When Chen Yi returned, it was already dark.
Sensing a sudden bit of pressure, Yu Xian took a moment to practice cultivation with Yulan, and firmly added a point to his cultivation on the status panel.
Cultivation was like this: only through bit-by-bit accumulation could there be the final outburst at the peak.
Beneath the osmanthus tree.
The branches and leaves severed by Ding Le's sword qi had already been cleared away by the servants of the Prince's Estate. Lanterns were lit in the courtyard, giving the night a hazy, aesthetic feel.
Yu Xian sat beneath the tree, his yellow-skin wine gourd already polished to a bright sheen by his hands. He poured himself a cup, the wine flowing like amber.
According to his requirements, Doctor Huang was constantly improving the brew.
For instance, using more expensive and better aged wine to steep the medicinal herbs, or adding and removing one or two ingredients, meant that almost every gourd had a slightly different flavor.
He sipped it slowly, all by himself.
He had already sent Yulan off to meditate and practice, trying to sense spiritual qi.
No matter how resolute Yulan had sounded in front of him at the time, after more than a month of continuous bitter cultivation with not the slightest bit of feedback, her resolve had inevitably started to slacken, making her feel that she was so useless and destined to be a maid all her life.
When faced with this kind of situation, some external force had to intervene to give her the drive to keep trying.
As Chen Yi walked in, she caught sight of that somewhat lonely figure under the tree, drinking by himself, and a ripple stirred in her heart.
This man was like a fog, harboring stories beyond the reach of ordinary people, making one unable to help wanting to probe deeper.
A trace of curiosity appeared in her eyes, but it was quickly suppressed.
She knew very well what she wanted.
Now that the chance to become an Immortal Cultivator was right before her, she no longer needed to vie with Yulan for favor or treat herself as a man's appendage.
Although this man had possessed her and given her the pleasure of a woman, she would never stay put because of this.
To gain power, to gain freedom.
Thinking of the Immortal Cultivation World that Chen Xiao had told her about, that was where she truly belonged; everything right now was just pretense.
That's right, exactly.
Chen Yi forcefully suppressed the stirring in her heart and walked toward Yu Xian.
"Did you find out?"
Yu Xian handed the wine glass to Chen Yi. This Ding Le had appeared out of nowhere, and there had to be a reason behind it, so he had no choice but to use Chen Yi to investigate.
She was Prince Fu's person; the Prince's Estate's intelligence network was there to be used.
Chen Yi didn't mind that this was the cup Yu Xian had just drunk from, and downed it in one gulp. A warmth rose from her stomach, quickly chasing away the chill of the night.
"His name is Ding Le, the Second Elder of the Changle Sword Sect. He shares the same master as the previous Second Consort of the Prince's Estate, and this time he entered the Prince's Estate to take his junior brother's place. The Changle Sword Sect is the top martial arts sect in this commandery, originally boasting three Grandmasters, though now there are only two. In addition, I heard that the Changle Sword Sect was originally unwilling to send anyone here because the compensation and the matter regarding the Second Consort's death had not been settled with the Prince's Estate. But for some reason, they suddenly agreed again. This time, Ding Le coming to find you was not at the Prince's instigation; he probably just wanted to use you to establish his prestige. Furthermore, per your instructions, I revealed that you broke through to the Xiantian Mid-stage. The Prince was very surprised, and his reward will be issued tomorrow, while your monthly stipend will also be raised to five hundred taels a month."
"Every abnormal event hides a demon. Can you find out why he agreed?"
Yu Xian instinctively felt that something was amiss.
However, his social circle was too narrow, and he holed up in a bed of luxury all day, so the information he could get was far too little.
Yet he was unwilling to expend the effort to manage networks.
After all, he had come here to retire and enjoy himself. If he went back to petty scheming and plots, wouldn't he have come to the Mortal Realm in vain?
Fortunately, power was the true essence of this world.
As long as he broke through to the Qi Condensation Late-stage, he believed he would be able to handle even slight accidents with ease.
It was time to look for a substitute for a Dharmic Instrument.
Yu Xian pondered silently.
"I can try. The Prince is also investigating this matter, but he might not necessarily tell me."
Chen Yi's expression was blank, even somewhat stern, just as she was when facing Prince Fu.
Ever since that day boating on the river, Chen Yi knew there were flaws in her identity, but since Yu Xian didn't bring it up, they maintained a tacit understanding.
"If you can't find out, it doesn't matter." Yu Xian grasped the cool little hand on the table, his expression gentle. "You've worked hard."
Chen Yi's body stiffened, and she wanted to pull her hand back.
But after trying, she found she couldn't pull it back at all, and could only let someone toy with her small hand.
"I haven't worked hard."
Compared to the days when she used to undergo training, her current life could be considered heaven.
During her cultivation, she had sometimes thought that if Yu Xian hadn't agreed to let her cultivate that day, she probably would have been very content with this kind of life.
But there were no ifs.
"Hey, don't always keep such a tight face. Smile. Frowning all the time makes it easy to get wrinkles, and that doesn't look good."
Yu Xian stood up, his gaze locking with Chen Yi's as his fingers brushed across her brow, as if wiping away her melancholy.
Even though Chen Yi knew the man in front of her was just acting, and his tenderness was no more genuine than her own, her heart still couldn't help fluttering.
She closed her eyes, not daring to look into Yu Xian's eyes, but her heartbeat accelerated.
"If you like how I used to look, I can change back."
"What I want isn't your fake gentleness, but to see you genuinely happy. Just like the day you sensed spiritual qi—your smile was so beautiful, it almost made my heart skip a beat. I thought we at least had some genuine feelings between us."
Chen Yi felt as though Yu Xian's low, deep voice was like a cat's claws, gently scratching at her heart and making her whole body tremble.
It was precisely because she was aware of the gap between them that she was unable to resist this tenderness.
It was like an ordinary boy hearing his goddess say she liked guys who were good at cooking.
So he practiced cooking bitterly for his goddess, spent two months' salary, and personally prepared a five-star luxury meal to get ready to confess.
Yet the goddess only took a tiny bite, politely said thank you, and gave him no chance at all.
Yet that same woman, when faced with charred, scrambled eggs personally cooked by a billionaire boss, would cry with emotion, saying it was the best scrambled eggs she had ever eaten in her life.
Was the scrambled egg what mattered?
No, it was status.
She would think: If he is willing to cook scrambled eggs for me with his own hands, does he really care about me just a tiny bit?
Chen Yi was the same.
Was his willingness to act gentle in front of her a sign that he was truly moved by her, even if just a little bit?
After all, she belonged to him heart and body now; there was really nothing left for her to plot for.
Chen Yi wavered.
She opened her eyes and saw those gentle eyes, as deep as the night, practically about to hook her soul away.
She pressed herself tightly against him.
Twelve seconds later.
Chen Yi resolutely pushed Yu Xian away, wiped her mouth, and said with a tough front:
"That was nothing much!"
She stumbled as she ran toward her room.
Yu Xian licked his bitten lip, shook his head, and laughed in spite of himself.
"If you're swayed this easily, how are you going to survive in the Immortal Cultivation World later?"
He gave chase, finding that the door to the room conveniently wasn't locked, and strolled right in.
Before long, Chen Yi's embarrassed and suppressed voice came from inside the room.
"What do you want to do?"
"Want to."
"I didn't mean that, don't come over."
"Oh, then I suppose I'll go find Yulan."
"Don't... If you're going to do it, just do it already, I'm used to it anyway..."
"Huh? It feels a bit bigger than before..."
...
On the second floor.
Yulan had sat in meditation for half a day, yet she couldn't quiet her mind no matter what. She irritably opened her eyes, looked at the manual of the Longevity Technique in her hands that was nearly worn out from flipping, and felt extremely distressed.
Why couldn't she find a shortcut?
She wasn't greedy; as long as she could cross the threshold into entry-level cultivation, she would be able to marry the Young Master then.
Suddenly, Yulan's ears twitched as she heard creaking sounds drifting from downstairs, accompanied by tightly suppressed, low moans.
Her face flushed red, and she quickly understood what was going on.
Then her state of mind became even more chaotic.
What if the Young Master had also promised Sister Xiaoyi that he would marry her once she successfully entered the path of cultivation? Then wouldn't she, who had arrived first, not even get to be a concubine?
No, absolutely not!
Yulan abruptly closed her eyes, holding her breath. Under the tight, high-pressure tension, her consciousness suddenly emptied, her mind seeming to focus onto a single point as all sounds and distracting thoughts vanished bit by bit.
Driven by a certain special sense of rivalry, for the first time since she began practicing cultivation, Yulan fell into a state of deep meditation.