61: Chapter 61 Family Banquet

Hun Feng lowered his head to look at the back of her neck, where a small, light red mark remained—one he had accidentally left the night before. Xiao Yi Xian realized he was awake but didn't move. She kept her eyes closed, though her eyelashes fluttered slightly. In truth, she had been awake for a while, just not knowing how to face him. He had put her through so much last night; her whole body still felt sore, and any slight movement made her feel the traces left behind. She had lived for so many years and had never been this intimate with any man. Back in the Central Plains, everyone feared her—feared her poison, feared her Calamity Poison Body—to the point where they had to swallow antidotes just to get close to her. Over time, she had grown accustomed to keeping others at a distance. Yet, this man beside her not only didn't fear her poison, but had instead dismantled her from the inside out, and she had been completely powerless to resist.

Hun Feng's hand moved slowly up from her waist, his fingertips tracing the curve of her ribs before resting on the light red mark on her collarbone, his thumb rubbing over it slowly. Xiao Yi Xian's body trembled slightly, and the roots of her ears turned red at a visible rate, but she still didn't open her eyes, only biting her lower lip.

"Stop pretending if you're awake." Hun Feng leaned close to her ear, his voice carrying the hoarseness of just waking up and a lingering laziness. His breath sprayed against her earlobe, causing her to subconsciously shrink her neck. "Weren't you quite fierce when you were biting me last night?"

Xiao Yi Xian finally opened her eyes but didn't turn back, only saying in a muffled voice: "Who told you to be so... so forceful last night." She buried her face further into the pillow, her voice growing smaller and smaller, until the second half was almost inaudible.

"So what?" Hun Feng pulled her tighter into his embrace, his palm pressed against her flat lower abdomen, caging her against his chest. His fingertips traced circles on her belly, the pressure light and slow, as if teasing her on purpose.

Xiao Yi Xian didn't answer. She buried her face in the pillow, refusing to look up. The blush on her ears had spread to her neck, and even her shoulders were tinged with a faint pink. The memories of last night were still vivid—she hadn't known where to put her hands when he kissed her; she had been so nervous when he took off her clothes that she almost tore the sheets. What shamed her most was that she had taken the initiative to wrap her arms around his neck midway. She had never hesitated when fighting others, but after wrapping her arms around him last night, she had gone completely stiff, as if she had done something terrible. Yet, being held like this, a part of her heart that had been suspended for half her life seemed to have quietly settled. She had never known she could lie in someone's arms so defenselessly, without worrying that her Calamity Poison Body would hurt him, without having to keep that string of readiness to strike pulled tight. He needed her poison but didn't fear it. This feeling—Xiao Yan had never given it to her, and no one else had either.

A thin line of morning light leaked through the gap in the curtains, landing on her exposed shoulder, reflecting a thin layer of sweat on her skin with a faint luster. Hun Feng felt that her appearance, drenched in sweat, was even more charming than last night—her white hair disheveled on the pillow, her eyes still clouded with the mist of sleep. Her cold, aloof temperament had been mostly shattered by a night of pleasure, leaving only laziness and satisfaction. He suddenly recalled his first impression of Xiao Yi Xian from the original work: the young girl in Qingshan Town squatting next to a medicine basket, giving people acupuncture, with long light purple hair and emerald green eyes, smiling softly and healingly. Later, the Calamity Poison Body erupted, her hair turned white overnight, her purple dress fluttering, full of murderous intent, becoming the Purple-Clothed Heavenly Poison Woman that made the entire Izumo Empire tremble. Later still, she completely mastered the poison body, her hair returned to light purple, but her temperament was no longer that of the fragile medical girl, but transformed into a cold, noble, gentle, and mature fairy. Now the fairy was in his arms; all that coldness and nobility had been shattered by him. A smug arc curled at the corners of his mouth. He lowered his head to plant another kiss on the back of her neck, his hand starting to slide down her waist again, behaving mischievously.

Xiao Yi Xian turned her head abruptly to glare at him, her cold eyes filled with both shame and disbelief: "You want more? It's already dawn—"

"So what if it's dawn." Hun Feng rolled over, pinning her back into the quilt, and lowered his head to kiss her lips, blocking all the protests she hadn't had time to utter. Xiao Yi Xian let out a muffled groan from his kiss, her hands pressing against his chest, wanting to push him away, but he easily caught her wrists with one hand and pinned them above her head. He kissed her deeply, more leisurely and domineering than the night before. His tongue pried open her teeth, tasting that faint, crisp sweetness between her lips. After a brief struggle, she gradually softened, her gripped fingers slowly loosening, turning to interlace with his. When he released her lips, her usually cold eyes were already covered in a thin mist of water, the corners of her eyes slightly red, her lips swollen and redder than usual.

Xiao Yi Xian was so angry at his smug appearance that she turned her head away, but he pinched her chin and forced it back. He lowered his head and took a light bite on her collarbone, not hard, just enough to make her groan. Her fingers gripped the fabric of his shoulders, her fingertips turning white from the force, but when he kissed her all the way down her collarbone, she couldn't help but run her fingers through his hair.

By the time the two of them actually crawled out of bed, it was nearly noon. Xiao Yi Xian sat in front of the vanity to comb her hair, her fingers still feeling weak; she couldn't align the jade hairpin with her bun several times. Hun Feng took the hairpin from behind her, clumsily but earnestly styling her hair into the simplest bun. It was crooked, not even as good as the ponytail Mu Xiao wore. Xiao Yi Xian looked at the precarious bun on her head in the bronze mirror and couldn't help but purse her lips and smile—that was the first truly relaxed smile she had shown from yesterday to today. The bronze mirror reflected her face, which looked significantly more rosy than usual after being nourished, her skin glowing with a faint luster, and the coldness that usually lingered in the corners of her eyes and brows had faded, replaced by a softness she hadn't even noticed herself. She almost didn't recognize the radiant woman in the mirror.

As the two stepped out of the room one after the other, they ran into Gu Xun'er coming out of the next room. Gu Xun'er was holding a teacup, her gaze lingering on Xiao Yi Xian's face for a moment, then shifting to Hun Feng, and finally returning to Xiao Yi Xian's face. She didn't say anything, but Hun Feng read everything from her slightly raised eyebrows. Immediately after, Yao Yao also came out of Medusa's room, her peach blossom eyes scanning Xiao Yi Xian from top to bottom twice, the smile on her lips deepening. Xiao Yi Xian felt her ears turning red again under their gaze and said in a low voice, "I'm going to the flower garden to take a look," then walked quickly toward the west side. Watching her back, Yao Yao leaned into Hun Feng's ear and whispered, "Husband, Xiao Yi Xian looks really good today. Did you use some special prescription last night? I'll let Sister Cai Lin try it later." Hun Feng reached out and pinched her waist, and Yao Yao laughed, clutching her waist.

In the evening, at Hun Feng's instruction, Hun Qian set up a family banquet in the main hall of the East Courtyard. It wasn't anything extravagant, just home-cooked dishes, but Hun Qian had personally supervised the kitchen, putting heart into every dish. A round table was placed in the center of the main hall, with six sets of bowls and chopsticks. Hun Feng sat in the main seat, with Yao Yao and Mu Xiao on his left, Medusa on his right, and Gu Xun'er and Xiao Yi Xian opposite him. Mu Xiao lay on the edge of the table, poking a glutinous rice ball in her bowl with chopsticks. After failing to pick it up twice, she simply grabbed it with her hand. Yao Yao snatched it away and wiped her hands with a wet towel, and the little girl giggled and burrowed into her arms.

Hun Feng cleared his throat and raised his wine glass: "There are no outsiders tonight, just our family. There are a few things I want to say while everyone is here—you four, regardless of how you came to this courtyard, are family from today on. If anyone has any grievances in the future, say it clearly to each other's faces; don't bottle it up. There is a long road ahead for this family. If you get along well, I can be at ease when I'm outside."

He paused and turned to look at Medusa: "Cai Lin is my officially married wife. From now on, she will be in charge of the affairs of the East Courtyard. If you three have any uncertain matters, discuss them with her first." He didn't say this strictly, but the seriousness in his tone was genuine. He established Medusa's position in front of the whole family, not to suppress the others, but because he knew clearly—among these four women, only Medusa had the prestige to hold the ground. Yao Yao was too flighty, Gu Xun'er was too reserved, and Xiao Yi Xian was too cold and aloof; only Medusa could make everyone respect her.

Medusa looked at him, not declining or being polite, just raised her wine glass and said lightly: "Understood." She drank it in one gulp.

Yao Yao stood up with her wine glass, a mischievous light in her peach blossom eyes, deliberately holding the glass high: "Come, come, I'll toast Sister Cai Lin first—the main wife is above, so if I cause trouble in the future, I'll have to find you to cover for me." Medusa rolled her eyes at her, but still clinked glasses with her, the corners of her lips curling slightly. After drinking, Yao Yao filled her glass again and turned to face Xiao Yi Xian, speaking without restraint: "Xiao Yi Xian, you look much better today than yesterday. It seems Husband put a lot of effort in last night? I've been with him for twenty years, and he hasn't cooked for me like that yet. Tell me, how did he take care of you? I'll learn too, and let Sister Cai Lin benefit from it later." She said this righteously, both sour and sweet, ostensibly asking for advice but secretly teasing. Her peach blossom eyes blinked as she looked at Xiao Yi Xian, her face full of "confess quickly."

Xiao Yi Xian's fingers gripping the wine glass tightened slightly, her expression remaining as calm as usual, and her voice was as flat as ever: "He came to my room last night and only left this morning. If you want to switch, you can switch tonight." She said this very calmly, as if stating the weather, but the small blush on her ears betrayed her. She was someone who never showed weakness in words, even if she was teased until her face burned, she would stubbornly keep her expression unchanged. Yao Yao laughed even harder and brought her glass to Gu Xun'er: "Xun'er, did you sleep well last night? Were you not disturbed by any noise?" Gu Xun'er held her teacup, her expression dignified as usual, her tone restrained just right: "My room is on the innermost side, far away. However, I did hear Yao Yao opening the window to get some air in the middle of the night—said you smelled some fragrance, not like flowers or incense, but sweet. Thinking about it now, it probably drifted over from the west side."

Yao Yao was countered by her, slapping the table and laughing loudly, tears almost coming out. This back-and-forth not only moved the focus away from Xiao Yi Xian but also turned the atmosphere of the entire dinner table from subtle tension into relaxed playfulness. Gu Xun'er sat upright without extra expression, but the faint arc at the corners of her mouth couldn't be suppressed.

Hun Feng sat in the main seat without interrupting from beginning to end, just watching the four of them go back and forth. He finally understood—Yao Yao was responsible for livening up the atmosphere, Gu Xun'er was responsible for secret stabs, Medusa was in charge of the overall situation, and Xiao Yi Xian withstood all the firepower with an unchanging expression. Four women, four sets of unique methods; living under the same roof in the future, none of them were easy to deal with. But he wasn't worried; they were all his wives, and they would unite sooner or later.

Mu Xiao poked her head out of Yao Yao's arms, looking at this one and that one, and suddenly asked crisply: "Daddy, why are the aunts all talking about where you went last night? Weren't you supposed to be in your room reviewing war reports last night?"

The table went silent instantly. Yao Yao was the first to react, picking Mu Xiao up from her lap and stuffing her to Hun Feng, suppressing a laugh: "Right, your daddy reviewed war reports all night last night, and changed a very important file from a white report to a red face." Xiao Yi Xian's wine glass shook slightly, and the wine almost spilled.

Hun Feng took Mu Xiao, kissing her face without changing his expression: "Right, Daddy worked overtime last night and only finished this morning." Mu Xiao nodded, half-understanding, and asked again: "Then does Daddy have to work overtime today? I want to go fishing with Daddy." Hun Feng glanced at Yao Yao opposite, then at Xiao Yi Xian; both were staring at him with a subtle look, waiting for him to speak. He coughed twice, put Mu Xiao on the ground, and patted her on the back of the head: "Fine, I'll take you tomorrow. Today Daddy still has to accompany your mother and aunts. Whose turn was it tonight?"

Yao Yao picked up her wine glass and sipped it slowly, a cunning light flashing in her peach blossom eyes: "If it's not my turn tonight, I'll move to Xun'er's room tomorrow. Anyway, her room is the innermost one, the noise is small, and no one can hear." Gu Xun'er almost choked on the tea she had just drunk, quickly covering her mouth with her sleeve, coughing twice to steady herself.

Outside the window, a few leaves of the dark osmanthus were blown down by the evening breeze, landing beside the plate of honey cakes on the stone table that was more than half empty. Mu Xiao was full and dozed off in Yao Yao's arms, her little head bobbing. The lights of the East Courtyard shone quietly in the night, and the laughter in the main hall continued. Hun Feng looked at this scene before him and drank his wine in one gulp. This transmigration was definitely worth it.