Lin Qinghen had never used a protective spiritual device before.

In his usual understanding, he thought it would probably just create a barrier or something like that. Even Yu Yinyin hadn’t told him exactly how it would work—she had only come across it by chance and wasn’t clear herself.

Now that he used it, he finally understood its effect.

It wasn’t a protective shield. Lin Qinghen saw a phantom emerge from his body, standing in front of him. The attacks pouring out from the rift seemed to be guided toward that phantom, creating a triangular safe zone for Lin Qinghen and the Yin Jiuxiao he was protecting.

The surge of spiritual energy from the rift wasn’t endless; it only erupted fiercely for a moment after they seized the flag.

The trial ground was gradually closing, and the outward attacks slowly faded. After serving its purpose, the phantom also dissipated, transforming into a stream of light before retreating back into the necklace Lin Qinghen wore.

Luckily, this item wasn’t a one-time use; its consumption depended on the intensity it endured. Otherwise, it would have been such a waste to burn it out over something like this.

Many present, seeing them unharmed, immediately changed their expressions. Some started to eye Lin Qinghen with greedy looks.

But this spiritual device had been specially modified by Yu Yinyin, bonded with his blood, so even if exposed, no one could snatch it from him.

Lin Qinghen didn’t care at all about what they thought at the moment.

Yin Jiuxiao noticed him staring at the phantom the entire time. Even though it was just a blurry human shape and had already disappeared, he didn’t move his gaze. It was strange and a bit worrying, so Yin Jiuxiao tugged on his sleeve, calling softly, “Qinghen.”

Lin Qinghen turned his head to look at him.

Because they were so close, even through his mask, Yin Jiuxiao could feel the excitement in his eyes.

Yes, it was excitement.

“I get it,” he heard Lin Qinghen mutter. “I understand now.”

Yin Jiuxiao didn’t fully understand what he meant by “understand.” He was a bit anxious—despite the protection, Lin Qinghen must still have been hurt.

The force of the attack just now was too strong. Lin Qinghen had stumbled, his mask bumping against Yin Jiuxiao’s forehead. He heard him hiss slightly, as if he had bumped somewhere sensitive.

Yin Jiuxiao snapped back to his senses, remembered his blindness, and didn’t directly bring it up or remove Lin Qinghen’s mask to look. Instead, he asked, “Qinghen, are you alright?”

Lin Qinghen’s eyes shone as he shook his head, replying, “I’m fine.”

Lies, as always.

Yin Jiuxiao, holding him by the waist, felt helpless. Just as he was about to speak again, Lin Qinghen started addressing the others.

“It looks like this place has some issues,” he said. “I don’t think we can continue today. Now, may I take my leave with him?”

Yin Rongyu’s face no longer bore the same smile it had at the beginning. He hadn’t anticipated this outcome. His face darkened, and instead of answering, his gaze shifted toward Yin Jiuxiao, and he muttered, “The Young Master really did bring home a good wife, didn’t he…?”

But then his face twitched, and he didn’t finish his sentence.

Yin Jiuxiao gave a small smile, a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, and responded, “Of course.”

Lin Qinghen had been protecting him, but that didn’t mean he had stayed idle. Taking advantage of the dense spiritual energy fog, no one had seen what Yin Jiuxiao had just done.

Lin Qinghen wasn’t sure either, but when he glanced at Yin Rongyu, he had a feeling something was affecting him. His face showed obvious discomfort, cutting off his earlier words halfway.

Yin Rongyu was clearly the leader of everyone here in the trial ground. Yin Ye’s level of spiritual power was about the same as his, but not enough to match him. Lin Qinghen didn’t need much to guess that today’s setup had to be his doing.

With his plan foiled and nothing more to say, Yin Rongyu’s group was like a headless snake.

Lin Qinghen helped Yin Jiuxiao up, intending to leave. A few people came forward to stop him, but before Lin Qinghen could react, someone from outside the trial ground arrived.

It was Yin Hengxie.

His hurried voice reached them before he even entered.

“What are you all doing? Jiuxiao, Jiuxiao! Are you alright?”

Yin Hengxie wasn’t completely clueless; he knew that with the current chaos in the family, it would likely affect Yin Jiuxiao.

Aside from the two guards in the courtyard, he had stationed a few extra people, with repeated orders to notify him quickly if any problems arose.

Yin Hengxie had set this up several times before, but others weren’t foolish either. They would always wait until he wasn’t around, and by the time he arrived, it would be too late.

Actually, he was late this time too, but in Lin Qinghen’s view, not too late.

Seeing Yin Jiuxiao unharmed, he finally sighed in relief.

“Rongyu! What are you doing?” Yin Hengxie scanned the area, focusing first on Yin Rongyu. “Is the family not chaotic enough already?”

When Yin Rongyu saw him arrive, he knew that any hope of continuing his plans had disappeared, and his face turned even uglier.

“It’s just a minor problem with the trial grounds—getting old and worn. How can you blame me?” He had already prepared an excuse for this. “Besides, look, isn’t Yin Jiuxiao fine?”

Yin Jiuxiao was unharmed, but he wasn’t.

Logically, he shouldn’t have been injured, but a strange, tingling pain continued from his arm, impossible to ignore, though he didn’t know why.

Yin Jiuxiao, leaning entirely on Lin Qinghen, added, “Qinghen saved me.”

This statement made Yin Hengxie regard Lin Qinghen with a bit more goodwill. He was about to say something, but the usually low-profile Lin Qinghen spoke up.

“Since the Patriarch is here, is he here to enforce family rules?”

Yin Hengxie was taken aback. “What?”

“This morning, Yin Ye broke into our quarters, dragging us here despite me telling him that Jiuxiao’s health required rest. Then, when an accident occurred, Yin Ye, Yin Rongyu, and the others only cared about saving themselves, completely disregarding the Young Master’s safety. Had I not had a life-saving measure, we would be either dead or seriously injured,” Lin Qinghen stated. “What? Does the Yin family have no rule to protect its master?”

Yin Hengxie paused, his face showing a hint of awkwardness.

He understood the situation; it wasn’t the first time it had happened.

But how could he punish Yin Rongyu? Even if something had happened before, the most he could do was order a few days of confinement.

Sure enough, after a hesitant pause, he ordered Yin Rongyu and Yin Ye to be confined for a few days, and with that, the matter was seemingly over. But for Lin Qinghen and Yin Jiuxiao, it was far from forgotten.

On their way back, Yin Jiuxiao was already calculating how to make them suffer in silence, but Lin Qinghen interrupted his thoughts.

“Don’t worry. I’ll get you justice.”

He wasn’t just speaking on impulse; he had thought this through.

He was tied to the Yin family and didn’t want to hide as he had in the Lin family. If Yin Hengxie couldn’t punish them, constantly showing leniency would only fuel their arrogance. Neither he nor Yin Jiuxiao would ever have peace.

Lin Qinghen, thinking as he walked, removed his mask, revealing a bruise at the corner of his eye.

Yin Jiuxiao’s scheming paused momentarily as he looked at him, feeling both heartache and confusion. “How will you get revenge?”

This was something he felt he should handle. Lin Qinghen had married into his family; he was his and shouldn’t suffer this humiliation.

And then there was that vague statement Lin Qinghen had made earlier.

Lin Qinghen didn’t answer directly.

This trip hadn’t been a complete loss.

Misfortune and fortune come hand in hand; where there is a decline, there is a rise. He had made a big gain today.

Without today’s incident, he might never have seen the spiritual device in action and wouldn’t have grasped that spark of inspiration that broke his bottleneck.

He clearly remembered what Yin Jiuxiao had told him—don’t resist demonic qi but use it.

How to use it?

Just like the substitute phantom created by Yu Yinyin’s protective device, which took on the incoming spiritual qi on his behalf. If he applied this concept to his current research…

Lin Qinghen needed demonic qi to induce the special state in spirit plants, but he didn’t want the corrosive effects of high-level demonic qi. He had been stuck on counteracting it, but now a new path had opened up.

—Replication, substitution.

Not replication of the spirit plant but replication of the demonic qi, inducing a plant’s special state without exceeding its threshold.

Once he grasped that thread of inspiration, useful information quickly surged into his mind.

Many materials had replication abilities, though most were rare and costly. Besides, Lin Qinghen’s needs were quite unique.

He recalled two uncommon yellow-tier materials that, when combined in a specific ratio, had a faint mirroring effect.

He had read about this recipe in a book when he was younger and had once tried it out. These two materials were Yellow-tier Four Stars, not exactly rare, and not even considered alchemical ingredients since their abilities weren’t particularly remarkable.

One was Imitation Vine, a parasitic plant that, when it clung to a tree, would mimic its surroundings, camouflaging itself. The other was a product of a spirit beast, the Yellow-tier Four-Star Jumping Moon, which used an illusionary escape skill to confuse its opponents.

These two materials were available in Bei Zhou, so finding them shouldn’t be too difficult.

With the bruise still on his face, Lin Qinghen returned to their quarters, hardly caring about his injuries. As though it didn’t hurt, he guided Yin Jiuxiao to lie down, telling him to rest and heading directly to the Inner Room.

More research!

His face was still bruised; couldn’t he apply some medicine first? What’s the rush?

“Lin Qinghen!” Yin Jiuxiao grabbed his hand, not wanting him to leave. “You…”

Before he could finish, Lin Qinghen turned and interrupted.

“Behave yourself and listen, Jiuxiao. I don’t have time to pamper you right now,” he said, then leaned down and planted a kiss on his face. “For the grievances you’ve endured, I’ll make sure each one is repaid.”

The kiss was so sudden, so bold, that it left Yin Jiuxiao momentarily dumbfounded.

Author’s Note:

Lin Qinghen: I don’t have time to pamper you.

[Kiss]

Yin Jiuxiao: …Alright, I’m pacified.