Chapter 56 – Good Girl

The rabbit spirit had done nothing wrong, but Pei Xuan couldn’t help feeling that her little girl was too adorable.

“Still mad?”

Cui Ti glanced at her and deliberately huffed to show that her anger hadn’t subsided.

Pei Xuan pondered for a moment, then brewed a cup of tea and brought it to her lips. “Have a cup of tea to calm down?”

Her tone was so gentle, and her eyes were as soft as the spring waters. Cui Ti’s face was pale, and her blush was especially noticeable due to her thin skin. Before drinking the tea, she intentionally changed the subject, asking, “Where’s today’s manuscript?”

“…”

Imperial Lecturer Pei, a woman of great talent, looked innocent, her round eyes clear like a pristine lake, glistening and endearing.

Cui Ti suppressed her fluttering heart, her gaze deep. “Xingguang, you didn’t forget, did you?”

“Ah…”

A faint blush also appeared on Pei Xuan’s fair face. “This, I…”

Before her memories had returned, she could write the love story of the immortal lord and the rabbit spirit from an outsider’s perspective. But now that she knew the immortal lord was her and the rabbit spirit was her own Niangzi, her sense of shame overwhelmed her.

She couldn’t help but marvel at how quickly karma had come around.

Just a moment ago, she had been bullying her little girl with the advantage of her regained memories. Now, the little girl had turned the tables, leaving her defenseless.

“Xingguang?”

“Yes?”

She looked like she wanted to muddle through, which both amused and annoyed Cui Ti. How had this person become so cunning after recovering?

Calling her cunning was an exaggeration; at times, she still seemed a bit naive.

Cui Ti’s little face fell. “You’re lying to me.”

Pei Xuan hurriedly waved her hands. “Niangzi, I’m not. I’ll write it right away, immediately.”

“And how long will that take?”

Cui Ti teased intentionally.

“This…” The reincarnated Literature Star rubbed her face and confidently said, “Three quarters of an hour.”

“Three quarters of an hour sounds long…”

“How about two quarters?”

Cui Ti couldn’t bear to tease her further and wrapped her arms around Pei Xuan’s neck. “Two quarters, will that tire you out?”

“No!”

“Really won’t?”

“Absolutely not!”

“Alright, then I’ll wait for two quarters.” She let go of Pei Xuan and cheerfully called Bai Tang to start timing.

Pei Xuan wanted to be affectionate with her for a moment longer, but seeing this, she didn’t dare delay and hurriedly left.

After Pei Xuan left, Bai Tang commented, “Writing a manuscript in two quarters of an hour seems rushed. What if the gentleman doesn’t finish it well?”

Feeling cherished by her beloved, Cui Ti was overjoyed. “Xingguang wouldn’t lie to me. If she says two quarters, then it will be two quarters.”

Her love-struck sweetness was apparent. Bai Tang didn’t understand it, but she too began to look forward to it.

Outside, a bird, tired from flying, rested on an apricot tree branch.

Right on time, exactly two quarters later, Pei Xuan walked in, blushing. “Titi, I finished it.”

Bai Tang tactfully left, covering her mouth to suppress her laughter.

Pei Xuan more or less knew what she was laughing about. It was probably because she had rushed over with a flushed face and a sheen of sweat on her forehead, afraid of being late, lacking her usual composed demeanor.

She felt a bit embarrassed at first. However, remembering that she had spent millennia as the dignified Literature Star in the heavens, she realized she had been composed long enough. Now that she was reincarnated as a human, she might as well live vibrantly and joyfully.

In a blink, she regained her calm and handed the manuscript to Cui Ti.

Cui Ti, eager to know what happened next in the story of the immortal lord and the rabbit spirit, tugged on Pei Xuan’s sleeve, urging her to read it aloud.

“…”

Not only did she have to write it within a time limit, but she also had to read it aloud. Pei Xuan braced herself to please her beloved, her hands trembling slightly as she held the manuscript.

She had overestimated herself.

In her past immortal form, a mere thought could accomplish anything. She had forgotten that she was no longer the esteemed immortal lord in the Celestial Court but a mere mortal.

A mortal’s frail body, a scholar’s physique—writing nearly three thousand words in two quarters without mentioning the hardship.

“Are you tired?”

Cui Ti took her hand and skillfully massaged it to relieve the soreness in her fingers and wrist.

With such considerate care, Pei Xuan felt both pain and joy. She no longer felt embarrassed and began to read the story aloud in a clear and resonant voice.

In the story, the reincarnated immortal lord and the rabbit spirit consummated their marriage, becoming the most intimate of lovers…

Her voice was gentle and soothing. Gradually, Cui Ti became entranced, her massaging slowing down. She felt an indescribable sense of emotion, her eyes reddening. “Does the immortal lord love this rabbit spirit?”

“Of course.”

Pei Xuan looked up and saw Cui Ti silently shedding tears. She asked curiously, “Why are you crying?”

She gently dabbed at Cui Ti’s tears with a handkerchief.

Cui Ti sniffled. “I don’t know. Listening to this story gives me a feeling of hardships finally coming to an end.”

“Hardships finally coming to an end.”

A very apt description.

Pei Xuan hugged her close. “Don’t cry, don’t cry.”

“tsk tsk tsk…”

In the Heavenly Realm, within the Underwater Cave, the Pleasure Immortal Ning Hehuan looked disdainfully at the sorrowful Fairy Qingyao. “Look at you, what kind of misdeed have you done!”

She was deeply distressed.

Eight lifetimes of entanglement and reincarnation had tightly bound the red strings of fate around the immortal lord and the rabbit spirit’s ankles. Their bond was terrifyingly strong.

“They are destined to love each other. Why do you even bother?”

Fairy Qingyao’s face was as pale as paper, her body swaying unsteadily.

The wild winds and dark waters of the Underwater Cave were unpleasant. Being a low-powered fairy herb, she soon fainted.

Ning Hehuan had been ready to engage in a debate with her, but seeing how fragile Qingyao was, she realized that this herb had indeed been protected by the Literature Star in the immortal palace before.

She pursed her lips. “If it weren’t for her meddling, the Mortal Tribulation in the seventh lifetime might have ended already.”

Precisely because the Upper Realm saw the potential of the Literature Star successfully passing the tribulation, they had allowed the seventh lifetime to commence.

And because Ning Hehuan was a soft-hearted person despite her tough exterior, when Cui Ti begged and cried, she had eagerly entered her dreams to open her spiritual eye. Not only that, but she also fabricated some dubious ‘curse-breaking methods’ to help the rabbit spirit attain enlightenment through the Literature Star as soon as possible.

At that time, even though Pei Xuan was in a mortal body, she possessed the powerful soul of an immortal lord. Each instance of their intimacy had the miraculous effects comparable to dual cultivation.

When one person attains the Dao, their entire household can ascend to heaven, let alone a rabbit already fated with immortality.

Ning Hehuan lamented the rabbit spirit’s good fortune and then arrogantly looked at the silent Celestial Being Qin Zhen. “Qin Jing, didn’t I handle this beautifully?”

Qin Jing rolled her eyes without hesitation, too lazy to respond.

Ning Hehuan wasn’t annoyed. Her demeanor suggested she was finding some amusement in their dire situation.

“We still have many years to spend in this wretched cave. You and I can bear it, but I don’t know if Fairy Qingyao can…”

“Feeling sorry for her?”

Qin Jing finally spoke.

Ning Hehuan’s eyes curved into a smile. “How could I? I’ve never been fond of those flowers and plants. Only the Literature Star has that kind of leisure. And this herb is quite the troublesome one. I’m just worried that after witnessing a century of companionship in the Mortal Realm, this herb might turn into a mad herb.”

“You’re overthinking it,” Qin Jing said, glancing at the fainted woman. “The Dao of Heaven has feelings. The hundred-year punishment in the Underwater Cave is bitter, and watching one’s love flirt with others is bitter too. If her will is firm and she has an epiphany, it might just be a ray of hope.”

“Firm will?”

Ning Hehuan laughed. “I find that unlikely.”

Qin Jing didn’t argue further.

The Dao of Heaven offered a glimmer of hope, but whether it could be grasped…

She also doubted this herb could endure.

However, fortune and misfortune often come hand in hand. Who could say for sure?

An autumn rain brought a chill in the air.

Cold rain dripped down from the eaves, resembling a vast curtain of beads. Cui Ti was once again ‘inspecting’ her rabbit hutch.

Previously, the rabbits she raised had both males and females. They grew up and quickly produced several litters. Perhaps because her bedmate loved eating spicy rabbit head and had once harmed many small animals, Cui Ti had a special fondness for these lucky rabbits.

Since they survived, how could they not be treated well?

The rabbit hutch was clean. Haozhong and Raoliang supported the Young Madam on either side. Unable to see, Cui Ti relied on her hearing and sense of smell. She heard the rabbits chewing and sniffed the relatively clean scent in the air. She praised the female caretaker responsible for the rabbit hutch.

The caretaker, a woman with a limp, had been rejected by many households. Only the Young Madam of the Pei Family had given her trust and a job.

She managed the rabbit hutch daily, cleaning up after the rabbits, feeding them, and regularly bathing them. Under her meticulous care, each rabbit grew plump and healthy.

The caretaker, eager to show off in front of Cui Ti, suggested, “Young Madam, would you like to touch this rabbit? Its fur is very smooth, and it’s gotten even fatter.”

Her words made Cui Ti’s heart itch.

On this overcast, rainy autumn day, Pei Xuan returned home under the escort of palace attendants. Not seeing Cui Ti at home, she inquired and found out she had gone to the rabbit hutch.

Pei Xuan couldn’t help but marvel at her wife’s love for rabbits.

Reaching the entrance of the rabbit hutch, she unsurprisingly saw that slender figure. Her heart leaped with joy as she focused her gaze, only to see her dear wife, the one she had pursued for countless lifetimes, enthusiastically petting a rabbit.

“…”

The Literature Star felt a pang of jealousy, her heart uncomfortable, and her throat tightened. She coughed heavily to announce her presence.