“I’ve already thought it through. Since you want to stay with your husband, then…”
Yingran finished preparing the vegetables, while Xu Liling returned after washing the dustpan and hung it on the courtyard wall to dry.
They boiled water to rewash the bedsheets and clothes.
Yingran stayed by his side, working until dark, so exhausted that she leaned against him while eating.
Big Flower (the cat) and Little Yellow (the dog) came back after playing wildly, both with patches of fur missing, clearly having fought several times.
The two little creatures didn’t get along, each occupying one side of the courtyard gate during mealtime, their backsides facing each other.
Since Big Flower ate from a basin, Little Yellow got its first dog bowl.
But Little Yellow didn’t like using the bowl—it preferred dragging bones out to gnaw on them, which was more satisfying.
Big Flower scolded it: “Sloppy ghost, filthy dog!”
This led to another fight between the cat and dog.
Xu Liling ignored them.
Yingran initially tried to mediate, but after failing several times, she lost her temper and ignored them too.
She and Xu Liling bathed early and rested.
Her waist ached terribly, so Xu Liling held her and massaged it.
Thinking he was even more tired than she was, she hugged him and rubbed his lower back.
“How about I give you a massage too?”
Xu Liling agreed.
Yingran had him lie face down, straddling his thighs, leaning forward, and pressing her hands on his lower back to knead.
Her massage was haphazard, guided by whim.
Her soft hands lacked strength, more like caressing than massaging.
As she moved, her body swayed, her hips rubbing against his legs.
She asked, “Is it comfortable? Feeling any better?”
Xu Liling, eyes closed, didn’t respond.
Yingran leaned down again to massage his shoulders and back.
Still lacking strength, she was practically half-lying on him.
She massaged enthusiastically, pleased with herself.
Xu Liling didn’t interrupt, only slightly adjusting his position to avoid discomfort.
She got tired and lay down, her chest pressing against his back with each breath, her warm breath grazing his skin, her voice soft as a whisper:
“Are you asleep?”
Xu Liling’s voice was deep and slow: “No.”
Yingran sighed.
“Raising a cat and a dog is so hard. They’re like kids—obedient but uncontrollable, disobedient yet still obedient.”
Xu Liling patted her to get up.
He turned over to lie flat, pulled her by the waist, and let her rest on his chest.
Yingran felt something pressing against her and, blushing slightly, tried to get up.
Xu Liling stroked her back: “Don’t mind it.”
He asked, “So what do you want to do?”
“Let Big Flower and Little Yellow roam free from now on. They can play as they like and just come back for meals and sleep.”
Her face pressed against his chest, listening to his slow heartbeat, she added off-topic, “Does your heart ever feel uncomfortable? It beats so slowly.”
“No, it’s just how I am.”
He added, “Didn’t you want to keep the cat indoors before?”
Hearing his teasing, Yingran pouted at him.
Xu Liling chuckled, lifted her slightly, and turned so they lay face-to-face on their sides.
“If they’re too much trouble, just let them be. They won’t die.”
Yingran hugged his waist, nodding, thinking that with Big Flower’s “system” around, Little Yellow wouldn’t face real danger except for getting beaten up.
She’d remind Big Flower tomorrow to fight less with Little Yellow.
Xu Liling’s voice was gentle, like a breeze by her ear, calming her: “Sleep.”
Yingran’s drowsiness surged, and she closed her eyes.
Half-asleep, she mumbled, “Don’t need to mind it?”
Xu Liling understood she wasn’t talking about the cat and dog.
“It’ll go away in a bit.”
“It’s still pressing against me.”
“It’s not that quick.”
“Should we… just once?”
“Sleep.”
“Hm?”
“Once isn’t enough.”
“You’re really…”
Their soft whispers filled the bed curtains, fatigue washing over them, and the room gradually fell silent.
The Next Day
“…That’s the situation. You live in the mountains, so be careful. Don’t casually accept things from others.”
Guan Yi, standing at the courtyard gate with three colleagues, cautioned Yingran.
Yingran nodded, still shaken.
“Luckily, those two purple crystals got lost on the way home. When Huai Zhen wanted to take them out, they were gone.”
Early that morning, after Xu Liling went to Jinshui Town, Guan Yi came to ask Yingran about Old Man Tong, the storyteller from Yuehong Tower.
The scene felt familiar, like the time with Ma Chi.
Yingran asked, and sure enough, Old Man Tong was dead, and it was related to the demonic path.
The two purple crystals he gave her contained demonic energy.
Prolonged exposure could corrupt a person, turning them demonic.
This was even more dangerous than the Ma Chi incident, and it terrified her.
Guan Yi reassured her: “You weren’t exposed for long, so you’re fine.”
He paused, then added, “But Ma Chi’s whereabouts are still unknown, and Yunshui County keeps having demonic incidents. I’m really worried the demonic path is planning something big. You and your husband should stay cautious.”
“Alright, that’s all. I’m leaving.”
Guan Yi waved cheerfully, then noticed a small tabby cat staring at him.
Yingran said, “This is Big Flower, my new cat.”
He exclaimed, “Oh!” and crouched down to call Big Flower over, petting it.
“So cute!”
Big Flower raised its head proudly, delighted.
It knew no one could resist a cat! Except her husband!
As Yingran watched Guan Yi and his colleagues leave on their flying swords, Big Flower said to her, “That man has strong luck. When your husband dies, you can bind with me, and I can arrange for him to be your male lead.”
Yingran frowned.
“What are you saying?”
Big Flower replied confidently, “Your husband is a mortal with completely blocked qi meridians and bones, destined never to cultivate. You may be a mortal now, but you have me.”
“You can stay with him, then. When he dies, and you’re still alive, I’ll take you to Yaojing to become a divine maiden and continue our mission.”
Yingran stayed silent, looking at Big Flower, slightly lost in thought.
She was a mortal, and Huai Zhen was a mortal too; she only wanted to grow old with him and die together.
She had never thought about watching him grow old alone, weaken, and die.
Her chest felt heavy, and she remained silent.
Big Flower wrinkled its little cat face: “I’ve already compromised a lot. You’re not unwilling even for this, are you?”
Yingran: “We’ll talk about it later.”
She couldn’t predict the future, and thinking about it only brought unnecessary worry. Better to live in the present for now.
Big Flower, unhappy, huffed and went off to play in the mountains.
Yingran stayed at home, going about her usual tasks as always.
When Xu Liling returned in the evening, she told him about Guan Yi’s visit that morning.
Yingran sat in the kitchen, a basket on her lap as she sorted beans, muttering: “I don’t know if I just didn’t notice before, but it feels like demonic activity in Yunshui County has been much more frequent lately.”
Xu Liling, chopping vegetables, asked: “Do you want to move?”
Yingran: “Move where?”
Xu Liling: “Sujing.”
Yingran: “That’s too far. Yunshui County is on the border of Yiwang Continent and Yunzhou. Even riding a flying steed, it’d take two or three days to get to Sujing. If we run into some demon or monster on the way, we’d be done for.”
Xu Liling: “Do you have any other place in mind?”
Yingran: “I haven’t thought about it. Do you want to leave here?”
Xu Liling: “This place isn’t exactly peaceful anymore.”
Yingran sighed, joking with Xu Liling: “If only all the harmful demons in the world disappeared.”
“What counts as a harmful demon?”
“Hm… like the Holy Demon?”
She didn’t think too deeply about it.
Xu Liling said nothing, giving an enigmatic smile.
Late at night, at the border of Yunzhou and Yiwang Continent.
A group of cultivators in light blue robes, battered and bruised, fought while retreating, pushed back to the boundary between Yunzhou and Yiwang Continent.
Behind them, a well-organized, imposing group of demons pursued relentlessly.
“Martial Uncle, what do we do?”
The disciples’ robes were tattered, stained with blood, and they were on the verge of tears.
They had heard there was a new demonic stronghold here and were sent to eradicate it.
But upon arrival, they found that what should have been a sparsely manned outpost was occupied by demon generals from Jialan Hall and Bayu Valley.
They had come with a hundred men; now only thirty-one remained. The demons were still hot on their heels.
Zhou Tuya pulled out a boundary-breaking gate: “No choice… you all guard me, I’ll break the boundary!”
Though Yunzhou and Yiwang Continent had an agreement not to interfere with each other,
they weren’t enemies, and righteous cultivators from both sides often turned a blind eye to crossings.
Zhou Tuya channeled energy into the artifact, while the disciples formed a protective array.
The pursuing demon general led his soldiers charging into the array, slaughtering as they went.
As the array was about to collapse, Zhou Tuya shouted: “Open!”
On the boundary stretching millions of miles between Yunzhou and Yiwang Continent, a three-person-wide archway opened.
“Get in quick!”
Zhou Tuya rushed through the archway first, calling the disciples to follow.
But the demon army pressed too close, and as the demon general neared the archway, Zhou Tuya hurriedly deactivated the boundary-breaking gate and fled toward the mountains beyond Yiwang Continent’s boundary.
The disciples inside Yunzhou’s boundary watched their comrades run off, only to be beheaded, dying with eyes wide open.
Zhou Tuya led the surviving disciples to the mountaintop, not daring to look back, and said wearily: “Let’s go, find a place to heal first.”
The disciples gritted their teeth, eyes red with rage: “Those demonic lunatics!”
“I won’t let them go! I’ll kill them to avenge our brothers!”
The disciples looked back unwillingly at the dark mass of the demon army beyond the boundary.
Those pairs of eyes glinting with eerie blood-red light in the darkness were like ravenous mad dogs.
A tall, young demon general rode a majestic demonic beast, standing before the demon soldiers, staring at them from afar with a wild grin.
He spread his hands, raising his arms and shouting:
“The demonic path is eternal!”
The demon army behind him roared in unison:
“The Holy Demon is supreme!”
Their shouts seemed to shake the boundary itself.
The disciples’ hearts jolted, falling silent, and they left with Zhou Tuya, fleeing in defeat.
“The demonic path is eternal!”
“The Holy Demon is supreme!”
The demon general faced Yunzhou, arms outstretched, laughing as if welcoming a holy father.
“It’s chaos, absolute chaos.”
Xu Qiugui sat in the courtyard helping Yingran sort vegetables, sighing repeatedly: “The matters with Ma Chi and Old Man Tong haven’t been resolved, and now Yunzhou’s mysterious cultivators were driven into our Yiwang Continent by the demonic path a few days ago.”
“This world… I’m afraid the demonic path might really take over.”
Yingran also felt the unrest and hadn’t gone to the county town lately.
Today, Xu Qiugui brought some things to visit her, and Yingran learned of recent major events from her—
Some heavily injured cultivators from Yunzhou had arrived, reportedly elders and inner disciples of a major sect.
Twenty-five of them were now recovering in an inn arranged by the Yunshui County office.
Yingran said ruefully: “Mother, you should go out less these days too.”
Xu Qiugui sighed: “You didn’t come home for the Dragon Boat Festival. If I don’t visit you, am I supposed to wait until the Mid-Autumn Festival?”
Yingran fell silent.
Xu Qiugui sighed again.
Guan Yi, who had been chopping firewood at Xu Qiugui’s request, changed the subject: “We can’t control Yunzhou’s affairs, but they’re short on people to look after those cultivators. Yingying, want to help? The mysterious office has been sending family members to assist.”
Xu Liling came out of the house with tea, placing it on the small table between Yingran and Xu Qiugui.
Xu Qiugui called to Guan Yi: “Stop chopping, come drink some water.”
She added: “Is looking after those cultivators really such a good job?”
Xu Liling took the vegetables and basket from Yingran to sort, freeing her hands.
Yingran sat beside him, sipping water.
Guan Yi came over: “It’s great! You get one spirit stone per day. And since they’re from a major sect, they’re used to doing everything themselves. ‘Looking after them’ is basically just sitting there passing the time.”
“Erzi’s wife went for two days and got a sore throat from snacking on melon seeds.”
Yingran burst out laughing.
Xu Qiugui hurriedly said: “Then go, our Yingying should go! How many days can she work?”
Guan Yi, holding a cup in one hand and the other on his hip, leaned beside Xu Qiugui: “Hard to say. They’ve contacted their sect, and the sect said they’re sending someone to pick them up. Probably at least half a month.”
“Half a month, that’s fifteen spirit stones!”
Xu Qiugui glanced at Xu Liling.
Her son-in-law only earned five spirit stones a month.
Yingran also peeked at Xu Liling: “So, I’ll go?”
“Go if you want to.”
Xu Liling didn’t bother stopping her. “I’ll take you there tomorrow and pick you up after work.”
Guan Yi: “Oh, one downside. You have to go in the morning and can only come back at night. But don’t worry about food, Yingying. Others who want to save money bring their own flatbreads. You can eat at your parents’ place.”
Xu Qiugui clapped her hands: “That’s perfect!”
Since Yingran got married, she hadn’t seen her much. What mother wouldn’t miss her daughter?
Yingran fell silent, glancing at Xu Liling.
Xu Liling’s gaze made her feel like he was the only one who noticed her sudden hesitation.
She wanted to lean against him but held back in front of Xu Qiugui and Guan Yi.
Xu Qiugui and Guan Yi started discussing the job’s details.
Yingran was still hesitating.
Xu Liling put his arm around her, patting her shoulder, and whispered: “I’ll bring you food.”
Yingran shook her head: “It’s too far.”
Xu Liling: “Then eat at the tavern.”
Yingran: “Then what money am I earning?”
Xu Liling: “Even if you eat, it’s still money you’ve earned.”
Yingran’s lips curved up, and she nudged his shoulder with her head.
Only then did Guan Yi notice Yingran hadn’t confirmed. He asked: “Yingying, are you going or not?”
Yingran sighed: “I’m going.”
Fifteen spirit stones.
She couldn’t bear to pass up that money.
After dinner, seeing off Xu Qiugui and Guan Yi, Xu Liling asked her: “How will you eat?”
Yingran: “I’ll eat at home.”
Xu Liling said nothing, just looked at her.
Yingran buried herself in his arms, and he gently patted her back.
Her relationship with her family wasn’t that bad, but like many kids who dread their parents’ nagging, Yingran feared hearing her father lecture about the “three obediences and four virtues” at dinner.
And her mother would just stay silent during those moments.
The most awkward part was that, since her relationship with her family wasn’t that bad, she couldn’t just avoid going home to eat when her family was right there.
That would upset her mother.
But she mentally prepared herself to brush it off when the time came.
Since she was starting work tomorrow, Yingran rested early that night.
The next morning, Xu Liling took her to the inn.
Yunshui County didn’t want to lose face in front of Yunzhou people, so they booked the best inn, Yuehong Tavern.
Yingran and Xu Liling arrived early, when the tavern was still serving breakfast.
Yingran pulled Xu Liling to eat breakfast, then saw him off as he rode a flying steed to Jinshui Town.
“I’ll pick you up tonight.”
“Okay.”
Yingran nodded.
With passersby all around, she couldn’t kiss or hug him like at home, so she just held his hand, her gaze warm as she watched him leave.
On the third floor of Yuehong Tavern, a window in the top-class room was open.
Someone was also watching Xu Liling leave, their face full of disbelief.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.