The yard was a mess after the carriage left. The wooden rails were broken, and there was a wide hole in the ground where the young master’s blade had struck.
I didn’t waste time worrying about it. I went down to the stream bank and began carrying flat, gray river stones up the slope. They were smooth and heavy, but with the strength in my bones, I could stack three at a time without losing my breath.
"Lu Chen, let us help," Ye Xinyang said, walking out of the house.
She and Mo Ran didn’t wait for my answer. They walked straight to the stream, picked up smaller rocks, and carried them up in their arms. Mo Ran’s steps were completely steady now. Her face was a little red from the exercise, but she was smiling. Even Gu Qinghan came out, using her hands to help line up the rocks into a neat, straight wall along the front border.
By afternoon, the broken wooden fence was gone. In its place was a solid stone wall that looked neat and orderly.
"The yard looks much better now," Xinyang said, wiping her brow with the back of her hand. She looked at me, her eyes full of a soft, quiet affection. "It looks like a place where people actually live, not a slave shack."
"It’s because you all helped," I said, giving her a warm smile.
She blushed softly, looking down at her shoes, a sweet, comfortable romance settling between us as we walked back toward the porch.
When darkness fell, the house became perfectly quiet. I moved the new pine table to the side and brought out the Heavenly Body-Refining Cauldron from my storage ring. It was a simple black pot, no bigger than a kitchen bowl, and it didn’t give off any strange lights.
Chu Ning’er sat on a wooden bench near the stove, her small legs swinging back and forth. Her skin was mostly healthy now, but her wrists still had a faint trace of blue lines from the old frost poison.
"Is that for me, Lu Chen?" she asked, her voice small and curious.
"Yes," I said, sitting down next to her. "The porridge kept you warm, but the illness is still hiding deep inside your bones. We are going to use this pot to melt the last of it away tonight. It won’t hurt, I promise."
I placed three wild ginger roots and a cup of clean spring water into the black pot. I didn’t use fire; I just pressed my palm against the side of the pot, letting the physical heat from my tempered frame move into the metal. Within seconds, the water began to simmer, releasing a sweet, spicy steam that smelled like fresh wood.
I scooped the warm liquid into a white ceramic cup and handed it to her. "Drink it slowly."
Ning’er took the cup, her small fingers warm against the clay. She took a sip, her eyes going wide with surprise. "It tastes like honey and sweet grass! It doesn’t taste like bad medicine at all."
She drank the whole cup down and set it on the table. For a few minutes, she sat perfectly still.
Then, she let out a long, happy sigh. The faint blue lines on her wrists began to fade, disappearing completely into her skin. A deep, natural warmth spread across her cheeks, and she giggled, jumping off the bench and hugging my waist tightly. "My chest doesn’t feel tight anymore! I feel so light, Lu Chen!"
[ding! investment verified.]
[you provided: cauldron refinement & thermal medicine to a high-potential target (chu ning’er).]
[triggering 10,000x multiplier...]
[reward received: nine-tribulations frost mantra (immortal-grade manual) & spirit-stone core x10.]
[note: the mantra allows chu ning’er to convert her old frost illness into pure, lethal ice energy, turning her into a powerful cultivator who can freeze an enemy’s movements instantly!]
I held the small script in my mind, my heart feeling completely steady as I rubbed the little girl’s hair to comfort her.
Mo Ran and Gu Qinghan walked out of their private rooms, their faces full of relief when they saw Ning’er laughing. Mo Ran walked straight up to my side, her shoulder leaning gently against my arm in a comfortable, loving way.
"She’s completely well now," Mo Ran whispered, her voice sweet and filled with an unshakeable love. "You really saved her, Lu Chen."
"We saved her together," I said softly, looking at the four of them standing in the clean room.
The upcoming sect competition was only a few days away, but looking at my wives, I knew we were ready.