140: Chapter 140 Background Story

Jiang Xun felt a chill down his spine. If anyone else had said that, it would have been fine, but coming from the mouth of this vixen, he always felt a creeping dread.

With a beautiful concubine at home, and himself looking sickly.

He might just follow in the footsteps of a certain Steamed Bun seller.

He feigned confusion and asked, “What medicine!?”

White Fox Jiu didn't answer immediately.

She reached out, took Jiang Xun's hand, and led him towards the bed.

Jiang Xun was pressed by her shoulder and lay back on the bed.

“It's the medicine to cure your illness,” White Fox Jiu said. “It's still on the stove. I'll bring it to you later.”

“Oh! No hurry, no hurry…” Jiang Xun said timidly.

White Fox Jiu quietly looked at Jiang Xun. She said, “Are you afraid I'll poison you?”

Jiang Xun shook his head, looking anxious as if he'd been wronged.

“How could I!”

He propped himself up, leaning against the headboard, and said, “It's just that my mind is still a bit muddled right now.”

“I would never suspect you, Miss.”

After speaking, he tried his best to calm himself down.

Jiang Xun frowned slightly, his face appearing pale and pained.

After all, for someone who had just lost their memory, suddenly having a wife was a bit difficult to accept.

His brows were knitted in a knot, his eyes unfocused, like a pitiful person desperately trying to remember but unable to recall anything.

Jiang Xun inwardly broke into a cold sweat for himself.

He hoped he hadn't revealed any flaws.

He wouldn't treat White Fox Jiu, someone who had lived for thousands of years, as an inexperienced young girl.

Old monsters who Cultivate for so long are all cunning!

So he had to try his best to act like a truly ordinary person.

Fortunately, after being trained by Yan Qingning and Jiang Hongling, he was already able to control his inner thoughts and expressions very well.

White Fox Jiu stared into his eyes but couldn't discern anything.

She knew the power of the Three Lives Realm, so she wasn't very suspicious of Jiang Xun's amnesia.

At least not yet.

White Fox Jiu reached out to touch Jiang Xun, but he dodged her.

Her hand paused in mid-air, and she said weakly:

“You still don't trust me?”

Her voice carried a hint of grievance, and her eyes began to redden again.

The redness came quickly, like a tide surging onto a dam, threatening to burst at any moment.

Jiang Xun watched this scene, a trace of unbearable pity showing on his face.

He clutched his head, looking pained.

“I just… need some more time.”

His voice was low, hoarse, and carried a sense of powerlessness.

This was the truth; he really needed time.

He needed time to recover his body, time to figure out his situation, and time to think about how to escape from this vixen's clutches.

His expression was very downcast.

White Fox Jiu suddenly cupped his face and looked at him.

Her fingers were cold, resting on his temples. Then she lowered her head and kissed him.

Jiang Xun's eyes widened instantly.

His body stiffened, and there was only one thought in his mind.

What trick is this vixen playing now?

It didn't last long.

A dozen breaths, perhaps even shorter.

White Fox Jiu lifted her head, their lips parting, drawing out a glistening thread of saliva.

A faint blush bloomed on her face, and there was a hint of imperceptible probing in her eyes.

“Do you still not believe me now?” White Fox Jiu said leisurely.

Jiang Xun was stunned, speechless for a long time.

He sat on the bed, leaning against the cold wall, the lingering warmth of that kiss still on his lips.

That warmth was like a small snake, drilling from his lips straight into his heart.

But he quickly suppressed that feeling.

Only one thought remained in his mind.

Why?

This clashed with his long-held impression of White Fox Jiu.

Looking at White Fox Jiu's direct gaze, Jiang Xun still maintained a dazed, foolish expression.

Thinking carefully.

From White Fox Jiu's perspective.

A beautiful woman suddenly kissing him, even if not his wife, must be someone very close.

After all, what respectable maiden would kiss a complete stranger?

This was the quickest way to prove their relationship.

The logic held.

This also showed that White Fox Jiu had no suspicion about his amnesia.

Jiang Xun knew he had to play his part well now.

If he were to expose himself at this moment,

He would be met with the extreme wrath of this little vixen.

He couldn't even mobilize a trace of spiritual power now; forget escaping, it was hard for him even to breathe.

After his initial shock, Jiang Xun's face showed a hint of panic. He retreated, putting distance between himself and White Fox Jiu.

After a long while, he finally showed genuine signs of letting down his guard.

“Miss, I believe you,” he said.

White Fox Jiu said, “Then why do you still call me Miss?”

“I…” Jiang Xun looked up at White Fox Jiu, “I don't even know your name yet, Miss.”

His expression was innocent.

“I want to get to know you again…”

White Fox Jiu sat on the edge of the bed, turning to look at him.

The light from outside the window shone on her face, softening her silhouette.

“Remember,” she said, “My name is Bai Jiu, I am your wife, and I am the proprietress of this Tavern.”

As she spoke, she leaned closer to Jiang Xun.

Her warm breath fanned his face, carrying a faint, cool, elegant fragrance.

The warmth was so comforting that Jiang Xun felt his body go a little soft.

“Mm!”

Jiang Xun nodded, then murmured the name again, “Bai Jiu.”

As if he truly was hearing the name for the first time.

“Do you still remember your own name?” White Fox Jiu asked again.

Of course Jiang Xun knew, but he absolutely couldn't seek death at this moment.

He shook his head blankly, his eyes empty.

“I can't remember.”

White Fox Jiu reached out, her fingertip touching his chest.

“Your name is Jiang Hu, and you are my husband.”

Jiang Xun inwardly exclaimed, “Good heavens!”

Isn't this just giving me the character ‘Hu’ from the middle of your name?

No wonder she changed her name to Bai Jiu.

However, this vixen was quite clever, knowing she couldn't use her real name and had to conceal her identity.

His name had probably already spread among certain groups, so the names Dao Xun and Jiang Xun couldn't be used.

Using a fake name was indeed a good choice.

He silently repeated his name.

“Jiang Hu?” he asked, “Which Jiang? Which Hu character?”

White Fox Jiu smiled, a hint of slyness in her grin.

“Jiang from ‘river,’ and Hu from ‘Wine Pot.’”

Jiang Xun was startled, realizing he had misunderstood. Calling himself Jiang Hu (fox) would indeed be a bit awkward.

Wine needs a pot, but a pot can hold more than just wine.

Jiang Xun cupped his hands and said, “Thank you for telling me, Miss Bai.”

White Fox Jiu turned her head, “You still don't trust me?”

Jiang Xun quickly said, “No, Miss. You're taking care of me and giving me shelter. How could I not trust you?”

“Then… can you call me wife?”

White Fox Jiu turned her head, looking at Jiang Xun with anticipation.

Jiang Xun hesitated, looking at White Fox Jiu's already displeased face.

He swallowed several times, and finally, he called out:

“Wife.”

His voice was very soft. Jiang Xun lowered his head after speaking, as if shy.

White Fox Jiu smiled.

Her smile was bright and alluring, like a flower blooming instantly.

“Hehe…”

She couldn't help but mock those two women inwardly.

What Yan Qingning and Jiang Hongling could only dream of, she had achieved so easily now.

How ridiculous.

Not to mention Yan Qingning, even Jiang Hongling probably never heard Jiang Xun call her 'wife' until her dying day, right!?

A huge sense of satisfaction and superiority surged within her, like a tide, wave after wave.

“Then, husband, you wait here,” she said, her tone light. “I'll go get your medicine.”

Jiang Xun was startled, then nodded.

“Okay.”

White Fox Jiu went out for a moment.

In a short while, she returned with a bowl of dark, black medicinal soup.

The medicinal soup was very black, as dark as ink, with a layer of fine bubbles floating on its surface.

The smell was very bitter, so bitter that Jiang Xun frowned even before drinking it.

White Fox Jiu sat on the edge of the bed, pouting her small mouth as she blew on the hot steam in the bowl to cool it.

Her lips were very red, pouting like a ripe cherry.

She stirred it a few times with a spoon, scooped up a spoonful, and brought it to Jiang Xun's mouth.

Jiang Xun glanced at the dark medicinal soup.

He was utterly repulsed.

But he still opened his mouth.

Since things had come to this, he could only play the fool to the end.

Jiang Xun opened his mouth and took the spoon.

A bitter, warm current flowed from his throat to his stomach.

The bitterness was intense, like juice brewed from Coptis chinensis, making his tongue numb. But he didn't spit it out; instead, he swallowed it.

After drinking it, he felt that his tense mind was indeed greatly relieved.

His temples no longer throbbed, and the dull pain at the back of his head lessened considerably. The faint soreness throughout his body also began to recede; this medicine was indeed effective.

Feeling no discomfort, Jiang Xun relaxed and cooperatively finished the entire bowl.

After drinking it, Jiang Xun didn't forget to thank her, “Thank you, wife.”

White Fox Jiu watched Jiang Xun swallow the last drop of medicinal soup and put away the bowl with great satisfaction.

“Between husband and wife, there's no need for such words.”

Although she couldn't feed Jiang Xun by mouth like before, she was still extremely proud.

Yan Qingning, Jiang Hongling!

The man you desperately sought but couldn't have is now calling me wife.

She chuckled inwardly, “You fought tooth and nail, but in the end, didn't you just pave the way for me?”

She suddenly recalled that kiss just now, and her heart felt a little unsatisfied, wanting more.

If it weren't for days of practice, she wouldn't have thought of using a kiss to dispel Jiang Xun's doubts.

She put away the bowl, her back to Jiang Xun, the curve of her lips impossible to suppress.

Jiang Xun leaned against the headboard, the quilt pulled up to his waist.

“How long was I unconscious?” he asked.

White Fox Jiu turned around, placed the bowl on the table, “You've been lying in bed for more than half a month.”

Jiang Xun was silent.

He hadn't expected to be unconscious for so long.

But then he suddenly found the vixen's carelessness amusing.

White Fox Jiu had always presented herself as a Mortal.

And there was no such thing as intravenous drips in this world.

An ordinary person could die after seven days of unconsciousness, yet he had lain unconscious for half a month. Wasn't that clearly telling him:

Is there a problem with this?

But he didn't show any abnormality.

“Can you tell me about the past?” he said.

“I'm very curious about how we met.”

Jiang Xun knew that to play this role well, he had to understand more of the background story.

And he was also curious what identity this little vixen would arrange for him.

After putting the bowl away, White Fox Jiu sat back down by Jiang Xun's bed.

She pondered for a moment, not expecting Jiang Xun to ask this question.

But soon, she had her draft ready.

“You and I were childhood sweethearts who grew up together, inseparable from a young age.”

White Fox Jiu recounted, “It's just that a few years ago, your family suffered a sudden misfortune, and both your father and mother passed away. It was I who took you in.

To repay me, you started working as a shop assistant in my family's store. Over time, our affections grew, and we got married not long after.”

Jiang Xun listened, feeling like it was a story from a novel.

But he didn't press for details here.

He continued, “Then what caused my illness?”

White Fox Jiu paused, as if recalling, then said:

“You encountered mountain bandits on your way to the capital for the imperial examination and were attacked.

You dragged your heavily injured body back home, fell seriously ill, and then you became like this.”

As she spoke, she lowered her head, her shoulders subtly shaking.

When she looked up again, her eyes were already brimming with tears.

“Fortunately, husband, you're not in serious trouble. Otherwise, if I were left alone, I truly wouldn't know what to do.”

“Don't be sad.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xun suddenly reached out and embraced White Fox Jiu.

If he hadn't remembered everything clearly, he might have truly been fooled.

But since White Fox Jiu had already started acting, he couldn't let the scene fall flat.

His chin rested on the top of her head, his voice low and gentle.

“I'm awake now, aren't I?”

White Fox Jiu hummed in response and hugged Jiang Xun back.

Her face was buried in his chest, listening to his faint but steady heartbeat.

Nothing unusual.

She suddenly felt that the methods she had thought of earlier to torment Jiang Xun were not satisfying enough.

She now wanted to strike at his heart.

She would wait until Jiang Xun completely fell in love with her, then cruelly abandon him.

Let him also taste the feeling of being deceived.

Let him also taste what heartbreak is.

Outside the window, the clamor of customers and the clatter of bowls and chopsticks from the Tavern's front hall blended into a cacophony of market sounds.

“Something seems to be happening outside,” Jiang Xun said.

White Fox Jiu released Jiang Xun, wiping away tears from the corners of her eyes. “Perhaps some drinkers are causing trouble. Husband, you rest first. I'll go take a look.”

Jiang Xun nodded, not trying to make her stay. “Okay, then, wife, please be careful.”

White Fox Jiu stood up and said to Jiang Xun, “Don't worry, I can handle it.”

Then she turned around, picked up the bowl from the table, and prepared to leave.

She reached the door with a gloomy expression.

These damned Mortals, ruining her plans.

This broken Tavern had always been empty, but ever since she took over, the stream of people buying and drinking wine had been endless.

It was truly strange.

She had only appeared at the counter for the first few days, and then left everything to Tao Fu to manage.

But it seemed some rumors had already spread.

To conceal her demonic power, she couldn't use her magic.

Otherwise, she would have killed every single one of these Mortals.

In recent days, news of Demon Lord Liandao's Rebirth had spread like wildfire, and the major powers in the Cultivation World were already growing uneasy.

They were trying every possible means to track down Demon Lord Liandao.

She couldn't expose herself yet.

She could only endure for now.

White Fox Jiu looked at the empty medicine bowl. This was indeed not poison, but rather contained a trace of her Origin, which could stabilize Jiang Xun's injuries.

It could also seal all his spiritual power.

However, once the amount of her Origin within Jiang Xun's body reached a certain quantity, he would never be able to leave her.

White Fox Jiu smiled.

She closed the door and went downstairs.