chapter 78

If you want to, you can.

In the depths of the sea, where there was no distinction between day and night, Zhan Yunwei only withdrew her spiritual power after seeing that the spirit stones within the barrier had been completely absorbed.

At first, she wasn't accustomed to controlling such a large number of Yin Soldiers, inevitably leading to some oversight. At a glance, there were always a few "slacking off," standing motionless.

But once she became proficient, none of them could escape her control—all had to sit obediently and cultivate.

Qu Lanyue had spent nearly ten years nurturing the Yin Soldiers, but this was the first time she had seen spirit stones prepared for three months get completely absorbed in a single day.

At this rate, they wouldn't even need to wait another two years—by early summer this year, they could already attempt to expose the Spirit Emperor's conspiracy and catch him off guard before he broke through the twelfth spiritual vein.

Once Zhan Yunwei stopped, the Yin Soldiers immediately grew restless, their agitation causing them to ram against the barrier. This was Yue Zhiheng's cue to take action.

Qu Lanyue signaled for Zhan Yunwei to step back and stand in the direction of the countercurrent.

Zhan Yunwei finally witnessed firsthand how Yue Zhiheng suppressed the Yin Soldiers. He activated the power of the lotus patterns within his body and stood before the sacrificial platform. The sea surged silently around him as he used the water and the barrier to channel the binding force of the lotus patterns into the Yin Soldiers over and over again.

Lotus marks flashed in the eyes of the Yin Soldiers before quickly fading, their restlessness gradually subsiding.

Once they were fully subdued, figures wielding long halberds emerged from the array of guardian artifacts scattered around.

To Zhan Yunwei's surprise, they were all Artifact Souls.

Qu Lanyue cast them a complicated glance before explaining, "They are the elders of the Yue family."

Among them, the tallest one was even the junior martial brother of Old Master Yue.

Over twenty years had passed. The plan to nurture the Yin Soldiers had not gone smoothly at first, and more than half of the Yue family's most skilled artifact forgers had perished here.

Yet, before they died, they had all chosen—without exception—to leave behind their Artifact Souls, using their very existence to guard the seabed.

They were the most reliable allies, but their presence carried an undeniable sorrow.

No wonder Old Master Yue had insisted on Yue Wujiao merging with the Ice Lotus back then. The Yue family had already sacrificed too much. Compared to the fate of the world, personal desires were insignificant.

Some, like General Qu, remained steadfast in guarding the barrier to protect the common people. Some cultivators from the immortal sects charged into Du'e City, determined to rescue the Spirit Masters. And some, like these elders, stayed behind in silence beneath the sea.

Each person fought against the palace-dwelling fiend in their own way.

Zhan Yunwei gazed at them with deep respect, her thoughts lingering for a long time. Now she finally understood why, despite knowing they were marching toward death, not a single member of the Yue family had fled in her past life.

This was their answer—to face death without regret.

However, the solemn atmosphere did not last long.

The stern-faced Artifact Souls suddenly floated in front of her.

They began murmuring amongst themselves, chattering non-stop. Thanks to Chu Qi, Zhan Yunwei could vaguely understand what they were saying.

"Oh! A girl we've never seen before—alive!"

"Lanyue mentioned before that Ah Heng was married. Could this be his Dao companion?"

"She was brought here, so I think so. I can sense it—she carries Ah Heng's aura. No mistake, no mistake!"

"Last time, you all bet on when she would dump Ah Heng. But judging from this, she hasn't abandoned him!"

"How rare! How rare! This little girl is quite bold—she dares to be with anyone!"

Zhan Yunwei: "…"

Yue Zhiheng: "…" He cast a dark look at Qu Lanyue.

Qu Lanyue hadn't expected these chatty Artifact Soul elders to be so loose-lipped. Life beneath the sea was long and dull, and every time Yue Zhiheng came to suppress the Yin Soldiers, she had nothing to do, so she often passed the time by gossiping with these elders, who were destined to eventually fade away.

She had never expected that one day, Zhan Yunwei would actually appear here.

Only when Yue Zhiheng walked over did the Artifact Souls finally restrain themselves, returning to their original positions. They clearly had some fear of him—judging by their interactions over the years, they had probably suffered at his hands more than once.

Zhan Yunwei's initial solemnity faded, replaced by a feeling of exasperated amusement. These Artifact Souls… their demeanor was entirely different from what she had imagined. They were like a bunch of gossiping Chu Qi clones.

Perhaps only with such personalities could they endure the endless solitude of the seabed.

In the days that followed, since she would be using the Spirit Control Technique, she would inevitably spend more time with these Artifact Soul elders.

Despite this little interlude, everyone's mood on the return journey was much lighter. The fact that the Yin Soldiers could cultivate faster was undeniably good news.

The use of such a grand formation had greatly drained Qu Lanyue. After some discussion, the three decided that Zhan Yunwei would come to the seabed once every half month to control the Yin Soldiers' cultivation—a frequency that also marked the limit of Qu Lanyue's endurance.

This matter could not be hidden from Old Master Yue. Upon learning about it, he took it seriously and even personally inspected the artifacts that could be used.

Overall, everything was improving.

Except for one thing—

As the weather warmed, Miss Zhan still had not brought up moving back to the main residence. The flowers in the courtyard had already bloomed, yet she remained in the side chambers.

Yue Zhiheng said nothing about it. However, when overseeing the inspection of the residence's formations, he quietly gave some instructions.

As per tradition, every spring, the Yue household would have formation masters come to check and maintain the residence's protective barriers.

Whether in immortal sects or royal courts, formations were essential to guard against intruders and assassins.

The immortal mountains had grand sect-protecting arrays, and mansions like the Yue residence often had their own protective barriers.

In previous years, this task had always been handled by the Steeling Pavilion's steward, and today was no exception.

After the inspection, the steward reported to Yue Zhiheng, "Master, all formations in the residence have been checked—there are no issues."

Yue Zhiheng, who was drafting formation diagrams, paused slightly. "Did you check the side chambers?"

The steward did not understand why he asked this. Naturally, the inspections were thorough, but he still answered, "Yes."

"Check again."

The steward was puzzled, but since Yue Zhiheng had given the order, there had to be a reason. So, he readily complied, saying, "Actually… there might be some issues. I will have the formation masters adjust the side chamber's formation today."

Yue Zhiheng lowered his gaze, his eyes still fixed on the paper, not deviating in the slightest. "Mm."

The direct consequence of this was that when Zhan Yunwei returned from an evening stroll with Shihu, she was informed that her room in the side courtyard was temporarily uninhabitable.

The steward apologized, "The repairs on the formation will take some time. Young Madam, perhaps you could consider…"

Zhan Yunwei was momentarily stunned. How coincidental—out of the entire estate, only her courtyard had an issue?

Suspicion flickered in her heart.

The steward added, "It's not just your courtyard. Many of the estate's formations haven't been updated in years. We've been too busy until now, and since things have quieted down, it's a good opportunity to make some repairs. The miasma in the Spirit Domain is growing stronger, so precautions are necessary."

The explanation seemed reasonable enough, and Zhan Yunwei thought she might be overthinking things.

But if she couldn't stay in the side courtyard, where else could she stay?

She couldn't help but glance at Yue Zhiheng's residence.

At this hour, not only was Master Yue's door left open, but the lights were also on—an unspoken invitation if ever there was one.

Shihu, being simple-minded, saw nothing unusual about this and promptly said, "I'll go pack your things, Young Madam. Why don't you move back there for now?"

Zhan Yunwei was well aware of what moving back would imply. She still had a heart jade tucked in her sleeve, something necessary for marking a Dao partner's bond.

She had promised Master Yue, and she hadn't forgotten.

Tonight was a perfect opportunity. But if she simply moved back like this… would it be too obvious? Last time, Master Yue had even said they wouldn't try again. It would make her seem… well, a certain way. And the timing of the formation repairs was simply too coincidental, making her wary.

She mulled over it for a while as Shihu packed her clothes. Finally, she stepped forward and knocked on Yue Zhiheng's door.

He was studying blueprints when he heard her approaching footsteps and lifted his gaze.

For some reason, perhaps due to the dim light of the pearl lamps, Zhan Yunwei felt that his expression was carefully restrained.

He seemed puzzled by her appearance at this hour.

Zhan Yunwei sighed helplessly. "The steward said my room is being repaired, so I can't stay there tonight."

Yue Zhiheng set his blueprint aside. "So you…"

"I just wanted to let you know," Zhan Yunwei said calmly. "I'll go stay with Yue Huaile."

She finished speaking and turned to leave.

But before she could step outside, the door behind her suddenly shut with a decisive click, and Yue Zhiheng's shadow loomed over her.

His voice was even as he looked down at her. "She's already asleep."

She knew perfectly well he was making things up. How could he possibly know whether Yue Huaile was asleep or not?

But in the next moment, his hand wrapped around hers. He said nothing, but his actions were more than honest.

"Miss Zhan, I don't bite. You've been calling my grandfather 'Grandfather' so naturally these past days—surely, staying in the side courtyard forever doesn't make sense."

Zhan Yunwei said, "The healer said you need to rest and recover."

"I've long since recovered." He pulled her toward the bed. "What are you afraid of? At worst, we do nothing—just like last time."

Yue Zhiheng prided himself on never doing anything to frighten her. The first time, under the influence of the Crimson Butterfly, she hadn't seemed to be in pain.

The second time, though it had ended unsatisfactorily, her reaction hadn't been one of dislike either.

So why was she always hesitant when it came to sharing a room with him?

If not for his extensive reading, Yue Zhiheng might have started questioning if there was something inherently wrong with him.

He had spoken plainly, even reassured her that they could sleep separately, yet Zhan Yunwei remained silent for a long while before finally murmuring, "It's not that… It's because…"

Yue Zhiheng met her gaze, prepared to hear any excuse she might have.

"My medicine is gone."

It took Yue Zhiheng a moment to understand what she meant.

The contraceptive medicine given by the healer—she had lost it.

Zhan Yunwei thought to herself, At this hour, I can't exactly go searching for such medicine. Even if I had it prepared, refining it would take time.

Yue Zhiheng was silent for a long moment. He hadn't expected this to be the issue.

This…

He glanced at her, then paused. "Wait here."

Moments later, he retrieved a small bottle from a cabinet and handed it to her.

This time, it was Zhan Yunwei who was at a loss for words. "When did you prepare this?"

He hesitated. "Do you really have to ask?"

Zhan Yunwei quickly figured it out and slowly shook her head. She had learned her lesson—some things were better left unknown.

But really, there was only one possible explanation.

Sometime before last year's Qixi Festival, Yue Zhiheng had already considered a lifelong commitment with her.

Even if he only needed one pill per month, he had still prepared far more than necessary.

At the time, he hadn't been driven by mere desire. Under the influence of the Crimson Butterfly, he had simply wanted her to live.

The bottle in her palm was warm, almost burning.

With the issue of the medicine resolved, Yue Zhiheng's words could not be taken back.

No matter what, she was home now. Without her, Fenhe County had felt cold and empty at night.

As Yue Zhiheng prepared to set up his bedding on the floor as usual, his hand was gently tugged.

He turned to see Zhan Yunwei, who had clearly made up her mind.

"If you want to," she said softly, "you can."

He knew exactly what she meant.

And when he was sure that Miss Zhan had no intention of taking back her words, his steps halted.

This was, after all, his Dao partner.

For countless nights, he had longed for her so deeply it had seeped into his bones.

And this time, she had agreed of her own accord.

The lights went out.

In the darkness, she was both emotional and a little nervous. She whispered hesitantly, "Don't do what you did last time."

He chuckled. "Alright."

After a long pause, he leaned in close and murmured by her ear, "Was it really that uncomfortable?"

"No," she bit her lip. "It's just… too strange."

It would probably take her a long time to get used to some of his rather bold actions.

As his kisses slowly trailed down, Zhan Yunwei murmured, "If you're still unwell, stop immediately."

After all, the sight of his wound reopening last time had left her deeply shaken.

Seeing her overthinking things and coming up with all sorts of strange concerns, Yue Zhiheng finally lost his patience and silenced her with a kiss.

"Miss Zhan, if you keep preparing yourself like this, the sun will be up before we even start. I promise—nothing will happen this time."

She hesitated before finally saying, "O-okay then."

The covers muffled the sound of their movements, and soon enough, Zhan Yunwei found herself too preoccupied to remember her earlier worries.

She barely had a moment to catch her breath, and when she finally opened her eyes, the moonlight outside was still swaying gently—a night of indulgence.

It wasn't until the latter half of the night that she realized just how petty men could be. If she hadn't made that remark, it might have been fine. But since she did, Yue Zhiheng made sure to settle all his previous debts in full.

The warmth of the night air outside was nothing compared to the spring-like tenderness within the room.