Chapter 1152 — A Brand Burned Deep
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
"All right, enough dawdling — go take a bath!" An Liwen waved his hand in annoyance and snorted. "You've stunk me up from head to foot! How old are you, still wetting your pants?"
"Uh ... don't bring it up, Brother An, I'm too embarrassed ..." Su Taizao said, his face flushing scarlet.
"If you're embarrassed, then hurry up and wash — what are you waiting for?" An Liwen said, and set off in the direction of the sea.
"I'm not waiting for anything, Brother An. It's so dark out — I daren't go," Su Taizao said, hesitating.
"I'm going with you and you still dare not? What exactly are you afraid of?" An Liwen cried in fury.
"I'm afraid of ghosts. That scene just now — my heart's still pounding," Su Taizao said faintly.
"What ghosts? Haven't I told you already? There are no ghosts at all! Where are they? That was Gu Mengyao, Shen Yushu and Tang Zhi — have you gone stupid? If you won't wash, fine: don't sleep in the tent tonight, just stay out there!"
"Then ... I'd better wash." The instant Su Taizao thought about spending the night outside the tent, wouldn't that be even more terrifying? Better to be a little scared right now and get it over with under the water!
The night passed without incident.
Though he entered his dreams to cultivate every single day, Wei Zhao had long since learned to keep perfect control of the difference in time; even while asleep, his connection with the outside world remained intact. Most people cannot govern what happens within their dreams — but Wei Zhao could.
In the dream, inside the space of the jade pendant, Wei Zhao was almost exactly as he was in reality.
"Xiaoxiao, wake up — let's go watch the sunrise." Wei Zhao patted gently at Feng Xiaoxiao, who lay fast asleep in his arms, and spoke in a low voice.
The night before, Wei Zhao and Feng Xiaoxiao had slept apart. Perhaps out of maidenly reserve, she had made no bold move once they returned; bold as she had sounded when talking to Shen Yushu yesterday, the moment she was back she grew coy all over again!
In the end Feng Xiaoxiao was still an innocent girl untouched by such matters — talk was one thing, and doing it quite another.
Yet in the cold of the small hours she had slipped naturally into Wei Zhao's arms, and Wei Zhao had not pushed her away; he had held her like that until now.
"Mm?" Feng Xiaoxiao had been sleeping sweetly and woke at Wei Zhao's call. She opened her eyes, still a little muddled. "Is it time? Time to make the love breakfast?"
Feng Xiaoxiao shot upright out of Wei Zhao's arms and spun round and round the tent, muttering under her breath, "Where's the oven? Why is the oven gone?"
Watching her, Wei Zhao felt a wave of warmth and emotion move through him. For a good while now Feng Xiaoxiao had been making him a love breakfast every single morning; clearly the habit had been ingrained in her — the moment the alarm rang she was up and reaching for the oven.
Finally out for a bit of fun and relaxation, and she still took this place for home.
"Xiaoxiao, we're at the seaside." Wei Zhao rose and gathered her into his arms — the first time he had taken the initiative to hold her. Deep in his heart, the image of this girl had already been branded there for good.
"Huh?" Feng Xiaoxiao rubbed her sleepy eyes and only then came to her senses, going red with embarrassment at once. "I thought we were still at home — I was half asleep!"
"Don't make any more love breakfasts from now on. Just rest properly — it pains me to see you wear yourself out like this." Wei Zhao looked at her and spoke, word by deliberate word.
"Ah!" Wei Zhao's tenderness left Feng Xiaoxiao both pleasantly surprised and ill at ease. In her eyes, his fondness for her might well be genuine, but that he was actually with her had far more to do with the wager between her and Tang Zhi than anything else.
Yet in that moment Feng Xiaoxiao could read a deep and ardent love straight out of Wei Zhao's eyes — he truly did love her!