Yun Jingfei awoke to find herself in the same secluded pavilion she remembered. Except, the darkness of night had given way to daybreak. She felt the harsh rays of sunlight on her closed eyelids, which prevented her from opening them. Still, the light helped fight the drowsiness.

Once she found her bearings, she tried to rise to a seated position but felt much too weak to support her own weight. She had no recollection of the last time she had felt so feeble. Not even after her accident did she have so much difficulty simply moving her muscles.

Speaking of muscles, she had rarely felt them ache as much as they did now, even more so for the pounding headache in her skull. She tried to prop herself up with her arms, but she found herself unable to sustain the effort and collapsed back onto the soft bedding.

She took a moment to catch her breath and looked at her surroundings. There was something different about this room. For one, she hazily remembered falling asleep in her wedding garb, but now, it was nowhere to be seen. She was tucked away in bed, naked, as she could feel the soft sheets against her skin. She noticed her wedding garb outside while looking through a window, yet there seemed to be something off about it. It seemed to be stained with some sort of vile liquid.

Not far away, seated next to the small table she remembered, was Qin Yun looking at her with a slight smile. On the table was a wide assortment of various mortal food. Usually, she would have dismissed this plebeian cuisine, yet, for some reason, she couldn't help but crave it. In fact, her body seemed to scream for sustenance.

In normal times, she would have circulated her Qi within her body as she absorbed the required energy from the atmosphere. Yet, try as she might, she didn’t feel an ounce of Qi within her Qi Centre. Worse still, she couldn’t even feel the existence of that Qi Centre, as if it had disappeared overnight.

While she dreaded the thought, she still put it out of her mind as she was much too absorbed in the food just out of her reach. She couldn’t think of anything else as if sustenance was a drug and she was an addict.

She crawled out of bed with difficulty, displaying her nudity to the world, yet she didn’t seem to care. Qin Yun’s smile only grew larger as he gazed at her, yet she ignored it. It wasn’t until the sheets slid across her skin and the light reflected on its flawless surface that the weight of it finally dawned on her. There were no burn marks to be seen anymore.

She remained stunned for a minute or two as she watched in disbelief, her skin radiating the rosy complexion it once did. Tears welled in the corner of her eyes, and a lump of emotions remained stuck in her chest. It wasn't until a few moments later that reality finally dawned on her. This was no dream; it was all real.

She couldn't keep the dam from breaking any more. Her emotions burst like an avalanche, and her tears fell like a waterfall. Months of repressed grief and self-loathing crashed into her simultaneously, finally freeing her from their weight. She could feel her mind soar once again as if a grounded bird had finally found its wings.

She loudly sobbed within her hands as snot and tears marred her now perfect visage while her long, silky black hair, with a slight hint of blue at the end, fell before her face, hiding her from him. She remained in this position for a few minutes, refusing to acknowledge reality while her assets were fully displayed.

As Qin Yun had expected, reality didn’t betray the rumours he had heard about this bride of his. If anything, they failed to do her justice. Despite all the years he had been alive, Qin Yun had rarely seen a woman so radiant, especially seeing her in such a vulnerable state. She couldn’t help but heighten a man’s protective instincts.

As she was still in the midst of sobbing, Qin Yun rose and wrapped one of his outer robes around her as she didn’t even seem to realize she was baring herself to the world.

With her tears finally receding and her emotions calming down, Yun Jingfei rose from her hands, looking Qin Yun in the eyes. Once full of distrust and apprehension, her eyes were now peaceful and clear. While what she felt for this man was closer to gratitude than love, she couldn't help but accept that he had wormed his way into her heart, and it would be difficult to deny that they now shared something.

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While she was still slightly averse to the idea of marriage and what it entailed, she would honour her part of the deal and become this man's wife. Still, Qin Yun had not gone into the details of this contract, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that she had been scammed somehow.

She rose to her full height as she exited the bed. While even standing was painful, as most of her muscles ached from the tension, she couldn't help but want to examine her body in all its glory. She slowly wobbled her way toward the large mirror spanning most of the room's height and let the robes covering her body fall off. She didn't even care to be seen at this point and only wished to reaffirm what she already knew.

She stood before the mirror, moving her limbs around, checking every recess of her skin for the slight hint of imperfection, but she found none. Curiously, her skin seemed even more perfect than she remembered. She remained silent before the mirror, unable to find words to say as tears threatened to rise to her eyes. Even then, those were tears of joy, and she couldn't help but smile from ear to ear.

Qin Yun simply let her bask in the moment, knowing that this was only the beginning. There was much suffering left to come, but it could wait until her heart was finally free from the nightmare that had plagued her.

While she was still admiring her figure, a strange gurgling sound emerged from her core. She was stunned as she hadn't heard such a thing in so long. Suddenly, she felt her stomach was a deep, bottomless pit that required sustenance. She turned and saw the feast on the table and couldn't help but drool as she smelled the appetizing scent. No mortal food had ever seemed so divine.

She rushed to the table as fast as her weak legs could carry her, not forgetting to cover herself with Qin Yun's robe. While she didn't seem to care as she admired herself, she now felt embarrassed when she recalled her actions. Yet, it soon faded away when she finally regaled herself with the sustenance she craved so dearly.

The both of them ate in silence, gorging themselves with the succulent dishes Qin Yun had prepared beforehand. While Yun Jingfei needed the energy contained within to replenish what she had lost, the same was true for Qin Yun. Most of what he had acquired during his wedding banquet had been used to regenerate his wife’s injuries.

Over a month's worth of food had been used in a matter of hours. To say the process had been strenuous would be the understatement of the century. Worse still, Qin Yun was currently exhausted as the process had taken the entire night. He was critically low on energy. Fortunately, Qin Yun always kept some reserves in his black box in case of an emergency.

Yun Jingfei ate plate after plate, barely stopping to breathe. Unlike Qin Yun's refined way of eating, she hasn't had much opportunity to eat since she started inedia at a young age, and she simply used her hands to gorge herself. It wasn't that she didn't know how to use utensils; quite the contrary. In most cases, she was as refined as an immortal fairy, yet she couldn't endure the appeal of the food within her reach and simply wished to fill the void as soon as possible.

Feeling competitive, Qin Yun picked up the pace, extracting dish after dish from his small black box until both were finally full. Still, Qin Yun was quite impressed by the amount of food her small frame could contain. While her Qi Channels were still crippled, her body was worthy of someone ready to ascend to the Void Core Realm; her energy requirements were astounding.

As they finished eating, both felt satiated, yet Qin Yun still had urges that needed to be filled. While he might be somewhat of an old man on the inside, his body was still one of a twenty-year-old in the prime of his life. While cultivators could reign in those desires, Qin Yun never saw the appeal; he much preferred being free to express his wants.

"Thank you," Yun Jingfei muttered after she had cleaned herself, feeling the embarrassment of her previous state. This was all she could think of as no other words could express the gratitude she had in her heart. Yet, Qin Yun wouldn't settle for appreciation alone.

"Don't be," he replied, looking deep into her dark eyes. "We had a deal, remember? I've only fulfilled my part."

It was only now that she remembered the contract terms, and she couldn't help but turn slightly redder, and yet she smiled. While she was slightly unprepared for what came next, she embraced it as she felt that her heart hadn’t felt so light in years.

Qin Yun lifted her slender chin with his fingers and neared her visage while locking gaze with her. Soon after, both of their lips made contact. She felt a shock of electricity rush through her brain, yet somehow, she found the feeling quite pleasant, a far cry from what she had expected.

Still, Qin Yun wouldn’t settle for something so innocent. His tongue entered her mouth and relished in the sweet taste found within. While she was surprised at first, she soon reciprocated his actions.

Unbeknownst to her, his hands wandered over her body, lightly caressing her skin, searching every nook and cranny of her being as he studied her reactions. She seemed receptive to this treatment, which emboldened Qin Yun. He sought to reach the limit of what was permissible.

Yun Jingfei didn't even know how she felt at the moment, but surprisingly, she didn't feel the disgust she had expected. Yet, she was unsure whether this was love or a sense of duty. Qin Yun had made it clear this was a contract, and she didn't know if she should expect more from him. Still, if this was to happen either way, she may as well enjoy it.

She wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him closer, feeling his body heat against her bare skin. It had been so long since she had felt something this real that she wished to experience it even more.

Knowing her desires, Qin Yun divested himself of his clothes and pushed his woman down on the soft bed before embracing her. He could finally let himself go after enduring for so long.

As unusual as it was, they had their first night as the sun shone overhead.