Her father would never agree. In his eyes, she was still too weak. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

She understood his reasoning. The outside world was dangerous.

The Frostspine Mountains alone were enough proof of that.

A bitter smile appeared on her lips.

"Maybe it’s better this way."

She looked at the name on the wall and continued quietly.

"Wu Lao is here too."

The hall fell silent once more.

After a while, Shen Xing let out a small sigh.

Perhaps she should stop dreaming about distant places.

Perhaps she should focus on what was in front of her.

To cultivate.

Become stronger.

Help the sect.

One day, become an elder.

Protect the people around her.

There was nothing wrong with such a life.

At least it was more realistic.

Shen Xing shook her head.

"Don’t worry, Mom."

Her voice became softer.

"I was only joking earlier."

She stood up straight and bowed respectfully toward the wall.

"Until the Pishachas are completely wiped out from the Frostspine Mountains, I won’t leave this place."

"I promise."

After saying those words, she remained silent for a moment.

In truth, she didn’t know whether that day would ever come.

The sect had fought the Pishachas for centuries.

Yet they still existed.

She couldn’t see any hope of eradicating them completely.

Still, it was a promise she wanted to keep.

After giving one final glance at the name engraved on the wall, Shen Xing turned around and slowly walked toward the exit.

The lantern light stretched her lonely shadow across the floor.

Soon, her figure disappeared into the night.

***

While Shen Xing had left the Memorial Hall with complicated feelings in her heart, Ye Chen was currently suffering through a completely different kind of crisis inside the Sect Master’s residence.

After returning to her room from dinner, she shut the door and immediately sat down on the bed with a grunt.

"Damn that bastard."

Her hand pressed against her stomach.

At this moment, she felt as though she had swallowed a stone.

No, not one, a lot of stones.

Just a little while ago, she had experienced the most threatening meal of her life.

Wu Lao had been so enthusiastic that she almost suspected he was trying to kill her through kindness.

Every time she finished a dish, another one appeared in her bowl.

Every time she politely refused, he smiled and added more food.

Whenever she slowed down, he would encourage her with a concerned expression.

By the end of the meal, she had eaten almost four times her normal diet.

The worst part was that she couldn’t even complain.

The food was delicious. Most delicious she had ever eaten.

"Damn it..."

Ye Chen lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

"Isn’t cultivation supposed to be about reading scriptures, meditating, and practising martial arts?"

"Why am I risking death from overeating?"

Her stomach answered with an uncomfortable gurgle.

Ye Chen’s face darkened.

Poor Ye Chen had no idea that after hearing about her miserable background from Elder Zhu, Wu Lao had become even more emotional.

An orphan with no family or friends. With no one to rely on.

Just imagining such a life made his heart ache.

Since he didn’t know what kind of food she liked, he ordered all of his favourite dishes to be cooked.

Then, throughout the meal, he carefully observed her reactions.

To his delight, she ate everything. Not a single dish was left untouched.

Wu Lao was overjoyed.

Their tastes were exactly the same. Isn’t this fate? A match made in heaven~

As for the quantity she ate, he wasn’t surprised at all.

After all, Shen Xing also ate quite a lot.

Therefore, girls naturally ate more than men.

This was a conclusion Wu Lao had firmly reached after years of observation.

Whether it was correct or not was a different matter entirely.

Back in her room, Ye Chen was still trying to recover from the dinner when she suddenly heard faint voices outside.

Her eyelid twitched.

A bad feeling appeared in her heart.

She could already guess who it was.

Over the past few days, Wu Lao had developed the habit of visiting her whenever he had free time with various excuses.

Sometimes it was tea.

Sometimes it was snacks.

Sometimes it was simply to chat.

Tonight, after that terrifying dinner, Ye Chen absolutely did not want to see him.

Especially not if he was bringing more food.

If she ate another bite, she felt she might actually die.

Without hesitation, she closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.

A few moments later, the knocking sounded.

"Miss Ling?"

Ye Chen remained motionless.

"Miss Ling?"

Still no response.

Outside, Wu Lao hesitated for a moment before quietly pushing the door open.

Following behind him was a little maid carrying a tray filled with pastries.

The maid looked nervous.

Inside the room, Wu Lao’s gaze immediately landed on the sleeping figure on the bed.

A smile appeared on his face. Then he slowly stepped closer.

The maid blinked. Then her eyes widened.

Because Wu Lao suddenly leaned forward and took a deep breath.

The maid nearly dropped the tray.

"Younger Master!"

Wu Lao raised a finger.

"Quiet."

The maid stared at him in disbelief.

"What are you doing?"

Wu Lao looked toward the sleeping Ye Chen and answered honestly.

"Smelling Miss Ling’s fragrance."

The maid almost fainted.

"Young Master, this behaviour is inappropriate."

Wu Lao looked puzzled.

"What’s inappropriate about this?"

Then he glanced toward Ye Chen and spoke with complete sincerity.

"Tomorrow, I plan to meet Father and propose marriage to Miss Ling."

Under the blanket, Ye Chen’s eyes nearly popped open.

Marriage?

Marriage his head!

At this moment, her face turned purple.

She was a man!

A man!

She had only intended to use Wu Lao’s favour to learn cultivation and gain access to resources.

Nobody told her she would end up becoming someone’s wife.

The pressure instantly rose.

Combined with her already overstuffed stomach, Ye Chen suddenly felt something was wrong.

Very wrong.

Before she could stop it—

*Pfft.*

The room instantly became silent.

The maid froze.

Wu Lao froze.

Under the blanket, Ye Chen wanted to die.