Chapter 78: To Offer Oneself in Marriage

“This appearance is more comfortable to hug.”

While Xiao Zhang felt comfortable, Ye Wenxin felt stiff. She remembered her Iceborn Constitution that had not been resolved yet. With Xiao Zhang’s current willpower, it would be difficult for her to resist the attraction emanating from her.

However, after waiting for a few minutes, Xiao Zhang did not make any other moves. She breathed steadily and unexpectedly fell asleep again. Ye Wenxin did not move either. She maintained the same posture as before, closed her eyes, and soon drifted off to sleep.

It was a dreamless night, and Xiao Zhang, who had slept for a whole day, looked refreshed.

“I haven’t slept this well in a long time. It seems we can change our agreement. For the remaining days, you might as well accompany me to sleep,” Xiao Zhang’s mood also improved. Tortured by internal injuries, she had not enjoyed a normal night’s sleep in a long time.

But whether Ye Wenxin did something or not, she had a dreamless night, and even her body seemed to have returned to its peak state.

“Forget it. My hand is still numb from your restless sleeping habits.” Ye Wenxin felt a bit awkward. Despite Xiao Zhang being a beauty, her habit of hugging while sleeping was as dreadful as Gu Xiangsi. Ye Wenxin always felt like she might be suffocated by those surging hills in her dreams at any moment.

“Really? Maybe because it’s too comfortable.” Xiao Zhang did not feel embarrassed by Ye Wenxin’s comment. She linked her arm with Ye Wenxin’s and pulled her around.

“Ye Wenxin, why haven’t you gone to the assembly?” Baili Mu suddenly appeared from somewhere, but her attitude was much softer than before, and she was kind enough to remind Ye Wenxin.

Ye Wenxin recalled her schedule. Today happened to be the sword cultivation class. If nothing unexpected happened, she might see Long Qing’er again.

With that in mind, Ye Wenxin suddenly did not feel like going to class.

“Go. I’m not going to attend for you.” Seeing Ye Wenxin stop in her tracks, Xiao Zhang thought Ye Wenxin was trying to skip class again, and was somewhat unhappy.

“All right, I’ll go to class.” Ye Wenxin still did not want to, but seeing Xiao Zhang’s determined look, she knew the woman would drag her if she had to, so she did not refuse.

She walked toward the martial arts training field for the assembly, with Xiao Zhang leisurely following behind her.

“Xiao Zhang, has Senior Sister Long seen your real appearance before?” Xiao Zhang seemed carefree, paying no attention to the gazes around her.

People greeted Xiao Zhang as they passed by, and compared to the familiarity with Ye Wenxin, they seemed even more amiable toward Xiao Zhang now. It was unclear what Xiao Zhang had done during this time, but the way people looked at Ye Wenxin had become much friendlier.

“Naturally, she has. After all, she’s my master now.” Despite her slight displeasure at the mention of Long Qing’er, Xiao Zhang still answered.

“Then, when Senior Sister Long sees us together later, she won’t blame you, will she?” Ye Wenxin was worried that Xiao Zhang might be put in a difficult position, remembering how Long Qing’er had stared at them for a long time before.

After all, Long Qing’er, no matter how gentle she appeared, had a cruel streak within her.

Xiao Zhang was under the assumption that she was about to die, hence her recklessness. However, if Xiao Zhang knew she did not have to die, she would still maintain her relationship as Long Qing’er’s servant.

“Don’t you know? Her Highness is in closed door training.” Hearing Ye Wenxin’s serious question, laughter escaped Xiao Zhang, who felt a bit of warmth in her heart.

Although Ye Wenxin could be a bit too much at times, at her core she was absolutely not bad.

“Closed door training? When did that happen?”

“It was when you participated in the Alchemy Workshop recruitment. Her Highness announced it at that time. If not for that, how could I have strutted around so openly?” Xiao Zhang laughed even harder. She thought that given Long Qing’er’s relationship with Ye Wenxin, she would have informed her. Unexpectedly, Ye Wenxin would find out later than her.

“No wonder.” Ye Wenxin suddenly realized, but she still had some doubts about Long Qing’er’s purpose in closed door training.

“What’s the matter? Can’t bear to part with Her Highness?” Seeing Ye Wenxin’s peculiar expression, Xiao Zhang was a little jealous.

“It’s not that. After all, it’s normal for cultivators to go into closed door training. But why did she? Wouldn’t she be very bored?” Given Long Qing’er’s personality, she could choose to go on a training expedition, but closed door training was such a tedious method, it was not something an ordinary person could endure the loneliness of.

Seeing that Xiao Zhang seemed to have the answers to her doubts, Ye Wenxin candidly expressed her thoughts.

“You really don’t know much, do you?” Xiao Zhang stared at Ye Wenxin again, feeling that apart from her talent in Alchemy, Ye Wenxin was just a fool who turned a deaf ear to things outside her window¹.

“Um, I don’t really care about those things. So why did Senior Sister Long go into closed door training?” Ye Wenxin felt somewhat embarrassed. She was still unused to the idea of having to gather information herself. In the past, her dear goddaughter would tell her a lot of information without her having to say a word.

And her best friend, Princess Long Qingyue of the Golden Age Dynasty, always chattered on about gossip. The two of them would spend their time chatting while snacking on melon seeds without a care in the world.

The more she thought about it, the more Ye Wenxin began to miss her best friend.

It had been a long time since they had last been in touch. Given her best friend’s personality, she probably already knew about Ye Wenxin’s disappearance from Liu Churan. There was a good chance she had begun sending spies to search for her whereabouts.

“Because of the Immortal Sect Summit coming up in around half a year.” Xiao Zhang, noticing Ye Wenxin’s wandering attention, waved her hand in front of her face to get her attention and explained why Long Qing’er had gone into strict closed door training.

“Immortal Sect Summit? What’s that?” Ye Wenxin, somewhat startled by this new term, looked puzzled. She had risen to fame relatively early and had never paid much attention to the Ten Great Immortal Sects, let alone this sort of minor news.

“It’s a summit hosted by the Ten Great Immortal Sects, where around 100 elite disciples are selected to participate in a secret realm².” Xiao Zhang had to add the reason and rewards for this Immortal Sect Summit, her expression becoming even more resigned.

Ye Wenxin, although being an Azure Wings Sect disciple, seemed to not know anything.

It suddenly dawned on Ye Wenxin, she was very curious about this secret realm. In her understanding, the secret realm was like a copy of the earth³, where one could obtain many treasures and even inheritances.

But considering the limited number of participants, with each immortal sect only able to send about ten people, Ye Wenxin suddenly felt hopeless.

“It’s not just because of the secret realm. The main reason is that Her Highness the Eldest Princess personally promised to come, so that’s why she’s trying so hard.” As if feeling Ye Wenxin was not amazed enough, Xiao Zhang revealed another secret known only to members of the imperial palace.

She kept staring at Ye Wenxin’s expression as she spoke, and then saw the surprise and delight on her face.

“She’s coming?” Ye Wenxin had been worried about not being able to contact her best friend, but now it seemed like an opportunity had presented itself.

“Why are you so happy? Her Highness the Eldest Princess is not like Her Highness Qing’er, us Secret Guards even secretly dub her Female Tyrant. If Her Highness the Eldest Princess finds out that you have a good relationship with Her Highness Qing’er, she might just use you as an example to warn others.” Xiao Zhang’s expression turned grim as she warned Ye Wenxin about the dangers of getting involved with the Eldest Princess.

Ye Wenxin laughed even harder upon hearing this, knowing well her best friend’s protectiveness towards her. Outside of her presence, her best friend was too high to reach⁴.

“But, you’re a Secret Guard, is it really appropriate for you to speak ill of your masters like this?”

“I’m practically at death’s door, what do I have to fear?” Xiao Zhang waved her hand nonchalantly, completely unaware that the stagnated blood in her body had been cleared by Ye Wenxin, who had essentially pulled her back from the brink of death.

Ye Wenxin did not remind Xiao Zhang of her recovery. Instead, she found the unobstructed mouth of Xiao Zhang, who had abandoned herself to despair, amusing.

While the old fart outer sect elder had not arrived yet, Xiao Zhang continued to share a lot of Secret Guard gossip with Ye Wenxin.

For instance, she mentioned how the Secret Guard Commander confessed his feelings to the Eldest Princess, only to be given a male consort by the princess as a response.

She also shared anecdotes about Long Qing’er’s childhood, how she received ‘affectionate’ education every day, and how she would grow weak-kneed at the sight of the Eldest Princess.

……

Various gossips, sometimes true, sometimes false, made Ye Wenxin laugh heartily. If it were not for Xiao Zhang’s descriptions, she would not have known that there were so many interesting things in the world.

Xiao Zhang seemed to have liberated herself from restraint as well, and the two chatted animatedly. Xiao Zhang even took the opportunity to impart some unique martial arts techniques, displaying complete selflessness.

One day… two days…

“Wenxin, I wonder if it’s just my imagination, but I feel like my body is getting better.”

Seven days, eight days…

“Wenxin, I recently went to consult a physician, and the physician said I was mentally ill, that I don’t have any illness, yet still insist on seeing a doctor. I was so angry I almost hacked her to death.”

Twelve days, thirteen days…

“Wenxin, it seems like I won’t die after all. Even my cultivation has recovered.”

One day, half a month later, Xiao Zhang finally realized that her body had healed. Not only had it healed, but her cultivation had also improved significantly compared to before.

Recalling the secrets she had recently confided in Ye Wenxin, she smiled as she held a dagger against Ye Wenxin’s neck.

Ye Wenxin had wondered about Xiao Zhang’s reaction upon learning of her recovery, but she had not expected this.

“Xiao Zhang, what are you doing? You don’t have to die anymore, so why would you want to kill me?” Ye Wenxin’s voice trembled slightly, and she discreetly summoned a silver needle, ready to fight back at any moment.

“I suddenly don’t have to die anymore, but I’ve shared too many secrets with you. So I’m considering whether to kill you first and then kill myself,” Xiao Zhang said with a smile, wishing she could feign death with a piece of tofu⁵.

Because of death, she ended up saying too much to Ye Wenxin that she should not have. Especially when it came to teasing Ye Wenxin, recalling any of those moments made Xiao Zhang feel too mortified.

“But you called me ‘darling’ just yesterday, and said if I were a bit older, you’d…” Ye Wenxin blinked innocently, finding Xiao Zhang increasingly adorable.

Even though she appeared so libertine, Xiao Zhang unexpectedly had a pure-hearted side.

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1. A Chinese idiom referring to someone who is ignorant or unconcerned about the world around them, often preoccupied with their own affairs or uninterested in broader matters. ↩︎
2. 
   A hidden or secluded area with unique characteristics, often containing treasures, powerful beasts, or opportunities for cultivation and enlightenment. These secret realms are usually discovered by cultivators through various means such as opening ancient seals, entering spatial rifts, or unlocking hidden passages. ↩︎
3. 
   Dunno if this is referring to Earth where Wenxin came from, or this planet. I’ll change this if there’s confirmation in later chapters about the secret realm. ↩︎
4. 
   A Chinese idiom, meaning eminent and unapproachable ↩︎
5. 
   This is related to the Chinese idiom “knock someone to death with a piece of tofu”, which is often used humorously to express someone’s extreme frustration or exasperation, implying that they feel so helpless or powerless that even something as soft and harmless as tofu could cause death. In this case, Xiao Zhang is feeling extremely embarrassed that she wishes she could disappear by feigning her death with tofu ↩︎