The fleeting touch of fur brushed past her, and Shen Qixi felt a strange twinge, wondering if she had confused the sensation of holding Rong Xueci—who often wore furry clothes—with the current feeling of embracing him.

But this wasn’t important.

Shen Qixi pressed her lips together and answered Rong Xueci’s question: “That’s right.”

She rarely lied to him. As she looked at this elegant man shielding her while riding the wind, a faint sense of guilt rose in her heart.

In Shen Qixi’s mind, a married couple should be completely honest with each other.

“However, I remember the protective barrier I left was infused with my own power, yet the energy Madam used was that of a water spirit root.” Rong Xueci narrowed his eyes slightly, studying Shen Qixi with curiosity.

A pure, almost primal expression crossed his face, his eyes alight with intrigue.

It gave Shen Qixi an odd, unsettling feeling.

“I don’t know,” Shen Qixi said. “See, this is the barrier you left. I’m not very familiar with it—after all, you never taught me, and I didn’t study spells properly at Beichen Sect.”

Rong Xueci blinked, then finally revealed a gentle smile. “Madam needn’t worry. It’s fine.”

His reassurance felt perfunctory.

Shen Qixi thought silently to herself.

“Perhaps when Madam activated the artifact, she inadvertently channeled her own power, which caused the barrier to manifest water-based spiritual energy.” Rong Xueci followed her words with his own speculation.

“In any case, as long as Madam is safe, that’s all that matters.”

As expected, Rong Xueci didn’t press further.

Shen Qixi had anticipated this in her nervousness.

The reason behind it was simply that Rong Xueci was too powerful.

To him, the Mirage Sea Demon was far too weak.

He had no concept of power differentials—he didn’t realize how inconceivable it was for a Qi Refining cultivator to kill a Mirage Sea Demon.

His overwhelming strength had bred innate arrogance and blind spots in his perception.

But in the future, she would have to be more meticulous in her actions and not act as impulsively as she had this time.

Not everyone who grew suspicious would be as indifferent as Rong Xueci.

“However, next time, Madam need not take such risks. If you encounter danger, I will come to your rescue. Just hide and wait for me.” Rong Xueci smiled considerately.

“But what if you can’t arrive in time?” Shen Qixi lowered her gaze.

If she relied on Rong Xueci for everything, she would never have a life of her own.

“Impossible. As long as you’re alive, no matter where you are, I will reach you.” His voice was firm.

“Husband.”

Shen Qixi lifted her eyelids. “But when I tried contacting you earlier, you didn’t respond.”

Afraid he might think she was blaming him, she softened her tone. “I came here in your stead. You weren’t here, and the Beichen Sect disciples didn’t know where you were either. When I tried reaching you, there was no reply… Were you very busy at Hanyue Sect?”

Rong Xueci’s face stiffened for a moment.

He couldn’t let his wife know he had transformed into a “beast” and had been afraid to respond to her messages, worried she might discover the truth.

“The reinforcement of the formation took some time,” Rong Xueci said calmly. “When the formation destabilized, spiritual energy became chaotic, so I temporarily lost contact with you.”

Shen Qixi’s voice grew even softer as she lowered her lashes. “I see.”

Rong Xueci was lying.

Upon realizing this, Shen Qixi thought she would panic—but instead, she found herself eerily calm. Perhaps she had always been numb in this marriage.

Still…

She felt a pang of disappointment.

Toward this marriage.

They were husband and wife, yet she didn’t understand him at all. He knew everything about her, while she could only guess his actions from his sparse words. Even if she sensed his deception, there was nothing she could do. If Rong Xueci didn’t want to speak, how could she, a mere mortal, force him?

The imbalance between them was too great.

Shen Qixi tugged at her sleeve, then said after a pause, “The Beichen Sect disciples didn’t know you went to Hanyue Sect…”

Rong Xueci cut her off, his tone discouraging further inquiry. “My affairs, my whereabouts—naturally, only you should know.”

In the past, Shen Qixi might have found this sweet, thinking that sharing secrets with Rong Xueci was proof of their deep marital bond.

But now, it suddenly struck her—if Rong Xueci was always lying to her, wasn’t this just manipulation? Wasn’t he coaxing her into convincing herself to believe his lies?

If she hadn’t come out this time, she might never have noticed.

Over the past hundred years, who knew how many lies he had told her?

A chill crept up Shen Qixi’s spine.

“This time, the immortal attendant acted on his own and brought you into the secret realm, nearly causing a disaster. I will punish him later,” Rong Xueci said.

Shen Qixi quickly objected, “No need!”

Rong Xueci paused mid-air and let out a soft “Hm?”

“I agreed to come.”

“Originally, there wasn’t supposed to be any danger here. It was just an unexpected accident—no one could have predicted it. Besides, the immortal attendant was following the elder’s orders.”

“I don’t want you punishing others on my behalf.”

Even though the secret realm had been dangerous, looking back, this had been a rare opportunity for her to see the outside world.

Rong Xueci sighed briefly.

“Since Madam says so, I won’t pursue it.”

With that, Rong Xueci looked down at the secret realm, observing everything below.

His expression was indifferent, cold.

Shen Qixi studied him up close and thought, distantly, If Rong Xueci had never married, he probably would have remained this aloof and unapproachable forever.

When he looked at others, there was always a barrier in his eyes—as if he were observing people from another world.

And when others looked at Rong Xueci, it was always with reverence.

No doubt, he was long accustomed to such admiration, which was why he never treated anyone as a true companion.

But he was an Immortal Venerable, after all. As long as he was strong enough to protect the cultivation world, nothing else mattered. No one expected an Immortal Venerable to be warm and sociable—the more untouchable he was, the more he fit people’s expectations.

“Husband, what are you doing now? Can I help in any way?” Shen Qixi mustered her courage to ask.

“No need,” Rong Xueci replied.

Shen Qixi: “…Okay.”

Rong Xueci held his wife in his arms, though emotionally, he wasn’t particularly perceptive.

As a spirit cat, he believed he was already playing the role of a human husband quite well.

His wife was so fragile—of course she needed his protection.

He absolutely couldn’t let her suffer any hardship.

Shen Qixi felt restless.

With Rong Xueci here, she couldn’t use the functions left by the system, afraid he might notice.

She wanted to ask about the “Kill the Wife to Prove the Dao” matter, but right now, the secret realm crisis took priority. It was better not to distract him—at the very least, they had to rescue everyone first.

“HELP!!”

“SOMEONE, HELP!”

A series of terrified screams erupted.

Rong Xueci glanced over and said, “Someone needs help.”

He had originally planned to find the formation’s core first, but since people were calling for aid, he might as step in.

More importantly, with his wife watching, he couldn’t appear too cold-hearted.

The Spirit Cat Clan and humans didn’t exactly have friendly relations.

He hadn’t become an Immortal Venerable out of love for the world.

Rong Xueci raised a hand, casting a spell to suspend Shen Qixi in mid-air. Gently, he said, “Madam, stay here and don’t move.”

“Rest well.”

He blinked slowly at her.

“I’ll be back soon.”

As Shen Qixi watched Rong Xueci’s retreating figure, she noticed a new label attached to him.