After one night, the temperature in Beisang City dropped another notch.
It seemed that winter had arrived, bringing with it a cold snap.
When Xu Chang'an opened his eyes, he felt someone grasping his waist, as if tied by something, and as expected, the one treating him like a hug pillow was none other than his own Miss Yun.
"..."
Xu Chang'an thought about last night's events and sighed softly.
Time for self-reflection.
Right now, Xu Chang'an really wanted to stand in front of a mirror and scold himself, "A silver worm like you just makes rice expensive in the world."
He believed his self-control was fairly strong, yet...
Heaven knew what happened when Yun Qian whispered to him that she wanted a child yesterday.
Xu Chang'an gently untangled Yun Qian's long hair from his arm, carefully watching his still sleeping wife.
Yun Qian wore a robe embroidered in black and white, enhancing her noble aura. The robe was intricately detailed with blooming red plum blossoms, layered and vibrant, making even the viewer feel warm inside. Her hair was disheveled, lending her a mature air.
Last night, they bathed before sleeping, so Xu Chang'an could smell the faint scent of soap on her.
His wife always appeared cold, even in her sleep... her brows slightly furrowed. It was unclear what worries plagued her.
Perhaps it was more exhaustion.
Her stamina was very poor; she couldn't even walk two miles without gasping for a break. Xu Chang'an wondered if cultivation could quickly improve Yun Qian's constitution. Based on his own experience, starting cultivation typically increased one's stamina noticeably after about a week.
There was another matter.
The system gave him an urgent task, which he completed well. It promised a reward of a new item in the shop.
Yet, there had been no updates, leaving Xu Chang'an to wonder how long it would take.
The lack of updates led Xu Chang'an to suspect that perhaps the earlier items were all the system had in stock.
Nevertheless, since the task was completed too easily, he wasn't particularly dissatisfied with the delayed reward.
Patiently waiting might see it updated unexpectedly someday.
"..."
It was raining outside, so it remained pitch black.
"It's getting late." Xu Chang'an thought about having to go up the mountain today. He planned to let Yun Qian sleep a bit longer while he tidied up the house, then head to Chaoyun together once she woke up.
The couple shared the same bed and blanket, so the chill rushed in when Xu Chang'an got up, making Yun Qian's lashes tremble as she slowly opened her eyes.
"..."
Though she said nothing, Xu Chang'an could sense Yun Qian's displeasure.
"Miss, we should go..."
"Lie down."
"It's not early."
"Lie down."
Even though Yun Qian appeared dry-lipped and weak, Xu Chang'an still felt a chill down his back, succumbing to Miss Yun's authority.
He could only lie down once more, with Yun Qian again holding onto his arm.
Xu Chang'an sighed lightly.
He had been embraced by Yun Qian as a pillow ever since he was young.
Two days might be forgivable, but every day like this... his respect for Yun Qian couldn't help but change in nature.
Awoken to find sleeping difficult, Yun Qian merely watched Xu Chang'an's face instead of sleeping.
"Miss... what's wrong?" Xu Chang'an listened to the nearby, slightly erratic heartbeats, feeling puzzled.
Yun Qian, unlike her usual self, wouldn't sleep in or rise late at this hour.
"Cold," Yun Qian succinctly responded.
As Yun Qian spoke, thunder crashed outside, followed by a torrential downpour pounding on one side of the windows.
"It must be the rainy season now." Xu Chang'an shook his head, seriously asserting, "It's time to get up."
Yun Qian, hearing this, stared directly at Xu Chang'an with moist eyes.
"Staring like that is useless."
Xu Chang'an smiled wryly, teasingly saying, "The waves of eyes have sunken in the pavilion, I see no arched brows, only classics. Miss, don't use beauty to hinder my pursuit of the Supreme Principle of Heaven and Earth and the Impermanence Dao."
No matter how warm the land of tenderness, nor how beautiful Yun Qian was, he adhered to the importance of rightful matters.
"What Supreme Principle of Heaven and Earth do you want to pursue?" Yun Qian looked at him, eyes narrowing slightly.
Xu Chang'an inexplicably recalled his system; the so-called Supreme Principle of Heaven and Earth and Impermanence Dao combined were just the term "Heavenly Dao," right?
He lightly patted Yun Qian's hand, helplessly saying, "Pursuit is futile; we really should be rising."
"I want to lie a bit longer," Yun Qian said.
"Aren't you hungry?" Xu Chang'an thought since Yun Qian was tired, she'd certainly need food.
Indeed.
At the mention of it, Yun Qian frowned, stating, "I am hungry."
"I'll make breakfast for you, while you stay here a little longer. Is that okay?" Xu Chang'an offered.
"Go on." Yun Qian released Xu Chang'an's arm, allowing him to leave the blanket.
"..." As Xu Chang'an got out of bed, he suddenly felt defeated by breakfast in Yun Qian's mind, flashing a bittersweet smile, realizing it was his own doing.
Yun Qian poked half her head out, calmly saying, "The weather's cold; go light the brazier."
"I'll do it right now. Oh… should we have wontons for breakfast?" Xu Chang'an put on his clothes and turned around.
"Up to you," Yun Qian nodded.
"Okay." Xu Chang'an fetched the brazier, placing it safely, then headed to the kitchen, lighting the lamp to start preparing breakfast.
After Xu Chang'an left, Yun Qian slowly sat up, her fingers resting on her belly, her expression serene.
Children are indeed difficult.
Perhaps, she should mold one, just like shaping wontons.
"..."
Not much time passed.
Xu Chang'an prepared the wontons and was about to call Yun Qian when he suddenly heard knocking.
He used Spiritual Power to block the rain overhead, walked over, and opened the door, finding Gu Qiancheng standing there with a small red umbrella, holding a clean steaming lid.
Though a girl of about ten, she was quite adorable.
Xu Chang'an blinked.
Speaking of which, they were cultivators... why use an umbrella?
Seeing Xu Chang'an's odd look, Gu Qiancheng promptly said, "Relying solely on Spiritual Power diminishes many life pleasures."
Life's pleasures?
Xu Chang'an mused it was simply a child's mindset, similar to the ideas held by Steward Zhu at the brothel.
"Good morning?" Xu Chang'an greeted his young neighbor.
"Good morning." Gu Qiancheng handed over the steaming lid, "Returning this to you."
"Okay." Xu Chang'an accepted the lid, then noticed Gu Qiancheng's gaze fixed. As he looked where she did, he realized she was staring at his kitchen, the drizzle making the kitchen smoke particularly noticeable.
Xu Chang'an twitched slightly at the corner of his eye.
This girl wouldn't be hooked on scrounging meals, right?
Oh, she paid money last time, so it wouldn't count as scrounging.
"You..."
"I don't eat breakfast," Gu Qiancheng interrupted.
"?"
Before Xu Chang'an could speak, Gu Qiancheng preemptively declared.
Lil sis, have you heard of spontaneously confessing?
After realizing she misspoke, the little girl pretended as if nothing happened, untied a small pouch from her waist, saying, "This is Tung... from Zhu Pingniang, saying you left hurriedly earlier, and she forgot to give you this."
.....
While Xu Chang'an was talking with Gu Qiancheng, inside, Yun Qian gently lifted one corner of the curtain, quietly observing through the drizzle.
.....
Status updated; starting today there'll be double updates, with occasional extra updates. This book isn't a fast-paced story; the new book phase is crucial. Monthly tickets, recommendations, and chapter comments are genuinely important to me. o(*▽^)┛ The future is in your hands.