143Chapter 138 Three Wives and Four Concubines i

Translator: 549690339 |

“This is the second time I have met you. When I saw you standing outside the yuemen just now, my heart was pleased, which shows that I don’t dislike you. Moreover, you are a particularly brave girl, especially brave for love, something that ordinary girls cannot achieve, and that has made me look at you differently. However, you have not yet understood me. Marriage is a lifetime shared by two people, the more understanding beforehand, the less you will regret it in the future.”

Qin Niu decided to have an honest talk with her.

He couldn’t lead her on, otherwise he would be wronging her and making her miss the best years to get married, a sin too grave to bear.

Her face regained its rosy glow upon hearing Qin Niu’s words.

Her expression also became more normal.

She lifted her head to meet Qin Niu’s eyes.

“Then do you like me?”

“I like both your appearance and your personality, and I feel very comfortable with you. However, I believe there is a difference between liking someone and being in love.”

“What kind of life does Master Qin wish to lead? Could you share it with Cai Xian?”

“Of course,” Qin Niu nodded. “I aspire to pursue this idle and free pastoral life, to marry, have children, farm the land, keep pets, and live with my family forever. There is just one point where you don’t meet my criteria for a spouse.”

Ever since he was young, Qin Niu had yearned for a tranquil and peaceful rural life.

Unconstrained.

No need to engage in scheming or fighting with others.

To live peacefully in a quiet corner of the world, cultivating and farming with a loved one, and raising pets.

He could also have a few cute children.

“Which point don’t I meet?”

She asked with a forced smile.

“Life is short, as ephemeral as autumn grass. Our lifespans are truly fleeting. I want to extend my life through cultivation, in hopes of one day sharing eternity with my loved one, always together. If you only want to be an ordinary person, your lifespan will be at most sixty or seventy years. I’m afraid I would feel immense pain to fall in love with you, only to watch you gradually grow old and leave. Having experienced the pain of a loved one’s departure once, I don’t wish to go through it a second time in my life.”

He was referring to Old Man Liu’s death.

That time, he had felt pain as if his heart was being sliced with knives.

In the end, he was so overwhelmed with grief that he became numb, and it took him a very long time to recover from the pain.

Even now, whenever he thought of Old Man Liu, his heart would still ache.

His memories were filled with all the moments he had spent with Old Man Liu.

“You want me to cultivate, right?”

She showed a contemplative expression after listening, with a touch of tenderness.

Because when she saw Qin Niu’s pained expression, she really wanted to comfort him.

“It’s not that I want you to cultivate, but rather I hope the partner I choose can live longer than ordinary people,” Qin Niu corrected her.

“Then how far must I cultivate before I’m worthy to join hands with you for life?”

“It’s not a fixed amount. At least beyond the tenfold of ordinary people,” Qin Niu thought for a moment and said earnestly.

“Understood. The next time I come to see you, I hope to reach the level you mentioned,” Tang Caixian said, showing no sign of giving up.

On the contrary, determination and resolve were visible in her eyes.

This girl, so infatuated with love, truly incomprehensible which aspect of Qin Niu appealed so much to her to the point of ‘marrying none but him’.

“Wait, there is something more I want to clarify. I shouldn’t wait until you have made an effort to tell you,” Qin Niu called out to her.

“Speak,” she said.

“I… in fact, before getting to knowyou, I had a certain affection with my neighbor, Wang Wanyan. She took good care of me when I was down and out. I still don’t know how she feels now. If she is willing to marry me, I think I would not refuse her. There can only be one true wife, and if you insist on marrying me, you must be prepared to share a husband with another woman and be the junior wife.

“With your merits, marrying a young master in much better standing than myself would not be an issue at all, you…”

Before Qin Niu could finish, she interrupted him.

“I’ve long been aware of your relationship with Miss Wang, and I don’t mind it at all. I have also admired her for a long time, and if I have the chance to become sisters with her and attend to you together, I am perfectly fine with that. The fact that you’re willing to tell me these things shows that you are extremely honest with me,” she said.

Perhaps having been brought up among the singing and dancing courtesans of the city since childhood, she did not object to the idea of a man having multiple wives and concubines.

But she could accept it quite naturally.

This left Qin Niu, who had intended to persuade her to back out, at a loss for words.

“Miss Cai Xian, this matter concerns your lifelong happiness. You must think it through carefully!”

“Mhm, I am very clear-headed!”

She turned her head and flashed Qin Niu a smile.

Qin Niu watched her slender figure leave, his face a picture of helplessness.

“Master, Xiao Nui seems a bit uncomfortable.”

Xiao Qing came over to remind Qin Niu at this time.

She hadn’t dared to interrupt because there were guests earlier.

“Let me have a look.”

A thought crossed Qin Niu’s mind; Xiao Nui had eaten Banyan Tree Blood and hadn’t shown any reaction so far.

Now, nearly an hour later, was there finally a response?

Approaching the cattle shed, he saw Xiao Nui’s eyes were bloodshot, which was quite frightening.

Its body was noticeably plumper than just a short while ago.

At the moment, it was busily butting the wooden fence with its horns.

“Xiao Nui, do you want to come out?”

Qin Niu immediately opened the door of the cattle shed, letting Xiao Nui out.

“Moo-!”

It bellowed wildly and galloped outside.

“Xiao Qing, keep an eye on the house. If I’m not back by evening, don’t come looking for me.”

After giving these instructions and without waiting for Xiao Qing to respond, Qin Niu hastily chased after Xiao Nui.

It ran along the village path towards the mountains.

It felt as if it were a crazed bull that had lost all sense, drunk on alcohol.

Along the way, it charged at any pedestrians it encountered.

This caused villagers to hastily dodge out of the way.

“My apologies!”

Qin Niu could only apologize to the frightened villagers in Xiao Nui’s wake.

The villagers were all curious about what could be wrong with the young ox raised by Master Qin.

Qin Niu followed it into the depths of the mountains.

At this moment, it was running blindly on instinct, hoping to alleviate the pain in its body.

Banyan Tree Blood must contain terrifyingly potent energy.

Before long, the man and the ox ventured deep into the mountains.

Xiao Nui, in its state of confusion, caused a commotion near the familiar Ant Nest, and then headed towards the area where the beehive was located.

Seeing this, Qin Niu, worried Xiao Nui might run into the Ancient Banyan Tree Maze, hurriedly took Fourth to follow.

“Xiao Nui, come back!”

The usually obedient Xiao Nui, now completely ignored his master’s commands.

In its frenzy, it indeed charged straight into the Ancient Banyan Tree Maze.

Almost every creature that enters this area is easily trapped.

Luckily, Qin Niu now had the ability to come and go freely within the Ancient Banyan Tree Maze, so he wasn’t too alarmed.

He followed it in.

Perhaps it was good for Xiao Nui to expend the savage energy inside of it within the maze.

Letting it run wild in the mountains also posed the risk that it might continue deeper into the forest, potentially arousing some dreadful entities, which would be troublesome.

Although Qin Niu’s strength wasn’t weak by ordinary human standards,

should he encounter any formidable beings in the mountains, he could be instantly killed.