Spring, summer, autumn, and winter cycled by, as vegetation grew increasingly lush. Figures often sat quietly in rain shelters, but the graves remained silent, the monuments wordless, with only tree shadows swaying and rustling down.
Li Yin watched the swaying, rustling tree shadows while listening intently to the youth speak. Occasionally, she reached out to tease the spider on the table.
“…Cultivators’ lifespans vary with their cultivation levels—some long, some short. Among dao companions who form bonds here, it’s common for one to fall while the other lingers in the world. Unless there’s something like a Shared Life Gu to balance their lifespans, they can only leave shared life and death to fate.”
As he spoke, Wen Xunzhu looked worriedly at the girl before him. “Little Madam’s cultivation is only at the golden core stage right now, so her lifespan is merely two or three centuries… while I still have a millennium ahead…”
He calculated their lifespans for a moment before suddenly realizing it wasn’t appropriate. He quickly changed his words. “…But Madam clearly has extraordinary aptitude. You surely won’t need to worry about running out of lifespan without hope of breaking through.”
Feeling he had said something wrong—and recalling her past life’s fall—the youth inexplicably panicked.
Li Yin comforted him with a few words before quietly probing further. “Shared Life Gu? There’s actually such a method? Speaking of which, I was thousands of li away a moment ago, and in the blink of an eye, Valley Master Ci Yuan brought me here. What technique was that? Could a gu accomplish it too?”
Wen Xunzhu replied, “It’s probably the Wandering Immortal Gu. It requires comprehending spatial laws to refine successfully—only Mahayana cultivators like the Valley Master can manage it.”
“In other words, only Valley Master Ci Yuan has it?” The girl blinked. “I’d love to see it again sometime.”
If she could obtain one, she wouldn’t need to worry about how to leave this place.
Following her words, the kind-hearted Doctor Wen frowned in thought for a moment. “Indeed, only the Valley Master has it… I don’t have a Wandering Immortal Gu here, but I do have a ‘Little Roaming Immortal Gu.'”
He found a substitute and took out the actual item to show the eagerly waiting Little Madam. “It’s actually similar to Shrink Earth into Inch or Divine Movement Talismans. Though it can’t cross this entire area like the Wandering Immortal Gu, the distance it covers isn’t short either.”
A fingernail-sized little bug lay curled up docilely in a silver vessel. Li Yin looked at the gu, then lifted her head to look at the youth.
Without needing her to say more, Wen Xunzhu volunteered, “I can take Madam to try it.”
He smiled invitingly, and Li Yin agreed with a “Sure.” The youth then extended his hand. “Please hold my hand, Little Madam.”
She placed her hand in his. As a medical cultivator who took good care of his body, his qi and blood were vigorous, and his palm felt warm.
Out of the corner of her eye, she seemed to glimpse flecks of purple light. Li Yin turned her head to survey the area but found nothing.
The youth drew slightly closer to her. “This gu of mine can cross from one end of the valley to the other. I only use it when there’s an emergency at the medicine hall—activating it once consumes quite a bit of spiritual power… Please stand steady, Madam.”
As his words fell, seeing that Little Madam was prepared, he finally activated the gu insect.
The surrounding scenery changed in an instant. Wen Xunzhu supported the girl’s hand as they landed. He then introduced the reincarnated Madam to the area. “This is the heart of the valley. They say it was called Eternal Law Pavilion even in the old Valley Master’s time. Valley Master Ci Yuan didn’t change the name after taking over. Little Madam back then had this name too—does Madam remember it?”
Li Yin naturally shook her head.
In the game, the Player had later moved here to live. The palace bells on the corridors and eaves were extremely familiar.
After the sudden spatial crossing, her low cultivation left her with bouts of mild dizziness and blurred vision. The girl’s body suddenly paused, her steps becoming unsteady as if she might fall. The youth at her side promptly steadied her.
Seeing she wasn’t feeling well, Wen Xunzhu looked guilty. With one hand he steadied her, while the other hurriedly took out some mind-condensing medicine powder.
“Little Madam…”
He was somewhat urgent, wanting to let the girl sniff the mind-clearing medicinal scent to ease her discomfort. He didn’t notice that her hand seemed to have nowhere to settle and had just happened to grab the fabric at his waist, where the silver ornaments jingled crisply.
Medical cultivators practiced body forging techniques, so the youth had a slim, toned waist. Through the thin layer of fabric, his abundant qi and blood made his body heat scorchingly palpable to the touch.
Before she could do anything more, a cold snort suddenly interrupted their actions.
The youth in white and purple robes looked up, instantly growing even more flustered. “Valley Master…”
But his posture was clearly one of seeking help—he was flustered because he hadn’t attended to Little Madam well, not because he was too close to the Valley Master’s wife.
Under the corridor eaves, purple eyes darkened inscrutably.
Seeing her still clinging to the youth’s embrace without getting up, Ci Yuan’s expression turned aloof and cold. He tugged at the corner of his mouth and said to the flustered youth, “What’s this? Can’t you see Madam is unwell? Hurry up and give her the medicine.”
Only Doctor Wen in attendance failed to hear the sarcasm in his words.
Wen Xunzhu truly calmed down then. Right in front of the Valley Master, he half-held Madam with one arm while administering the Clear Heart Powder to her with the other.
The refreshing, mind-clearing medicinal scent filled the air. It was as if the girl had only then come back to her senses. With a dazed expression, she released the beauty’s waist, stepped out of his embrace, and stood steady.
She first thanked the startled Doctor Wen before turning to Ci Yuan. “Thank you, Valley Master.”
This man had arrived incredibly quickly—he had probably been watching her from the shadows all along.
Li Yin had tested him out, and even uncovered a few other things in the process, leaving her puzzled.
Why was his reaction so indifferent when he saw her embracing someone else?
He hadn’t been like that when facing Sword Venerable Yun Jian earlier.
How strange.
Letting her be alone with Doctor Wen seemed to be more than just testing if she had her memories.
Unable to figure it out for the moment, Li Yin saw those purple pupils shift slightly from the youth onto her, gazing intently. “It’s getting late. I’ve prepared dinner.”
He said nothing about what had just happened, his voice cool and his face nearly expressionless.
As his words fell, he withdrew his gaze, lowered his eyes on his own, turned, and left. The silver ornaments on his body swayed, and the bell sounds gradually faded with his steps.
An abrupt sentence with no beginning or end, but Li Yin clearly understood it as an invitation to dinner.
Her confusion unresolved, she turned to the innocent youth. “Doctor Wen, come along too. It seems the Valley Master invited us to eat.”
As soon as she spoke, the bell sounds ahead abruptly halted.
Li Yin looked over to see the man glance back, his face coldly pale as he shot her a look, still saying nothing.
Wen Xunzhu might be slow on the uptake, but even he vaguely sensed something off now.
Hadn’t the Valley Master only invited Little Madam?
He finally reacted and stopped in place without moving. The Valley Master ahead turned back to look at him.
“…Didn’t you hear? You come too.” Ci Yuan said irritably.
The Valley Master’s tone was never polite, so Wen Xunzhu didn’t think much of it. He lowered his head in assent and followed.
He trailed at the end, while the coldly composed Valley Master walked at the front, and the girl strolled in the middle.
Li Yin’s confusion only grew.
She gazed at the man’s ink-black hair falling to his waist, its crow-blue hue complementing his black-purple robes perfectly. The strands swayed lightly with his steps.
Beautiful as he was, she knew his ruthless temperament well. Strangely, he hadn’t lashed out just now.
She turned her head to glance behind her again.
The youth in white and purple had a clear, translucent air about him. Meeting her scrutinizing gaze, he looked puzzled and gave a questioning expression.
Li Yin smiled at him, and the straightforward youth returned a sweet, clear smile.
Whether Valley Master Ci Yuan ahead noticed her little gesture or not, he showed no reaction.
The meal was laid out in the center of the courtyard, with a rich array of dishes. The three took their seats one by one, and the atmosphere felt somewhat odd.
The man at the head seat had a cold face, but his exceptional beauty gave it a touch of icy allure. He ate in silence with lowered eyes.
The youth to one side seemed a bit tense—probably because he was dining with the Valley Master and his wife. He occasionally glanced left and right, sneaking peeks at the Valley Master and Madam’s expressions.
Only the girl seemed oblivious. She sat down unselfconsciously and ate with calm, natural poise, her face innocently guileless.
“These dishes weren’t made by you personally, were they?” Midway through the meal, she suddenly looked toward the cold-faced man.
Ci Yuan set down his chopsticks and lifted his eyes to her. “What’s wrong? Not to your taste?”
The girl smiled sweetly. “How could that be? They’re delicious—perfectly to my taste.”
She had called Wen Xunzhu along not just to test his attitude, but also to guard against her former capture target, fearing he might poison or bewitch the food.
But now it seemed… the game’s favorability dropping to 0 didn’t mean indifference toward the Player. Li Yin pondered inwardly.
Hearing that the Valley Master had cooked personally made Wen Xunzhu even more nervous.
He only now remembered that cultivators could abstain from food. Why hadn’t he thought of that excuse earlier?
Little Madam had invited him, and he’d come right away.
Regret showed on his face. At the head seat, Ci Yuan glanced over with cold eyes. “Looks like it’s not to Elder Wen’s taste.”
Wen Xunzhu hurriedly explained, “Today, I’ve had the honor of tasting the Valley Master’s handiwork thanks to Madam. I’m truly flattered…”
Purple eyes fixed on his face for several breaths before shifting away, saying nothing more.
In the strange atmosphere, silence reigned for a long while. Li Yin had nearly finished eating when her former capture target suddenly spoke to the youth, issuing instructions.
“I’m going into secluded cultivation for Gu Transformation these next few days. Handle the valley’s affairs in addition to your own, and leave the rest of the trivial matters to Elder Bai as usual.”
With the Valley Master assigning tasks, Wen Xunzhu naturally nodded in agreement. Little Madam to the side asked, “Gu Transformation Cultivation?”
The icily cold Valley Master had no intention of explaining, so Wen Xunzhu did. “It’s the valley’s cultivation method—an external incarnation where the divine soul exits the orifice and attaches to the lifebound gu to comprehend the dao.”
Li Yin half-understood. What surprised her was that, cold-faced as he was, Ci Yuan also spoke up to explain to her.
“During that time, my fleshly body won’t sense the outside world. I’ll cultivate continuously for a day and a night. If you have any matters or speak to me, I won’t hear.”
The girl met his gaze, but Ci Yuan abruptly looked away. “Eternal Law Pavilion’s restrictions are useless against you, but the valley has plenty of poisonous things. You don’t cultivate the Poison Dao, so don’t wander around everywhere.”
As he spoke, an item appeared by his hand. His purple eyes shifted, lowering to glance at the silver vessel.