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The inner world of the Star God Palace.
Birds sang over the burbling of flowing water as the fragrance of flowers filled the air. Caizhi sat on a stone by the creek, with her soft hands pressed up against her beautiful cheeks. She blurrily gazed off into the distance as her two fair and delicate legs subconsciously kicked the stream water, sending blooms of water splashing up into the air.
At this time, her eyes moved slightly as she noticed that Yun Che had appeared out of nowhere and was currently moving towards her at a leisurely pace.
Caizhi’s starry eyes turned with a “whoosh”, and her lips unconsciously started to pout, “You’re going to leave tomorrow, so what are you doing here instead of accompanying my sister?”
Yun Che walked over and said in a voice filled with exaggerated abasement, “Of course it’s to see my newly-wedded wife.”
That overly-shady form of address caused panic to flash clearly in Caizhi’s eyes as she gave a prompt and hurried rebuttal, “Who… Just who is your newly-wedded wife!?”
After she said that she lowered her small and lovely head, and muttered to herself in a very soft voice, “Miser!”
“Miser?” Yun Che said with a widened eyes, “In what way have I been cheap?”
“Oh you still dare to say that!” Caizhi’s fair and tender face turned around, and she pointed a finger at the ring that Yun Che wore on his left hand as she exclaimed indignantly, “That ring is something that is a memento of Big Brother, it’s my protective charm and also the most important thing that belonged to me!”
“I gave you the most important thing in my life, but you actually dared to give me this lousy sword in return, and you still dare to say that you’re not a miser!? Hmphh!!”
“…” Yun Che was instantly struck speechless. Caizhi’s train of thoughts… were really hard for him to keep up with.
“That’s not some lousy sword, that’s my…” Just as he had started to speak, he saw that Caizhi’s lips had formed such a pout that one could hang an oil jar on it. So Yun Che had no choice but to stop his explanation and raise his hands placatingly as he said, “Fine, fine, fine, then what do you want? If I have it on my person right now, I will definitely give it to you.”
“Remember, that’s what you said!” Caizhi said as her starry eyes brightened and her two canines, which peeked from behind her delicate smiling lips, flashed with a pearly luminescence.
“…” Yun Che was suddenly struck by a feeling that he had been tricked, but he could only put on a bold face and say, “Then what exactly… do you want?”
Caizhi did not even need a moment to ponder as she said in a sweet and girlish voice, “You’ve given Big Sis so many beautiful clothes. I want some too! Furthermore, it has to be just as beautiful as the ones you gave Big Sis!”
“…Just that?” Yun Che, who was already prepared to be gouged by her request, was stunned once again.
“That’s right!” Caizhi said as she put on a very serious air, “The next time you come, you definitely need to bring that over! If not… I’m definitely not going to recognise you as my husband.”
The tail-end of that sentence was said very softly, and when she said it, a never-before-seen blush flashed across her tender face. Her small and delicate head immediately lowered as she ducked Yun Che’s gaze.
That flash of red caused Yun Che to go googly-eyed… Hot damn? Just what was happening here? Just before she kicked up such a fuss about it, to the point where the only thing she did not do was to actually cry about it, and she even fled immediately after that, so how come she suddenly…
Could it be that this little girl was interested in me from the start? And she was just being a tsundere all along… Yun Che could not help but rub his own face as the thought occurred to him.
In the end, Yun Che was still a man, so there was no way he would be able to completely understand the heart of a girl. Jasmine had forced their union, so to Yun Che, he only took part in this formality to fulfill Jasmine’s wishes. At most, this would result in some awkwardness—After all, this ceremony was one which he had participated in several times already and they had been far more grand and majestic than this one.
But to a young girl ,who was just experiencing the first blush of love, it would cause her whole world to be turned upside down. As a result, her feelings towards Yun Che would also undergo some subtle changes.
“Okay, I’ll definitely give some to you. But we don’t need to wait until next time.”
Yun Che waved his left hand evenly in front of his body. Immediately, several scores of women’s clothing, in all shapes and styles, were arranged in front of Caiyi.
“Uwaaaah!” Caiyi’s starry eyes grew large as a long and lovable cry of delight rang from her lips.
During the years he had been together with Jasmine, one of his favourite hobbies was to buy all sorts of beautiful-looking clothes for Jasmine. After Jasmine had left, every time he saw clothes that Jasmine would like, it would tug at his heart strings and he would not hesitate to buy them after that.
Before he knew it, he had already collected many of these garments.
After all, his wife Cang Yue was the emperor of a nation, while he owned half of the Black Moon Merchant Guild. Furthermore, the Yun Family was also one of the great Guardian Families… He basically had so much money that he practically could not spend it all.
“There’s… so… many!” It looked as if millions of stars were shining in Caizhi’s eyes as she exclaimed those words. Every single article of clothing that Yun Che had chosen for Jasmine was definitely an uncommon item. They were either extremely gorgeous or extremely refined, and because Jasmine had always been fond of the color red, most of these garments were of that color.
Caizhi was not greedy, she simply chose a rainbow-colored fairy dress from the lot. She held that rainbow-colored fairy dress close to her body as she gave a graceful and agile twirl. The skirts twirled and flared, and it was as if a rainbow was dancing gracefully in the air.
Even though Caizhi was six years younger than Jasmine, their figures were nearly identical. So this rainbow-colored fairy dress was also completely suited for her as well.
“Hehe, thanks Brother-in-law,” she said as she put the rainbow-colored fairy dress away nicely. Her smiling face called to mind a young flower that was kissed by morning dew, it was indescribably beautiful and adorable.
In the end she was still a little girl… Yun Che muttered in his heart. After all, even though Caizhi was only nineteen this year, she looked thirteen or fourteen at most.
When he saw that she was so delighted over a simple article of clothing, Yun Che silently breathed a sigh of relief in his heart… Perhaps, Caizhi’s condition was not as bad as Jasmine worried it was.
As he looked at Caizhi’s beautiful and sweet smile, Yun Che’s lips also unconsciously started to curve into a bow as he blurted out, “It’s so strange, you were clearly so unwilling just a moment ago, and it was if the heavens themselves had wronged you. So why has there been such a big change of heart all of the sudden?”
After hearing Yun Che’s words, Caizhi’s smile vanished as her lips started to pout again, “So what if I’m not willing. In any case, I can’t let Big Sis get angry.”
She complained with pent-up resentment, “I’m such a young child, yet I actually have to get married… It’s all your fault!”
“You’re already nineteen, which part of you is still a young child?”
“So you can’t be a young child once you’re nineteen years of age, huh!?” Caizhi reacted like a cat whose tail had just been trodden on as she huffily shouted, “I just so happen to be one!!”
“Alright, alright, alright, you’re a young child.” Yun Che had finally figured out that Caizhi seemed to be very sensitive when it came to her age. When he had met her two years ago, she had proclaimed that she was only thirteen, vehemently denying that she was seventeen… and he also had no idea why she did that.
Could it be because of her figure?
“The reason why I could begin to accept this matter is because I am starting to understand why Big Sis did such a thing.” Caizhi’s voice suddenly changed as she let out a sigh that totally should not have come from a young girl’s lips. After that, she looked and Yun Che and said, “Did Big Sis tell you some weird things? For example, did she say something along the lines of there being a deep abyss in my heart or something.”
“Eh…” Yun Che was stunned by those words.
“I knew it.” Looking at Yun Che’s reaction, a light snort was emitted from Caizhi’s jade nose before she spoke in a gloomy voice, “Even though I’ve already performed well enough, Big Sis is still quietly worried about me. However, I am not as weak or frail as Big Sis believes, as long as everything is alright with Big Sis, I’ll be the happiest girl in the world.”
“Your sister is indeed very worried and concerned for you. Just like how you’re very worried and concerned for your sister,” Yun Che said.
“Hmph, that’s only natural!” Caizhi exclaimed as her small and delicate head crooked to the side, “Because Big Sis is the only family I have in this whole wide world.”
“Well, that was yesterday,” Yun Che replied with a faint smile. “From today onwards, I am already your husband, so that means I’m your other family member. And according to common logic and sense, I should be even closer to you than your sister.”
“…” Caizhi’s breathing had clearly grown irregular after she heard those words.
“Even though the process was a little weird, what has happened has already happened and right now you’re already my wife (one of them anyways). I will work hard to be as good to you as Jasmine is and I will also work hard to become strong, strong enough for you to be able to rely on me.”
Yun Che spoke in a very sincere voice and a resolute and determined light flashed in his eyes as well.
Caizhi’s starry eyes faintly trembled. After that her face flushed red before she rebuked him angrily, “What wife, why did you make me sound so old!? Darn it!!”
After she finished scolding him, she gave a very soft follow up, “At most… I’m your little wife.”
“Eh? What did you say?” Yun Che could not have heard those words clearly.
Instead of repeating them, Caizhi turned her back to him and pointed her finger away, “I’m going to be vexed to death by you. Hurry up and go accompany my sister! You’re not allowed to bother me any further!”
This little girl was just giggling so delightedly just now, but she had turned hostile at the drop of a hat… Yun Che replied in a rather helpless tone, “Fine, fine. However, you must firmly remember the words I have just said. Since, I’ve already set my mind on you, you can forget about running away, even if you are the Heavenly Wolf Star God.”
Perhaps it was due to Jasmine’s wishes, or perhaps it was because of the vow that he had made to Jasmine, or perhaps it was because of the previous fondness that he held for Caizhi, or perhaps it was some other reason altogether, whatever reason it was for, every one of the words that Yun Che had just said had come from the bottom of his heart.
Caizhi, “…”
After Yun Che had left, Caizhi still stood there in daze, her heart thrown into complete disarray.
She should have snorted disdainfully at the words that Yun Che had said. She should have ridiculed them as fanciful and pretty words that were used to trick a child… But, for some reason, the strings of her heart were actually violently plucked at that moment, and the words that came out of her mouth, instead, sounded like a charming but petty tantrum that one would throw at a person whom she had opened her heart to.
“Huuu…”
She breathed a soft sigh of relief before striving to regain her composure. She muttered to the stream of water beside her, “What a dangerous person he is. No wonder Big Sis fell for him. He’s definitely used similar words to trick lots of other girls… As if I’d be baited that easily.”
“He even said that I’d be able to rely on him… To think he even dared to make a boast as silly as that…”
“Even Big Sis said that he was a super perverted lecher, so I’ll definitely not let him have his way!”
She muttered these words to herself, but a thought that she could not wipe away kept vibrating in the depths of her heart and soul.
Are those words he spoke… really true…
Feet that resembled precious jade lightly stirred up the cool and refreshing stream. She lifted her eyes to the horizon, and when her heart had finally regained its composure, what appeared in her mind were scenes of her interactions with Yun Che…
When he had poked his nose into her business and used the Heavenly Wolf Hell God’s Tome to rescue her…
When he had fallen into panic after her repeated verbal assaults and fled from her…
After the second time he had rescued her, she had instead caused him to fall into danger. And even after he had given her a big scolding, he had still risked his own life to rescue her a third time.
He had hugged her tight in his arms, as drop after drop of the blood that he had shed for her sake fell on her face… yet he had never thought of letting her go.
…….
Unbeknownst to her, Caizhi’s starry eyes had already grown blurry, and even she did not realize that the corners of her lips unconsciously curled upwards, forming an extremely beautiful crescent moon.
