Ch 142: Pitiful Wife

Su Wen returned to the area beneath the formation disc after collecting all the bandits' corpses. A trace of worry appeared in his eyes as he wondered how Du Yue was doing.

He took out two swords, stood on one, and flew upwards while holding the other in an attacking stance. Sword Qi surged as he swung his sword and slashed at the formation disc.

A few cracks appeared on the circular disc, spreading like a web across its surface. This formation disc could only be broken from the outside. Otherwise, the shockwaves from Du Yue and the black-robed cultivators fighting inside would have shattered the formation long ago, unless the attack power was far beyond that of a Peak Grade 3 cultivator.

Seeing that only minor cracks had appeared, Su Wen didn't feel discouraged. Instead, he increased his attack power and, within moments, swung his sword a dozen times. More and more cracks appeared, and with a bang, the formation shattered like glass.

Du Yue stood on the formation ground with a condescending gaze, her aura as cold and domineering as that of an empress.

In front of her, Zhu Jia was lying on the ground... or rather, squirming from side to side. Of course, Du Yue wasn't simply standing there looking down at her. Instead, she was leisurely swinging the icy thorn whip. "Good weapon..." she murmured as the whip cracked through the air like thunder, followed by painful wailing.

Zhu Jia was covered in wounds and blood, while Du Yue occasionally fed her healing pills to keep her alive. "Sister Du Yue... I was wrong. Please forgive me. I won't dare to have any thoughts about you and your husband again..." Zhu Jia's voice was barely audible. "I... I really was wrong. Please, just let me go..."

Du Yue didn't seem to hear her at all, and a trace of violence appeared in her eyes. "What? Crying now? Weren't you looking to make my husband your cauldron? Don't want him anymore?"

"No... I don't want him anymore..." Zhu Jia hurriedly shook her head, her voice trembling.

"Hmph... Your biggest mistake was having ill intentions towards my husband. Otherwise, you would have received a swift death," Du Yue said coldly, her expression sinister. "Now this is the price you have to pay."

Just then, Du Yue seemed to sense something. She looked down, her gaze seemingly passing through the formation ground. A trace of panic instantly appeared on her usually calm, arrogant, empress-like face.

Zhu Jia, who was already in despair, noticed that the beating had suddenly stopped. She looked up and was shocked to see that expression on Du Yue's face.

Du Yue, however, didn't care about Zhu Jia's feelings. She hurriedly hid the whip and activated the mountain gate on the formation ground before grabbing Zhu Jia and disappearing. The next moment, she appeared halfway up the mountain road, where the Boss Goblin had been buried.

The Boss Goblin looked at Du Yue, fear flashing in its eyes.

Du Yue didn't even glance at it. Her Spiritual Qi surged, and a hole immediately appeared in the ground. She sealed Zhu Jia's cultivation before burying her, leaving only her head exposed directly in front of the Goblin, with the two of them facing each other.

"What do you want to do?" Zhu Jia asked, a hint of viciousness flashing across her eyes.

"I'll be back. Keep quiet for now and get along well," Du Yue said emotionlessly before disappearing.

"Please, no... Take me out! I don't want to stay here. I will do anything you want, even become your servant!" Zhu Jia's cries rang out. As she looked at the Goblin in front of her, despair filled her eyes. "Please... let me go. I was wrong. Why? Why did I have to take this mission? Why is she so strong?"

Without giving either of them another glance, Du Yue returned to the formation ground and closed the mountain gate as if nothing had happened.

Just then, the formation suddenly cracked apart. The formation ground disappeared, along with the black walls that had surrounded them. Du Yue didn't hesitate. She immediately opened her arms and jumped straight towards Su Wen.

"Husband..." she cried pitifully as she flew towards him. Tears welled in her eyes, making her look especially weak and helpless, as if she were in desperate need of protection. "Where were you? I was all alone in there. I was so scared. I thought you were going to leave me alone."

Su Wen immediately put his sword away and caught her in his arms. The force of her momentum sent him sliding several metres backwards on the flying sword.

Du Yue hugged him tightly, then slipped her hands into his robes like a thief. Her hands quietly moved across his chest as she buried her face against his neck and breathed in his scent. Completely oblivious to being taken advantage of, Su Wen looked around for the black-robed cultivators, only to see five corpses falling to the ground like discarded pieces of trash.

Only then did he relax.

He gently cupped Du Yue's face, his expression filled with concern. "Are you alright, my wife? Don't worry, I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. Did you get hurt?"

His gaze softened. "I'm glad you were able to defeat those scumbags. I was so worried about you. It's your husband who's too weak. Otherwise, I would never allow such scum to face you alone."

Du Yue flushed with embarrassment but didn't let it show on her face. Instead, she hugged him tightly. "It's fine, Husband. You don't need to worry about them. They were so weak that I was able to defeat them without suffering any injuries."

Su Wen frowned as his gaze fell on the corpses. "Wifey? Why are there only five corpses? That fart-smelling woman seems to be missing!"

Du Yue stiffened. She wasn't sure how to answer, and she couldn't exactly tell him that she had kept Zhu Jia alive for purification purposes... to purify her for the crimes she had committed against him before setting her free.

Instead, she chose a better option...

"Ouch..." Du Yue suddenly cried out and clutched her left hand with her right.

Su Wen frowned and looked at her hand before immediately asking, "Wife, what happened? Are you injured somewhere?"

"It hurts..." she said pitifully.

"Hmm? Show me your hand." Without waiting for her to respond, he immediately took her hand and examined her palm. There was only a faint redness, with no visible injury. It was the same palm she had used to catch Zhu Jia's whip earlier.

"Is it broken? Look how red it is. It must be hurting a lot." Su Wen looked at her tearful face with a pained expression. "Those beasts... How could they be so vicious?"

"Here..." He took out an ointment and gently applied it to her palm. "With this, it'll heal soon, although it might itch a little for a while."

Du Yue looked at his serious expression, and a faint blush appeared on her face. Her heartbeat quickened, and she lowered her head, not daring to look at him.

Su Wen saw her flushed face and lowered head and thought she was only blushing because of the pain. Seeing that, he gritted his teeth inwardly. 'Damn it. I must raise my cultivation quickly.'

While he was busy with his inner monologue, he failed to notice the smug smile hiding in Du Yue's eyes. Her other hand once again slipped inside his robes like a snake, quietly moving across his chest.

And just like that, the genius doctor of his previous life and the Grade 3 physician and scholar of his current life were completely fooled by his wife's pitiful act.

He seemed to have completely forgotten about Zhu Jia.

Su Wen took all the storage rings from the corpses of the bandits and black-robed cultivators.

Setting aside Boss Si Song and the Peak Foundation Establishment bandits, whose corpses could be redeemed for bounties at the guild, Su Wen piled the remaining lower-realm bandits' corpses together before taking out his environmentally friendly corpse-dispersing liquid.

"Wife, I would've mentioned this to you earlier, but I'll explain it again." Su Wen turned to Du Yue and spoke with a serious expression. "Since we're living in this world, it's also our duty to take care of nature, heaven and earth. So, every time we clean up a piece of scum, it's our duty to make sure we remove it properly from heaven and earth as well."

His tone became even more solemn. "This way, not only are we preventing these scums from polluting the environment, but we're also getting rid of most of the traces they leave behind, just in case the people behind them come looking. It's a double benefit."

Du Yue stood beside him and nodded seriously, as if she were engraving every word deep into her heart. "You're right, Husband. I'll remember this."

"Good. I'm glad you understand." Su Wen nodded with satisfaction. Without wasting any more time, he poured the liquid over the bandits' corpses. The moment the liquid came into contact with them, their bodies began to decompose slowly. Within a short time, the corpses had completely disappeared, leaving almost no trace behind.

Su Wen then turned his gaze towards the black-robed cultivators' corpses. 'I wonder if this liquid will be of any use against them.'

He poured several times the usual amount over the shrivelled corpses. Sure enough, they also began to decompose, although the process was considerably slower. Even so, they decomposed faster than Golden Core corpses normally should. After all, these black-robed cultivators had already lost most of their vitality, cultivation and essence during their final attack.

Su Wen frowned slightly. "This is troublesome."

He stared at the corpses for a moment before an idea suddenly flashed through his mind. He immediately communicated with the Spirit Flame inside his dantian.

The next moment, he opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of flame. As soon as the fire came into contact with the corpse-dispersing liquid, the two reacted violently and began to burn fiercely.

The flames rapidly spread across the corpses. Within a few moments, all the bodies had been reduced to ashes, which were then carried away by the mountain wind.

Su Wen's eyes widened slightly.

What surprised him was that the flames didn't release any impurities as they burned. Instead, the Spirit Flame seemed to purify the death qi contained within the corpses, transforming it into pure Spiritual Qi.

Su Wen finally breathed a sigh of relief. 'As expected of my Spirit Flame. It's quite amazing.'

He inwardly praised it and the Spirit Flame immediately responded with a happy giggle. Su Wen's expression softened. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly stopped. He frowned and fell into thought. "Wife, why do I feel like I've forgotten something?"

Du Yue froze. She clearly hadn't expected him to bring it up so suddenly. Her eyes immediately darted to the side.

Su Wen noticed her reaction, and his eyes narrowed. His doubts grew stronger as he tried to recall what he had forgotten. But no matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn't remember.

After several moments, however, a flash of realization appeared in his eyes. His expression instantly became sharp.

"Wife...!" Su Wen slowly turned towards Du Yue and began walking towards her.

Du Yue immediately shivered. She instinctively became nervous and looked at him cautiously. "Y-Yes, Husband? What happened?"

"Oh..." Su Wen narrowed his eyes. "Acting innocent, huh? Wife, did you forget something?"

"I-I... H-Husband..." Du Yue's voice became weak.

Su Wen continued approaching her. "Do you think your husband is weak... and easy to bully? You think you can do anything you want! What exactly do you take your husband for?"

"Huh...?" Du Yue blinked in confusion. 'Bully?'

She couldn't help but think inwardly. 'Wasn't he asking about that disgusting woman's corpse?'

Suddenly, Su Wen stopped in front of her. "When you threw me towards those bandits like a ball, you must have been taking me lightly, hadn't you?"

Du Yue finally understood what he was talking about. 'Huh? Oh... so that's it.'

She secretly breathed a sigh of relief. 'Phew! I was tense for no reason.'

However, Su Wen noticed the way her expression relaxed, and his eyebrows twitched. For some reason, he felt that his dignity as the head of the household had just been challenged. "Wife, it seems you don't understand the seriousness of your mistake."

Su Wen took out a stool from his storage ring and then, before Du Yue could respond, he quickly moved. He bent down slightly, lifted her up, and pulled her onto his lap with her back facing him before sitting down on the stool.

Du Yue's eyes widened. "H-Husband?"

Hmph!

"If I don't discipline you today, you won't respect me as your husband. If I let this slide, you'll surely look down on me in the future." He rubbed his palms together with great seriousness, as if preparing for some grand battle.

Du Yue's lips twitched, and she suddenly had a bad feeling.

Su Wen raised his right hand. "Forbidden Art: Heavenly Discipline Palm!"

His palm descended with tremendous momentum, as though carrying the might of heaven and earth itself. No wife... whether an immortal, empress, goddess, demoness or anything else... could escape this technique.

Slap! Slap! Slap!

A series of slaps resounded through the mountain. Even the heavens seemed to remain silent, unwilling to interfere in such a serious matter.

"H-Husband... I'm sorry. I won't do that again." Du Yue's voice became pitiful, and her face was flushed. With each slap, a tremor ran through her body.

"What won't you do again?" Su Wen demanded sternly.

"I-I won't throw you towards the bandits like a ball again," she admitted with tears in her eyes. At the same time, she slightly lifted her bottom as if encouraging him to continue.

Su Wen didn't stop. Instead, a faint trace of Spiritual Qi gathered on his palm as he slapped, producing an even more piercing sound.

"~Ngh..." Du Yue felt a jolt run through her body, and her eyes became slightly hazy. She turned her head back and looked at him and spoke pleadingly, "It hurts..."

Su Wen spoke sternly. "Hmph! Of course, it's a punishment, after all." He continued, "Now remember this... I'm your husband. You have to treat me with the utmost respect, and you're not allowed to undermine my dignity."

Du Yue nodded vigorously as she wiped her tears. "You're right, Husband. It's this wife's fault this time. You're the only one I respect above everyone else."

"Good." Su Wen didn't stop but kept going. Only after he felt that she'd learned her lesson did he finally stop.

But Du Yue ignored him and instead lifted her bottom a little more, speaking deliberately in a tearful tone. "Husband, I'm a bad wife. Please punish me more so that next time I'll remember your lesson in my body and heart."

"Huh? Nah, this is enough. You're not a bad wife, but such a good girl. You only made a mistake this time. It's fine now that you've been punished. Just don't do it again in the future," Su Wen replied with a smile, feeling happy that his wife understood everything.

"No, Husband, I'm not. Hit me more. I deserve to be hit. My heart won't be satisfied with this punishment for my offence today," she said, turning to look at him with her gem-like, sparkling, teary blue eyes.

'Something feels wrong!' Su Wen was stunned and felt a little confused. 'She wants more beating? Did I broke her?'

"Husband, don't stop. Do it. If you have more techniques, use them all." She spoke righteously.

Su Wen was deeply moved after hearing this. Seeing his wife so obedient and even willing to accept more punishment, he couldn't help feeling proud. "Wife... that's enough."

Du Yue wanted to refuse and was about to ask for more discipline, but Su Wen cut her off.

"You've learnt your lesson. There's no need to feel bad anymore." With that, he gently began soothing her bottom with his hands, making her shiver. She felt a strange sensation, like the transition from a hard beating to soft comfort, and her face, neck and ears all turned red.

"Be a good wife from now on. Since you have already admitted your mistake, I'll cook something good for you. But the punishment will be more severe next time if you dare to do it again," Su Wen warned her before gently lifting her and settling her on his lap.

"Mmm, I'll listen to Husband." Du Yue wanted more but had no choice and grudgingly sat in his lap. After hearing that he would cook for her, she felt a little better.

"Good." Su Wen replied, feeling fully satisfied, but continued to rub her soft bottom.

After resting together for some time, Su Wen's gaze shifted towards the dungeon. "Wife, do you think he'll be fine?"

Du Yue was still comfortably nestled in his embrace. She lazily turned her gaze towards the dungeon and observed it from afar. After a moment, she spoke casually. "He's fine. In fact, he looks better than before."

Su Wen raised an eyebrow. "Better?"

"Yes. That black-robed person isn't there anymore. It seems he managed to defeat him."

"Oh..." Su Wen wasn't surprised that she could perceive things from that far. "I wonder what he must have faced in his life to be able to go against his own heart?"

Du Yue didn't reply, not caring much. Instead, she spoke, "Husband, let's go. I'm feeling quite hungry."

"But he..." Su Wen began, but Du Yue interrupted him.

"He'll catch up with us at the spirit boat. Let's get our business done at the guild first." Du Yue whined.

"Alright, alright. But we owe him one. After all, he took one of the black-robed cultivators with him, indirectly making things easier for you. I'll treat him to some good wine," Su Wen said.

Du Yue nodded, but in reality, she didn't care much. After all, one or two more ants wouldn't have made any difference to her.

With that, the couple descended the mountain toward the guild.