Chapter 210: Return to Jingcheng

Rustle, rustle, rustle~

Rain lashed the flying eaves; doors and windows were tightly shut, and the room was utterly silent.

The swordswoman in a black skirt knelt beside the bed, a maple-leaf red tinge on her ice-mountain face, her gaze cast aside, saying not a word.

Xie Jinhuan sat by the bed, raising a hand to gently stroke the ink-black hair and the ice-mountain cheek; he was originally enjoying it, but the ghost-girl lying on his shoulder suddenly lifted her eyes to look toward the door:

"Oh my~ Are you planning to let Sister Hua squat there?"

?

Xie Jinhuan actually followed the ghost-girl's train of thought for a moment, thinking Sister Hua could be on the left, while the right side could still hold a Wan Yi.

But he immediately realized his mistake, his expression changed, and he hurriedly pulled Seeing Bing Tuozi up:

"Quick, quick..."

Nangong Ye, fearing her disciples would discover that she, the Master of Mount Zihui, was secretly bullying and driving away a child, had been watching the doorway; hearing the sound, she rose at light speed, fastened her robe, and then pinned Xie Jinhuan onto the pillow.

Creak~

The next moment, the door was pushed open.

Bu Yuehua appeared silently at the threshold, raindrops clinging to her veil hat; she first eyed the bed suspiciously, saw Nangong Ye tucking in the blanket by the bedside while Xie Jinhuan was wrapped up like a caterpillar, and asked in puzzlement:

"Junior sister, what are you doing?"

Nangong Ye's heart hung in her throat, but her ice-cold demeanor remained flawless:

"I just fed him something. What's wrong?"

Fed him something...

What did you feed him?

Breast milk...

Bu Yuehua did not believe two people shutting doors and windows meant merely feeding a meal; her gaze turned again to Xie Jinhuan.

Xie Jinhuan, being cared for like a child by Seeing Bing Tuozi, felt slightly embarrassed deep down, yet his expression remained normal:

"Sister Hua, you're back. I can't get up easily; please don't mind."

"No harm..."

Bu Yuehua indeed saw no problem, dispelled her stray thoughts, closed the door, and glided gracefully to the bedside:

"Liang Yue of the Black Yan Gang and Xu Guanfu of the Jiangzhou Gang left together; there must be dealings between the two families. I investigated a few days ago; the Black Yan Gang seems to have noticed the changes at Fire Phoenix Valley. This time, Xu Guanfu will likely enter the fray as well."

Nangong Ye straightened her posture, frowning: "The subterranean yang fire is too intense; no matter how high one's cultivation, perception will be restricted. If Xu Guanfu goes down, it makes no difference compared to us going down; we just need to avoid meeting."

Bu Yuehua shook her head: "That is true, but we cannot withstand the yang fire, so we can only go down after the second nine-day period. Xu Guanfu's cultivation is far higher than ours; he should be able to penetrate deep underground by the Winter Solstice, or even earlier. If he leaves nine days before us and happens to get lucky and stumble upon it, what then?"

"That's true..."

Xie Jinhuan lay on the pillow, originally intending to join the discussion.

But the two women, each with their own unique aura yet equally capable of toppling kingdoms and cities, were conversing right by the bed; Seeing Bing Tuozi had her back to him, her round, perky form directly in his line of sight, while Sister Hua was even more excessive, hands folded at her waist, habitually pacing as she spoke, her water-blue skirt swaying with the charm proper to a mature woman...

That aside, Xie Jinhuan turned his gaze away, but the ever-present ghost-girl, seeing Seeing Bing Tuozi was too busy to relieve his boredom, lay down before him, reached her hand under the covers, and helped him stoke the fire.

Holy crap?!

Xie Jinhuan sensed something amiss and hurriedly looked at the understanding ghost-girl; his eyes held unspoken words, as if to say—Good sister, don't mess with me; I can't take it. If this is discovered, I'll be ruined and disgraced...

Bu Yuehua may have sensed Xie Jinhuan's irregular aura and turned her head:

"Xie Jinhuan, what do you think?"

Xie Jinhuan quickly turned his head back, his expression resembling that of an ice-mountain male CEO being teased by a bad sister from under the table yet forced to feign composure during a meeting:

"I think it's very good."

"Huh?"

Bu Yuehua blinked, her peach-pink beautiful eyes carrying a hint of confusion:

"If Xu Guanfu obtains the opportunity, how is that beneficial to us?"

Nangong Ye also turned around, utterly bewildered:

"Did you misunderstand?"

"Uh..."

Xie Jinhuan had been struck by the ghost-wife's 'Succubus Claw'; he hadn't even heard what the two had just said!

After the ghost-girl reminded him, Xie Jinhuan pretended composure and forced a roundabout explanation:

"I mean Sister Hua's idea is excellent. For matters like this, one must calculate every possible failure beforehand to ensure absolute safety."

Nangong Ye narrowed her eyes slightly: "You mean my plan isn't thorough enough."

Bu Yuehua's eyebrows curved: "Does that need asking? Otherwise, why would he praise me?"

Oh my goodness...

Xie Jinhuan, cornered by three, suppressed his emotions and explained calmly:

"That's not what I meant. Um... If Xu Guanfu can enter early, we can also think of a way to enter early. Do you have any methods?"

If Nangong Ye and Bu Yuehua had a method, they would have taken the opportunity in summer; why wait until now?

The opportunity at Phoenix Tomb is the extreme concentration of the five-element fire, which cracked the earth's crust, filling the fissure with supreme yang energy; the deeper one goes, the heavier it becomes, until mortal flesh and blood can no longer endure it. Only in winter can one enter; the only difference is that cultivators with higher cultivation possess stronger resistance and can enter somewhat earlier.

The two exchanged glances, clearly having no solution.

Fortunately, Xie Jinhuan hadn't asked the two; the ghost-wife beside him, who was helping to 'stoke the fire', pondered briefly and replied:

"Yes. Go borrow the 'Yin-Yang Ruler', directly suppress the yang, and I, your elder sister, will lead the way. If you run fast enough, you might even make it back in time for the coronation ceremony." The Yin-Yang Ruler is a Danding Sect immortal artifact; its effect is a straightforward, large-scale magic suppression, making it difficult for opponents to draw upon the power of heaven and earth.

Although theoretically it could block the yang fire, an immortal artifact's power also depends on who wields it; Xie Jinhuan holding the Zheng Lun Sword had little power, so wielding the Yin-Yang Ruler would likely be much the same.

Xie Jinhuan pondered slightly, feeling this was indeed a method, and replied:

"The Yin-Yang Ruler might suppress the five-element fire. Let's hurry back to Jingcheng; I will go borrow it and try. If it works, we can depart immediately."

Nangong Ye blinked his eyes, thinking this method might work.

But the Yin-Yang Ruler was a hereditary immortal artifact of the Danding Sect; before the Zhenglun Sword appeared, it was the sole treasure safeguarding the sect, kept by whoever became Zhang Sect—Lu Wu Zhen, when seeking opportunities, dared not "privatize public property."

After all, the Five Elders' Divine Gifts were gone, and another chance might come in the next six decades, but if this thing was lost, it would be gone forever—Lu Wu Zhen would become the Danding Sect's eternal sinner.

"The Yin-Yang Ruler is a sacred object for quelling the Great Calamity of Mortals; the Zhang Sect must carry it even while sleeping. It's probably not easy to lend."

"I'll go ask first—maybe it's possible."

Nangong Ye thought the only way to take it would be to appeal to the Laozhang Sect's favor, so he said nothing more.

Bu Yuehua, seeing her daughter-in-law had a plan, naturally stopped interfering; after all, Nangong Ye could stay behind to sleep with her son-in-law, but she couldn't stay to share the bed—she rose and said:

"I'll go gather more gossip from the Jianghu. You rest and recover your strength. Little Sister, take good care of him—don't scare the poor child."

"?"

Nangong Ye felt his face flush, but dared not show it; after seeing the demoness out the door, he lingered under the eaves, scanning the surroundings until he confirmed she was gone, then returned to the bed and stared at the crying infant, opening his mouth but falling silent.

Xie Jinhuan had been kept warm by his ghost bride; it had been somewhat unbearable, but now he pulled back the covers, sat up, and took her hand:

"Continue. I'm watching—nothing's wrong."

"Sigh…"

Nangong Ye felt that if things went on like this, he'd eventually be caught red-handed by the demoness!

But the deed was half-done—he couldn't just abandon it; half-pushed, half-pulled, he was seated in her lap, lips meeting, robes slipping away…

Then, not long after, he was lifted and carried around…

"Xie Jinhuan! You… you're this injured, and you dare get up?!"

"Rehabilitation exercise. Keep it quiet…"

"Put me down!"

"Hehehe~ This is no longer up to the Evening Heroine…"

…

——

As October approached, the weather had noticeably grown colder.

At dawn, Nai Duo held a sheet of paper, her steps hurried, stirring ripples as she hurried through the corridor to the Princess's boudoir:

"Your Highness~ A new verse has emerged on Changle Street, written specially for Xie Lang: 'Flower shadows sway with wind and moon, willow threads brush water, mist-laden. Jinhuan is like a dream, endless and tender…'"

Inside the main chamber of the boudoir, all wine vessels and entertainment gear had been moved away; in the center hung a bold, swirling character: "Martial," below which stood a lifelike Bai Yu tiger, as if this were the room of a warrior daughter of a martial house.

On the Luo Han couch, Princess Changning had abandoned her usual opulent imperial consort attire, yet she wore no mourning robes—instead, she sat cross-legged in black brocade martial garb, her qi circulating around her, exuding the aura of a veteran martial patriarch.

Nearby, Linghu Qingmo, in a white dress like snow, sat cross-legged in the Zi-Wu mudra, practicing with full concentration.

Hearing Nai Duo's outcry, Princess Changning opened her eyes with slight displeasure:

"Songs of frustrated widows—nothing worth listening to."

Nai Duo rushed into the room, seeing the solemn Princess, and looked bewildered:

"Your Highness, why have you suddenly become so diligent? Didn't you always say balance between work and rest? Play when you play, train when you train…"

Princess Changning had indeed once seized every chance to party, training only an hour or two daily at minimum; her sudden change of heart came from a dream two days prior.

In the dream, she met a white-haired Nangong Xianzi, who said her bone structure was extraordinary, her mind unshakable—a martial prodigy—and thus granted her a share of fortune, but she must repay it later—if she failed, the fortune would be reclaimed.

She had thought it mere fantasy, but upon waking, she discovered two Bai Hu on her body…

One made Jinhuan yearn with longing; the other also made Jinhuan yearn with longing…

Princess Changning had heard of the Jianbing Divine Gifts but never seen one; after all, at most three appeared every six decades, and all birds and beasts across the land competed for them—even those with ancestral inheritance dared not display them. The only known case in the Great Qian was Wei Wu Yi's acquisition while selling hooks to the Western Rong…

Yet such a priceless treasure had fallen onto her head while she slept—if she didn't seize this chance and hold onto it, how could she repay Heaven's favor?

Linghu Qingmo was the same: while asleep, her ancestral ancestor suddenly manifested, granting her a great fortune her own master had never received—and she didn't even have to repay it. These two days, she couldn't sleep, wishing she could be like Xie Jinhuan—a master of time management, splitting each day into eight pieces.

So the two sisters simultaneously changed their ways, training obsessively at home, neglecting meals and sleep—leaving Nai Duo, who had prepared wine, food, and performances, utterly bewildered, secretly thinking: Princess, if you don't need me, I might as well run off with Xie Lang…

Seeing the Princess and Miss Linghu had turned into unmoving Buddhas, Nai Duo grew bored, yet couldn't indulge in wine and revelry herself—she could only sit beside them, practicing too, gazing longingly, waiting for Xie Lang's return.

Then, whether or not the Joyful Buddha had manifested, mere moments later, a maid ran in with news:

"Your Highness, the Prince has entered the capital—and Young Master Xie is with him."

"Oh! Double joy!"

Nai Duo perked up, leaping to her feet and dashing out—then realizing she'd overstepped her station, she hurried back:

"Your Highness, let's hurry to welcome the Prince."

Linghu Qingmo, who had been as calm as still water, instantly lost all focus upon hearing her boyfriend had returned—she rose and began preparing with her friend…

(End of Chapter)