Chang Di must have lied to me. Otherwise, how could Liu Xuanyi still be so energetic after suffering such a severe injury?
He kept me entangled for what felt like ages, until my entire body felt as if it had been drenched in water. I curled up under the covers, not even wanting to move a finger.
Later, he finally turned on the light and carried me to the inner room to wash up.
It was only then that I saw the wound on Liu Xuanyi’s shoulder. The gash stretched from his shoulder all the way to the center of his back, revealing the crimson flesh beneath. Around the wound, tiny transparent crystals seeped out, like fine grains of salt.
My heart ached as I asked, “Didn’t Songyu help treat your injury? Why hasn’t it healed?”
“Songyu came, but I didn’t let her treat me,” Liu Xuanyi explained. “Men and women should maintain boundaries. I’m a married man now, so I should know how to avoid suspicion, shouldn’t I? Besides, I can expel the poison from the Salt Spike myself. It just takes time.”
I carefully touched the wound, my heart filled with indescribable emotions.
Then I remembered the marriage contract and the uncertainty I felt when I left the courtyard earlier. I looked up at him, my gaze serious. “Liu Xuanyi, look at me. Look closely. I am Huai Yan, not Liu Zhen.”
Liu Xuanyi replied firmly, “I know.”
“Is it because of the marriage contract? I can take the initiative to annul it.”
Liu Xuanyi frowned. “Huai Yan, who told you something?”
I shook my head. “It’s just that these past few days, I feel like I’ve been living in a dream. I can’t tell what’s real and what’s not. It makes me uneasy.”
Liu Xuanyi took my hand and pressed it against his chest. “It’s beating. Can you feel it?”
I nodded and murmured, “Mm-hmm.”
“A hundred years ago, it died once,” Liu Xuanyi whispered, kissing the corner of my eye. “Ten years ago, it sensed you and came back to life.”
I didn’t know why, but tears began to fall silently, one by one, only to be kissed away by Liu Xuanyi.
My heart ached so much that I couldn’t speak. Liu Xuanyi pressed my entire body against his chest, as if trying to crush me and embed me into his very bones.
·
The next morning, I was awakened by the sound of an argument outside.
Liu Songyu shouted angrily, “Fifth Brother, are you trying to get yourself killed? Why did you run back here in the middle of the night instead of resting properly in Dragon Locking Valley?”
Liu Xuanyi’s voice was calm. “Keep your voice down. It’s not that serious.”
Immediately after, I heard the sound of a scuffle. I quickly got up, dressed, and went outside.
When Liu Songyu saw me, she glared fiercely. “Troublemaker! Why don’t you sleep until the sun is high in the sky?”
Liu Xuanyi pulled me over, wrapped his arm around my waist, and sat me down on his lap. “My wife can sleep as long as she wants. What’s it to you?”
Liu Songyu stomped her foot in frustration. “She’s not your wife! She doesn’t deserve to be!”
Liu Xuanyi raised an eyebrow. “If she doesn’t deserve it, who does?”
“Only my sister Liu Zhen in the whole world deserves to be my fifth sister-in-law!”
Liu Songyu blurted out, and suddenly, everyone’s expressions changed, as if her words had touched a forbidden topic. Shen Li quickly stepped forward to pull Liu Songyu away, urging her to stop.
I felt inexplicably tense. Liu Xuanyi squeezed my waist gently and said, “Then let me officially announce to all of you: your fifth sister-in-law is Huai Yan. Once we’re done with this busy period, I’ll take her back to the Chang family to hold a proper wedding.”
Liu Songyu stomped her foot angrily and ran out.
I opened my mouth to call her back, but Liu Xuanyi stopped me. “Don’t worry about her. Let’s have breakfast.”
Shen Li served me porridge. Holding my chopsticks, I was preoccupied with thoughts. “Liu Xuanyi, I’ve opened my Heavenly Eye.”
He helped me pick up some dishes. “I know.”
“And I’ve contracted a Yin Artifact.”
“It’s called ‘Shen.’ I helped you contract it. In the future, when you have enough ability, you can control it to serve as your weapon.”
“It helped me once already.”
“What?” His vertical pupils suddenly contracted. Liu Xuanyi asked, “When did that happen?”
I briefly summarized the incident at Sun Mingyue’s house for him.
Liu Xuanyi immediately pressed his fingers against my wrist, carefully checking my pulse. “With your current ability, you’re not yet capable of controlling a Yin Artifact. It probably helped you actively because ‘Shen’ had devoured a large amount of Malevolent Energy. But it swallowed that Infant Spirit and couldn’t digest it, nearly costing you your life.”
I quickly nodded. “Later, it was Songyu who transferred True Qi to me and helped me circulate my energy. That’s how I recovered.”
“That girl Songyu has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. If she’s willing to help you, it means she truly considers you a friend. Sometimes she speaks harshly, but don’t take it to heart.”
As he spoke, Liu Xuanyi bent down and lifted the hem of my pants. He formed a Sword Finger with the two fingers of his right hand, gathering a stream of True Qi at his fingertips.
Immediately after, I saw a mass of black energy rapidly coalesce below my ankle. With a flick of his Sword Finger, Liu Xuanyi pulled out the Infant Spirit.
The Infant Spirit knelt on the ground, baring its teeth with a fierce expression. Liu Xuanyi took out a crystal from his pocket and directly absorbed the Infant Spirit into it.
Then he called Chang Di inside and handed him the crystal.
After Chang Di left, I asked, “You sealed the Infant Spirit in the crystal?”
“Yes.”
Liu Xuanyi checked my pulse again, confirming there were no issues, before continuing. “You currently have almost no cultivation. You can’t absorb such a fierce entity. Let Chang Di store it for you first.”
It was only at this moment that I understood what Liu Songyu meant by ‘greedy enough to swallow an elephant.’
I asked excitedly, “So, even with this mortal body, I can cultivate?”
Liu Xuanyi shook his head. “This physical body limits you. You were able to open your Heavenly Eye because of your constitution and…”
He hesitated, but I quickly realized. “The plum blossom birthmark, right?”
Liu Xuanyi remained silent, tacitly confirming my words.
My mind raced. “After contracting ‘Shen,’ I clearly felt changes in my body. I have a total of 12 plum blossom birthmarks on me. Now, because of ‘Shen,’ one has disappeared. If…”
At this point, I suddenly stopped, somewhat incredulous. “There are 11 more ‘Shen,’ right?”
But then I denied my own statement. “No, to be precise, there should be 12 more.”
Grandmother had said that I was supposed to have 13 plum blossom birthmarks. It was only because she arranged four marriage contracts for me that the 13th birthmark was prevented from appearing, saving my life.
The appearance of ‘Shen’ seemed to have opened my life gate for me.
And Liu Xuanyi had forcibly taken it from Feng Lao, so from the beginning, he knew of its existence and its purpose.
Then, does he also know where the other 12 Plum Blossom Coffin Nails are?
If we find them all…
My eyes lit up with hope as I looked at Liu Xuanyi.
But Liu Xuanyi frowned deeply, clearly regretting having revealed this secret.
After a brief surge of excitement, I quickly calmed down again, thinking of Liu Xuanyi’s injuries.
To help me retrieve ‘Shen,’ he had suffered such severe wounds—and this was only one of them. There were still twelve more!
No matter how high Liu Xuanyi’s cultivation was, he couldn’t withstand this kind of toll…