King Zhao Residence.
Xiao Lingyue pushed open the window and stared speechlessly at Xiang Yuan as he vaulted over the wall into the small courtyard. She dearly wanted to say: the courtyard had a gate, the two of them were betrothed, and it was not even dark yet—there was no need to climb walls.
Xiang Yuan stood before the window brimming with vigor, leaning against the frame. "I did not disgrace my mission. This trip was well worth it; Sword Heart Studio proved quite fruitful."
Xiao Lingyue tilted her head suspiciously. "What happened? You look awfully drained."
Xiao Lingyue knew Xiang Yuan too well. A walking humanoid elixir, his stats off the charts, with energy in endless supply—she had never once heard him say he was tired. Seeing him suddenly so listless made it hard not to be suspicious.
Xiang Yuan swayed, circulating the Formless Seal Method and restoring his spirited, energetic appearance.
Xiao Lingyue understood even less. She shot Xiang Yuan a look, telling him to explain what kind of madness he had decided to pull today.
"Your husband was gone for over half the day, and I went to the women's branch of Sword Heart Studio. There was nothing there but beautiful girls by the handful. If I came back full of pep, you would definitely think I had a guilty conscience and was deliberately covering something up." Xiang Yuan spoke wearily.
"So? Why were you drained?"
"Because of this..."
Xiang Yuan took out a copy of the 'Daily Medicine News.' "Sword Heart Studio is on good terms with White Cloud Manor. My identity as Unrivaled Palace's son-in-law was exposed, and several grandmasters forcibly challenged me to sword matches—the likes of Fairy Shang, and that female Daoist named Purple Duckweed. Sword Venerable Su Ran herself was the only