The scene was truly too bizarre. Xiao Yanyi gave Xin Rong a feeling of being extremely unstable and unfathomable.
Xin Rong took a deep breath, held it, and quietly took a step back without making a sound.
Xiao Yanyi did not look back. She simply stood by the bed, as if waiting for Chi Wei to suddenly come back to life.
But in the next instant, Xin Rong’s body was thrown backward by a massive force, pinning her firmly against the wall behind her. An invisible force locked around her throat, tightening slowly bit by bit. Her face turned a deep purple, her hands clawed uselessly at the air, and her legs kicked wildly in the void.
“Heh, heh,” her throat made a hoarse, rattling sound.
“Wait! She said she can save Chi Wei!” Xiao Tan suddenly spoke up.
The suffocating force vanished, and Xin Rong slumped to the ground. No sooner had she landed than an invisible force dragged her to the bedside.
She knelt by the bed, gasping for breath, her eyes meeting Chi Wei’s blood-stained face and vacant gaze.
She knew Xiao Tan was trying to save her out of kindness, but she had never actually said she could bring Chi Wei back to life!
At the same time, her mind was racing frantically. She knew Xiao Yanyi would not give her much time to think; out of the corner of her eye, she saw Xiao Yanyi’s fingertips trembling slightly.
Xin Rong’s heart leaped. “After a person dies, there are three souls, divided into the Heaven, Earth, and Human souls. One soul goes to heaven, one goes to the earth,” she did not know what to do and could only babble nonsense.
“Enough nonsense,” Xiao Yanyi said. Xin Rong could hear that Xiao Yanyi’s voice seemed a bit choked with emotion.
At that moment, she suddenly remembered a book she had accidentally seen years ago while accompanying Priest Qing Jue to exorcise demons.
“She died and cannot fuse with that demon core, but you can help her. Forcefully aggregate her three souls and seven spirits before they dissipate. Your magic seems very powerful, much stronger than my master’s,” she got halfway through before remembering Xiao Yanyi forbade nonsense. “But after the fusion, how much of her will be human and how much will be demon?”
Again, before she could finish, the door swung open and shut, and she was thrown out by Xiao Yanyi. She landed on the ground, her internal organs aching. She gazed up at the blue sky, feeling a wave of regret. She should never have been so restless as to come out for training alone.
Inside, the door was tightly shut, and the room grew dim.
Xiao Yanyi knelt by the bed and raised her hand to set up an invisible barrier. She could not see how the souls and spirits were drifting away; she could only use this method to try and lock Chi Wei’s fading life force within this square inch of space.
When her fingertips touched Chi Wei’s cheek, her hand shook violently. There was not a trace of color on that face; the lips were ashen, and not even the slightest rise or fall of breath could be found. Xiao Yanyi gazed at her, suddenly feeling the surrounding silence was terrifying, as if she had been stripped away from the entire world, leaving only this gradually cooling shell and a heart that was sinking.
She lowered her head and gently kissed those cold lips.
That snake demon’s cultivation was too shallow, and the spiritual energy in its core was meager. But it would be different if she added her own.
A point of reddish gold light, warm and scorching, slowly passed from her lips into Chi Wei’s lifeless body.
An hour later, the bedroom door opened from the inside. Xiao Yanyi stood at the threshold, expressionless.
Xin Rong finally felt she could move. She sat up, saw Xiao Yanyi’s face, felt a chill in her heart, and knelt again.
Xiao Tan was trembling with nerves. She did not dare to ask anything, nor did she dare to speak out of turn to plead for Xin Rong. She had stolen some of Xin Rong’s money to buy roasted chicken before; she considered this debt repaid today.
Fearing that Xin Rong’s death would be too messy and splash blood on her, Xiao Tan moved aside inconspicuously amidst her sadness.
There was no movement for a long time. Xiao Yanyi remained silent, and Xin Rong was trembling so hard she felt her nerves were at their breaking point. She had an impulse to scream: “If you want to kill me, just do it and make it quick!”
Xiao Yanyi asked, “Is your medical skill very exquisite?”
Xin Rong opened her mouth slightly. “It is,” her tone dropped quickly. “Extremely exquisite! My master said I am a medical talent seen once in ten, no, a hundred years!”
“And your magic?”
“What?”
Xiao Yanyi showed signs of impatience. Xin Rong hurriedly said, “Powerful, powerful, extremely powerful!”
Xiao Yanyi narrowed her eyes slightly. Xin Rong changed her tune: “Not as good as Miss Xiao, but I am among the best of my peers. My master has always trained me as a successor.”
“Go in and see her.” Xiao Yanyi turned around, and Xin Rong scrambled to follow.
Back in the room, Xin Rong maintained a distance of three steps behind Xiao Yanyi. Only when they reached the bedside did she bow her head and move forward two steps.
In truth, she usually only handled external wounds from fights for her fellow sisters; she knew nothing of internal injuries. But to survive, she could only brag about her abilities.
With Xiao Yanyi standing beside her, the hand hidden in her sleeve shook violently. She did not dare make a single unnecessary movement as she placed her hand gently on Chi Wei’s pulse.
How could a dead person have a pulse? She did not believe the words she had blurted out in a moment of desperation could truly save Chi Wei.
Just as she was feeling foolish, the pulse beneath her wrist suddenly gave a powerful throb, but only once before returning to silence.
Xin Rong’s eyelids jumped. Following that, Chi Wei, who was supposed to be dead, suddenly pulled her hand back, scratched her chin, and rolled over with a blanket in her arms, breathing evenly.
Xiao Yanyi’s breath hitched. “How, how is she? Is she alive?”
If this was not considered alive, then no one was.
Returning from the dead, Xin Rong was stunned for a moment and almost forgot to answer.
“Alive, she is alive,” probably.
“Go out. Prepare some medicine to nourish her body.” Xiao Yanyi’s fingertips trembled as she spoke, gripping the corner of her robe tightly.
“As, as you command.” Xin Rong retreated a few steps and left the room with shaking legs, accompanied by Xiao Tan.
The moment she stepped out, Xiao Tan wept with joy. Choking back sobs, she said, “This is great. It is good that she is alive. I did not expect you to know how to take a pulse and treat illnesses, Priest Xin.”
Turning around, Xin Rong knelt before her, cupped her hands, and pleaded in a low voice, “I only know how to tell if a pulse is beating or not. Miss Xiao Tan, can I beg you to find me some medical books? The more, the better!”
Xiao Tan said nothing.
Chi Wei felt as if she had taken an exceptionally long and comfortable afternoon nap. When she woke, the sky was completely dark, and the room was pitch black without any lights.
Someone was holding her hand. She squeezed the palm and guessed it was Xiao Yanyi’s hand, cool with long, slender fingers.
She assumed Xiao Yanyi had returned to save her, but strangely, she did not feel any pain at the wound.
It was odd. But as long as everything was fine, it did not matter.
She followed Xiao Yanyi’s hand and slowly felt upward: arm, shoulder, and finally resting on Xiao Yanyi’s face.
Suddenly, Xiao Yanyi moved.
She grasped the hand Chi Wei had placed on her face, rose slightly, and pinned Chi Wei beneath her.
“You are awake?” Xiao Yanyi’s voice was so gentle it made one’s bones go soft.
Chi Wei nodded. “This sleep was so long; it is already dark.” Perhaps because it was too dark in the room, she still could not see Xiao Yanyi’s face clearly. “I am not blind again, am I? Why can I see nothing?”
“Do not talk nonsense.” Xiao Yanyi lowered her head and kissed Chi Wei’s lips with precision. She kissed passionately, her palm firmly cupping the back of Chi Wei’s head, making it difficult for Chi Wei to catch her breath.
But it was also very comfortable. A warm current seemed to flow slowly through her lower abdomen. She could not help but stroke Xiao Yanyi’s back, her grip slowly tightening, unable to let go.
Her whole body felt intensely hot, so hot that she wanted to remove all obstacles.
A slight sting on her lips occurred as she was bitten by Xiao Yanyi. Xiao Yanyi propped herself up by Chi Wei’s shoulders and rose.
A cool sensation followed as Xiao Yanyi felt her wound.
“Does it still hurt?”
Chi Wei wanted to say it did not hurt. She now felt an uncontrollable possessiveness toward Xiao Yanyi. In an instant, she seemed to understand what Xiao Yanyi meant by the heat period.
But the wound was not healed. When Xiao Yanyi’s fingertip lightly brushed it, her lower abdomen tightened with pain, and she did not dare make any further movements.
She lay back on the bed in frustration. “Sss, it hurts!”
The weight on her vanished, and a small candlelight finally lit up the room.
Xiao Yanyi held a candle, lifted the curtain, and walked in. Chi Wei pulled her clothes together, revealing only the wound on her abdomen. The wound seemed very serious, wrapped in many layers of gauze.
“Is it time to change the dressing?”
Xiao Yanyi nodded, placed the candle on the table, and summoned someone to find Xin Rong.
“Why is Priest Xin in the manor?” Chi Wei looked up in confusion.
“I hired her to be your dedicated physician,” Xiao Yanyi said casually, staring only at the wound.
“It is truly a coincidence. Her sect seems very powerful. How much do you pay her a month?” Although Chi Wei did not earn the money, she inexplicably wanted to save money for Xiao Yanyi. She felt she did not need a dedicated physician; it sounded like the behavior of a wealthy family.
“Not much silver.”
As they spoke, Xin Rong entered carrying a medicine box. After exchanging pleasantries, Chi Wei felt this person had become much more distant.
Xin Rong went through the motions of an inspection and replaced the herbs on Chi Wei’s waist wound. After finishing, she stood by the bed, drenched in sweat.
“It does not seem very hot in this room. Why is Priest Xin sweating so much? Are you feeling unwell?” Chi Wei smiled. Wherever Xiao Yanyi was, it was never very hot.
“No, it is nothing. I am just naturally afraid of the heat.” Xin Rong stole a cautious glance at Xiao Yanyi and hurriedly wiped the sweat with her sleeve.
Chi Wei said, “Actually, I feel that having Priest Xin as my dedicated physician is a bit of a waste of talent.” She thought that since A-Yan was a demon, it would be troublesome if Xin Rong discovered it and told her sect.
Xiao Yanyi gave Chi Wei a light smile and nodded slightly. “Alright.”
Hearing this, Xin Rong nearly knelt on the floor, her stuttering becoming worse. “No, no, no! It is not a waste of talent at all! I am very happy to serve you and your wife.”
Chi Wei offered an apologetic smile. “But I still feel,”
“Please do not feel that way. I am truly doing very well.” Xin Rong gritted her teeth and hurriedly interrupted her.
Both their gazes were now fixed on Chi Wei. With just one word, she could decide Xin Rong’s fate: stay or leave, even life or death.
Chi Wei looked at Xin Rong. Seeing her Taoist robe stained with dust and a faint, dark bloodstain on her chest, likely left over from her previous peril, she thought of the woman’s ultimate role as her lifesaver. Her heart softened.
“Then I shall trouble the Priest.” Her voice was gentle but maintained a certain distance. “You are my savior; I should not have troubled you further.”
“It is no trouble, no trouble at all!” Xin Rong replied repeatedly.
Xiao Yanyi nodded imperceptibly. Xin Rong immediately picked up her medicine box, bowed, and retreated from the room.
“Priest Xin truly has a kind heart. She has saved my life twice; I do not know how to repay her.” Chi Wei thought of the blood on Xin Rong’s clothes. “But her clothes are covered in blood; she looks quite miserable. A-Yan, remember to have someone send her some clean clothes. If she has any difficulties, help her if you can.”
Xiao Yanyi nodded in agreement and helped Chi Wei lie back on the bed. “Do you have any discomfort?”
“My stomach feels hot; it is a bit uncomfortable. Other than that, everything is fine.”
Xiao Yanyi’s eyes grew dark. She lay down beside Chi Wei and placed her palm gently over her abdomen. Chi Wei closed her eyes slightly; even though Xiao Yanyi did nothing, she felt much better.
Before falling asleep, Chi Wei looked at Xiao Yanyi sideways. She felt the other woman’s features were incredibly gentle, showing more softness than usual, though her brow was still slightly furrowed.
Knowing she was worried about her injury, Chi Wei lightly tapped the space between Xiao Yanyi’s eyebrows and comforted her softly. “I am fine, A-Yan. That snake demon escaped; is there any news from Cha Shiyu? Are they alright?”
“I went to see Cha Shiyu today. No one was found.”
No one found, and no one came here. Captain Cha had likely met with disaster.
Chi Wei sighed softly, tucked a stray lock of hair behind Xiao Yanyi’s ear, and held her hand. “You worked hard today. Rest early.”
Xiao Yanyi nodded. Not content with just holding hands, she leaned forward, drew Chi Wei into her arms, and only then closed her eyes in peace.
Before long, the sound of Xiao Yanyi’s steady breathing reached her ears. Chi Wei opened her eyes, her forehead covered in cold sweat. Her abdomen was aching severely, as if two balls of fire were burning inside her, raging and scurrying through her body.
Not wanting to disturb Xiao Yanyi again, she endured the pain and tried to get up. But as soon as she moved slightly, Xiao Yanyi hugged her tighter, and her ankle was firmly entwined by Xiao Yanyi’s snake tail.
She turned her head to look at the close up Xiao Yanyi, thinking she was awake. However, Xiao Yanyi’s eyes remained closed and her red lips were slightly parted; she was clearly exhausted and sleeping soundly.
Chi Wei had no choice but to lie back down.
“Chi Wei, I will ask you one more time,”
What? Chi Wei looked at Xiao Yanyi in confusion; she was talking in her sleep.
“Are you going to follow me or not,”
It seemed Xiao Yanyi was truly exhausted today, but she was so cute even in her sleep. On one hand, she was making threats, and on the other, her snake tail was holding her in a death grip.
“Sss,”
She felt like her ankle was about to be crushed.
Chi Wei hurriedly pleaded in a low voice to the sleeping woman, “I’ll go, I’ll go. I will go wherever you say, is that not enough?”
Upon hearing this, a trace of a smile appeared on Xiao Yanyi’s face. Even the snake tail coiling around her loosened slightly, and the tip of the tail lightly brushed the inside of her calf.
Finally, Chi Wei found a second disadvantage to having a wife who is a demon: her strength was too great, and even a subconscious movement could cost Chi Wei her life.
As for the first disadvantage, Chi Wei touched the side of her neck. It was that Xiao Yanyi still had the habits of a predator and always liked to bite her neck, like a little wild beast protecting its food.
Yet, it was extremely endearing.
Chi Wei studied Xiao Yanyi by the faint light. She saw a glimmer of tears reflect off the smiling face, making her heart tighten.
What kind of nightmare was she having? Why was she crying?
She had never seen Xiao Yanyi cry.
Chi Wei lowered her head and gently kissed away the tears on Xiao Yanyi’s face, comforting her softly. “A-Yan, be good. Do not cry. I will stay by your side forever.”
The days passed one by one. In the blink of an eye, they had stayed in this town for half a month, and Chi Wei’s health gradually improved.
During the day, she either sat at the courtyard gate chatting with Xiao Tan and the village aunties while sunbathing, or she played chess and drank tea with Xin Rong.
But most of the time, she stayed with Xiao Yanyi. She would lie in her wife’s arms, on her lap, or on her tail, reading books or napping. Since being injured, her body had become even weaker.
But life was absolutely delightful.
Except for one thing!
And that was that the new housekeeper seemed a bit strange.
“Chi Wei, you be the judge. Tell me, is my daughter not lazy and unambitious? All she knows is to sleep in bed all day and night. She does not look for a decent job, and she does not start a family. What is wrong with me kicking her out?”
By the stone lions at the entrance of the Xiao manor, a row of aunties was sunbathing. Auntie Wang’s voice was particularly loud as she complained to Chi Wei about her daughter’s various faults.
But Chi Wei did not hear a word of it. From a distance, she saw Xiao Yanyi getting out of a carriage. Just as she was about to step forward, the housekeeper, Wen Qingwu, rushed out from the gate like a gust of wind, beating her to it and helping Xiao Yanyi down.
Remembering Xiao Tan’s words from half a month ago that Xiao Yanyi was quite satisfied with this new housekeeper, Chi Wei felt a hint of sourness in her heart.
This Wen Qingwu was definitely not right!
She dumped the melon seeds in her hand into Xin Rong’s open palm, wiped her hands carelessly on her clothes, and walked straight toward Xiao Yanyi.
Xin Rong’s face darkened, and she tossed the melon seeds onto the grass behind her.
Auntie Wang beside her clicked her tongue. “Priest Xin, if you are not eating, do not waste food. I heard you are a Taoist; can you calculate when my daughter will finally make something of herself and buy me a gold bracelet to wear?”
Hearing the commotion behind her, Chi Wei could not help but laugh. These aunties gathered here every day, and whenever they saw Xin Rong, they would inevitably pester her for a fortune reading. Three times a day was not enough for them; no matter what they chatted about, it always ended up on fortune telling.
“What are you laughing at? Why are you so happy?” Xiao Yanyi looked at the approaching Chi Wei with a smile.
Wen Qingwu was by her side, whispering something. Seeing Chi Wei approach, she suddenly stopped and only gave her a slight smile.
The smile on Chi Wei’s face stiffened slightly. Instead of walking beside Xiao Yanyi, she stepped directly between the two, gently nudging Wen Qingwu aside. She placed her arm behind Xiao Yanyi’s waist, and Xiao Yanyi naturally leaned into her embrace.
“It is nothing. Auntie Wang is pestering Priest Xin for a reading again.”
Xiao Yanyi raised her eyebrows. She could never understand this new hobby shared by Chi Wei and Xiao Tan. She thought that after losing her memory, Chi Wei would still be like before, working from dawn to dusk, either practicing or studying. Who knew her greatest interest now was flipping through miscellaneous books and listening to the local old ladies gossip?
“Is her family’s pig about to have piglets again, or did the dog vomit?”
Chi Wei shook her head. Xiao Yanyi’s eyes widened slightly, and she gave a small “oh.” “Then Xiao Tao must have run away from home again.” Xiao Tao was Auntie Wang’s daughter, the same age as Chi Wei, but far more troublesome.
“Shh, do not say it out loud,” Chi Wei nodded and led her toward the gate, her arm around the woman’s waist. As she passed Wen Qingwu, she puffed out her chest. Looking out of the corner of her eye, the woman was not as tall as her, not as pretty as her, and certainly not as good at making A-Yan happy.
Xiao Tan was sitting on a stone lion at the gate cracking melon seeds, staring intently as Auntie Wang had her fortune read by Xin Rong. As Xiao Yanyi walked past, she shook her head. “Time to go back and eat, Xiao Tan.”
Xiao Tan was so engrossed that she waved her hand repeatedly, signaling Xiao Yanyi not to disturb her.
“Your daughter’s appetite for trouble is too strong, and she has too many bad romances. This time, I am afraid she was not kicked out by you; she ran away on her own again.” Xin Rong’s gaze was fixed; she had repeated the same words countless times. If Xiao Yanyi had not insisted she watch over Chi Wei and Xiao Tan like children, why would she suffer this?
Auntie Wang playfully punched Xin Rong, but the force sent her reeling back. “Oh! Priest Xin is right again. You are truly divine!”
The surrounding aunties immediately swarmed around, shouting praises and trapping Xin Rong in the crowd.
They stepped over the threshold of the main gate.
Chi Wei asked, “A-Yan, do you think fortune telling is actually accurate?”
“You watch Xin Rong read for them all day, and you still ask me?” Xiao Yanyi looked back and laughed at her.
“She is sometimes accurate and sometimes not; I cannot say for sure.” Chi Wei scratched her head. “But she looked at your face and said you have many peach blossoms. Do you think that is accurate?” She stole a glance at Wen Qingwu, trying to find a flaw in her so she could fire her immediately!
Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Xiao Yanyi stopped in her tracks. She frowned slightly and stared at her. “Why do you ask this? What nonsense did she say?”
Sensing Xiao Yanyi’s tone was wrong, Chi Wei immediately looked away and changed her tune. “Nothing, it was nothing. She just told me to cherish you properly because you have many romances and are easily targeted by others,” she became more guilty as she spoke, fearing Xiao Yanyi would actually go confront Xin Rong. She quickly grabbed the woman’s sleeve and pulled her inside.
There were no romances; it was all made up by Chi Wei on the spot. She had indeed asked Xin Rong, but whenever Xiao Yanyi was involved, Xin Rong would keep her mouth shut and refuse to reveal a single word no matter how much she was pressed.
“She told you to cherish me?” The corners of Xiao Yanyi’s mouth lifted. She had not expected Xin Rong to say such a thing. The tips of her ears turned slightly red, and she cleared her throat. “Well, thinking about it that way, she was not wrong. I do seem to have quite a few romances.”
“Huh? Who?” Chi Wei was just talking nonsense, but she did not expect to actually bait out an answer. She was stunned and glared fiercely at Wen Qingwu. Wen Qingwu knew Chi Wei did not seem to like her; seeing that there was no chance to report the manor’s accounts today, she bowed and retreated.
“It was a senior sister I met years ago while studying magic at Penglai. She intended to practice dual cultivation with me and pestered me for many years.” Seeing Chi Wei getting nervous and jealous for her after so long, a secret sweetness rose in Xiao Yanyi’s heart.
Forgetting to ask about Penglai magic, Chi Wei asked urgently, “Dual cultivation? What is that?”
“It is,” Xiao Yanyi raised her eyebrows and whispered a sentence into Chi Wei’s ear. Chi Wei’s face instantly flushed crimson.
“What? Shameless! Indecent! Despicable! Disgusting! How can there be such, such a shameless person? That is not cultivation at all; it is clearly,” she lowered her voice, her voice trembling with anger, “it is taking advantage of you!”
Xiao Yanyi stood straight and pretended to think. “Not necessarily. In the path of cultivation, such things are actually not rare.”
“Common?!”
“Then did you agree?”
“Take a guess?” Xiao Yanyi’s eyes were full of smiles as she turned toward the back residence. “Actually, dual cultivation yields twice the result with half the effort; it might not be a bad thing. And there is no need to invest too much emotion.”
Chi Wei hurriedly lifted her skirt and chased after her. “Did you agree or not? Tell me clearly!”
“Did you not say we have been deeply in love since childhood? Then you must have rejected her, right?”
“It was all for the sake of cultivation. Do not get jealous if I tell you.” The two walked into the bedroom. Once the door was closed, Xiao Yanyi looked at the fuming Chi Wei with a smile.
“You, you, you!” Hearing Xiao Yanyi tell her not to be jealous, Chi Wei felt her vision go dark. Having already guessed the result, she was suddenly both angry and anxious, her eyes turning red. “Do not say it. Just pretend I never asked.”