Yunxi put on the standard smile of a noble young lady and said:
"Everyone has their own aspirations. Mine do not lie here. I only wish to serve at my parents' side. Besides, I live very well here—why should I go to an unknown place and adapt all over again? Most importantly, my body does not permit it. I only have two years left to live."
Ye Fuxue asked in confusion:
"How do you know?"
"The Former State Preceptor told me. I was able to live until my coming-of-age ceremony only thanks to Ling Jian."
Yunxi answered truthfully.
Qianyuan frowned. Ling Jian had not mentioned this matter during the handover, so he said in a clear voice:
"Miss Wei, excuse me."
As soon as he spoke, a thread of spiritual power entered Yunxi's current body.
Yunxi did not resist. She let that thread of spiritual power make a circuit through her body before withdrawing, then tilted her head and asked:
"National Preceptor Qianyuan, is it true? Can I live to eighteen?"
Qianyuan lowered his eyes and nodded. He felt somewhat reluctant to accept it, for the girl before him was as beautiful as a banished immortal, yet she would soon perish in the bloom of her youth.
Yunxi sighed, then sat back down on the reclining chair. As though speaking to herself, yet also as though speaking to the two of them, she said:
"I thought the two of you, such lofty experts, might have a way to prolong my life. It seems I was asking too much."
Hearing this, Ye Fuxue looked at Qianyuan. He merely shook his head, indicating that he had no solution either. The little courtyard instantly fell into dead silence, with only the rustle of wind through the leaves lending it a trace of desolation.