I accidentally Married the Leader of the Noble Path - Chapter 5

Compared to his past life as a formidable figure in the world of cultivation, striking fear into countless factions, Qin Nan found this moment even more accomplishing.

Before Shangguan Rouyue could react, Qin Nan had already made his escape under the pretense of brewing medicine, retreating to the adjacent medicine room.

Shangguan Rouyue remained frozen, her expression one of utter shock as if struck by lightning, her body stiff. Slowly, she returned to her senses, reaching up to touch her soft lips, still in disbelief.

“That little scoundrel!” Shangguan Rouyue furrowed her delicate brows, feigning anger.

But she wasn’t truly mad—nor was she repelled. For some inexplicable reason, she felt a strange, indescribable feeling.

Shangguan Rouyue was certain that if anyone other than Qin Nan had dared to kiss her, they would have already perished under her sword.

Yet for Qin Nan, she could only blame him for being too sudden, too mischievous—deceptively claiming she had dirt on her face only to launch a surprise attack. She was utterly unprepared.

Aside from being called a scoundrel, there wasn’t much else to say about his actions.

Still, this feeling of being taken advantage of wasn’t entirely unpleasant—it even carried a hint of surprise.

Shangguan Rouyue’s cheeks flushed red as she silently chastised herself. Am I daydreaming? How could I think this way? Doesn’t this make me no better than a frivolous woman?

She had spent years cultivating, tempering her mind to remain steady and unmoved, so how could she be so easily affected now?

Resolving to suppress these emotions, Shangguan Rouyue quickly calmed herself.

However, when Qin Nan returned with a bowl of freshly brewed medicine, her composed state wavered once again.

“Drink this. Though your injuries have mostly healed, they’re not entirely recovered. Unfortunately, the herbs here are quite ordinary, so I can’t refine any proper pills.”

As he spoke, Qin Nan handed her the bowl.

Distracted by her own turbulent emotions, Shangguan Rouyue missed the subtle hint in his words, revealing his knowledge of refining pill.

When she reached out to take the bowl, her hand brushed against Qin Nan’s, sparking a peculiar sensation that caused her movements to falter momentarily. She quickly recovered, burying her face in the bowl to avoid further awkwardness.

Watching her gulp down the medicine like it was a race, Qin Nan tilted his head in confusion.

Didn’t she dislike drinking medicine? Even with added sugar, she used to complain it was too bitter. Now that she was almost fully recovered, she had even started protesting, claiming the taste had numbed her tongue and stained her teeth black.

It’s a bit childish, like a child who dislikes drinking medicine.

He had braced himself for another round of coaxing to get her to drink this time.

To his surprise, she complied without a word.

Come to think of it, Qin Nan realized he’d forgotten to add sugar this time.

Still, since she wasn’t complaining, he decided to let it slide.

When Shangguan Rouyue set the empty bowl down, her face was a picture of misery. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, and she looked on the verge of crying.

It was just too bitter—her taste buds had given up entirely.

Qin Nan, of course, noticed her expression and barely held back his laughter.

“Here, suck on some dried orange peel. It’ll help,” he said, pulling a piece from his pocket and holding it up to her lips.

Shangguan Rouyue obediently opened her mouth, and Qin Nan placed the peel inside.

As the tangy flavor spread, her discomfort began to ease, and her pained expression softened.

Seeing Qin Nan’s playful smile, Shangguan Rouyue puffed out her cheeks in silent protest.

Qin Nan couldn’t resist reaching out to pinch her slightly puffed cheeks.

“So cute,” he teased before standing up and walking away.

Shangguan Rouyue’s face instantly turned crimson.

By now, they’d already had plenty of physical contact, even in far more awkward situations.

Yet somehow, everything felt different after that kiss.

“That little scoundrel, how dare he pinched my cheek,” she muttered under her breath, though a small, involuntary smile tugged at her lips.

…

The next day, they returned to the mountains to gather herbs together.

During their trip, Qin Nan once again asked Shangguan Rouyue about her plans to leave, earning a sharp glare in return.

“Are you annoyed that I’m freeloading, eating your food and taking your bed, so you don’t have anywhere to sleep? Didn’t you say yesterday you wouldn’t kick me out?” she huffed.

“I’m not kicking you out, I was just asking.”Qin Nan replied

“Good. As long as you’re not kicking me out, I’ll stay,” she declared.

“Don’t you have a place to return to?” he asked.

“No,” she replied simply.

“Alright then, stay as long as you’d like.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t freeload. From now on, I’ll be responsible for your safety.”

“Thank you. Having a powerful cultivator like you watching over me is indeed reassuring,” Qin Nan replied with a grin.

“Good that you understand,” she said, a faint smile gracing her lips.

Roar

Just as the two finished speaking, a large creature suddenly leapt out from the nearby jungle. It had a massive two-meter-long body, a tiger-like face, fierce and menacing, with a mouth full of sharp fangs.

For a slender youth like Qin Nan, it looked like a single bite would suffice.

Shangguan Rouyue snorted coldly, raising her hand. An invisible force shaped itself into a blade, instantly slaying the tiger before it could get close.

The danger was resolved instantly—or rather, there was never any real danger to begin with.

Qin Nan took out a short knife, swiftly approaching the large creature’s corpse, and began peeling off its tiger-like hide.

The tiger hide could be made into clothing, carpets, or blankets—there were many uses for it, so nothing could go to waste.

In the end, he also cut off some good meat from the creature’s body, ensuring they would have food for lunch.

As long as the meat was preserved well, it would last for a couple of days.

However, carrying all that meat and fur so early in their trip wasn’t practical.

Just as Qin Nan considered leaving it behind, Shangguan Rouyue swept her sleeve, and the entire carcass and the pelt disappeared into its folds.

“Handy trick. This means we can gather as many herbs as we want,” Qin Nan remarked.

Shangguan Rouyue shot him a look, her expression laced with exasperation. Though her Sleeve of Secrets was indeed meant for storage, using it for mundane herbs and meat was practically demeaning.

But since she’d decided to stay here, she’d abandoned such pretensions. If it could help Qin Nan, she didn’t mind.

Qin Nan, of course, already knew about her spatial technique but kept up the act of ignorance to avoid revealing too much about his true self.

When Shangguan Rouyue had once asked about his medical and pill refining knowledge, he’d claimed to have stumbled upon an old, tattered manual while gathering herbs in the mountains, learning from it until it mysteriously vanished.

She hadn’t doubted him—such serendipities were common in the world of cultivation, accessible only to the fortunate.

By evening, Shangguan Rouyue carried them both back to the village, flying through the air.

The villagers were no longer surprised by the sight.

Before entering the house, Qin Nan told Shangguan Rouyue to rest while he fetched something.

Shangguan Ruoyue didn’t think much of it and went inside to rest.

A moment later, when Qin Nan returned, he was holding a set of clothes.

“Miss Shangguan, do you like it?” Qin Nan asked.

Shangguan Ruoyue looked at the clothes Qin Nan was deliberately showing off, her expression surprised.