Chapter 28: A Nymph or A Goddess?

"Ai, I will go to my room first. Go take some rest, and let's meet again later.", Xin Suan strokes her head a few times. One of his hand still pressing the wound.

"B-But..."

"Don't worry about me.", He throws a soft smile.

"...O-Okay."

'Whoosh!', He teleports away.

".... I wish he will be fine."

In the mean time, Xin Suan is unwrapping his neck from Ai Lie's torn shirt. He checks his wound on the mirror, and miraculously it gets better without any help. The bleeding has reduced, and the flesh is starting to close. Now it's time for him to share his experience with his best friend.

'Yin Ling, where are you?', Xin Suan connects his mind.

'Whoosh!', "I know you will call me... Wait, what happened to you!?", Yin Ling rushingly move near Xin Suan.

"D-Did she does this!?", Yin Ling could not believe his eyes, even Xin Suan robes is stained so much by blood, represents how bad the injury was.

"Yeah."

"... That's it. I'm gonna kill her now.", He grips the hilt of his sword on his waist.

"Stop that. This doesn't hurt me at all. But I need to warn you, Yin Ling.", Xin Suan walks to his chair and sit.

"We may not underestimate her. She may looking frail and harmless, but her will makes her a different person."

"Huh? What do you mean? And what the hell you both actually did?", Yin Ling sits beside him.

"I was testing her skilll via duel. She used her sword while I am not. I thought she won't have any courage to bare her sword at me, even if she had, I thought her sword will break into pieces before it could touching my skin. But I was wrong, she is the only human that could injured my body."

"H-HUH!? THE ONLY HUMAN!?"

"Hmm. No humans have ever done that to me, except her. For a moment before her sword reaching my neck, I sensed her killing intention. Her aura became dark, the light in her eyes dissappeared. It feels like I was facing a different person. It happened only in one second. If only I didn't realized it, I think I will lose my head."

"Really?? Is she really that strong??"

"I tried to dodge her, but still, look what happened to me. And to make it worse, her power prohibited me to regenerate myself."

"Huh.... What the fuck is going on??", Yin Ling raised his hand beside Xin Suan's neck, "Let me try to heal you up.", A blue light emits from his hand.

"I didn't know what was exactly happened to her, but I think someone was controlling her mind. But who? If only the manipulator is living in this realm, who has the power stronger than me? I sensed no spiritual magic or any power inside her body."

"... Or was it Wang Jin?"

"No... I know his power more than anyone else. I have faced him for hundred times in the battlefield, if it was him, I will recognized it. Do you think... It was her actual power?"

"Huh?", The wound has been fully healed, "That's impossible. She isn't a priestess, even a priestess isn't that strong to strike an asura, let alone the strongest one. But it will be different if she is a heavenly nymph or a goddess."

"Haa... So she really is a goddess, huh? I thought I was joking around."

"Ai Lie? A goddess? Hmm...", Yin Ling flinches his eyebrows. Of course he can't believe that statement.

"Now I understand why the Eye of Puritiness chose her instead of Xiu Zhen. It must have sensed her presence in 50 years later, that's why the Qiong keeps spreading through the whole world after the last Jinghua Ritual we held."

"This is so strange! My brain can't process a single fucking thing! Why did you buy her in the first place? You wasted your money to a wrong person, who knows she will be a threat to this world!"

"You know very well my reason..."

"Because she is 'her', huh?"

"Hmm. And also, I had a vision before. She was succeed taking her own life at that hill. I saw her dead body rotten because no one found her. She died alone. I feel pity of her bad luck, that's why I'm taking her with me."

"You had a vision of the future!? That's so not you! It's Queen Bai Wu's special ability, how could you have something similar to hers?"

"I know right? That was strange. I could only see that scene, but that was different after I met her face to face. Back to my original power, I could only read her past. It feels like the fate is asking me to take care of her."

"Hmm... Ah! I have an idea, why don't we ask Lord Water's help? Who knows she will senses something when Ai Lie is meditating at her place? If only Ai Lie is the heaven's spy, they will try to comunicate to her via spiritual magic."

"You know... Ai Lie is suck at meditating. She was asleep when I asked her to do that. To think that she is a spy the heaven sent is... Uh... Too much."

"Don't be so naive. Who knows she was only pretending?"

"Yeah, that makes sense. Let's think of it as a safety guarantee for us. Go ask Xiu Zhen after this. Tell her to make it a secret, even her underlings not allowed to know about this."

"Alright. By the way, is your neck still hurt?"

"Not at all. Thanks. Your healing spell is really come in handy."

"Why didn't you learn one? I know you could do that better than me or even the Lord Water."

"I just don't want to."

"But why?"

"I'm a great sinner, I don't deserve to master white magic spells."

"You know... You are a stubborn weirdo.", Yin Ling pats Xin Suan's shoulder as he leaves his chair, "I'll take my leave. Go check on her, she must be worried about you."

"Huh? How can you know that?"

"Duh. You know her better than I do. Bye.", Yin Ling vanished away.

"Hmm... A nymph or a goddess. That girl? I still can't believe it..."

Ai Lie takes a bath, after that she feeds her baby bunnies. Her baby bunnies seems to be happy to have her as their owner. After this, Ai Lie won't meet them for at least a month. Who will take care of them if it's not her?

"Ah... I will miss you, my children.", She strokes both of the baby bunnies heads.

'Knock knock!', "Ai."

"Oh!", She rushingly open the door, "Ho-How are you, Ge Ge!?", she drags him inside her room

"Hmm. My neck has been fully healed. Look."

"Thank goodness! I'm really sorry, Ge Ge..."

"Stop apologizing. You didn't make any mistake. Beside, I'm the one who ask you to strike me, right?", He brushes her cheek.

"Oh look. Your bunnies are still alive.", He squats to see the baby bunnies inside the cage.

"Hmm! They both are healthy!"

"Have you already named them?"

"Hmm! This one is Binky and this one is Lulu?"

"Huh? Wha.. Bing Ki? Lu Lu?"

"Oh my hihihi, yes that's how they sound."

"Hmm...", He is stroking their heads, but the bunnies seems to be afraid of him. They are crawling away, "It seems they don't like me."

"Bunnies are prey animals, it's a bit hard to gain their trust. But they will like you in no time, don't worry. Hehehe."

"Really? How do you know?"

"Because they are my children now, when they grow older, they will have their personalities similar to me."

"W-What!? C-Children?", Xin Suan can't believe the nonsense he just heard.

"Ah! Right.... I need a help, Ge Ge..."

"What's that?"

"When I'm not here... Will you replace my role to take care of them?"

"H-Huh? Sorry but no, I don't know how to do that."

"But, if no one takes care of them, they will die!"

"... So what?"

"Don't be cruel to animals..."

"They are just weaklings and easy to be replaced by the new ones."

"Whoa... Your heart is cold as an ice. What if I change the point of view? Think of them as our children."

"WHAT!?", Xin Suan ears become red, but his face remains pale.

"You are the father, and I am the mother. It's the father's duty to supervises his kids when the mother isn't around."

"W-WHAT KIND OF BULLSHIT IS THIS!? THEY ARE JUST ANIMALS, AI LIE!"

"Don't be so cold hearted, hmm? As a husband, you should work together with me to raise our children, right?"

"W-WHA- HUSBAND!?", His face starts to blush.

"Hmm! You may not leave your wife raising the kids alone. We both 'created' them together, so it's your responsibility too to take care of them."

"WH-WHATTT!? BUT THEY ARE NOT OUR REAL KIDS!! AND WHO THE HELL CREATED THEM!? IT'S THEIR PARENTS, NOT US!!"

"Shhhh your voice is too loud! What if someone hear you?"

"B-But you keep saying nonsense!!!"

"I'm not. Just help me out, my husband. Please? Pretty please with cherry on top?", She pleaded with twinkles in her eyes.

"Shit. SHIT!!!", He can't resist her. The way she called him 'my husband', her cute pleading face, the twinkle in her eyes, all of them have melting down the ice inside Xin Suan's heart. There are no reasons for him to reject her wish.

"Pleeeeeeaaaaaaseeeee?"

"... Alright."

"Yeay! You are the best husband in the world!!", Ai Lie hugs him tightly.

"You... You gonna pay for this...", Xin Suan murmurs to himself.

"Hmm? Did you say something?"

"No, I didn't. Don't forget to show me how to take care of them, okay, my dearest wife?", He teased her.

"Of course! Hehehe!", She released her embrace on him, "Now it's time for me to teach you how to take care of them. What you should do are feeding them and cleaning their cage from their poops and pees. But don't worry, because they are still babies, they don't poop or pee too much!"

"Ugh....."

"This is how I feed the bunnies. I use this straw to put the milk inside their mouth."

'Sip! Hold!', She pours it softly to their mouths, "Actually they have eat not long ago, but I want to give you an example. Go on and try."

"Haa.... We have to sip it?", Xin Suan takes the straw lazily.

"Yeah."

'Sip!', "BLEH!!!", It enters his mouth.

"Don't sip it too powerful."

"Grrrr", 'Sip!', "Then you hold it like this right!? Then pour it to their mouths, like this, right!?"

"Yeah. Perfect score for you, my short tempered husband!", She gives him a thumbs up.

"Ugh... Then what about their cage??"

"I'm taking the poops on the bed, and wash the cotton bed with clean water and dry them at the window. I also wipe their small bodies with towel to clean them from their pees. Like this."

"Ugh!!!", He doesn't want to touch their 'dirtiness'.

"Don't be angry, hmm? It's for their good."

"Aghhh!!!!!", Xin Suan can't hide how frustrated he is, "Here, I have a better idea. Instead of washing their bed, why don't I make new beds for them?? I'll throw away the old ones!"

"Whoa, that's not good, the old ones will be wasted!"

"Don't be stingy. I will take care of them in my own way."

"As you wish then, Ge Ge. As long as you are willing to help me, I will be very grateful. Hehehehe."

"Haa.... Our children, huh? Very well. They are our kids, and you are my wife now."

"Hmm. I'm your temporary wife."

'Clatter!', The sounds of his heart breaking to pieces after hearing the word 'temporary'.

"Huft.... Hey, Ai, have you ever pierced your ears before?"

"Huh? Why are you asking me that out of the blue?"

"Just answer it."

"Yes, back when I was a kid. But I don't have money anymore to buy earrings, so I left it just like that. I dunno whether the holes are already closed or not."

"Let me check it...", He lowers his face near to her.

"W-What's wrong?"

"I want to give you this.", He summons a small red jewelry box. The box is already old. When he opens it, there is only one long silver chain earring with crimson crystal on the tip of the chain. Exactly the same as what he used on his left ears.

"This...?"

"Hmm. It's for you. I will help you to wear it."

He took he earing away and thrust it the piercing hole on Ai Lie's right ear. But miraculously, Ai Lie doesn't feel hurt at all, eventhough the hole has been clogged for years. Maybe Xin Suan puts a spell on it.

"There you go."

"Whoa... This is pretty.", She is checking herself at the mirror, "Now that we are twinning these earrings... What does this for, Ge Ge?"

"I put a bit of my power on it. After this, you won't stay here, and we won't meet for a month. This will connect us, if something bad ever happen to you, just call me by my name. I will come in one second."

"Whoa... You are so kind... Thank you, Ge Ge, for taking care of me."

"It's also a husband's duty, right? To caring his wife."

"...", Ai Lie can't reply anything. She throws her face away from him, embarrased enough to see his eyes directly. Xin Suan is talking to her as if they really are married couple.

"Your face is red."

"N-No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are. How cute.", He pokes her neck.

"Hahaha! No, stop that!!"

"I won't. At least for now.", He keeps poking her neck.

"Hahahahaha noo!!! Stop seriously! Ahahahaha!!", Ai Lie couldn't stand it anymore, she laughs so hard until she cried.

"You are really cute.", He lands his lips on her forehead.

"E-Eh...?"

"Let's have a dinner."

"O-Okay..."