Chapter 18 : Sharing Bed

The next morning, the demon hunters began to leave Yanyue Villa one after another.

They needed to return to inform their families or elder teacher about the events that had occurred at Yanyue Villa. If things are really as Xu Xiujue and others speculated, I am afraid that there are many situations like Yanyue Villa. The demon hunters must be prepared to face the possible disaster.

Ji Yu also prepared to leave after waking up.

The Xuanjia Guards brought the carriage over. It was already set up inside soft and comfortable, suitable for someone with a fragile body.

As Ji Yu boarded the carriage, she noticed that Jiang Shiqiu had followed her.

“You…” she asked in confusion, “Are you coming with us?”

Jiang Shiqiu nodded and said matter-of-factly, “We are husband and wife. How can we be separated? I heard that being apart can damage a couple’s relationship, so of course, I have to come with you.”

Ji Yu was silent and wanted to ask him, have you forgotten what you have done?

Although the memories of the demon hunter had been altered by him and she did not doubt his identity, once they left Yanyue Villa, they would enter the realm of ordinary people and encounter many others.

He couldn’t possibly alter everyone’s memories, could he?

But since he insisted on coming along, Ji Yu couldn’t refuse and tacitly allowed his company.

Others found nothing strange about him boarding the carriage with Ji Yu.

As the carriage drove out of Yanyue Villa, the sound of horse hooves was heard and it stopped nearby.

Then a clear voice came from outside the carriage “Junior Sister Ji.”

Ji Yu lifted the carriage curtain and saw Xu Xiujue riding a fine horse not far away.

The spring rain had stopped, and the sky was clear. The distant green mountains were faintly visible.

The morning glow bathed the man on the horse, who was enveloped in a sense of righteousness and remarkable grace.

“Senior Brother Xu,” Ji Yu greeted.

Xu Xiujue looked at the beautiful figure in the carriage window, momentarily stunned. Once he came to his senses, he quickly said, “Junior Sister Ji, we’ll be leaving first. Farewell, and take care.”

Ji Yu responded politely, “Senior Brother Xu, take care.”

Xu Xiujue gazed at her, intending to say something more, but then he saw someone else appear by the window. This person, who was very close to Ji Yu, naturally put an arm around her shoulders and casually looked out the window.

His pitch-black eyes were as cold as jade, seemingly indifferent to everything in the world. Only when he looked down at the person beside him did those eyes show a hint of emotion, becoming more vivid.

Ji Yu said nothing and accepted his gesture.

Words were caught in Xu Xiujue’s throat. He looked deeply at the affectionate couple in the carriage and said, “Lord Jiang, Junior Sister Ji, we’ll be going ahead. Take care of yourselves.”

He gave a slight bow and, with a tug on the reins, departed on his horse.

The disciples of the Xu family followed, riding briskly towards the mountain path, and soon vanished at the edge of the green mountains.

Ji Yu lowered the carriage curtain, and the carriage slowly left Yanyue Villa.

Her throat felt a bit itchy, and she covered her mouth with a handkerchief and coughed softly. Someone held her, a warm and strong hand gently patting her back to help her breathe easier.

Ji Yu coughed for a while, and the pain surged through her body, making her feel increasingly weak.

Her expression grew weary as she leaned against the carriage, her body feeling cold but warmed by the embrace of the person beside her. The warmth from him seemed to make her feel a bit better.

So comfortable…

She sighed softly but didn’t linger on the comfort too long. She sat up and said, “Thank you, I feel much better now.”

Jiang Shiqiu looked at her with an ambiguous expression. Seeing her return to her usual composed and restrained self, as if her earlier weakness was merely an illusion, he seemed to be cautious about showing any sign of her vulnerability to others.

He took her hand, warming her cold fingers in his own, and suddenly said, “My wife, that Xu family disciple seems to care a lot about you. He even stayed behind to bid you farewell.”

Ji Yu looked at him in confusion and nodded, “Senior Brother Xu is indeed kind. On the way to Yanyue Villa, we happened to meet them and traveled together.”

Given this bond formed from traveling together, Xu Xiujue’s special farewell didn’t seem strange to her.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Shiqiu’s expression became somewhat subtle, and he remarked, “It seems that the human world places a lot of importance on manners.”

Ji Yu didn’t understand why he said that and wisely maintained her smile.

He couldn’t suddenly be interested in learning about human etiquette, could he?

While she had little interaction with demons, she knew that demons were different from humans, and human laws and morals couldn’t regulate them.

Jiang Shiqiu held her cold, slender hand with a tender and considerate demeanor. “My wife, would you like to take a nap?”

Ji Yu did not refuse. “That would be good.”

She was aware of her own condition. Although she had not exerted much effort during the trip to Yanyue Villa, the impact on her body was considerable. She was weaker than usual and needed proper rest.

As she leaned against the carriage wall, her back supported by a soft, large pillow, and was about to close her eyes to rest, she felt a pair of hands reach over and pull her into a warm, strong embrace.

This man looked thin when he was dressed, but his chest was broad and his arms strong. Being held by him made her seem even more delicate and fragile.

“You…” She looked at him in surprise.

Jiang Shiqiu smiled at her. The dim light inside the carriage cast an ambiguous and enchanting glow on his face, making him appear even more mesmerizing and seductive than an alluring demon.

Although Ji Yu usually didn’t care much about appearances, she felt somewhat tempted by his allure.

“My wife, lean against me. It will be more comfortable,” Jiang Shiqiu said, then added with a hint of dissatisfaction, “This carriage is so simple. How can it provide a proper rest?”

Traveling can be tiring, and a better carriage would make the journey more comfortable.

Ji Yu gave him a strange look. “Actually, it’s quite good.”

Compared to the demon hunters who travel the world on horseback, she was already an anomaly by traveling in a carriage. If she demanded too much, it would be questionable whether they were exterminating demons or merely going on a leisurely trip.

People might say all sorts of things if they saw her.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Shiqiu looked at her with a pitiful expression and said, “My wife, you’ve suffered.”

Ji Yu: “……”

It seemed that communication between normal people and demons was impossible.

Though Ji Yu wasn’t used to it, Jiang Shiqiu’s insistence on “we’re married” left her unsure how to refuse. In the end, she had no choice but to accept his kindness and rest against him.

Perhaps due to his warm body and the enveloping warmth, she soon fell asleep.

But as soon as she fell asleep, she began dreaming again.

In her dream, she was by the endless dark river again, with the world enveloped in darkness. Only as she walked did clusters of flames along the riverbank light up, creating a winding, dreamlike scenery.

Ji Yu stood by the river and saw the lantern by the bridge again.

She stared at it for a while, but this time, for some reason, she did not see the figure in white coming from the bridge.

When Ji Yu woke up, she felt incredibly warm, and the persistent pain in her body seemed to have eased a bit.

“My wife, you’re awake.”

Jiang Shiqiu’s voice rang out as he helped her sit up and poured her a cup of medicinal tea.

After she drank the tea, he carefully wiped the water from her lips with a handkerchief and asked, “You were sleeping very deeply just now and seemed to have had a dream. Do you remember what it was about?”

Ji Yu was silent for a moment before replying, “I don’t remember.”

“Is that so?” Jiang Shiqiu stared at her for a while but did not press further.

By evening, they arrived at a small town at the foot of Yanyue Mountain.

The town, once bustling due to its proximity to Yanyue Villa, had become very quiet in recent months. The disturbances caused by demons and ghosts from Yanyue Villahad driven many residents away. Some moved out of town, while others took refuge with relatives in nearby cities, leaving the town quite desolate.

Worried about Ji Yu’s health, Hongxiao did not rush their journey and found an inn in the town for them to stay.

When arranging the rooms, Jiang Shiqiu naturally stayed in the same room as Ji Yu.

In Hongxiao’s and the Xuanjia Guards’ “memory,” they were already married, so sharing a room was considered normal.

Ji Yu carefully observed Hongxiao and the Black Armor Guards and found that their “memories” had indeed been altered. She said nothing and accepted the arrangement.

However, at night, lying in bed with an additional person beside her made her quite uncomfortable.

Jiang Shiqiu, lying on the side of the bed facing her, asked, “My wife, are you having trouble sleeping?”

Ji Yu replied, “Uh… not quite used to it.”

She was indeed unaccustomed to sharing a bed with someone.

Hearing this remarkably honest statement, Jiang Shiqiu was momentarily taken aback, then said, “My wife, you’ll have to get used to it. We’re married now.”

Upon hearing this, Ji Yu’s cheeks flushed slightly. She closed her eyes and softly replied, “I know.”

She tried to accustom herself to having someone beside her in bed.

Although she didn’t clearly remember the details of the wedding, it was a fact that they had gone through the ceremony. It was just that…

Ji Yu recalculated and found that her fate seemed to be intertwined with someone, but her cultivation was insufficient to determine any specifics.

Because of this, when Hongxiao asked about changes in her birth chart that day, she had been unable to detect anything.

Now that he was by her side, it seemed that being close to him had caused his aura to reveal some clues.

Ji Yu thought to herself that although Jiang Shiqiu was a demon, his identity must be extraordinary. Otherwise, why couldn’t she figure out his background even though they were already married?

Typically, if a couple had a marriage contract, one could discern the identity of their partner through calculations.

The next moment, Ji Yu found herself being pulled into a warm embrace.

She stiffly said, “Can you let go…”

Jiang Shiqiu did not let go. Instead, he moved closer, his warm breath brushing against her sensitive neck. He said, “My wife, is this more comfortable?”

Ji Yu remained silent again.

She had noticed that being close to him was indeed more comfortable, it seemed to ease her bodily pain somewhat.

In fact, she didn’t quite understand. Even though he was a demon, his body temperature was higher than hers. In contrast, her body was cold, pale, and lifeless, making her seem less human.

Ji Yu stopped being stubborn and allowed herself to lean against him, slowly falling asleep.

In the middle of the night, a wisp of dark wind circled around the inn’s front door and entered through the back, heading towards one of the rooms.

The window was quietly opened a crack. Just as the dark wind was about to enter, it suddenly froze by the window.

If it had human features, it would have looked extremely terrified, as if its entire being was about to burst, panicked and quickly vanishing into the air.

In the darkness, Jiang Shiqiu opened his eyes.

He tilted his head slightly, his pair of dark eyes without a trace of light, indifferent and cold, like a ruthless and heartless god, looking down at the world from high above.

“Jiang Shiqiu…”

A whispering voice sounded, and the dark eyes finally showed some movement.

“What’s wrong?” Ji Yu’s drowsy voice responded.

Jiang Shiqiu gently patted her back, soothingly saying, “It’s nothing. Just keep sleeping.”

Perhaps due to the warmth of the bedding or perhaps it was because the pain in his body was much relieved, Ji Yu did not resist the drowsiness and fell back into a deep sleep.