidst the snowy landscape. Ji Xiaolu felt incredibly proud. This was her husband. In this era where a husband was considered a woman’s heaven, anything notable Xu Guang achieved would bring her a deep sense of pride.

Xu Guang swung his cloak, drawing an arc in the air. Then, he stepped through the pristine snow and headed into the distance. The blizzard was so heavy that his figure soon vanished from sight.