Dan Pavilion, Lin Dongming was tidying up the room.
Because the Forbidden Land Trial was imminent, Lin Dongming had been putting extra effort into cleaning lately.
After all, he might not be able to come help Yun Shuying organize for a while, and since she didn’t really like doing these chores, it was better to be a bit more diligent.
Although Yun Shuying herself hired some disciples and servants to handle miscellaneous tasks, there were still many things that Lin Dongming preferred to do himself.
Besides, Yun Shuying had been busy with alchemy lately, so the time Lin Dongming actually spent with her had shortened as well, making the work much easier.
But it couldn’t be zero.
This was something Lin Dongming understood very well.
Because she needed to obtain emotional value from him, not just praise.
“After all, she receives plenty of compliments, how could she possibly like me just because I know how to praise?”
Lin Dongming carefully cut the potato in his hand into pieces, preparing to make Braised Potato Beef for dinner.
From the things Yun Shuying muttered after getting drunk and from some rumors within the sect, Lin Dongming could more or less piece together the story of that engagement withdrawal which once embarrassed Yun Shuying.
As a cultivation prodigy, Yun Shuying had always had a smooth path since childhood, never encountering any major setbacks—just like today’s Han Xiangjun.
Her marriage was also arranged by her parents.
The other party was the son of a sect Elder, also a cultivation genius, with a prominent family background and a handsome appearance—by all accounts, a perfect match.
Yun Shuying was wholly devoted to the Dao at the time, with alchemy and cultivation taking up most of her life; fun and amusement came later.
She didn’t feel particularly drawn to the engagement, nor did she dislike it—she just went along with it as expected.
Since there were no problems and everything seemed suitable, she thought it would be best to go along with her parents’ wishes.
That was Yun Shuying’s mindset at the time.
After all, she had never felt a burning passion for anyone else either, so settling on a seemingly flawless marriage seemed fine.
After all, everything in her life had been perfect from birth until now.
But then, things changed.
She caught the other party in a Longyang affair.
Yun Shuying was furious.
It turned out that person could say such tender, loving words—but not to her, to a man.
Thinking about it now still made her feel physically sick.
And to think she once thought he was just indifferent by nature. Turns out he just wanted her to be a beard.
After the scandal broke, the person left for another place, leaving the Heavenly Extreme Sword Sect behind.
Naturally, the engagement ended badly—Yun Shuying said she wanted to call it off, the other party did too, and in the end, it was hard to say who dumped whom.
Thus, this incident became the most glaring stain on Yun Shuying’s otherwise perfect life.
If anyone had the nerve to bring it up in front of Yun Shuying, even if she didn’t grind them to dust, they’d probably end up bedridden for a year or two.
And Lin Dongming suspected that his appearance might somewhat resemble that person’s.
Because sometimes, when drunk, Yun Shuying would mistake Lin Dongming for someone else and curse him non-stop.
Although it didn’t compare to the insults Lin Dongming had suffered in the Outer Sect, they were still the harshest words Yun Shuying could come up with.
Sometimes she’d even get physical.
Fortunately, Spirit Wine dulled Yun Shuying’s attacks and disrupted her spiritual energy, or Lin Dongming sometimes wondered if he’d be killed by this Conjunction Stage Elder.
But more likely, even when drunk, Yun Shuying could still tell Lin Dongming and that person apart—otherwise, in her rage, killing Lin Dongming would have been all too easy.
“This is a job with a real risk to my life, too.”
Lin Dongming sighed deeply and began slicing the beef.
Even though Yun Shuying always compensated him with a large sum of Spirit Stones afterwards, Lin Dongming still felt anxious whenever she became violent.
No wonder—the gap in cultivation was too great; he had no chance to fight back.
Fortunately, Yun Shuying later gave him some Life-Preserving Magical Treasures, allowing him to survive one or two hits from a Conjunction Stage without dying.
For example, a High-Grade Substitute Talisman.
The younger generation of disciples knew nothing about this incident—it must have been at least decades ago.
Even after so long, Yun Shuying still hated that person.
It was hard to imagine how deeply she had been hurt back then.
Behind him, the sound of a door opening rang out.
A young woman with long, loose hair and sleepy eyes looked at Lin Dongming in the kitchen—though she appeared to be a maiden, her radiant skin and voluptuous figure showed her skill in maintaining her youth.
As for her actual age—Lin Dongming figured asking would get him killed.
“Awake?”
Lin Dongming’s gentle, businesslike voice sounded.
“Sit down for a bit. Dinner will be ready soon.”
The aroma of Braised Potato Beef was already drifting through the air, and the other dishes were almost done.
Having grown up in Guangdong Province in his previous life, Lin Dongming habitually cooked a pot of Pig Tripe Chicken Soup.
“Smells great.”
Yun Shuying circled the dining table, then surprisingly started helping Lin Dongming set the table.
Lin Dongming knew Yun Shuying wasn’t fond of housework and had little interest in chores.
So she was helping now just because she liked the atmosphere, enjoying the scene and even wanting to be part of it.
But since she couldn’t cook, she simply set the plates.
—As long as you don’t enter the kitchen, anything’s fine.
Yun Shuying cooking was a rare event.
But over the years, she had entered the kitchen twice.
Once, she nearly blew it up, and another time she almost created a poison capable of killing a Core Formation Stage cultivator.
Since then, Lin Dongming did his best to keep Yun Shuying out of the kitchen—though as tactfully as possible.
Lin Dongming placed Tomato Egg Stir-Fry, Braised Potato Beef, Minced Pork Eggplant, and other dishes on the table, waiting for Yun Shuying to sit before joining her for dinner.
“Tastes good. You’ve improved.”
Yun Shuying praised Lin Dongming, but she seemed to have something on her mind.
Sure enough, after only a few bites, Yun Shuying spoke up.
“I need to go to Great Ze Mountain near Bihai Blade Sect for a mission. I leave in three days.”
A mission requiring someone at the Conjunction Stage was no small matter, but Lin Dongming remained calm on the surface.
“When will you be back?”
“Hard to say. If things go well, a month or two. If not, who knows. You don’t have to come over for a while.”
—So generous?
This was the first time Lin Dongming had encountered such a situation with Yun Shuying.
It must be an important mission.
Although Yun Shuying wouldn’t tell Lin Dongming, her real goal was to finish off the person she hated most.