Chapter 206 - 156 The Changes of the Delicate Wife and Beautiful Concubines, Elder Han Went to Da Qian Capital City_2
“Is it the Canghai Sect?”
Without waiting for the Sword Immortal to speak, Han Li directly asked.
When Da Qian withdrew from Qingzhou, Canghai Sect also relocated, moving to Jizhou in the Mid Six Province.
However, in the midst of their relocation, Canghai Sect was pursued and attacked by the Yinyang Sect, suffering significant losses, even the Sect Leader was injured, causing their foundation in Jizhou to become somewhat unstable.
If other powers wished to target Canghai Sect, now would be the best opportunity.
The Sword Immortal, Jiang Baiye, shook her head slightly.
She was well aware of Canghai Sect’s situation, but Canghai Sect wasn’t in trouble for now; if there were any problems, Han Li would handle them. With Han Li’s strength, it would be easy for him to assist Canghai Sect by assuming a different identity.
“What is it then?”
Han Li frowned. Apart from Canghai Sect, Jiang Baiye didn’t seem to have any other people or things she cared about; her master within Canghai Sect was also living well.
Jiang Baiye remained silent for a long time before finally looking up at Han Li’s gentle face, gazing into his eyes, and said softly, “Am I being unappreciative?”
Han Li was somewhat stunned. What was Jiang Baiye rambling about?
Jiang Baiye continued, “Sister Lu Tianxiang has completely accepted you, even intending to change what she calls you, but she has held back from calling you ‘husband’ out of consideration for my feelings.”
“In truth, I feel the same way. I’ve been deeply attracted to you and have fallen in love with you, but I’m just extremely shy when it comes to matters of love, I really want to call you ‘husband’, yet I’ve never been able to say it out loud.”
“Sister Lu Tianxiang went through the wedding ritual with you before me and her cultivation level and aptitude are higher, giving her a natural advantage; Yun Miaoyi, though similarly matched with me in terms of circumstances, is more open-hearted and has hence gained your favor;
Now your senior sister Gongsun Yue has arrived too, having been childhood sweethearts with you, she is in no way inferior to me except in cultivation level, and now she calls you ‘husband’ as well.”
“In the future, you will welcome more wives who are not inferior to me, even those whose conditions may be better, and if they too meekly and affectionately call you ‘husband’, gaining your love, then I, who am shy and lack any particularly outstanding advantages, will gradually be neglected by you.”
Having spoken her mind, Jiang Baiye stopped dwelling on her hesitation and poured out her thoughts all at once.
Unnoticed, a couple of tears traced down Jiang Baiye’s exquisitely flawless face. Her emotions were somewhat out of control, and Jiang Baiye knew it, but she didn’t want to keep it bottled up inside any longer. Since Han Li had asked, she decided to lay it all out.
Now she had also fallen for Han Li and was even carrying his child. Han Li was such a flirt, and if she did nothing, the future might turn out exactly as she feared.
Especially since Han Li’s cultivation level was rising too swiftly, this added to the immense pressure on Jiang Baiye.
And Jiang Baiye didn’t want it to be this way; why couldn’t she gain more of Han Li’s affection? She didn’t want her child, once born, to be inferior to the children of Han Li’s other wives.
She wasn’t trying to vie for his favor, but rather she didn’t want to be overlooked by Han Li; she wanted Han Li to keep his promise and treat them all equally and impartially.
Jiang Baiye knew that she was partly to blame for the current situation. She was shy, and feeling inferior compared to Yun Miaoyi and Lu Tianxiang, she fell into a sense of self-doubt.
Han Li’s other cherished wives and concubines were proactive, and unconsciously, Han Li would dote on them more, investing more time and effort in them, and less on her.
Han Li listened quietly to Jiang Baiye’s outpouring, his large hand tightly embracing her, offering comfort.
Seeing Jiang Baiye shedding tears, Han Li suddenly felt a heart-wrenching pain. He stretched out his hand to wipe away her tears, looking at the tearful Sword Immortal, Han Li sighed.
Some of the future scenarios that Jiang Baiye spoke of had already been considered by Han Li, which is why he kept raising the standards for taking concubines; but he hadn’t anticipated that it would still lead to Jiang Baiye feeling this way.
Actually, his affection for Jiang Baiye was no less than that for Yun Miaoyi or Lu Tianxiang; it was only because of some inexplicable self-doubt in Jiang Baiye’s heart that led her to worry about the future.
Han Li decided to administer a strong reassurance to Jiang Baiye, to settle her spirit and put her mind at ease.
Moving his hands from around Jiang Baiye’s slender waist, he placed them on her silky and tender shoulders, looked into her eyes, and said with sincerity and earnestness:
“Jiang Jiang, remember this – you are the unique and incomparable Sword Immortal in my heart.”
“Xiangxiang, Yunyun, and Yue’er may be wonderful, but you are not a whit behind them. You don’t need to compare yourself to them; just be yourself.”
“Whether or not you call me husband, you will always have a place in my heart that is unshakable.”
Jiang Baiye was touched by Han Li’s sincere gaze and the words he spoke resonated deeply within her.
“Mhm~”
She responded softly, a radiant smile blossoming on her beautiful face. All the knots in her heart unraveled, and she believed Han Li would keep his word.
With that, she no longer dwelled on those concerns but focused on being herself.
After hesitating a few times, Jiang Baiye’s lips parted and came together several times, until finally in an almost inaudible voice, she said, “Husband~”
Having spoken, Jiang Baiye lowered her head, seeming quite embarrassed despite having rehearsed this countless times in her mind.
Han Li’s eyes sparkled, and a smile crossed his face. He was relieved that Jiang Baiye was no longer struggling with the issue.
“Jiang Jiang, I didn’t hear you clearly just now, could you say it again?” Han Li embraced her once more, whispering into her ear.
“Hmph~” Jiang Baiye huffed lightly, giving him a sideways glance. Han Li, as the True Martial Realm Emperor Wu, could surely hear her no matter how softly she spoke, especially with them being so close.
“Husband~”
Jiang Baiye repeated it nonetheless. A sweet feeling arose in her heart, finding the address not as cheesy as she had imagined.
“Hahaha~”
Han Li laughed heartily, making no attempt to conceal it this time, allowing Yun Miaoyi, Lu Tianxiang, Gongsun Yue, and the other women on Chengdao Peak to hear clearly.
Yun Miaoyi’s face showed a charming smile. She was happy as well. Having seen Jiang Baiye’s mood, she knew she could not resolve it—only Han Li himself could, as her interventions might only increase Jiang Baiye’s stress.
Lu Tianxiang breathed a sigh of relief, guessing that Han Li had sorted things out with Jiang Baiye. Seeing that Jiang Baiye’s troubles were gone, Han Li’s joy signified that she could also change how she addressed him.
Gongsun Yue also smiled, not knowing exactly what had transpired between Han Li and Jiang Baiye, but it looked like good news. As long as her junior brother was happy, so was she.
After a loving exchange with Jiang Baiye, Han Li and she joined Lu Tianxiang and the others, where Han Li showed his affection for them as well.
Han Li had intended to visit Qiu Yueyao, Li Mingmeng, Zhou Zhixuan, and his other wives, but seeing them engrossed in their cultivation, he chose not to disturb them.
Ever since their husband began taking wives, in just a few short years acquiring several, Liu Yuexin, Lin Yiwu, Chu Yumeng, and the other wives also felt the pressure.
Lu Tianxiang, Jiang Baiye, Yun Miaoyi, and the others were highly cultivated, with the least among them at the God Refining Realm. In comparison, their own realms fell short, with only Lin Yiwu at the Gangyuan Realm, many like Lin Yiyin and Qiu Yueyao in the Pihai Realm, and the Zhou triplets remaining in the Innate Realm.
They felt their cultivation speed increasing substantially and surmised their aptitude had improved. Although they did not know what method their husband had used, they did not ask, as it was certainly good news.
This meant they could ascend to higher realms. With Han Li’s guidance and the various cultivation resources from Han Mansion, their cultivation speed was now many times faster than those of comparable aptitude following their increase in talent.
Their diligent cultivation aimed at breaking through to the Gangyuan Realm, and even the God Refining Realm. This way, they would have more life to spend alongside their husband.
Even the later additions, the Zhou sisters Zhou Zhiruo, Zhou Zhirou, and Zhou Zhixuan, had their aptitudes increased to seventh-grade under Han Li’s efforts, quickly approaching sixth-grade aptitude.
Han Li was pleased with this progress. He still possessed many Pihai Pills and Gangyuan Pills that could help them reach the Pihai and Gangyuan Realms, respectively. He had also refined many pills that accelerate cultivation speed for these two realms.
Han Li sent a message to his beloved wives and concubines, informing them he was stepping out for a brief errand and would be back soon.
After settling these matters, Han Li’s figure vanished from Chengsheng Mountain. When he reappeared, he was already in the Da Qian Capital City, transformed into a refined middle-aged man.
PS: There’s an Easter egg about Gongsun Yue later on.