Conquering That Great Demon Lord [Xian Ni Fan Fiction] - Chapter 48: Prayer

Chapter 48: Prayer

Another group of guests settled into the adjacent private room, their conversation drifting to the ears of the two.

“Yaoguang Temple outside the city is holding a temple fair tomorrow. Many are going to pray for blessingsshall we join them?”

“You already have three sons at home. What more could you seek at Yaoguang Temple?”

A companion chuckled sheepishly, “My wife is with child again, and my elderly mother has fallen ill while caring for her. I wish to pray for my family’s safety and well-being.”

Li Muwan looked at Wang Lin with confusion in her eyes.

Wang Lin offered a faint smile of understanding and explained, “Praying for blessings is a form of faith among mortals, a plea to the deities to protect them and grant a peaceful, smooth life.”

“Having hopes makes life more joyful.”

Li Muwan nodded almost imperceptibly, then suddenly brightened with delight.

“Senior Brother, let us go pray for blessings tomorrow too.”

“Very well.”

Wang Lin found it bitterly amusingimmortals only knew how to kill and seize treasures, extracting mortals’ Spirit Roots to serve their own selfish desires. He placed no faith in heaven, earth, or deities, but he had no wish to dampen her spirits.

They remained at the opera house until nightfall. Seated by the pavilion window, they had a clear view of the distant iron sparks blooming in the sky. The play’s melodies faded as the fiery blossoms carried auspicious blessings. Wang Lin wished for all the beauty in the world to grace her life.

Gazing at the cascading iron flowers outside, they watched the crowds cheer in the firelight, welcoming the new year’s fortune and driving away evil spirits. The streets buzzed with excitement, and countless lanterns glowedthis was the first year they had spent together in the mortal realm. Li Muwan wanted to etch every moment into her heart.

Wang Lin drew her into his embrace and whispered softly by her ear, “May my Wan’er be free from hardship and sorrow.”

***

The next day, Yaoguang Temple was thronged with visitors. Devotees carried incense sticks, ascending three thousand steps from the mountain’s base to the main hall. Mortals climbed step by step to demonstrate their sincerity, some even performing three kneels and nine bows.

Just as they reached the foot of the mountain, snow began to fall again. Pedestrians hurried back to the city, and the crowd gradually thinned.

Snow blanketed the verdant peaks, illuminating the southern sky like candles.

Li Muwan lifted her gaze: untouched snow stretched white and vast over the steps, their end shrouded in impenetrable mist. Snowflakes dusted her long lashes and adorned her crimson cloak.

Wang Lin opened an oil-paper umbrella, tilting it toward her.

“Wan’er, are you truly determined to walk all the way up?”

“Didn’t those people say that only by climbing step by step to stand before the Buddha can one show true sincerity?”

Wang Lin’s deep eyes flickered with sorrow. “What does Wan’er wish to pray for?” he asked hoarsely.

“Does Senior Brother have no wishes of his own?”

The wind strengthened, teasing out a strand of white hair from beneath her cloak to brush against Wang Lin’s cheek. He caught it in his palm, his heart aching sharply.

“I do.”

Their eyes met in the snowfall, figures of white and red slowly ascending through the blizzard.

Beads of sweat had formed on Li Muwan’s forehead, her breathing growing labored.

Along the path, she noticed a young general praying for his wife, performing three kneels and nine bows until he reached the summit to devoutly offer his wish.

Wang Lin paused, concerned. “Wan’er, rest awhile.”

“I’m fine,” Li Muwan wiped her brow. “We’re nearly there.”

Wang Lin sighed deeply but did not stop her.

The temple bell’s serene chime echoed through the distant mountains, its Buddhist hymns carried on the air. The maple forest, heavy with snow, stood monochrome white.

Before the temple courtyard, an ancient bodhi tree stood adorned with countless red prayer ribbons.

Li Muwan obtained one from the main hall and searched for a branch to tie it to. Rising on her toes, Wang Lin enveloped her from behind, his large hand clasping her small one as they fastened the red silk together.

“Wan’er, make your wish.” His warm breath brushed her chilled ear. Trembling, Li Muwan leaned back into his embrace.

Beneath the bodhi tree, she looked up with hands clasped, praying devoutly: “May Wang Lin encounter only kindness, tread only upon warm soil, may the wind melt the snow for him, and may he never be left alone guarding a cage…”

The monastery abbot, holding Buddhist prayer beads, paused as he passed Wang Lin and shook his head. “Since your heart holds no Buddha, why do you seek the Buddha?”

Wang Lin nodded to the old abbot. “The monk’s robes were never pure, the mortal world cannot stain the nature of emptiness. The millennium-old bells in these ancient temples are but the deluded dreams of fools.”

“I believe only in myself, not in heavenly principles, gods, or Buddhas.”

The wind and snow carried faint chanting from within. “Then why has the benefactor come here at all?”

Wang Lin gazed at the figure praying beneath the bodhi tree.

“For her!”

The old abbot walked away, murmuring softly, “With one enlightened thought, all beings become Buddha; with one deluded thought, Buddha becomes all beings.”

“Each walks their own path of cultivation, each bears their own karma.”

“Beyond worldly attachments, time is naturally obtained; within human realm, who can fathom the cycles of life and death?”

“…”

Wang Lin stared at the figure before him, unable to look away for a long time.

Finally, he closed his eyes: “What night is this night, that I should see this beloved? All things are but dust, yet I regard her as my very flesh and blood, inseparable from me. May all suffering that should be hers be borne by me instead. May my wife find smooth sailing and obtain all her wishes.”

The wind and snow swept over them both. After a long while, Li Muwan turned her head and smiled, finding Wang Lin watching her. He reached out his hand, and she placed hers in it, her palm firmly clasped.

Wang Lin brushed the snow from her cheek and said tenderly, “Let’s go home.”

“Senior Brother, what did you wish for?”

“And what about Wan’er?”

“Wan’er heard mortals say that wishes cannot be spoken aloud, or they won’t come true.”

“Then why does Wan’er still ask me?”

Wang Lin’s profile reflected in her eyes, Li Muwan suddenly stopped walking.

“What’s wrong?”

“Senior Brother, carry me on your back.”

Wang Lin stepped forward and crouched down before her. “Come up.”

Her light frame settled onto his broad, sturdy back, the jostling of descending steps seeming not to disturb her. Li Muwan drowsily buried her face against his neck as snow fell on the oil-paper umbrella.

“Senior Brother, the mortal world is interesting. Bring me here again someday.”

“Alright.”

“Senior Brother, I’m hungry.”

“When we get home, I’ll make dumplings for Wan’er.”

“Senior Brother, my hands are cold.” Wang Lin felt them – the fingertips draped around his neck were icy.

He tucked them inside his own collar.

“Still cold?”

“They’re warm now.” The shoulder armor she touched was warm, and she could feel the solid muscles beneath. An impulse made her want to explore further.

Her restless little hands slid about inside his collar, and Wang Lin’s lips curved in a smile.

“What is Wan’er doing?”

She put on a serious face: “This way they warm up faster.”

“Liar.”

“How is Wan’er lying?”

When she acted willful, Wang Lin didn’t argue with her, simply indulged her.

“Fine, Wan’er may continue.”

“…”

Their voices gradually faded into the heavy snow, seeing off the last chants from Yaoguang Temple.

The snow continued for several days. After returning from Yaoguang Temple to their small courtyard, they hadn’t gone out again. Li Muwan nestled in the blankets reading storybooks, the covers pulled over her head with a night pearl glowing inside.

Wang Lin sat at the desk studying medicinal herbs when rustling sounds came from behind the screen – who knew what Li Muwan was fiddling with now.

He set aside his work and went to check on her, finding the red wedding quilt propped up like a little tent, occasionally shifting about.

Wang Lin pinched a corner and pulled the quilt away. Li Muwan was lying on her stomach reading intently when the cold air rushed in. She curled her neck and looked up at him innocently. “Senior Brother…”

“What is Wan’er doing?”

Li Muwan quietly hid the storybook, her body pressing down on it. The luminous pearl emitted a bright light, shining on her flushed little face.

“Nothing…”

Wang Lin’s hand had already reached over. Though the storybook was pressed beneath her chest and the back of his hand touched something soft, he didn’t stop. He pulled out the storybook and weighed it in his palm.

“Then what’s this?”

Li Muwan averted her gaze and murmured slowly, “A… storybook…”

“Why read it under the blankets?” Wang Lin’s voice was gentle. “It’s bad for your eyes.”

Li Muwan stared at the storybook in his hand, her body gradually sliding beneath the covers. Her eyes darted around as she calculated her next move.

“I… I was just reading for a while.” Li Muwan snatched the storybook from Wang Lin’s hand, bearing a grudge as she said, “If I don’t hide it, Senior Brother will read it out loud again.”

“The story sounds different when read aloud.”

Hearing this, Wang Lin knew she was reading those little storybooks againthe content really wasn’t suitable to be spoken aloud.

“Then I won’t read it out loud. Wan’er, get up.” Wang Lin lifted her from the blankets, his body moving onto the low couch. Li Muwan sat entirely in his embrace, her slightly cool feet warmed by Wang Lin’s larger ones.

He placed the luminous pearl by the bedside. “Wan’er, lie here and read.”

Li Muwan tilted her head to look at him sideways. “You want to read too?”

Wang Lin had already opened the pages. “Where did you leave off?”

Li Muwan, locked in his arms, bent her hand to find the previous page.

“Here.”

Outside, the north wind howled fiercely, and thick snow piled up in the courtyard. Inside, the sound of turning pages had long ceased. The stove fire still burned, and the luminous pearl by the bedside glowed brightly, casting the intertwined figures onto the screen.

On the screen, a slender leg was draped over a shoulder, the ankle adorned with a little trinketa bell she had bought from the lantern festival.

The blanket hung carelessly over his broad back, slipping slightly with each of his thrusts, accompanied by the clear, tinkling sound of the bell.

Threads of trembling moans overshadowed the wind. “Senior Brother, we haven’t finished the storybook yet.”

“Not reading anymore.”

“This bell was meant for the bed curtains…” Wang Lin turned a deaf ear.

Li Muwan gripped the bed curtains tightly, enduring the impact. Wang Lin fumbled in the low couch for the belt he had removed.

Her dazed, bewildered eyes seductively hooked him. The storybook said that covering the eyes created uncertainty, which could stir desire even more.

He covered her eyes with the belt. The already blurry light and shadows turned into complete darkness. Li Muwan could see nothing.

But she could feel the wetness sliding down from the tip of her nose, and the bell rang again.

The most sensitive spot was circled by his tongue. She wanted to push him away, but her back involuntarily arched, filling herself with him before sinking back down.

The enveloping sensation turned into gentle bites.

“Mmm…” Delicate moans echoed with the rhythm, carried into his ears by the undulations. Bathed in the light of the luminous pearl, the spring scene was laid bare before his eyes.

Wang Lin adored the fair jade-like skin. Her flat abdomen had distinct lines. His large hand gripped her waistline, and his soft tongue pressed against the small of her back. Li Muwan arched again.

His withdrawn hand pressed against his own chest. Wang Lin’s voice was hoarse and heavy. “Wan’er, don’t move.”

She obediently withdrew her hand. The person above her made a move to straighten his waist. Moments later, she felt one of her hands being tied with the bed curtains, followed shortly by the other.

“Senior Brother? How can Wan’er… like this?”

“Wasn’t it written like this in the storybook earlier?” Wang Lin said innocently.

Li Muwan felt utterly hopeless. She had said she shouldn’t read it with him.

Noshe shouldn’t have let him see it at all.

“The storybook… the storybook…Li Muwan was frustrated, now even unable to form a complete sentence without trembling.

“Wan’er, is this still uninteresting?” Warm breath brushed past her ear, yet Li Muwan felt a chill.

Those careless words from their first Dual Cultivation a century ago, he had remembered them for a hundred years, and in every lingering moment of pleasure, he sought to hear them retracted from her lips.

“Not uninteresting,” her belt dampened with tear stains, her voice trembling with sobs and delicate cries, “Husband is magnificent…”

“Husband’s whims, husband, husband…”

Her husband’s wild nature only emerged in the throes of passion, where she witnessed his insatiable appetite and demands.

But once they left the bed, he would suppress his desires, straighten his robes, and tie up his silver hair. Then he would resume the appearance of a modest gentlemangentle as jade, serene and detached.

“Husband what?”

“Husband, it’s too deep…”

The passage from the romance novel described this scene in a grassy mountain forest, where their hands were entangled not by bed curtains but by vines.

What blinded her eyes wasn’t a belt either…

Wang Lin arched his back, and she felt the overwhelming fullness recede, finally allowing her a moment to catch her breath.

Her hands remained bound, her eyes still covered. Li Muwan pleaded, “Husband, release me. The novel has different versions.”

Wang Lin stared at her slightly parted petals, the translucent pink pearl, his brows lifting, “Hmm?”

“Wan’er will teach you.” Li Muwan coaxed him into untying her.

With a slight movement of his spiritual sense, Wang Lin caught her half-dangling body in his arms.

“How will you teach?” Wang Lin asked humbly.

Li Muwan pushed him away, then pressed close again. She bent down to search under the blankets, emerging moments later with lips reddened from sucking, a teasing smile curling as she covered Wang Lin’s eyes with a red undergarment.

Her delicate fragrance enveloped him, and Wang Lin could only smell her feminine scent. He took a deeper breath, the corner of his visible lips quirking upward.

Li Muwan, forgetting the pain once the wound healed, now brimming with playfulness, bent down and slipped back under the covers. The lifted blanket covered her from above as she slid downward.

She found it.

Her nose traced the outline lightlyit was more than she could hold with one hand. She took the exposed half into her mouth, and the blindfolded man shifted slightly, arching upward.

The person under the blankets paused briefly before continuing.

Her cheeks grew sore from being stuffed, the heat becoming stifling. She tried to lift the covers to rise, but the back of her head was pressed down.

“Wan’er, don’t stop.”

Struggling to breathe, her eyes welling with mist, she had to continue even through her tears.

The man lying flat had endured for a long time. Hearing her cries persist, he could bear it no longer. Suddenly, he threw off the blankets, revealing Li Muwaneyes glistening with tearscrouched between them. Dazed, he pinched her chin, and the pitiful yet seductive woman gazed at him innocently.

Wang Lin leaned down, kissing her lips. The lingering taste in her mouth formed sticky threads as he wiped them away with his thumb, trailing kisses along her cheek.

He had wronged her.

But she had brought it upon herself.

“You’re not allowed to read such novels anymore.”

“Does Senior Brother not like them?”

Wang Lin didn’t answer, but his subsequent actions made Li Muwan resolve that avoiding them was indeed the right choice.

The one she provoked always ended up suffering herselfshe never learned her lesson.

***

The next day was clear, the warm sun shining until afternoon, yet there was no movement in the room. Li Muwan awoke, staring at the bed curtains and the disordered low couch, the bedding so tangled she couldn’t find which end was which.

Her arm had rested on Wang Lin’s chest all night, leaving her body sore and weak.

Their white hairs were intertwined, indistinguishable from one another.

Her throat still ached from the previous night’s strain, her voice hoarse.

“Senior Brother, what time is it?”

“Past noon.” Wang Lin turned to his side, pulling her into his embrace.

“Has the snow stopped?”

“Yes, it has.”

The comfort of his embrace made her drowsy again, her eyelids heavy as they closed.

“Wan’er?” Wang Lin called out several times, feeling the breathing in his embrace grow heavier. A trace of pity flickered through his sword-like brows.

He always tried to restrain himself from being too rough, yet Li Muwan had her ways of making him lose control, which inevitably left her exhausted.

By the time she woke again, dusk had fallen.

Wang Lin had just returned from offering incense in the main hall when he found Li Muwan sitting before the dressing table, her silver hair flowing like a galaxy. She disliked using overly ornate hairpins, as they only made her white hair more conspicuous.

A simple wooden hairpin held her bun in place, lending her an elegant aura.

The door opened, casting Wang Lin’s silhouette against the fading light outside. The twilight glow accentuated the silver of her hair as Li Muwan turned from her dressing table, a stone pencil held delicately in her hand.

“Senior Brother, would you draw my eyebrows for Wan’er?”

Wang Lin had long mastered the art of eyebrow drawing. A smile bloomed on his face as he stepped into the remaining daylight, taking the stone pencil from Li Muwan’s hand. Every contour of her brows and eyes was deeply engraved in his heart.

His strokes came naturally and skillfully. Li Muwan gazed at their reflection in the mirror and praised generously: “Your technique has improved. Senior Brother, you’re not treating me like one of your wood carvings, are you?”

Faced with her teasing, Wang Lin merely chuckled softly before leaning in to place a gentle kiss between her fine brows.

Having slept her fill and noticing the snow-laden branches outside the window, Li Muwan felt a surge of playful energy.

“Senior Brother, would you join Wan’er for a snowball fight?”

Wang Lin retrieved the red cloak from the clothing rack and draped it over her shoulders. “Certainly.”

The snow in the courtyard had piled deep, and the snowman they’d built earlier remained intact. Li Muwan quickly formed a snowball and threw it at Wang Lin, who was crouching to gather snow himself.

The snowball struck his arm and shattered. Li Muwan grinned triumphantly while Wang Lin glanced sideways at the snow dusting his sleeve, squinting as he assessed the snowball in his hand.

A sense of foreboding washed over Li Muwan, and she hurriedly bent down to make another snowball.

“Senior Brother, no fair attacking when I’m unprepared! Wait until Wan’er is ready before we throw.”

“Just now Wan’er didn’t wait for me to finish making mine before throwing. Why is that?” His narrow phoenix eyes narrowed further.

He didn’t rush to throw, patiently waiting for Li Muwan to complete her preparations.

“Ready now.” Li Muwan was still congratulating herself on successfully buying time.

She launched her snowball, and the two projectiles passed each other mid-air, losing momentum but still landing on their respective targets.

Her properly fastened hood came loose during their play, making it impossible to distinguish between her silver hair and the snow. The scattered snow from their battle created the illusion of another heavy snowfall in the courtyard.

Snowflakes settled and disappeared into her white strands as Li Muwan leaned forward, hands on knees, catching her breath.

Wang Lin’s snowball came flying straight at her. Unable to dodge in time, her feet slipped out from under her, sending her tumbling toward the snow.

Wang Lin’s heart skipped a beat as he threw himself beneath her, cushioning her fall. They landed together in the snow, their heavy breathing fueled by adrenaline.

Thankfully he had caught her. Though the fall wouldn’t have hurt much, his instinct was always to protect her.

Snowflakes clung to her eyelashes, blurring her vision. Her chilled fingertips brushed against his defined nose bridge, finding it equally cold.

Yet their exhaled breath was warm, their words emerging as white puffs in the air.

“Shall we continue playing?”

“Let’s.” Li Muwan pushed herself up, kneeling beside him as a mischievous idea formed.

Suddenly, she slipped her icy fingers inside his collar. The cold shock made Wang Lin sit up to embrace her, but Li Muwan sprang to her feet and dodged behind a tree branch where white plums stood resilient against the cold wind.

Wang Lin calmly brushed the snow from his clothes before seizing the moment when Li Muwan was distracted. In two large strides, he reached her, pulling her into his embrace. During her struggles, they tumbled back into the snow together.

Their laughter echoed through the small courtyard, shaking the accumulated snow from the white plum branches above. Wang Lin rolled over, shielding Li Muwan beneath him as his broad frame blocked the falling snow.

Their faces were close, his handsome features filling her vision. A warmth blossomed in Li Muwan’s heart as she gently caressed Wang Lin’s cheek.

“Senior Brother, Wan’er is truly content.”

“Tired from playing?”

“Not tired.” Li Muwan slipped her hand beneath his robe, tracing it up along the small of his back.

Wang Lin pressed a light kiss to her chilled, reddened nose, then couldn’t resist moving downward to brush his lips against hers, sharing his warmth between them.

Li Muwan responded with equal fervor, stirring such heat in Wang Lin that the winter chill melted from his body entirely.

Yet the marks from last night still lingered on her skin, so he reined in his desire himself.

Only when the snow ceased falling from the plum branches did he finally release her from beneath him.

“Wan’er, it’s grown dark. Let’s return.”