As the female crown stepped through the door, she instinctively settled into the chair. Yin Tingxue brought her tea, and she murmured a quiet note of gratitude to her younger cousin.
Lowering her delicate forehead, staring intently at the tea, Yin Weiyin took a deep breath, nervously waiting for Chen Yi, and then...
Thinking about this mont, even though it had occurred several tis before, she still felt her cheeks flush, her legs trembling slightly.
Yet now, her resistance to the matter was not as severe as before, and so Yin Weiyin finally exhaled a murky breath.
Turning her eyes to the side, she saw the invitation card Chen Yi had placed on the tea table.
Her gaze lingered on the blue, gold-embossed invitation from the Prince Mansion. Yin Weiyin montarily drifted into distraction.
Was he truly going to... et his parents?
After a long while, Yin Weiyin’s lips curled slightly, half in bitterness and half in absurdity. To his parents, she had inexplicably beco his concubine, using every holiday as a pretext to visit this courtyard under the guise of scholarly discussions.
What was there to et his parents for?
Moreover, at the mansion, it’s likely his father and mother would never show him a kind face, for Chen Yi remained a thorn in the side of the Prince Mansion.
Just as the thought arose, she heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Her heart suddenly tightened, her posture instinctively straightening.
Chen Yi stepped gracefully from behind the screen. Seeing him, Yin Weiyin didn’t know what expression to wear and could only rise to greet him.
"You’re here?" Chen Yi spoke softly as his eyes fell on the elegant female crown.
For her, many questions remained unanswered in his heart.
Yin Weiyin had no idea what Chen Yi was thinking. Habitually gritting her teeth, she responded:
"Wasn’t it you who summoned here?"
If not for her inability to defy the turmoil in her heart, how could she co here every holiday to partake in acts many won would not willingly endure...
Seeing Chen Yi looking at her without speaking, Yin Weiyin felt uncertain. Then she appeared to rember sothing and withdrew a jade pendant from her chest.
"The item you asked for."
Chen Yi glanced down at it, recognizing the storage tool commonly used by cultivators from the mountain. She had indeed brought it, and he casually took it, saying:
"Thank you."
"It’s nothing..."
Yin Weiyin’s gaze fell on him before lowering. After hesitating for a long while, she finally mustered the courage to speak quietly:
"...Husband."
Upon hearing her, Chen Yi paused for a mont, then smiled faintly, gently stroking her cheek as he murmured, "Hmm, my phoenix."
Yin Weiyin’s heart fluttered at his tender tone. These days, it seed her turmoil favored her sowhat; with the True Yuan he had provided for appearances last ti, she had refined it all and returned to the early stages of Core Formation.
After reflecting on this, she concluded he couldn’t dislike her entirely despite his denial. Ultimately, he must harbor hidden feelings. Isn’t he secretly more fond of her than of Tingxue?
At the thought, the female crown’s mood inexplicably brightened.
Chen Yi studied Yin Weiyin, his mind weighed down by conflicting thoughts and questions.
It doesn’t make sense...
If she belonged to his previous life, why would Yin Weiyin not exist?
Chen Yi distinctly recalled the Prince Mansion’s existence, the Taichua Goddess should have existed as well, but Yin Weiyin... According to his earlier assumptions, she was an unfinished, discarded plan.
That is to say, in his previous life, Yin Weiyin didn’t even exist.
Chen Yi’s heart overflowed with inexplicable doubts.
If he had co to know this several months earlier, Chen Yi might suspect Yin Weiyin was fabricated—a re illusion. Yet at present, their bond grew deeper day by day. How could she possibly be fake?
Amid his contemplations, Chen Yi paused briefly, deciding to test the waters:
"Co with to the study."
Yin Weiyin froze slightly. She had always known that coming to this courtyard ant only one thing...
Feigning casualness, Chen Yi remarked, "Didn’t you say you wanted to read to ?"
Yin Weiyin understood and replied in a clear voice, "I did say so."
Chen Yi stepped toward the study.
The female crown observed his retreating figure, her thoughts whirring.
Had their relationship truly begun to stabilize? Could this an...
She ought to feel relieved, yet for reasons unknown, the female crown felt a tinge of unease.
Though their reconciliation was indeed a positive developnt, she realized that deeper entanglents were inevitable as connections among mortals grew stronger.
Yin Weiyin’s brows furrowed slightly, her thoughts complex, but ultimately, she dared not defy Chen Yi and followed him at a asured pace.
Inside the study, Chen Yi pulled out a chair for her. The female crown did not refuse; lifting her robes, she gracefully seated herself.
She retrieved the book "Dao Strategy" from within her Square Land, her fingers flipping through its pages. From Chen Yi’s perspective, the annotations written in fine script could be clearly seen.
Yin Weiyin’s longing to achieve Dao Cheng and immortality was evident.
Noticing Chen Yi’s gaze, Yin Weiyin felt puzzled. Her fingers trembled slightly, and after a mont of hesitation, she asked:
"Where did you leave off?"
Chen Yi pointed at a particular section.
The female crown began reciting carefully. Within "Dao Strategy," there were not only countless magical techniques but also fundantal explanations of Taoist Skills. The section in question expounded on the paper doll technique, Yin Weiyin’s specialty.
"Paper dolls are not living beings; they are lifeless objects, much like how the Great Sage Equalling Heaven plucked out his hairs, blew on them, and produced thousands of monkeys. The technique of paper dolls operates similarly, where the caster chants a spell and breathes upon the doll, allowing it to move..."
Yin Weiyin explained each sentence to him.
At first, Chen Yi listened attentively, but before long, he grew drowsy.
For Yin Weiyin, discussing the techniques within the Dao Strategy was a source of passion, yet for Chen Yi, it was unrelentingly tedious.
In his previous life, it was due to Zhou Yitang’s influence that he had reluctantly studied it. But ultimately, he hadn’t truly mastered much.
Yin Weiyin noticed his sleepy deanor, her gaze flashing with a trace of irritation, though she dared not voice it aloud. Instead, she said softly:
"The teachings of the Dao Strategy are not universally comprehensible, nor is everyone inherently suited to the path of cultivation."
Chen Yi raised his eyes and chuckled: "You are inherently suited?"
Yin Weiyin trembled slightly, detecting the playful undertone, and lowered her gaze to respond quietly:
"I have cultivated far longer than husband has."
Her demure expression as she called him "husband" still appealed to Chen Yi. Closing his eyes briefly, he said:
"Continue reading."
As he listened, he sorted through his thoughts.
Yin Weiyin shot him a suspicious look. Would he fall asleep?
Chen Yi, as though sensing her thoughts, said:
"Whether I sleep or not is my concern; continuing to read is yours."
At these words, Yin Weiyin’s gaze dimd slightly. He was, in essence, a re mortal, lacking any desire for Dao Cheng and immortality. Even if she painstakingly recited every Chapter of the Dao Strategy, how much could he truly absorb?
Tingxue had once said, "When one achieves immortality, even their dogs and chickens ascend." But if he were to reach heaven’s gates only to shy away, how could she ascend alongside him?
With these thoughts, the female crown grew despondent. Though she had been pursuing immortality for nearly twenty years, her aspirations had not waned simply because Chen Yi forbade them. Even as his concubine now, she hadn’t abandoned these desires.
She knew that these sentints were not lost upon Chen Yi.
The Great Yin was not the Little Yin—never satisfied with ek submission. Yet no matter how much she resisted, she remained this man’s concubine. Now, she could only continue reading the Dao Strategy softly.
Her voice was delicate and gentle as she recited, unmarred by Chen Yi’s evident sleepiness. Far from neglecting her duties, she maintained her composed rhythm, her voice calm and low.
On this wintry day, her voice had a tranquil quality, akin to a soft breeze brushing across still waters. The more Chen Yi listened, the more peace he felt, his head tilting slightly as he leaned back against the chair and closed his eyes.
Chen Yi appeared to have fallen asleep.
Yin Weiyin had just finished reciting the Chapter on paper dolls. According to the teachings, mastering the paper doll technique required discerning truth from falsehood, for paper dolls were ultimately lifeless objects, not beings. One must not allow themselves to beco overly attached, lest they conflate illusion with reality and stray from the path.
Having completed the Chapter, Yin Weiyin tilted her head slightly, finding Chen Yi fast asleep.
She gazed steadily at his sleeping face, even as fear lingered faintly within her. But now, she had learned to suppress it.
Yin Weiyin watched him for a long ti. Her fingers unconsciously lifted, cautiously reaching toward his face. His indifference toward cultivation couldn’t escape her notice.
The study was peaceful, devoid of threats or desires. Yin Weiyin felt an unusual sense of surrealism; this turmoil rested so vulnerably before her now, unguarded.
Had their relationship truly begun to nd...?
Did he perhaps feel sothing for her now...?
"Do you truly wish to prevent from achieving immortality?"
Yin Weiyin remained silent for a long while before she whispered:
"You adore my beauty,
but I will age..."
She dared not broach such topics while Chen Yi was awake and instead murmured them now in hopes that one day, he might abruptly change his mind and grant her immortality. If that were the case...
Even as an immortal, she would descend to serve him... as his cultivation vessel.
"I will age," Yin Weiyin glanced at the book in her hands and murmured softly, "I’m not a paper doll."
At that mont, Chen Yi suddenly opened his eyes and asked coldly:
"Are you truly not a paper doll?"
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