Chapter 707: Side Story 2: The Art of Taming a Husband

At that moment, time seemed to congeal, and a deathly silence fell over the entire Wangchuan River.

The azure hawks circling me hovered in midair.

In the river, those who had wanted to take advantage of the chaos to sneak attack me all shrank back.

Yu Nian stood at the bow, nervously watching me.

The demon core slid down my throat, a wave of icy chill spreading through my limbs, making my whole body tremble… from the cold.

Immediately, strands of dark qi seeped out from my seven apertures, and the chill throughout my body vanished completely.

I let out a small burp.

Yu Nian laughed.

She lifted her foot and stomped hard; after the bow dipped, she pushed the pole into the water to the side, and the whole boat began to turn.

Yu Nian's great commotion startled the azure hawks I had just subdued; they woke up abruptly, as if receiving some command, and swarmed toward me in a diving attack.

They hoped to take me down in one fell swoop, otherwise they might end up like that hawk just now.

Just now I tore apart an azure hawk and devoured its demon core, enraging them; thus their murderous gazes now all fell on me, completely ignoring Yu Nian.

Yu Nian not only has a ferry boat and cultivation, she also holds a Thousand Soul Banner in her hand.

She was fully capable of fighting off those azure hawks, yet she did not act; instead she rocked the ferry boat, coordinating with my actions.

When the boat turned opposite the direction the hawks were circling, I already understood why Yu Nian had brought me onto the ferry boat—perhaps she had been waiting for this very moment.

She was testing me.

I no longer had the energy to wonder why Yu Nian was testing me, or what exactly she was testing.

Instinctively I matched the frequency of her ferry boat's motion, repeatedly striking out ghost fire.

Soon, in a gap as the boat swung its tail, I found myself face‑to‑face with an azure hawk that hadn't had time to turn.

I raised a hand and precisely grabbed its wing.

Gripping tight, tearing, pushing out the demon core, and swallowing it in one gulp.

The whole process flowed smoothly.

The next moment, Yu Nian turned the ferry boat, and I faced the next azure hawk… over and over, we worked together in perfect sync.

When I swallowed the sixth azure hawk's demon core, a layer of dark qi coiled around my whole body like a devil from hell, keeping others at bay.

The flock of azure hawks grew timid, and in the blink of an eye they retreated from the place where water and sky meet.

Yu Nian steadied the ferry boat, still standing firmly at the bow, and asked, 'Wanwan, how do you feel? Can you hold on?'

I did not answer Yu Nian, because…

The instant her words fell, I collapsed straight into the cabin.

Being a Soul Body, I myself made no loud sound, but the dark qi around me surged, causing the ferry boat to rock violently left and right, kicking up a large wave.

Yu Nian cried out, 'Wanwan, are you all right?'

I wanted to reply to her, I'm fine.

But I couldn't.

Earlier I swallowed the demon cores too quickly; the yin-sha qi of the six demon cores stagnated in my body, unable to be transformed or expelled, making my entire Soul Body feel as if it were about to burst.

Yu Nian guessed what was happening; she did not come forward to check, but instead piloted the ferry boat back.

"Fu Wan… Wanwan…"

The ferry boat headed back; behind, at the place where water and sky meet, that calling voice appeared again.

It was clearly Zhao Zixun's voice!

Again and again, it seemed to want to hook my soul away.

I very much wanted to sit up, to float over and see whether it was truly Zhao Zixun's soul!

Before I had only dreamed of it; now hearing Zhao Zixun's voice with my own ears, I could hardly stay calm.

I struggled several times, but my Soul Body was enveloped by the yin-sha qi of those demon cores; before I could fully digest them, I simply could not float.

I lay in the cabin, my consciousness in chaos, when suddenly I sensed that another person had appeared on the ferry boat.

As soon as that person appeared, the voice calling me vanished.

Even the yin-sha qi expelled from my Soul Body dissipated instantly.

I frowned. Who was it?

"Ah Nian, that stretch of water ahead is not within your ferry's jurisdiction; trespassing into another's domain will bring accountability."

"I have not crossed the boundary, so I will not be held accountable."

"But you have disturbed that stretch of water; if one wishes to accuse you, there is no lack of excuse."

I pricked up my ears to listen.

It turned out to be the City God Lord Wang Fuchen who had arrived.

The City God Lord and Yu Nian are a couple; over the past year or more I have heard many little love stories between them.

Regardless of whether there is any fictional element, we have been fed so much sweetness that we are getting a bit sick of it.

I never expected the City God Lord to show up now.

Could this be… implicating Yu Nian?

I never expected Yu Nian to be indifferent; she countered, 'You'll help me argue forcefully with reason, right?'

Wang Fuchen stared for a moment, his tone softening considerably: 'Of course, with me here, even if you cross a bit of the boundary it's fine… but… Ah Nian, you must promise there won't be a next time.'

Yu Nian, however, gave Wang Fuchen no face: 'I can't guarantee that; I'll still have to go soon.'

Wang Fuchen: ……

Silence.

After a while, Wang Fuchen's voice sounded again: 'Must go? No room for negotiation?'

Yu Nian: "Mm."

Wang Fanchen hissed, then actually compromised: "Before we go next time, could you first let me in on the plan? I'll accompany you..."

"No." Yu Nian refused without thinking, "I am a ferryman, entrusted by others to fulfill their duties; this is what I must do. Once you get involved, the whole nature of the matter changes, Wang Fanchen. I don't need you to mindlessly sacrifice for me; I only borrow your City God Lord's title to throw my weight around a little outside, and that's enough."

Wang Fanchen's tone softened: "I'm willing to go through fire and water for you."

"Unnecessary." Yu Nian said, "But if I really get into trouble, you'll have to clean up the mess for me."

Wang Fanchen relaxed: "Good."

……

The ferry glided slowly on the Wangchuan River, the two exchanged words at the bow, and I lay in the cabin feeling my cheeks flush.

"Well... it might not be a literal flush, but rather a psychological illusion."

I noticed that whenever Yu Nian refused Wang Fanchen, she did so cleanly, but right after refusing she would immediately give him a way out.

Wang Fanchen laps up that approach; given a step down, he'll take it, all clingy and affectionate, totally unlike the Qìchǎng he normally exudes.

At this moment I really started believing those little love stories about the two that circulate in the gossip.

Yu Nian... truly has the skill to manage a husband.

No wonder that in just over a year, the calls for a City God Lady at the Chenghuang Temple have become so loud.

Who could withstand Yu Nian's soft‑blade tactics?

Moreover, Wang Fanchen already loves Yu Nian to death.

If I were Wang Fanchen, I'd also hate to not immediately coax her into the Chenghuang Temple and keep her close.

But on second thought, if Wang Fanchen truly dared to imprison Yu Nian, his love would also have changed its flavor.

So he worries about Yu Nian on one hand, yet unconditionally compromises on the other.

Even cleaning up Yu Nian's mess has become something that makes him happy.

This is love…