Exemplary Couple

"Wife, why did you come out?"

Seeing Yu Qinghan walking alone down the street in low spirits, Zhao Huai secretly found it strange.

"I..."

Seeing that Zhao Huai was completely unharmed, Yu Qinghan felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted; the stone in her heart had finally fallen to the ground.

Yet faced with her husband's puzzled look, she still froze for a moment.

Her mind was a muddle because she had yet to think of an answer.

She could hardly smile and say, "This humble wife feared that my husband had fallen to an assassin's poisoned blade, so I came out and, while I was at it, slaughtered four fiends."

That would sound far too terrifying.

And it would draw her husband's special attention, along with his questioning.

Where had the assassins come from? Why were there assassins? Hadn't she cut off contact with her Household? After all, before they married, she had promised that their ordinary married life would not be threatened and that no one would disturb them. If she let something slip now, wouldn't she be slapping her own face?

Seeing that night had fallen by the roadside, with the setting sun painting the dusk yellow, Yu Qinghan had a flash of inspiration and smiled. "I saw that it was getting late, so I planned to come out and buy some vegetables. I didn't expect to run into you, Husband."

Zhao Huai lifted the basket of vegetables in his hand and gave it a shake, smiling. "No need. I've already bought them. The auction ended early today, so I got back quickly. I went to the busy market and bought the vegetables."

After sending Li Yanqing home and giving him some instructions about taking on a disciple, he had made a trip to the market. Otherwise, it really would have been hard to explain.

Yu Qinghan glanced at the meat, fruits, and vegetables stuffed to the brim in both of Zhao Huai's hands and smiled faintly. "You bought so much?"

"Yeah, quite a bit of beef and mutton. I also bought enough for the next few days. We have a cellar at home anyway, so it won't spoil." Zhao Huai grinned.

"Did everything go smoothly for you today, Husband? Did you run into anything troublesome?"

Seeing that her husband was safe, Yu Qinghan was naturally happy.

Yet beneath her words, she was still probing without giving anything away.

At her question, the figures of the two assassins—one fat, one thin—flashed through Zhao Huai's mind.

Even after killing them, he had not known their names.

If he told her about the two assassins, it would undoubtedly be unwise, because it would be difficult to explain where they had gone.

Hiding his cultivation during the matchmaking had been a form of self-protection. Now that he had concealed it all the way until this point, it was even harder to speak up.

He would pick another opportunity in the future.

"Nothing went wrong. I gained quite a lot, especially that bottle of pills for tempering the body."

"You know I've practiced martial arts for some time, but I've never made much of a breakthrough. Yet those pills worked quite well and made my body stronger."

Zhao Huai spun a tale about what he had gained from the auction, which also explained why he had gone to the Heavenly Treasures Guild.

Yu Qinghan nodded slightly after hearing this and earnestly cautioned him, "Taking pills is ultimately an inferior method. On the path of cultivation, one must rely on oneself in the end."

Zhao Huai smiled bitterly. "I'm not as gifted as you are, Wife. I can only rely on such external aids. My aptitude is truly poor."

In truth, that was indeed the truth.

The predecessor of this body had been a frivolous prince, indulging in pleasure all day and playing "hide-and-seek" with palace maids. Even at his age, he had not cultivated Qi.

Looking at it from another angle, his aptitude was not only poor—he was also lazy. He was unwilling to endure hardship or cultivate, so when Zhao Huai first arrived, he had still been an ordinary man.

This abysmal aptitude had even affected him. Zhao Huai had been stuck at Qi Refining Level 9 for some time, unable to break through to Foundation Establishment.

Wasn't that, in a sense, proof that his upper limit was insufficient?

The Diligent Achiever fate granted him rapid cultivation, that much was true, but if he could not overcome the bottleneck, he would still remain stuck where he was.

"Husband, you must not belittle yourself."

Hearing Zhao Huai mock himself, Yu Qinghan pressed her red lips together. Refusing to believe it, she grabbed Zhao Huai's hand and carefully examined him.

She had not paid attention to her husband's aptitude before, but now she could take a look.

Zhao Huai's eyelid twitched at the sight.

Fortunately, he had the Playing the Pig to Eat the Tiger fate to conceal him; no one could see through his cultivation.

Otherwise, if she discovered it, he truly would not be able to explain himself.

Yu Qinghan carefully sensed Zhao Huai's bones and sinews, as well as his meridians, still and silent as water.

His body truly contained a pool of stagnant water.

Yu Qinghan asked in confusion, "That shouldn't be. Husband, your meridians are very broad, and your body is in excellent condition. It's only your spiritual roots that are poor. How could you be unable to cultivate Qi?"

"Maybe my talent simply isn't enough." Zhao Huai smiled.

Before obtaining the fate, his meridians and body had not been nearly as good as she described.

"It should be that the method is wrong." Yu Qinghan pondered.

In her eyes, teaching Zhao Huai how to begin cultivating was the foremost priority.

"Let's go home first. It's completely dark already."

Zhao Huai glanced at the horizon and directly urged her.

Yu Qinghan emerged from her thoughts, took the basket of vegetables from Zhao Huai's hand, and said softly, "That's true. Let's go home first."

The next moment, Zhao Huai took her other hand, and Yu Qinghan's fair face immediately blossomed with a sweet smile.

"Today, let me show you your husband's cooking. You definitely can't get this outside."

"Really?"

"Of course. Though it can't compare to Wife's cooking, it wins in novelty."

Their palms intertwined as they talked and laughed, gradually disappearing at the end of the eastern street, where dim yellow lanterns added a touch of warmth.

At dusk, steaming smoke rose from chimneys, and every Household window shone brightly. Though the night in Jinzhou was dark, it was not lonely.

Huai Pawnshop.

Yu Qinghan could not help smiling slightly as she watched the man before her bustle tirelessly around the kitchen.

"Princess, don't you find this very strange?"

A voice sounded from the shadows beside her.

"What is it?"

"The killers sent by the Black Market vanished into thin air, as though they disappeared. By all rights, they should have reached Jinzhou long ago."

Yu Qinghan said indifferently, "What are you trying to say?"

The maid in the shadows fell silent for a moment before saying:

"Could it be that Young Master Zhao killed them?"

"He is actually a top expert, lurking beside the Princess in order to gain Your Highness's trust, then seize control of the army."

Yu Qinghan shook her head. "Impossible. I checked. My husband is just an ordinary man. I personally felt his bones and constitution."

"Your imagination is too rich. Also, I no longer have anything to do with the army. Unless it is something important in the future, don't come looking for me."

The maid in the shadows argued, "It could also be that the Princess's cultivation cannot see through him. Tomorrow, I will have Old Yu come over and test him personally."

"Do as you wish."

Yu Qinghan rose impatiently, intending to go into the kitchen and help.

The maid in the shadows watched the two figures' backs, sighed, then vanished from where she stood.

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