44: Chapter 44 Appeasement

From the corner of his eye, Chen Zilong caught sight of Ye Xishui standing quietly not far away, her face already covered in tears!

His heart tightened for some inexplicable reason.

...Had his words just now been that harsh?

He patiently comforted Tu Shan Xiaoxiao with a few more words, telling her to head to the site of the disciple recruitment competition first.

Although Tu Shan Xiaoxiao was somewhat reluctant, she ultimately nodded obediently.

She had always been most obedient to her Second Senior Brother.

Before leaving, she pretended to casually turn her head toward Ye Xishui.

With her mouth, she silently and extremely clearly mouthed three words:

"Stinking—bitch."

With a triumphant, provocative smile on her face, she then swayed her slender waist and departed with a graceful, swaying gait.

At this moment, Ye Xishui no longer had the heart to care about her provocation.

Intense grievances and self-loathing submerged her like a rising tide.

She slowly crouched down, burying her face deep in the crook of her arms, her shoulders shaking slightly in silent, repressed sobs.

Ye Yun and Ye Bingli, who had been standing behind her, hurried forward and comforted her in soft voices:

"Miss, please don't cry..."

"That's right, Miss. Hasn't the Young Master come out of seclusion?"

Chen Zilong waved his hand, signaling them to withdraw.

Ye Yun and Ye Bingli exchanged a glance and helplessly bowed as they stepped back.

The dazzling sunlight shone into the courtyard, the shadows of the bamboo swaying gently.

Chen Zilong looked at the figure curled up on the ground, sobbing silently, and a trace of complexity crossed his heart.

No matter what, this was his lawfully wedded Dao companion.

He sighed and slowly crouched down.

He reached out and, with somewhat unfamiliar movements, gently patted Ye Xishui's back, which was trembling slightly from her sobbing, one stroke at a time.

Ye Xishui's crying was silent and repressed.

Carrying the pride in her bones that refused to show weakness, she didn't make a single sound.

Only her body trembled uncontrollably due to extreme sorrow.

Chen Zilong didn't say any words of comfort; he just stayed by her side quietly.

The warmth from his palm and the rhythmic, gentle pats carried a silent solace.

The courtyard was quiet, with only the rustling of the breeze through the bamboo leaves.

After a long while, Ye Xishui's sobbing gradually subsided.

She slowly raised her head, her eyes—originally as cold as a frozen pond—were now red, swollen, and filled with tears.

Like a child who had suffered a great injustice, she stared blankly at Chen Zilong's face, which was inches away.

Tears still slid down her pale cheeks involuntarily.

Looking at her like this, a gentle but slightly teasing smile curled at the corners of Chen Zilong's mouth:

"Eldest Senior Sister Ye Xishui, the Chief Senior Disciple of Purple Bamboo Peak, the prodigy of the Xuantian Sect, the far-famed cold and aloof fairy..."

"Actually crying like this? It's truly a rare sight."

This half-joking remark was like a key that instantly unlocked Ye Xishui's defenses.

She could no longer hold back and suddenly threw herself into Chen Zilong's arms, her hands tightly encircling his waist.

Burying her tear-stained face in the crook of his neck, she accused him with a heavy nasal tone:

"It's all because of you!"

"You rotten man!"

"You actually... actually flirted and acted all lovey-dovey with that little slut right in front of your own wife!"

Hearing this accusation, Chen Zilong directly rolled his eyes in exasperation.

Fortunately, his current position was facing away from Ye Xishui's line of sight, so she couldn't see his helpless expression.

Flirting with some other slut?

My dear young lady, isn't that 'slut' you're talking about your good friend, the Junior Sister you usually dote on and care for the most?

Moreover, in the original story, who was it that ran away holding another man's hand on our wedding day?

Pah!

Double standards!

Slut!

...Forget it, Chen Zilong complained silently in his heart.

After all, those things hadn't happened yet.

Furthermore, now Ye Xishui hadn't thrown herself into Ye Wushuang's arms like in the original story.

And he wasn't that unlucky original villain character either.

Thinking about it this way, there didn't seem to be anything worth getting particularly angry about.

"Alright, alright, stop crying."

Chen Zilong suppressed his internal complaints, gently took Ye Xishui's shoulders to pull her up, and used his thumb to tenderly wipe away the tear stains on her face. "Let's go, let's head to the competition site. We might even encounter some disciples with good potential to recruit into our Purple Bamboo Peak."

He took Ye Xishui's slightly cool hand, preparing to set off.

But Ye Xishui stood in place without moving, as if her feet had taken root.

She raised those eyes that had just cried and were still misty, staring intently at Chen Zilong. In the shifting light of her eyes, there seemed to be a thousand words.

After a long pause, a faint blush suddenly rose on her fair cheeks. She bit her lip slightly, her voice carrying a hint of shyness and an indiscernible resentment:

"That... Husband... You have neglected me, your wife, for three whole years..."

She paused, gathered her courage, and added in a voice as soft as a mosquito's hum, "Do you still remember... that we actually... haven't consummated our marriage yet..."

Chen Zilong was stunned by this sudden topic!

He had completely forgotten about this!

For the past three years, all his thoughts had been focused on refining his Lifebound Treasure and the first-generation artifacts. Before and after his seclusion, he had only cared about his Master, Liu Mei...

He coughed awkwardly, his eyes wandering, and said vaguely:

"Uh... well... let nature take its course, let nature take its course."

After saying that, he wanted to pull her away quickly from this awkward scene and head toward the competition.

However, Ye Xishui stopped moving again.

The shyness in her eyes faded instantly, replaced by an extremely determined, even predatory gaze that locked onto Chen Zilong. She said decisively:

"There's still time now!"

"Nani?" Chen Zilong didn't react for a moment.

But Ye Xishui didn't want to wait any longer, nor did she want to hear any more of his excuses!

She had already waited bitterly for three years!

"Come with me!" Her tone brooked no argument.

With an almost commanding tone, she grabbed Chen Zilong's wrist firmly.

She almost forcibly pulled him along, turning and striding quickly toward the bridal chamber they had never used...

...