"Will you still come back with me, Miss Zhan?"
The mute girl stood in the snow, waiting for a long time before finally seeing Yue Zhiheng come out.
Yue Zhiheng recognized her hand gestures and remained silent for a moment before saying, "Let's talk in the front hall."
It was still early. When Zhan Yunwei arrived at the front hall, already dressed properly, the siblings showed no signs of anything unusual.
Zhan Yunwei didn't know how Yue Zhiheng had explained things to his sister, and she tried her best not to recall what had just happened. Instead, she handed over a birthday gift she had prepared for Yue Qingluo.
Yue Qingluo accepted it with a smile, cherishing it dearly.
This was the first time she had ever received a "birthday gift." Since Yue Zhiheng didn't expose the matter, she was filled with joy and gratitude, and she certainly wouldn't expose it herself.
Seeing that Yue Qingluo truly liked it, Zhan Yunwei couldn't help but smile.
The sky was still dim, and since today was Yue Zhiheng's day off, after Yue Qingluo left, he asked Zhan Yunwei, "Would you like to go for a walk?"
She nodded.
Due to the emperor's orders, neither the imperial capital nor Fenhe County was safe for Zhan Yunwei anymore.
Yue Zhiheng handed her a translucent shark-silk veil. She put it on, and the two of them left the house.
Today was a rare clear day—the continuous snowfall over the past few days had finally stopped.
Zhan Yunwei wore a winter jacket and a cloak of deep maroon as she walked alongside Yue Zhiheng through the snow.
The Fen River had already frozen over. There were no more boats or pleasure barges; in such frigid weather, nobles were unwilling to go outside. Only the poor still braved the cold to make a living.
Yue Zhiheng adjusted his pace to match hers, walking slowly.
Zhan Yunwei couldn't help but glance at him—this was the first time the two of them had walked so peacefully together in Fenhe County.
Master Yue was dressed in a thick cloak and wasn't wearing his mask. The common folk didn't recognize him, but because of his striking appearance, many couldn't help but turn back for another look.
Yue Zhiheng led her to the Fenhe County Refining Pavilion.
However, instead of taking her to browse the artifact shops outside, he took her to the highest floor of the pavilion—his personal refining chamber.
This was Zhan Yunwei's first time visiting an artifact cultivator's private workshop, and she found everything fascinating.
Back at the academy, the spirit cultivators had described artifact refining chambers as a kind of hell on earth.
No one disliked them more than Senior Sister Duan.
She had wrinkled her nose in distaste and scoffed, "That artifact refiner invited me to his refining chamber—it was filthy and messy, without even a single comfortable chair."
"The air was thick with the stench of rust, like blood. Absolutely disgusting."
"And it was unbearably hot—the forging temperatures were far too high."
Now that Zhan Yunwei was standing inside one, she had to admit the room was indeed warm—the heat from the furnace made it feel nothing like winter. But it wasn't unbearable. Instead, it was cozy.
The air carried a mixture of spiritual materials' scents, unfamiliar but not unpleasant—like fresh earth after rain.
The room wasn't dirty or cluttered; everything was neatly arranged. Nearby, there were unfinished blueprints.
It wasn't as grand as the Sword Pavilion, but just looking at the array of refined artifacts gave her a sense of their power.
She wondered—what was so terrible about this place? It was perfectly fine.
Yue Zhiheng took something out and handed it to her. "Try it."
Zhan Yunwei accepted it and found that it was a bracelet made of green luminescent jade.
Unlike a Restriction Bracelet, this one was exquisite and beautiful.
She recalled what Yue Zhiheng had told her last night—that he would give her something valuable today.
Was this it?
She slipped it onto her wrist, and something seemed to merge seamlessly with her body. She was startled, then delighted. "A spiritual body protection artifact?"
Her greatest weakness had always been her fragile spiritual body. Yet, as a spirit cultivator, wearing armor—even light robes with protective spells—was entirely unsuitable.
This was the first time she had seen a defensive artifact crafted into a bracelet.
Yue Zhiheng said, "I'll have the artifact spirit spar with you."
Soon, Chuqi was released. It was excited to see Zhan Yunwei and understood she needed to test the new artifact.
It attacked cautiously, layer by layer.
Zhan Yunwei didn't use her spiritual power—she simply relied on the bracelet's defenses, enduring the blows with her spiritual body.
Even the strongest defensive artifact couldn't withstand a full-powered strike from a five-tier spirit cultivator.
Chuqi controlled its strength, keeping it at the level of a six-tier attack, yet Zhan Yunwei remained completely unharmed.
She had never expected that the problem that had troubled her for so long would be resolved so easily.
Yue Zhiheng recalled the artifact spirit and told her, "I've tested it. Against attacks above the seventh tier, the artifact won't be enough, but it can still mitigate some of the impact."
That was more than enough.
For someone as fragile as her, she no longer had to fear being injured by the slightest scrape.
Now, she could withstand a fight.
Zhan Yunwei gazed at the intricate silver lotus patterns on the bracelet.
A defensive artifact like this was something Yue Zhiheng could never have made before. It must have been crafted after he emerged from the Cold Pool.
Thinking about the months of effort he must have put into this, she said, "Thank you, Master Yue."
How could he be so good to her?
If she could go back and meet her younger self, she would tell her: the senior sisters were wrong.
Artifact refiners were the most suitable people in the world to become Dao partners.
Zhan Yunwei's love for the bracelet was so obvious that even Chuqi could see it.
On their way to dinner, she kept fiddling with it.
She walked even more slowly, but Yue Zhiheng never hurried her.
Counting the Qixi Festival, this was only their second time going out together.
On Qixi, their farewell had been bitter—despite the thousands of lanterns and the lively festivities, the tension between them had been palpable.
Zhan Yunwei could guess why Yue Zhiheng had chosen to make a bracelet.
He must have known she had a terrible impression of bracelets—the Restriction Bracelet had sealed her spiritual power for so long, confining her freedom.
But now, this new bracelet was meant to help her see the vast world and walk even farther.
In his silent way, he was apologizing.
After dinner, on their way back to the estate, they saw many frozen corpses lining the river embankment.
Zhan Yunwei stopped in her tracks and looked over. Most of the corpses were bound at the hands and feet, and their tattered clothing marked them as impoverished commoners.
These people had been afflicted by demonic energy, yet they lacked the money to buy jade talismans or seek treatment from spirit masters. Some, fearing that they would turn into malevolent beings and harm their families, chose to die willingly. Others were tied up by their neighbors and cast out to starve or freeze to death.
Scenes like this had become all too common since the onset of winter.
Without the sects' aid, the situation would only worsen year after year. Now, with the Spirit Emperor having lost his sanity, even the sects' spirit masters were no longer tolerated.
In her past life, Zhan Yunwei vividly remembered the first winter after the sects' downfall—when the snow melted, corpses littered the land.
She spoke in a low voice, "Lord Yue, even a relatively prosperous place like Fenhe County has fallen into such a state. How much worse must it be elsewhere? The Spirit Emperor's tyranny, his slaughter of the sects, his confinement of spirit masters within the empire—this situation will only escalate."
She couldn't help but glance at Yue Zhiheng's expression. He listened to her words, but his face remained indifferent, as if he felt no sorrow for the countless deaths.
Sensing her gaze, Yue Zhiheng said, "What do you expect me to say, Miss Zhan? That they are pitiful? That I should immediately sever ties with the empire and help the sects fight back?"
His voice remained measured when discussing serious matters with her.
"The sects once ruled the Spirit Realm. And then what? Tell me, Miss Zhan, has your sect ever calculated how many spirit masters exist compared to the common people? Among seven thousand spirit cultivators, only one becomes a spirit master."
His gaze was cold as he looked down. "Even if a single spirit master worked tirelessly, day and night, they still couldn't save all those afflicted."
Zhan Yunwei frowned slightly.
Yue Zhiheng continued watching her. His words were harsh, making her return seem almost futile.
"When people have hope, they expect spirit masters to save them. And if they are not saved in time? Forget the riots—just imagine a single person succumbing to corruption and slaughtering an entire village. I'm sure you've seen it before. Isn't that also a kind of hell?"
If his reasoning had been completely baseless, Zhan Yunwei could have argued back. But she had, indeed, witnessed such tragedies. She couldn't deny that there was truth in what he said.
Back then, the Lord of Changya Mountain had also lamented the state of the devastated land.
In this unsolvable dilemma, the empire simply appeared more ruthless, while the sects could not be the saviors of the world either.
The only one who might change everything…
She paused, recalling a rumor within the sects.
The prophecy spoke of a chosen savior.
And Pei Yujing, who had merged with the divine sword, fit the description better than anyone. But Zhan Yunwei had died too early in her past life to know what had happened. Had Senior Brother Pei changed the fate of the world?
Yue Zhiheng noticed her sudden silence and, after a moment of stillness, asked, "Miss Zhan, are you still coming back with me?"
Zhan Yunwei lifted her head.
Though his expression remained calm, his body was slightly tense. It seemed that this unpleasant conversation had reminded them both—she could leave at any time.
She didn't answer immediately, and the air between them grew heavy.
After a long pause, Zhan Yunwei nodded.
"Let's go back, Lord Yue," she said, taking the lead. "You were wrong about one thing. Just as I didn't return to the Yue estate expecting to change your mind, I also refuse to accept this as a dead end and do nothing."
Her boots crunched against the snow.
"No matter the outcome," she said softly, "one must at least try."
She had already realized that she could never win an argument against Yue Zhiheng. She wasn't sure what kind of teachers had taught him in his youth, but she had expected him to counter her words again.
Yet, after a long silence, the man behind her only murmured, "Mm. Miss Zhan is right."
He couldn't empathize with many things, but he was glad she was willing to try.
Before the wind picked up, they returned to the Yue estate. The household had become highly disciplined since its restructuring, ensuring strict confidentiality.
Snow fell every night. Zhan Yunwei dusted off the flakes from her cloak and headed toward the inner courtyard.
Yue Zhiheng, noticing she wasn't going back to her usual residence, asked, "Where are you going?"
"To stay with Sister Qingluo," she replied.
He was silent for a moment. "Are you angry with me?"
Zhan Yunwei turned back to look at him and explained, "No. The back of the estate is quieter, and with the current unrest, I don't want to cause you any trouble. I already mentioned to Sister Qingluo that I would visit her when I had time."
Besides, sharing a bed with him… Neither of them had been sleeping well.
Last night, he had even gone outside in the middle of the night to stand in the cold.
She thought about her reasons for coming back—Yue Zhiheng was too tight-lipped, and she couldn't get any useful information from him. Qingluo, on the other hand, might reveal something.
And then there was… what had happened that morning.
If this kept happening, how could she endure it?
She was starting to feel that perhaps it wasn't so unbearable after all. But that was exactly what made it dangerous.
After a long pause, Yue Zhiheng said, "I'll walk you there."
——
Yue Qingluo hadn't expected Zhan Yunwei to ask to stay overnight. Her small residence had been recently renovated, with an added heater, making it warm and cozy.
She welcomed Zhan Yunwei eagerly, having missed her dearly in recent days. Digging through her wardrobe, she found a fresh set of clothes for her to change into.
As she was about to close the window, she caught sight of a lone figure standing beneath a tree outside.
Glancing back toward the room, she stepped outside to Yue Zhiheng's side.
"You made your future wife angry?" she asked.
Yue Zhiheng frowned. "On the way back, we saw people who had frozen to death. I refuted her opinion a little."
He couldn't quite tell if Zhan Yunwei was truly angry. Emotions like these were unfamiliar to him.
Yue Qingluo found it amusing and gave him a playful slap. It was rare to see her usually composed younger brother looking so uncharacteristically at a loss. She gestured: Can't you control your temper?
Did he really think standing outside in the cold was a better option?
Yue Zhiheng lowered his gaze and remained silent.
His tutors had taught him many things in his youth. Old Master Yue, fearing his education might be lacking, had hired a diverse array of instructors. Yet none of them had ever taught him how to talk to or interact with women.
Besides, he truly wouldn't leave the empire—he couldn't lie to her about that. Yue Zhiheng knew that Zhan Yunwei would leave eventually. It was only a matter of time.
When she had stood still in the cold wind earlier, letting it whip through her collar, he had even thought—just for a moment—that this might be their final farewell.
Yue Qingluo sighed. "Enough, go back. She doesn't look like she's angry."
"Now that she's returned to the sects, it wouldn't be proper for her to keep living with you."
She had been reading more books lately and understood things more clearly. Given the current situation, it was indeed better for Zhan Yunwei to stay with her.
Seeing that Yue Zhiheng still hadn't moved, she gave him a small shove.
Only then did he finally turn and walk away.