Mid-Mountain Emptiness

Carrying the languid Lan Mei Feng back home, Yang JingTian noticed light filtering from Meng Lin's room and gently entered.

Meng Lin, unfazed by JingTian cradling Mei Feng, remained engrossed in her reading.

She was deeply absorbed in Mei Feng's ancestral martial arts manual. Learning that Meng Lin possessed innate energy but no martial arts knowledge, Mei Feng had entrusted her with this treasured text.

With an eidetic memory, Meng Lin was pondering over the book, her hands gracefully tracing the pages as she deciphered the unseen intricacies between the lines.

Placing Mei Feng on the bed, JingTian approached Meng Lin with tenderness, "Sweetheart, I'm back."

Setting aside her book, Meng Lin gave JingTian a playful glare, "Finally decided to return?" letting herself fall into his embrace. JingTian, holding her close and sitting by the bed, nonchalantly asked, "So, what's so captivating?"

Her face alight with excitement, Meng Lin exclaimed, "The techniques in this manual are so ingeniously composed!"

With a roguish grin, JingTian replied, "Yet, no technique is as graceful or as delightful as our Lin's own form." Without further care for preliminaries, he audaciously freed Meng Lin from her restraints and enveloped her, boldly claiming her as she gasped in surprise.

"Hey, you rascal, not so fast!"

Her enraptured expression spurring him on, JingTian took liberty with a relish, singing praises in his mind to Mo Laoye's art of dual cultivation which had invigorated his strength.

Eventually, both reached the pinnacle of joy, their union complete, Meng Lin rested contently, eyes closed in contemplation.

JingTian, ever more emboldened, embraced the fervent Mei Feng once again, recalling her passionate fervor atop the mid-mountain void. She responded with equal zeal, their spirits soaring.

The night continued, with the two confronting bliss until dawn when JingTian finally succumbed to a deep slumber.

In these days of happiness, JingTian cherished the life they led, prompting him to start construction of a beautiful abode halfway up the hill.

Ling Feng Residence.

He bestowed upon his newly built house an elegant name.

The residence, crafted of brick and timber, housed four rooms and three halls - one for each occupant. JingTian's own chamber was the largest, adorned with a grand bed he crafted himself, spacious enough to accommodate five people side by side.

Behind the house, Yang JingTian, following his own design, carved out a cave that he furnished as a cozy room, inspired by the outworldly retreat he once shared with He Zhuo Fang.

Meng Lin questioned why he would create such a cave, to which JingTian replied, "Should a cyclone ever knock down our house, this will serve as our temporary shelter."

Both Meng Lin and Lan Mei Feng couldn't help but admire JingTian's thoughtfulness and thoroughness.

Along the solitary forest pathway leading to the Mid-Mountain Emptiness, JingTian had set up a labyrinth of Qimen Dunjia spanning eighteen layers. From Plum Blossom Formations to Peach Blossom, Vine Tangle, and Stone Gate Formations, without profound knowledge of Qimen Dunjia, even the most skilled martial artists would find it impossible to penetrate.

JingTian was immensely proud of his handiwork. Intelligent and quick to understand, Meng Lin mastered the path after a try or two, while Lan Mei Feng also grasped it after seven or eight attempts. Only Meng Rui, despite much time and effort, still hadn't learned it and found herself lost and trapped several times.

Meng Lin marveled at the array JingTian had laid, remarking, "With this, we need not fear any disturbances. This is truly our secluded haven."

Lan Mei Feng appeared even more delighted than Meng Lin, finally feeling the warmth of home.

It took almost three months for JingTian to construct these abodes, caves, and mazes. Nonetheless, he lived a life of sheer comfort, toiling by day and savoring the pleasures of his unique domestic bliss by night.

What's more surprising was that both Meng Lin and Lan Mei Feng were expecting JingTian's child during this time.

Knowing he was soon to be a father, JingTian embraced the responsibilities that came with domestic life. The martial world seemed ever distant, yet contentment was closer than ever.

Every night, JingTian, Meng Lin, and Lan Mei Feng indulged in their boisterous happiness before settling down, finding joy in their private world.

Despite the joy surrounding him, only Meng Rui seemed disheartened. The facts about JingTian and the other two women were known to all, yet Meng Rui lacked the courage to express her feelings. Infuriatingly, JingTian made no move to pursue her. This left Rui feeling slighted and resentful — could it be that she wasn't attractive enough? She didn't understand.

Lan Mei Feng occasionally reminded JingTian, but he seemed to ignore her hints as if he hadn't heard.

Eventually, Meng Lin and Lan Mei Feng stopped inquiring about JingTian's peculiarities.

At sunset, JingTian, Meng Lin, Lan Mei Feng, and Meng Rui sat together in their newly finished home, sharing a meal.

Meng Lin advised Rui, "After dinner, you should really study the Qimen Dunjia. Otherwise, if you go out and can't return, it'll be quite the mess."

Suddenly annoyed, Meng Rui stood up, "If I can't come back, then I'll just live outside—who needs this place?" She stormed off, throwing her utensils down angrily and running into the house.

Meng Lin, puzzled by Meng Rui's reaction, asked JingTian, "Did I say something wrong?"

Lan Mei Feng gently said, "Lin, Rui is just being childish. She'll be fine soon. Our husband will cheer her up. Let's eat, or the food will get cold."

JingTian stood up, "I'll go check on Rui."

This time, Meng Rui didn't get lost. She ran back to her old house in the village of Haining.

As the moonlight began to fall, Meng Rui stood silently in her former room. The lunar light streamed through the window and bathed her, making her glow like an exquisitely carved statue of white jade. Her eyes, slightly swollen, brimming with a poignant sadness that evoked compassion from the onlooker. Seeing her like this made JingTian's heart ache, unable to find the words to comfort her.

The silence became pervasive, filling the space with a stark and chilling emptiness.

JingTian knew there was a barrier between himself and Meng Rui. To soothe her unease, he needed to confront and break through these barriers.

These hidden knots were akin to a thin layer between souls, always awaiting someone to brave the breach.

JingTian felt an overwhelming closeness approaching.

Approaching Meng Rui, and the beautiful dreams she held dear.