CHAPTER 126: CHAPTER 126 - A MONTH’S WORTH OF LONGING

The moment the door sealed shut behind Yu Xiang, the carefully maintained imperial facade melted away completely.

Tianlong’s hands found their way under Mei’s soft green robes, his calloused fingers seeking the familiar warmth of her skin as she settled more fully into his lap.

"Husband, we shouldn’t—not here in your—ahhnn~!" Mei’s protest dissolved into a breathy moan as his fingers found her breast, thumb circling her nipple through the thin silk of her inner garment before pinching it gently.

The sensation sent sparks of pleasure through her curvy form, her back arching instinctively as her vines began to writhe restlessly around the edges of the room, responding to her heightened emotions.

"Husband, stop," she gasped, her dark eyes fluttering as waves of sensation coursed through her. "I feel strange..."

His golden eyes met hers, noting the flush spreading across her cheeks, the way her lips had parted slightly as her breathing quickened. "And why is that, my sweet wife?"

Mei’s gaze dropped to his lips, her own mouth opening as she panted softly. The honesty in her next words made his chest tight with a mixture of guilt and desire.

"It’s been a month since you touched me," she whispered, her voice carrying a note of desperate longing that cut through him like a blade.

A month. An entire month since he’d been intimate with any of his wives, so consumed with establishing their new empire that he’d neglected the very foundations of his power—and, more importantly, the women he loved.

Yue and Feng had been busy carrying out his orders, visiting the smaller sects with shows of force that had brought dozens of new territories under their banner.

Meanwhile, Mei had been occupied teaching her younger brother Xiao, helping him advance his cultivation.

All of them working tirelessly to support his ambitions, and what had he given them in return?

Distraction. Distance. The kind of cold shoulder that made him no better than any man who used his job as an excuse to ignore his wives.

"Mei..." he breathed, his hand stilling against her breast, his fingers sinking into the soft mound as the weight of his neglect settled on him.

She leaned forward, her forehead nearly touching his, her teary eyes blinking up at him with a vulnerability that made his heart clench.

"Can we do it?"

A soft chuckle escaped his lips despite the gravity of the moment. "Aren’t you a pervert, my dear wife?"

The teasing tone made her look down, her cheeks burning with embarrassment as she bit her lower lip.

She looked adorable like this—wanting something desperately but too shy to ask directly, tears of frustration gathering in her eyes like morning dew.

"I’m sorry," she whispered. "I know you’re busy with important things, and I shouldn’t be selfish, but I just—"

He silenced her with a gentle touch, his hand sliding away from her breast to rest against her abdomen.

Even through the fabric of her robes, he could feel the subtle change in her body—the slight roundness that spoke of new life growing within her.

Four months along, accelerated by the system. Not a dramatic swell yet, just a gentle curve that made his palm tingle.

"It’s a girl," he said softly, his thumb tracing circles over the small bump.

Mei’s expression brightened, her hands covering his. "Yes, I know. I can sense her—our daughter’s qi signature is already so strong, but it is like Yue’s energy."

"Pfft, seems like it." Tianlong could feel the baby had a different affinity than nature, more leaned towards fire and earth similar to Yue.

"Do you hate me?" he asked quietly.

Their eyes met, and he could see the confusion in her gaze, the way her lips parted as if to protest.

She leaned forward, clearly wanting to kiss him, but he held back just enough to keep the distance—making her feel like a child reaching for something just out of reach.

"No," she said firmly, shaking her head. "Even if you’re teasing me, I could never hate you."

"I’m not talking about this moment," he said, his voice dropping to barely above a whisper, hand cupping her lower breast as if lifting the weight of it from her chest. "I’m talking about... do you hate me for planning to leave our child in this realm?"

Mei blinked, processing the weight of what he was really asking. The upper realm. The ascension that would take him away from everything they were building here, potentially forever.

"No," she said again, though her voice was smaller now. "Because I know you need to leave. And if I tried to stop you..." She swallowed hard. "You’d leave me behind too, wouldn’t you?"

The words made him exhale, partly because she was right.

The main storyline, the major characters and plots he needed to influence—they were all in the upper realm.

Everything he remembered from the novel was centered there, which meant he had to ascend to maintain any hope of staying ahead of the narrative.

But hearing her say it so matter-of-factly, with such quiet acceptance...

"Yeah," he admitted, the word feeling like ash in his mouth.

The moment he confirmed her fears, Mei’s hands clenched in the fabric of his robes.

She pressed her face against his chest, her body trembling as she tried to burrow into him as if she could somehow dissolve into him.

"You’re a cruel man," she whispered, her voice muffled against his shirt.

"You know how difficult it is to understand women," he replied, his hand pumping her breast steadily due to the soft fullness in his grip. "First you say you don’t hate me, now you say I’m cruel. It’s confusing."

"Mmhhnnn... Haah...." Her vines had begun wrapping around them both like a living cocoon, responding to his rough fondling.

"But I don’t want to be separated from you," she said, her voice breaking slightly, eyes ignoring his as she breathed, letting herself melt under that rough hand.

"So?"

"That’s why I’ll leave my baby’s uncle here to protect them."

Tianlong felt a smile tug at his lips despite the heaviness of the conversation. "So you’re going to leave your brother here?"

She nodded against his chest, her body pressing even more tightly against him. "He would be in danger if he came with us, and I don’t want you to have to carry all of us. You have enough burdens."

"My wives are not a burden," he chuckled. "I could carry all three of you—one in each hand."

Mei pulled back to look at him suspiciously, her tear-bright eyes narrowing. "You have two hands. One would be for Yue and the other for Feng. Where exactly would that leave me?"

His grin turned wicked, his hand gripping her breast, forefinger and thumb cruelly pinching her nipple.

"Ouch~!" she winced before hearing his answer.

"You could sit on my cock. Your pussy is strong and tight enough to keep you balanced."

Badump

Her heart seemed to skip several beats at once, and she lowered her gaze, her entire face burning crimson.

"You’re embarrassing me, husband," she whispered, looking down with that innocent, naive expression that made her appear even younger than her years.

The sight of her—flustered, shy, clearly aroused despite her embarrassment—made something primal stir in his chest.

"Eat me, Mei," he said, his voice dropping to a husky growl.