Pei Zichen suppressed his emotions and left with a single sentence. At the same time, he poured spiritual power into Jiang Zhaoxue’s body, holding her as he turned and rushed away at high speed.

Pei Zichen’s spiritual power suppressed the fire poison, giving Jiang Zhaoxue a moment to catch her breath. She immediately used all her strength to struggle and send a voice transmission to Shen Yuqing: “Southwest, twenty li… kill them!”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Jiang Zhaoxue felt the surrounding spiritual power completely cut off by someone.

She looked up in surprise and saw Pei Zichen’s particularly indifferent features under the moonlight. Sensing her gaze, he glanced at her and said coldly, “Take care of yourself.”

As he spoke, his spiritual power poured in, suppressing the toxicity that had erupted in her body due to the voice transmission just now.

The moment Jiang Zhaoxue fell into his embrace, he understood the situation clearly.

When Jiang Zhaoxue forcibly broke through the restriction to open the formation at the end, she used too much spiritual power. The spiritual power he had left in her body could no longer suppress the fire poison. Combined with her external injuries and the poison she had been struck with—which complemented the fire poison—the fire poison was like fire on dead wood, instantly igniting and surging through her limbs and bones, stirring up tremendous waves.

He had first sent spiritual power to her, but just as things stabilized halfway, the very first thing she did was send a voice transmission to Shen Yuqing!

As soon as she used spiritual power, the fire poison immediately flared up in resistance. He quickly used spiritual power to suppress the toxicity again, then became angry. After she finished giving instructions, he forcibly isolated all sound transmission from the surroundings, not letting a single word leak through to Shen Yuqing.

Jiang Zhaoxue knew he was angry. Not daring to provoke him further at the moment, she panted lightly and explained, “It was a matter of great importance. If I had spoken slower, they would have escaped.”

“You’re afraid people will escape, but not afraid that you won’t be able to suppress your fire poison?” Pei Zichen said coldly. “If something happens to you, there’s no point in capturing them.”

“But aren’t you here?” Jiang Zhaoxue closed her eyes, feeling his spiritual power flowing continuously throughout her body. Her whole being felt so comfortable that she became somewhat dazed, murmuring vaguely, “I only took action because I saw you had come.”

With this one sentence, Pei Zichen couldn’t voice any reproach.

His heart both softened and ached. After holding it in for a long time, he could only say, “You really are…”

He couldn’t say what she really was.

Jiang Zhaoxue didn’t pursue the question either.

She leaned against him, feeling as if her whole person was floating on clouds, drifting in and out of consciousness.

Pei Zichen knew she was too weak to respond. His heart also worried about her injuries. After roughly estimating that she only had fire poison and external wounds, he felt much more at ease, but still used the Yuan Luogong all the way to split open space, rushing quickly toward the city.

In less than a moment, they reached the city. He strode quickly into an inn, tossed a spirit stone to the innkeeper, and carried Jiang Zhaoxue straight upstairs to a room.

As soon as the door opened, Pei Zichen placed her on the bed and reached out to tear at Jiang Zhaoxue’s clothing.

Jiang Zhaoxue instantly became alert, startled and instinctively blocking him.

Pei Zichen’s movements paused as he looked up at her.

Their eyes met, and Jiang Zhaoxue’s heart raced.

She suddenly remembered that her wound was caused by the Shared Heart Contract—it was a sword wound. But her clothing had been soaked with dirty blood. Throughout the journey, Pei Zichen might not have noticed, but if she let him tear her clothes now, he would immediately realize that her garments were intact.

She couldn’t explain why she was injured, and the matter of the Shared Heart Contract—the fewer people who knew about it, the better.

After a moment’s thought, Jiang Zhaoxue knew she couldn’t let Pei Zichen do it. She quickly said, “I’ll change clothes myself. You step back first.”

Pei Zichen stared at her keenly. Under his gaze, Jiang Zhaoxue felt somewhat guilty as she covered her wound and said, “What are you looking at?”

“Nothing. If Master’s Wife doesn’t have enough strength, you can use this dagger.”

Pei Zichen stood up and handed over a delicate dagger.

Jiang Zhaoxue took the dagger and watched as Pei Zichen lowered the bed curtains.

Jiang Zhaoxue breathed a sigh of relief, panting as she released her wound and used the dagger to cut open her clothing.

This dagger was extremely light and sharp. With Pei Zichen’s sword intent added to it, it cut through iron like mud. With the lightest touch, the clothing split open, requiring no effort at all.

Jiang Zhaoxue cut open the area around the wound, then, thinking that a sword cultivator like Pei Zichen was too perceptive, she tore and ripped the entire abdominal area of her clothing, trying to make it look damaged beyond recognition.

As she tore at her clothing, Pei Zichen listened quietly, finally having time to think about the abnormalities along the way.

Jiang Zhaoxue’s injuries hadn’t healed, the marriage thread on his hand still had warmth, and he could even clearly sense the pull of this marriage thread, proving that the other end of the marriage thread was indeed connected to Jiang Zhaoxue.

But a person could only have one marriage thread on their hand. Jiang Zhaoxue and Shen Yuqing’s marriage thread was still there—how could Jiang Zhaoxue truly have his marriage thread?

Moreover, if it existed, why couldn’t he see it?

Was there an abnormality with the marriage thread, where even just one end would pull and give warning? Or was Jiang Zhaoxue deliberately hiding it?

If Jiang Zhaoxue was deliberately hiding it, when she came out of the illusion realm remembering nothing, and had an extra marriage thread, would she not ask about it?

And what was she hiding from just now?

In the past, before they had been husband and wife in the illusion realm, her personality was casual and unrestrained. When he dressed her, she never refused, because in her heart, he was just a child.

But now, seriously injured, she was actually being particular about propriety between men and women?

If suspicions hadn’t begun, these things wouldn’t seem abnormal. But once he had an expected answer, it was like fire spreading across a withered field—there were signs everywhere.

He didn’t know if he himself wanted this answer too much, or if it really was this answer. But he always felt that everything pointed to one thing—

Jiang Zhaoxue remembered.

Jiang Zhaoxue remembered everything in the illusion realm.

But why would she remember?

Only the master of the Lingxu Fan could have memories from inside the Lingxu Fan’s illusion. How could Jiang Zhaoxue have them?

Because of their Life Servant Contract?

But if Jiang Zhaoxue had these memories…

Then she knew everything.

She knew it all, yet she could still watch with indifference as he laid bare his heart in confession. Then she lightly told him “people have limits, zither strings can break,” smiling as she asked if he had married Qian Sisi. She told him he was still young, that matters between Shen Yuqing and her were not his place to interfere, that without his memories, his beloved no longer existed.

But she clearly remembered.

She remembered those four years, remembered every lie she had told him, remembered all his feelings. She should have even been clear-headed on that New Year’s Eve.

Because she was clear-headed, she could deliberately hide memories of the past. That’s why when he entered, she could… deliberately leave those past moments between her and Shen Yuqing for him to clearly “observe.”

That was her silent rejection, and also her wordless humiliation.

He didn’t want to blame her before everything was certain. After all, it was possible that the marriage thread had simply malfunctioned.

But his intuition made him unable to help but directly think—

How could she do this?

How could she, after four years of such genuine sincerity, still so cruelly trample on it, stabbing knife after knife into his most painful weak spots, all for… Shen Yuqing?

Afraid he would pester her, afraid his existence would cause Shen Yuqing to misunderstand and be displeased? If so, why did she even begin things in the illusion realm?

Resentment and anger rose in his heart. He listened to Jiang Zhaoxue rustling inside. After waiting for a long time, Jiang Zhaoxue finally spoke, “I’m ready.”

Hearing this, he collected his emotions. Everything was still uncertain—Jiang Zhaoxue’s injuries were what mattered most.

Hearing him approach, Jiang Zhaoxue lay down flat, pulled the blanket to cover her upper body, exposing only her blood-soaked abdomen.

Pei Zichen walked to the bedside. The moment he lifted the curtain, his gaze fell on Jiang Zhaoxue’s blood-drenched abdominal wound. His pupils contracted sharply, and his whole body froze in shock and terror.

Jiang Zhaoxue looked up at him, feeling somewhat guilty, and quickly said, “Don’t worry. It looks terrible, but it’s really not that bad.”

Hearing her words, Pei Zichen couldn’t speak.

It took him a long time to slowly recover from the shock and pain. Afraid that speaking would cause him to lose composure, he could only suppress his emotions as he sat down and took out a medicine box from his cosmos bag.

These sword cultivators were injured year-round. Treating external wounds was routine. But seeing Jiang Zhaoxue’s wound, his hands still couldn’t help but tremble slightly.

Jiang Zhaoxue watched nervously as he failed twice to pull out a medicine stopper, and couldn’t help but say, “Should I pull it out instead?”

“No need.”

Hearing her words, Pei Zichen finally calmed down slightly. After pulling out the medicine stopper, he began treating her wound.

He had already sealed the pain receptors around her wound when he first held her, and had been continuously sending spiritual power along the way. Jiang Zhaoxue felt much better, so she didn’t feel pain as he treated the wound.

She quietly looked at the bed canopy, not daring to speak much.

After a long while, Pei Zichen finally spoke, his calm tone carrying hoarseness and anger, “How did you get injured this badly?”

“Oh,” Jiang Zhaoxue had long known he would ask this. She began speaking half-truths, “They captured your junior martial sister and used a Qi Severing Formation to ambush us. Your master and I were caught off guard for a moment…”

“Was it because Master couldn’t take care of both sides?” Pei Zichen spoke decisively. Based on his observations over these past days, he said with suppressed anger, “In Master’s heart, Master’s Wife is an elder and a cultivator at the Integration Stage with the ability to protect herself. Junior martial sister is frail and sickly with a gentle personality, so at critical moments, he always has to look after junior martial sister a bit more.”

As he spoke, his tone involuntarily quickened, as if this resentment had built up for a long time. “He can’t take care of both sides himself, yet he wants to have the best of both worlds and refuses to let go. He wants all the good things in the world, using your safety to satisfy his selfish desires…”

Pei Zichen’s voice came to an abrupt halt.

A gentleman doesn’t speak ill of others. Saying this much was already him losing his composure.

Jiang Zhaoxue quietly looked at him. Seeing that he seemed to have endured for a long time, he finally said, “Separate from him.”

“This was just an accident…”

“Does being an accident mean it’s not harm?” Pei Zichen interrupted her.

Jiang Zhaoxue was stunned. She looked up at him and saw that Pei Zichen couldn’t control himself at all. His eyes were full of suppressed pain as he rebuked, “He is your husband. Doesn’t it hurt you that he goes to rescue Mu Jinyue time and again? Doesn’t it pain you that he’s entangled with Mu Jinyue?! No matter what reasoning, what greater good—the fact is he abandoned you! There’s no point in you persisting! If you insist on staying, insist on being with him, this disciple can only go against you…”

“No need, no need!” Hearing this, Jiang Zhaoxue sat up immediately and quickly raised her hand to soothe him, comforting, “We’ll separate. I’ll separate from him very soon. Just wait a bit longer.”

“Wait?” Pei Zichen said incredulously. “What am I waiting for? Until when?”

“The Divine Severing Sword!” Jiang Zhaoxue thought about how she had already eliminated one blood mark on her hand today and was full of hope for the future. She actively analyzed the pros and cons with him, “We still have one piece of the Su Guangji left. It was born together with the Divine Severing Sword. To return, we must obtain the Su Guangji, which means we must get the Divine Severing Sword. This is your master’s essential item, so now we’re either his enemies or his allies. We can’t separate from him. Rather than being enemies…”

“Better to be allies?” Pei Zichen understood Jiang Zhaoxue’s meaning.

Jiang Zhaoxue immediately nodded. “Exactly!”

Pei Zichen laughed and continued, “Then give him opportunities, one after another to choose. In his choices, get hurt again and again, disappointed again and again, until finally there’s nowhere left to turn and only then leave, is that it?”

These words made Jiang Zhaoxue freeze. Pei Zichen looked at her as if seeing into the very depths of her soul. With both pain and pity, he couldn’t help but say, “Do you know what you’re doing? Master’s Wife, you appear rational, decisive, and intelligent, yet you’re precisely the most softhearted and stubborn one! When you love, you love completely and thoroughly. When you let go, you must let go cleanly and completely. You know he’s a pile of mud yet you still harbor illusions. You know there are countless ways to leave, but you deliberately choose the most painful one. You refuse to stop until you’re in so much pain that you can no longer hold on…”

“Enough!” Jiang Zhaoxue couldn’t bear to listen anymore and shouted sternly, interrupting him. “I was being nice to you and you wouldn’t listen. Do you insist on hearing me scold you? My affairs are not for a disciple like you to interfere with. You think you understand me? Setting aside your nonsense, even if it were true,” Jiang Zhaoxue paused, then still said, “what business is it of yours?”

“What business is it of mine?”

Hearing these words, Pei Zichen couldn’t help but laugh.

He looked at the person before him, knowing he shouldn’t argue with her at this time, yet still couldn’t control himself. He raised his hand, revealing the still-glowing marriage thread. “Do you know what this is?”

Seeing the glowing marriage thread, Jiang Zhaoxue’s heart jumped in alarm.

She had never expected that the marriage thread formed in the illusion realm would also have the function of warning for Dao companions.

Her expression remained unchanged as she feigned composure. “A marriage thread.”

“Whose?” Pei Zichen pressed.

Jiang Zhaoxue forced all emotions away, as if it had nothing to do with her at all, calmly saying, “Yours.”

“Mine with whom?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know, so why didn’t you ask?” Pei Zichen immediately questioned. “You and I came out of the illusion realm, I had an extra marriage thread, and you’re not curious? Don’t you want to know what happened to me in the illusion realm?”

“Everyone has their own fate. Your matters have nothing to do with me.”

“But my marriage thread glowed when you were injured!”

Seeing she still wouldn’t admit it, Pei Zichen couldn’t help becoming agitated. He grabbed her hand and said coldly, “I can sense that the other end is right here! It’s clearly here but I can’t see it—tell me why?”

“Because it doesn’t exist.”

Jiang Zhaoxue looked up at him and calmly asked in return, “How could you and I possibly have a marriage thread?”

Pei Zichen didn’t speak. He held her hand and involuntarily used force, yet afraid of hurting her, he kept the force to himself.

He stared at her intently. After a long while, he said with certainty, “Because you remember.”

Jiang Zhaoxue stiffened. Pei Zichen said with conviction, “You remember what happened in the illusion realm. That’s why you deliberately hid the marriage thread. You’re afraid I’ll discover it. You’re afraid of admitting that between you and I, we once…”

“Outrageous!”

Realizing what he was about to say, Jiang Zhaoxue urgently shouted sternly, “What is your status? What is mine? Kneel!”

Pei Zichen didn’t speak. His eyes were already full of understanding.

After a long while, holding her hand, he asked in a trembling voice, “What do you think I was going to say that would involve the matter of our respective statuses…”

“Kneel!”

Jiang Zhaoxue exploded in rage instantly. Her Integration Stage pressure descended in an instant. Pei Zichen instinctively wanted to resist, but in that moment, he suddenly saw the bloodstain on Jiang Zhaoxue’s abdomen.

After only a moment’s hesitation, he was forced down to his knees by Jiang Zhaoxue’s pressure. Yet he still tightly gripped her hand, refusing to let go.

“Let go.”

Jiang Zhaoxue said coldly, using spiritual power to force him to release her.

Pei Zichen refused to let go. But as soon as he persisted, blood seeped from Jiang Zhaoxue’s abdomen, flowing through the gaps between his fingers. Seeing the blood forced out by her use of spiritual power, he finally couldn’t bear it and released her hand bit by bit.

Yet his heart was unwilling. He still couldn’t help but ask with difficulty, “Is this how you deceive me?”

“Yes,” Jiang Zhaoxue looked down at him and said firmly. “This is exactly how I’m deceiving you. Resent me, hate me as you please.”

Hearing this, Pei Zichen was incredulous. “Jiang Zhaoxue…”

“Female Sovereign, or Master’s Wife,” Jiang Zhaoxue reminded him. “My name is not something you are permitted to call.”

Pei Zichen was speechless. He felt his heart being carved by knives, clearly understanding her meaning.

She remembered. She wouldn’t acknowledge it. This was her choice.

But if she wouldn’t acknowledge it, why not dissolve this marriage thread and make everything clear, so everyone would have no connection whatsoever?

But he didn’t dare ask.

In that moment, he even felt this was her leniency.

Seeing his silence, Jiang Zhaoxue knew he had backed down. Her heart, which had been hanging, settled down slightly. However, looking at the person kneeling upright on the ground, she felt inexplicably sour and stuffy.

She didn’t dare look longer, turning her head away and saying softly, “I don’t know what you’ve misunderstood, but remember this—even if I weren’t your master’s wife, I am still Penglai’s True Martial Sovereign. I could never form a marriage thread with a disciple, nor could I possibly harbor inappropriate thoughts toward a junior. In the future, remember your status and don’t be presumptuous.”

“So in Master’s Wife’s heart, this disciple is only a junior?” Hearing her words, Pei Zichen found it somewhat laughable.

Jiang Zhaoxue answered without hesitation, “Yes.”

“Master’s Wife toward this disciple,” Pei Zichen looked up at her, “could absolutely never harbor inappropriate thoughts, correct?”

“Naturally.”

Pei Zichen didn’t speak. He stared at the person sitting above, laughing that she could truly say anything.

After remaining silent for a long time, he said slowly in a gentle voice, “The withered spirit grass poison in Master’s Wife’s body—the simplest method is for this disciple to use spiritual power to force the withered spirit grass poison to the wound site and suck out the toxins for Master’s Wife. This disciple was originally worried Master’s Wife might overthink it, but it seems now that won’t be the case?”

Hearing this, Jiang Zhaoxue looked up at him and saw mockery suppressed in Pei Zichen’s eyes, as if he had seen through her pretense.

“One doesn’t avoid the physician when ill,” Jiang Zhaoxue saw through his thoughts and smiled, saying with anger, “Rest assured, I won’t overthink it.”

“Then please allow this disciple to rise,” Pei Zichen said respectfully, “to treat Master’s Wife’s injuries.”

Jiang Zhaoxue acknowledged with a sound and turned her eyes to the side.

Pei Zichen stood up and stopped before her.

His figure blocked her view, his silhouette like a wall, his presence heavy as a mountain.

The scent unique to men rushed at her. Jiang Zhaoxue inexplicably felt nervous, gripping her round fan tightly, turning her eyes away without speaking.

Pei Zichen looked down and saw the person before him turning away to avoid him, her eyelashes trembling lightly, as if falling upon his heart.

In an instant, his heart softened. After sighing, he bent slightly and placed his hand on her shoulder. Jiang Zhaoxue’s body stiffened, then she heard his gentle tone, “Lie down first.”

Jiang Zhaoxue lay down following his hand, watching as he leaned over her, supporting himself above her. She stared straight up at the bed canopy, feigning composure. “Go ahead!”

Pei Zichen was nearly amused by her expression of facing death. After a moment of silence, he raised his hand to cover her wound and gently reminded, “Master’s Wife just said that this disciple is only a junior, and you wouldn’t overthink it.”

“Yes, I said that.”

“But does Master’s Wife know,” warm spiritual power slowly flowed in through the wound as Pei Zichen stared at her, “when a person becomes accustomed to something, they won’t forget it. It’s etched into their bones. With the slightest provocation, they’ll remember.”

“Why do you talk so much?”

Jiang Zhaoxue looked up and glared at him, deliberately provoking him. “If you’re not in a hurry, I am. Your master is still waiting for me.”

Hearing this, Pei Zichen’s expression grew colder. “Understood.”

With that, he lowered his head and gently kissed the wound on her lower abdomen.

His body temperature was habitually lower than normal. The moment his cold lips touched her lower abdomen, Jiang Zhaoxue jumped in shock. Pei Zichen pressed down on her knee with one hand, as if he had anticipated this, commanding softly, “Master’s Wife, don’t move.”

Jiang Zhaoxue’s muscles tensed. Afraid of revealing herself, she didn’t dare move again.

Pei Zichen reached out and took her hand, intertwining their fingers. Then she felt his spiritual power drilling into her body like a snake, carrying his emotions as it rampaged through her body.

The more intense the emotions, the more intense the desire.

His spiritual power had barely entered when Jiang Zhaoxue’s breathing immediately became chaotic.

She had never experienced such complex and intense emotions from him before—bitterness, anger, sorrow, tenderness…

The emotions intertwined together, magnifying her senses infinitely.

She could clearly sense the spiritual power forcing the toxins down toward the abdominal wound, while Pei Zichen’s cold yet soft lips pressed against the wound, gently sucking her blood.

His sucking was gentle and familiar. Almost the instant he touched her, countless moments of him kissing this very place flashed through her mind.

The first time he sucked out dark blood, she remembered once when he had kissed her there and asked if they would have a child in the future.

The second time he sucked out blood, she remembered once when he had her sit on the desk, and it was from here that he slid down…

Each kiss stirred countless quietly settled memories. Her breathing involuntarily became chaotic.

But she couldn’t speak, couldn’t think too much. She could only desperately suppress all wayward thoughts, staring at the bed canopy, listening to the sounds of people celebrating outside, desperately reciting all the scriptures she had ever learned, trying to keep herself calm, to remain as frank and open as when they first met—that this was just mutual use, just traveling together for a while.

But Pei Zichen wouldn’t allow it.

He was like a demon leading one to sink into depravity, wearing the skin of a holy son, but his bones were full of base and wanton desire.

He dragged and pulled her, refusing to stop until he had dragged her down into the pool of desire and sea of emotions.

Pain and desire mixed and alternated, spring tides surging endlessly.

His spiritual power teased her madly. Between each mouthful of sucking blood and the contact of lips on abdomen, he forced her to surrender.

Jiang Zhaoxue unconsciously clenched the bedsheets. Pain and tingling shot up from her tailbone in waves. At this moment, he held her waist as if cradling a treasure, repeatedly kissing and reminding, “You’re too tense. The blood can’t flow out.”

Jiang Zhaoxue didn’t dare make a sound, trying hard to relax her muscles. She felt she was about to be driven mad by Pei Zichen, yet her face remained calm as ever.

Pei Zichen looked up at her. He had long since lost control, sustained only by the self-respect of refusing to admit defeat.

Yet she still seemed to sit peacefully on a lotus platform, looking down at him exhausting a thousand methods, unable to shake her Dao heart even slightly.

His heart grew unwilling, yet helpless.

He could only secretly exhaust all means, begging her to be moved a little more, to become more emotional.

Gauze curtains swayed lightly, the breeze brushed past, stars and moon filled the sky on the seventh day of the seventh month, lamplight flickered in the room.

In the cicada’s song, he heard her chaotic breathing. In their interlocked fingers, he felt her uncontrollable force.

After repeatedly sucking out dark blood from the wound, it finally showed fresh red blood, then gradually healed under his repeated kisses and licks.

When the wound completely healed and the moment he kissed her skin completely, unable to restrain himself from sliding down, he heard Jiang Zhaoxue say hoarsely, “Is it done?”

Pei Zichen’s words halted. Suppressing his breathing, he raised his eyes to look at the clear-eyed woman whose eyes carried moisture.

She lay on the bed, her clothing spread open, revealing a beautiful collarbone and half of a deep valley.

Their clothes were like one deep and one shallow lake, mixed with bloodstains blooming and interweaving together. She rolled between the lake waters, her breathing chaotic, her face flushed, yet her eyes exceptionally clear, only asking him, “Is the wound healed?”

Hearing this, Pei Zichen’s heart ached.

He felt like a thin sheet of paper lay between them. Though it was already as thin as cicada wings, she insisted on sitting behind the paper, leaving only her silhouette outlined on the paper, both enticing and warning him.

But what could he do?

What could he do?

He looked at this person who seemed like glass yet was as strong as dark iron, finally admitting defeat and saying hoarsely, “It’s healed.”

With that, he smiled bitterly. “You win.”

Jiang Zhaoxue didn’t speak, only staring at him fiercely.

Her body felt extremely uncomfortable. She didn’t want to give this instigator even one more word.

Seeing her displeasure, Pei Zichen didn’t dare be presumptuous again. After getting up and stepping back, he helped her rise, took out clothing from his cosmos bag, helped her change after dressing her, then re-styled her hair for her.

Jiang Zhaoxue was still angry and didn’t speak. After getting dressed, Pei Zichen fastened her cloak for her.

As he fastened the cloak, seeing Jiang Zhaoxue still sulking, he hesitated for a moment before softly coaxing, “Tonight was this disciple’s fault. In the future, this disciple won’t quarrel with Master’s Wife again, but also please Master’s Wife…”

Pei Zichen’s voice paused. After a long while, he said bitterly, “Take good care of yourself and never be injured again.”

Jiang Zhaoxue kept her body stiff and didn’t respond.

Pei Zichen stood beside her, turning his head to look out the window. After thinking for a moment, he said softly, “Master’s Wife tonight originally wanted to go see the Magpie Bridge, didn’t you?”

She had deliberately sent him away, insisting on going out alone with Shen Yuqing.

Even though they were ambushed in the end, she probably still held this wish in her heart.

Jiang Zhaoxue didn’t respond to him.

Pei Zichen thought for a moment. “Shall I take you there?”

“There’s still important business…”

“Just for a moment.”

Pei Zichen pulled her over. Before Jiang Zhaoxue could react, she saw him draw his sword and slash. He pulled her forward, and in an instant, they appeared on the riverbank where he had waited for a long time.

This was the busiest time, with people coming and going. Their sudden appearance went unnoticed by others.

Jiang Zhaoxue was stunned for a moment. Realizing what he was doing, she couldn’t help but frown and quickly turned around. “You’re sick!”

With that, she strode away quickly. However, after only a few steps, she heard the young man’s gentle and steady voice from behind, “Master’s Wife.”

Jiang Zhaoxue turned back impatiently.

At that very moment, a golden spirit bird suddenly cried out from the sky. Then hundreds and thousands of glowing golden birds rapidly gathered. Amidst the cheers of the crowd, they quickly formed a bridge in mid-air.

Thousands of spirit birds lit up the sky as bright as day, radiance overflowing. Pei Zichen stood beneath the light, quietly looking at her. Though bitterness showed in his eyes, his face wore a smile as he said, “I know I’m not Master. But… the beautiful scenery is the same. Just because he’s not here doesn’t mean you can’t see anything.”

Jiang Zhaoxue didn’t speak.

Amidst the excited cheers of the crowd, she looked at the tall, jade-like young man ahead, his expression gentle, and felt her heartbeat gradually accelerating, slow and heavy.

In that instant, she wanted to say something.

She wanted to say that the person she had arranged to meet at midnight was him all along. If there had been no accident, tonight she would have returned here before midnight.

She wanted to say that perhaps she did indeed harbor some thoughts of completely severing ties with Shen Yuqing, but that wasn’t important. From the day she jumped off the cliff, this person’s fate was already sealed. Now she was just hammering nail after nail, sealing him inside the coffin.

However, everything ended before she could speak.

The moment she opened her mouth, a hoarse voice tinged with disappointment came from the side, “A’Xue.”

Jiang Zhaoxue and Pei Zichen instinctively turned their heads together and saw Shen Yuqing standing not far away, looking at them coldly.

He still wore the same clothes from when they parted, with blood on them, so he had draped a black cloak over them for cover.

The black robe concealed that initial carefree and leisurely air, instead adding a few degrees of coldness. He looked at the two people appearing on the riverbank where only lovers would come, saying nothing.

Jiang Zhaoxue knew this was bad. Pei Zichen had forcibly taken her away, and now they appeared in a place where only lovers would appear—it was somewhat inappropriate.

But since Shen Yuqing wasn’t speaking, she didn’t intend to explain either.

After the three parties faced off for a long while, Shen Yuqing finally spoke first, saying calmly, “After you two left just now, my marriage thread kept warning me. I was worried something had happened to you, so I searched around for a while.”

As he spoke, he walked toward Jiang Zhaoxue. Jiang Zhaoxue watched him warily, and Pei Zichen also quietly placed his hand on his sword hilt, ensuring he could act the moment before Shen Yuqing drew his sword.

However, Shen Yuqing acted as if he didn’t intend to pursue anything. He simply walked before Jiang Zhaoxue, his eyes already boiling like water inside, yet he suppressed it forcefully, only stating with certainty, “Your injuries are healed.”

With that, his gaze dropped, seeing the clothes Jiang Zhaoxue had changed into. These clothes were made from exactly the same fabric as the outfit Pei Zichen wore. He involuntarily clenched his sword, his knuckles turning white from the grip, yet his face remained impassive.

He only looked up into Jiang Zhaoxue’s eyes, asking softly, “You even changed clothes?”