Regardless of right or wrong, Yuan Muyu had lost the courage to turn back. What would happen if she went? Would she see Lu Xingzhou’s family enjoying themselves? She wouldn’t be able to do anything but let the ants gnaw at her heart with unwillingness, pain, and regret. It was too late.

Yuan Muyu felt a momentary sense of despair. She looked up at the snowy sky and emptied her mind for a long while, then suddenly headed north. Returning to Miaoyin Mountain now would only increase her agitation. If others noticed her cultivation had fallen, who knew what problems might arise? Demonic cultivators were cunning and few were good-natured. It would be better to go north, clear her mind… perhaps the vastness of the world would bring a new understanding.

Lu Xingzhou didn’t even know that Yuan Muyu had left without a word. At this moment, his family was happily eating dumplings. The warm atmosphere of making and eating dumplings together had significantly eased the usual tension between Pei Chuyun and Sheng Yuanyao. Now, they could even occasionally whisper to each other, which made Lu Xingzhou smile, feeling exceptionally happy. Although their beautiful eyes would always glare at him fiercely when they whispered, he presumed they weren’t saying anything good about him.

It didn’t matter. If complaining about their husband together could bring them harmony, it was more than worth it. Sigh, he sacrificed so much for this family.

A’nuo squinted at her master, always feeling like she was looking at an imbecile. These “straw sisters” might tell you how bad that scoundrel of a man is, how they were deceived by him, and how they won’t pay him any mind… but at night, they’d be fighting over the blankets more fiercely than anyone. This was written about in many storybooks.

A’nuo poked at her dumplings and deliberately asked, “Sister Yao, what are you talking about?”

Pei Chuyun glared at her, “We’re talking about selling you off once you’re married.”

A’nuo: “…That impudent maid is getting uppity. The servant bullying the master, the ancients truly did not deceive me.”

Pei Chuyun: “?”

Sheng Yuanyao, who was supposedly closest to A’nuo, also stiffened her face, “Still calling me sister, still calling me sister!”

A’nuo said, “When everyone else is master’s wife, if you’re still sister, then you’re the most special one.”

“Don’t give me that, your little mouth is as good at lying as your master’s.”

“Then Sister Yao, do you promise that we won’t deceive each other?”

Sheng Yuanyao puffed out her chest, “When have I ever deceived you, little thing?”

“Alright, did Sister Yao just tell this impudent maid that no one should pay attention to that scoundrel tonight?”

Sheng Yuanyao said, “I didn’t say that, Pei A’lü said it.”

Pei Chuyun quickly retorted, “You said whoever pays him any mind is a dog.”

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

The plastic alliance, each with their own ulterior motives, disintegrated before it even formed. A’nuo quietly hugged a basin, filled with a pile of leek-filled dumplings, and went to feed the pigs. She felt a fight was imminent; a smart dumpling doesn’t stand by a crumbling wall.

As it turned out, no fight broke out at the table. The two women, whose secrets A’nuo had exposed, were extremely embarrassed. Instead, they both stiffened their necks and glared at Lu Xingzhou: “What are you looking at? Don’t think we don’t know what you’re up to. Tonight, if you’re thinking this or that, it’s absolutely out of the question. Dream on.”

Lu Xingzhou was truly exasperated: “I wasn’t thinking anything.” These two were the type to bicker on sight. He’d be thankful if they could achieve harmonious coexistence for a short period; who in their right mind would dare to think about something like sharing a bed at this point? Perhaps after the formal wedding, they could make some plans, but certainly not now. Besides, their parents allowing them to celebrate the festival together was already a huge favor. How could they possibly let both of them stay overnight? Did they really think Old Pei and Old Sheng were dead? So, women are much more lustful than men, their minds immediately go to such things, right?

“Who are you trying to fool? You really weren’t thinking anything?” Sheng Yuanyao asked suspiciously.

“Honestly, no.” Lu Xingzhou said helplessly, “First, you need to know that you can’t stay tonight. What kind of nonsense are you thinking about?”

Sheng Yuanyao: “…”

Pei Chuyun: “…”

“So, instead of wasting my time on that, I’d rather think more about how to deal with the Huo family.” Lu Xingzhou paused, then chuckled, “When a family is this happy, it makes me think even more about how I once had a family too. Hmm… don’t blame me for being a spoilsport.”

“How could we?” Speaking of this, the two women were no longer sleepy, let alone thinking about sharing a bed. “Do you have any ideas now?”

“I’ve laid some groundwork… actually, just wanting to deal with the Huo family, now is a relatively good opportunity. Gu Zhanting’s old illness has recurred, and he’s asking the Dan Academy to enter the palace to discuss treatment. He usually doesn’t pay much attention to external changes during such times.” Lu Xingzhou pondered, “And this Winter Solstice, perhaps Huo Qi and Huo Zhang can even intensify their conflict…”

Pei Chuyun asked curiously, “Then what are you waiting for?”

“I’m waiting for feedback on the situation of the Huo family’s chief enshrinement. Once I have a clear understanding, I’ll act.”

Sheng Yuanyao asked, “What about the Jiang family?”

“Dealing with the Huo family shouldn’t involve the Jiang family much… on the contrary, the Huo family is just a stepping stone to connect me with the Jiang family. The Jiang family points to more things in the future.” Lu Xingzhou suddenly smiled at Pei Chuyun, “Spend more time with Jiang Yuan, you can take her to your poetry gatherings and such.”

Pei Chuyun looked bewildered. At least one thing was certain: Lu Xingzhou currently had no such intentions towards Jiang Yuan; otherwise, he wouldn’t so openly ask his own woman to interact with her.

“Why do you want me to build a relationship with her?” Pei Chuyun asked.

Lu Xingzhou said, “The matters of the Ancient Realm are not only related to the Imperial Preceptor and them, but I also feel they are very much related to your Chanü Hehuan Sect.”

Pei Chuyun nodded, “Okay.”

“Also, there’s something else…” Lu Xingzhou turned to Sheng Yuanyao, “Are the powerful demonic beasts in the lower levels of the Jiangmo Domain all confirmed to be suppressed?”

Sheng Yuanyao also looked bewildered, “Sh-should be no problem, right?”

“Go home and discuss this with your uncle. It’s best to have him confirm it again. The Jiangmo Domain is so close; if there’s any problem, it will be very troublesome.”

“Okay.”

When serious matters were discussed, the two women actually didn’t have those messy little thoughts, which made them a little amused. No wonder Lu Xingzhou said he hadn’t thought about it… a man with a mind full of affairs couldn’t possibly be thinking about such things every day, even if he considered himself lustful.

Moreover, this feeling of discussing serious matters over a meal had a distinct sense of a married couple talking things over at home, giving them both a feeling of prematurely entering married life, which made them feel strange. After finishing the dumplings, both of them even stood up, intending to wash the dishes. It wasn’t until they both reached for the dishes that they remembered this was Qingyao Garden. Even if Sheng Yuanyao wasn’t the owner, there was no reason for guests to wash their own dishes.

Their faces flushed as they exchanged glances, both lightly spitting. Sheng Yuanyao gnashed her teeth and muttered, “Hussy, even at home there are plenty of servants, who needs to wash dishes themselves? What kind of virtuous act are you putting on in front of a man?”

Pei Chuyun also cursed, “As if your family doesn’t have servants. Your reputation as a profligate official’s son is much worse than mine.”

Sheng Yuanyao said, “Anyway, it’s still the same thing: everyone goes home tonight. Whoever sneaks into his bed is a dog.”

Pei Chuyun said, “It certainly won’t be me. I won’t say who just broke their cherry and tasted the pleasure.”

At the door, A’nuo, holding a pig and watching the snow, let out a long sigh. In the distance, servants from the Pei and Sheng mansions had already arrived, eager to fetch their respective mistresses. Clearly, Old Pei and Old Sheng were worried that these two would be stacked up today, which would be utterly shameful.

The two women also knew the fun was over. They both “hmph-ed” and hurried off with their own people, not even bidding the man farewell. Lu Xingzhou smiled and sat next to A’nuo, casually stroking the piglet’s head. “Are you very happy today?”

A’nuo smiled, “Yes, I wish every day could be like this. Making dumplings together.”

Lu Xingzhou smiled slightly, “Soon.”

A’nuo stood up and said, “Shall we go back then? I brought some dumplings for Sister Yu too.”

“You might as well give them to me,” Nighting Lan’s voice came from mid-air. They looked up to see Nighting Lan, dressed in common clothes, floating down gracefully. “She’s gone.”

“Gone?” Lu Xingzhou was startled. “Where to?”

“Heaven knows.” Nighting Lan looked into his eyes. “Do you want her to stay because you still need her for the marriage proposal?”

“Uh, I wasn’t thinking about that. I’m just curious why she suddenly left.”

Nighting Lan could tell that the young man was sincere, that he really hadn’t given much thought to Yuan Muyu. She couldn’t help but sigh softly. “She’s always been temperamental… but she did take care of most of the marriage proposal matters before leaving. As for the remaining trivialities, I’ll have Su Yuan handle them for you. You don’t need to bother with such small things.”

Saying this, she sat directly at the dining table, looking at the leftover dumplings in the basin, and casually picked one up to eat. “Your alchemy skill is quite high… she was injured this time, you could tell, right?”

“Yes, her qi and blood were in disarray. It seemed like her cultivation went awry, showing signs of qi deviation. If it gets more severe, it could damage her cultivation; in the worst case, it could harm her foundation,” Lu Xingzhou said. “However, A’nuo gave her a very suitable medicine. If she rests calmly, she’ll be fine in a day or two.”

Nighting Lan shook her head, “She has developed self-doubt about her path. That’s not something medicine can cure.”

“Path…”

“Yes,” Nighting Lan said. “If she abandons the so-called path of severing emotions, what do you think?”

Lu Xingzhou said, “That has nothing to do with me. Choosing her path is her business. If I absolutely have to comment, the so-called severing emotions or forgetting emotions are not normal human thoughts. It’s certainly good if she can be a normal person.”

Nighting Lan playfully chided, “You’re scolding me too, aren’t you?”

“How could I?” Lu Xingzhou squeezed her shoulder. “Your path, Shīxiān, has never been about forgetting emotions; it’s about letting nature take its course.”

Nighting Lan was lost in thought for a moment, then finally gave a self-deprecating smile. “Alright… hmm… seeing you immersed in your tender haven, are you interested in the conversation between Jiang Duxu and me?”

“That’s a strange thing to say. My tender haven, didn’t you also contribute to it, Shīxiān?” Lu Xingzhou smiled and sat next to her. “If we’re talking about being immersed in a tender haven, this is it.”

Nighting Lan naturally leaned against his shoulder, just like a married couple chatting after dinner. “Jiang Duxu officially proposed a cooperation request. We help him establish himself in this world, providing various support and conveniences. In exchange, he will help me solve the problem of not being drawn into the Ancient Realm after breaking through. What do you think?”

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