Chapter 377 This Love Can Wait (I)

On April 18th, Ling Xiaoxiao and Luo Ningyu returned from Wudang to visit their relatives.

To this day, the rumors about Luo Tianjin and the Lord of Jueqing Valley have been spreading all over the world. Everyone thought that after Ling Xiaoxiao came back, the Xianwang Mansion would experience an unprecedented storm.

However, three days passed and the Xianwang Mansion remained calm. Ling Xiaoxiao not only did not ask Luo Tianjin for an explanation, she did not even say a word about the matter.

Luo Tianjin and Ling Xiaoxiao's relationship remained the same as before, treating each other with respect. It seemed as if she knew nothing about the rumors about her husband's affair, and her calm reaction was intriguing.

On April 21, Luo Tianjin, who was worried, sat quietly in his study until late at night. He held a book in his hand, but his eyes stared at the candlelight on the table without blinking, his expression was dazed and his face was melancholy, and no one knew what he was thinking about.

"squeak!"

With a slight sound, the door opened. Ling Xiaoxiao, holding a bowl of bird's nest with rock sugar, walked slowly and quietly to Luo Tianjin's side.

Under Luo Tianjin's indescribable and complicated gaze, Ling Xiaoxiao took the scroll from his hand and replaced it with a bowl of bird's nest. Then she walked behind him and gently massaged his shoulders with her soft and delicate hands.

Although Ling Xiaoxiao is over 40 years old, she has always taken good care of herself, and her appearance and figure are no less than that of a young girl.

"Madam, I..."

"Brother Jin, I made this bowl of bird's nest with rock sugar by myself. Eat it while it's hot. Don't let me down." Ling Xiaoxiao reminded him softly, "I heard from Xuan'er that during the time I was away, the Xianwang Mansion changed four chefs, but none of them suited your taste. If I had known that you had a picky appetite, I would have come back earlier to save you from worrying about trivial matters."

After saying that, Ling Xiaoxiao slowly leaned forward and pressed her soft and warm body on Luo Tianjin's shoulders. She reached out to pick up the spoon, scooped out a spoonful, raised it to her mouth and blew gently a few times. After the heat dissipated a little, she carefully brought it to Luo Tianjin's lips.

"Come, try my cooking skills and see if they have improved."

Facing Ling Xiaoxiao's thoughtfulness, Luo Tianjin felt guilty and embarrassed. He swallowed the bird's nest in one gulp, and then praised her repeatedly: "Madam's cooking skills are unparalleled in the world. You have fed me a lot over the years. If you were not by my side, I would have starved to death sooner or later."

Hearing this, Ling Xiaoxiao couldn't help but burst out laughing, and at the same time, a blush appeared on her face. She pretended to be angry and said, "Bah! Such a good bird's nest can't stop you from eating."

"Such a good bird's nest should naturally be enjoyed with my wife."

Luo Tianjin smiled gently, and suddenly put his arms around Ling Xiaoxiao's neck, and then gently pushed her. Ling Xiaoxiao's red lips instantly pressed against Luo Tianjin's lips, and a hint of the sweetness of rock sugar bird's nest seeped into her mouth.

Ling Xiaoxiao was caught off guard and whimpered, the redness on her face instantly spreading to her ears. When Luo Tianjin "let go" of her, Ling Xiaoxiao's face was already red, her breathing was rapid, and she felt happy and annoyed. She said shyly, "How frivolous! Be careful not to be seen by others."

"I will dig out the eyes of anyone who dares to look at me."

Luo Tianjin smiled brightly, then took the spoon from Ling Xiaoxiao's hand. The playful look on his face gradually faded, replaced by an affectionate, complex and solemn look.

The two looked at each other. The more affectionate Ling Xiaoxiao looked at him, the more guilty Luo Tianjin looked.

"Brother Jin, what's wrong with you?" Ling Xiaoxiao's jade hand gently stroked Luo Tianjin's cheek, her eyes extremely gentle.

"Madam, I..." Luo Tianjin hesitated as if he was hesitant. After struggling for a while, he slowly opened his mouth, "Madam, don't you want to question me?"

"Question?" Ling Xiaoxiao was stunned at first, then her eyes darkened, and she tried to be calm and said, "What should I question you about?"

"The rumors about me and the Lord of Jueqing Valley have long been all over the city, and everyone knows about it." Luo Tianjin frowned and said firmly, "You can't be ignorant of everything!"

"I know."

"You know?" Facing Ling Xiaoxiao's calm demeanor, Luo Tianjin was immediately shocked and asked hurriedly, "Since you know, why don't you come and question me?"

Ling Xiaoxiao straightened her eyes and asked, "Why should I question you?"

"Because of you, I am a legitimate couple." Luo Tianjin said, "As a wife, how can I turn a blind eye to knowing that my husband has another woman outside? How can I not hear about it?"

"Because I believe in you." Ling Xiaoxiao shook her head and said, "I believe in my husband and he will never betray his wife and children. So why should I believe those meaningless rumors outside?"

Ling Xiaoxiao's words were sincere and earnest, which moved Luo Tianjin deeply, but also made him feel heartbroken and tangled. He could not see any doubt, anger or blame in Ling Xiaoxiao's eyes, only tenderness, attachment and honesty.

"Madam, I..."

"Shh!" As soon as Luo Tianjin opened his mouth, Ling Xiaoxiao immediately blocked his lips with her fingers and said softly, "No matter what you have done, are doing, or will do in the future, I believe that you must have your own reasons and difficulties. As your wife, in addition to believing in my husband, the only thing left is to support you without hesitation. For some things, you don't have to tell me the reasons or the results. You just need to remember that I, Ling Xiaoxiao, am your wife, and only we can be called 'family', that's enough."

"It is my blessing to marry you in my lifetime." Luo Tianjin's eyes turned red as he promised, "Don't worry! No matter when? No matter what happens, I, Luo Tianjin, will always have only you, Ling Xiaoxiao, as my wife!" "Brother Jin, we have watched each other grow up. We have been childhood sweethearts. The bond between you and me is something that will never be broken in our lifetime." Ling Xiaoxiao was so moved that her eyes filled with tears. She choked up and said, "I may not be the woman you love most in your life, but I firmly believe that I must be the woman who loves you most in the world."

"Madam, please sit down!"

Luo Tianjin suddenly stood up, let Ling Xiaoxiao sit on the chair, half-knelt beside her legs, and said seriously: "In fact, there is something I have concealed from you for more than 20 years, I..."

"Brother Jin!" Ling Xiaoxiao suddenly interrupted, "You don't need to tell me..."

"No!" Luo Tianjin shook his head firmly, "Husbands and wives should support each other and be honest with each other. You treat me with deep affection and loyalty. If I continue to deceive you, wouldn't I be worse than an animal? In fact, I have been keeping this matter in my heart. Every time it is late at night, I will be restless and anxious. I don't want to hide it from you, and I even wanted to tell you everything a long time ago, but... I just can't untie my knot and can't get over it. I'm afraid that after I confess, you will not forgive me, or even leave me... But now, I have no excuse or reason to continue hiding it. Madam, I swear to God, from now on, no matter what happens, I will never hide it from you again!"

Ling Xiaoxiao's eyes were filled with tears and she kept sobbing. They had been together for more than 20 years, but it was not until tonight that she truly felt the honesty that a husband should have with his wife.

There are some things that Ling Xiaoxiao never mentioned, but she knows them clearly in her heart. Back then, when Luo Tianjin married her, true feelings probably only accounted for one-third, and the remaining majority came from her background and family background.

Whoever could marry the only daughter of the Wudang leader would be able to rise to the top in one step. This was undoubtedly an irresistible temptation for Luo Tianjin, who was unknown at the time but had great ambitions.

In the end, the facts proved that his choice was right. With his own talent and hard work, and relying on the strong support of Ling Xiaoxiao and Wudang Sect, Luo Tianjin quickly rose in the martial arts world, and transformed himself from an unknown person to the famous Northern Sage King today.

Of course, things are unpredictable and cause and effect are cyclical. When Luo Tianjin gains something, he will inevitably lose something. For example, his lifelong relationship with the Lord of Jueqing Valley.

"Brother Jin..."

"Ma'am, please sit down and listen to me!"

After saying that, Luo Tianjin turned around, took out a scroll from the bookcase, and slowly unfolded it in front of Ling Xiaoxiao.

The young woman in the painting was none other than the "Rou'er" that Luo Tianjin had been thinking about day and night.

"This……"

"Madam, she is the Lord of Jueqing Valley." Luo Tianjin said bluntly, "She is also the woman with whom I had an unforgettable love more than 20 years ago."

"She..." Ling Xiaoxiao looked at the lifelike beauty in the painting with complicated eyes, and her voice became more and more trembling, "She is the Lord of Jueqing Valley? The rumored... Xiao Zhirou..."

"No!" Luo Tianjin smiled sadly and shook his head, "Her real name is not 'Xiao Zhirou', but 'Teng Rou'. As for why she changed her name, I don't know. Maybe... she was hurt too deeply by me back then, so she wanted to be reborn as a human being in the second life..."

"Teng Rou?"

Ling Xiaoxiao frowned, and an indescribable strange color flashed in her beautiful eyes. After a moment's hesitation, she murmured to herself, "Why does this name sound familiar to me? It seems... I've heard it somewhere before..."

"Of course you have heard of it." Luo Tianjin replied, "Teng Rou is the daughter of Teng Sanshi, the chief of the Teng tribe in western Hunan."

"What?" Ling Xiaoxiao held her breath and covered her face in dismay. "She...she...she is Teng Sanshi's daughter?"

"Yes!"

Luo Tianjin's eyes were deep, as if he was lost in distant memories, and he told a story of love and hatred in the past: "More than 20 years ago, my martial arts reached a bottleneck. In order to break through the shackles, I went to the Teng tribe in western Hunan alone to ask for the Teng tribe's treasure 'Jiyuan Pill' that could quickly improve my internal strength. Unexpectedly, I got lost in the dense forest of western Hunan, and eventually lost consciousness due to inhaling miasma by mistake. Fortunately, God blessed me and I was rescued when I was on the verge of death. And the person who saved me from the gates of hell , it was Teng Rou. To avoid any complications, I changed my name to "Tianqi" and stayed in the Teng tribe to recover. During that time, Teng Rou and I were together almost every day. Although she was the eldest daughter of the Teng tribe, she was kind-hearted and simple-minded. She was not wary of me, a "stranger" of unknown origin, but took good care of me and repeatedly stopped other tribesmen from making things difficult for me. Perhaps it was fate that we went from strangers to acquaintances, and then to close friends, and gradually..."

Having said this, Luo Tianjin's voice stopped abruptly, and a look of embarrassment appeared on his face.

Seeing this, although Ling Xiaoxiao felt sad, she understood his thoughts and continued, "Gradually, you fell in love with her, and she also fell in love with you... right?"

"Yes." Luo Tianjin said ashamedly, "In just a few months, my feelings for her have grown day by day, and we are almost close enough to discuss marriage."

"hiss!"

Although Ling Xiaoxiao was heartbroken and in pain at Luo Tianjin's words, she was still curious about what happened next and said bitterly, "Since you are so in love with her, why don't you stay in the Teng Clan and do something good with her?"

Hearing this, an extremely complex expression of sadness suddenly emerged between Luo Tianjin's brows.

He stared at the troubled Ling Xiaoxiao with trembling eyes. After a long silence, he finally answered reluctantly, "Because at that time... I was already married and had a son."

……

(End of this chapter)