The ceremony ended in silence, like a mute play no one cared to watch.
The sigh of the Xiao Family Elder, heavy with helplessness, dissipated into the cool air of the Ye Family Main Hall, finally turning into two words:
“So be it.”
He didn’t spare another glance at Xiao Liuli, leaving behind a Jade Talisman for emergency communication, then departed with his attendants, blending into the deepening dusk.
Their backs seemed bowed by the weight of this marriage, their steps decisive and hurried.
Ye Chen, on the other hand, was left alone with Ye Nantian, listening to a few formalities of little consequence.
Nothing more than, “From this day forth, the engagement is set.
Three years from now, the marriage will be fulfilled,” and “Do not cause trouble. Behave yourself,” and so on.
Ye Chen’s gaze drifted past Ye Nantian’s weary face to the old locust tree in the courtyard.
A withered leaf spun down, carried by the breeze, only to be swept away by a gust through the hall before it touched the ground, its destination unknown.
He merely responded with a soft “Mm.”
—
When Ye Chen and Xiao Liuli walked side by side along the stone path to the secluded Small Courtyard, night had completely fallen.
The last glow of sunset was swallowed by distant mountains, leaving only a cold blue at the horizon.
A crescent moon, like a hook, appeared and vanished among the clouds, casting faint, hazy light that stretched their shadows long and short across the ground.
They walked in silence.
A strange quiet filled the air.
Xiao Liuli’s steps were so light they were nearly soundless.
If not for the faint, icy aura beside him, clear as snow, Ye Chen might have believed he was walking alone.
The Small Courtyard had indeed been renovated.
The once dilapidated gate was replaced with a new one, its surface still carrying the scent of fresh paint.
Inside, everything was clean.
The Stone Table and Stone Stools gleamed, newly wiped, and in the corner stood a newly planted Osmanthus Tree, its slender branches swaying gently in the night breeze.
Xiaoxiao held a new lantern, waiting by the gate.
When she saw Ye Chen return, her face lit with joy.
But as her eyes landed on the figure beside Ye Chen—wearing a black iron mask, solitary and cold—her smile faltered, replaced by unease and restraint.
“Young Master…”
She called softly.
Ye Chen nodded to her, signaling not to worry.
Xiao Liuli, from the moment she entered the Small Courtyard, seemed no more than an emotionless ice sculpture.
Her gaze swept the courtyard quickly and without a ripple, finally resting on Ye Chen.
Behind the mask, her expression was hidden.
Only her voice, crisp as shattering ice, held no warmth.
“Ye Chen.”
For the first time, she spoke his name in full.
“Let’s talk.”
She used no tone of negotiation.
Ye Chen said nothing, simply watching her.
The dim lantern light reflected in his calm, ancient eyes, alongside the cold mask she wore.
“First,”
Xiao Liuli raised a slender finger, its joints stark from thinness.
“Between us, we are fiancés in name only. Even after marriage in three years, it remains so. No interference. No inquiries.”
“Second,”
She raised a second finger.
“My affairs are none of your concern. Do not mention them to outsiders. Your only role is to play the ‘Ye Family’s useless son.'”
She paused, as if choosing her words, or perhaps just unwilling to say more.
“Third…”
She did not finish.
Instead, she took a heavy Money Pouch from her storage bag and tossed it over.
The pouch traced an inelegant arc in the air.
Ye Chen didn’t reach for it.
It fell with a “pa” onto the flagstones at his feet.
The opening loosened, spilling several Silver Ingots, and among them, a single, luminous Mid-grade Spirit Stone gleamed in the Moonlight.
“You were an ordinary mortal, drawn into this storm. You must feel some resentment.”
Xiao Liuli’s voice remained calm.
“Inside is a hundred taels of silver and a Mid-grade Spirit Stone. By market rate, a single Mid-grade Spirit Stone equals a hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones.
One Low-grade Spirit Stone is worth a thousand taels of silver. This is enough for you to live comfortably for life. Consider it… compensation.”
With that, she spared Ye Chen no further glance, as if completing a predetermined transaction, and walked toward the cleanest East Wing Room.
“Wait.”
Ye Chen finally spoke, his voice soft as wind through leaves.
Xiao Liuli’s steps faltered but she did not turn.
“Your money,”
Ye Chen’s gaze lingered on the Spirit Stone on the ground, a hint of a smile, fleeting and childlike, in his eyes.
“I don’t need it.”
His reply was met with a light creak, then the cold sound of a door bolt sliding into place.
The East Wing Room’s door closed firmly.
From inside came her final words, muffled by the door but unyielding.
“Without my permission, do not step into this room.”
The Small Courtyard fell silent once more.
Moonlight shone on the Mid-grade Spirit Stone, its cold radiance reflected.
To any Qi Refinement Realm cultivator, it was a fortune.
To a mortal, it was a windfall that could change a life.
“Young Master! She… she’s too much!”
Xiaoxiao finally burst out, her cheeks flushed with anger.
“How could she treat you like this? As if you’d taken some huge advantage!”
Ye Chen only smiled, faint as a ripple under the moon, vanishing quickly.
He bent down, not for the Spirit Stone, but to pick up an ordinary Silver Ingot, rolling it between his fingers with mild curiosity.
Then, with a nudge of his toe, he sent the prized Mid-grade Spirit Stone skimming straight into Xiaoxiao’s clenched, furious hand.
“Ding—”
“Take it. Buy some Tanghulu you like.”
His tone was so casual, as if it were nothing more than a copper coin.
Xiaoxiao froze, clutching the smooth Spirit Stone, unable to react.
Ye Chen said nothing more, turning to his own room.
It was far less spacious or bright than the East Wing Room, even a bit shabby.
He closed the door without lighting a lamp.
Moonlight filtered through the lattice window, spilling silver across the floor.
He sat cross-legged and slowly closed his eyes.
All outside noise—schemes, compensations, distance—seemed sealed beyond the thin layer of Moonlight.
His world returned to eternal stillness.
Yet tonight, within that silence, there was a faint, almost indiscernible cold breath belonging to another.
Close.
Yet far.