"...help you manage the Jinyiwei."
"Mm..."
Zhao Linchuan gave a lazy response and continued:
"You have the strength to establish yourselves on the mainland now."
"When we get back this time, you and Zi Nu should rebuild Zilan Pavilion."
"After that, have the Jinyiwei disperse and blend into every corner of the mainland, each of them getting on with their own work."
"Yes."
Nong Yu answered softly again, her fingers gently pressing his shoulder, once, then again.
She parted her lips, about to say something more, when Zhao Linchuan suddenly lifted his left hand for no apparent reason and laid it over the back of Nong Yu's hand on his right shoulder.
"Y-Young Master..." Nong Yu stiffened all over.
Zhao Linchuan continued:
"How about I stay tonight?"
Nong Yu's fingers trembled slightly, and her face turned bright red.
She lowered her head, not daring to look at Zhao Linchuan's back. Her voice was flustered and uncertain.
"Y-Young Master... if you stay, I can give you this room. I'll go squeeze in with Big Sister Zi Nu..."
"If you leave, what would I stay for?"
Zhao Linchuan grabbed her firmly. Nong Yu let out a startled cry as he pulled her into his arms.
She sat on his lap, both hands braced against his chest, her heart pounding like a drum.
Zhao Linchuan looked down at her, his gaze sliding from her brows and eyes to the tip of her nose, then to her lips. Finally, he met her gaze and said:
"If I stay, naturally, I want to..."
"Creak—!"
Someone suddenly pushed the door open from outside.
Zi Nu walked in, carrying a pot of tea. Her gaze naturally fell on the two people by the window.
She blinked, pausing mid-step. Then, without changing her expression, she turned around, said, "I came to the wrong room," and backed out, closing the door behind her.
"Bang—!"
The door shut. The room fell quiet for a moment.
Zhao Linchuan looked down at the face in his arms, so red it seemed ready to drip blood. He hooked a finger under her chin, chuckled, and let her go.
"What a pity. Your Big Sister Zi Nu spoiled the moment."
He stood up and straightened his collar, once more looking composed and unruffled.
"You don't have to squeeze in with your Big Sister Zi Nu."
"Tell her I've gone back."
"You two take care of yourselves."
With that, he strode to the door, pulled it open, and left without looking back.
His footsteps gradually faded, disappearing at the end of the corridor.
Nong Yu sat alone by the window, both hands pressed to her chest as she felt her heart pounding as if it would burst through her ribs.
She gasped for breath, her mouth dry and her throat feeling as though a wad of cotton were stuck in it.
Sunlight from outside fell across her face, making her flushed cheeks look even brighter.
She swallowed, unable to stop the scene from replaying in her mind—he had leaned down, gazed at her with smoldering eyes, and worn that roguish smile...
"Phew—"
"I can't keep thinking about this!"
She took a deep breath, sprang to her feet, and hurried toward the bathroom.
She had to wash up and calm down.
Otherwise, she really was going to fall apart!
The sunset was beautiful.
At home, Zhao Linchuan and Yan Lingji sat facing each other at the stone table beneath the old locust tree, having dinner.
Zhao Linchuan shoveled in a mouthful of rice, stuffed a piece of braised pork into his mouth, and spoke indistinctly as he chewed:
"My dear, didn't Dong'er say she'd send us a few servants?"
"Why haven't we seen any?"
"She sent them. I didn't accept them."
Yan Lingji stopped eating, set down her chopsticks, and took a small sip of soup before explaining unhurriedly:
"The first time, she sent sixteen Soul Grandmaster maids. I was afraid someone might get desperate and pounce on you, so I sent them back."
"Desperate and pounce on me?" Zhao Linchuan froze, then caught on and nearly choked on his food. "What are you saying... Do you think I'm that kind of man?"
"You're not that kind of man, but that doesn't stop other people from throwing themselves at you."
Yan Lingji shot him a glance, her tone mild.
"The second time, she sent sixteen Soul Grandmaster male servants. I didn't want strange men in the house, so I sent them back too."
"Our place isn't exactly small. Can you handle everything yourself?" Zhao Linchuan shoveled in another mouthful of rice and spoke around it. "Besides, doing chores could interfere with your cultivation."
"I can."
Yan Lingji smiled slightly. She held out a hand, palm up, and a ball of white flame slowly kindled in it.
With a flip of her hand, the flame fell to the ground and bounced a few times. Then another Yan Lingji emerged from it.
The same face, the same figure, the same clothes.
She stood beside Yan Lingji, tilted her head slightly, and glanced at Zhao Linchuan with a charming smile.
"My torso bone has a clone skill."
Yan Lingji continued:
"It can create a physical clone with its own independent intelligence."
"Then we can use our clone Soul Ring Skills together, and get the housework done very quickly."
"And my cultivation hasn't fallen behind at all. With the help of that Head Soul Bone, I've successfully broken through level eighty."
"I plan to spend some more time honing my cultivation before absorbing a Soul Ring."
Zhao Linchuan looked at the two identical Yan Lingjis, one sitting across from him and the other standing beside her. Both wore the same smile. He swallowed and said:
"...How long can your clone last?"
"As long as I don't recall her, she can stay here indefinitely."
"If you really care about me, bring the others back and let them help share the load."
"Then I'll have them come meet you in a while," Zhao Linchuan joked. "Just don't start fighting with each other."
"What are you talking about?" Yan Lingji rolled her eyes. "What kind of person do you take me for? Do I look like someone who'd fight with others?"
"No," Zhao Linchuan said, shaking his head. Then he added, "You look like someone who'd make others so angry they'd want to fight you."
"Get lost!"
Yan Lingji lifted her foot and lightly kicked him under the table.
Zhao Linchuan didn't dodge. He finished the last mouthful of rice in his bowl, set down his chopsticks, and fixed his gaze on Yan Lingji. Then, out of nowhere, he changed the subject:
"By the way, my dear, you said you have a physical clone-type Soul Bone Skill..."
"What about it? Isn't she standing right in front of you?" Yan Lingji raised an eyebrow.
"Nothing." Zhao Linchuan stood up, walked around the stone table, and came to her side. Leaning down, he whispered something in her ear.
"You—!" Yan Lingji whipped her head around and glared at him, embarrassed and indignant. "What are you thinking about all day?!"
"I'm thinking about you," Zhao Linchuan declared, entirely unabashed.
"That's what you call thinking about me?!"
Yan Lingji took a deep breath, then stood up, grabbed the wrist of the clone still standing there in a daze, and turned to head into the house.
"You're sleeping with her tonight," she called back over her shoulder. "I'll sleep on the sofa."
"That won't do." Zhao Linchuan followed her. "How could I neglect my dear wife...?"
Before you continue