On their wedding night, Jianzheng and the Division Scholar discovered the walls were thinner than paper.

The two were both angry and amused, yet ultimately helpless, their hearts itching all night long.

The next day, Jianzheng helped his wife with her grooming and dress. Together they entered the palace to express their gratitude.

In this dream, it was Huang Rang’s first time entering the palace.

She followed Di Yiqiu, passing along the familiar palace pathways. Suddenly she recalled the previous dream, when Di Yiqiu, poisoned by the viper snake venom, had run wildly in madness right here.

Past events vivid before her eyes, she couldn’t help but tighten her grip on Di Yiqiu’s hand.

Before Yuanrong Tower.

Huang Rang looked around at this nine-tiered pagoda. After quite a while, she suddenly asked, “When was this tower built?”

Di Yiqiu said, “Many years ago, it was here before I was born.”

Huang Rang made a sound of acknowledgment. Ever since last time seeing Shi Wenyu and hearing his voice, Huang Rang had been secretly speculating many times.

—Who was he, and why could he bestow that transparent tea needle and lead her into dreams?

The two waited outside the tower. Eunuch Fu entered to announce them. Before long, he said, “Jianzheng, Division Scholar, please follow this old servant.”

Huang Rang followed Di Yiqiu, slowly entering the tower.

Inside the tower, the temperature was pleasant, and the walls were covered with various murals.

The two walked up to the ninth floor. Eunuch Fu indicated they should kneel and wait.

Huang Rang had no choice but to kneel together with Di Yiqiu outside the curtain. Through a layer of gauzy veil, she could only see incense smoke curling inside. Shi Wenyu seemed to be reciting from a scripture.

Only when his indistinct voice stopped did Eunuch Fu say, “Your Majesty, Jianzheng and the Division Scholar have come to express their gratitude.”

Shi Wenyu put away the scripture, saying, “Come in.”

Eunuch Fu lifted the gauze curtain. Di Yiqiu led Huang Rang inside, and the two bowed once more.

Shi Wenyu still wore black and white alternating Daoist robes, his long hair bound in a topknot, looking more like an immortal of the Dao sect.

“Are you settling in well at Si Tianjian?” he asked casually.

This made Huang Rang absolutely certain that the person she had seen beneath the tower was indeed him.

Di Yiqiu said, “If Your Majesty asks this subject, naturally I am accustomed. If you ask my wife, she has been working harder.”

Shi Wenyu laughed lightly, saying, “Look at that—just married and you’ve already learned to be protective.”

He acted as if nothing was amiss. Huang Rang was naturally curious—did he have memories?

“This subject is not suffering, only I dream much at night, often feeling confused, even finding it difficult to distinguish truth from falsehood.” Her words carried hidden meaning.

Di Yiqiu didn’t understand, but Shi Wenyu said, “Dreams are good. Young people all like to dream. Moreover, if they are beautiful dreams, why distinguish truth from falsehood?”

By his appearance, he truly knew.

Huang Rang’s heart grew more curious, but she dared not act rashly.

This matter was truly strange. If she revealed everything, would Di Yiqiu believe her?

If Di Yiqiu didn’t believe, how could she prove it?

Huang Rang’s mind was in chaos, but Shi Wenyu said, “Since you have expressed your gratitude, return home early.” At the end of his words, he actually added, “Go buy a residence.”

…

This emperor seemed to never leave the tower, yet knew everything.

Huang Rang followed Di Yiqiu, fleeing from the tower as if escaping.

Only when she saw the sky outside did she breathe a long sigh of relief.

Di Yiqiu asked, “You dream much at night—why did I not know this?”

Huang Rang took his arm, saying, “We’ll talk about this later. Oh, let’s go buy a residence! Just thinking about returning to the official quarters makes my face burn!”

Buy! They must buy a residence!

Jianzheng took his wife to look at residences.

The inner city had announcement pavilions with many sale notices posted.

“Our residence must have good north-south ventilation, be quiet and secluded, and also close to Si Tianjian… This location is good, but the inner city is too expensive.” Huang Rang examined each notice one by one. “That old residence I have in the outer city isn’t of much use now—I could sell it to get money.”

Suddenly, Jianzheng pointed to a notice and read, “This residence is being sold at a low price because the original owner died by jumping into a well, and the family wishes to sell.”

Huang Rang’s eyes lit up. The two looked at each other. After a while, they said in unison, “Let’s go!”

This newlywed couple traveled all the way to the western part of the city. This area was near the inner city’s moat. The moat connected to the canal transport, with cargo ships coming and going—very lively.

The two walked along the riverbank. The spring chill of the third month had not yet faded, and the willows were just turning green. The sunlight was gentle as gauze. Huang Rang practically hung her whole body on Di Yiqiu.

Lord Jianzheng held soft jade and warm fragrance in his arms, naturally filled with tender feelings.

If they could live like this for a lifetime, what was there to fear in life?

Just at this moment, suddenly there was a commotion of voices on a cargo ship in the river. Huang Rang listened carefully—the people on board were all shouting, “This is bad, the ship is sinking!”

The shouts grew louder. The two stopped and looked from the white stone railing toward the river.

Indeed, a cargo ship sat heavily in the water, its hull gradually tilting.

Nearby cargo ships, seeing this, could only say, “Quickly save people!”

The ship’s hull was half-tilted, about to flip into the river. People on the ship began jumping into the water, swimming toward the nearest cargo ships.

Only the ship’s captain and the merchant still cried out to heaven and earth, unwilling to abandon ship to save their lives.

Lord Jianzheng released Huang Rang’s hand, saying, “Wait here for me.”

Huang Rang was surprised: “You can repair ships too?”

What kind of foolish question was this? Lord Jianzheng turned to look at her. After a while, he lightly flicked her forehead.

Huang Rang watched as he climbed down the embankment. A rope looped around the mast of the sinking ship in the river.

Then Lord Jianzheng, light as a swallow, walked along the rope straight onto the sinking ship.

Huang Rang watched that flash of purple ascend to the deck. She didn’t know what he said, but the voices of the ship’s captain and merchant both quieted down.

Then he went into the ship’s cabin. People around discussed amongst themselves, still urging the merchant and ship’s captain to abandon ship and save their lives. Until someone shouted, “What are you worrying about? That person just now was Lord Jianzheng from Si Tianjian!”

With this shout, the surrounding voices suddenly stopped.

The nearby ships even all dropped anchor. Everyone came to the deck, craning their necks to look at the leaking ship.

About two quarter-hours later, the ship’s hull stopped tilting. The ship’s captain shouted loudly, “You monkey cubs, quickly board the ship! Lord Jianzheng has already repaired it for us!”

Before long, the sailors and merchant crew who had fled all swam back to the ship.

That purple figure emerged from the cabin. Standing on the deck, he suddenly made a hand seal toward the storage magical treasure at his waist, and a small boat appeared on the river. He stepped onto the small boat, riding the wind to the riverside, and beckoned to Huang Rang behind the railing.

Huang Rang jumped down from the embankment, floating and swaying, landing right in the boat.

Someone shouted, “Is that Jianzheng and Master Di Sanmeng?”

Shouts rose one after another. Di Yiqiu waved to everyone in response. All around came a roar of various shouts.

Some wished them an early birth of a noble child, others praised their deep grace and virtue.

Fortunately, Di Yiqiu’s small boat followed the current downstream, quickly avoiding the crowd.

Huang Rang hid in the cabin, and immediately saw Di Yiqiu’s official robes dripping with water.

It seemed that ship had indeed been leaking badly. She pulled Di Yiqiu in. Lord Jianzheng said, “Si Tianjian’s goods are transported frequently. I’ve been wanting to forge a treasure ship recently. Ideally, it could ride the wind above and enter water below. This boat is just a prototype.”

After speaking, he looked toward Huang Rang and asked, “What do you think?”

Huang Rang said, “I don’t understand it.”

Lord Jianzheng laughed lightly. Huang Rang added, “But I think this is very impressive.” She moved closer to Jianzheng, wringing the water from his robe hem, saying, “I think my husband is very impressive.”

Lord Jianzheng said, “My wife is too modest.” With that, he took out a magical treasure for drying clothes. Just as he was about to dry his garments, Huang Rang said, “Once I had a dream where I dreamed of sharing a bed with my husband.”

Lord Jianzheng’s hands suddenly stopped. Then he asked, “And then?”

Huang Rang said, “I couldn’t speak, nor could I move. My husband often dressed me and helped me wash. And… bathed me.”

“Such a thing happened?” Lord Jianzheng frowned, asking, “Why couldn’t you speak or move?”

Was this the point?

Huang Rang said softly, “I don’t know. But at that time, I actually always wanted to ask my husband—am I fair-skinned?”

Jianzheng set aside the clothes-drying magical treasure. Huang Rang moved closer to him, her beautiful eyes captivating. She guided Jianzheng’s hand to lightly touch her sash: “I wanted to ask my husband if my waist is slender… if my legs are long…”

Lord Jianzheng gazed fixedly at her slender, snow-white neck, his Adam’s apple moving. His voice was hoarse: “Then… I must look carefully.”

With that, he turned and closed the cabin door.

The small boat drifted with the water, rocking and floating several times.

Lord Jianzheng looked earnestly and carefully, looking over and over several times, but ultimately couldn’t give an answer.

Everything his eyes beheld was a peach blossom paradise. For a time, his spirit floated ethereally, as if merging with the water, not knowing where he was.

Huang Rang listened to the sound of water by her ears, that flowing water gurgling through her hundred years of time.

The swaying cabin in her vision, the undulating spine—like the most passionate moments of this lifetime.

“Di Yiqiu, in this dream, let’s never wake up again, all right?” Her voice was broken and lingering.

But Di Yiqiu did not answer. His breathing was heavy, sweat falling like rain—he simply couldn’t respond.

At Yuhu Xuanzong, in Luofu Hall.

Xie Lingbi sat cross-legged on the bed platform, holding a snuff bottle in his hands. From the slender bottle stem, black smoke poured out strand by strand. He absorbed it all. Behind his head, wisps of black mist slowly rose, transforming into the shape of a skull with exposed fangs, as if wanting to tear apart everything it could touch.

One skull became two, two became three, struggling in the black mist.

The black smoke in the snuff bottle gradually exhausted.

Xie Lingbi suddenly opened his eyes, and the black mist disappeared completely.

He raised the jade bottle in his hand and smashed it violently to the ground. With a bang, shattered jade scattered in all directions.

Outside the door, no disciple dared enter. He swept aside the low table on the bed with one hand.

“Truly a useless shell!” He looked down at his own body, his voice full of disgust!

On the wall, within the World-Piercing Eye, Xie Hongchen was returning from outside the mountain.

His spiritual elegance of bone and bearing lay not only in his sword momentum, but also in his every gesture. Step by step, as if treading on clear wind, his robes glowing.

Xie Lingbi reached out his hand, lightly touching him through the projected image of the World-Piercing Eye. After a long while, he murmured, “You’re still better. You’re still better. Hongchen, this master truly… loves your body to death.”

Where the World-Piercing Eye captured, Xie Hongchen walked while thinking.

—Huang Rang was married.

To the son of Shi Wenyu.

Who would have thought that in this lifetime, there would truly be a woman who would refuse him? What was she doing at this moment?

She said that in dreams, she and I had a hundred-year master-disciple bond. Could such a thing be true?

If true, it was inconceivable. If false, where did the Heart Sword come from?

His footsteps seemed to have their own consciousness, leading all the way to Luofu Hall. Before he could announce himself, a voice came from inside: “Enter.”

Xie Hongchen stepped inside, sitting facing Xie Lingbi.

Xie Lingbi asked, “The origin of that girl’s Heart Sword—how goes the investigation?”

Xie Hongchen said, “She only claims it was a strange encounter in dreams and refuses to tell the truth.”

“A strange encounter in dreams!” Xie Lingbi snorted coldly. “If she cannot account for where the techniques came from, then prosecute her for stealing the sect’s supreme methods!”

“Prosecute?” Xie Hongchen’s heart suddenly sank.

Xie Lingbi laughed coldly: “What else? Stealing teachings and techniques—does Yuhu Xuanzong not have sect rules?”

“We do.” Xie Hongchen hesitated, saying, “Those who steal teachings and techniques shall have their cultivation destroyed and spiritual roots severed. They shall never be permitted to enter the immortal gates again for all eternity.”

“Then what are you hesitating for?” Xie Lingbi said. “Why haven’t you gone quickly?!”

Xie Hongchen said, “But she is now, after all, the court’s Division Scholar. I fear Shi Wenyu…”

“Shi Wenyu!” When Xie Lingbi heard these three words, his volume increased considerably: “Absurd! When has Yuhu Xuanzong’s enforcement of sect rules ever needed to ask him?”

Xie Hongchen could only say, “Yes.”