"Oh, my wife broke through?"
Returning to the mansion, Tang Xiao was pleasantly surprised when he sensed Ning Ruoyan's soul power level rise.
"Yes, Husband… I broke through to level 72." Ning Ruoyan nodded, her body involuntarily moving forward as she nestled into Tang Xiao's arms.
"Not bad, huh… At this speed, within four to five years you'll reach level 79. My wife is indeed a genius."
Hugging her waist, Tang Xiao squeezed her big ass cheeks roughly and delivered a powerful slap before kissing her cheeks.
A painful yelp escaped Ning Ruoyan—but that slap did not invite rejection. Instead, she pressed herself into him even more, whispering softly, her breath tickling his neck.
"Husband, I'm not that talented… After all, little Fengzhi, who's the same age as me, already reached level 79 a year ago… I'm only at 72 now." A trace of grievance colored her voice.
Although she was Ning Fengzhi's aunt in seniority, their ages differed by only a few months. Growing up, she had always compared herself to him, competing in everything. But unwillingness alone could not bridge the gap of innate talent.
Ning Fengzhi's level-9 innate soul power was superior to her level-8.
"Heh… so what?" Tang Xiao chuckled. "Even if he's level 79, the improvement you provide as a level-72 Soul Saint is the same as his. His support only lasts a bit longer, that's all."
Seeing the aggrieved look on her face, Tang Xiao kissed her again, coaxing her mood.
During the time they had spent together, he had formed a clear understanding of Ning Ruoyan's character. Mischievous since childhood, time had only smoothed her edges—deep in her bones, that little demoness nature was still engraved and impossible to erase.
If one compared her to the future Ning Rongrong, deciding who was the greater demoness would be difficult.
But Tang Xiao liked it.
Listening to her speak like a little devil capable of toppling kingdoms reminded him of the disobedient kitten he once had on Earth.
When it wanted food, it would rub against his legs, mewing endlessly. Annoying—but loyal.
Tang Xiao missed it.
Now there was Ning Ruoyan.
Whenever she spoke, Tang Xiao found himself smiling unconsciously.
Although he could see through her small antics, he didn't mind indulging her. After all, she was his only nominal wife. If he didn't pamper her, who would?
"Husband~ You're right, but still… he beat me to it. I feel aggrieved…" Ning Ruoyan purred like a cat. Slowly, she opened Tang Xiao's robe and pressed her face against his bare chest.
"So what do you want to stop feeling aggrieved?" Tang Xiao chuckled.
He directly picked her up in a monkey carry, walking toward the bed and tossing her onto it. Looming over her like a mountain, his shadow engulfed her completely.
"I want kisses… hundreds of kisses… no, thousands…" Ning Ruoyan whispered shyly, her face flushed as she clung to him.
"Oh? You dare demand so much now, huh…"
His devil claw clutched her throat as he planted kisses all over her fairy-like face, his rough beard scratching and tickling her skin. His other claw kneaded her ass, tearing her clothes off roughly.
(Million words omitted…)
…
Hours later…
Tang Xiao, sitting on Ning Ruoyan's face, rubbed his dragon against her lips one last time to clean it before moving aside, letting out a satisfied sigh.
"Ruoyan, let's go… we'll take a bath together."
"Mmm~" Ruoyan nodded drunkenly, her eyes filled with nothing but Tang Xiao.
With Tang Ya's help, the two moved to the bathroom, robes draped loosely over them.
When they returned, the bedding had already been changed, the room thoroughly cleaned by Ning Ruoyan's maid using her soul skills.
Lying on the bed, Ruoyan rested against Tang Xiao's chest, chattering endlessly about things she wanted to share. Tang Xiao responded absent-mindedly, his gaze deep and contemplative.
"When I was little, my father once brought me to a high mountain… higher than the sect walls where we first kissed. Do you know what I saw…?" Ning Ruoyan murmured.
"Ruoyan…" Tang Xiao spoke softly, his gaze sharpening.
She looked up at him, puzzled. "Mmm?"
Tang Xiao took out a flower from his storage tool.
It was a seemingly ordinary white flower, palm-sized, resembling a tree peony. It had no leaves, its stalk rooted in a large pitch-black stone that carried an astonishing weight. Flecks of scarlet dotted the petals like blood.
Yes. It was none other than Yearning Heartbroken Red, the king of immortal herbs.
Covering up all the magical fluctuations emitted by the immortal herb using his spiritual power, Tang Xiao presented it before her as if it were an ordinary flower.
"Ruoyan… try spitting out your heart blood onto this flower…" Tang Xiao muttered slowly, his face calm as he spoke.
Originally, he had planned to give it to her only after she broke through to level 79. But today, after she brought up Ning Fengzhi being more talented than her, although he didn't feel much about it, it still made him slightly uncomfortable.
She was his wife, after all. Even though his purpose in marrying her was mainly for childbearing and he only lusted after her body… a wife was still a wife.
And he could feel her love for him. After taming her for so long, her heart held only him. Since he had already decided to give the immortal herb to her, why not give it earlier and make this pet of his happy?
More importantly, he was short on a loyal worker whom he could trust with many important tasks. Tang Yuehua, although extremely trustworthy, still placed him second in her heart. Moreover, her strength was limited, preventing her from fully using her talent even if she wanted to.
At this time, when he was occupied with many matters, having a hundred-percent trustworthy person by his side was very important. And to test whether someone was completely loyal to him, was there any better test than the Yearning Heartbroken Red?
If she could pick up this flower… then it was her good fortune.
In any case, this flower was useless to him. That was the main reason. Even if he felt unwilling to give it away, it would only rot in his storage ring, since he wasn't someone who gave things to others.
"Heart blood? Why?" Even though she questioned Tang Xiao with her melon-seed face slightly frowned, she still followed his instructions without hesitation.
As she forced out some heart blood and it fell onto the tender white petals, staining them red, her mind suddenly went blank for a moment. Then her thoughts were filled only with Tang Xiao's image.
She smiled foolishly as she recalled learning about her marriage, her first meeting with Tang Xiao, the forced kiss on the high walls, the yearning she felt while writing letters and waiting for his replies, the joy she felt during their wedding witnessed by everyone, and the day they merged and she dedicated herself to him. Frame by frame, every moment involving Tang Xiao flashed through her mind.
In front of her, the flower that had been rooted in the rock suddenly emitted dazzling light, absorbing all the blood spilled on its petals.
Seeing this, Tang Xiao released his soul power.
Red light shone as the flower detached itself from the black rock and fell into Ning Ruoyan's arms.
Seeing this, Tang Xiao let out a sigh of relief.
But it was also as expected. After all, this was the Love Continent. Where else would there be a sane person like him in this world?
It was only natural that, born in this world, after marrying him and being tamed by him, this woman would start loving him wholeheartedly.
"Now everything is settled… I will have a completely trustworthy person by my side," Tang Xiao mused, joy flickering in his eyes.
He embraced her tightly, while Ning Ruoyan kept her gaze fixed on the beautiful flower in her arms.
Feeling his warm embrace, she turned to look at him. Suddenly, her eyes moistened for no reason as she kissed him tightly.
This ordinary-looking yet domineering man… her life was for him.
In response to this possessive act, Tang Xiao could only bite her lips in return.
"You can kiss me later."
"Now eat this flower quickly. I'll tell you about it later. From now on, your life is going to change." Tang Xiao truly meant every word.
He had long decided that if Ning Ruoyan truly loved him and proved her loyalty, he wouldn't mind helping her become stronger.
Now that she had proven her loyalty, he would make her one of the best soul masters on the continent.
The stronger she became, the more help she would bring him.
And the path to making her strong would start with consuming this flower.
"This… why don't I keep it?" Ning Ruoyan asked hesitantly.
Tang Xiao had expected this woman to follow the routine trope. He directly slapped her ass cheek hard and gave her a stern look, indicating she couldn't refuse—otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Seeing his stern gaze, she could only comply, though she felt strangely reluctant to part with the flower.
She sat cross-legged on the bed and slowly ate the flower, her expression dramatic, as if she were eating her own heart.
This woman was indeed an acting queen.
Tang Xiao supervised her until she finished eating it completely, not missing even a single petal.
Only when she finished and closed her eyes to meditate and circulate her soul power due to the magical changes occurring within her body did he finally relax his gaze.
"If nothing else… Ruoyan's martial soul evolving into the Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda is a sure thing," Tang Xiao muttered under his breath.
Although the flower Ning Ruoyan consumed was not the Beautiful Silk Tulip immortal herb that Ning Rongrong consumed in the novel, this one was the king of immortal herbs. Though both were immortal herbs, the Yearning Heartbroken Red was a level above.
Of course, this wasn't Tang Xiao's only source of confidence.
He had also read about the possible effects of consuming the Yearning Heartbroken Red in the Yang family records. Among them, it was clearly stated that this immortal herb could remove all innate deficiencies in the consumer, elevating their potential to the next level and granting a boon akin to rebirth.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Sect being unable to break past level 79 was naturally due to the innate deficiency of the martial soul. By consuming this herb, all of it would be resolved. It was a given.
Seeing that Ning Ruoyan had entered deep meditation, Tang Xiao also closed his eyes to cultivate.