Keeping the Appointment

Creak... Creak...

The wind blew through the green leaves; it was the warm spring season when flowers bloomed.

White clouds drifted leisurely across the sky above Sunset Mountain.

In the courtyard.

Xiao Qingli and Qin Ke'er were sweeping the fallen leaves.

"Sister Ke'er."

"Why do you think so many green leaves are falling in spring? Shouldn't fallen leaves be yellow?" Xiao Qingli asked Qin Ke'er in confusion, holding a broom and sweeping the green leaves in the courtyard.

"I don't know either."

Qin Ke'er shook her head. "Maybe they were shaken down by the noises coming from the house."

"Is that so?"

Qingli rested her chin on the broom handle, looking somewhat naively at the small house in the courtyard. Pouting, she said, "Big Brother and Sister Qingxue have been in there for three months. Sister Ke'er, do you know what they're doing?"

"Qingli misses Big Brother so much..."

"I want Big Brother to hug me..."

Just then, another green leaf fell from the tree, fluttering in the air before finally landing on Xiao Qingli's head like a tiny hat.

Qin Ke'er cast her gaze toward the small house in the courtyard.

From inside, the creaking sound of a shaking bed frame could be heard from time to time, accompanied by the high-pitched moans of a young woman.

"Heartless man... be gentle..."

"Don't..."

"...This is all... all your punishment for betraying me..."

Cultivators had excellent hearing. While Xiao Qingli could only faintly hear the sound of the wooden boards rocking, Qin Ke'er could hear every single movement inside perfectly.

Did those two bastards ever think about holding back at all?

Qin Ke'er spat in her heart.

It made it so she couldn't sleep at night, forcing her to use the secret method given by the Eldest Senior Sister of the Medicine Peak: the mining to sleep technique. Before going to bed, she would imagine the scenes inside the house, release her desires, and only then could she fall asleep.

But recently, its effectiveness had worsened.

Because just listening to the sounds was no longer enough to satisfy her.

"Should I go take a peek?" A scandalous thought suddenly popped into Qin Ke'er's mind.

After all, those two bastards didn't care in the slightest.

Suddenly, a milky, childish voice rang out, interrupting Qin Ke'er's fantasies.

"Sister Ke'er, your face is so red."

She saw Xiao Qingli looking at her with an innocent expression.

"Are you sick?"

"N-No, it's nothing."

Qin Ke'er hurriedly wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead and forced an awkward smile. "It's just a little hot. Let's quickly sweep away the leaves in the courtyard, and Sister Ke'er will take you out to play and buy candied hawthorns."

"Yay!"

Hearing about candied hawthorns, Xiao Qingli immediately cheered.

Whoosh—

Under the bright and clear sky, another gust of fresh wind blew past, scattering green leaves through the air and enveloping their figures in a sea of green.

Meanwhile, inside the small house.

This protracted battle had finally come to an end.

Lin Qingxue lay panting heavily on Ye Shu's chest, lacking the strength to lift even a single finger. Her skin was covered in dense beads of sweat, glistening in the light filtering through the window.

In contrast, Ye Shu was faring much better.

His cultivation, which was a notch higher than Lin Qingxue's, allowed him to handle this battle with ease. Although he was still surprised by Lin Qingxue's relentless demands day and night over the past three months, it was still somewhat lacking compared to his battles with Medusa.

After all, there was an insurmountable chasm between the Void Return realm and the Foundation Establishment realm.

He propped himself up with some effort and used his hands to lift Lin Qingxue a bit higher. Their sweat-drenched bodies were like slippery loaches, making it hard to hold onto each other securely.

Eventually, Ye Shu employed a little securing measure.

The price was Lin Qingxue shooting him an annoyed glare. "You big pervert! You're still taking advantage of me even when I'm like this."

"Who exactly is taking advantage of whom?"

Ye Shu wrapped his arms around her, looking around the room in speechlessness.

As far as the eye could see, tables were overturned and chairs were collapsed. The place was a complete mess, filled everywhere with the traces of their lovemaking.

Looking at these masterpieces, Ye Shu lowered his head helplessly and planted a kiss on Lin Qingxue's fragrant cheek.

"Are you satisfied now?"

"Little glutton."

"Hmph!"

Although Lin Qingxue's body was weak, her mouth remained stubborn. "This is all your punishment for your betrayal, you know? Besides... besides, this lady isn't that bored."

"I don't like doing this kind of thing with you at all."

Hearing this, Ye Shu found it highly amusing.

If this was a punishment, then he really hoped Lin Qingxue would dish out more of it.

"You don't like doing this kind of thing, yet you still forced yourself on me?"

"And kept at it for three whole months?"

Ye Shu smiled as he hooked a finger under her chin, gazing into her still-dodging eyes.

"I-I did not."

Lin Qingxue muttered softly.

She lowered her head, gently touching her lower abdomen, a flash of shyness and anticipation in her eyes. "I just want to get pregnant with our child."

"Get pregnant with our child?"

Ye Shu was taken aback and asked subconsciously, "Why?"

"Because... because..."

Lin Qingxue kept her head down, her large eyes misting over with tears, her voice as quiet as a mosquito's buzz. "Because I'm afraid... Someone as outstanding as you will definitely be liked by many girls."

"But I..."

Seeing that Ye Shu wanted to speak up and defend himself, Lin Qingxue raised an index finger, pressing it against his lips, and let out a delicate hmph.

"No talking, you cheating, heartless man."

"Well, honestly, I expected this day would come. After all, you're such an excellent person. Even if everyone hates you, even someone as stupid as me can see your good qualities, so how could other women fail to see them?"

"I just didn't expect it to happen so fast."

"And your cultivation level improved far too quickly. When we first met, you were just a big idiot at the third level of Qi Condensation."

A trace of nostalgia flashed through Lin Qingxue's eyes.

"Back then, a casual strike from me could send you skipping across the river like a stone."

"But in the blink of an eye, you're already at the peak of the Golden Core realm."

"It's very difficult for cultivators to conceive. If the gap in cultivation is too large, it becomes even harder."

"I'm afraid that in the future, I'll never be able to catch up to your footsteps again..."

"So you...?"

Ye Shu was stunned.

He truly hadn't expected this usually careless, tsundere girl to have such delicate thoughts.

"So I wanted to take this chance right now to bear you a child."

"So that's the reason you went at it so hard for three months," Ye Shu said, utterly dumbfounded.

"That's right!"

Lin Qingxue puffed out her cheeks and threatened angrily, "This way, if you, you heartless man, ever bully me in the future, I'll beat up your child as hard as I can!"

"Alright then."

Ye Shu had a hard time processing this revelation.

Then, he suddenly flipped over, pinning Lin Qingxue beneath him.

"Eek!"

Lin Qingxue cried out in alarm, "What are you doing?!"

"Naturally, I'm making sure our little sister Qingxue... gets pregnant with an adorable child."

"Wait! I haven't rested enough yet."

"Ah!"

"Bastard! Be gentle!"

..................

Day and night rotated.

Perhaps the heavens took pity on them after Lin Qingxue's confession, because just three days later, Ye Shu felt the aura of life within her womb.

Upon hearing the news, Lin Qingxue wept tears of joy.

Finally, she no longer had to be tormented day after day by that beast, Ye Shu.

Overjoyed, she fell asleep right then and there.

Ye Shu sat by the edge of the bed, watching the soundly sleeping Lin Qingxue, a rare tenderness shining in his eyes.

Even though Lin Qingxue was the most foolish.

She was also the most innocent and the most endearing.

"I am the one who failed to keep my promise," Ye Shu apologized in a low voice, gently stroking her cheek.

This man, who had never broken a vow in his life, had finally broken one.

With that, he put on his clothes.

Under the starlit sky, he strode out of the courtyard, strode out of the Qingxuan Sect, and headed toward the distant horizon.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

Sitting on his shoulder, Xiaobai kicked him, her eyes red. "You heartless scoundrel, running away right after getting her pregnant. I hate you the most."

"I am not running away," Ye Shu replied as he walked.

"Calculating the time, it has been almost a year. It is time for me to keep my appointment."

"After I fulfill the agreement, I will return."

"To stay by her side."