Inside the study.
The faint sandalwood incense could not mask the cloying sweetness of the osmanthus tangyuan.
Chen Wei looked at Yang Chan's smiling face right before him, then lowered his gaze to the jade slip on the desk, which he had spent half a month studying without finding so much as a way in.
He sighed.
Heavenly Court's official documents and case files-even the jargon-filled writings those Star Lords kept under wraps-needed only a glance for him to spot their flaws and uncover the deep pits hidden within.
But this thing Patriarch Bodhi had left behind was truly beyond him.
The Daoist truths inscribed on it were even more unfathomable than the Great Heavenly Venerable's thoughts.
Chen Wei thought his wife was simply finding another way to comfort him, and could not help mocking himself. "There's no need to console me, my dear. Daoist arts depend on innate talent and comprehension. Perhaps the Patriarch was right, and my aptitude really isn't up to the task."
"Nonsense!" Yang Chan arched her willow-leaf brows and contradicted him without hesitation. "My husband rose all the way from the Mortal Realm to the position of Wude True Lord. Who would dare say you aren't capable? Your positions..."
"No, I mean your aptitude!"
"Your aptitude is excellent!"
Realizing her slip of the tongue, Yang Chan quickly cleared her throat and steered the conversation back on course.
To hide her embarrassment, she moved swiftly, scooping up a tangyuan and bringing it straight to Chen Wei's mouth.
Before Chen Wei could properly savor it, his mouth had been stuffed full.
Sweet.
Sickeningly sweet.
But he did not dare chew it more than a couple of times before swallowing it straight down.
Seeing this, Yang Chan set the small celadon bowl on the desk, right on top