Vermilion cinnabar traced intricate spirit patterns onto the talisman paper. Yin Zhuo pinched the paper between his fingers, his beard trembling as he chanted an incantation.
“Disciple, hurry to Huaihua Village and guard the body of extreme yin!”
“Go!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the message talisman instantly transformed into a small yellow bird and flew out through the gap in the window.
Yin Zhuo leaned back in his chair, panting heavily, his eyes shadowed with gloom.
Who had meddled and ruined his Yin Gathering Array?
He had been just days away from executing his plan, yet now, at this critical moment, the backlash from the array had injured him.
Yin Zhuo closed his eyes briefly. It seemed he would have to take another risk.
Slowly rising, he walked to the storage shelf and turned a white vase. The shelf parted, revealing a stone door that swung inward.
A chilling aura instantly swept through the room, but Yin Zhuo showed no fear.
…
Shen Mingshu slept until morning. When she slowly opened her eyes, she saw someone sitting against the headboard, and she was clutching their hand.
Her blurred vision gradually sharpened, and she realized the person beside her wasn’t Yun Niang but Pei Jingheng.
Her face burned with embarrassment, and she quickly pushed his hand away from her chest.
She had actually held his hand against her chest all night…
Pei Jingheng slowly opened his eyes, tilting his head to look at her with half-lidded eyes. “You’re awake. Feeling better?”
His voice, usually cold and sharp, was slightly hoarse from sleep, carrying an unexpected gentleness.
Shen Mingshu sat up awkwardly. “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I was holding your hand again…”
Pei Jingheng arched an ink-black brow, his voice regaining its usual icy tone, though with a faint hint of amusement. “Perhaps it’s because of the destined marriage you mentioned.”
Shen Mingshu bit her lip and said nothing.
She knew she had clung to him because of the purple dragon qi surrounding him.
But she didn’t dare say it aloud, afraid Pei Jingheng would never let her near him again.
After all, he surely knew how crucial that purple dragon qi was to him.
Pei Jingheng shifted slightly, only to find half his body numb. “Miss Shen, you held my hand so tightly last night that I couldn’t leave. Now my side is sore and numb, would you mind massaging it for me?”
“Of course!” Shen Mingshu nodded quickly, reaching out to gently knead his shoulder and arm.
Pei Jingheng pressed his lips together slightly, his long lashes lowering to veil his dark eyes, and the flicker of delight within them.
His instincts had been right. Every time she touched him, the discomfort in his body eased slightly.
Master Qing Xuan had told him that this discomfort stemmed from the overwhelming death qi in his body, making him feel perpetually weighed down.
Yet this girl before him could actually dissolve the death qi within him.
If he kept her by his side, holding her hand every day, the death qi in his body would surely be completely purified.
She truly was his destined marriage.
Yun Niang entered with a steaming bowl of medicine. “Shenshen, you’re awake! I stayed with you all night, this medicine’s been reheated three times already.”
Shen Mingshu immediately stopped massaging Pei Jingheng, her cheeks flushing. “Mother… you were here last night too?”
Then she must have seen her clutching a man’s hand to her chest…
Yun Niang gave Pei Jingheng an apologetic look. “I’m so sorry for the trouble, Young Master Pei. My Shenshen must have inconvenienced you, you couldn’t have rested well. Why don’t you go to the next room and sleep for a while?”
“Very well,” Pei Jingheng responded indifferently and stood up to leave.
Yun Niang quickly handed over the medicine. “Drink it quickly! You vomited so much blood last night, you scared me half to death!”
Shen Mingshu frowned as she held the bowl of medicine and forced herself to drink the bitter concoction, boiled three times over.
Once she finished, Yun Niang lowered her voice and asked, “What’s gotten into you, child? Why do you always cling to Young Master Pei whenever you faint? I tried to pry your hands loose but was afraid of hurting you, I could only stand there helpless!”
“You’re sixteen now. You must understand the boundaries between men and women. How could you grab someone’s hand and pull it to your chest? Thankfully, Young Master Pei is a gentleman, he neither looked nor acted improperly. Otherwise, how could I, alone, have fought off two men?”
Shen Mingshu’s ears burned red as she whispered, “I don’t know either… Maybe it’s because he and I are bound by fate…”
Yun Niang sighed softly. “Even if the heavens arranged it, you should at least have a formal betrothal first. How can things be so unclear like this?”
“Mother, I’m hungry,” Shen Mingshu interrupted, cutting off her nagging. Talk of betrothals was far too premature.
Yun Niang immediately relented. “Alright, I’ll make you a bowl of egg noodles.”
Shen Mingshu went to the courtyard to stretch her limbs. Without the Yin-gathering array, the sunlight felt much warmer than before.
A voice called from the gate, “Mingshu, dear!”
Squinting, Shen Mingshu saw Aunt Zhang peering through the crack in the door.
She opened it and asked, “Aunt Zhang, is something the matter?”
“Mingshu, I’ve brought you two chickens. Have your mother stew them for you, it’ll help you recover!”
With that, she tossed the two chickens inside.
Shen Mingshu quickly protested, “Aunt Zhang, we don’t need them!”
Aunt Zhang grinned, waving her hands as she hurried away. “Once they’re inside, they’re yours! No take-backs!”
The two chickens flapped and scurried around the courtyard, completely evading Shen Mingshu’s attempts to catch them.
Leng Feng stepped out of the house and stifled a laugh as he watched her chase the birds.
Shen Mingshu shot him a look. “Come help me catch them!”
Leng Feng was about to refuse but remembered the meals he’d been enjoying here and quickly rushed over to assist.
After much effort, they finally managed to tie the chickens’ legs together.
Shen Mingshu grabbed them and hurried toward the gate, only to run straight into Aunt Zhang leading a crowd toward her.
The moment Aunt Zhang saw the chickens in Shen Mingshu’s hands, she loudly declared, “Look! Those two chickens in my future daughter-in-law’s hands are my family’s betrothal gifts!”
A bystander congratulated her, “Congratulations, Aunt Zhang! To have such a lovely girl as your daughter-in-law!”
“No wonder you’ve been so attentive to Mingshu, you’ve already claimed her as your son’s bride!”
“When’s the wedding? We’d love to join the celebration!”
Aunt Zhang’s crow’s feet deepened with delight. “The ceremony will be today!”
Shen Mingshu watched them approach with icy composure before hurling the chickens to the ground. “Take your filthy birds and get out.”
The chickens shrieked, their wings kicking up dust as they flapped wildly.
Aunt Zhang’s eyes bulged. “Mingshu! You accepted my family’s betrothal gifts, how can you go back on your word now? Once you’ve taken them, you’re my daughter-in-law!”
“Exactly! No backing out now!” The sallow-faced youth beside her stepped forward to grab Shen Mingshu’s hand. “Come with me, let’s go back and perform the wedding ceremony!”
Shen Mingshu looked at him with loathing in her eyes and sharply rebuked, “This is nothing but abduction!”
She slowly retreated, only to feel a gentle hand resting on her shoulder.
Turning her head, she saw Pei Jingheng. He reached out to shield her behind him, his cold gaze sweeping over the group as his icy voice rang out: “Cold Edge.”