chapter 38

"Are you coming over or not? Do you want to sleep?"

When Madam Pei heard these words, she sneered coldly in her heart. "What wife are you talking about? You've been married to Yue Zhiheng for two months already. What's the point of bringing her back now?"

But she also knew Pei Yujing's temper, so she didn't dare speak such words aloud, for fear that Pei Yujing would truly turn his heart away from her.

Penglai's venerable master sighed and advised, "Yujing, even if you want to save someone, you must plan carefully. You're going alone—if anything happens to you, wouldn't that ruin the hopes of the entire immortal sect?"

Pei Yujing found this both desolate and laughable.

"Master, you overestimate things. If I can't even protect my own fiancée, how could I protect the world's people?"

Madam Pei saw that he even contradicted his most respected master and couldn't help but curse Zhan Yunwei in her heart as a little demoness. Her son had been cultivating the ruthless sword style perfectly, but ever since meeting Zhan Yunwei, he had been completely enchanted.

Zhan Shujing had been rescued and had recovered from his injuries after a long period. After being surrounded by the remaining scoundrels of Penglai, he was utterly disgusted. Today, he finally heard something sensible from Pei Yujing.

The fall of the immortal sect was not without reason. Penglai, despite being the strongest, had its young disciples like Pei Yujing still full of blood and spirit. However, the elders making the decisions were cowardly and indecisive, making people sick.

Even small sects weren't like this. Talent was abundant in the world, and many immortal sect practitioners were unafraid of death.

During the great battle, even the disciples who were cleaning in Changya Mountain had fought to the end without retreating a single step.

Zhan Shujing had longed to leave, but his injuries were too severe, and the master of Changya Mountain had gone missing without a trace. The vast world was beyond his reach, and he didn't know where to go. The third reason was that he was waiting for Pei Yujing's attitude.

Zhan Shujing knew he couldn't bring Zhan Yunwei back alone. That dog thief, Yue Zhiheng, was hateful—his Ninefold Spiritual Veins were powerful and tough, and he was ruthless in his methods. In addition to Zhan Yunwei, many other spirit masters from the immortal sect were imprisoned by the dynasty. They all needed to be rescued.

To save so many people, they would have to mobilize everything. Zhan Shujing could not command the sect's army. He could only see Pei Yujing's attitude. He had already decided that if Pei Yujing hesitated like the rest of the old men from Penglai, he would go rescue them alone on the Qixi Festival.

Even if he couldn't save anyone else, he would bring Zhan Yunwei back!

As a man, he knew exactly what was going on—he didn't believe that the dog thief was any kind of noble gentleman.

Now that he understood Pei Yujing's stance, Zhan Shujing spoke up, "I'll go with you. I've already sent a letter to the dynasty."

Pei Yujing nodded.

Some of Penglai's younger disciples couldn't hold back anymore: "Senior Brother, we'll go with you to rescue them."

The disciples who had recovered from their injuries also said, "Pei Senior Brother, count us in. Miss Zhan saved our lives, and we're willing to sacrifice ours in return."

Even the five-year-old disciple, Bie Youyang, said, "I want to go rescue Senior Sister Zhan."

Pei Yujing patted his head and said, "This is the way an immortal sect disciple should act. Senior Brother will bring them all back."

Although he didn't explicitly say it, the implication made the elders of Penglai feel embarrassed.

Pei Yujing had always been polite and respectful, growing up under the elders' eyes. This was the first time he had spoken in such a manner. It was evident that he had lost patience and had deep disappointment and anger toward these elders.

Perhaps understanding his resolve, Penglai's venerable master did not stop him this time.

From that day on, the immortal sect began to plan.

Responses started coming in for the letters sent to the dynasty.

Compared to sending a rabbit into the Che Tian Mansion, other places seemed much easier. What left Zhan Shujing speechless was that some spirit masters simply refused to leave.

The young spirit master who had been imprisoned with Zhan Yunwei said, "My wife treats me very well. Leaving wouldn't help the immortal sect. You all should go save the others."

Another stammered, "Maybe I should stay and be a spy for the sect?"

Zhan Shujing sneered. A spy? One gust of wind could blow him over, a knife to his neck would make him cry. Did he not know his own weight?

What worried him was that he had still not received a reply from Zhan Yunwei.

He didn't dare send another letter to Yue's mansion; after all, the Che Tian Mansion's guards were no fools.

Fortunately, that afternoon, the wind chimes of Yulou Xiaozhu rang clearly. The rabbit, whose injury had gotten better, finally brought back some news.

A small circle was drawn on its body with grass juice.

Zhan Shujing breathed a sigh of relief.

He unfolded the map of the dynasty and analyzed, "Rescuing them rashly or confronting them head-on is not a good idea. There are too many spirit masters. If something unexpected happens, we could easily be blackmailed. What do you think?"

Pei Yujing stared at the rabbit. His face was still pale, but his expression had calmed.

"I have a plan."

Zhan Shujing looked at him. Pei Yujing said, "We'll use their tactics against them."

On the third day of the seventh month, Zhan Yunwei and the mute girl healed the rabbit and released it back into the wild.

Had it been Zhan Yunwei who had set it free, the rabbit would not have left the back mountain of Yue's mansion, but fortunately, the Che Tian Mansion's guards weren't keeping an eye on the mute girl.

Zhan Yunwei tried not to let any unusual expression show on her face as she prepared for the upcoming Qixi Festival and Zhongyuan Festival rituals in the mansion.

Recently, the second madam had been active, frequently working on making jade plaques. Perhaps the approaching Qixi Festival reminded her that the marriage of her son and daughter still hadn't been arranged. She began to arrange marriages for the two younger members of the Yue family, carefully reviewing every proposal.

After much deliberation, she selected candidates based on their character, family background, and preferably, someone with no ties to the immortal sect or the dynasty.

The mansion suddenly became bustling with activity.

Yue Wujiao had only been back for a few days when he, accompanied by Yue Huaiyue, visited in person to apologize again. Yue Huaiyue hid timidly behind her elder brother, carefully stealing glances at Zhan Yunwei.

With some effort, Yue Wujiao mustered up his courage and said, "Sister-in-law, my mother instructed me to invite you and my elder brother to a banquet in our courtyard in a few days. It's to express our gratitude for saving my life. Also... regarding the matter with the formation earlier—it was my fault. I don't know how to make amends, but from now on, if you ever need anything, I, Wujiao, will follow your orders without hesitation."

Hearing herself being called "sister-in-law" again, Zhan Yunwei felt an odd discomfort. Why did everyone love calling her that? Bie Youyang did it, and now Yue Wujiao as well.

By now, she no longer held a grudge against Yue Wujiao. After all, he had cleaned chamber pots as punishment and nearly lost his life defending those poor girls. Zhan Yunwei replied, "When Lord Yue returns in a few days, I will relay your message to him."

However, a few days passed, and Yue Zhiheng still had not returned. Cicadas broke through their shells, climbing onto tree trunks, and the summer heat grew ever more intense.

Though it was only July, the moon had already begun to take on a fuller shape.

There had been no rain recently, yet Shihu often seemed distracted, her face occasionally flushing. A young steward in the household had been diligently courting her. Back when Shihu's family had fallen on hard times, this steward frequently helped her. Now, with her monthly wages sufficient to support her family, Shihu's once guarded heart was beginning to soften.

Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction, with life proceeding peacefully and uneventfully.

Just when Zhan Yunwei thought things would remain this way until her planned escape during the Qixi Festival, Yue Zhiheng returned unexpectedly on the evening of the fifth.

These past few days, Zhan Yunwei had been enjoying a leisurely existence, her spirits high as she anticipated leaving Yue Mansion to reunite with her father.

After her bath, she realized she had left her clothes in the outer room. Assuming Shihu had returned with the pastries she'd prepared earlier, Zhan Yunwei called out, "I accidentally left my clothes outside. Could you bring them to me?"

Yue Zhiheng, who had just entered and was removing his traveling cloak, had intended to settle a score with Zhan Yunwei. While he had narrowly survived the trials of the Kaiyang Secret Realm, Zhan Yunwei had been busy back at the mansion. Not only had she been prying information from the mute maid, but she had also ventured into the forbidden ancestral armory and even boldly declared her intent to forge weapons in the Quenching Pavilion.

Did Zhan Yunwei think she could reach the heavens?

Not only was she unafraid of him now, but she was also blatantly overstepping her bounds.

Yet, before he could address any of these issues, he walked in on her bathing.

Unaware of the situation, Zhan Yunwei assumed it was Shihu and urged again, "Hurry, the water's getting cold."

Yue Zhiheng set his cloak aside. Shihu was nowhere to be found. After a moment of silence, he stepped into the outer room. As expected, a neatly folded set of sleepwear lay on a screen, along with a delicate orchid-colored undergarment.

His gaze lingered on the undergarment for a brief moment. Almost as if he could feel its soft texture between his fingers, he picked it up, walked past the screen, and handed it to her.

Zhan Yunwei was just about to thank Shihu when she noticed the sleeve extending toward her was not the pale green of Shihu's clothing but the tightly cinched black uniform of Yue Zhiheng.

Her orchid-colored undergarment was held calmly with her other clothes in his hand.

After living in comfort for so long, the sudden shock made her throat tighten as she suppressed a startled cry.

"Lord Yue?"

"Hmm."

Zhan Yunwei quickly grabbed the clothes from his hands, explaining, "I thought it was Shihu." Had she known it was Yue Zhiheng, she would have braved the cold rather than let this happen.

"I figured," he replied.

Through the screen, he glimpsed a slender arm, pale as snow, reaching out to take the garments. The faint scent of flowers lingered in the air.

Yue Zhiheng averted his gaze and stepped outside. Dust-covered and travel-worn from his return to the dynasty, he had yet to clean up. He grabbed a change of clothes and headed to the estate's cold spring to bathe, leaving Zhan Yunwei to dress in peace.

The cold spring, icy year-round, provided welcome relief in the summer heat. Though the waters were chilly, they weren't unbearable.

Under the nearly full moon, Yue Zhiheng's artifact spirit, still outside his sea of consciousness, frolicked in the spring. Having accompanied him through the Kaiyang Secret Realm, it had grown considerably stronger.

He didn't hold back, feeding it whatever resources were beneficial. Although the artifact spirit's intelligence hadn't improved, its cultivation had progressed significantly.

The spirit swam a lap around the spring before sniffing Yue Zhiheng's aura with some confusion.

How peculiar, it thought. His aura was entirely different when he was with Zhan Yunwei compared to others, such as Miss Qu.

Yue Zhiheng opened his eyes, his expression indifferent, and tucked the spirit back into his sea of consciousness.

When he returned, Zhan Yunwei had already dressed and was seated at her desk, reviewing plans she had meticulously organized over the past few days.

Noticing his entrance, she cleared her throat. "Lord Yue, would you review these arrangements for the Zhongyuan Festival? Do they seem suitable?"

The Yue family had produced many valiant heroes in its history. Regardless of her feelings toward Yue Zhiheng, Zhan Yunwei took care to honor these ancestors by preparing thoroughly for the festival.

Yue Zhiheng sat beside her, his gaze sweeping over the documents. While he wasn't particularly knowledgeable about such matters, he could tell that Zhan Yunwei had put her heart into the preparations.

He could sense that the Yue household was improving, even noticing a newfound cheerfulness among the servants. While they still feared him, there was now a measure of respect in their demeanor—though Yue Zhiheng neither needed nor cared for it.

Though there was still some time before the Zhongyuan Festival, Zhan Yunwei had brought it up early to avoid awkward silences. After all, playing chess with Yue Zhiheng all night again was hardly an option.

Zhan Yunwei, seeing that Yue Zhiheng had no objections, relayed the second household's invitation. "Second Madam has also invited Sister Qingluo. She's willing to go. Are you going too, Lord Yue?"

Yue Zhiheng noticed her attempt to fill the silence and followed her lead, replying, "If I have a day off, I might go take a look."

Zhan Yunwei didn't realize that if he and his sister really went, it would be the first time they shared a meal with the rest of the Yue family.

He didn't consider these people his family, finding the notion absurd. But the mute girl cared.

Even though she had never expressed it, Yue Zhiheng knew that deep down, she still held onto hope for familial connections.

Her heart might have been riddled with scars, yet what leaked out was nothing but kindness.

But Yue Zhiheng would never mock the mute girl. In countless bitter winters when he thought he wouldn't survive, it was she who wrapped every scrap of their tattered clothing around him to keep him alive.

If the mute girl wanted to go, Yue Zhiheng wouldn't disappoint her.

"Lord Yue, have you been tainted by malevolent energy?"

Yue Zhiheng raised his eyes to her. He knew Zhan Yunwei was a skilled spiritual master, but he hadn't expected her to have such sharp perception.

By all logic, a spiritual master whose powers were sealed shouldn't be able to sense malevolent energy at all.

He didn't deny it. "I spent a few days in the Kaiyang Realm."

"…The Kaiyang Realm connected to Dujie City?" The one said to be inescapable, with dismemberment and death common, not to mention the suppression of the realm by powerful beasts?

"Mm." Yue Zhiheng explained, "The Fang family needed materials to repair the Dujie City barrier. The only place to obtain them was in the Kaiyang Realm."

He had to go, both for public duty and personal reasons.

"Did Master Fang accompany you?"

Yue Zhiheng hesitated, recalling Fang Huai's near-death state when they returned. Had his fiancée not supported him and swiftly removed the malevolent energy, Fang Huai wouldn't still be himself but would have turned into a wraith.

Given Fang Huai's talent, he wouldn't even transform into a full-fledged wraith king.

A thought occurred to Zhan Yunwei. "Lord Yue, do you need me to purge the malevolent energy? I can…"

Yue Zhiheng glanced at her with faint amusement. "Do you want me to unlock your Confinement Bracelet?"

Zhan Yunwei nodded with measured restraint.

Yue Zhiheng said, "I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. My constitution is unique; malevolent energy doesn't linger. By tomorrow, after a night's rest, it will dissipate."

Disappointment flickered across Zhan Yunwei's face as she wondered about Yue Zhiheng's unusual constitution. Ice Lotus Blood, immune to malevolent energy—he might as well have the divine body of the righteous path!

No wonder Yue Zhiheng disliked spiritual masters. He truly didn't need a spiritual master partner to remove malevolent energy.

Wait a moment.

A realization dawned on Zhan Yunwei. "If you're not affected by malevolent energy, then in the dark river earlier… you did it on purpose?"

Yue Zhiheng met her chestnut-colored eyes. "There's no need to look at me like that. Since I'm telling you this, I'm not planning to deny it. Miss Zhan, perhaps you have many people you trust in this world, but I don't. If I had the same heart as you, forget escaping Dujie City—I wouldn't have made it out of the underground palace alive. Besides, apart from my sister, who do you think would truly care for me?"

It should have been her accusing him, yet faced with his dark, ink-like gaze, Zhan Yunwei found herself speechless.

He seemed to be waiting for her to refute him.

"..." Zhan Yunwei steadied herself and suggested, "How about another game of chess, Lord Yue?"

He let out a soft laugh. "Another time. I'm tired."

With that, he moved toward the bed.

Zhan Yunwei watched him in silence. Yue Zhiheng said, "Stop staring, Miss Zhan. Immortal Jade is beneficial, and I need to recover. Are you staying or not? Are you going to sleep?"