The White Moonlight Disdained by the Male Protagonist of Redemption - Chapter 17.3

During this time, while recovering from her injuries, Ning Yao stayed in her room, and Feng Jingzhuo never left her side.

Aside from bringing medicine, food, washing clothes, and keeping her company, he somehow took over all the mountain affairs—from taking care of one person’s needs to managing everyone’s, even becoming the sole breadwinner of the mountain. He collected seashells and crafted delicate trinkets from them to sell, earning more and more by the day.

Within a month, he was even getting pre-orders.

Everyone felt that, at this rate, they could open a shop, grow the business, and eventually become so rich and rule the market…

Ning Yuzhu, already a fan of how handsome Feng Jingzhuo was, saw how capable he was and started feeling sorry for him. He whispered, “Zhuo-ge, you don’t have to keep pampering her—if you leave her alone, she’ll get bored and get up on her own.”

Chu Xiao also couldn’t stand it: “Let me take over. Yao Yao can’t stand me—if I served her, she wouldn’t last half an hour lying down.”

But Feng Jingzhuo refused them all.

No one could do anything, so they let him be.

That night, after Ning Yao fell asleep, Feng Jingzhuo put out the lamp and went to the back of the mountain to practice by the Muyu Pond.

Dragons loved water, and this pond was full of spiritual energy. With the Nine Yin Cold Spirit Mushroom herb having reforged his bone marrow, his cultivation progressed rapidly.

Feng Jingzhuo closed his eyes and focused, circulating his inner energy. Suddenly, he sensed something and turned his head left.

“Hey, you’ve got quick reflexes. So handsome, how about a little chat?”

He opened his eyes. A strange woman in sheer red stood before him—beautiful, snow-white skin,  with an ethereal aura, but her eyes brimmed with seduction.

Her fingers reached out—had he not dodged, she’d have lifted his chin.

Feng Jingzhuo immediately rose and avoided her.

She laughed lightly, “Handsome, you’re too pretty to avoid me. You’re not getting away.”

His expression turned cold as water. He struck toward her face. She laughed and spun away, blocking his strike mid-twirl: “Nice moves. With your looks and skills—you’re the complete package.”

He narrowed his eyes, switching to fists. She barely held him off, still teasing, “So fierce! But I like that about you.”

Their exchange wasn’t playful at all—they both aimed deadly blows at each other’s face, chest, and back.

“Hey, you two…”

Suddenly, a voice cut in, halting them both.

Ning Yao, exasperated and amused: “Senior Sister, could you not show up at ghost hours?”

Then turned to Feng Jingzhuo: “Jingzhuo, this is my senior sister—Tu Manxing.”

Feng Jingzhuo paused. Oh no.

Ning Yao added, “Senior Sister, don’t tease him anymore. He’s, my man.”

Tu Manxing jumped three steps back, her flirtatious demeanor gone: “Wha—whaaat?”

Even Feng Jingzhuo was frozen stiff, unable to respond.

Ning Yao came down: “I was sleeping but heard noises outside, came to check, and found you two fighting. Honestly, both of you are so immature.”

Feng Jingzhuo opened his mouth but said nothing.

Tu Manxing covered her face: “Oh this is so awkward…”

“Uh, brother-in-law, my bad,” she said through her fingers, forcing a smile. “I just got home and saw a stranger. Got too cautious.”

Feng Jingzhuo bowed: “Understood. My apologies for earlier. Please don’t take it personally, Senior Tu.”

Tu Manxing waved it off: “Let’s just forget the whole thing.”

Ning Yao couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing. She knew her senior sister well—she always loved teasing people. Seeing Feng Jingzhuo, this kind of scene was totally predictable.

“Senior Sister, if it’s too awkward, just go to sleep. Your room’s clean and ready.”

Tu Manxing looked surprised: “Who cleaned my room?”

Ning Yao pointed straight at Feng Jingzhuo: “Him. He cleans everyone’s room.”

Tu Manxing instantly regretted asking that question. “Ah—really, thank you so much… well, I’ll just be on my way then…”

She had arrived like a spirit of the mountains, all charm and mystery—now she fled like someone escaping disaster.

Ning Yao laughed for a long while before turning to look at Feng Jingzhuo. He actually looked rather uneasy. “I struck hard just now—I hope I didn’t injure Senior Sister Tu.”

Ning Yao said, “You didn’t. If she’d been hurt, she definitely would’ve made a joke about it to ease the awkwardness.”

Feng Jingzhuo finally looked a little relieved.

Ning Yao asked, “Are you afraid of my senior sister?”

Afraid? Not really. That misunderstanding had already been cleared up. Feng Jingzhuo replied, “The Bodhi Clan is… very adorable.”

He wanted to say “strange,” but it felt inappropriate. Looking at Ning Yao’s face, that was the word that popped into his head.

Ning Yao giggled, and Feng Jingzhuo’s expression softened as he asked, “Did we wake you? Does your stomach still hurt?”

Ning Yao replied, “It does.”

She saw the way his normally smooth brow instantly furrowed in worry.

“Go back and rest,” he urged softly. “Let Elder Jie take another look at it tomorrow.”

Ning Yao said, “Please don’t let Grandmaster look again. If he checks one more time, he’ll probably throw up.”

Feng Jingzhuo lowered his eyes. The helplessness in his gaze toward her was so deep, it bordered on tenderness.

Ning Yao looked at him for a while, then blinked. “Jingzhuo, I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?”

She tiptoed up and, crisp and direct, kissed him on the lips.

Feng Jingzhuo was struck as if by lightning. His expression froze in stunned confusion, then turned deathly pale. “Yao Yao, you…”

Suddenly overwhelmed, his voice trembled, his hands shook, and his thumbs brushed anxiously over her lips. “Do you even realize what you’re doing? Do you know what I used to be? Do you know that I’m not clean?”

He asked three questions in a row, breaking down in the process.

When he finally returned to his senses, his eyes were red. He stared at her lips, then gently brushed them one more time before letting his hand drop in defeat. “Yao Yao, I’m not clean.”

Ning Yao asked, “Did it feel bad when I kissed you?”

Feng Jingzhuo’s lips trembled as he shook his head.

Ning Yao tiptoed closer, lifting her head to look at him. “If it’s me… would that make you feel a little cleaner?”

Feng Jingzhuo looked at her with painful longing.

Ning Yao said, “Zhuo’er, I like you too. Will you marry me?”

Feng Jingzhuo closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he tilted his head back to look at the sky.

Above, a crescent moon hung. Its sharp points were like blades. Just looking at it made his entire body ache.

At that moment, Ning Yao wasn’t sure whether to keep speaking. She didn’t even dare to touch him. It felt like if she so much as laid a finger on him, he might shatter.

After a long while, she heard him murmur, “Yao Yao… Yao Yao…”

“I’m here.”

He said, “My Bone-Binding Lock has been broken.”

Ning Yao froze, then her face lit up with joy. “Really? Really?! When—how did it happen? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

Feng Jingzhuo lowered his head. His expression was somewhere between grief and elation. “Just now. Because… you’re real.”

“What do you mean I’m real?”

His voice was quiet: “You really want to be my wife. You’ve seen me at my worst and still care for me—still want to be with me. Only then can the Bone-Binding Lock break.”

He knew all along yet had lied to her, pretending not to know.

But it didn’t matter. Ning Yao was genuinely happy for him. “That’s amazing. Not even Grandmaster could do it—I was so worried. But now, you won’t have to be sad over it anymore.”

“I just don’t understand…” Though the Bone-Binding Lock was gone, he still looked pained. “Why… why would you like me?”

Ning Yao spoke honestly: “Because you’re a good person, Zhuo’er. You deserve to be loved.”

Stripping away worldly identities, erasing the past—they were the same at their core. Ning Yao said earnestly, “We’re right for each other. Trust me, truly—just think it over.”

Feng Jingzhuo looked at her deeply. At last, he couldn’t hold back the flood of emotion any longer and pulled her into a tight embrace.

“Yao Yao, I… I want to tell you something…” His voice trembled. He was barely holding back tears. “I was under the Hundred Charms Incense… I lost control of myself and disfigured my own face to stay safe. I’ve never been touched by them, and I never touched them. I swear. Please believe me…”

Ning Yao patted his back. “I believe you. If you say so, I believe it.”

Feng Jingzhuo closed his eyes, arms tightening like mad, pulling her tightly into his embrace.

He said, “I… I want… I want…”

Ning Yao looked at him—his eyes were misty and pure, filled with a dog-like sincerity and loyalty. “You want what?”

“…I want to be with you.”

He hadn’t dared before. But how could he not have wished for it in his heart? Before confirming her feelings, how could he have dared to defile her by thinking of her as his wife?

But in that moment, the cage that had trapped him like a wild beast had been torn apart by her. He could no longer suppress the overwhelming desire in his heart. Word by word, with clumsy, heartfelt sincerity—as though sealing a sacred vow in bl00d—he confessed:

“Yao Yao, you are my one and only wife. I will never let you down.”

With that one thought, something shifted deep in his chest.

He didn’t know it, but in that moment, a patch of scales quietly began to form.