บท 77: Not Allowed To Touch

The Grandmaster stared back at the girl who glared at him with venom in her gaze. It seemed as though his son was already deeply rooted in her heart, though not exactly in the manner the boy wished to be.

Grandmaster Bai Zhang stole a quick glance at Bai Qingyue. The boy stood there, broad-shouldered and oozing with arrogance, but Bai Zhang had enough experience to be able to tell that his son was right on edge. He would have to take command of the situation instead.

"No need to get riled up," he told Li Meirong. "Your, ahem, 'Snowball', went outside to relieve himself. He will be back shortly, no doubt." Bai Zhang could not help but accentuate the silly name his son had acquired.

The remark made Bai Qingyue snap out of his petrified state, and he glared viciously at his father. Was that clear mocking he heard? He should have bitten him harder, torn off a chunk of flesh instead of merely bruising the old fox!

"I understand," Li Meirong said, her anger immediately placated. Snowball was only a little fox, so it made sense that he couldn't hold his bladder for that long.

The trio sat down in awkward silence.

Li Meirong seated herself by the table, Zhu Qingyue taking the place by her side as Zhu Zhang sat in front of her.

One ate her tofu, the other almost killed her, and now she was sitting down and sharing a drink with them…

Li Meirong looked up nervously from the murky green tea in her hand, avoiding Zhu Qingyue's stare. She had steeped the leaves for too lengthy a time, and it made the flavour far too bitter for her liking. She had been completely stressed when she left, and her attempt to return quickly had made her careless with the tea.

Zhu Zhang took a single sip and then set the cup aside, to remain untouched forever after.

Zhu Qingyue, on the other hand, gulped the entire cup down in a single mouthful. He then set the cup on the tray and poured himself another helping of the bitter tea.

Hearing a snigger, Li Meirong lifted her head, and saw Zhu Zhang covering his mouth with a hand, eyes dancing with suppressed laughter.

The Grandmaster could not help but be amused at his own son's foolishness. The tea was clearly too bitter to drink – who was he trying to impress, when he was already married to the woman?

Zhu Qingyue kept sipping the bitter tea, not a hint of displeasure to be seen on his tranquil face.

Li Meirong's cheeks reddened as she watched the pale haired man drink the tea, gulping it down as if he would never stop. She nibbled her lower lip in agitation.

"I'm sorry about the tea," she hurriedly apologized, expecting to be rebuked. "It's my fault. Perhaps the pastries would be more to your liking? I mashed almonds to a paste and added honey for sweetness."

"It tastes fine." The domineering pale haired man spoke finally. "I enjoy a strong flavour."

His tone was strict and cold, but his words made her feel better.

Li Meirong inclined her head and grabbed one of the square pastries, munching on the snack contentedly.

Her eyes closed, curved into happy little crescent moons as she savoured the soft texture and subtle sweetness. One of the self-imposed rules she abided by was that, no matter what happened, she would take care of herself to the best of her abilities – and that included eating well.

After the failure of the horrendous tea, Bai Zhang wasn't the slightest bit tempted to sample the colourful desserts, despite observing his daughter-in-law's contentment as she nibbled away.

She was probably trying to show off after her blunder… she had made the pastries herself, so it was no wonder.

Bai Qingyue, however, did not share in his father's disappointment. He was captivated by the black-haired beauty at his side.

His golden eyes bore into her, concentrating on the way her small, luscious lips shaped themselves around the pastry, and gulped audibly. He was absolutely certain that a pastry would never look as desirable as the way his wife presented the treat before his eyes.

He imagined sampling the softness of those lips again, and his body temperature rose swiftly. After tasting her once and knowing just how sweet she was, how could he resist having her again? He was not made of stone!

The moment his thoughts went astray, Bai Qingyue stood and went to sit by his father's side. It was much, much harder to control his urges around her in his human form, for some reason.

Li Meirong was rather offended. She hadn't even talked to Zhu Qingyue, but apparently it was beneath him to sit by her side. Well, that was fine! When all this was over, she wasn't even certain she'd stay in the sect!

Bai Zhang was of half a mind to smack his son over the head right that second, but that would give him away. It was obvious – to him, at least – that the boy was having impure thoughts about his innocent young wife.

He kept watching the show, content, as the Sovereign Lord made a complete and utter fool of himself.

Bai Qingyue loosened the collar of his robe and picked up a round pastry. It was soft as a sponge in his hand, and had a warm, appetizing colour to it. He bit down, and then the edges of his thin lips tilted upwards in an inadvertent expression of pleasant surprise.

Who could have guessed his wife would be a culinary genius? He had never tasted such a delicious treat before; in fact, he had never before enjoyed the taste of pastries, ever!

Watching Bai Qingyue gobble up a cake made Bai Zhang sneer.

They were not mortal peasants, they were gods, and their palate was accustomed to a higher standard than what was available in the mortal realm. The boy was putting on a show for the girl, too much so. He was already collared.

At least, that was what Bai Zhang thought at first, yet seeing the plate empty rapidly brought forth a trace of suspicion, a hint of curiosity. He reached, hesitantly, for a pastry and nibbled at it, expecting a bland flavour and oily texture.

Instead, he received a burst of rich, tantalizing, subtle sweetness, with a pleasantly soft, melt-in-the-mouth feel. His skin tingled, and he stared wide-eyed at Li Meirong, who was entirely focused on her own cake.

His daughter-in-law was an accomplished chef, it seemed! No wonder the other Grandmasters kept asking for her, specifically, to cook their meals.

Bai Zhang reached out to grab another cake, but his hand encountered only an empty plate.

The pastries had vanished!

The Grandmaster almost fell from his seat at the sight of Bai Qingyue stuffing his face with the cakes, unwilling to share his prize and glowering at him as if to say: Mine! Do not touch!