The mountain path felt shorter on the way back. Chu Ning’er carried the new ceramic bowls like they were gold, walking with big, careful steps. Mo Ran walked right beside her, entirely stable on her feet, though she kept looking down at her shoes with a proud grin.
When we reached the yard, the new bamboo rooms looked bright under the afternoon sun.
"Alright," I said, setting the thick cotton blankets and copper pots onto the central wooden stool. "Let’s get these rooms organized. Xinyang, help Ning’er with her bedding. I’ll hook up the kitchen stuff."
"I can handle my own room, husband," Mo Ran said, puffing out her chest. The moment the word left her mouth, the entire home went silent.
inside the yard, nobody talk. Mo Ran froze mid-step, her arms still holding the blankets. Her eyes went wide as she realized what she had just blurted out. Her face instantly turned a deep, burning red that spread all the way to the tips of her ears. For a proud, cold shadow assassin who had spent weeks snapping at me, calling me that out loud was a massive shock to her own personality.
I stopped what I was doing, my hand holding a copper pot, completely stunned. My jaw went a little slack, and I felt a strange, sudden heat rush up my own neck. I didn’t know where to look, my chest ticking with a sudden, awkward shyness that I hadn’t felt since waking up in this world.
Ye Xinyang’s head snapped toward Mo Ran, her cheeks instantly turning a pretty pink color as she looked between the two of us. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her fingers trembling slightly as she cleared her throat, suddenly very interested in the stitching of her own blue sleeve.
Gu Qinghan, who usually remained perfectly calm, let out a soft gasp. She looked down at the porch floor, her fingers smoothing over her wooden sword case over and over again, her ears turning completely bright red under her long black hair.
"No–I—I mean—!" Mo Ran stammered, her voice squeaking as she tried to backpedal. "I meant Lu Chen! Just Lu Chen! The wood... the wood is slippery!"
Panicking completely under the awkward silence, she turned around to rush into her private room. But in her haste, her foot caught the edge of the water channel.
"Whoa—!" She wobbled, her arms flapping like a wild chicken. Ye Xinyang lunged forward and grabbed her by the back of her dress, pulling her upright just before she face-planted into the ground. The blankets flew out of her hands, landing perfectly over Chu Ning’er’s head, completely burying the little girl.
From inside the blanket pile, a small, muffled voice squeaked, "Sister Mo... your face is redder than the wedding robes."
Mo Ran snatched the blankets off Ning’er, her face completely dark with embarrassment, and ducked into her private room, slamming the bamboo door shut. "Everyone be quiet!" she yelled from inside, making Xinyang and Qinghan burst into soft, shy giggles.
After some time, the house looked like a real home. Each girl had her own private space with a raised bamboo bed frame, a comfortable mattress, and a small window looking out at the mountain slope. The kitchen was clean, with the new copper pots sitting neatly on the fired-clay brick stove. Clean, warm spring water was flowing through the bamboo pipes directly into the basin.
I sat in the central walkway, polishing the silver medallion Lin Xiaoxiao had given me, still feeling a bit awkward about the afternoon.
Gu Qinghan walked out of her room, her steps completely silent. She sat down on the bench right next to me, her long black hair damp from the wash. She didn’t say anything at first; she just leaned her shoulder against mine, her head tilting toward the medal.
"The Lin family token," she said softly, her voice full of a sweet, gentle romance. "The Heavenly Sword Sect uses a very specific type of training for their disciples. Lu Chen... since my eyes can see the light now, I can read the internal flow of weapons again. If we use this token, I can teach you how to track hidden sword strikes."
"You should focus on your own strength first," I said, turning to look at her delicate face. I reached out and gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Her skin felt warm, and she blushed softly, her eyes looking into mine with absolute trust.
"I am focusing on my strength," she whispered, her hand sliding over mine, squeezing my fingers gently. "But my strength belongs to you now... husband." She added the last word in a tiny, breathless whisper, her face blushing before she quickly hid her face against my shoulder.
[ding! investment verified.]
[you provided: private housing decoration & emotional security to your household.]
[triggering 10,000x multiplier...]
[reward received: heart-mind sword technique] (immortal-grade manual) & grand formation flags x4.]
[note: the sword manual allows gu qinghan to cultivate using her ears and spiritual intent, bypassing her old visual style completely. the flags can be planted around the yard to create an invisible shield against external attacks.]
I held the small silk flags in my pocket, my heart ticking with a deep, peaceful warmth as I held her close. Our sanctuary was now fully locked down.
Meanwhile, down in the valley town, the mood was not peaceful. Inside the grand governor’s estate, Young Master Zhao was sitting on a silk sofa, his wrist wrapped in thick bandages. His father, Governor Zhao—a fat man wearing gold rings—was pacing the floor, his face dark with rage.
"A servant boy?" Governor Zhao roared, slamming his fist onto a polished rosewood table. "A field slave from the Ashen Cloud Sect broke my son’s wrist and cracked the fingers of my personal guards in broad daylight?"
"He didn’t even use energy, Father!" Zhou Kang whimpered from the corner of the room. He had snuck into the town to join the conspiracy. "Lu Chen is a freak! He has a magical water wheel, and his crops grew in seven days! Elder Ironwood wants him dead too, but the sect rules protect him as long as his harvest is regular!"
Governor Zhao let out a greasy, underhanded chuckle, his eyes narrowing into slits.
"Sect rules only protect him inside the mountain," the governor smiled maliciously. "Deacon Wu, step forward."
The old clerk from the administration hall stepped out of the shadows, bowing low. "Yes, Excellency?"
"Log a new decree," Governor Zhao ordered, tapping his gold rings against the ledger. "State that the town market is halting all trade with the outer fields of the Ashen Cloud Sect due to ’suspected grain disease.’ If Lu Chen cannot sell his two hundred bags of millet to the town merchants, he cannot pay the autumn tax in gold coins. When the deadline hits next week, he will be a legal criminal. The inner discipline hall will have to arrest him themselves."
Zhou Kang let out a nasty laugh, rubbing his good hand together. "Brilliant, Governor! Without the town market, his golden grain is just worthless grass!"
They all laughed together in the dark room, completely unaware that their little trap was exactly what I needed to trigger my next massive system return.