Conquering That Great Demon Lord [Xian Ni Fan Fiction] - Chapter56: Playful Rain

Chapter56: Playful Rain

After the meal, Li Muwan sat in the courtyard idly swinging her legs. Having finished his household chores, Wang Lin picked a few flowers and placed them before her. Seeing Wang Lin arranging blossoms in a vase, Li Muwan began mimicking his actions.

Wang Lin watched her focused expression thoughtfully. Perhaps by engaging her hands to perceive the world, even with incomplete awareness, her muscle memory might eventually retain some innate understanding.

Having reached this conclusion, he let Li Muwan play freely without interference.

As peach blossoms in the courtyard began to fall, Wang Lin gathered numerous petals for winemaking. The Peach Blossom Wine Li Muwan had previously brewed remained buried beneath a tree branch. When he unearthed a jar, the aromatic fragrance immediately permeated the air – her hands had always been exceptionally skillful.

Unsealing the jar, he poured a small cup to savor the bouquet. The wine’s essence stirred nostalgic emotions, swelling his heart with sudden inspiration that led him to the zither platform.

Hearing the music, Li Muwan – still arranging flowers – recalled him sitting there playing with tear-streaked cheeks. Some hidden force compelled her to approach Wang Lin.

Though her consciousness couldn’t identify who Wang Lin was or what he meant to her, her instincts recognized his inherent goodness toward her.

Noticing movement behind him, Wang Lin paused his playing. Li Muwan naturally lifted his arm and nestled herself against his chest. Leaning against his torso, she tilted her head back to glance at him. Wang Lin looked down, “Does Wan’er wish to listen?”

As Li Muwan strummed a random note, Wang Lin pressed his cheek against hers. “Very well, I’ll play for Wan’er.”

When the melody concluded, Wang Lin drank from the Peach Blossom Wine. Curious about his cup’s contents, Li Muwan slightly rose and restlessly reached for it. Playfully, Wang Lin blew wine-scented breath toward her upturned face. Surprisingly, she delighted in the fragrance.

Wang Lin set aside the emptied cup and resumed playing. Seizing his absorbed moment, Li Muwan stealthily claimed the cup, turning it in her palms before cautiously bringing it to her nose, inhaling the residual aroma.

Enticed by the scent, she extended her tongue for a tentative taste – sweetness greeted her. Her eyes fixed yearningly on the distant wine jar. Unaware of her thoughts, Wang Lin was interrupted when Li Muwan pushed against the table to stand.

“What does Wan’er want?”

She pointed at the jar behind the zither. Recognizing her fixation, Wang Lin inquired, “Wan’er, this is Peach Blossom Wine you brewed yourself. Do you remember?”

Receiving no response, Wang Lin brought the jar and filled a cup. Knowing her former poor alcohol tolerance but reasoning her mortal form could handle a taste, he offered a sip.

The initial mellow fragrance gave way to mild pungency, making Li Muwan frown after a small taste, though her expression softened upon noticing the sweet aftertaste. Wang Lin observed this subtle transition and slid the cup closer. “Does Wan’er want more?”

She claimed the cup from his hand, sipping gradually. Wang Lin permitted only one serving. Thus she remained nestled against him, enjoying both the wine and the music.

After finishing the cup and listening to another melody, her delicate face began flushing crimson. Her vision blurred, the zither strings before her appearing plucked by countless hands. As drowsiness overwhelmed her, she slumped asleep in Wang Lin’s embrace.

Noticing her deepened breathing, Wang Lin stopped playing to check on her. Her rosy cheeks emitted wine-scented breaths. Concerned about potential discomfort, he channeled Spiritual Power into her system. Seeing her peaceful slumber, he felt reassured.

“Drunk again,” he murmured, stroking her heated cheeks before settling her on the daybed and tucking her beneath spring quilts.

Warm sunlight streamed through the window, blocked by the screen yet filling the room with gentle heat. As Wang Lin moved to tidy the yard, Li Muwan reached sideways to grasp his wrist. Her hold was light and unsteady, making him pause mid-step. Turning back, he saw her delicate brows furrowed even in sleep, stirring his heart with tenderness.

He knelt beside her, fingertips brushing her knitted brows as he coaxed softly like comforting a child: “I’m not leaving. Why do you frown in your dreams? Did you see something frightening?”

“Wan’er needn’t fear. Senior Brother is here.”

His voice gradually eased the slumbering woman’s distress, until finally a smile touched her lips. Watching her peaceful face, Wang Lin felt both contentment and self-reproach.

Over recent years, his comprehension of the Soul of Life, combined with deductions about Li Muwan’s physical condition through it, confirmed that her rapid lifespan depletion wasn’t solely due to the Soul’s influence. A cultivator’s vitality wouldn’t deteriorate so severely without deeper causes damaging their foundation.

His thoughts turned meticulous. For a century, Li Muwan had exhausted herself transforming Cloud Heaven Sect into his personal alchemy faction. That Azure Dragon Jade Tablet capable of blocking a Nascent Soul cultivator’s strikehow could someone at Foundation Establishment Stage possibly craft such a formation without offering heart’s blood as sacrifice? The feat inevitably consumed her lifespan, planting hidden ailments.

Yet back then, she’d risked everything for him. If she merely sought his favor due to the Soul of Life’s mission, why wouldn’t she mention such sacrificial devotion to gain his gratitude?

His gaze softened with aching fondness. “Since Wan’er would disregard her life for me, how could I ever fail you? I will find a way to reunite your scattered soul. Wait for me, Wan’er.”

Only when Li Muwan slept could he truly focus on contemplating the path ahead.

Perched on the peach tree in the courtyard, Wang Lin dangled a jar of Peach Blossom Wine. “Wan’er possesses a mortal body with incomplete consciousness. I cannot abandon her alone in this mundane world. Once her physical form stabilizes, we’ll seek opportunities in the immortal realm to recover her soul.”

Peach blossoms dusted his white hair as his sleeves fluttered in the breeze. Sunlight outlined the youth’s profile, the afternoon’s leisure enveloping him, yet his mind swirled with worries.

Resting his head on interlaced arms, he cast his Divine Sense toward the bedroom, clearly observing her sleeping face beneath the warm light. Unconsciously, the young man’s lips curved into a smile.

They spent springdays in the small courtyard. When summer arrived with relentless rains, sometimes pouring for half a month, puddles dotted the yard and the thatched roof leaked. Wang Lin braved the downpour to climb up and make repairs.

Li Muwan loved watching rainy scenes. As mist veiled the courtyard in hazy beauty, she stood beneath the eaves catching rainwater in her palms. Wang Lin worked on the rooftopthough he could easily fix things with magic, he preferred doing things personally.

Her gaze drifted to the puddles where raindrops shattered into crystalline beads upon impact. Noting the figure on the roof was still occupied, she stepped forward.

Embroidered shoesnewly bought by Wang Linsplashed into water-filled hollows. Droplets sprayed upward, dampening her skirt hem. Soon the falling rain soaked her completely, yet she reveled in the play, kicking with increasing vigor until overflow met replenishment in the puddles.

Drenched garments clung to her delicate frame as she twirled through the rain curtain, a blur of white shimmering within the lush green scenery.

Having finished repairs, Wang Lin descended the ladder and stood straight under the corridor. After retrieving his raincoat and shaking water off his hat, he turned toward the house only to witness Li Muwan playing merrily in the courtyard’s rainwater.

She picked up the embroidered shoes, which were filled with water, and she knew to pour it out. A rainbow arched through the rain, signaling the storm was easing.

The scene captivated his soul. He called out to the figure playing in the rain, “Wan’er.”

Li Muwan, lost in her play, looked up and beamed at Wang Lin, who stood under the eaves holding a bamboo hat. Seeing her joy, Wang Lin smiled too.

“Wan’er, be careful not to slip.”

But the rain was cold, and fearing she might catch a chill, Wang Lin stepped down, placing the hat on her head. Li Muwan seemed to dislike it and promptly removed it.

“Just like before,” Wang Lin mused, recalling how she had once rejected a straw hat for clashing with her outfit.

“Wan’er, no more playing in the water. You’ll catch a cold. Let’s go back, and I’ll change your clothes.”

Wang Lin took her hand and led her inside. Li Muwan didn’t resist, following obediently.

She was already drenched, her clothes so wet they could wring out streams.

“If you want to play in water, another day we’ll find a warm spring for you to bathe in. This rainwater is too cold.”

“And you don’t want to drink bitter medicine, do you?”

Li Muwan listened to his murmurs, her embroidered shoes squelching with each step.

Once in the bedroom, with the doors and windows shut, Wang Lin picked out fresh clothes from the wardrobe. Both of them were soaked through.

He began by undressing her first. Though he helped her wash and change daily, each time tested his endurance.

Li Muwan was accustomed to it, unaware of any distinction between men and women. She simply knew that when Wang Lin removed her clothes, he would wipe her clean. Her fair skin glistened with droplets, and after drying her with a cloth, he wrapped her in an outer robe.

“Sit here and don’t move.”

Swaddled in the robe, her whole body was concealed. Wang Lin then changed out of his own wet clothes, revealing his broad, well-defined back and shoulders.

As he turned to gather the damp garments, Li Muwan, unnoticed, had risen and come up behind him.

She embraced him from behind, the robe slipping off, leaving her naked form and soft curves fully exposed.

When Wang Lin turned, he saw it allher unshielded tenderness and his own hardened chest. Li Muwan clung to him, pressing close. Chilled from the rain, she sought his warmth greedily.

For Wang Lin, though, this was a kind of punishment, for he could do nothing.

“You take advantage of not knowing anything, challenging me with that innocent face, Wan’er. I fear one day I might lose control and hurt you,” he murmured hoarsely, retrieving the fallen robe and wrapping her again.

Li Muwan braced against his chest, unwilling to let go. Wang Lin held her tight, took a deep breath, and painfully pushed her away.

“Wan’er, get dressed first.” His body burned with restrained heat.

Once both were clothed, Wang Lin sat on the low couch, legs crossed, and Li Muwan settled beside him, leaning against his chest.

He dried her damp hair with a cloth, her head resting lightly against him.

She was always docile when he tended to her hair, never fussing, content to be nestled in his embrace.

“Your nature is so gentle, just a bit playful but never unruly,” Wang Lin praised as he worked.

Li Muwan knew he was speaking to her. Seeing him smile, she smiled back, even without understanding.

She played with Wang Lin’s damp hair, her feet still wet. Wang Lin wiped her feet again, holding her fair feet in his palms, transferring the warmth from his hands. Li Muwan stepped on his abdomen with both feet, gently and softly, one step after another, simply finding it amusing, unaware that such actions would stir the desire in the man before her.

She used to tease him like this before, but now she had no such awareness.

Wang Lin helplessly lowered his head and grasped her restless ankles, his cheek touching the coolness of her soles. He held her still, pressing them tightly against his face, then tilted slightly to kiss the top of her feet. His warm breath tickled her, making her want to pull back, but she couldn’t comprehend Wang Lin’s burning affection and could only let go.

The rain outside had stopped, and the long-unseen sunlight emerged. Drops of water fell from the eaves, their sound trickling into the room.

Li Muwan lay on the low couch flipping through the picture book. Seeing a drawing that looked just like the chickens raised in the yard, she pointed at the picture motionlessly, wanting to call Wang Lin over to see.

Wang Lin was meditating with his eyes closed. Li Muwan couldn’t wake him, so she reluctantly returned her gaze to the book.

Even with his eyes closed in meditation, he would keep his Divine Sense alert outside to watch over her at all times. Detecting her little thought, Wang Lin opened his eyes and lay down beside her, his arm wrapping around her body. “What does Wan’er want to show me?”

Seeing he had come over, Li Muwan flipped back a few pages, found the drawing she had seen earlier, and pointed it out to Wang Lin.

“That’s a chicken,” he said, patting her head with his palm. “These chickens have grown plump too. I’ll slaughter one tonight to make soup for you, to warm your body.”

Li Muwan tilted her head, confirming he had seen it, then flipped back to the page she was reading.

“You’ve been looking at these picture books for quite a while. Another day I’ll take you to the street to buy new summer clothes and books, whatever Wan’er likes.”

Li Muwan didn’t respond to him, merely smiling as she looked at the picture book.

Wang Lin kissed her hair. Somehow the collar of his clothes in front had been pulled open by her, half revealing his full chest, faintly visible. Wang Lin quickly averted his gaze and tightened her grip on his clothes for her.

Li Muwan rolled over and sat up, pointing at Wang Lin’s chest. Wang Lin understood her meaning.

Li Muwan’s actions were telling him, “I want to sleep here!”

Wang Lin lay flat, his broad chest being the place where she slept most soundly. She closed the book, rested her head on him, still clutching a strand of his hair in her hand, finding the most comfortable position. Soon, she fell asleep.