The so-called “after the year” actually counts as happening now.

After making slight preparations, on the first day of the fourth month, the two people heard that Chen Jinnian had gone to the prefecture and successfully been promoted to Prefectural Head Officer with his newly refined Save-Heart Pill.

Chen Jinnian’s first act after being promoted was to respond to the request from above and recommend candidates for the capital’s Dan Academy summer enrollment.

The old man, who held a position in the Xia State Dan Medicine Department, had already written the recommendation document for the Xia State side. Arriving at the prefecture, he himself approved his own document, which was a rare and quite amusing experience in life.

Then, after the prefecture screened and selected the lists from each county, the reported candidate was determined to be Lu Xingzhou.

This matter truly wasn’t based on connections. Chen Jinnian knew deeply that Lu Xingzhou’s Dan Master level was already fifth grade. Apart from lacking experience, he was only one level below himself. Comparing the quality of refined Dans separately, he might even be surpassed by Lu Xingzhou.

The entire East Jiang Prefecture, including the prefecture capital East Jiang, had eight counties. The highest level of people reported from the other seven counties was seventh grade. How could they compare with Lu Xingzhou? They were simply characters of a different dimension.

There was no need to even hold a preliminary screening competition within the prefecture. Lu Xingzhou’s listing as a sixth-grade Dan Master in the new show list was enough to silence everyone. A competition would just be bullying the younger generation.

The official letter recommending Lu Xingzhou to the capital’s Dan Academy was sent to Tian Xing Sword Sect on the evening of the first day of the sixth month. It could be said that the efficiency was unparalleled.

Lu Xingzhou received the official letter and was silent for a long time.

This arriving meant that he truly had to go.

Shen Tang, who had been pretending in front of people a few days ago that “meeting alone with Elder Lu wasn’t a big deal,” wasn’t pretending anymore these days. She was sticky in Lu Xingzhou’s room every day. Seeing Lu Xingzhou staring blankly at the official letter, she instead reached out to take the official letter and helped Lu Xingzhou put it into his storage ring. “Alright, you must pass the enrollment exam. Don’t disappoint Chief Officer Chen’s good intentions.”

Lu Xingzhou came back to his senses and smiled, “There are many excellent people in the world. I also don’t think I am necessarily stronger than talents from other places.”

“I don’t believe it. You are not just at the level of number thirty-eight on the new show list. If people of the same age were all stronger than you, then why bother with the new show list?”

“Gua Mei’s information is insufficient, and there are many omissions on the list. Moreover, there’s a delay… Uh, I feel this is not good. Later, when you have authority, how about we create a relatively real-time list for fun?”

Shen Tang laughed, “Seeing that you still have this mindset, I feel relieved.”

“What do you mean? Even when I was most intent on revenge, I didn’t see myself being tense.”

“That’s true. At that time, you even had the mind to appreciate how good-looking Qing Li was.”

“…” Lu Xingzhou decisively avoided this topic and hugged her, saying in a low voice, “You know the reason for my low spirits is not because I’m worried about those things, but simply because I have to be separated from you.”

The two people were of the same mind, especially feeling stifled in their hearts.

Shen Tang had never thought in this life that a brief separation from a man, whose destination was her old home and whose return would not take too long, was fundamentally not a long separation where they would be hard to see again. Yet, her mood could be this uncomfortable.

Lu Xingzhou was the same. When he left Yuan Muyu, he didn’t have this feeling… At that time, he thought more in his heart, “Since you are heartless, then I will rest. Both the spring wind and you are passers-by.”

And this time, there were ten thousand thoughts in his heart, and it was quite difficult to express them accurately.

Finally, a thousand words turned into one sentence: “Tonight… let’s not go, okay?”

Shen Tang looked up at him. His eyes didn’t have the strong desire of these emotional days, but rather a slight stubbornness.

She then smiled slightly and said in a low voice, “Okay.”

The two people naturally hugged each other and lay on the bed, sharing a pillow with their clothes on.

The candle on the table didn’t extinguish. Shen Tang leaned against Lu Xingzhou’s shoulder, nesting within, watching his side profile in the dim light.

Lu Xingzhou turned his head and gently pecked her lips, saying in a low voice, “Good night, my princess.”

“Not good night,” Shen Tang said, “You are usually so… affectionate, kissing and touching again. Why are you pretending to be a gentleman today?”

Lu Xingzhou: “…”

Shen Tang pouted, “Kiss me.”

Lu Xingzhou burst out laughing, then turned his body and covered her, knocking on the door and kissing.

Shen Tang slightly opened her teeth to welcome him, closed her eyes, and hugged his neck with force.

The mountain wind brushed past, and the candle fire finally extinguished.

The temperature inside the room became hotter and hotter instead.

“Sometimes I think… ignoring those things, it was me who seduced you…” In the darkness, came Shen Tang’s low pants.

“Don’t,” Lu Xingzhou stopped his actions and hugged her back to nest in his shoulder, “I am here to help Princess Hall achieve her goals, not to destroy Princess Hall.”

Shen Tang softly “ummed” and very proactively stretched out her slender hand downwards, not letting him hold back.

Lu Xingzhou didn’t stop this time, just said in a low voice, “When I go to the capital this time, I won’t get too entangled in this revenge thing. I know that with my current strength, overthrowing the Huo family is too much of a pipe dream. If I can cause them some damage, I will. If not, then so be it. My main focus is on the golden body of the Dan Academy and basic official connections… to lay the foundation for my future for you.”

Shen Tang kissed his ear and said softly, “I believe you.”

After a pause, she said somewhat hesitantly, “Outside, if there is anything… just do as you should, don’t worry about me. I, I don’t mind.”

These words were quite difficult to understand, but they specifically referred to Sheng Yuanyao. Shen Tang still felt that these two might not necessarily be that pure, and also felt that the Sheng family could help Lu Xingzhou a lot, so it was not a time to be jealous.

Lu Xingzhou sighed and bent down to kiss her lips again.

Early the next morning, the two people opened their eyes from deep sleep almost at the same time.

The first glance met the other person’s smiling eyes, and then they both spoke at the same time: “Morning.”

The so-called “sleeping with clothes on” was deceiving themselves. At this moment, looking at each other’s bodies, they were all stripped to look almost like white sheep, hugging tightly.

But the two people didn’t feel even a hint of shyness. Shen Tang naturally sat up, tidied her crooked bellyband, and put on her outer clothes.

Lu Xingzhou must have wanted to share a pillow with her before leaving, which meant she could understand. But when they truly hugged and fell asleep together, and woke up together, that feeling of mutual belonging between husband and wife was truly not something that could be fully experienced by just thinking about it beforehand.

It seemed that the depression in their hearts from last night had all dissipated at this time, leaving only sweetness and naturalness.

Lu Xingzhou put on his outer clothes and hugged Shen Tang, who was originally going to get out of bed herself, onto the edge of the table to sit. Then, like magic, he took out a mirror and placed it on the table, took out a comb, and combed her hair.

Shen Tang looked at the mirror somewhat amused. This mirror was a magic treasure, used to reflect some techniques. He was using it to comb his wife’s hair. She didn’t know if the magic treasure had a spirit, it might cry.

Whether the magic treasure cried or not, Shen Tang just wanted to laugh. The person in the mirror had a sweet smile, flushed cheeks, and that shocking charm and ripe allure in her apricot eyes, perhaps even her self from a few months ago wouldn’t dare to recognize that it was herself.

Looking at Lu Xingzhou behind her in the mirror, that gentle seriousness in combing her hair, not to mention others, even Anuo, who had been complaining about their dependence on each other for life these days, could hardly find words.

Until her hair was combed and a jade hairpin was inserted, the two people stood up hand in hand and naturally went outside the yard to eat breakfast.

Anuo hugged a basin and squatted on the side, digging. Her black, slippery eyes looked at the performance of this couple today, somewhat strange.

Originally, she thought that since he had to go, the two people would be gloomy-faced or even cry and whine. Unexpectedly, they were still full of smiles and very natural. Why was this? Weren’t you two so sticky that you wished you could rub into one person?

“Let’s go,” Lu Xingzhou picked up Anuo, “To avoid Pei Chuyun watching, we’ll fly directly.”

Anuo threw out a piece of cake with a “zhi lu” sound, which turned into a round, slippery flying disc in the air.

A strong magnetic field emitted from the flying disc, making Lu Xingzhou’s wheelchair move around chaotically.

These days, she had also successfully sacrificed and refined her iron cake and blended it with yuan magnetic.

Lu Xingzhou hugged Anuo into his arms in exasperation, “Master will carry you to fly, that cake of yours can be put away first.”

Anuo received the flying disc back with a “xiu” sound, joyfully nestled in her master’s embrace, and waved to Shen Tang, “Master’s wife, goodbye.”

Shen Tang strongly suspected that the little girl deliberately sacrificed the iron cake just to get her master to hug her, but there was no evidence. Seeing her cute appearance saying goodbye, she barely managed a smile, “Anuo, goodbye.”

Lu Xingzhou looked deeply at her and said in a low voice, “We’re going.”

Shen Tang smiled slightly, “Be careful on the way.”

The wheelchair flew into the sky and quickly went east.

Shen Tang stood on the edge of the cliff to send him off, remaining there for a long time until the wheelchair disappeared in the horizon and could no longer be seen.

After a long time, a disciple hurried over, “Sect Master, Elder Tang and the others are waiting for you to start the meeting…”

“Um,” Shen Tang finally turned her wheelchair and went down the mountain, “Instruct everyone, the distribution of spirit stones and Dan medicine throughout the sect will be as usual, doubled within the next year. I want him to see the most prosperous and strong sect when he returns next time.”

In the high sky somewhere, Pei Chuyun touched her chin and looked at the stream of light from the flying wheelchair, quietly following behind.

She had been researching the formations of Ling Quan Mountain these days, and at least figured out the range of the formation’s attack in the air. Thus, she had been secretly observing Lu Xingzhou’s behavior outside the range for several days.

Seeing Shen Tang enter Lu Xingzhou’s room and not come out for a whole night, Pei Chuyun curled her lips with a bit of contempt, “You still say our Ya Nu He Huan Zong is saucy. Your Tian Xing Sword Zong’s Sect Master is not much better, huh? Saying you’re a majestic sword guest, how could youshamelessly go live in a man’s room before marriage?”

Before she finished her contempt, she saw Lu Xingzhou driving the wheelchair alone with a child, going far away.

Pei Chuyun didn’t think twice. The opportunity for Lu Xingzhou to travel alone after squatting for so long suddenly appeared. She almost didn’t react. After waking up, she was wildly overjoyed and chased after him directly.

Without the protection of Tian Xing Sword Zong, this old mother just doesn’t believe she can’t handle you, you stinky man, plus a child!

You ate my tofu and stole my shoes, and shaved my… Go die!