He closed his eyes, calming his inner turmoil.

Trying to fall asleep sooner.

However, the moment he closed his eyes, everything around him became exceptionally clear.

He could distinctly hear Li Xiuji’s breathing, the cicadas chirping, and from next door… Jiang Zhaoxue’s breathing.

He tossed and turned on the bed, feeling somewhat unreal about everything.

Not knowing how long he endured this torment, he opened his eyes to stare at the pitch-black ceiling, inexplicably beginning to feel dazed.

Had Jiang Zhaoxue really returned?

Was he dreaming?

When this thought flashed through his mind, the panic of being left alone in the flow of time, endlessly waiting and searching, surged up again.

The composure he had feigned in front of Jiang Zhaoxue shattered in an instant, as if he had returned to every single night of these past four years.

In the first year after she left, he often had dreams—dreams that Jiang Zhaoxue had returned. Yet when he stumbled and rushed out of his room, he would discover he was still alone.

After that, he became afraid to sleep.

Waking from a dream, gaining and losing again, was far crueler than staying awake all along.

Fortunately, cultivators didn’t necessarily need to sleep. Although sleep was beneficial for nurturing the spirit, he was afraid of dreaming. So for these four years, most of the time when he was tired, he would find a place to sit and enter meditation. Sometimes when injured and unable to endure, he would unconsciously fall asleep, but he would always jolt awake at the first moment.

Lying in bed at this moment, he wasn’t quite certain—was he dreaming again?

This thought frightened him, because this dream felt too real.

If it was still a dream, he felt he must have gone mad. He could no longer distinguish between dreams and reality, between truth and hope.

The thought of finding out kept flashing through his mind. He knew it was improper to enter her room in the middle of the night, but he still couldn’t restrain himself.

As if possessed by a ghost, he got up, only consoling himself that if it wasn’t a dream, as long as he didn’t disturb her or let anyone notice—like that handkerchief he had possessed in his youth, existing quietly in the darkness—it should… be alright.

So he stepped to Jiang Zhaoxue’s door, passed through it like a specter, and came to Jiang Zhaoxue’s bedside while holding his breath.

The room was filled with the sound of her breathing. His heart grew tense, like a child about to open a gift box, hoping there would be something inside yet fearing there would be nothing at all.

Until he came before the bed and saw that woman sleeping carelessly sprawled out, something in his heart finally settled.

Seeing this person, he finally felt that this long journey had reached its end.

He just stood quietly by the bed watching her, observing every strand of her hair, every eyelash.

When he came back to his senses, it was already near dawn. Like a lonely ghost startled by the sudden sunlight, he jolted awake in panic, realizing what he was doing. He hastily cleared away his aura and instantly returned to his own room.

While Pei Zichen spent the night in anxiety, Jiang Zhaoxue slept extremely well.

Walking through the cracks in time actually consumed enormous physical energy. It was only because she had that “senior’s” spiritual power supporting her along the way that Jiang Zhaoxue felt relaxed. However, once she collapsed onto the bed, the exhaustion of her spiritually depleted body surged up. She slept deeply until dawn, and when she regained consciousness, her vision was still pitch black.

Unable to tell the time, she directly summoned A’Nan and asked, “What time is it?”

When A’Nan was in her consciousness sea, she borrowed Jiang Zhaoxue’s eyes to see. What Jiang Zhaoxue couldn’t see, A’Nan couldn’t see either. But separated from Jiang Zhaoxue’s body, A’Nan had an independent bird form.

However, A’Nan’s body required Jiang Zhaoxue’s spiritual power to maintain, and with only Foundation Establishment cultivation now, maintaining A’Nan’s body was somewhat wasteful.

But since A’Nan hadn’t been able to come out for a long time, she still decided to let her get more fresh air.

A’Nan poked out her bird head to look around and confirmed, “It’s almost noon, right? The sky is already bright.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Pei Zichen’s respectful voice came from outside: “Female Sovereign, are you awake?”

“Yes.”

Jiang Zhaoxue sat up and called out, “Come in.”

As her voice fell, Jiang Zhaoxue heard the “creak” of the door opening from outside. Then she heard Pei Zichen bring something into the room with clinking sounds. Finally, he walked before her and said gently, “Master’s Wife, good morning.”

As he spoke, he bowed slightly and extended his hand toward Jiang Zhaoxue, saying, “Master’s Wife, let me help you wash up first.”

Hearing this, Jiang Zhaoxue raised her hand and placed it on his arm, letting him lead her to the basin.

During the month she had lived here before, Jiang Zhaoxue had to wash up like a mortal every day.

At first, Pei Zichen thought it was because she had no spiritual power, but later he discovered that Jiang Zhaoxue was simply accustomed to living like an ordinary person.

She was used to washing up and loved bathing—these were all habits for her.

If she skipped these things at any point, even if she used a cleansing spell, she would still feel unclean.

It was just that in the past when she washed up in the morning, all he needed to do was prepare warm water. Now that Jiang Zhaoxue couldn’t see, he had to guide her through everything.

He led her to the water basin, guided her hand into the warm water, gave her a cloth to wipe her face, then prepared her toothbrush and tooth powder, and handed her a water cup.

Every single thing she did required his participation and assistance. He could gaze at her without restraint. Clearly knowing this wasn’t good for her, yet during this process, a subtle sense of… satisfaction still rose in his heart.

However, he dared not indulge this feeling. After accompanying Jiang Zhaoxue through everything, he had her rest her hand on his arm and said, “Master’s Wife, let’s go eat.”

“Where’s Li Xiuji?”

As Jiang Zhaoxue listened, she supported herself on him and walked out. After Pei Zichen reminded her to watch the threshold, he answered truthfully, “Waiting for us in the dining room.”

Jiang Zhaoxue nodded, feeling the wind in the courtyard, and couldn’t help saying, “You live in a courtyard by yourself?”

“Yes.”

“Is Tianji Academy so generous?”

Jiang Zhaoxue was curious. Pei Zichen patiently explained, “The allocation of housing at Tianji Academy is based on points that disciples earn from completing tasks.”

Jiang Zhaoxue understood—this was because Pei Zichen was too excellent.

She turned her head toward him and directly sent her spiritual power into his body.

Feeling Jiang Zhaoxue’s spiritual power, Pei Zichen stiffened but quickly adjusted, calmly accepting Jiang Zhaoxue’s spiritual power as it circulated through his body for a full cycle.

“Core Formation.”

Jiang Zhaoxue murmured. Pei Zichen lowered his eyes and said softly, “Yes.”

“Your meridians are quite good.” Jiang Zhaoxue analyzed. “But only reaching Core Formation in four years…”

She didn’t continue this sentence. Pei Zichen’s heart lurched, knowing Jiang Zhaoxue was dissatisfied. He said vaguely, “It’s because this disciple wasn’t diligent enough.”

Hearing this, Jiang Zhaoxue realized she had actually spoken her thoughts aloud.

She coughed lightly and consoled him, “You’ve done well.”

Reaching Core Formation in four years, and with a ninth-grade golden core at that—this would be considered genius for anyone else.

But Pei Zichen…

He had obtained the Tianji Lingyu and the Yuan Luogong. How could he only reach Core Formation in four years?

“Maybe your expectations for him are too high?” A’Nan probed. “Core Formation in four years is quite good. Perhaps this is the power of the Yuan Luogong.”

“Impossible.” Jiang Zhaoxue thought. “In the book, after he fell from the cliff, he was only gone for seventeen years before returning to level the Central Plains. At his current speed…”

“Those were seventeen years in the Central Plains,” A’Nan reminded her. “He’s here, so when he goes back it might only be the second day after falling from the cliff. But who knows how many years he actually experienced?”

Jiang Zhaoxue immediately understood. No matter how long they stayed here, it had little relation to the future.

They had returned to a past timeline, not stayed in an illusion. No matter how long they remained in the past, as long as they returned on the second day after the cliff fall, for the Central Plains, it would only be one day’s time.

“Then how long will I have to stay…”

Jiang Zhaoxue murmured softly, suddenly feeling afraid of the road ahead.

Hearing her speak, and sensing that she and the crow on her shoulder had been communicating with spiritual power, Pei Zichen couldn’t help asking, “Is this Crow Milady Master’s Wife’s spirit beast?”

This was the first time someone had called her with “milady” as a suffix. A’Nan instantly felt overjoyed, screaming loudly in Jiang Zhaoxue’s mind: “I like him!! He speaks so well!”

“This is my life beast.”

Jiang Zhaoxue, whose head ached from her shouting, raised her hand to pet her and turned to look at Pei Zichen, directly relaying, “She says she likes you.”

Pei Zichen’s heart jumped. Although his reason knew Jiang Zhaoxue meant the crow liked him, hearing the three words “likes you” from Jiang Zhaoxue’s mouth still made his heart tremble.

Then, regaining his composure somewhat, and recalling what he had learned about life beasts from general knowledge classes, he leaned toward A’Nan with a smile, nodded in greeting, and said politely, “I also like Master’s Wife’s life beast very much.”

Hearing this, A’Nan quickly covered her face with her wings.

“Wow, he smiled at me. So handsome. My heart is racing so fast!”

“That’s enough.”

“Ahhh, he’s grown up to be so handsome!”

“Enough already!” Jiang Zhaoxue rolled her eyes.

But thinking of the young man’s soul she had seen in her consciousness sea last night, she couldn’t help but glance once more in Pei Zichen’s direction.

Then she realized—forget it, she was blind.

Sensing that Jiang Zhaoxue seemed to want to look at him, Pei Zichen didn’t dare overthink it, afraid of being presumptuous. He only helped Jiang Zhaoxue into the dining room.

As soon as they entered, Li Xiuji immediately jumped down from his stool and flew over like a firecracker, burying himself in front of Jiang Zhaoxue, hugging her legs and shouting, “Big Sister!”

“Young Master Li.”

Pei Zichen unhesitatingly pulled Li Xiuji away with gentle yet firm force. Li Xiuji felt a great power pulling him apart. Pei Zichen drew Li Xiuji aside and turned back with a smile, saying, “Go sit on your chair and eat.”

Li Xiuji looked at Pei Zichen’s smile, swallowed hard, but being one who knew when to yield, he didn’t dare say more and quickly returned to his original position.

Pei Zichen helped Jiang Zhaoxue sit down, placed her bowl and chopsticks properly, told her where things were located, and after hesitating for a moment, finally said, “If Master’s Wife finds it inconvenient, I can feed you…”

“That’s not necessary.”

At the thought of him feeding her, Jiang Zhaoxue immediately shuddered, picked up her chopsticks, and said hurriedly, “I can eat by myself.”

With that, she began stabbing about wildly. Pei Zichen and Li Xiuji exchanged glances and both chose to remain silent.

Although Jiang Zhaoxue’s movements were violent, she still ate quite efficiently.

After breakfast, Jiang Zhaoxue led the two to her room, reclined on a beauty couch, and took the time to begin questioning Li Xiuji: “Li Xiuji, your name is… Niannian, right? How did you get kidnapped? Where are your parents?”

“During the Lantern Festival this year, I was kidnapped while out viewing lanterns with my parents.” Li Xiuji sat not far from Jiang Zhaoxue. Pei Zichen placed tea within Jiang Zhaoxue’s reach, then silently stood behind her, listening together with Li Xiuji as he recounted, “A man covered my mouth, knocked me unconscious and carried me away. When I woke up, I was in an opera troupe.”

Listening, Jiang Zhaoxue roughly understood—he must have been sold to the opera troupe. Li Xiuji’s voice held some grievance, and he couldn’t help but want to cry: “Once in the troupe, they beat me and made me practice tricks. Then they said I looked good and wanted to sell me to the capital. I kept looking for chances to escape all along the way, always obeying them. Yesterday, I finally found an opportunity when they were drinking, killed them and escaped. That’s when I met Big Sister.”

“You’re quite clever.”

Jiang Zhaoxue thought of Li Xiuji’s appearance and said casually, “What do your parents do for a living in Jiang Zhou?”

“Farm.” Li Xiuji said quietly. “My parents told me that we used to be from Taizhou City, but because too many fortune tellers said I had a bad fate, the clan originally planned to drown me in a pond. Fortunately, we met a female immortal who said I had a good fate and would bring glory to the family, so they kept me.”

Listening, Jiang Zhaoxue raised the corners of her mouth. “And then?”

“But a few days after the female immortal spoke, a clan elder died. Everyone felt it was me who caused his death, so my parents said they might as well take me away to somewhere no one knew us.”

As Li Xiuji spoke, Jiang Zhaoxue frowned, finally understanding why Li Guizhen and Pei Shulan had left Taizhou City.

She felt somewhat angry and asked with suppressed emotion, “How do you know all this? Your parents told you?”

“I eavesdropped.” Li Xiuji said quietly. “My parents would never tell me these things.”

“What happened after that?” Jiang Zhaoxue took a sip of tea. “When they got to Jiang Zhou, where did they get land?”

“They bought it with money.” Li Xiuji continued. “My father sold our entire home in Taizhou City and came here to buy a very small plot of land. But when we bought it, it was supposed to be fertile soil. I don’t know why, but the more our family cultivated it, the thinner it became. Then every time we went to the market, whenever we met fortune tellers, they would grab my parents and say I had a bad fate—things like ‘solitary evil star’ and such…”

As Li Xiuji spoke, his eyes reddened slightly.

“Later, during the Lantern Festival, my parents said they’d take me to see the lantern fair in the city. At the temple gate, I saw someone selling a pellet drum.”

Li Xiuji finally couldn’t hold back and began sobbing quietly. “It’s my fault, I wasn’t good. My mother told me to stand still and wait for her. I waited a long time, but she didn’t come back. Then… then I heard the sound of the pellet drum, and I couldn’t help but run over. And then… then I could never go home again…”

Jiang Zhaoxue listened without speaking.

Li Xiuji sobbed quietly beside her. Listening, Jiang Zhaoxue said gently, “Xiuji, stop crying.”

“Wuu wuu wuu… I miss my parents…”

“Go rest first. I’ll discuss with your brother and try to find news of your parents.” Jiang Zhaoxue spoke.

Hearing this, Li Xiuji immediately looked up with delight and said happily, “Will Big Sister send me back?”

“If I can find your parents.” Jiang Zhaoxue smiled, consoling him. “Don’t worry, even if I can’t find them, Big Sister will arrange things properly for you.”

Hearing these words, Li Xiuji was stunned, but knew this was the best outcome. He hesitantly stood up and bowed to Jiang Zhaoxue: “Xiuji thanks Big Sister.”

“Zichen, take him to rest first.”

Jiang Zhaoxue gestured with her chin toward the outside. Pei Zichen acknowledged and took Li Xiuji next door.

Li Xiuji was very sensible. As long as he was told to stay in his room, he would stay there quietly.

After settling him, Pei Zichen returned and saw Jiang Zhaoxue leaning sideways in her chair, turning the round fan in her hand, seemingly thinking about something.

Pei Zichen stepped forward and said softly, “Master’s Wife.”

“Oh, you’re back.” Jiang Zhaoxue spoke while patting the spot beside her. “Come, sit down.”

Seeing where she patted, Pei Zichen felt somewhat uncomfortable approaching. He sat on a chair not far from Jiang Zhaoxue and said softly, “Master’s Wife, I’ll sit here.”

“Mm.” Jiang Zhaoxue didn’t particularly care, only asking, “What exactly is your status at Tianji Academy now?”

“Nominal disciple.” Pei Zichen explained. “Tianji Academy divides disciples into inner disciples, outer disciples, and nominal disciples. Inner and outer disciples are the same as at Lingjian Immortal Pavilion—all disciples who join Tianji Academy from the beginning, just with different qualifications. Inner disciples all have their own masters, while outer disciples attend large classes together. Nominal disciples are those from other sects or independent cultivators who register at Tianji Academy and attend classes and take on tasks together with outer disciples.”

Pei Zichen clearly knew what Jiang Zhaoxue wanted to hear and explained carefully, “Tianji Academy is affiliated with the imperial court. Every year, it must solve strange incidents reported by common people from various regions. With insufficient manpower, they are particularly tolerant of nominal disciples. The three types of disciples together number nearly one hundred thousand, with nominal disciples being the most numerous.”

“Shen Yuqing became a guest of honor at Tianji Academy, so why did you think to enter Tianji Academy? Weren’t you afraid of being discovered by him? And building temples for me? Every time you build a temple, won’t he chase you?”

Listening, Jiang Zhaoxue found it somewhat strange, not understanding what Pei Zichen was thinking.

“With the Ye Family’s help, I have several identities.” Pei Zichen answered Jiang Zhaoxue. “One identity is fleeing outside, used to mislead Master. Each time I build a temple, it’s also to draw Master’s attention to that identity. When Master goes to track that identity, I return to Tianji Academy. Tianji Academy has a sect grand formation that can effectively block Master’s spiritual power investigations. Also, Master wouldn’t think I’d be so bold.”

“Your guts are indeed quite large.” Jiang Zhaoxue pondered. “But hasn’t he thought to investigate Tianji Academy?”

“Tianji Academy isn’t Lingjian Immortal Pavilion,” Pei Zichen reminded her. “Although Dean Fu Changsheng of Tianji Academy respects Master, he won’t let Master do as he pleases. If Master wants to track me down and investigate others, that’s fine, but investigating Tianji Academy…”

After all, Shen Yuqing was an outsider. He didn’t have such great clout to make Tianji Academy conduct a self-investigation.

With hundreds of thousands of disciples at Tianji Academy, investigating would be a massive undertaking.

Jiang Zhaoxue nodded. Pei Zichen seemed unable to hold back and said softly, “Master’s Wife needn’t worry. Actually, over these years, I’ve already received tasks to investigate my own identity twice. I received another one this morning.”

Jiang Zhaoxue paused, sensing something off in Pei Zichen’s tone. She turned to look at him. Although she couldn’t see Pei Zichen, he still felt Jiang Zhaoxue facing him.

His heart suddenly grew nervous, feeling as if his little secret thoughts had been detected by Jiang Zhaoxue. He felt somewhat embarrassed for a moment.

“You enjoy playing tricks on your master, don’t you?”

Jiang Zhaoxue stated it directly. Pei Zichen stiffened, then hurriedly said, “Disciple doesn’t mean that…”

Jiang Zhaoxue gave a light snort but didn’t bother with his youthful thoughts.

People naturally enjoyed winning.

Moreover, it was indeed rather amusing.

She waved her fan and continued, “Then we don’t need to worry about Shen Yuqing’s side for now.”

“As long as Master’s Wife is willing,” Pei Zichen’s gaze fell on Jiang Zhaoxue’s constantly glowing sleeve, where her communication jade token was placed. Along the way, Pei Zichen had seen it light up many times. His heart felt uneasy, but he couldn’t say much, only lowering his eyes and saying, “Disciple is confident in not letting Master discover us.”

Jiang Zhaoxue glanced at Pei Zichen. His heart jumped, somewhat afraid Jiang Zhaoxue would refuse.

After all, no matter how you looked at it, Jiang Zhaoxue had no need to wander about with him.

So he immediately said, “Disciple will work hard to become stronger. When Master’s Wife successfully changes disciple’s fate in the future, disciple will definitely follow Master’s Wife back to Lingjian Immortal Pavilion. In the future…”

Pei Zichen didn’t continue. Jiang Zhaoxue was somewhat curious: “What about the future?”

“In the future… I will surely live up to Master’s Wife’s expectations,” Pei Zichen said vaguely, unconsciously curling his fingers, struggling to say, “inherit Master’s teachings and not disappoint the elders’ painstaking efforts.”

“Then work hard and become stronger.” Jiang Zhaoxue didn’t take these polite words to heart, only thinking and saying, “First, find a way to locate Li Xiuji’s parents and contact them.”

Hearing this, Pei Zichen didn’t move for a moment.

Jiang Zhaoxue found it strange: “What’s wrong?”

“Master’s Wife…” Pei Zichen hesitated. “This child… is unusual.”

“I know.” Jiang Zhaoxue spoke calmly.

Pei Zichen thought for a moment and still reminded her, “When I saw him last night, there was blood on his hands. He seems to have killed someone.”

“I know.”

From the moment she first met him, she had smelled the scent of blood. Her tone held not a trace of fluctuation as she said, “If he didn’t kill someone, how would he have escaped?”

“He’s only four years old,” Pei Zichen frowned. “At four years old, already able to kill and lie so fluently…”

“He just wanted to go home.” Jiang Zhaoxue looked up at Pei Zichen. “Killing and lying in extreme circumstances isn’t wrong—it’s called self-preservation.”

“But he can’t go back.” Pei Zichen finally said. “His parents might have done it intentionally.”

“I know.”

Jiang Zhaoxue said calmly, “During the Lantern Festival with people coming and going, no mother would be so careless as to have a four-year-old child stand in one place and wait for her. Their family dragged on for four years and probably couldn’t drag on anymore. Even if I said he’s a person of great fortune, his parents couldn’t believe it. To survive, abandoning him is perfectly normal. Do you think he doesn’t know?”

Listening, Pei Zichen was speechless. Jiang Zhaoxue turned her head toward the window, gently fanning herself with her fan, and said slowly, “He could obey the adults in the opera troupe, enduring until those people let down their guard. He could seize the opportunity to decisively kill and escape. When he saw me, he could judge good from bad and chase after me without regard for anything. He could lie with ease. Would such a child not know he’s been abandoned? He knows. It’s just that having family waiting for him is his only belief. Go find his parents and confirm the situation. If they really did abandon him…”

Jiang Zhaoxue thought for a moment and pressed her lips together. “Then tell him his parents died. Find a wealthy household, I’ll pray blessings for them, and have them adopt him.”

Hearing Jiang Zhaoxue’s decision, Pei Zichen raised his eyes and probed, “Master’s Wife doesn’t plan to keep him?”

“How could I keep him?” Jiang Zhaoxue rolled her eyes. “Raising you alone is enough. Do you really think I’m a great philanthropist?”

Hearing Jiang Zhaoxue’s words, Pei Zichen seemed to relax, his tone carrying a hint of laughter as he said, “Zichen understands.”

Jiang Zhaoxue sensed his emotional shift and immediately felt somewhat frustrated, tapping her small couch with her fan. “You still dare to laugh? Hurry up and become stronger! Don’t slack off on me. I don’t want to live like this for even one more day.”

“Zichen understands.”

“Also, be less formal in the future.” Jiang Zhaoxue heard his gentle response and thought of Li Xiuji, feeling somewhat sympathetic. “Li Xiuji is just a child. Since he’s clearly afraid of you, stop tormenting him. Tonight, bring him over—I’ll have him sleep with me.”

“Master’s Wife, this isn’t proper.” Pei Zichen was especially insistent.

Jiang Zhaoxue felt somewhat irritated. “He’s just a child…”

“I was once a child too.”

Pei Zichen interrupted Jiang Zhaoxue. She was stunned.

She looked at him somewhat bewildered. “So what?”

For a moment, Pei Zichen didn’t know how to respond.

How should he answer?

How could he tell her that children also grow up? He too had once been a ten-year-old child who received a candy from her hand, yet this child already knew at seventeen how to defile her.

He dared not speak of such shameful thoughts. He could only change the subject: “Master’s Wife, let me go ask someone to find his parents first.”

“Mm.”

Jiang Zhaoxue didn’t insist on the topic either—there wasn’t much point anyway. Just before Pei Zichen left, she called out to him: “Leave the Yuan Luogong with me.”

Pei Zichen was somewhat surprised by her words, but thinking Jiang Zhaoxue perhaps wanted to examine the divine weapon, he said nothing more. He retrieved the Yuan Luogong from his consciousness sea, stepped forward to place it in Jiang Zhaoxue’s hands, and instructed, “Master’s Wife, this bow is heavy. If you wish to lift it, remember to use spiritual power.”

“I know.”

Jiang Zhaoxue stroked the bow’s body. Pei Zichen paused.

He seemed to want to say something, but thinking Jiang Zhaoxue didn’t know, there was no need to mention it.

He nodded lightly and only said, “Master’s Wife, disciple is leaving.”

Jiang Zhaoxue paid him no mind, only intermittently stroking the Yuan Luogong.

When she sensed Pei Zichen had gone far, her consciousness sea suddenly burst with light, twisting toward the Yuan Luogong. The bow’s weapon spirit almost simultaneously sensed danger and flew out, wanting to chase after Pei Zichen. However, Jiang Zhaoxue was faster—she erected a barrier in one step and used her soul’s power to violently drag the weapon spirit back, slamming it hard to the ground with a smile: “Why are you running?”

“You… you…”

The Yuan Luogong was incredulous. Generally, only a master could discover and touch a weapon spirit, yet Jiang Zhaoxue had directly bound him with her soul?!

“Surprised?”

Jiang Zhaoxue heard the shock in the Yuan Luogong’s tone and yanked it into her consciousness sea. The Yuan Luogong instantly fell into Jiang Zhaoxue’s consciousness sea and saw Jiang Zhaoxue’s soul sitting on high, looking at him with a half-smile: “Come, let’s get acquainted.”

Jiang Zhaoxue walked down from on high and came before the Yuan Luogong.

The weapon spirit of the Yuan Luogong was a white-robed young man, bound tightly by her and kneeling on the ground. Seeing her approach, still unable to figure out what had happened, he could only watch in shock as she came before him.

Seeing his expression, Jiang Zhaoxue finally felt somewhat pleased. She lifted the Yuan Luogong’s chin with her fan and smiled slightly: “Look clearly. I am your master—”

“Jiang Zhaoxue.”