Chapter 32: Striving for Closeness

Sang Ying felt inexplicably flustered, shrinking her calves slightly. “Wh-what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

The young man stared at her with dark eyes for two seconds, then lowered his eyelids, finished putting on her shoes and set her down, taking the cloth ball from her hand and putting it away.

“The hot spring soak is over. I’ll take you home.”

Sang Ying: ?

“You can leave after entering a secret realm?”

“This secret realm isn’t some unguarded one—it belongs to Yaochi. Any cultivator who enters can leave at any time through the exit within the realm if they don’t wish to continue exploring.”

Sang Ying tightened her grip on her sleeve. “I just remembered the luminous pearl by my bedside at home has grown a bit dim. I might as well look for a new one in the secret realm.”

The young man stood behind her, combing his long hair with a small jade comb.

“Is there anything else you lack?”

Sang Ying’s mind raced, and she rattled off a long list of random items. After finishing, she took a deep breath. “So I won’t go back just yet. I’ll stay a little longer.”

As he tucked the pearl hairpin into her bun, Xie Lingyu replied softly, “I’ve noted all of these. The secret realm is dangerous. There’s no need for you to stay.”

Sang Ying looked up, wanting to argue further, but met his dark eyes, reflecting the quiet moon and her own face, his gaze calm and steady.

She immediately fell silent.

Since childhood, Xie Lingyu had always indulged her. No matter what she asked him to do, he never objected, making him seem particularly easy to bully in her eyes.

She had always thought he was a good-tempered blockhead, but in truth, he could get angry too.

The first time she realized this was when she secretly went down the mountain without telling him to pick up Lengmian. He had been angry then. After returning to the sect, he ignored her for several days. It wasn’t until she promised to take him along next time that he finally started speaking to her again.

Whenever her safety was involved, his attitude became especially firm. After they married, he forbade her from going out alone—she had to bring Lengmian. He set up layers of formation arrays and Restrictive Barriers at home, and whenever he wasn’t in the Cultivation World, she wasn’t allowed to leave the house.

Sang Ying swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue and let out a light, dissatisfied hum, reaching out to him. “Xie Lingyu, carry me on your back.”

The tall, slender young man naturally crouched down in front of her, just as he had all those years on Minghua Mountain.

Sang Ying watched him, paused for a moment, then slowly leaned forward, hooking her arms around his neck and resting against his broad, warm back. She felt an inexplicable sense of melancholy. Not long ago, she had thought that carrying her in the illusionary realm would be the last time in this lifetime. She never imagined the outcome would turn out like this.

It felt somewhat unbelievable.

But this feeling wasn’t bad.

It seemed the young man was also thinking of that time, as he asked softly, “So back then, you were already thinking of cutting ties with me?”

Sang Ying huffed. “What else was I supposed to do? Really become the villainess who ruins your relationship?”

“You didn’t even ask me once before sentencing me to death?”

Sang Ying opened her mouth, wanting to bite his neck, but then remembered that if she left a mark, he would go around saying she was clingy and ruin her reputation. She quickly stopped herself, grinding her teeth. “You’re still saying that? You never came home. Where was I supposed to ask? All I heard were the rumors spreading more and more.”

Xie Lingyu pursed his lips slightly. He hadn’t dared to show himself in front of her because he had vaguely sensed she wanted to divorce him and didn’t know how to face it.

After all, from the beginning, this marriage had only been for the sake of their predicament at the time. If she wanted to end it, he had no grounds to ask her to stay.

Sang Ying lay on his back, slowly breathing warm air as she softly asked, “Xie Lingyu, do you really not like Shen Ying?”

“I don’t.”

The young man shifted the person on his back upward, his tone light and indifferent. “What I like is a junior sister who clearly has the strength to walk but still lazily orders someone to carry her.”

Sang Ying’s ears flushed red as she tugged at his clothes. “You were the one who said you’d take responsibility. I didn’t force you.”

“Mhm, I’m quite willing.”

The young man’s expression remained calm. “After all, who wouldn’t be happy to do something with a reward? What conditions does junior sister plan to offer this time?”

Sang Ying widened her eyes, knowing he was referring to her earlier plea for his help. “Even carrying me requires a reward? Xie Lingyu, you’re raising the price on the spot!”

The young man chuckled softly. “Raising prices on the spot is the most basic operation for a merchant. Junior sister is also a merchant—shouldn’t you understand this better than anyone?”

Yesterday, when he revealed his true nature, he had slipped up and mentioned matters related to her business dealings. Sang Ying wasn’t too surprised. Given how closely he had been observing her, it wasn’t strange for him to know she was involved in a merchant guild.

She gritted her teeth. “Xie Lingyu, you’ve learned to be bad!”

As they spoke, they had already reached the exit. The young man set her down, his dark eyes glancing at her indifferently. “If I had known that learning to be bad would win junior sister over, I wouldn’t have pretended to be a gentleman for so long.”

Sang Ying: “…”

This shameless, lecherous dragon!

At the exit, a Yaochi fairy was standing guard. Xie Lingyu handed Sang Ying’s Jade Token to her. The fairy accepted it and looked at Sang Ying. “Follow me, Miss Sang.”

Sang Ying no longer thought about staying in the secret realm. She thought, since Xie Lingyu had said that, it wouldn’t hurt to trust him a little.

The path connecting the secret realm to reality was a lotus-leaf-paved riverbank trail, surrounded by bizarre and shifting lights. She followed the fairy, but when they reached the end and emerged, the scene was not Yaochi but an unfamiliar place.

The surroundings were filled with gloomy, cold energy, with broken walls and withered trees. Sang Ying also sensed a powerful Restrictive Barrier aura—this place clearly looked ominous.

Her expression immediately turned serious as she cautiously looked at the guiding fairy. “Who are you?”

How could someone dare to impersonate a Yaochi fairy inside the Yaochi Secret Realm?

The guiding fairy turned around, and a familiar voice rang out. “Hey, hey, hey, don’t rush to throw a Talisman, Miss Sang. It’s me.”

Sang Ying was stunned as she watched the fairy’s face and figure transform into a familiar appearance. “…Shen Ying?”

Shen Ying nodded. “That’s right. Don’t be nervous. I brought you here just to talk about something—nothing else.”

When it came to Shen Ying, Sang Ying always felt a sense of familiarity, especially when looking into her eyes.

Although there were rumors about her and Xie Lingyu, Sang Ying didn’t dislike her. If the rumors were true, Shen Ying had even helped her clear demonic energy in the Demon Realm last time. Putting herself in Shen Ying’s shoes, Sang Ying honestly doubted she could have been so kind as to heal a rival in love.

And if the rumors were merely fabricated gossip, then it had even less to do with Shen Ying.

Driven by an inexplicable intuition, Sang Ying felt she wasn’t a bad person.

She put away her talisman and softly asked her, “Miss Shen, what’s the story behind the rumors about you and Xie Lingyu?”

Shen Ying across from her blinked, pulling out a thick stack of rice paper from her bosom and flipping through it. “Which rumor are you talking about? This one, ‘Eternal Love Across Three Lifetimes,’ or this one, ‘Bone-Deep Danger: The Aloof Sword Lord Falls for Me,’ or maybe this recent hit, ‘What, I’m Actually the Immortal Venerable’s White Moonlight?!’?”

Sang Ying slowly typed out a “?”

Sang Ying looked at the papers in her hand. “…What are these?”

“Oh, these are the rumor drafts I wrote. I was afraid one version wouldn’t catch on, so I wrote a few more. The results have been pretty good, actually. Seems I have a talent for writing storybooks.”

Sang Ying: “…”

Her intuition told her this was a bit reckless.

So these rumors were fabricated and spread by Shen Ying. Sang Ying frowned slightly, puzzled. Why would she spread such falsehoods? As soon as Xie Lingyu explained, wouldn’t the lies be exposed? What was the point?

“What are you trying to achieve by spreading these rumors?”

As if reading her mind, Shen Ying smiled. “How is it pointless? Isn’t it quite effective?”

With that, she took out a small mirror and held it up to Sang Ying. In the reflection, a clear red mark was visible on her neck.

Sang Ying froze for a moment, then hurriedly covered her neck, her ears turning red. That damn Xie Lingyu had left a kiss mark there, and even her collar couldn’t hide it.

But the meaning behind Shen Ying’s words… Could her goal be to bring her and Xie Lingyu together?

If that was the case, it was indeed after hearing the “white moonlight” rumor that she had thought about divorcing Xie Lingyu, and it was also because of this that Xie Lingyu had revealed his true nature, confessing that he had coveted her for a long time.

If this incident hadn’t served as the catalyst, her relationship with Xie Lingyu would likely still be as awkward and unchanged as before.

Shen Ying put away the small mirror, summoned a cloud to sit on, propped her chin on her hand, and gazed at Sang Ying thoughtfully. “To make sure you heard and believed it, I pretended to sleep in the Shuiyue Jinghua for a few days. During that time, I hid in every nook and cranny, telling people about it until my lips were practically worn out.”

Sang Ying: “…That’s quite the effort.”

So the memory she had received in the Shuiyue Jinghua was also transmitted by Shen Ying—all fabricated by her.

But she still didn’t understand. “But we’ve never met before. Why would you go to such lengths to help us?”

Shen Ying replied calmly, “Just an ordinary, warm-hearted Yaochi fairy, that’s all.”

She patted the cloud beside her. “Isn’t it tiring to stand there talking? Come sit for a while.”

“…”

Sang Ying paused for a moment before sitting down beside her. The cloud was soft and fluffy. Shen Ying leaned back lazily, even letting out a yawn.

“Didn’t we meet two years ago? I knew about your situation back then. I never expected you two to still be so awkward after all this time. It made me anxious, so I decided to lend a hand.”

Sang Ying fell silent, never imagining that the Saintess of Yaochi would also have a gossip-loving personality.

But then she thought of the group of distinguished and powerful figures in the chat who were the same way, and she felt a sense of relief.

“So why did you want to see me?” The reason she had come to the Yaochi Secret Realm today was because of that memory, which Shen Ying had clearly orchestrated to draw her here.

Shen Ying rested her face in her hands. “Do you know your husband has gone mad?”

Sang Ying: ?

She was a bit confused. “What do you mean?”

Shen Ying: “All these years, he’s been making you drink medicine with his blood as the medicinal catalyst to nourish your body.”

Sang Ying nodded, “I know that. Will it harm his cultivation base?”

Shen Ying wagged her finger, “No, that’s completely unimportant. What’s a big man doing a bit more cultivation for his wife? The important thing is that his blood will make the body addicted, forever unable to leave him. Once cut off, you’ll suffer unimaginable pain every day.”

Sang Ying was stunned and hadn’t said anything yet when Shen Ying added, “Of course, now that you two are together, this is all a minor issue.”

“What I really want to say is that he has been nourishing your body with his blood for so many years, and the main purpose is actually to make your body adapt.”

Sang Ying didn’t understand, “Adapt to what?”

“Adapt to the transplanted dragon veins.”

Shen Ying rested her chin on her hand and looked at her, “He plans to use an ancient secret method to replace your meridians with his dragon veins. That way, you’ll have the talent for cultivation, and you won’t be as physically weak as you are now, with a lifespan of only a hundred years.”

“That’s good for you, but he won’t be okay. Although a dragon won’t die without its dragon veins, don’t even think about cultivating anymore.”

Sang Ying froze. Xie Lingyu actually planned to do such a thing?

Shen Ying looked at her deeply, “But I have a way to stop him. Do you want to hear it?”

Sang Ying frowned tightly, “How can I trust you?”

Shen Ying pointed to the dark Restrictive Barrier area in the distance, “That’s the restricted zone of the Yaochi Secret Realm. He made a deal with me to get the access key. This time he came to get the last crucial item, and then he can proceed.”

Before she finished speaking, a familiar white figure appeared in the distance and entered the restricted zone.

Shen Ying spread her hands, “See.”

Sang Ying glanced at her, “If you want to stop him, why give him the key?”

“The Yaochi Secret Realm opens once every hundred years. By the next time it opens, you’ll be an old lady. This is his only chance. Even if I don’t give it to him, he’ll find another way to break in. Besides, not doing business when there’s a deal is just foolish.”

Shen Ying pulled out a large bag of Spirit Stones and stuffed it into her hands, “Your husband’s private savings, here you go. Now do you believe me?”

Actually, when Shen Ying mentioned Xie Lingyu’s plan, Sang Ying already believed it—he was truly capable of doing such a thing.

But when she saw so many Spirit Stones, Sang Ying couldn’t help but grit her teeth.

That bastard Xie Lingyu, no wonder he looked down on those two hundred pocket money—he was hiding private savings!!!

Shen Ying was very understanding and pulled out a washboard made of hundred-year-old black iron, handing it to her.

“Friendship price, five hundred Spirit Stones.”

Sang Ying swiftly transferred the Spirit Stones to her, “Hundred-year-old black iron isn’t very sturdy. Do you have thousand-year or ten-thousand-year ones?”

“We have both.” Shen Ying hesitated, “But ten-thousand-year black iron is a rare treasure. Ours are all genuine and made of real materials, so the price might be a bit…”

Sang Ying took out a black merchant guild card, “I’ll buy it.”

“Great!”

Sang Ying calmed down for a while but still couldn’t stop feeling angry.

Xie Lingyu was such a foolish dragon. Did he think she would be happy like this? Did he think she would like the cultivation talent gained at his expense?

Angry as she was, she still had to think about how to stop him.

But just trying to persuade him with words… Sang Ying didn’t think he would listen to her. He was always very stubborn about such matters, so the only way was to force him to give up through action.

But how could she make him give up?

Shen Ying beside her had somehow started eating pastries. Sang Ying looked over and saw they were the Wufangzhai pastries Xie Lingyu had bought for her, which she had taken out earlier when pulling out her card.

Seeing Sang Ying glance over, Shen Ying froze mid-action, stuffed the pastry into her mouth, wiped the crumbs from the corner of her lips, and with a mouthful, spoke indistinctly yet with a serious expression: “Wufangzhai’s new flavors are always hit or miss. I’m just helping you test for poison.”

Sang Ying: “…”

Sang Ying silently pulled out a jug of juice, poured a large cup, and handed it to her.

Shen Ying condensed two ice cubes into it, downed the cup of juice in one go, and sighed contentedly, “Actually, stopping him is simple. You just need to cultivate a Fire Spirit Root.”

“Qinglong belongs to water. By then, even if he tries to forcibly transplant the dragon vein, your body won’t accept it and might even explode. With that risk, he’ll naturally stop his madness.”

Sang Ying thought it was a feasible idea. Given Xie Lingyu’s temperament, even if he were stopped in other ways, he’d just find another method.

But…

“You should know I don’t have a spiritual root.”

“That’s exactly why I’m here to help you.”

Shen Ying, while eating pastries, grabbed her wrist, mumbled a few sounds, and said, “It’s already taking shape. Not bad, not bad.”

Hearing her words and recalling the fire element spiritual power in the hot spring earlier, Sang Ying connected the dots. “It was you last time in the Demon Realm…”

Sang Ying looked at her. Creating a spiritual root out of thin air was something she had never heard of in the Cultivation World. “Does the Cultivation World have such secret techniques?”

Shen Ying pressed a finger to her lips and whispered, “Shh… It’s an ancient secret technique from Yaochi I discovered by chance. Keep it quiet.”

In truth, Yaochi had no such secret technique. If it did, Yaochi would have been dominating the Cultivation World long ago.

This heaven-defying ability came from the system’s cheat. By having intimate contact with the target, Xie Lingyu, she could form the spiritual root she desired. She had stripped this cheat away and given it to Sang Ying when treating her in the Demon Realm last time.

Shen Ying glossed over this part, only calling it a secret technique, explaining that using water attribute spiritual power during intimate contact with Xie Lingyu could ignite fire element spiritual power.

Sang Ying pondered thoughtfully, then narrowed her eyes: “So you drugged me, didn’t you? On that jade token.”

“Cough, cough, cough…”

Shen Ying guiltily averted her gaze. “The process isn’t important. Look, the result is good—the spiritual root is taking shape.”

Sang Ying had wondered why she had so dazedly begged Xie Lingyu to do such a thing. It turned out she had been drugged. That identity jade token—she hadn’t touched it, only Xie Lingyu had handled it.

Logically, it shouldn’t have affected her, but Xie Lingyu had applied medicine to her wound. He had washed his hands carefully before doing so, yet it still had an effect, meaning Shen Ying must have used a significant amount of the drug.

Sang Ying stared at her intently.

Shen Ying grew increasingly uneasy under her gaze. “Wasn’t it to help you? With your two awkward personalities, if we waited for you to get close to him and cultivate the spiritual root honestly, the dragon vein would have been swapped long ago.”

Sang Ying: “…”

Damn it, she couldn’t even deny that.

Shen Ying, nibbling on a cream puff, slung an arm over her shoulder. “So what you need to do is, before he gets what he wants, get close to him and work hard to cultivate the Fire Spirit Root. That’s it! Simple, right, sis?”

Simple… like hell!

Sang Ying covered her face. Xie Lingyu had just sent her out of the secret realm, and now she was turning back. How was she supposed to explain this to him?

“He’s already gone far away, how do I find him?”

“Not a big problem, I’ve already found you a tool person.” Shen Ying twisted her little face to look over, where a young man’s figure appeared—it was Xu Baishen.

He was alone, looking anxious as if searching for something, and had entered the restricted zone of the secret realm.

“Once you go in, just walk with him. Don’t worry about the rest. Go on.”

Shen Ying gave her a gentle push on the shoulder, and Sang Ying felt as if she had passed through something like a watery mirror. In the blink of an eye, she crossed the Restrictive Barrier at the edge of the restricted zone.

The surroundings suddenly transformed. From the outside, it had appeared as a scene of dilapidated ruins under the night sky, but here it was sunny and mild, with spring grass just beginning to sprout. Looking around, the edges of the Restrictive Barrier were nowhere to be seen.

Not far away, Xu Baishen noticed her arrival, turned around, and cast a glance in her direction.

Sang Ying felt inexplicably awkward and was about to say something when he furrowed his brows and asked, “Who are you?”

Sang Ying was taken aback.

Xu Baishen didn’t recognize her? Had Shen Ying changed her appearance?

There happened to be a lake nearby. Sang Ying looked at her reflection in the water—she was clearly still her original self.

While she was still puzzled, a flash of white sword light streaked past. Xu Baishen on the opposite side had already drawn his sword and lunged at her.

Sang Ying hurriedly activated a Talisman to defend herself, but Xu Baishen was a Golden Core cultivator, while Sang Ying hadn’t even reached Foundation Establishment. How could she possibly withstand him? The Talisman shattered in an instant.

The tip of the sword pointed directly at her throat, about to deliver a fatal strike, when the Heart-Protecting Scale around her neck suddenly glowed brightly, deflecting his sword.

Xu Baishen looked at her with disgust, as if she were someone he deeply hated, and lunged at her again with his sword drawn.

Sang Ying gritted her teeth. He was in too much of a hurry to seize the sect leader’s position—daring to take action even within Yaochi’s territory, unafraid of being discovered.

Even with the protection of the Heart-Protecting Scale, Sang Ying was completely unable to handle a peak Golden Core expert. She was soon overwhelmed, panting and drenched in sweat.

By chance, she glanced over and suddenly noticed a young man in white standing not far away, watching the two of them with an indifferent expression.

It was Xie Lingyu.

Sang Ying was stunned. Judging by his demeanor, he must have been standing there for a while.

Xie Lingyu had been watching from the sidelines as she fell into danger?

…

Outside the Restrictive Barrier of the restricted zone, Shen Ying sat on a cloud, nibbling on small pastries and watching the scene with keen interest, her eyes gleaming.

This realm of reversed love and hatred certainly had its merits.

Hmm.

It seemed this kid would have to kneel on a washboard when he got home.

…

Sang Ying couldn’t believe it. Would Xie Lingyu just stand by and watch her get beaten?

She thought it might be a fake Xie Lingyu, but the Luoqing Sword Spirit was right there on his sword, along with various other details—it was undoubtedly the real Xie Lingyu.

She called out to him, “Xie Lingyu!”

The young man glanced at her indifferently, ignoring her. Instead, his gaze fell on the green jade Heart-Protecting Scale in front of her, and he slightly furrowed his brows.

Sang Ying called out again, “Xie Lingyu, what’s wrong with you? Don’t you recognize me?”

The young man still didn’t respond. His Sword Spirit spoke up, “Who are you? How do you know the boss?”

The illusory little chubby dragon Sword Spirit looked at her with hostility. “You look so pretty—clearly not a good person. How do you have the boss’s Heart-Protecting Scale? Tell me, did you steal it while the boss was asleep and defenseless?”

“What a despicable, wicked woman, daring to do such a thing to the boss!”

Sang Ying was stunned. Even Luo Qing was like this?

On the opposite side, Xu Baishen showed no restraint, his sword techniques fierce and ruthless, each strike aimed directly at her vital points.

Sang Ying was no fool. It was true that Xu Baishen was competing with her for the position of sect leader, but he wouldn’t use such a clumsy method. Killing the former sect leader’s daughter within the Yaochi would also tarnish his reputation for millennia.

By now, she had pieced things together from the two men’s behavior and Luo Qing’s strangeness—there must be something wrong with this Yaochi Restricted Zone. Perhaps it could alter people’s memories or personalities, which was why Xie Lingyu had coldly stood by while she was being beaten.

But even though she understood the logic, her emotions were beyond her control.