Chapter 41 Meeting the Parents

Sang Ying’s entire body tensed, her mind going blank.

Back when she was playing around, she had enjoyed herself thoroughly—fooling him into thinking he was her lover, watching him grow jealous of himself. But now that his memories had returned, what was she supposed to do?

Unable to think of a solution, Sang Ying decisively decided to play dumb. She blinked innocently, “What are you talking about? Why are you suddenly calling me that?”

The young man lifted a strand of her hair, winding it gently around his finger. Hearing her words, he chuckled softly, “Has junior sister truly forgotten?”

Sang Ying spoke with false bravado, “You lost your memory, so isn’t it normal for me to have lost mine too?”

“Indeed, junior sister makes a fair point.”

As he spoke, he released the strand of hair. His cool fingertips trailed to the back of her neck, hooking lightly as if untying a ribbon on a gift, and loosened the red cord beneath her collar.

!!

Her chest felt a sudden looseness—the innermost garment was about to slip off. Though her outer robes remained untouched, Sang Ying still felt a wave of panic, an unsettling sense of vulnerability. She hurriedly reached up to cover herself.

…He was undoing it far too skillfully now!

Last time, he hadn’t known what he was doing—fumbling for ages without success, even tying it into a knot before finally tearing it.

Cool, slender fingers clasped her ankle, the knuckles slowly caressing upward.

Her belt loosened, and the tip of the dragon tail slipped inside her robes. The jade-like scales brushed against her skin, and Sang Ying shuddered violently.

Trapped from both front and back, Sang Ying flusteredly reached with one hand to grab his wrist, the other to seize the dragon tail, her ears burning red.

“Xie Lingyu! What are you doing? Stop touching me!”

With both hands occupied trying to restrain him, her rabbit tail was left completely exposed and defenseless. The young man lowered his head, his teeth grazing her collarbone.

Sang Ying trembled violently, instinctively trying to push him away. But the dragon tail and his hands instead seized her wrists, holding her firmly in place.

A ticklish sensation spread from her collarbone, his breath warm against it. The green jade pendant between them grew hot. His voice was unhurried, “Since junior sister claims not to remember, I suppose I’ll have to reenact what happened that day to help her recall.”

With that, his fingers hooked her clothing, pulling it downward. Her rabbit tail felt a sudden chill, exposed to the air, and Sang Ying shivered.

Seeing the young man lower his head as if to bite her rabbit tail, she panicked.

Though in the real timeline they had been intimate just days ago, in the tree demon’s timeline, they hadn’t seen each other for a century.

Suddenly subjected to such contact, she couldn’t bear the intensity of the stimulation. Just the sight of his gaze fixed there made her face burn fiercely. In her panic, she blurted out, “Alright, alright! No need to help me remember—I’ve recalled everything!”

Xie Lingyu’s fingertip lightly tapped the tip of her rabbit tail, “Has junior sister truly remembered?”

Sang Ying shuddered abruptly, her ears growing even hotter, and nodded repeatedly.

“Then why doesn’t junior sister tell me?”

Sang Ying just wanted him to release her as soon as possible, her words tumbling out rapidly, “I took advantage of your amnesia and tricked you into thinking you were my lover. I even said we were having an affair.”

“Even though I said that, you were the one who initiated the affair! It’s not my fault!”

“It seems junior sister really does remember.”

The young man spoke leisurely, and Sang Ying, seeing this, sighed in relief, “Then hurry up and let me go… Ah!”

Sang Ying’s eyelashes fluttered. Her rabbit tail was unexpectedly bitten, and she couldn’t suppress a soft whimper, the corners of her eyes tinged red.

“Xie Lingyu! I already said I remembered—you don’t need to help anymore! What are you doing now?!”

The young man’s voice was somewhat muffled as he pinned her slender wrist with one hand, lifting it high while lowering his head to kiss her leisurely. “Didn’t you say I was your lover, Shimei? Then naturally, I should do what a lover ought to do.”

It was only then that Sang Ying finally understood—what helping her recover her memories? He had been deliberate from the start! This lustful dragon!

Flushed with both embarrassment and anger, she pushed him away with a sudden burst of strength. With a thud, his back collided against the headboard, and he let out a muffled groan.

Sang Ying was momentarily stunned, not expecting she could actually push him away. She glanced at her hand. Had she suddenly gained some divine strength, enabling her to overpower even a Divine Transformation Stage cultivator?

But when she looked up, under the moonlight, the young man’s face appeared even paler. His brows were slightly furrowed as he leaned against the headboard, breathing heavily. His lips were pale and chapped, with a trace of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

Sang Ying realized it wasn’t that she had gained some divine strength—it was that he was now so weakened that even she, a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator, was stronger than him!

No wonder she had been able to pin him to the bed when she woke up earlier. She had thought he was caught off guard and hadn’t reacted, but it turned out he was genuinely weak now.

Without even bothering to adjust her clothes, she hurriedly leaned closer to check on him. “Xie Lingyu, are you alright?”

Helping him settle comfortably against the headboard, Sang Ying examined his injuries. Thankfully, they hadn’t reopened. She breathed a slight sigh of relief but couldn’t suppress her frustration. “Even injured like this, you’re still thinking about that kind of thing, you lustful dragon!”

Xie Lingyu glanced at her calmly. “Didn’t you say I wasn’t capable, Shimei?”

Sang Ying stiffened, recalling the careless words she had thrown out when he pressed her earlier. The tips of her ears flushed red.

So now that she had reached Foundation Establishment and could engage in Dual Cultivation, he was in such a hurry to prove himself?

Tucking the blanket snugly around him, Sang Ying snorted heavily. “Whether you were capable before or not, I don’t know. But I do know that someone right now is definitely not capable.”

She deliberately emphasized the last two words, her gaze flickering to the thick bandages wrapped around his chest.

Xie Lingyu: “…”

Sang Ying had never engaged in Dual Cultivation before. In her mind, Dual Cultivation was equivalent to cultivation, just with one person becoming two.

In her understanding, cultivation was an exhausting endeavor. Over the past century, she had pushed herself to the point of exhaustion every single day.

And Xie Lingyu, injured as he was now, even coughing up blood from a minor impact—there was no way he could handle cultivation in this state.

Sang Ying fetched a small stool and sat by the bedside, propping her chin in her hands as she looked at him. “Alright, you should get some proper rest. I’ll keep watch beside you.”

Xie Lingyu patted the empty space on the bed. “There’s still room here, Shimei. You must be tired too. Why not lie down and rest together?”

Sang Ying shot him a sidelong glance and snorted softly. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re planning. You’re definitely going to hug me once I fall asleep. Don’t even think about it.”

This lustful dragon would cling to her without any regard for his own condition. If he hugged her while sleeping, his wounds might reopen. This time, she had deliberately chosen to sit on the stool—there was no way she would let him succeed!

The Luo Qing Sword hung by the headboard. Sang Ying propped her chin with one hand while poking the sword’s blade with the other. Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she lifted her head abruptly, her ears tinged red. “Xie Lingyu, when we… that time, did Luo Qing know everything?”

Xie Lingyu leaned against the headboard, leisurely raising his long lashes. “What exactly are you referring to, Shimei?”

Sang Ying twisted her fingers nervously, her voice as soft as a mosquito’s hum. “I mean… when we were kissing.”

The Luo Qing Sword suddenly spoke up. “So every time you two blocked me out, you were secretly kissing behind my back!”

Sang Ying: “…”

Xie Lingyu’s tone was light and dismissive: “I really didn’t know before, but now, it knows.”

Luo Qing suddenly popped out from the sword, the little chubby dragon widening its eyes to look at her, curiously pressing further: “How long have you been hiding it from me and kissing?”

“What does kissing feel like?”

“Do you kiss on the lips or somewhere else?”

“When you two kiss… mmm!”

Sang Ying’s face flushed uncontrollably as she hurriedly covered its mouth, stuffing the dragon back into the sword. “These aren’t things children should know!”

“I’m not a child anymore!”

“Sang Ying, when are you and the boss going to kiss next? I want to watch too—”

Unable to hold it down, Sang Ying cast a pleading glance toward Xie Lingyu: “Xie Lingyu…”

The young man leaned against the headboard, his tone airy. “Has Shimei forgotten? I always require payment for my help.”

Sang Ying knew exactly what he was thinking and gritted her teeth. “Fine, I’ll agree to sleep with you!”

Luo Qing’s chattering abruptly ceased as it was sealed back into the sword. Sang Ying finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Xie Lingyu made room on the inner side of the bed, and Sang Ying carefully turned over to lie down.

Just as Xie Lingyu was about to pull the girl into his embrace, she suddenly produced another quilt, shaking it open and covering herself.

“I only said I’d sleep with you. I didn’t agree to being held,” she turned her head and snorted lightly, pushing him away with a huff against his shoulder. “Until your injuries are healed, you’re not allowed to touch me.”

“…Not even holding?”

Sang Ying refused to budge: “No!”

Perhaps because Sang Ying’s attitude was so resolute, the young man actually didn’t try to hold her again. He just glanced at her with his dark eyes before obediently lying back down.

Worried about his injuries, Sang Ying couldn’t sleep at all. After a while, she opened her eyes to find the young man already asleep.

He looked peaceful in his sleep, his eyes closed, hiding those always startlingly intense eyes. Lying there with his hair loosely spread, he even gave Sang Ying a fleeting illusion of docility.

Sang Ying propped her chin on her hand, watching him, her expression softening involuntarily. It really had been so long since she’d seen him.

Although the waiting had been hard and agonizing, the moment she saw him again, none of it mattered anymore.

And perhaps she should even be grateful for this separation. If not for it, she might never have reached Foundation Establishment.

Xie Lingyu had always stood in front of her, protecting her, never letting her suffer. She had always relied on him, and it had become a habit.

Sang Ying quietly slipped out of bed and went to the kitchen in the house, starting to simmer the medicinal broth Shen Ying had given her.

At home, it was always Jingxi or Lengmian who brewed the medicine. Sang Ying had never done it herself, so she fumbled for quite a while before getting it right, carefully following the prescription step by step.

To better release the medicinal properties, she used her own Spiritual Fire to simmer it slowly over low heat.

After about three hours, it was almost done. Just as Sang Ying was about to pour it out, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded at the door.

Sang Ying turned to see the young man standing at the doorway, his dark eyes tense, relaxing only slightly when he saw her.

“What are you doing?”

Sang Ying blinked. “Brewing medicine… Why did you come here?”

Seeing his pale, bloodless face, her expression turned serious as she pushed him back toward the room. “No wandering around. Go back and lie down properly!”

Xie Lingyu was thus forcibly pressed back onto the bed by her to recuperate, ordered not to get out of bed, and could only watch as the young girl bustled about the room before finally sitting beside him and picking up the medicine bowl.

A speck of dust clung to the tip of her nose. She lowered her head, blew on the medicine spoon, and brought it to his lips. “Open up.”

Xie Lingyu, experiencing this for the first time in his life, fell silent for a moment. “Junior Sister, my hands are fine.”

Sang Ying also stiffened.

Xie Lingyu took the medicine bowl, drank it all in one go, and set it down with a calm expression. He then unfolded a handkerchief, wiped the dust from the tip of her nose, and took her hand to clean it as well.

“These are not things Junior Sister should be doing. Don’t do them in the future.”

…How ungrateful!

Sang Ying was a bit annoyed and turned her head away. She had kindly brewed medicine for him, and he actually didn’t appreciate it!

“When Junior Sister was still on Minghua Mountain, she was the young lady of the sect, pampered and sheltered, never having to lift a finger or serve anyone.”

Sang Ying glanced at him. Did he actually want to complain that she didn’t serve him well enough?

“Though I am honored to be the first person Junior Sister has served, now that Junior Sister has married me…”

Her chin was gently lifted as the young man planted a kiss on her cheek, his clear voice soft. “Then it should be my duty to serve the young lady.”

Sang Ying was taken aback, her ears immediately growing warm. She pushed his face away. “What nonsense are you spouting so early in the morning?”

Xie Lingyu stood up and took her hand, leading her outside.

Sang Ying was puzzled. “What do you want to do? Your injuries aren’t healed yet—where are we going?”

“The Yaochi Secret Realm is, after all, Yaochi’s territory and not the best place to recuperate. I’m taking Junior Sister to another place where we won’t be disturbed.”

Sang Ying thought for a moment, then suddenly had an idea. “Yun Ling Realm?”

Xie Lingyu paused. “How does Junior Sister know about that?”

Of course, it was his father, the Demon Emperor, who had told her. But since Sang Ying had already promised the Demon Emperor to keep it a secret, she certainly wouldn’t say.

She snorted lightly. “Are you referring to a certain dragon who had a home but refused to return, pretending to be an orphan just to stay on Minghua Mountain and learn swordsmanship?”

From her words, Xie Lingyu deduced how she knew. He glanced at her calmly. “Junior Sister got one thing wrong.”

Sang Ying was confused. “What did I get wrong?”

His own father had said exactly that—could it be untrue?

“I stayed on Minghua Mountain not to learn swordsmanship.”

Sang Ying was even more puzzled. If not for swordsmanship, then why? Was it youthful rebellion, not wanting to go home?

Before she could figure it out, the young man suddenly asked, “This residence—was it where Junior Sister lived for those hundred years?”

Sang Ying nodded slightly. “Qingying entrenched herself and guarded this Yaoshui Town. Surprisingly, the buildings from back then are still well-preserved, with hardly any changes. Why do you ask?”

Before he could answer, Sang Ying already knew.

The young man used Sleeve Cosmos to collect the entire residence, then took her hand and said calmly, “Let’s go.”

Sang Ying: “…”

Tsk, after a hundred years apart, he seems to have grown even more… eccentric. Now it’s not just her undergarments—he even wants to collect the places she’s lived in.

Shen Ying wasn’t surprised to see them leaving the Yaochi Secret Realm. She waved at Sang Ying and happily had a fairy escort them out of the realm.

Turning back, she looked at the desolate scene in the restricted zone. Before she could even sigh, a fairy approached with a grave expression.

“Saintess, the elders are summoning you.”

Xie Lingyu was injured and unable to fly by sword, so Sang Ying used an Illusion Form Talisman to disguise their identities and called a carriage to take them.

Having stayed up all night, Sang Ying grew drowsy on the way to the Yun Ling Realm in the Demon Realm. Leaning against Xie Lingyu’s shoulder in the carriage, she soon fell asleep.

Perhaps because she was about to meet Xie Lingyu’s parents, Sang Ying had a dream. In it, Xie Lingyu’s father was a dignified dragon, and his mother was a graceful dragon. The two dragons stood side by side, staring intently at her. After scrutinizing her for a long time, they said, “We don’t approve of you two being together!”

Sang Ying was bewildered. “Why?”

The two dragons twisted together like a braid and spoke in unison: “Because you’re not a dragon, and you don’t even have a tail!”

Sang Ying jolted awake, her eyes snapping open.

“Did you have a nightmare?” the young man beside her asked.

“Hmm… I’m not sure if it counts as a nightmare.”

Sang Ying rubbed her temples. “I dreamed that your parents, two dragons, were twisted together like a braid, and…”

As she spoke, she looked up and suddenly noticed the young man’s expression shift. She quickly stopped herself. “Um, I was just talking nonsense. Sorry if I offended your parents.”

“…”

Xie Lingyu fell silent for a few seconds. “Before we came, you asked me why I never told you about them.”

Sang Ying nodded. “Why?”

Xie Lingyu pinched her cheek with his knuckles, turning her face toward the carriage window, then lifted the curtain.

Amidst the mist-shrouded celestial realm, above the clouds, two Qinglong dragons coiled and swam through the mist. One was slightly smaller and lighter in color, flying toward their Demon Carriage.

Their flying posture, however, was rather peculiar. The two dragons were twisted together like a braid, spinning like a drill, a dizzying sight.

Sang Ying gasped. “Could it be…?”

The young man behind her calmly replied, “Mhm.”

Sang Ying: “…”

Wait, she’d only had a dream—how could it have come true?!

Next, it wouldn’t really be like in the dream, would it…?

The Qinglong moved swiftly, landing on the ground in the blink of an eye and transforming into a man and a woman. The man had a stern face, while the woman’s features were gentle and graceful.

…They really were exactly like in the dream.

Sang Ying hesitated, but the young man beside her had already taken her hand and led her out of the Demon Carriage, stopping before the two.

Only then did Sang Ying notice that their Dragon Tails were still entwined behind them. The rings binding the tips of their tails shone in a bright gold-red hue, the tips swaying gently.

She remembered Xie Lingyu saying that the Binding Rings were originally gold, but with each session of Dual Cultivation, a Crimson Pattern would appear. After many sessions, they would gradually turn gold-red.

…It seemed Xie Lingyu’s parents were quite affectionate.

Their gazes remained fixed on her, not even sparing a glance for Xie Lingyu beside her.

Sang Ying took a deep breath and was about to greet them when the woman in front of her, after scrutinizing her seriously, suddenly stretched out both hands.

Then Sang Ying felt herself lifted lightly into the air, held in the woman’s embrace.

Sang Ying: ?

The gentle-looking woman effortlessly spun her around twice, her eyes filled with amazement. “Xiao Yu! Your wife is just too adorable!! So tiny, so light to hold, ahhh she’s so cute—”

Xie Lingyu pulled her back with a cold expression, shielding her behind him.

“Don’t you have your own wife?”