In the past, when Cangshu Bai cultivated, he could meditate continuously for several months. A mere half-month journey was nothing to him; this little bit of fatigue was not worth mentioning.
But his wife needed him.
So he lay down with her in the warm and comfortable quilt. After she closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep, he opened his eyes, quietly watching her beautiful sleeping face and listening to her long, even breaths. He then applied a little strength to pull her into his arms, feeling an unprecedented sense of peace.
Mu Ran slept for over two hours. Well-rested and with her energy recovered, she pulled Cangshu Bai up to unpack their luggage together.
The space in the carriage had been almost entirely filled with their belongings, mainly because of Mu Ran. Whenever she saw something, she felt it was necessary to bring it along. Before she knew it, one wooden chest after another had been added to their load.
Unpacking and organizing took almost another two hours. Finally, Mu Ran stood in front of the wardrobe, taking clothes out of the chests and hanging them up one by one.
Cangshu Bai placed the glazed lamp steadily on the table. With a slight wave of his hand, the lamp lit up, instantly filling the dim room with a gentle glow. When he looked back, Mu Ran was facing the wardrobe, looking somewhat distressed.
He walked over and asked softly, "What is it?"
Mu Ran rubbed her chin with one hand and said, "The wardrobe is a bit too small. There is not enough room to hang all the clothes."
This was the house he used to live in. It was more than enough to store one person's clothing, but now there were two of them. Not to mention, he usually loved buying her colorful and fancy dresses. This time, they had brought a full two chests of clothes, so the wardrobe was indeed insufficient.
Cangshu Bai reached out and simply pushed his own clothes into a tightly folded pile. Suddenly, a lot of space freed up in the wardrobe. "This will do."
Mu Ran glanced at his clothes, which were pitifully squeezed into a pile taking up less than a third of the space. She fell silent for a moment. "Won't this make it seem like I am treating you too poorly?"
He chuckled softly behind her. "I am perfectly happy to endure it."
Mu Ran looked up at him.
In the warm candlelight, the young man's facial features appeared exceptionally gentle. A few loose strands of hair fell over his forehead, his nose was straight and elegant, and the curve of his lips was mild. When he smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkled slightly, looking like they were steeped in a pool of warm spring water.
He was clearly handsome and elegant, yet normally he was too cold and aloof, making people feel he was unapproachable. Only at times like this, in front of her, would he seem to retract his sharp edges, his temperament becoming as warm and gentle as jade, making him all the more captivating.
Mu Ran's eyes seemed to be adorned with stars, shining and sparkling brightly.
Cangshu Bai lowered his eyes, his fingers gently caressing the corner of her eye, and asked in a low voice, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Having been married to her for two years, he had been looked at by her like this countless times. Naturally, he knew why she was looking at him this way, but he just wanted to hear her say it herself.
Sure enough, Mu Ran turned around and hugged him. "Jinzhi, I think you have become even better-looking."
When Cangshu Bai was a child, he had heard the neighbors say that he was a handsome boy. Later, his family was destroyed and he embarked on the path of cultivation for revenge. Although he had mentors during this time, most of them only schemed against and used him.
On this path filled with bloodshed, sometimes just to survive, he had to eke out a living in dark corners with crawling insects as companions. As for his appearance, he had never paid it any attention.
However, over the past two years, having been called handsome by her so many times, he had faintly developed the realization that his appearance might indeed be quite good.
He did not need to be flawless; he only needed to captivate her alone, and that would be enough.
Cangshu Bai rested his chin on the top of her head, his large hand gently stroking her back as the corners of his lips curled up slightly.
But before he could enjoy this tender moment for long, Mu Ran left his embrace again. "Your clothes will get wrinkled if they are folded like this. Isn't there another room next door? Let's put the clothes that won't fit here into the wardrobe in the next room."
Cangshu Bai took a moment to adjust to the empty feeling in his arms, then nodded. "Alright."
He picked up the chest and walked toward the room next door.
Mu Ran followed behind him and could not help but look up outside.
Beyond the courtyard wall was another household.
A figure stood on the second floor, seemingly watching the busy people on this side with curiosity.
Mu Ran did not really like this feeling of being spied upon, but she figured she might be overthinking it. Perhaps the person over there was just casually standing and enjoying the breeze.
Cangshu Bai looked back. "Ranran."
Mu Ran snapped out of her daze, quickly walked over, and pushed the door open.
As Cangshu Bai walked into the room, he cast a subtle, fleeting glance back.
The figure opposite quickly shrank back and vanished without a trace.
It was getting late, and the veil of night began to fall.
Cangshu Bai looked at Mu Ran, who was organizing the clothes, and asked, "I am going to the street to buy some food. What do you want to eat?"
They had not prepared any ingredients today, and furthermore, they were tired, so naturally, they did not plan to cook dinner themselves.
Mu Ran thought for a moment and said, "I want wonton noodles."
Cangshu Bai patted the top of her head. "Wait for my return."
Not long after he walked out of the house, a figure followed behind him.
"Young Master, Young Master, please wait!"
The person who caught up was a middle-aged man with a handlebar mustache. He was exactly the person living in the courtyard opposite theirs. His face showed enthusiasm, and he appeared very friendly.
Cangshu Bai walked down the alley, his footsteps not stopping.
The man followed relentlessly. "I live right across from you, so we can be considered neighbors. Meeting by chance is a stroke of fate. I would like to make friends with you, Young Master. I observe that your bearing is extraordinary. I wonder if you might be interested in the path of immortal cultivation?"
Cangshu Bai stopped in his tracks and looked over calmly.
The man asked, "How old do you think I am now, Young Master?"
Cangshu Bai remained silent.
The man laughed heartily. "Do you also think I am only in my forties? Actually, I am over a hundred years old now. This is all because I joined the Changqing Sect. With devoted cultivation, immortality is not impossible. I see that you and your wife are deeply in love, and your wife is of heavenly beauty. But mortals only have a short lifespan of a hundred years. In less than twenty years, a pink-cheeked beauty will become a decrepit old woman. Don't you feel it would be a pity, Young Master?"
Cangshu Bai replied, "It is indeed a pity."
The man's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly took out an invitation. "The Changqing Sect is not a place just anyone can enter. You and I share a destiny; I am willing to guarantee for you and recommend you to join the Changqing Sect. How about it?"
Cangshu Bai took the invitation and asked, "You want to recommend me to the Changqing Sect. Have you mentioned this matter to anyone else?"
Han Yu quietly popped its head out.
The man shook his head and said, "I only noticed today that you and your beautiful wife moved into the house opposite mine. With just one look, I found that I shared a deep destiny with you, Young Master. Therefore, before I even had time to mention it to my fellow sect members, I could not wait to invite you to join our sect."
Unable to suppress his excitement and eagerness, the man quickly added, "If you just ask around a little, you will know how hard it is to enter the Changqing Sect. As long as you sign your name on this invitation, you can go and attend lectures in the sect. Oh, right, and your wife too. Bring your wife along. As long as you enter the Changqing Sect, I guarantee you will not—"
A flash of cold light gleamed. The man's head fell to the ground, his mouth still opening and closing. "Regret..."
A moment later, he caught sight of his own headless corpse collapsed on the ground. As if only just realizing what had happened, a look of astonishment crossed his face. The light in his eyes rapidly faded to a lifeless gray, and his pale features froze in a stiff expression as he breathed his last.
Han Yu darted out from its master's sleeve, devouring the soul before it had a chance to dissipate.
It knew it. The only reason its master had asked this poor bastard if anyone else knew about the matter was to ensure a clean kill.
"A Life-Borrowing Invitation. What a cheap trick."
The invitation turned to ash in the young man's hand and vanished.
At the same time, frost and snow blanketed the severed corpse on the ground.
As he turned around, his long sleeves fluttered slightly. The bisected remains on the ground dissolved into an icy mist, dissipating without a single trace.
