What did he mean by "several more husbands"?
Yu Ning was stunned, truly unable to fathom why he would ask such a question.
Could it be that the stories she had told earlier about mountain bandits seizing brides had given him the wrong idea?
Yu Ning took a deep breath and explained with a flushed face: "I asked you to rescue people, not to drag them back to be… you know. And how could I ever do something like that? Don't slander me, alright?"
Yu Ning wasn't sure whether he had understood, but his gaze seemed to soften somewhat.
"You can only."
"Have me."
Pei Chongqing demanded each word deliberately, his emotionless AI voice somehow carrying a hint of firmness that she could sense.
Yu Ning didn't want to argue with him, so she casually soothed him with a few words and shooed him out the door.
As he gripped the doorknob and was about to close it, his hand suddenly pressed against the doorframe again. He tilted his head down and asked her why there was no goodbye kiss this time.
Yu Ning looked at him for a moment, then indulged him, cupping his face to kiss him.
After the kiss, Pei Chongqing finally wore a satisfied smile and was willing to leave the house.
Watching him go, Yu Ning still felt a trace of melancholy she couldn't help. Although Pei Chongqing sometimes did things that were hard to understand, Yu Ning still preferred staying home with him. It was both reassuring and kept her from feeling lonely.
The moment she latched the door, Yu Wan came rushing over impatiently, circling and rubbing against her legs.
Yu Ning crouched down to pat its head. The moment her hand touched it, the little dog suddenly jumped up and licked her face.
Yu Ning had a thing about cleanliness, yet she didn't mind it. She wiped it away with the back of her hand and scolded it with a smile for being so excited.
But how could it not be excited?
The Spirit Lord had finally left, and now the one who could get closest to Yu Ning in the house was it.
Yu Wan shamelessly burrowed into the woman's warm embrace, using its keen canine nose to sniff her pleasant fragrance.
Yu Ning hadn't been this close to a dog in a long time, so when she was ready to head back to the living room, she simply picked it up.
She was petite in stature, but her strength was considerable. Having experience with farm work and caregiving in the past, carrying a mere ten-odd-pound Earth-Pine was no trouble at all.
But Yu Ning hadn't expected that once this dog was picked up, it simply couldn't be put down. The moment its paws touched the ground even slightly, it would whimper by her ear.
Yu Ning's heart softened, so she found a compromise—letting it sit on the sofa leaning against her, taking the opportunity to trim its nails as well.
Yu Wan knew when to hold back and didn't cause Yu Ning any trouble. It cooperated fully with both nail trimming and teeth brushing. And for that cooperation, it unexpectedly earned head pats and a kiss from Yu Ning.
As a part split off from Pei Chongqing's Soul-spirit, everything Yu Wan felt was completely synchronized back to the Spirit Lord. When it received Yu Ning's kiss, Pei Chongqing, thousands of miles away, could experience it too.
However, the Spirit Lord's sensations could not be transmitted back to it. It could only receive the Spirit Lord's commands and some vague impressions. So in a sense, it was entirely the one being enslaved and exploited.
But even so, when it enjoyed more of Yu Ning's attention, Pei Chongqing would still warn it through Spiritual Consciousness not to overstep and get too close.
Even a mere thought like "I'm a part of you, so your wife is my wife too" would be forcibly erased by Pei Chongqing's orders. Let alone any notion of wearing the Translator to communicate with Yu Ning.
When the tiger is away from the mountain, it didn't mean a lowly Split Soul Spirit like itself could go unchecked.
Yu Wan sat by the window and let out a sigh.
This scene happened to be captured by Yu Ning on video. She curved her lips, eagerly reviewing the footage she had recorded. When the video reached the 00:32 mark, she vaguely caught sight of a figure in the distance outside the window.
Yu Ning blinked, rewound to check, and repeated this several times, confirming it wasn't her imagination.
Was that a person? Or… a monster.
Yu Ning didn't dare think too deeply about it. She considered deleting the recorded video, but couldn't bear to part with it, so she simply turned it off—out of sight, out of mind.
She called Yu Wan over, telling him not to keep lounging in the sun over there.
Hearing her call, Yu Wan obediently trotted over with his tail wagging.
When mealtime came, Yu Ning reheated the leftover fried rice from breakfast and prepared a homemade cooked meal for Yu Wan, letting him eat at her feet.
Having a dog in the house made Yu Ning feel less lonely, and even the dog-ownership anxiety she had imagined never really materialized.
She had originally thought raising a dog here would be troublesome—after all, she didn't dare go outside, making it hard to walk a dog and help it burn off energy. But Yu Wan was far more sensible than she had imagined. Not only did he never whine to go out, he also never caused destruction at home. Whatever she asked him to do, he obeyed without a single stubborn streak—except for being clingy and fond of licking people.
Yu Ning felt he resembled Pei Chongqing. Or rather, both Pei Chongqing and Yu Wan shared the same wildness.
She could slowly train Pei Chongqing, but that didn't mean she could domesticate even a dog into acting like a human, did it? …Like learning to speak or something.
Yu Ning had thought about putting the Translator on Yu Wan so he could keep her company in conversation, but he remained uncooperative on that matter, absolutely refusing to wear it.
Yu Ning didn't like forcing him, and after a few refusals, she dropped the idea. Besides, she had a feeling that if Pei Chongqing could smell the doggy scent of the Translator, he would definitely get angry.
In the afternoon, a typhoon with heavy rain suddenly blew in. Yu Ning turned on all the lights in the house, making everything bright, and held Yu Wan while watching Tom and Jerry. Listening to the rumbling thunder outside the window, her heart pounded nervously—one moment she worried about the flowers she had outside, the next she wondered if Pei Chongqing might catch a cold in the rain.
But actually, since knowing Pei Chongqing, Yu Ning had never seen him fall ill. At most, he'd get wounds from fighting monsters. His constitution was absurdly good—even when injured, the wounds never left scars after healing.
Yu Ning didn't know if it was an effect of this world, but she herself rarely got sick here either.
The TV was playing the usual cat-and-mouse antics, but Yu Ning's mind was unsettled, her gaze unable to focus. With an even louder clap of thunder, she heard something crash to the ground—a sound like shattering bricks, tiles, or porcelain.
Yu Ning flinched, instinctively trying to identify the source of the sound.
Soon, she realized it was the potted plants in the backyard that had toppled over.
She walked toward the back door and, through the vertical window beside the doorframe, vaguely saw the flowerpots lying crooked and scattered in the pouring rain.
Yu Ning pressed her lips flat, regretting that she hadn't brought all those fragile flowers inside. Just as she was mulling it over, a dog bark suddenly sounded from behind her.
"Woof! Woof!"
Yu Ning turned back in surprise to look at the black Earth-Pine at her feet—this was the first time she had heard Yu Wan bark.
Yu Wan wasn't satisfied with just barking. He grabbed the hem of her skirt with his medium-length snout and kept tugging her backward.
Yu Ning understood what he meant. She marveled at his intelligence and felt a warmth of comfort. She bent down to stroke his head. "I'm not going outside."
Yu Wan released her skirt and extended his tongue to lick the woman's fair, delicate hand.
Yu Ning was licked until she had no temper left, only managing a half-hearted scolding of "Did you wash your hands?" before heading to the sink.
Before following her, Yu Wan couldn't help but cast a cold glance toward the backyard outside the window.
Only when Yu Ning was about to walk away did Yu Wan retract his pitch-black beady eyes and pad forward on all fours.
In the dense shrubbery of the yard, a tall, slender man slowly straightened his knees. Unmindful of the rain soaking him through, he remained standing there, watching the building from a quiet distance.
Nine o'clock at night.
Yu Ning set down the dog bowl with the late-night snack, brewed herself a cup of calming tea, and under the melodious tunes drifting from the record player, barely took a sip before sinking into a drowsy sleep.
She didn't notice that the heavy rain outside was gradually easing, and in the parting clouds, a full Blood Moon suddenly appeared. A Blood Moon that meant Pei Chongqing wouldn't be able to return anytime soon.
Last night, Yu Ning hadn't dreamed at all—she'd slept deeply, so much so that when she woke at seven, she had no desire whatsoever to go back to sleep.
Besides, when she opened her eyes, Yu Wan's fluffy doggy head was resting right by the bedside. Bubbles of affection welled up in Yu Ning's heart, and she couldn't resist scooping the dog onto the bed to pet him.
Usually, Yu Wan wasn't allowed on the bed—mainly because the one who slept beside her wouldn't permit it. At this moment, Yu Wan kept in mind that his eyes had surveillance capabilities, and moreover, he disdained lying on the Spirit Lord's spot, so he obediently sprawled across Yu Ning's lap, savoring the sweetness of her embrace.
A small Earth-Pine was, after all, over a dozen pounds. Yu Ning could only hold him for a while before it became too much, so she set him down on the floor, briskly got up to shake out the bedding, and headed to wash up.
Downstairs on the first floor, she steamed some frozen pan-fried buns in the kitchen and noticed a tree by the window had fallen over.
Looking at that tree, Yu Ning remembered the flowers and plants she'd planted in the backyard. After finishing the last bun, she couldn't resist going over to check on them—though going outside was out of the question.
Standing at the back door, gazing through the window, Yu Ning's lashes trembled slightly and her pupils dilated wide. She could hardly believe what she was seeing.
The backyard wasn't the chaotic mess she'd imagined. On the contrary, the potted plants were arranged with remarkable neatness, basking in the sunlight in a riot of vibrant colors, each vying to outshine the other.
There had clearly been a heavy rain last night—the fallen tree was proof enough. And the blooming flowers in the yard were still adorned with glistening dewdrops, evidently having just weathered the curtain of rain.
Yu Ning stared, entranced. Her hand unconsciously reached for the door handle, and just as she was about to turn it downward, Yu Wan's bark snapped her back to her senses—
That was close.
Yu Ning withdrew her hand, pressed it against her pounding heart, and took two or three steps back.
Her unfocused gaze strained toward the window, trying to find that trace of abnormality within the beautiful floral scene. But she saw nothing—and indeed, if not for the jade at her chest burning hot and Yu Wan's barking continuing, she would hardly have detected that this was a lure from some unknown creature.
Hadn't Pei Chongqing said that He could no longer find her?
How could this be…
Yu Ning didn't dare linger. She turned and walked toward the living room, switching on every light and drawing every curtain as she went. When she pulled the living room drapes, she tilted her head up and unexpectedly caught a glimpse of a faint, half-visible Blood Moon in the bright blue sky.
Another Blood Moon period?
Yu Ning froze, that sense of unease growing ever stronger. She didn't dare look any longer and yanked the curtain shut with a swish.
…How awful.
Yu Ning sat on the sofa, drawing her knees up and wrapping her arms around them. Feeling the warmth radiating from the jade, she could no longer find any comfort, and the corners of her eyes slowly began to sting with heat.
Just then, Yu Wan padded up to her feet and tapped her instep with a glossy black paw.
Looking into his pitch-black bean-shaped eyes, Yu Ning somehow read the meaning "I'm here, don't worry." She couldn't help but curl her lips into a smile.
Yu Wan was perceptive—before Yu Ning could even reach for him, he jumped onto the sofa himself and pressed against her, nuzzling.
"Are you Mommy's little bodyguard?"
The woman's warm, moist breath carried her laughter, brushing over his upright, fluffy ear—every single hair trembling in response.
Yu Wan opened his mouth, panting, trying to mimic her words in return, but no matter how hard he tried to imitate the tone of "ma," all he could produce was a low, whimpering howl.
In the days before the Translator, Pei Chongqing had also watched Yu Ning's lips part, her tongue curl upward, and learned to speak by mimicking her. Back then, he hadn't even possessed a vocal cord—let alone a proper human-shaped Skin-shell.
Now he was elsewhere, yet he could still slip through the tiny thread of his Soul-spirit into Yu Wan's Skin-shell, feeling her embrace and the warmth of her breath.
He now possessed a fully intact vocal cord, but he had yet to display it before her—and he was unwilling to call her name using another man's voice.
He truly was like the dog Yu Ning compared him to. The vocal cord was to him what a bone was to a dog—unable to satisfy hunger, yet indispensable. He would clamp down on that bone with his molars, refusing to let it show even a sliver, even if only to brandish it in triumph. All he could do was part his lips and let drool spill to the ground.
"Mommy."
"Yu Ning."
Pei Chongqing, immersed in the pleasure of inhabiting Yu Wan's Skin-shell, let his lips part and close, unconsciously repeating after her teaching.
Realizing whose voice he was using to call out across the distance, Pei Chongqing's gaze gradually darkened. His sharp fingertips had already unconsciously touched the full swell of his Adam's apple.
Just as his fingertips were about to pierce a bloody hole, he heard Yu Wan let out a sound—not quite accurate, yet vaguely close—a "mama."
That sound clearly delighted Yu Ning. It, along with his face, was wantonly kneaded by the woman's hands. Her laughter rippled before his eyes, like a mist dissolving in the air. "How are you this obedient? You even know how to call Mommy?"
—This kind of praise was addictive.
Even if it wasn't directed at him.
But then again, how was it not him?
Pei Chongqing's eyes half-lidded, the corners of his lips lifting ever so slightly, he lowered the hand that had been about to tear out his vocal cord.
In the empty standalone villa, deathly silence reigned, flesh and blood splattered everywhere. He stood by the window, his silhouette cast by the Blood Moon onto the crimson-stained wall—stretched and elongated as if through a magnifying glass, revealing a grotesque, distorted shadow.
Shrouded by the Blood Moon, the power within him could not be fully suppressed, so he dared not go home—could not go home—for fear of exposing himself before Yu Ning.
In the days after he left, Yu Ning should have been safe, undisturbed. But things had clearly gone beyond his expectations.
That monster had left markers to find its way, yet it hadn't wandered far. It might have been lurking nearby all along, hiding, waiting only for him to leave the house.
Fortunately, it bore no malice.
Unfortunately, it also bore no malice or aggression.
He couldn't use aggression to lock onto its location and eradicate it. Even the Soul-spirits in the house and that half of a heart would likely be of no use.
Pei Chongqing's face gradually turned ashen, the thick black veins writhing beneath his skin like squirming worms.
He was so furious he was nearly disfigured, all because of this Blood Moon period that kept him from returning home. But it wasn't that he had no method—he simply needed to fully reveal his true form, or—have Yu Wan shed his Earth-Pine form and eliminate the monster for him.
This would most likely hurt Yu Ning, but compared to losing her, he would rather she lose a dog that was expendable anyway.
"Thump."
Yu Ning looked up at the sound, staring blankly at the covered floor-to-ceiling window.
She couldn't doubt that it was her imagination, because Yu Wan had started whimpering again—softly but angrily.
This good dog could always warn her like the most perceptive supporting character in a horror film. Yu Ning knew very well that she was in a bizarre otherworld, so she would never ignore its bark. She steeled herself with full alertness and reached out to stroke it in response.
She pressed a finger to her lips to tell it to be quiet, so as not to tip off any hidden threat.
Yu Wan also knew that Yu Ning hadn't been disturbed, so it obediently shut its mouth, waiting for the next round.
But clearly, they couldn't just sit on the sofa watching TV forever.
Yu Ning had done a whole day of housework, and her stomach was growling with hunger. Before the clock even struck quarter past five, her belly let out an involuntary rumble.
She had originally planned to skip dinner. There wasn't much food left in the house, and no one knew when the Blood Moon would end.
Yu Ning thought she could endure a little more hunger, but the dog couldn't. She looked down and asked, "Are you hungry?"
Yu Wan wanted very much to say it wasn't hungry, but unfortunately, as a growing Earth-Pine puppy, it was the absolute ultimate food-devouring king with the motto "If I had to wait one more hour, I'd probably die."
It had been famished for quite a while now, enduring in silence, not daring to make a sound.
But perhaps its stomach was also a wisp of Soul-spirit with its own opinions—when Yu Ning showed concern, its gut let out a thunderous rumble that could shake mountains and topple the Earth-Pine—
"Grrrgle."
Yu Ning was startled, then broke into a gentle smile. "Oh my… that loud, huh."
Yu Wan lowered its fluffy head, wishing it could bury itself into a crack in the ground.
Yu Ning didn't know the little dog's inner turmoil. She got up and went to the kitchen to cook the dog's meal. One 150g box of homemade cooked food wouldn't be enough—she might need two. She sighed inwardly, hoping Pei Chongqing would bring back unexpired dog food this time.
She was just about to lower her head to wash her hands when the semi-translucent venetian blinds beside her faintly reflected a figure.
Yu Ning caught it in her peripheral vision, and her heart suddenly clenched. Her gaze involuntarily drifted upward, looking out—through the not-so-dense horizontal blinds, she saw a… man, smiling directly at her.