Chapter 288: The

In the year and a half since the Heavenly Dao Assembly, Yuan Caimei had remained at Danshan, assisting Yuan Chen in wielding the Sacred Artifact.

She walked into the courtyard wearing a purple robe, her figure noticeably slimmer, her waist more delicate than before, exuding the beauty of a frost-blooming lotus.

She arrived in Shengjing at dawn, delivered the elixirs to the Heavenly Book Academy, rested briefly, then went to Ji You's courtyard—only to find him gone.

Later, a gatekeeper disciple sent word that Ji You was staying at Wu Lü Trading House, so she brought her younger brother there.

On the way, she had already anticipated Yan Shuyi would be present, and had mentally prepared herself.

Yan Shuyi felt the same—she knew her fake sister always sought chances to steal attention, having secretly gone to Ji Zhai before—so his arrival didn't surprise her.

Yet though both knew, they pretended not to.

"Sister Caimei has come again?"

"With the New Year approaching, my brother and I came to the Heavenly Book Academy to deliver the elixirs. Knowing the Artifact Master would be here with Young Master Ji, I took the chance to visit."

Ding Yao glanced at her Artifact Master, thinking: You see? Even Miss Yuan knows you're clinging to Young Master—no need to ask, you'd be here.

Yan Shuyi felt like she'd been labeled a jealous woman pining for her lover, and her eyes narrowed.

Wei Rui paused, wondering why there were two sisters, then heard Zhuo Wanqiu whispering softly in her ear.

After delivering Ji You to the Hall of Sages, Yuan Caimei secretly went to Fengzhou—and ran into Yan Shuyi, who hoped the locals would call her "Madam Ji."

The two scheming women spent a day together at Ji Zhai.

During that time, Yan Shuyi always called Yuan Caimei "guest," and offended, Yuan Caimei began calling her "sister."

The only one truly treated as a guest was Yuan Chen.

The daughter of Yu Danzong was older than the Little Artifact Master of Lingjian Mountain; by right, she should be the elder—but calling Yan Shuyi "sister" was her secret wish to join the family.

Yan Shuyi, stiff-faced, called her "sister" just as she once called her "guest"—her possessiveness laid bare.

Yet the Little Artifact Master knew well: alone, she might not hold out—even with Ding Yao, it might not be enough. Yuan Caimei might one day be the one to share the burden, so she held back slightly.

Indeed, in the end, one must still have a strong body!

Ji You rose, fetched stools, and invited the siblings to sit, then studied Yuan Chen and noticed he, too, had grown thin.

"Does Yuan Chen not eat well on the mountain?"

Yuan Caimei looked at Yuan Chen: "My brother struggles to control the Sacred Artifact, so Father withholds his meals…"

Ji You turned to her: "Then why have you lost weight too?"

Yuan Chen immediately spoke up: "Sister scowls all day, gets angry when I fail, refuses to eat, and watches me kneel—Brother-in-law, don't be fooled by her gentle look today."

Yuan Caimei was crafting lanterns with the girls at the table, as naturally as if at home; hearing her brother's complaint, she shot him a cold glance.

Yuan Chen hid behind Ji You, thinking: You're fierce on the mountain, but here? Be careful—you'll get your butt whipped by Brother-in-Law.

On the mountain, Yuan Chen often said he'd let Brother-in-Law whip him when he met Ji You; though he only thought it, Yuan Caimei knew his scheme.

Night fell.

The women crafted lanterns while smoke from the back courtyard curled upward, blending into the pale sky.

Ji You had started cooking, stir-frying cured pork in a wok.

As he cooked, he occasionally heard Yan Shuyi and Yuan Caimei's fake-sister banter.

The proud spirit asked, now that the elixirs had been delivered, would Sister return today or tomorrow?

Yuan Caimei replied: "In answer to Sister's question, the mountain is dull—I plan to stay through the New Year before returning."

Though Yu Danzong didn't cultivate the Dao, years of alchemy grew tedious; Yuan Caimei hadn't left the mountain in a year and a half, and had come to Shengjing hoping for rest.

To be honest, last winter, though her Artifact Master sister watched her with suspicion and she couldn't do anything with Ji You, she'd loved that warm, idle time—except for the incident when they lost her brother at the lantern festival.

Yan Shuyi then casually asked if she had lodging; Yuan Caimei replied the back courtyard of Wu Lü Trading House looked quite spacious.

Thus, as Ji You cooked by the stove, he constantly felt sword qi rise and fall.

Until the hour of Wei, the courtyard gate opened again, and Kuangcheng entered wearing a cotton robe.

Today was unusually lively, and with Wei Rui present, Ji You sent a Wu Lü clerk to invite Kuangcheng to join them.

Kuangcheng entered, surprised to see Wei Rui: "Miss Rui, what are you doing here?"

"I feared Yan Sister truly cut off love, so I came to urge Young Master Ji to be more proactive—only to find her making paper lanterns with him, then begging for praise…"

"Really?"

"Yan Sister is too good at deceiving."

Kuangcheng's lip twitched: "I told you not to worry—but why is Miss Yuan here too?"

Wei Rui lowered her voice: "Same as last time—here for Young Master Ji. Yan Sister's jealous."

Kuangcheng stared at the icy, peerless Yan Xianzi and the murmuring daughter of Yu Danzong, sighing: What a body conquers the world.

He rolled up his sleeves and, like Yuan Chen avoiding the "Two Sisters' War," began helping Ji You.

When dish after dish was ready, Ji You carried them into the room.

At that moment, the Little Artifact Master of Lingjian Mountain rose from the teahouse, her face cold, and followed him in, staring at him for a long while.

Ji You pinched a slice of meat and fed it to Yan Shuyi's moist lips: "Dinner's ready—go wash your hands."

The Little Artifact Master gave him a frosty look, then went obediently to wash.

Yuan Caimei, like Yan Shuyi, rose at Ji You's glance and dipped her hands into the warm water basin.

Dinner unfolded under warm candlelight; though dusk hadn't fully fallen, snow outside the window began falling faster.

Yuan Chen was clearly starving, his chopsticks never still, praising Brother-in-Law's cooking and begging for it daily—everyone turned to look, silently thinking: Foolish boy.

Among them, except Kuangcheng and Wei Rui, he was the only true guest.

After dinner, Yuan Caimei stared at the falling snow, wondering if she could stay—but before she could speak, Yan Shuyi, claiming she had "accidentally run into Rui's lover's friend for dinner," dragged her back to the Wei family's villa.

This time, seeing Yuan Caimei come for Ji You, the Little Artifact Master's jealousy and vigilance were less intense than before.

Last time, she hadn't seen it; this time, she had—she knew it could kill her, and she dared not try, so she assumed Yuan Caimei wouldn't dare either.

Yet she feared Yuan Caimei might dare, so she chose the safe path: took her back.

In the snowy night, Yuan Caimei was assigned a room in the eastern wing of the Wei villa.

The Wei villa used heated floors—fire channels dug beneath the house carried smoke from burning wood to warm the rooms.

In addition, thick wool carpets covered the floors to retain the heat from the channels.

Now, Yan Shuyi and Yuan Caimei sat on the carpet, their snow-white feet facing each other, pink toes like blooming petals.

The scene evoked childhood winters spent together on Lingjian Mountain.

After their body heat from the snow had settled, Yuan Caimei, glancing around the room, suddenly spoke.

"Sister Artifact Master, how did you learn to control the Sacred Artifact?"

Yan Shuyi snapped back to attention, her elegant brow furrowing; after a long pause, she asked: "Has Yuan Chen truly hit a wall?"

Yuan Caimei hesitated, then nodded: "Yuan Chen has tried for over a year, but still cannot awaken the Sacred Artifact. Father is furious—he truly withholds his meals."

The Sacred Artifact is the foundation of any Immortal Sect; it's what separates them from ancient clans.

If Yuan Chen cannot wield it, Yu Danzong may face the same fate as Lingjian Mountain—worse, perhaps, since Yu Danzong doesn't cultivate martial Dao and has no combat strength.

Only I, Father, and Yuan Chen know this—everyone understands: if the Yu Danzong heir cannot control the Sacred Artifact, the consequences will be catastrophic.

But I can tell Yan Shuyi, because in my eyes, we are family.

So Yuan Caimei's words today weren't false—she truly knew Yan Shuyi would cling to Ji You, and came specifically to see her.

"Sister Artifact Master is the only one among this generation of direct disciples to have mastered the Sacred Artifact—I believe you might have a way."

Yan Shuyi, hearing her say "sister" over and over, felt her lashes tremble: "Yu Danzong's alchemy, though rooted in the same origin as the Dao, is fundamentally different. Besides, the Ling Jian awakened me—it's not the same as Yuan Chen's situation now."