Xie Jingci couldn't quite figure out Pei Du.
In her understanding, built up over so many years, Young Master Pei had always been a stickler for rules, a block of wood so reserved it was infuriating. Though he usually appeared gentle and mild-mannered, he had always maintained an imperceptible distance from others, especially those of the opposite sex.
After speaking the lines given by the system, she had never imagined Pei Du would actually agree.
But the fact was, not only did he not refuse, he even carried it out with a completely straight face.
...Had Pei Du been body-snatched?
No, looking at his expressionless face, perhaps in his eyes, blowing on someone's face wasn't considered a big deal?
In the world of cultivation, the boundaries between men and women weren't as strict as in the mortal realm. Physical contact between individuals was already a commonplace sight.
Moreover, Pei Du was a sword-obsessed recluse who never left his home. His whole life was nothing but the sword. According to gossip in the cultivation world, for someone like him, seeing an unsheathed sword could be more exciting than seeing an unclothed woman.
Xie Jingci had thought at the time, Ah, how unique, how perverse, how pitiful.
Thinking of it this way, it seemed to explain why he hadn't refused—
Pei Du touching her was probably no different from touching flowers or grass.
It was only her, who, just from having her chin lifted and a breath blown on it, felt her ears burning all on her own.
Xie Jingci wanted to grab this useless version of herself and slam her against the wall.
"...It's alright."
She gave a light cough, striving not to let her expression appear too stiff. "That, you don't need to keep holding that pose."
Pei Du's expression paused slightly.
He had been focusing all his attention on that bruise, and only upon her reminder did he realize the ambiguous and subtle nature of their current position.
—He leaned over from above, his supporting arm just happened to fall beside Xie Jingci’s neck, like a restraint preventing her from escaping.
Pei Du caught that faint, cool-and-serene fragrance again, like an invisible finger gently hooking at his heart.
The young man hastily retreated from the bed: "My apologies."
He paused briefly, then suddenly, his gaze deepened: "I have been a disturbance these past few days... For Miss Xie's life-saving grace, I, Pei, will surely repay it in full."
Pei Du suddenly using such a formal tone made Xie Jingci feel rather unaccustomed.
Being straightforward by nature, she immediately responded: "Why bring that up?"
"I—"
He only got one word out before frowning, lowering his head, and letting out a few uncontrollable light coughs.
The winter wind was cold. Pei Du had always had a weak constitution, and he had draped his outer garment over her in front of Lan Yue Pavilion. He must have caught a chill then.
For some reason, Xie Jingci suddenly had a random thought: with his personality, was he this good to everyone?
"Miss Xie's old injury has not yet healed. Once we leave the Ghost Domain tomorrow, you should first return to Yun Jing to recuperate for a few days—forcing yourself relentlessly is not good for your health."
Pei Du's voice was gentle and warm, gentle and warm; yet in the candlelight flooding the bedroom, it carried an added layer of clear, chilly coldness, clear and chilly.
Xie Jingci saw him offer her an extremely faint, extremely light smile.
A young person's eyes are the brightest. Pei Du's phoenix eyes were awash in glistening firelight, as if, in a deep, hushed night, the pool's water—clear and cool—had caught a sliver of moonlight, gentle enough to almost spill over.
Yet this smile vanished in an instant, soon disappearing without a trace. Pei Du had returned to his gentle yet distant demeanor, as if what had just been seen was merely an illusion.
He continued: "I will certainly not forget the kindness of these past days. As for the marriage contract, Miss Xie need not concern yourself with it. Since I have been expelled from the Pei Manor, the agreement between our two families naturally should be annulled. Moreover, after leaving the Ghost Domain, my future path is hard to predict, I do not know what I will become—"
Wait.
Xie Jingci: "Wait, wait, wait! Why are you suddenly saying all this?"
This tone, these words... it sounded as if the two of them would never see each other again, as if in the next second they could start singing "Goodbye, Miss Xie, tonight I set sail."
Following the script he was laying out, perhaps Pei Du's funeral dirge could even start playing.
"What do you mean, 'after leaving the Ghost Domain, my future path is hard to predict'—"
Taking advantage of his brief stunned pause at this abrupt interruption, Xie Jingci looked up to meet Pei Du's gaze: "Isn't what you're supposed to do tomorrow simply to obediently come back to the Xie family with me?"
The following scene was nothing short of spectacular.
Xie Jingci watched as Pei Du, standing at the bedside, let his long eyelashes tremble violently. Although he tried hard to control his expression, his pupils still suddenly constricted. On the face of this young swordsman, who was always unflappable, an unprecedented look of fluster and astonishment appeared.
If Pei Du were a cat, his ears and tail would definitely be shaking frantically right now.
She had to admit, this expression of his greatly improved Xie Jingci's mood, even prompting a very mischievous thought to cross her mind—
When she takes Pei Du home, she might get to see even more interesting expressions from him.
"Did I not tell you before?"
Xie Jingci held back her laughter: "Did you perhaps think I came to the Ghost Tomb to find you on just a whim?"
Of course, that wasn't what he thought.
In Pei Du's initial understanding, the reason Miss Xie came here to find him was to dissolve that piece of paper—the marriage contract.
At the academy, direct face-to-face contact between the two of them had been pitifully rare. Their relationship wasn't even that of ordinary friends. For Miss Xie to come to the Ghost Domain to pull him out—to prevent him from suffering a humiliating death at the hands of some nobody—was already the greatest act of mercy.
Later, when she spoke of healing his wounds and occasionally mentioned the Xie family, Pei Du always just listened quietly, thinking she was only in a good mood for the moment and not daring to entertain any extravagant hopes.
Even the "family" he had lived with for so many years could abandon him with ease. For Miss Xie, there was even less reason to keep a burden like him by her side.
In his current situation, any hope was wishful thinking.
But what Miss Xie just said...
What a blockhead.
Xie Jingci just wanted to pry open the back of his head with her bare hands to see what was inside.
"Don't you want to go?"
In her heart she had already turned into Popeye the Sailor Man—indestructible, indestructible; frustratedly roaring like a madwoman, frustratedly roaring like a madwoman. On the surface, however, she wore a melancholy and wistful, melancholy and wistful expression, her tone drawn out, truly the epitome of affectation, truly the epitome of affectation: "What a pity. If you could come home with me, I would be so very happy. Last night I was still thinking with full-hearted joy, full-hearted joy, about how I should introduce you to my father and mother, and which of my favorite snacks I would take you to eat—so it was all just me being sentimental on my own, being sentimental on my own."
Xie Jingci was on a roll. Seeing Pei Du part his lips slightly, at a loss for words, she could barely suppress a laugh and continued, "It's alright, you don't need to blame yourself. I'm not heartbroken; I just feel... a little sad, that's all. It's all my fault — I'm not good enough; I failed to win Young Master Pei's trust."
Ah.
Green tea, so fragrant, truly fragrant, too fragrant.
Memories from her time in that little world gradually surfaced. Xie Jingci improvised, the lines coming readily to her mouth, and she couldn't help but sigh with genuine feeling: "This truly is a miraculously effective and high-powered method, miraculously effective and high-powered method."
Amplify the grievance tenfold, a hundredfold, deliberately putting it on display before others. At the same time, show a stubbornness that seems forcibly held up, forcibly held up, and utter that timeless, never-failing, immortal line, immortal line: It's all my fault.
A goose like Pei Du, so simple and guileless, could be ensnared in a web in an instant, his senses completely overwhelmed by the fragrance of tea.
Just as she had expected, Pei Du indeed frowned upon hearing this, and even his usually cold, jade-like profile faintly revealed a flush of embarrassment.
He wanted to explain but was too clumsy to know how to begin, so he could only lower his long lashes, his eyes dimming as he said, "Miss Xie, I—"
The room fell silent for a brief moment.
Pei Du, his head bowed, finally set aside all his pride and told her hoarsely, "The person I am now is a burden... I'm afraid I am no longer a suitable match for Miss Xie."
He didn't want to admit these words aloud, even though he had always known it deep down.
It was as if once spoken, Miss Xie would truly leave him, going to a place increasingly distant and unreachable.
Moonlight streamed through the window, casting a cold, porcelain-like pallor on the young man's handsome face.
Miss Xie had not yet responded, leaving his heart suspended in mid-air. It felt like he was undergoing a prolonged execution by a thousand cuts, each second an agony.
Suddenly, he heard Xie Jingci's voice: "...Come here."
She paused briefly, then emphasized, "Lower your head."
Pei Du, not understanding, could only obey and lean down again. The moment his head dropped, a breeze swept over his crown.
Something landed on his head and gave it a gentle rub.
"Who said you're a burden."
The girl's right hand was slender and soft, brushing through his hair, bringing a ticklish, never-before-felt sensation.
Xie Jingci said, "You haven't done anything wrong. No matter what, the blame can't be placed on you. It's those people with ill intentions who are the burden—you will become the most formidable sword cultivator in the cultivation world. Others will be too busy admiring and envying you to even catch up, so why belittle yourself?"
After saying this, she hesitated for a moment, her tone awkward and stiff, yet carrying a sincere tenderness: "Do you want to come home with me?"
She didn't deliberately say "the Xie family."
The word "home" sounded as if... that place belonged to both of them.
The massive stone that had been blocking his heart for so long cracked at that moment.
Immediately, the crack spread like a spider's web, and when the stone shattered with a crash, a long-absent smile spilled from the depths of the young man's dark, dim eyes.
Pei Du said, "Okay."
Everything that happened tonight felt like a dream. Even after bidding farewell to Xie Jingci and leaving her room, Pei Du felt his head was in a daze.
Yet, no matter what, he felt genuinely happy from the bottom of his heart.
Pei Du walked forward in a haze, raising his hand to touch the top of his head.
When he touched it himself, there was no particular feeling. But when the one reaching out was Miss Xie, every strand of hair seemed to carry a faint electric current. Pei Du didn't dislike that feeling.
...So happy.
Being accepted by her was, and having his head patted was, both things that made him feel happy.
His bedroom was just to the left of Xie Jingci's. Pei Du's mind was unsettled, and even the action of taking the key from his pocket was unusually slow. Before he could press his lips together to hide the smile at the corners of his mouth, he heard someone ask, "Happy?"
Without thinking, his answer was pure reflex: "Happy."
Only after answering did he finally realize something was amiss.
Pei Du's fingers froze, and he swiftly turned his head in an instant.
Miss Xie was leaning against her doorframe, a smile playing on her lips. The mirth in her eyes was almost impossible to conceal, overflowing from her round, dark pupils and scattering in the corridor's warm, yellow candlelight.
Pei Du: ...
Pei Du's mind exploded. Heat surged fiercely, instantly sweeping through every meridian in his body, scalding his ears a deep red.
How long had she been standing there?
Had Miss Xie already seen him foolishly patting his own head and... and grinning like an idiot while alone?
Perhaps she had even sensed his feelings—
Pei Du: ...
The words "a pathetic attempt to cover up" might as well have been written on Pei Du's face. Stiffly, he raised his hand to touch his head again and, meeting Xie Jingci's gaze, said, "Today, my head aches a little."
He wasn't good at lying and tried to organize his words as he spoke: "Isn't Miss Xie going to rest yet? — Ouch."
This was an exclamation of pain. As soon as Pei Du uttered it, the corners of his mouth also curled up, indicating he wasn't smiling but grimacing in pain.
Only after performing did he realize this clearly painted the image of a weakling afraid of pain and tickles.
The girl leaning against the doorframe, whether fooled by this clumsy solo act or not, stared straight at him for a moment before finally bursting into a soft laugh.
"It's good that you're happy. By tomorrow, you might be even happier."
Xie Jingci answered a question he hadn't asked, raising an eyebrow with a smile: "If I remember correctly, both my father and my mother... they quite like you."
Xie Jingci woke very early the next day. When she opened her door, she happened to run into Pei Du.
She was very concerned about the matter regarding Fu Chaosheng and hurried eagerly to the courtyard where the ghost cultivators resided. Before even stepping through the gate, she received a piece of news.
Fu Chaosheng had already woken up.
Xie Jingci was the hero who had dealt Jiang Tu a heavy blow. Many cultivators were gathered in the courtyard, and upon seeing her arrive, they unanimously made way.
Because of this, Xie Jingci could see Fu Chaosheng at a glance.
His appearance matched the descriptions in the storybooks perfectly: a slender build, clear and handsome features, with a pair of small dimples appearing when he smiled.
As she stepped closer, the rough image she had sketched in her mind gradually took form, like ink strokes completing a painting in one go.
The man noticed her too.
"This is Miss Xie and Young Master Pei."
Zhou Shen was wrapped in bandages like a cultivator-version mummy. Seeing the two of them, he could only greet them by turning his neck: "Miss Xie has been wanting to meet you."
Xie Jingci nodded vigorously.
Before coming to the Ghost Domain, her interest in the story of Fu Chaosheng and Zhou Shen was merely at the level of "curiosity." It was only after peeling back the layers of that year's secrets that the emotion stirring in her heart transformed into admiration.
Xie Jingci had a terrible personality, arrogant enough to reach the heavens, and rarely admired anyone from the bottom of her heart.
"I heard Miss Xie managed to execute 'Severing Frost' relying only on a move or two from Nan Xing and the descriptions in the storybooks."
Fu Chaosheng smiled, his eyes curving: "You are my undisputed savior. Since waking up, I too have been looking forward to meeting you, Miss Xie—thank you."
She knew a round of polite mutual praise was unavoidable.
Xie Jingci played along adeptly: "Not at all. I've long heard of the great reputation of 'Severing Frost.' To create such a blade technique at such a young age is truly admirable."
"Just so-so, just so-so."
Fu Chaosheng laughed like a roly-poly toy: "Since I was little, I've always held onto one belief. When I hit a bottleneck, thinking about it immediately gives me the motivation to keep going."
Here it comes! The great will of the seniors!
Xie Jingci filtered out a whole pile of possibilities like "saving the world," "world peace," or "protecting the girl I love" in her mind and asked him curiously: "What belief?"
Fu Chaosheng: "From the very beginning, I have constantly warned myself that I must cultivate diligently. Otherwise, when people mention me, they will only say with profound regret: 'Fu Chaosheng, that man had nothing going for him except for his captivating looks.'"
Xie Jingci: ...
Well, that's truly a reason one can't refuse.
Senior Fu Chaosheng seems rather different from what was imagined.
Pei Du, standing nearby, asked quietly, "Senior, how is your health now?"
"I was trapped in a barrier by Jiang Tu, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The spiritual energy within the barrier was dense. Sleeping inside for fifty years, my divine consciousness was nourished for that entire time, condensed into a solid form, and no longer dissipates."
He was particularly fond of smiling, making the solemn Zhou Shen beside him seem like a meticulously carved statue: "Practicing day and night for fifty years, I've reached a decent level among ghost cultivators. I can materialize my ethereal form, making it no different from an ordinary person—meaning the current me isn't much different from fifty years ago. It's just a matter of wandering the world with a blade."
Zhou Shen remarked coldly, "What you call wandering is just drifting around aimlessly."
"You're fifty years older than me now, how is your temper still this bad?"
Fu Chaosheng grinned, looking up at Xie Jingci and Pei Du: "Tell me, does Zhou Shen usually bully you juniors?"
"Curator Zhou is very kind!"
Xie Jingci defended him without hesitation: "The curator loves to laugh, always cheerful, and treats everyone equally—"
It was then she realized something was off.
In the storybooks, Zhou Shen was a tall, silent swordsman, the "grumpy" half of the "brainless and grumpy" duo.
Adjectives like "loves to laugh" and "cheerful" appeared most often in descriptions of Fu Chaosheng.
"Oh, I can't tell you're capable of being cheerful?"
Fu Chaosheng nudged his arm with an elbow: "People change a lot growing up, eh, Zhou Shen?"
Zhou Shen responded by giving him a fist on the head.
"Speaking of which, why isn't Wen Miaorou here today?"
Someone asked curiously: "Hasn't she always been very concerned about Fu Chaosheng's affairs?"
"Wen Miaorou ran from the West Market to the East Market, practically turning over every clothing shop."
Another person clicked his tongue: "Women are truly formidable. But judging by the time, she should be almost done fussing. She'll probably arrive any moment—"
Before he finished speaking, there was indeed new movement at the courtyard gate.
Having finally seen Fu Chaosheng after so many years, Wen Miaorou would definitely dress up carefully. Curious, Xie Jingci turned her head along with the others.
Then, in the instant her gaze shifted, a chill ran down her spine, and she froze completely.
The arrivals were not Wen Miaorou, but two cultivators, a man and a woman.
The man was tall and robust, his muscles like compact, rolling hills, with sword-like eyebrows reaching his temples and sharp, masculine features, exuding an aura of intimidation that kept strangers at bay.
The female cultivator standing beside him had a slender, delicate figure and a lovely face. Her dark hair was roughly tied up, a simple wooden hairpin adorned with a small white pearl slanting through the middle. Her long, willow-leaf eyes swept lightly across the scene and collided violently with Xie Jingci's in mid-air.
A surge of killing intent filled the air instantly.
Pei Du also looked down at her: "Miss Xie..."
Xie Jingci gritted her teeth secretly.
She then put on a beaming smile and suddenly stepped forward: "Father! Mother! What brings you here? I've missed you both so much!"
The visitors were indeed her father, Xie Shu, and her mother, Yun Zhaoyan.
That was the official explanation.
To put it more truthfully, they were the supreme empress of their household, and the husky by the empress's side.
The fiercely imposing man's expression softened, making one suspect his next line would be, "Drag these people out and feed them to the dogs."
But Xie Shu only chuckled foolishly and said, "Your dad missed you too! Girl, when did you wake up? Your mother and I were so worried. Your injuries aren't healed yet, what are you doing coming to the Ghost Realm alone? Even if you had to come, you should have brought some guards or maids. What if something happened?"
Yun Zhaoyan narrowed her eyes at him.
Xie Shu obediently shut his mouth, made a throat-slitting gesture, and silently mouthed to Xie Jingci: "Danger—"
"Mother, you've changed to a new hairpin!"
Having sneaked out of home injured without a word and getting caught red-handed by her family, Xie Jingci had no defense. She could only try to appease the empress by playing the fawning sycophant: "Beautiful, truly stunning!"
Xie Shu grinned, seeking credit: "I made it myself. The pearl in the center is Qiongzhou Snow Spirit Jade, a gem encountered only once in thousands of years."
"A small pearl to match the wife, a small pearl to match the wife. Excellent, excellent."
She praised mindlessly, finally asking tentatively: "What brings you two here?"
"That question should be ours to ask."
Yun Zhaoyan's voice was clear and melodious, tinged with obvious anger: "Talking about 'going out to relax'... If we hadn't noticed you were gone all night and went around asking for clues, we'd probably still be completely in the dark—You, playing around before was one thing, but now at such a critical juncture, what could be so important in the Ghost Realm that you couldn't stay home for a single moment, rushing here without stopping—"
Her voice suddenly halted.
Xie Shu followed his wife's gaze, an indescribable smile subconsciously curling at the corner of his mouth.
Yun Zhaoyan hesitated for a moment: "Is that... Little Du?"
"It really is! How did you two end up together?"
Xie Shu chortled: "Oh—Could it be that the reason our girl couldn't stay home for a moment and rushed here without stopping was precisely for—Ow—"
He dragged out each word, intentionally leaving the rest unsaid, wearing an infuriating "those who know, know" expression. Finally, he laughed heartily towards Pei Du: "Little Du, do you remember who I am?"
Xie Jingci: ...
While theoretically, she did come for Pei Du.
But your tone is definitely very off! Her motives were perfectly pure! You dirty-minded old folks must be thinking of other strange things!
Xie Jingci was nearly frantic, and Pei Du beside her was equally tense.
He could never forget the first time he met these two; it was a black mark he could never erase from his life.
Back then, he didn't know what Miss Xie's family looked like. Seeing this couple who appeared to be in their early twenties, he naturally called out, "Big brother, big sister."
Whereupon Xie Shu clapped him heavily on the shoulder: "We're here at the academy looking for our daughter. Her name is Xie Jingci. Have you seen her, little brother?"
Suddenly promoted to Miss Xie's little uncle, Pei Du felt like banging his head against a wall at the time.
This time, he must learn his lesson and leave a good impression on Miss Xie's family.
...So what should he call him?
Uncle? Or... uncle? Is there even a difference between those? Besides, is there a more universal form of address? Or, as usual, call him "Sword Venerable"?
In any case, no matter what, he must never blurt out an overstepping term like "big brother" again. He must use an address for an elder.
Xie Shu was still looking at him with eager anticipation. The situation no longer allowed for further thought. The arrow was on the bowstring; it had to be released.
A universal term for an elder—
A flash of inspiration struck Pei Du, like grasping a lifeline: "Hello, Grandfather Xie."
Xie Shu's smile froze, a dead-fish-like weariness rising in his eyes.
Pei Du: "..."
Let it all end. Let there be destruction. Let him just kill himself.
"What on earth are you talking about?"
Xie Jingci nearly burst out laughing: "This is my father."
That's right. The Sword Venerable is Miss Xie's biological father.
He had truly lost his mind.
If the Sword Venerable were his grandfather, then what would Miss Xie be to him? His mother or his aunt?
Pei Du's mind buzzed, the back of his head throbbing. Relying on the last shreds of his rationality, he attempted a final, desperate salvage: "I'm sorry... Dad!"
As soon as that last word left his mouth, the entire world fell silent.
He could feel with perfect clarity the sudden, chaotic shift in Miss Xie's aura beside him, followed by a look of utter horror directed his way.
He wanted to give himself a look of utter horror too.
Pei Du's heart sank into ashes. He felt like a whole hairy crab tossed into a wok of boiling oil, bubbling and sizzling as it was scalded, ready to be served up on a plate any second.
"Oh my, staking your claim so quickly, are we?"
Xie Shu nearly laughed himself into the shape of a grotesque, wide-mouthed monkey: "Quite the eager young fellow, reminds me of my own youthful dash. Young people, I get it, I really do. You just go for it, charge ahead, hehe."
Pei Du: No. You don't get it at all.
