585: Chapter 585 Washing the Feet

"Husband, you..."

Liu Xuaner suddenly tried to pull her foot back, her cheeks instantly flushing like a sunset. Filled with both shame and panic, she hurriedly tried to stop him.

"You absolutely mustn't. Your status is noble now; you are the City Lord and a Soul Transformation powerhouse. How can you do such a Servant's task..."

"Why mustn't I?"

Situ Jun’s palm gently grasped her slender ankle. His grip was gentle yet firm, his gaze focused and affectionate as he spoke each word with solemnity.

"You are the wife I, Situ Jun, married with all due ceremony. Washing my wife's feet is naturally my duty as your husband."

Liu Xuaner’s eyes grew hot. Her heart was instantly filled with endless warmth and emotion, and the bridge of her nose felt a sharp, unbearable sting.

She looked down at the man crouching before her. He was the City Lord of the Northern Frontier who held great power and whose word was law, a Soul Transformation powerhouse whom countless Cultivators looked up to with awe. Yet at this moment, he had cast aside all status, glory, and pride, serving her like the most ordinary husband in the world, with careful and heartfelt devotion.

Liu Xuaner’s pair of jade feet were exquisitely formed—slender, fair, and delicate. The arches were soft and graceful, her toes rounded like pearls, and her nails were stained with a faint pink balsam, making them look charming and lovely.

As the warm water washed over her insteps, she initially flinched slightly. However, under Situ Jun’s gentle and delicate touch, her tense body gradually relaxed, her heart overflowing with emotion and happiness.

Situ Jun’s palms were broad and warm as they gently cradled her slender ankle. He scooped up the warm water with his fingertips and slowly poured it over her calves, his movements incredibly tender.

His fingertips bore thin calluses from years of Cultivation. As they brushed against Liu Xuaner’s skin, which was as smooth as fine lard, they sent a faint, numbing warmth spreading through her limbs, causing her heart to throb.

"Back then, you were high above, radiating brilliance like the moon in the sky, far out of reach."

Situ Jun kept his head down, washing her feet gently as he spoke slowly, his voice filled with reminiscence.

"I knelt on the ground, filled with awe. I didn't even have the courage to look up at you; I only dared to keep my head bowed and carefully perform my duties."

Liu Xuaner’s eyes reddened. She bit her lip lightly, listening quietly to him recount the past without saying a word, tears welling in her eyes.

"But even so, I couldn't help but think to myself..."

Situ Jun suddenly looked up, a hint of playfulness in his gaze, but beneath it lay a deep, unspoken tenderness held for many years.

"The City Lord's wife's jade feet are truly fair and captivating."

Liu Xuaner’s cheeks instantly turned crimson. She raised a hand and playfully slapped his shoulder, scolding him with a pout.

"You... you were just a lowly Servant back then. How did you dare to have such wild thoughts!"

Situ Jun let out a low laugh. He stopped teasing her and continued to wash her feet with care, his movements gentle and focused, his eyes filled only with the person before him.

Liu Xuaner’s feet were small, slender, and long, her skin as fine as top-grade mutton-fat jade. Her toes were rounded and cute, and as they soaked in the warm water, they took on a faint pink hue, appearing even more beautiful.

A warm mist swirled between them, blurring the shadows in the room and making Liu Xuaner’s figure appear even more ethereal and soft. The entire room was filled with a tender, lingering affection, and even the air seemed to turn sweet and warm.

"And then?"

Liu Xuaner’s voice softened, carrying a hint of a spoiled pout as she pressed him further.

"Later, when you became the City Lord of the Northern Frontier and rescued me from Bei Batian’s hands, were you very proud of yourself in your heart?"

Situ Jun shook his head gently, tenderly switching to her other foot as he spoke with sincere tones.

"It wasn't pride, but gratitude."

"I am grateful that he didn't treat you as a Cauldron to be given to others. I am grateful that you were willing to let go of the past and stay by my side. And even more grateful..."

He paused and looked up into her eyes. His gaze was as deep as the dark night, brimming with an inseparable tenderness and devotion.

"...that throughout the long years, I never lost you."

These words completely broke down Liu Xuaner’s emotional defenses. She could no longer hold back her tears, which fell silently and left faint stains on her collar.

"Husband..."

She called out to him softly, her voice choked with sobs, her heart filled with emotion and heartache.

Situ Jun looked up at her reddened eyes and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with his fingertips. He smiled warmly and asked:

"Everything is fine, why are you crying? Did I say something wrong and make you sad?"

Liu Xuaner shook her head gently and wiped her tears. Her voice was soft and carried a hint of a sob.

"I'm fine, it's just... I suddenly remembered everything from before, and my heart felt so heavy and bitter that I couldn't help myself."

Situ Jun said no more. He lowered his head and continued to gently rub her insteps, his movements slow and full of care, as he slowly spoke of his long-buried feelings.

"That day, I was also washing your feet like this. You were wearing Deep purple luxurious robes, leaning against a soft couch reading a book. Your expression was cold and your aura was noble; from beginning to end, you never even looked at me."

Liu Xuaner’s cheeks grew even hotter, and her ears turned bright red. Even her neck was stained with an alluring pink. She lowered her eyes, not daring to look at him, and said bashfully:

"Back then, you were just a Servant in the manor. I... how could I have expected that you would have such earth-shattering achievements in the future? I never even imagined that I would have such an inextricable entanglement with you..."

Halfway through, she was too embarrassed to continue. She gripped the hem of her Sleepwear tightly, her face full of bashful shyness.

Situ Jun let out a low laugh, his eyes filled with doting and mischief as he intentionally teased her again.

"You didn't expect what? That I would stay by your side? That I would marry you? Or perhaps you didn't expect..."

"You're not allowed to say any more!"

Liu Xuaner kicked out lightly in her embarrassment, splashing water that dampened his robes, yet she still couldn't hide the sweetness in her eyes.

Situ Jun didn't dodge. He just laughed and firmly held her ankle to keep her from moving.

The heat from his palm was scalding. It transferred through her skin, making her heart tremble slightly, filling her with shyness and sweetness.

"At that time, I made a silent vow in my heart."

Situ Jun’s smile gradually faded, and his gaze became incredibly determined. His voice was low and solemn.

"The woman before me is peerlessly elegant. If I could marry her in this life and protect her for a lifetime of peace, I would be willing even if it meant shortening my life by ten years."

Liu Xuaner was instantly stunned. Her eyes reddened again, and tears gushed out, slowly sliding down her cheeks.

She had never heard Situ Jun mention these deeply hidden feelings. That once silent, obedient, and lowly Servant who didn't even dare to look up had actually hidden such deep and persistent affection in his heart.

"You... back then, you actually..."

Her heart was in turmoil, and her voice trembled. She couldn't even finish a sentence, her heart filled with shock and emotion.

Situ Jun nodded solemnly and looked up at her. His gaze was tender and his tone was incredibly sincere.

"I've liked you since then. It's just that our statuses back then were as different as clouds and mud. I didn't dare to speak, let alone hope. I could only hide this feeling deep in my heart, letting it become the obsession that drove me to climb upward."

Liu Xuaner bit her lip, tears falling silently. Her heart was full of bitterness and emotion.

She remembered how back then, Situ Jun always worked silently and without complaint. No matter how complicated the tasks she assigned, he would do them perfectly without a single word of resentment. It turned out that behind that silence lay such a heavy and enduring affection.

"Afterward, I cultivated with all my might and fought for opportunities with my life."

Situ Jun spoke calmly as he gently dried her jade feet with a soft Cotton towel, as if those life-and-death experiences were nothing but trivial matters.

"I told myself that I must become strong—strong enough to be a match for you, and strong enough to protect you. Later, I became the City Lord of the Northern Frontier as I wished, and you finally became my wife."

He spoke of it lightly, but Liu Xuaner knew well that the journey from a mere Servant to a regional City Lord, and from a meager Cultivation level to a Soul Transformation powerhouse, was a path strewn with thorns, filled with countless life-and-death trials and unimaginable hardships.