Without realizing it, the two had chatted through the night. Ling Luo watched as the rain mist dispersed and daylight suddenly appeared, only then discovering how quickly time had passed.

Yue Liangze asked, “Still not tired?”

Ling Luo shook her head and stretched lazily. Taking out her jade communicator, she asked Yue Liangze, “Now that you’ve eliminated the nightmare demon, will you still stay here?”

“We’ll see,” Yue Liangze looked outside, seemingly lost in thought as he said, “Recently all the major immortal sects were searching for the Bone Demon, but now they’ve gradually gone quiet.”

“The Bone Demon hasn’t shown himself, so it’s normal for them to let their guard down,” Ling Luo was searching for Chu Yi in her jade communicator. “He went to great lengths, even stealing the Zhen Xianyu to take away Left White’s corpse. It can’t be as simple as just making threats. The quieter he is, the more careful they should be.”

As she spoke, she kept searching, only to find that she had probably been deleted by Chu Yi.

Ling Luo sent Chu Yi a jade communicator request, which was approved after a short while.

Chu Yi: You dare to add me back?!

Ling Luo was replying to the jade communicator when she heard Yue Liangze ask, “That sword wound you received in Shunyi Town, was it from Left White’s Heavenly Sword technique?”

He asked very calmly and casually, without a hint of probing in his tone.

Ling Luo’s fingertips paused on the jade communicator as she looked up at him.

She wanted to say yes, but then remembered what Yue Liangze had said in the Bitter Karma Flower’s memory—

He said she was radiant.

He said he gained strength from her sword intent.

So she answered, “No.”

Ling Luo deliberately snorted disdainfully, “How could Left White’s Heavenly Sword technique hurt me?”

Yue Liangze turned to look at her, his expression unreadable: “Then who hurt you?”

“I don’t know, it was too fast, I didn’t see anything,” Ling Luo lied with an unchanged expression.

She thought that if she insisted she didn’t know, she could get away with it, but Yue Liangze knew she was lying.

He was always excessively sensitive to Ling Luo’s emotions and attitudes.

Since Ling Luo wouldn’t say, Yue Liangze didn’t continue to press her, feeling this wasn’t a good time for this conversation.

As daylight brightened, the villagers who lived in the countryside typically rose early to busy themselves.

After replying to the jade communicator, Ling Luo covered her mouth and yawned, getting up and walking to the bed inside the room.

“I’ll sleep here for a while,” she fell onto the bed, wrapping herself in the blanket and rolling to the inside. “I’ll leave half for you.”

Yue Liangze: “…”

After saying this, Ling Luo thought that the current Yue Liangze probably wouldn’t dare to sleep with her, so she said, “Otherwise, you can go sleep in my room.”

Yue Liangze leaned against the window and raised his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose.

His worldly-wise Second Senior Brother Chang Ying had once told him that there was a type of woman in the world who only teased men but took no responsibility, who was allowed to flirt with you but gave you no opportunity, and when questioned would righteously say, “I never meant that you’re overthinking it.”

Chang Ying had told him that such women were called “scumbag women.”

They usually teased several men at once.

Men were the same, called “scumbag men.”

At this moment, Ling Luo truly matched his Second Senior Brother’s description of a scumbag woman’s behavior.

Just as Yue Liangze was about to take comfort in the fact that she was only toying with him alone, he was suddenly reminded of how Ling Luo had said that the person who taught her to kiss hadn’t taught her well, which made his eyebrow twitch involuntarily.

Where Ling Luo couldn’t see, the calm eyes of the man were tinged with gloom.

Ling Luo had a good sleep, while Yue Liangze stood at the doorway, cooling off in the cold wind.

Madam Chen came to ask, “Tian Gu says he wants to see the Daoist Lord. I went to the front room to find her but didn’t see anyone. Has the Daoist Lord gone out?”

Yue Liangze said with an unchanged expression, “She’s sleeping in my room.”

Madam Chen: “…”

She glanced at Yue Liangze standing guard at the door, involuntarily covering her mouth, and hurriedly said, “I’ll go tell him the Daoist Lord isn’t available, and won’t let him disturb you two.”

Yue Liangze didn’t say anything.

It was clear that she had misunderstood, but he had no intention of explaining.

After all, what he said was the truth.

The Four Mao Village was lively for quite some time because of the mountain path opening. Every day, people find new things to do on this road. First, they planned construction to make protective measures, then they began to discuss giving this road a name for reference.

People came to find Ling Luo and Yue Liangze, wanting these two to name it.

Yue Liangze was helping Brother Chen plow the field with a black ox, while Ling Luo watched from the ridge. Regarding Tian Gu’s proposal, she said with a peculiar expression, “This is where you live. Of course, what name to give it is up to you.”

She didn’t want to get involved, and after a discussion, the villagers decided to name it Chengshan Road.

Accepting kindness, never forgetting.

After the road was flat and wide, each household began to prepare transportation, buying horses, oxen, donkeys, and making carts, etc. Every family was very busy.

Brother Chen was also making a cart, but after calculating the money his family had, he decided to do it himself first.

Yue Liangze helped him go into the mountains to cut trees and bring them back home. Brother Chen was quite embarrassed, but Yue Liangze said, “Consider it training.”

Brother Chen was moved and accepted generously, for continued refusal would have seemed affected.

Summer days were hot, and they avoided working outside during the scorching midday, either working in the cool morning or after nightfall when it was cooler.

At dusk, as the summer breeze gradually cooled, Yue Liangze was tinkering with a cart in the courtyard, using a small hammer to tap between the wooden boards with a ding-dong sound.

Ling Luo sat under the flower and fruit trellis watching.

He really could do anything.

Fixing windows, building houses and small courtyards, setting up trellises, and making all kinds of furniture was no problem, not to mention his exquisite culinary skills—desserts and dishes, he was truly capable of everything.

How had she never noticed before how capable Yue Liangze was?

Ling Luo supported her chin with one hand, thoughtfully observing the man who was bathed in the full evening light and shadows.

Gone was the skinny silence of his youth; now he was full of mature masculine charm. Beneath his clothes was the strongest physique of a sword cultivator, broad shoulders, and a strong waist. His rolled-up sleeves exposed the muscle lines of his arms when he moved, possessing a unique beauty.

The man’s slender five fingers skillfully manipulated the tools, and in the twilight, one could vaguely see the blue veins on the back of his hand.

These hands were beautiful when holding a sword and beautiful when not.

These days, Ling Luo hadn’t done anything except quietly watch Yue Liangze. At first, Yue Liangze was a bit conscious of it, but later he just let her be—if she wanted to look, then look, however she wanted.

Even after it was completely dark, Yue Liangze was still working.

“Why are you in such a hurry?” Ling Luo asked, leaning on the small wooden table. “Aren’t you planning to stay here for quite a while?”

“Today I received a message from the Third Senior Brother saying that the Sect Leader of Qishan, Cui Shou, died in Northern Court. The person who killed him is suspected to be the Young Lord of the Moon Palace,” Yue Liangze said unhurriedly. “Northern Court’s Moon Palace is connected to the Three Mountains—Qishan, Wushan, and Yunshan. Two days ago, these three mountains jointly went to Northern Court to attend the Flower Banquet, which is an annual festival in Northern Court.”

“Cui Shou died on the night of the Flower Banquet, and the Holy Maiden of Wushan personally saw Mu Xujing coming out of his room.”

Ling Luo listened with half-closed eyes.

What was bound to come would always come.

She said lazily, “Was the Sect Leader of Qishan killed by him?”

“He says it wasn’t him,” Yue Liangze raised his hand to wipe the fine sweat from his temple, half-bent as he tinkered with the edge of the cart’s wooden board. “But because of the Holy Maiden of Wushan’s testimony, few people believe him. The Young Master of Qishan demands that the Moon Palace pay with life for a life, handing Mu Xujing over to Qishan for punishment.”

Jiang Miao didn’t hand over the person.

Qishan was determined to pursue this to the end.

Ling Luo asked knowingly, “What about the Three Ministries Teaching?”

The major immortal sects were independent entities. Though they didn’t interfere in human political affairs, they cooperated.

The cultivators of the Three Ministries Teaching protected the nation’s fate, seeking peace and prosperity for the country. Ultimately, they were still aiming for the pinnacle of mortal power, not the supreme realm.

The two sides often cooperated in maintaining order in the human world and capturing demons and monsters, but it was only cooperation, without a relationship of superiority and subordination.

Generally, incidents involving the killing of cultivators were handled by the Three Ministries Teaching.

After all, there were many independent cultivators in the world, and not all cultivators belonged to either the Three Ministries Teaching or the major immortal sects.

Mortals and cultivators were different.

Some rules for mortals couldn’t constrain cultivators, and some rules for cultivators didn’t need to be followed by mortals.

“The Three Ministries Teaching governs independent cultivators, while sect cultivators are governed by their sects,” Yue Liangze said. “Senior Brother said that in the past decade or so, the relationship between the Three Ministries Teaching and the major immortal sects has been very subtle, with fewer and fewer collaborations.”

Ling Luo smiled, “The Three Ministries Teaching can contend with small sects, but they can’t touch these big immortal sects.”

Yue Liangze hammered in the last nail, stood up, and tossed and caught the small iron hammer in his hand. He turned to look at Ling Luo: “So the Moon Palace and the Holy Sword Sect have issued a petition, wanting to judge this matter with the Immortal Chief’s Order.”

They wanted people from the Holy Sword Sect to investigate the case, catch the murderer, and use the Immortal Chief’s Order to remove them from the register.

Ling Luo asked, “Did Jiang Miao issue the petition?”

Yue Liangze shook his head: “Mu Xujing requested it.”

Ling Luo was startled to hear this.

She only knew that the Holy Sword Sect would intervene in this matter, but didn’t know it was actually requested by Mu Xujing.

“Third Senior Brother said this case can be accepted or not,” Yue Liangze said. “With the Holy Maiden of Wushan’s testimony and his admission that he indeed came out of Cui Shou’s room, it’s difficult to clear his name.”

Ling Luo straightened up, her gaze narrowed as she examined him: “But you agreed?”

Yue Liangze made a sound of agreement, adding, “I don’t think he did it.”

Ling Luo supported her chin with one hand and smiled at him.

But Cui Shou was killed by Mu Xujing.

But she didn’t point this out, only asking, “So you’re working desperately today because you plan to go to Northern Court’s Moon Palace tonight?”

Yue Liangze nodded.

Ling Luo said, “I’ll go too.”

In her previous life, it was Chu Yi who went. In this life, she would go to Chu Yi’s place, and her First Senior Brother would stay obediently at Tianji without running around.

Yue Liangze was a bit surprised.

He had thought that once he told her, Ling Luo would part ways with him and return to Tianji.

“You want to go?” Yue Liangze looked at her and asked.

“Why not?” Ling Luo said. “If I go back to Tianji, you won’t see me for a long time.”

She added, “Perhaps we’ll part for two or three years.”

Ling Luo asked, “Is that acceptable?”

Of course not.

Yue Liangze said impassively, “I’ll finish making this cart and then leave. Third Senior Brother has already gone to Northern Court ahead of me, so we don’t need to be in too much of a hurry.”

Ling Luo got up and walked toward him, standing on tiptoe as she approached Yue Liangze, raising her head to sniff lightly at his neck and shoulder.

Her sudden closeness made Yue Liangze unconsciously hold his breath and stand straight. As Ling Luo stood on tiptoe and reached for his neck, Yue Liangze couldn’t help but put his arm around her shoulder, looking down at her.

Ling Luo looked up at him and said, “There’s no need to rush. You’re covered in sweat. Take a bath before we set off.”

Yue Liangze: “…”

The two were standing in the courtyard when Tian Gu, who had just come up the small path, called into the yard, “Daoist Lord Ling, the road sign is ready, do you want to—”

Yue Liangze turned to look. His gesture of holding Ling Luo appeared possessive to the two men at the door. Tian Gu immediately faltered, and Brother Chen, quick-eyed and quick-handed, pulled him away.

“I’ll wait for you at the road entrance,” Ling Luo smiled with narrowed eyes as she stepped back.

Yue Liangze watched as Ling Luo walked further and further away. The night breeze blew across his sweaty neck, cooling it. He couldn’t help but reach up to lightly wipe it, removing the tingling sensation left by the woman’s breath.

Ling Luo waited at the road entrance.

Her jade communicator was buzzing with messages from Chu Yi.

Ling Luo didn’t even look at them, directly asking, “Senior Brother, after the Primal Beginning Golden Luan Pool Banquet, you didn’t continue teaching Jiang Miao curse rituals, did you?”

This question was met with a long silence from Chu Yi.