“Madam, don’t worry about the outside world. I will handle everything. Just stay safely in the cave abode.”  

“Madam, you should rest.”  

“If you need anything, send me a message.”  

Rong Xueci’s voice was elegant and gentle as he spoke.  

He helped Shen Qixi lie down on the bed, his slender fingers pulling up the quilt to cover her. Shen Qixi lifted her hand and caught his fingers.  

Rong Xueci paused, his long lashes lifting slightly. “What’s wrong?”  

“I don’t want to rest,” Shen Qixi said.  

Rong Xueci pressed his hand on her shoulder, gently urging her to lie back down. “Madam, don’t push yourself.”  

“I’m not…” Shen Qixi struggled.  

Rong Xueci’s fingers brushed over her heart, pointing out, “Your mind is unsettled.”  

“It must be the lingering effects of your failed breakthrough.”  

“Don’t dwell on it anymore, all right?” His voice softened, the tone lifting slightly at the end.  

For once, he yielded.  

Shen Qixi fell silent.  

How could she possibly stop herself from thinking about it?  

She also wanted to advance, to shed the label of “useless,” to secure her place in the cultivation world, and not remain trapped in this small corner forever.  

But she knew there was no benefit in arguing with Rong Xueci.  

As an Immortal Venerable, Rong Xueci was accustomed to having his word be absolute.  

In front of her, he had already shown more patience than most.  

In his view, a mortal like her—with mediocre talent—shouldn’t force herself to chase after things she was never meant to possess.  

He would protect her. He was confident in that, and he believed it was enough.  

No matter how much she struggled, she wouldn’t make a ripple.  

There was no point.  

Besides, Rong Xueci was her closest connection in this cultivation world. The other cultivators barely knew her.  

But Rong Xueci wasn’t hers alone. He had grown up in the cultivation world, a prodigy since childhood. He had mentors who admired him, disciples who revered him, direct apprentices who respected him, and fellow elders of the North Star Sect who stood by his side… She was the outsider.  

She was the one who came later.  

She’d better not annoy Rong Xueci.  

Otherwise, she would truly have nothing left.  

Rong Xueci was so gentle with her—she should be content.  

She shouldn’t keep overestimating her own abilities.  

In the beginning, without Rong Xueci’s help, she wouldn’t have even been able to awaken her spiritual roots to cultivate.  

Rong Xueci had given her a drop of his heart’s blood to awaken her spiritual roots.  

It was just that mortals had inherently poor aptitude.  

She couldn’t blame Rong Xueci for that.  

Persuading herself this way, Shen Qixi relented.  

“All right, I’ll rest,” Shen Qixi said, looking up at Rong Xueci.  

Rong Xueci smiled. He leaned down, his cool cheek brushing against hers.  

He loved nuzzling her like this.  

It was a little habit of his.  

Shen Qixi’s heart softened.  

No matter what, her husband hadn’t betrayed her. He cared for her, was willing to be close to her—even if he sometimes couldn’t understand her.  

That was still something.  

Her voice softened as she gazed at Rong Xueci with clear eyes. “Husband, when will you return?”

Rong Xueci was a busy man—he couldn’t stay by her side all the time.  

Shen Qixi was used to it.  

But this time, his fingers stiffened almost imperceptibly, his gaze flickering with something evasive.  

Shen Qixi’s heart gave a heavy thud. “Husband?”  

“I’m afraid I won’t be free tonight,” Rong Xueci said apologetically.  

Shen Qixi couldn’t help pressing further. “Why?”  

“A high-level demonic beast called the Profound Calamity Serpent has escaped from the Nine Abyss Pool and is wreaking havoc in a town under the Cold Moon Sect’s jurisdiction. The sect leader has requested my assistance in dealing with it.”  

“Afterward, the sealing arrays will need reinforcement, which will likely take some time.”  

A perfectly justifiable reason—for the greater good.  

She was overreacting.  

Shen Qixi suppressed the inexplicable unease creeping into her chest.  

“I see. Then, husband, you must be careful and take care of yourself,” Shen Qixi said, her brows softening with concern.  

Most cultivators saw Rong Xueci as an invincible existence, trusting him unconditionally.  

Few ever worried about his safety—because in everyone’s eyes, Rong Xueci’s well-being was a given, an indisputable fact.  

Hearing her concern, Rong Xueci’s smile deepened. “As my lady commands.”  

A moment later, Shen Qixi was left alone in the room.  

“I wish I could go with him,” she murmured to herself.  

But she would only be a burden.  

She got up from the bed.  

Resting peacefully was impossible for her.  

The more Rong Xueci urged her to relax, the more anxious she became.  

Just because she was a mortal who had stumbled into a world not meant for her, just because she had married Rong Xueci—did that mean she was supposed to hide away forever?  

A wave of confusion washed over her.  

If she was truly so worthless, then why had Rong Xueci insisted on marrying her in the first place?  

Looking back, before Rong Xueci met her in the mortal realm, he must have encountered countless women far more powerful and beautiful than her.  

What about her had made him stay?  

Shen Qixi didn’t understand.  

She had never done anything extraordinary for him, either.  

His affection for her had been too sudden.  

His proposal had felt like a dream—one she still floated through in a daze.  

Instead of resting, Shen Qixi continued practicing her cultivation techniques.  

Night fell, and Rong Xueci did not return.  

His absence left her unsettled.  

But it was fine. She could wait.  

Yet days passed, and still, Rong Xueci did not come back.  

Her messages to him went unanswered.  

He must be busy.  

Dealing with a rampaging demonic beast was no small matter.  

Shen Qixi kept telling herself that.  

In the end, she chose to keep cultivating rather than recklessly leaving the cave abode she shared with Rong Xueci.  

On the night she sent her last message, Shen Qixi dreamed of him—his hands cradling her face, his lips brushing her skin, his tongue tracing slow, stinging paths down her neck.  

In the dream, Rong Xueci felt wrong, sinister in a way that bore no resemblance to an Immortal Venerable.  

Fearing she was developing an inner demon, Shen Qixi jolted awake in panic.  

A faint ripple stirred in the air.  

She sat up, staring at the silent cave abode before letting out a slow breath.  

Glancing down, she examined her arms and legs.  

Had something fuzzy brushed against her just now?  

Maybe it was just the blanket.  

Rong Xueci loved soft, plush things—even their quilts were lined with fur.  

He wasn’t entirely inscrutable to her. She knew most of his little quirks.  

The untouchable Immortal Venerable the world revered had his own private eccentricities—ones he revealed only to her.  

Shen Qixi looked around the cave abode, every corner imprinted with traces of Rong Xueci’s presence, and managed a small smile.  

Forget it. There’s no point overthinking now. When he comes back this time, I’ll just talk to him properly.

The next day, an immortal attendant came to visit.  

“Immortal Venerable is not here,” Shen Qixi replied.  

“Immortal Venerable is actually not here?” The attendant was surprised.  

A flicker of suspicion crossed Shen Qixi’s eyes.  

Rong Xueci had gone to eliminate the rampaging demonic beasts—did the people of Beichen Sect (North Star Sect) not know about this? Was that normal?  

“Please wait a moment.” The attendant seemed troubled. He summoned a cloud and swiftly departed, returning shortly after.  

“Elder Kongling said that if Immortal Venerable is not present, you may represent him instead,” the attendant reported upon his return.  

“Wait—go where?” Shen Qixi asked.  

Only then did the attendant remember to explain to her. “Kunshi Cliff. Today, the major sects will gather there to discuss and finalize the opening of the Fusheng Scroll Secret Realm.”  

Shen Qixi noted the attendant’s negligence but said nothing. Could she reprimand him? No—she couldn’t. In a cultivation world where strength reigned supreme, the attendant’s cultivation was higher than hers. The fact that he even spoke to her was entirely due to Rong Xueci’s status.  

“Do you need to prepare?” the attendant asked.  

Shen Qixi shook her head. “No need. Let’s go directly.”  

“…”  

Kunshi Cliff

The place was abundant with Kunlun jade. Amidst the jade clusters stood an open platform surrounded by towering stone pillars that pierced the clouds.  

Cultivators from various sects had gathered on the platform.  

“Huh?”  

“Where’s Immortal Venerable?”  

Someone noticed that the Beichen Sect attendant, who had gone to invite Rong Xueci, had returned with a woman instead, and voiced their confusion.  

Several Beichen Sect disciples had already arrived earlier. Hearing the question, they glanced over.  

“Ahem… that’s Immortal Venerable’s wife,” one of them answered awkwardly.  

A mortal—she really shouldn’t be in a place like this.  

“Oh, so it’s her.” Cultivators from other sects began murmuring among themselves.  

Rong Xueci marrying a mortal wife had caused quite a stir in the cultivation world.  

For the past hundred years, cultivators had constantly been making bets on when Rong Xueci would divorce his mortal wife.  

However, Shen Qixi rarely appeared in public, well-protected by Rong Xueci.  

Hearing the gossip, a young man dressed in luxurious robes, with an ice-blue bead bracelet adorning his wrist, frowned deeply. He had already reached the Nascent Soul stage at a young age—a prodigy with boundless potential.  

“Shut your mouths,” the youth said coldly to the gossiping cultivators.  

“Senior Brother Zhao, don’t be rash,” other Beichen Sect disciples stopped him, urging caution.  

The gossiping cultivators didn’t escalate the situation further.  

The youth’s expression darkened. “Did you hear what they were saying? They claimed Shizun was bewitched by a woman.”  

The other disciples sighed. “If Immortal Venerable finds out you hurt someone, he’ll surely punish you.”  

The Beichen Sect disciples tacitly acknowledged that if a conflict arose, the youth would come out on top.  

This was only natural—after all, the youth was Rong Xueci’s personal disciple, possessing an exceptional ice spiritual root, extraordinary talent, and formidable strength.  

“Besides, this has been the case for the past hundred years. There’s nothing we can do about it.”  

The youth fell silent. Rong Xueci’s noble, aloof face flashed through his mind—his Shizun was dignified and untouchable. He couldn’t let others think his master’s disciple was undisciplined.  

Still, that woman had no business being in a place like this.  

Shen Qixi was cautiously surveying her surroundings when a questioning voice rang out.  

“What are you doing here?”  

Shen Qixi turned in surprise.  

Meeting her innocent, unfamiliar gaze, the youth’s ice-blue bead bracelet resonated with his displeasure, glinting coldly.  

There must be a reason this mortal became Shizun’s wife. Shizun was definitely enduring something—there was no way he could genuinely love a mortal.  

A surge of spiritual energy pulsed from the bracelet on the youth’s wrist.  

“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Zhao Ruorui, Immortal Venerable’s personal disciple.”  

“Shiniang (Master’s Wife),” Zhao Ruorui said respectfully, though mockery lurked in his eyes.  

As soon as he spoke, an overwhelming wave of icy pressure surged toward Shen Qixi’s face.