To Bring My Wife Back
Zhan Yunwei had initially worried about how she would interact with Yue Zhiheng after recent events, but to her surprise, he didn't return from that day until early July.
It wasn't as though there was no word from him. He sent a message through the Che Tian Prefecture Guards, stating that urgent matters required his attention. If she needed anything, she was to consult the officials of the estate.
Even Shen Ye had been taken along, so it seemed the matter truly was of great importance.
During this period, a medical practitioner paid a visit—the same white-bearded elder as before. He was someone Yue Zhiheng trusted, having saved his life several times from the brink of death and possessing real skill.
The practitioner left behind ointments and contraceptive pills.
Having encountered this elder during many awkward situations, Zhan Yunwei had grown used to such moments and had lost much of her previous embarrassment.
The elder cautioned her, saying, "Young Madam, the contraceptive pills do not need to be taken daily. One pill per month is sufficient. This is a secret formula from my master, and it won't harm your health."
"..." Zhan Yunwei stiffened but nodded. Daily use? As if that would even be necessary—once a month would be excessive already.
By the time such situations arose again, it would likely be the end of July, and the lingering entanglement between them might have resolved itself by then.
After the elder left, Zhan Yunwei counted the small pills in the porcelain bottle and found twelve of them. In the Ling Realm, such medicine was rare; the elder must have brought out his most treasured supply.
She took one pill, which tasted like a slightly less sweet candy ball.
Zhan Yunwei also took the opportunity to visit the mute girl. The strange transformation in the mute girl's body had subsided, but she still seemed uneasy when she saw Zhan Yunwei.
The mute girl had always kept a low profile, fearing that her "episodes" would frighten others.
With a tinge of bitterness in her eyes, she gestured: It's only me who's like this. Ah Heng is normal. Don't misunderstand him.
Having spent so much time together, Zhan Yunwei could now understand her meaning through her gestures. She nodded, indicating she wouldn't.
Finally, Zhan Yunwei asked the question she had been holding back: "Sister Qingluo, could you share your past and your family's story with me?"
No one knew Yue Zhiheng better than the mute girl.
Zhan Yunwei had long been pondering Yue Zhiheng's motives for betraying the dynasty in his past life. If he had suddenly resolved to be a good person, why then did he raise so many terrifying Yin soldiers, break the Ling Realm's barrier, and nearly overthrow the entire realm?
His actions were cruel and earned the scorn of future generations for years.
Some even claimed he had colluded with malevolent forces.
Zhan Yunwei had doubts about this in her past life, and now she refused to believe it. Yue Zhiheng himself was a victim of the chaos caused by malevolent forces; how could he have joined them?
The mute girl glanced at Zhan Yunwei in alarm, hesitating. Yue Zhiheng had forbidden her from revealing certain things to outsiders.
But a sister-in-law wasn't really an outsider.
Naïve and long accustomed to loneliness, the mute girl had a hard time keeping secrets. Few people had the patience to interpret her gestures, so when Zhan Yunwei asked, she revealed everything she could remember.
Zhan Yunwei reflected and found her suspicions mostly confirmed: Lady Xuan had indeed been one of the spirit tamers captured in that infamous raid.
What surprised her was what happened when Yue Zhiheng was sixteen years old.
That was the year Old Master Yue became paralyzed. He summoned the clan elders and had Yue Zhiheng's name inscribed in the family register.
The Yue family's attitude was puzzling. Initially, they had intended to confine the siblings until death. What had changed the Old Master's mind, leading him to release the boy from the forbidden grounds and groom him?
Zhan Yunwei also inquired about the compassion lotus tattoo on Yue Zhiheng's body. This time, the mute girl shook her head, indicating she didn't know what it was.
After leaving the mute girl, Zhan Yunwei made a decision she hadn't dared to make in her previous life: she would visit the Artifact Pavilion to seek out Old Master Yue.
The elder was someone even the Mountain Lord of Changyan called "Uncle Yue."
However, before she reached the Artifact Pavilion, guards stopped her. They weren't Che Tian Prefecture Guards, but the Pavilion's own sentinels.
"The Artifact Pavilion is a restricted area. Please return, Young Madam."
Zhan Yunwei looked up at the towering structure, understanding that this was likely Old Master Yue's directive.
Though paralyzed, the elder had once been a formidable figure. He must have known the moment she stepped into the Pavilion's vicinity.
Leaving without answers left Zhan Yunwei feeling unsatisfied.
She stood her ground and called out boldly, "Elder Yue, even if I cannot meet you, might I ask for some guidance?"
After a long silence, just as she thought there would be no response, a hoarse voice came from within the Pavilion.
"Little girl, I know what you wish to ask. But I am no longer the head of the Yue family. You were forced to marry Heng'er, and your heart is not with the Yue family. Since you will leave sooner or later, why concern yourself with others' affairs?"
From his distant vantage point in the Pavilion, Old Master Yue scrutinized her. He hadn't expected the young girl from Changyan Mountain to have grown up so beautifully.
Yet her continued presence in the household upset his plans.
While he knew Yue Zhiheng had tasks to fulfill for the Ling Emperor, with the young man's current means, it wouldn't be impossible for him to let Zhan Yunwei go.
Estranged from his grandson, the elder couldn't discern whether Yue Zhiheng genuinely lacked the opportunity or if, deep down, he had developed some reluctance to let her leave.
Even if He Had Private Motives, It Wasn't Zhan Yunwei's Fault
The Yue family's education of Yue Zhiheng was never intended to mold him into a selfless and upright person.
While other noble families sought tutors with high moral character, Old Master Yue deliberately chose cunning individuals for Yue Zhiheng, many of whom had committed treacherous deeds in the past.
As the elder watched Zhan Yunwei, he sighed inwardly with pity, though his words came out cold and detached.
"If you have the chance, return to your immortal mountain and don't let that boy capture you again."
With that, he waved his sleeve. The grand doors of the Artifact Pavilion closed, and Zhan Yunwei was propelled out by a surge of spiritual energy. Now, she could only see the pavilion's phoenix trees through the barrier formations.
She stood there for a moment before leaving reluctantly.
Still, the visit wasn't entirely fruitless. The elder's attitude wasn't overtly hostile, but it was clear he didn't want her to remain in the Yue household.
Why?
Later, when Yue Zhiheng betrayed the dynasty, did the elder know in advance?
Before visiting the Artifact Pavilion, Zhan Yunwei had already prepared herself for the possibility that Yue Zhiheng would soon find out.
Sure enough, by the afternoon, the Che Tian Prefecture Guards appeared before her with their usual expressionless faces.
"The Lord Chief Commandant said, if the Young Madam is feeling idle, perhaps she would like to go to the Tempering Pavilion and join the second wife's kin in forging weapons?"
Zhan Yunwei could almost picture Yue Zhiheng's tone when he said this.
The last time they played chess, the atmosphere had already been tense. Their fragile truce was predicated on her refraining from causing trouble.
But by now, she had spent enough time with Yue Zhiheng to know his boundaries. She replied, "Sure. Go ask Lord Yue if he approves of me going to the Tempering Pavilion."
The guard was momentarily speechless.
Of course, she couldn't actually go to the Tempering Pavilion. Yue Zhiheng didn't send another message, but the barrier around the Artifact Pavilion was reinforced and no longer accessible to her.
Even so, Yue Zhiheng had not returned. Zhan Yunwei knew he must be truly occupied with something critical.
July was the hottest time of the year in the Ling Realm, with the hum of insects growing louder by the day.
Rumors began circulating in the streets about an auspicious sign—a purple aura rising from the east, heralding good fortune.
When Shi Hu brought the news, Zhan Yunwei looked up sharply. "What did you say?"
"This servant doesn't know if it's true, but people everywhere are saying it might mean a good harvest this year."
Zhan Yunwei had been embroidering a sachet and almost pricked her finger at these words.
Shi Hu and the common people of the Ling Realm might not understand, but Zhan Yunwei did. This was no sign of good fortune—it was proof that an ancient artifact had successfully chosen its master!
She realized many things were different from her past life. The appearance of the purple aura had also occurred in her previous life, but it was a month later. This time, it had come early.
It meant Pei Yujing had exited his seclusion ahead of schedule.
Was it because she had managed to help Zhan Shujing and the others escape?
This secret wouldn't stay hidden for long. The peaceful days were clearly nearing their end. If the Ling Emperor realized an ancient artifact had chosen a master, he would never let Pei Yujing or the Immortal Sect off the hook.
In her past life, the Ling Emperor had even gone so far as to order the massacre of the Immortal Sect's spirit tamers.
A few days later, the mute girl found a dying rabbit while gathering herbs in the Yue family's back mountains.
Out of compassion, she sought Zhan Yunwei's help to treat it.
But as Zhan Yunwei inspected the rabbit, she discovered a mark left by Zhan Shujing.
Her heart raced. The mark, made with plant juice, was a childhood code they used. No wonder the Che Tian Prefecture Guards hadn't noticed it, especially with Yue Zhiheng away. Otherwise, with his keen insight, he would have seen through it instantly.
The Immortal Sect must have gone to great lengths to send this ordinary rabbit inside. The code only contained a date:
—The seventh day of the seventh lunar month.
Zhan Yunwei froze. It was none other than Qixi, the Double Seventh Festival.
In the Mortal Realm, at the Jade Pavilion Residence
Golden halos radiated outward as joy flickered in the eyes of the composed elders.
"It worked! The artifact has recognized its master. The revival of our sect is within reach, as is the salvation of the Ling Realm's people!"
Madam Pei's eyes brimmed with relief and delight.
Her child truly was born to be a Sword Immortal.
Only Mingxiu's expression turned grim. She cast a glance at the recently healed young Yuan Cong, and then at Zhan Shujing, who wore a mocking expression. A single vexing thought consumed her mind: the sect's decision to watch silently as the dynasty arranged to marry Zhan Yunwei to the Supreme Steward of Che Tianfu could no longer remain hidden!
A gentle breeze stirred the treetops, and the stone gates slowly opened. A figure emerged from the cave residence.
The five-year-old Bie Youyang cried out with joy and dashed toward him. "Senior Brother!"
Pei Yujing had not expected his first sight after secluded cultivation to be his junior brother, whom the sect had taken away. He had assumed the sect had honored its promises and acted during his retreat. Feeling a moment of relief, he caught the young boy in his arms. "Little Junior Brother, are you well?"
Bie Youyang nodded earnestly. "Senior Brother, you're amazing! I heard them say that you're going to be the future master of the Divine Sword."
Pei Yujing smiled modestly.
As his gaze swept across the crowd, it landed on Zhan Shujing. Pei Yujing instinctively glanced at the man's side, yet failed to see Zhan Yunwei's figure.
Noticing Zhan Shujing's unusual expression, Pei Yujing felt a heavy unease in his heart.
At that moment, Bie Youyang spoke up: "Senior Brother, it's great you're back. Hurry and rescue Sister-in-law. She saved us but was captured by that bad man!"
Pei Yujing's smile vanished, his expression turning icy. "What did you just say?"
The other sect members wore complex expressions.
Mingxiu stepped forward. "Senior Brother Pei, let me explain—"
But Pei Yujing ignored him, focusing instead on Bie Youyang. "Tell Senior Brother, what happened to Sister Zhan?"
Despite his jumbled words, the child managed to explain the events of the past few months.
"Senior Brother, they also said something about a royal marriage. What is a royal marriage?" The child's innocent words cut cruelly. "Isn't Sister Zhan your Dao partner? Why would the dynasty give her to a bad man?"
Pei Yujing's face grew paler.
His expression was glacial as he raised his head to face Madam Pei and the others. "You lied to me?"
Madam Pei gritted her teeth, still hoping to justify herself. However, several elders beside her lowered their heads in shame.
"Yujing, we've wronged you in this matter, but in the face of greater good, personal feelings are a trivial concern…"
Zhan Shujing let out a sarcastic laugh. "Right. My sister being held hostage by the dynasty is a small matter. Pei Yujing enters secluded cultivation, and all of you cower, too afraid to rescue her. Even your own juniors were only saved because my sister acted. That, of course, is the true 'greater good.'"
Pei Yujing remained silent for a long time.
Madam Pei was about to reprimand Zhan Shujing for his insolence when Bie Youyang cried out, "Senior Brother Pei!"
Everyone turned to see a thin trail of blood trickling from the corner of Pei Yujing's mouth.
Even Mingxiu realized what had happened. "You forced the artifact to recognize you as its master in order to emerge early!"
Pei Yujing swayed on his feet. Bie Youyang hurried to support him, and even Zhan Shujing frowned as he looked at him.
Pei Yujing did not deny it. Indeed, but since they had conspired to deceive him, everything he had done now seemed meaningless.
He sheathed the Divine Sword and began walking toward the exit of the Jade Pavilion Residence.
Madam Pei shouted in anger, "Where are you going?"
The white-robed Sword Immortal didn't look back, his voice cold.
"To bring my wife home."