Night deepened.
Soft moonlight filtered through the window lattice, spilling into the room.
Steam curled above the enormous wooden tub.
Ah Yin carefully wiped Chen Xuan's back, her movements gentle and full of tender affection.
Several Blue Silver Grass leaves floated on the water's surface, giving off a faint fragrance that calmed the mind.
"Xuan, tell me... where is my child now?"
Ah Yin's voice sounded somewhat ethereal in the quiet night.
Chen Xuan closed his eyes, enjoying this tender moment. At her words, his body paused slightly.
He knew that the child Ah Yin meant was the soul who should have been born, but whose place Tang San had usurped.
"I don't know."
Chen Xuan answered softly.
"Perhaps he's been reincarnated, found new parents, and started a new life."
Ah Yin's hands came to a stop.
She gently wrapped her arms around Chen Xuan from behind.
Her voice.
"I owe him so much."
Chen Xuan reached back and took her hands, clasped across his chest.
"All right."
He said only those two words.
Chen Xuan turned around and pulled her wet body tightly into his arms.
"Mm."
Ah Yin buried her face against his chest. Her tears fell silently, dripping into the warm bathwater and sending ripples across its surface.
That day, she had poured out the hatred she had carried for a hundred thousand years.
But once it was spent, all that remained was endless longing and guilt for the child she had never met.
After a long while,
Ah Yin's emotions finally began to settle.
She raised her head, her eyes reddened, and looked at Chen Xuan.
"Was it a little inappropriate to let Yanzi and the others see me like that today?"
She meant the scene during the individual match when she had lashed Tang San with her vine whip.
At the time, she had been filled with hatred and grim resolve—a world apart from her gentle, tender self now.
"There was nothing wrong with it."
Chen Xuan reached out and wiped away the tear marks at the corner of her eye.
"You're their elder. It's important for them to know that you have your own loves and hatreds, and things you want to protect."
"They need to understand that strength isn't only for cultivation. It's also for protecting others."
"Just as I protect you, and just as you want to protect the child."
Ah Yin looked at him, then broke into a smile through her tears.
"You always have so much to say."
She lightly pounded his chest.
"But Yanzi really has grown a lot."
Ah Yin sighed.
"When I first met her a year ago, she was just a somewhat willful young girl. She had talent, but didn't know how to use it."
"Now she's a true Soul King. You can't fake that confidence and composure."
"That's all thanks to you."
"No. They're the ones who worked hard enough." Chen Xuan shook his head. "I only pointed them in the right direction."
"What about Rongrong?" Ah Yin asked again. "The little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect actually became your disciple. That old fox Ning Fengzhi must be furious."
"Whether he's angry or not has nothing to do with me."
Chen Xuan's tone was calm.
"Rongrong's Martial Soul is the Glazed Tile Pagoda. Ning Fengzhi sits on a mountain of treasure without realizing it. Blinded by the so-called flaws in his Martial Soul, that's his own foolishness."
"Only by following me can Rongrong truly bring out the power of the Nine Treasure Pagoda."
"I'm sure it won't be long before the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect changes its name to the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
Ah Yin listened to his confident words, her eyes bright with admiration.
This man was always like this.
As if everything in the world lay in the palm of his hand.
"Then... when are you going to give me some guidance?"
Ah Yin blinked, a playful glint in her eyes.
"I feel like there's still a lot about my 'Tribulation-Breaking Yinglong' that I haven't fully mastered."
Seeing her like this, Chen Xuan's heart stirred. He lowered his head and kissed her.
The sound of the water grew sultry in the room.
Ah Yin looked at the man before her, her heart swelling with boundless affection.
The night passed peacefully.
The next morning.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, scattering dappled shadows across the courtyard.
Chen Xuan was practicing a set of boxing moves in the yard.
His movements were slow, each move seemingly blending into the nature surrounding him.
There was no Soul Power fluctuation, no awe-inspiring presence.
Yet his movements held a quality of returning to the natural and unadorned.
Ah Yin sat on a stone bench nearby, holding an ancient book and reading with rapt attention.
Every so often, she looked up at her husband practicing his boxing, and a happy smile would unconsciously bloom on her face.
The years passed in peace and quiet. Perhaps this was what it meant.
"Good morning, Teacher."
Dugu Yan's voice came from outside the courtyard.
She walked in with Ning Rongrong and the others.
A sheen of sweat from their morning practice glistened on every face, and they all looked refreshed.
"Morning."
Chen Xuan finished his set and replied evenly.
"Teacher, here's today's breakfast."
The brothers Shi Mo and Shi Pan came over, carrying a huge food box.
When they opened it, it was filled with an assortment of carefully prepared dishes, their aroma wafting through the air.
Blue Silver Academy had no dining hall.
The disciples took turns preparing all three meals each day themselves.
As Chen Xuan put it, if cultivators couldn't even control their own appetites, how could they talk about controlling their strength?
Everyone gathered around the stone table and began to enjoy breakfast.
"Teacher."
Dugu Yan asked as she sipped her porridge.
"Should we keep an eye on Shrek Academy?"
"No need."
Chen Xuan said without looking up.
"If they don't come looking for trouble, just pretend they don't exist."
"If they dare come after us again, you can handle it yourselves."
"Yes." Dugu Yan nodded and asked no more.
"By the way, Teacher." Ning Rongrong suddenly remembered something. "The annual assessment at Heaven Dou Royal Academy is in half a month. Are we going to take part?"
Although Blue Silver Academy was independent, it was still nominally affiliated with Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
That had been one of the generous terms Emperor Xue Ye had offered when he tried to win Chen Xuan over.
"It might be good to go and have a look."
Chen Xuan considered it for a moment before answering.
"It'll give the people of Heaven Dou City a chance to see just how impressive the disciples of my Blue Silver Academy are."
"Hehe, great!" Ning Rongrong immediately grew excited. "I'll make sure everyone is stunned!"
She could already imagine the looks on the faces of Heaven Dou City's nobles when Dugu Yan's Soul King strength was displayed before them.
Breakfast ended in a relaxed atmosphere.
Afterward came the day's usual cultivation.
Chen Xuan didn't draw up strict training schedules like Grandmaster did.
He simply sent the disciples to sit in meditation and contemplate on the academy's Blue Silver Grass lawn.
They were to sense the breath of life, listen to the wind, and form the deepest possible connection with the Blue Silver Grass beneath their feet.
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