Translator: CinderTL
Thump!
The middle-aged woman tossed Xu Sanyan onto the bed without a backward glance and turned to leave.
Xun Ancai immediately rushed over, her face etched with concern. "How are you?" she asked anxiously.
Xu Sanyan struggled to move his lips. "I'm... I'm fine. Just a little sore."
Relief washed over Xun Ancai. "That's normal. It'll pass in a few days. Are you hungry? I can get you something to eat."
At her words, a wave of hunger surged through Xu Sanyan, his stomach burning like a raging fire. He nodded weakly.
"Starving."
Xun Ancai had anticipated this. She grabbed a piece of meat from nearby and held it to his lips. "Eat up."
Xu Sanyan strained to open his mouth, but could only manage a slight gap. Even drinking water proved difficult, let alone eating.
Frustration mounted within him. His brain screamed with hunger signals, yet his mouth refused to cooperate.
A faint blush crept across Xun Ancai's cheeks as she whispered, "The first blessing is always like this. I couldn't eat either. My mother had to chew my food and feed it to me..."
Xun Ancai's voice grew softer and softer until it was barely audible.
Xu Sanyan froze, his gaze instinctively shifting to her. Only one thought remained in his mind:
Chew it up... and feed it to me?
He stared at Xun Ancai's flushed cheeks, then carefully examined her full, sensual lips. Finally, his eyes flicked to the three-headed dog beside her.
He seemed to have no choice.
Either Xun Ancai would chew the meat and feed it to him, or the three-headed dog would chew it and feed it to him...
It wasn't a difficult choice.
The gnawing hunger in his stomach urged him to decide. Xu Sanyan nodded. "Thank you for your trouble."
"No trouble at all! As long as you don't mind..." Xun Ancai waved her hands dismissively, taking a small bite of meat and chewing it meticulously. This was the first time she had ever eaten so elegantly; before, she had always torn at her food with large bites, swallowing it greedily as if afraid someone would snatch it away.
"Ah..."
She was telling him to open his mouth.
Suppressing her embarrassment, Xun Ancai brought her red lips to Xu Sanyan's mouth, her gaze drifting sideways, unable to meet his eyes.
Xu Sanyan obediently opened his mouth, instantly feeling the warmth of Ancai's red lips against his own. Her nimble tongue slipped into his mouth, delivering a mixture of saliva-soaked food.
Gulp...
Xu Sanyan swallowed with all his might, the effort straining his throat.
Xun Ancai brushed aside a stray strand of hair, a glistening thread of saliva still clinging to her lips, giving her an unexpectedly alluring look.
Xu Sanyan stared at her intently, suddenly finding the situation less unbearable than he'd imagined.
It's not like we haven't kissed before. What's so different about this compared to last night?
Actually, this feels kind of... novel.
The two fell into a rhythm, one feeding, the other eating, their coordination growing smoother with each bite.
Whenever Xun Ancai lowered her head, a few strands of hair would invariably fall, brushing against Xu Sanyan's cheek and tickling him.
Watching Xun Ancai's flushed cheeks as she chewed, her gaze darting elsewhere to feign nonchalance, Xu Sanyan found the scene utterly amusing. Even the pain in his body seemed to ease considerably.
"Ah..."
Gulp...
"Mmm..."
Xun Ancai felt a gentle nip on her tongue, her face flushing crimson. She quickly turned her head and took a small bite of meat.
Amusement flickered in Xu Sanyan's eyes. This is truly fascinating, he thought. This is the true essence of cultivation.
To savor all the myriad experiences of the mortal realm, leaving no regrets even in death.
He had few regrets left. He had tasted the pleasures of humans, ghosts, and demons alike. While ghosts offered the most variety, humans and demons each brought their own unique sensations.
As Xu Sanyan's thoughts raced, Xun Ancai seemed lost in her own reverie, unconsciously swallowing the food in her mouth.
"Oh!" Xun Ancai giggled sheepishly, quickly taking another bite.
"How many days of food do we have left?" Xu Sanyan asked casually.
"Hmm... about two days," Xun Ancai replied, glancing at the meat hanging from the eaves. "I'll go hunting tomorrow. You stay here and rest."
"Okay," Xu Sanyan murmured, unable to move or accompany her.
"Ah..."
Xun Ancai brushed her hair aside and leaned closer, her crystalline eyes brimming with sweetness. She cherished this feeling, willing to spend a lifetime like this.
Xu Sanyan slightly twitched his fingers, laboriously reaching out to touch her leg. Xun Ancai froze momentarily, then pretended not to notice.
The three-headed dog turned all three heads simultaneously to stare at the pair, its six eyes meeting before it silently settled back onto the ground.
After finishing the piece of meat, Xu Sanyan felt his hunger ease considerably, and his body regained some strength. He no longer needed her to feed him.
Though she cherished the feeling, it was too slow. At this rate, she wondered how long it would take for him to be full.
A hint of disappointment flickered in Xun Ancai's eyes, but she obediently resumed grilling the meat.
Xu Sanyan was devouring the meat when he suddenly paused, the mouthful of meat ceasing to be chewed.
Sensing something amiss, Xun Ancai tilted her head and asked, "What's wrong?"
Xu Sanyan didn't answer, merely set down his food, closed his eyes, and focused inward.
He felt a force slowly converging upon him from the heavens and earth, as if a pair of giant hands were compressing him.
This sensation was familiar; he had experienced it before in the Hundred Saints Secret Realm.
The time had come!
The secret realm was ejecting him.
Xu Sanyan frowned deeply, bewildered. Why was it happening so quickly this time?
Only three days had passed, yet he was already being expelled?
"Are you alright?" Xun Ancai asked anxiously, abandoning her food to rush to his side.
Xu Sanyan opened his eyes and turned to look at her. "I might have to leave soon."
"Leave?" Xun Ancai blinked in surprise, instinctively asking, "Where are you going?"
"Back to where I belong." Xu Sanyan showed no reluctance; with the secret realm in his grasp, he could return whenever he wished.
"How will you leave? Can't you stay? Will you come back?" Xun Ancai rattled off a string of questions, tears welling up in her eyes, her reluctance palpable.
She didn't want to be separated from Xu Sanyan.
"I'm afraid not," Xu Sanyan shook his head, then reassured her, "Don't worry, I'll be back in a while."
As soon as he spoke, the rejection from the realm intensified. In an instant, Xu Sanyan's figure vanished.
A momentary blankness flickered across Xun Ancai's eyes, followed by a hollow ache in her heart. Two streams of tears slid down her cheeks.
Her man was gone again...
The three-headed dog instantly sprang to its feet, sniffing intently at the spot where Xu Sanyan had been sitting, searching for his scent.
It couldn't comprehend how someone could vanish in an instant.
Gulp...
Xu Sanyan swallowed the last bite of his meal, clutching the gray secret realm as he floated in the air.
Back in this world, his spiritual power was rapidly recovering, and the gnawing hunger in his stomach was quickly receding. Only a lingering weakness remained in his body.
But that didn't matter. With his spiritual power restored, he could now use his abilities, at least giving him some means of self-defense.
He was still within the Mist Sea's boundaries, but he had escaped the monster's stomach pouch. It likely couldn't digest the secret realm and had expelled it.
Gazing into the distance, he noticed the mist growing thinner ahead, indicating he was likely near the edge of the Mist Sea.
The only question was which direction he had emerged from. As long as it wasn't near Mist City, he'd be fine. He just hoped he hadn't gone in a circle and ended up back where he started.
(End of the Chapter)
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