By the time Mu Wanwan completely emerged from her state of enlightenment, it was already the afternoon three days later.
The moment she regained awareness, she felt as though every pore on her body had been coated with a layer of grime. It was extremely uncomfortable.
She opened her eyes and immediately saw the heap of seedlings and discarded seeds spread out before her.
Only a scattered few remained of the seeds she had originally placed nearby as backups. Seedlings and unopened flower buds covered both the table and the floor. At a rough glance, she could not even estimate how many there were.
Mu Wanwan wiped her face and came away with a palmful of greasy, filthy residue.
Had she advanced again during this cultivation session?
She hurriedly examined the inside of her body—
The spiritual energy in her dantian, which had previously been more than half liquefied, had actually condensed into a tiny golden core.
It was not large, nor was it particularly complete. Its shape was imperfect, but it was undeniably solid.
A semi-circular golden core with several missing sections floated inside her dantian, surrounded by misty spiritual energy that slowly revolved around it.
She had formed a golden core!
Had she really become a third-rank cultivator just like that?
Wasn’t advancing from Foundation Establishment to the Golden Core stage supposed to be incredibly difficult? Without medicinal pills to assist the process, wasn’t the chance of success both low and excruciatingly painful?
Why did she feel as though it had not been particularly difficult at all?
After her initial surprise and shock, Mu Wanwan immediately became delighted. Her joy was even tinged with a complicated sense of pride—
She had never imagined that she possessed such extraordinary talent.
At first, she had merely thought that there might be something unusual about her spiritual energy. She had never expected to accomplish the great feat of advancing through enlightenment without pills, spirit stones, or even pain.
However, before she could remain pleased for long, Mengmeng’s resentful chirping dragged her back to reality.
“Chirp…”
Mengmeng lay listlessly upon its nest, half of which had turned black. Even its little scarf was somewhat soot-stained, and the entire chirper looked unbearably aggrieved.
Mu Wanwan’s heart instantly softened.
Even though Mengmeng had dirtied its nest, she could not bring herself to become angry. She was filthy herself, after all.
“Chirp!”
Mengmeng chirped loudly, then covered its head with its tiny wings, as though it were a cold and aloof chirper who refused to acknowledge Mu Wanwan.
Mu Wanwan: “…”
She had been raising Mengmeng for some time now, so she was much more familiar with its little temper than she was with Mr. Dragon’s.
Judging from Mengmeng’s current behaviour, it was extremely unhappy.
In Mu Wanwan’s heart, Mengmeng had never been an ordinary bird. It was far more intelligent than the cats and dogs of the modern world and could even express its emotions clearly.
This time, it was most likely angry because she had spent several days in enlightenment without paying any attention to it.
Mu Wanwan was not especially worried that Mengmeng had gone hungry.
Whenever she had spare energy while cultivating spiritual plants, she would often cultivate a few Blue Star Grass or Hundred-Treasure Fruit seeds. The remaining food at home was sufficient to feed Mengmeng for ten days or so.
Nevertheless, it still needed to be coaxed.
Carefully stepping around the seedlings scattered across the floor, Mu Wanwan took a second-rank Blue Star Grass seed from her Spatial pouch and walked directly towards the fluffy chirper.
She cautiously poked its little wing.
Mengmeng sulked for a while before carefully peeking out its head and opening its eyes to look at her.
Mu Wanwan spread the seed across her palm.
She was still somewhat unaccustomed to circulating her newly strengthened spiritual energy, but a moist emerald glow soon emerged from her hand.
The Blue Star Grass seed, which ordinarily had to grow in soil, split open directly in her palm.
It slowly developed into a tender seedling.
Then, beneath Mengmeng’s watchful gaze, it gradually transformed into a semi-translucent fruit that was even larger and more fragrant than before!
Mengmeng immediately lost all principles.
Mengmeng decided to surrender to the power of food. *(:з」∠)*
The fluffy chirper slowly climbed upright and wrapped its tiny wings around the fruit, which was almost as large as its entire body.
It tugged backwards with all its strength.
It used too much force, toppled over, and released a miserable “chirp!”
Mu Wanwan: “…”
No.
Mengmeng had its dignity.
She absolutely had to hold back her laughter.
Mengmeng had been stunned senseless by the fall. It remained frozen for several seconds before climbing upright again and chirping softly.
Ignoring Mu Wanwan, it hugged the fruit and waddled forward with considerable difficulty.
Mu Wanwan felt that if it continued, it would immediately repeat the earlier tragedy.
Although Mengmeng looked extremely adorable like this, she could not allow it to stubbornly overexert itself.
“Where do you want to go, Mengmeng?”
Ignoring the fluffy chirper’s weak resistance, Mu Wanwan carefully scooped both the chirper and its fruit into her hands.
“Chirp…”
Unable to resist successfully, Mengmeng heavily released the fruit it had been hugging and pointed towards the door.
Stepping around the various seedlings scattered across the floor, Mu Wanwan carried the fluffy chirper into the courtyard—
She immediately saw the spirit-chicken chicks inside their cage.
They were huddled together, their bodies filthy. Several spoiled fruit peels lay inside the cage, giving off a rather unpleasant odour…
The moment the chicks saw Mengmeng, they became excited and scrambled towards the front.
“Chirp.”
The fluffy chirper responded to them.
Listening to the lively chorus of chirping beside her, Mu Wanwan quickly guessed what had happened.
Along with her guilt came even greater heartache for the fluffy chirper in her hands.
No wonder Mengmeng had been unhappy.
Mu Wanwan had previously fed the chicks punctually, but she had not prepared any spiritual rice for them in advance.
They had probably survived these past few days entirely because Mengmeng had shared its food with them.
Mu Wanwan’s heart ached.
She placed Mengmeng on the ground and gently tapped its head.
“Mengmeng, thank you.”
For now, she would leave the little chirper with the chicks. She needed to bathe first, then hurry and finish her work before darkness fell.
After spending several days in enlightenment, the household was overflowing with neglected chores.
—
Mengmeng chirped in confusion and watched Mu Wanwan walk away.
Forget it!
The chirper did not care what went on inside a two-legged beast’s mind and had no desire to know!
Hmph!
However, after Mu Wanwan walked farther away, Mengmeng still turned around cautiously to look at her.
When it saw that the two-legged beast had not looked back, it became angry all over again.
Mu Wanwan would have felt extremely wronged if she knew. She was simply trying to make the best use of her time.
Before bathing, Mu Wanwan attempted to remove the green-jade bracelet from her wrist.
For some reason, however, no matter how she tugged, the bracelet would not come off.
Before she knew that Mr. Dragon had given it to her, she had merely thought the bracelet was beautiful and liked it quite a bit.
Now that she knew it was his gift—and could not remove it—the feeling became somewhat subtle.
After drying her hair until it was only slightly damp, Mu Wanwan began tidying the room—
First, she gathered the seedlings scattered across the floor and table.
She had nearly exhausted several packets of seeds.
After finishing, Mu Wanwan counted what she had produced. There were seventeen second-rank Snow Condensation seedlings alone.
Previously, she had only been capable of cultivating two Snow Condensation plants in an entire day at most.
There were also nearly two hundred Bell-Lantern Grass and Purifying Flower seedlings combined, along with seventy or eighty Spirit-Recovery Fruit seedlings.
By the time Mu Wanwan finished sorting everything, she had run out of the flowerpots she had recently purchased.
She could only plant seedlings of the same species together. After evenly distributing an entire bag of spiritual soil among them, she arranged the flowerpots neatly.
Rows of orderly seedlings swayed in the slightly chilly evening breeze.
Looking at them, Mu Wanwan revealed the deeply moved smile of someone about to become rich.
These were not merely seedlings swaying in the wind.
They were spirit stones!
Sparkling, translucent spirit stones that could purchase anything!
Even if she did not refine them into medicinal pills, she would earn a considerable amount merely by selling the Snow Condensation plants.
Her spiritual energy was now exceptionally abundant, more than enough for her to ripen seedlings while refining pills.
With her previous strength, gathering enough ingredients for a single batch of Spirit-Recovery Pills had required half a day.
Things were entirely different now.
She possessed so, so many seedlings! ヽ(^▽^)ノ
Tomorrow, she would follow the pill formula and test whether she could successfully refine a medicinal pill.
If she succeeded, the value of all these seedlings would multiply several times over!
After earning money on her next trip outside, she would definitely buy several sets of clothes for herself.
And also for Mr. Dragon…
Mr. Dragon’s pale face suddenly appeared within her mind, and Mu Wanwan instantly became somewhat uncomfortable.
She had only ever bought him one set of outer robes…
Previously, she had believed that he would not awaken. Since he remained in a half-dragon form, there had been no point in buying many clothes he could not wear.
It had been better to leave him uncovered.
But now…
He was awake.
That made the situation rather thought-provoking.
After considering it, Mu Wanwan decided to buy Mr. Dragon another two sets of clothing the next time she went out.
…
Once she had finished arranging the seedlings and tidying the room, Mu Wanwan glanced at the sky.
Hurrying against the fading daylight, she washed the fluffy chirper, the chicken chicks, and all the dirty clothing.
Perhaps because she had advanced, her resistance to cold had increased considerably.
Once one’s cultivation reached a certain level, many skills seemed to become instinctive.
Mu Wanwan experimentally wrapped a layer of spiritual energy around her hands. It acted like a pair of cold-resistant gloves, making the icy water tolerable.
By the time she finished washing the many garments, darkness was about to fall.
Mu Wanwan calculated that, under ordinary circumstances, her spiritual energy would have been completely drained by now. She should have been dragging her exhausted body into the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Yet today, she felt neither tired nor hungry.
Her spirits were excellent.
This was probably another benefit of advancing.
When cultivators were still in the Qi-Refining stage—the first rank—their physical condition was far stronger than that of ordinary people, and their lifespan ranged from approximately one hundred to one hundred and fifty years.
After entering Foundation Establishment, the second rank, their need for food greatly diminished. With Fasting Pills, they could go long periods without eating, and their lifespan ranged from two hundred to three hundred years.
Among humans, becoming a third-rank cultivator already indicated exceptional talent.
At that level, food became largely optional.
Therefore, it would not be a problem if she did not cook tonight.
Mu Wanwan decided not to prepare dinner.
Instead, she cultivated several second-rank Hundred-Treasure Fruits. She ate one herself, reserved another for Mengmeng, and fed all the rest to the dragon.
It was the same familiar process of feeding the dragon, yet Mu Wanwan’s state of mind had completely changed.
Every time her fingers accidentally brushed his lips, she became unbearably awkward.
She could not tell whether she felt more embarrassed or more affected by the tingling sensation.
Feeding him alone was already so awkward that she had to rely entirely upon habit.
If this man deliberately continued pretending to be unconscious, then according to her usual routine, she would soon have to change his clothing, wash his hair, bathe him, and scrub his tail…
Mu Wanwan’s cheeks heated.
She bit her lip—
This dragon could not possibly be so shameless, could he?
Perhaps he would realise tonight that she was only pretending to sleep.
However, Wanwan had completely overestimated Mr. Dragon.
Once night descended, the ambiguous lamplight within the room was extinguished, and both the fluffy chirper and Mu Wanwan appeared to be “deeply asleep.”
Mr. Dragon secretly awakened once more.
Over the past few days, while his wife remained in enlightenment, he had simply awakened once every night to see whether she had successfully advanced.
Tonight was the same.
His spiritual sense swept around the room before settling upon the bulge of Mu Wanwan’s quilt.
His wife had emerged from enlightenment.
His wife had advanced.
His wife was sleeping beside him.
Mr. Dragon’s thoughts moved quickly, and he immediately became delighted—
He could finally touch her again.
Mm.
First, he needed to make himself more attractive.
Mr. Dragon’s long eyelashes fluttered.
In the next instant, he transformed into his human form and secretly shifted closer.
Mu Wanwan was no longer the same second-rank Mu Wanwan she had once been.
Her senses were much sharper than before. The moment Mr. Dragon moved, she noticed.
Her heart began beating slightly faster.
However, after her previous experience of pretending to sleep, she was much calmer now.
When she had gone to bed tonight, she had deliberately buried half her head beneath the quilt to prevent anything excessively awkward from happening during the night.
As a result, it became even more difficult for Mr. Dragon to touch his wife.
A certain dragon, already flustered and ashamed because he was doing something guilty, innocently assumed that his wife was simply feeling cold tonight. *(:з」∠)*
In truth, Mr. Dragon knew that his wife, now a powerful third-rank cultivator, would awaken very easily.
However, after experiencing sweetness once, he wanted more and clung to a trace of hope—
After all, she had never awakened before.
She always slept deeply.
As long as he was gentle.
Extremely gentle.
He secretly used spiritual energy to warm himself.
Then, slowly and little by little, he reached his palm towards her.
And then…
He accidentally touched her waist.
Please forgive Mu Wanwan. Tonight, she was sleeping on her side with her back turned towards Mr. Dragon, both hands tucked in front of her chest.
Therefore, after a long period of sneaking around like a guilty dragon and searching for his wife’s hand, Mr. Dragon eventually touched her waist instead.
His touch was very light, but his palm was scorching hot.
Her waist was sensitive and ticklish. Almost instinctively, Mu Wanwan arched slightly before forcibly restraining the urge to pull away.
At almost the exact moment he touched her waist, Mr. Dragon realised what that softness—so different from a palm—actually was.
He immediately withdrew his hand as though he had been set on fire.
He—he—he had not done it deliberately.
But it was extremely soft.
Far too tempting for a dragon.
The dragon could barely breathe.
Mu Wanwan’s expression became complicated.
She understood Mr. Dragon less and less.
“Wife…”
After a very long time, Mr. Dragon murmured softly.
Then, slowly, as though the words were unbearably difficult to say, he continued—
“I…”
“I want to kiss you.”
Mu Wanwan was shocked.
Before she could fully react, she heard his hoarse voice struggling to remain restrained.
“I won’t hurt you.”
Mu Wanwan: “…”
Mu Wanwan: “???”
Hurt?
Why would a kiss hurt…?
Unless…
Suppressing the strange sensation rising within her heart, Mu Wanwan’s ears silently turned red—
No.
This was progressing too quickly.
She had not yet prepared herself to fulfil any marital obligations.
However, Mu Wanwan waited for a very, very long time before she finally felt him gently pull back her quilt.
The chilly outside air touched her face, sending an inexplicable shiver through her.
She became somewhat nervous, and even her hands trembled.
Why had Mr. Dragon still not realised that she was awake?
She did not know that Mr. Dragon was even more nervous than she was.
He slowly leaned closer.
Until they could feel each other’s breathing.
Until the tips of their noses touched.
His long eyelashes brushed against her cheek.
It tickled so badly that she desperately wanted to raise a hand and scratch herself.
His increasingly warm breath sounded beside her ear, making the sensation unbearably uncomfortable.
Mu Wanwan forcibly endured this torturous experience for more than ten minutes.
His breath had moistened her lips so thoroughly that it felt as though she had applied hydrating lip balm.
Her initial shyness gradually faded.
She now wanted nothing more than to grab Mr. Dragon’s head and make him hurry up and kiss her.
She truly wanted to scratch her face! QwQ
During this endlessly long night, Mr. Dragon finally completed his mental preparations and summoned his courage—
Gently, ever so gently, he pressed his lips against hers.
After only the briefest touch, he immediately pulled away.
It was like a soft feather swaying gently upon the wind before drifting away.
**Author’s Note:**
Mr. Dragon’s inner thoughts:
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—”
Mu Wanwan’s inner thoughts:
“My face is so itchy. I really want to scratch it. Hurry up and kiss me. Hurry, hurry, hurry. Hm??? You’re already finished???”
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