"Who says I have to stay here forever? I'm just cultivating here, you silly goose," Li Haitang said to Ning Beichen.
"That's good then. Can I come visit you often in the future?" Ning Beichen asked, not wanting to lose touch with Li Haitang.
"Of course. While the Saintess cannot marry, there's no rule stating she must remain chaste forever."
"But..."
"But what?" Ning Beichen asked.
"But because the Saintess has cultivated Miao witchcraft since childhood, she cannot have children of her own bloodline. Therefore, each generation's Saintess is either adopted or taken in," Li Haitang explained to Ning Beichen.
"Can't you just not be the Saintess?" Ning Beichen asked curiously.
"If I'm not the Saintess, will you support me?" Li Haitang gave him a look.
Ning Beichen immediately fell silent, acting like a quail. Supporting her was no problem, but marrying her was out of the question.
"Alright, look at you," Li Haitang pinched his hand. She was just saying it for effect. The identity of a Saintess wasn't something you could just discard as you pleased; it was a lifelong commitment. Anyway, she had never considered getting married.
"Tomorrow, come with me to a place," Li Haitang said seriously, no longer teasing him.
"As long as you don't ask me to get married, I'll go anywhere you want," Ning Beichen said comfortably, hugging her.
"I'm serious. It's dangerous," Li Haitang said with a glare.
"I'm serious too. As long as you don't ask me to get married, I'll go to hell with you," Ning Beichen replied earnestly.
"Are you that afraid of marrying me?" Even though she had no such intention, his words were infuriating.
"It's not that I'm afraid of marrying you, but of marrying anyone," Ning Beichen said. To prevent Li Haitang from misunderstanding, he quickly added, "Someone like me lives on borrowed time, with no guarantee of tomorrow. I don't want to harm you, nor do I want to harm anyone else."
"Ning Beichen, one day, you'll stop for a woman," Li Haitang told him.
"Perhaps. We'll see when that day comes," Ning Beichen didn't rule it out. Maybe there would be such a woman, but certainly not now.
They slept in each other's arms. When Ning Beichen woke up, Li Haitang was no longer in bed, but her scent still lingered in the covers. Ning Beichen checked the time and realized it was only six in the morning. Normally, he would have been up practicing martial arts by now. However, after fighting with Li Haitang all night at full power, he felt a bit sore. Nevertheless, he got up.
After washing up, Li Haitang came to call him for breakfast.
"Haitang, is this all you eat every day?" Ning Beichen asked, looking at the plain congee and pickles.
"We're in the mountains. Did you expect a Manchu Han Imperial Feast?" Li Haitang replied.
"No, even if it's not a feast, at least there should be some meat. Haitang, you live like a nun." Ning Beichen said.
"Eat what you're given. If you complain any more, you won't even get the pickles," Li Haitang gave him a look.
Ning Beichen quickly picked up his bowl and slurped down three large bowls.
"You call yourself someone who enjoys meat, and you've licked the pot clean," Li Haitang said, torn between laughter and tears.
"Aren't I just hungry?" Ning Beichen said with a playful grin. The intense 'battle' with Li Haitang last night had left him ravenous.
"Alright, are you full? If so, we should head out," Li Haitang said.
"Almost. Where are we going?" Ning Beichen asked.
"You'll know when we get there," Li Haitang didn't say more. Da Feng Novel Network. Ning Beichen didn't mind; as long as Li Haitang didn't sell him, he was fine with going anywhere.
Soon, they set off. Ning Beichen noticed Li Haitang had changed into a beautiful Miao ethnic costume and had put on all her silver ornaments, especially the large silver collar around her neck, which almost blinded Ning Beichen.
"Haitang, you're dressed so beautifully and elaborately. Are you going to get married?" Ning Beichen asked curiously.
"You're the one getting married. I'm going to a place that is very important to me to do something. It might be dangerous, or it might not be. While I'm doing it, I'll lose consciousness completely, and I'll need you to protect me then," Li Haitang explained to Ning Beichen.
"I see. Don't worry, Haitang. I'll protect you, even if it means facing mountains of knives and seas of fire," Ning Beichen patted his chest confidently.
"Alright, stop bragging about yourself. I'm looking for you because we've had physical relations. I can't ask anyone else. Let's go; it's a long journey, we can talk as we walk," Li Haitang took out a bamboo hat and handed it to Ning Beichen, while she wore a traditional Miao veil hat.
Soon, Ning Beichen realized that Li Haitang was not heading out of the mountains, but deeper into the wilderness. They walked for five hours, starting at seven in the morning and still not reaching their destination by noon.
"Let's rest for a bit. There's still a way to go," Li Haitang said, reaching the shade of a tree by a small stream and putting down her carrying basket. Ning Beichen nodded. Although he practiced martial arts, his body wasn't made of iron. Even he felt tired, but Li Haitang seemed unfazed, which was understandable given she had grown up here.
"Have some food," Li Haitang took out some glutinous rice cakes from her basket and offered them to Ning Beichen. Ning Beichen didn't stand on ceremony, eating the rice cakes with pickles, which was also a delicacy. He ate five fist-sized cakes by himself.
"Haitang, there are no signs of human habitation here. Where exactly are you taking me? Even if you wanted to kill me and bury my body, you wouldn't need to walk this far," Ning Beichen complained after finishing his food.
"Killing you wouldn't be worth much, why bother burying you? Alright, stop complaining. We're almost there, probably about another hour," Li Haitang said.
After resting for a while, they prepared to set off again. Ning Beichen noticed that Li Haitang didn't have a drop of sweat on her, which he found remarkable. However, this was a skill he couldn't learn; it was a capability of Miao shamans, and they passed it down only to females, and only to those who held the status of Saintess. Ning Beichen couldn't learn it even if he wanted to.
They walked for another hour before Li Haitang arrived at the entrance of a cave covered in vines. Seeing her, she bowed repeatedly towards the cave entrance. She also took out some offerings from her basket and placed them at the entrance. It was then that Ning Beichen realized there wasn't a lack of food; there were fish and meat, making his mouth water as he looked at the offerings at the cave entrance.