Bing'er, the evil power within me is about to break free

"Of course, you're coming back with me to sleep."

Shui Bing'er's whole body went rigid. Her face flushed scarlet in an instant, the red spreading from the tips of her ears all the way down her neck.

She lowered her head and clenched her skirt, her voice as faint as a mosquito's hum. "Th-this doesn't seem quite right..."

Li Yuan looked at her flustered expression and shook his head with a laugh. "You're my woman. Isn't it perfectly normal for you to sleep with me?"

Shui Bing'er's heart clenched hard. She lifted her head and stared at him with wide eyes, her lips slightly parted.

Those four words—"my woman"—came from his mouth so plainly, yet they were like a stone crashing into the lake of her heart, sending ripples spreading one after another.

She had thought that what had happened before was only a temporary measure, just the "help" Long Yuan and the others had mentioned.

She had never expected Li Yuan to truly regard her as one of his own.

Seeing her frozen in place, Li Yuan reached out, wrapped an arm around her, and pulled her into his embrace.

"What are you standing there for?"

Held in his arms, Shui Bing'er's nose bumped against his chest. She caught the faint scent of grass and trees on him, and her whole body turned both soft and stiff, her mind a complete muddle.

Li Yuan looked at Yue Yao. "Lead the way."

Yue Yao gave a slight nod, turned, and walked ahead, her skirt swaying lightly. "This way, my lord. The rooms have all been prepared."

Under the moonlight, three figures crossed the courtyard and headed deeper into the main building.

The night breeze brushed past the osmanthus tree in the corner of the courtyard, carrying over a faint, sweet fragrance.

The second floor of the main building.

When the door was pushed open, a spacious and elegant bedchamber came into view.

A large carved rosewood bed stood against the wall, its brocade quilt folded neatly. The bed curtains were made of pale cyan gauze, gently lifted by the night breeze drifting through the room.

A glazed lamp sat on the windowsill, its warm yellow light shrouding the entire room in a hazy softness.

On the low table by the window was a pot of warmed tea, steam curling up in wisps.

Yue Yao had always been meticulous in her work.

Li Yuan turned back and glanced at Shui Bing'er. She was standing by the door with her head lowered, both hands clenched around her skirt, her knuckles white.

The lamplight fell across the side of her face, making the blush that had yet to fade stand out all the more clearly.

He walked over, bent down, slipped one arm beneath the crook of her knees and wrapped the other around her back, then lifted her sideways into his arms.

Shui Bing'er suddenly felt weightless. She let out half a startled cry before swallowing it back down, her hands instinctively wrapping around his neck.

Li Yuan took a few steps to the bedside and gently set her down. The soft brocade quilt sank beneath her, half-wrapping around her.

Shui Bing'er lay there, her cheeks burning fiercely. She stole a glance at Li Yuan from the corner of her eye, then quickly looked away, her fingers twisting the edge of the quilt, unable to hide her nervousness.

Li Yuan sat on the edge of the bed and leaned down close to her.

He lowered his head slightly, the tip of his nose nearly touching hers. His gaze fell into her ice-blue eyes, and he said in a low voice, "Bing'er, you're so beautiful."

Shui Bing'er instinctively shrank farther into the quilt and turned her head away, not daring to look at him. Her voice carried a few traces of shyness. "My lord... don't stare at me like that..."

Li Yuan chuckled softly and leaned in beside her ear. His warm breath brushed over her sensitive ear, his voice low and suggestive:

"Bing'er... the evil power of the martial soul inside me is becoming a little hard to suppress again."

Shui Bing'er trembled all over. Her face was already red to the extreme, and even her neck and collarbones had taken on a faint pink hue.

How could she not understand the meaning behind those words? Her heart pounded wildly, almost leaping out of her throat.

But she took a deep breath, turned her head back, and bravely met his gaze.

Though the corners of her eyes still shimmered with moisture, her voice carried a trembling yet resolute note. "Then... Bing'er will help my lord suppress it..."

Hearing this, the corners of Li Yuan's mouth slowly curved up.

"Then I must thank you, Bing'er." He lowered his head and pressed a light kiss to her forehead, his voice softening somewhat. "In the future, I will surely cherish you a hundredfold."

Outside the door.

Yue Yao stood in the corridor, listening to those few lines from inside the room, a faint curve appearing at the corners of her lips.

She reached out and gently pulled the door shut. When she turned to leave, her skirt brushed over the wooden floor, her footsteps light.

Inside the room.

Shui Bing'er's rapid breathing was especially clear in the quiet room, her chest rising and falling with each breath.

Li Yuan slowly reached out, his fingertips touching the pale cyan sash on her shoulder, and lightly hooked it aside.

The gauze-like fabric slipped down, revealing a shoulder as fair and lustrous as jade.

An ice-blue phoenix tattoo was faintly visible below her collarbone, exuding a faint chill.

Li Yuan lowered his head and kissed it.

Ice and fire merged, hissing softly, like fine snow falling into scorching-hot coals.

Late at night, all was quiet.

Li Yuan gently rose from the bed and glanced back at Shui Bing'er beside him.

She was curled on her side beneath the quilt, her breathing even and long. Her brow was relaxed, and there was still a faint curve at the corner of her lips. She was sleeping deeply.

He bent down and tucked the quilt in for her, his fingertip lightly brushing the loose hair before her forehead, then put on his outer robe and pushed the door open.

The wooden door closed silently behind him.

He had just reached the end of the corridor when a crisp notification sounded in his mind.

"Ding! Midnight has passed. Would you like to perform today's sign-in?"

Li Yuan's steps paused.

Before he knew it, it was already past midnight.

"Sign in."

"Ding! Sign-in successful! Congratulations, Master, you have obtained: Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Bone, Lament of the Frost Speaker, Left Arm Bone x1."

An ice-blue soul bone appeared out of thin air in his hand. It was about a foot long, smooth and lustrous in shape, with a thin layer of frost covering its surface. When his palm touched it, a gentle coolness spread through his hand.

Inside the soul bone, ice-blue streams of light slowly wandered, like a frozen river.

Li Yuan examined its attributes.

"Lament of the Frost Speaker, Left Arm Bone: ten-thousand-year quality."

"Core ability: Absolute Zero: Thought-Freezing Domain."

"With Shui Bing'er as the center, instantly casts a domain with a radius of thirty meters. When enemies are within the domain, the circulation speed of their soul power slows as the temperature drops, and their movement speed is greatly reduced."

"Attached soul skill: Ice Mirror Warp."

"After activation, within the domain, the user can instantly leave an ice mirror true body in place and shift to the position of another ice mirror within the domain."

Not bad. For control-type and agility-attack-type soul masters, it could be considered a practical skill.

But Li Yuan had no use for it himself.

With the physique of the World-Destroying Black Dragon, his fighting style was destined to be frontal domination, and the attribute fit was also very poor.

Giving it to Bing'er, though, was quite suitable.

As the owner of the Ice Phoenix martial soul, her compatibility with the ice attribute was naturally perfect. After her left arm bone was strengthened, all of her abilities would rise another level.

Li Yuan put the soul bone into the system space and was just about to head downstairs when another notification sounded in his mind.

"Ding! Immortal-grade herb transplanting mission completed! Reward: Spirit Herb Seed Bag x1."

His brow lifted slightly.

Dugu Bo's efficiency was surprisingly good. He was still busy in the fields in the middle of the night. It seemed he had truly taken that assignment seriously.

"Not bad."

Li Yuan went all the way down to the first-floor hall, sat by the table, poured himself a cup of cool tea, and took a sip.

After a whole day of running around, now that the night was quiet, he finally had time to sort through his gains.

Yesterday, from taking in Tianshui Academy and taking in Dugu Bo, he had accumulated two high-tier gift packs that he had yet to open.

With a thought, he took the first high-tier gift pack out of the system space.

It was a palm-sized dark-gold brocade box, with flowing light drifting across its surface.

"Open."

"Ding! High-tier gift pack opened!"