I looked at Fu Yating as her fists and palm strikes cut through the air. Sweat trickled down her brow, and her gaze grew intense like an erupting volcano. She seemed to be forcing herself through the movements despite the fatigue.

There were some advantages to helping my fiancée. Perhaps she would trust me with whatever was on her mind. But the risks were more dangerous until I got to know her better. She was very dangerous, capable of dragging her whole Sect into conflict if she decided to fabricate something.

Also, helping someone who might leave me in the future wasn't worth it.

I sighed. Resource-wise, I wasn't going to help her. She needed to be more trustworthy.

Closing my eyes, I mirrored Song Song and began cultivating. As soon as I felt the strings of Qi forming in my spirit roots and flowing out, I zoned out everything happening in the background.

Despite the improvement, my spirit roots showed signs of fatigue hours later. I didn't want them to strain too much since I planned a cultivation session in the evening.

When I opened my eyes, the bright sun flashed in my gaze, and I grumbled. But what I saw next, as my eyes adjusted, was Fu Yating breathing heavily, with sweat streaming down her forehead.

It was not a seductive or ladylike pose. Fu Yating looked at the ground behind her before slumping on the grass. After lying down, she began taking big gulps of air but still seemed unsatisfied.

I stood up from my meditative position and approached my fiancée. She glanced at me from the corner of her eye and frowned. Then she tightened her fists and looked on guard.

Ignoring her cautiousness, I took out a glass water bottle from my storage ring. I crouched and offered it to her. "Here."

A humid mist on the bottle showed the water was still cold.

However, Fu Yating narrowed her eyes at the water bottle, her suspicious glance wandering toward my face.

"I haven't poisoned it, if that's what you're wondering," I said.

She swiped the bottle from my hands and unscrewed it. Fu Yating smelled the lid and offered the bottle back to me.

"Here, you first."

I shrugged, took the bottle, and chugged a gulp. The icy sensation washed down my throat, and I offered it back to her.

"You really make helping you feel like a chore," I sighed.

Fu Yating took the bottle and drank from it while keeping her eyes on me. She drank the whole thing in one breath and returned the water bottle. I touched the bottle with my index finger, and it disappeared from her hand, entering my storage ring.

Her gaze lingered on my bronze storage ring, but Fu Yating said nothing about it. She closed her eyes as her breath settled down, with the sun shining on her face and the sweat making her skin glisten.

I took out a towel from my storage ring and threw it at her face. "Careful, this one is doused in poison."

This time, she let the towel land on her face and used it to wipe off the sweat without hesitation. She hadn't even flinched when the towel touched her, despite my words.

"What is with that reaction, my young fiancée? Where did your suspicions go?" I asked.

Fu Yating's dark eyes stared into mine; she was calm as a cucumber. "Things changed."

"What changed?" I inquired, curious where her mind had wandered.

"Now I know you are too soft-hearted to do something like that," she revealed.

When did she get a read on me? I wondered. However, despite my soft-hearted nature, it was her mistake to be so nonchalant. After all, even the nicest people became animals when something needed to be done. I was not that different.

Fu Yating smiled. "If you wanted to poison me or do something to me, now is your chance."

"Do something?" I frowned. "You don't mean…"

"Yep, totally soft-hearted," Fu Yating stood up.

"Are you sure about that?" I asked, my face relaxing as I stopped wearing my heart on my sleeve. "You're not the only good actor. Doing something like this isn't that hard."

"If someone like me judged people by what they said, then I would be the biggest fool of them all," Fu Yating concluded. "I judge people's personalities by their actions. You accepted my proposal not to have children until I become a Qi Gathering Cultivator. As someone with similar talent, you roughly know how long it takes someone with our talent to reach the Qi Gathering Realm."

Well, I knew roughly how long it would take for every kind of talent to reach the next realm. The Song Clan Library had a very interesting book about this.

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"Then you let me stay over last night despite clearly being displeased about it," Fu Yating continued. "You also seemed to have enough influence over Song Song to make her throw me out. But you didn't."

Fu Yating had been analyzing everything while she acted like her usual innocent self. She had a good eye for these things.

"Then the water bottle situation confirmed my suspicions," Fu Yating smiled.

She dusted off her white uniform, which had green patches and blades of grass stuck to it. Despite her activities, her straight hair was immaculate. But some strands of grass were stuck in there too, from lying on the ground.

"Is there a bath anywhere in this mansion?" Fu Yating sighed. "I still smell of grass."

"As soon as you enter the third floor, the door to the right is a bathroom."

She nodded, and her face morphed into an innocent smile. Her sharp gaze turned into large, beady eyes as she walked away.

If pissed off, she was a dangerous woman to have around. But she was my fiancée, and I couldn't throw her away. There was nothing I could do about her scheming either since I couldn't read her mind.

She said all those positive things about me, but did she truly mean them? Or were they just another tool for her to use?

Well, just as she was going to use me, I was going to use her. I never had the chance to study a female physique going through Body Tempering. She was a fine specimen. During this stage of cultivation, women were bound to have obstacles that were different from those of men. It was going to be an interesting prospect to learn about in detail.

"You are unlucky with women," Song Song stirred, opening her eyes and stopping her cultivation. "Don't worry about your little wife. If you die and she is in any way involved, I will give her a brutal death for you."

What a weird thing for someone to say, but I knew Song Song said it with good intentions.

"You do you," I shrugged.

"By the way, isn't it weird that the only girl you know who is even remotely normal is me?" Song Song said.

Did she actually believe that, or was she messing around?

She narrowed her eyes and smiled, a jesting look dancing in her deep blue eyes. Song Song was having way too much fun with this situation.

I couldn't help but smile as I shook my head. "No, you're the weirdest of them all."

Song Song shrugged, not really offended by the remark. But then she took a letter from her storage ring and offered it to me.

What? Was her next joke going to be delivered in writing? I took the letter and examined it before opening it. There was nothing special about it.

"Can you deliver this to the Azure Frost Sect?" she asked.

"What does it say? Because if it's an insult in the form of a letter, they might decide to kill the messenger," I replied, fidgeting with the letter.

"It essentially talks about Fu Yating being here and that there's nothing for them to worry about. You can read the letter if you want; it's not some secret. At least not from you," Song Song shrugged.

I didn't need to be told twice, so I opened the envelope. It was as she said, though Song Song had used a surprising number of flowery words in the letter.

After reading it, I put the letter in my storage ring.

"Why do I have to be the one to deliver it? I had planned a light reading session after breakfast," I said.

Though I was willing to comply with Song Song's requests, I had to know why I was sacrificing my reading time. Since gaining access to the Song Clan Library, I have been on a constant high. They had books on every subject, even ones on demonic cultivator rituals!

"Mhm, and this light reading session will last until dinner," Song Song refuted.

"It is easy to lose track of time when reading," I made an excuse for myself. "Do I have to be the one to do it?"

"Ah, yes, how could I forget? Let me ask one of the other people I trust with something so critical," Song Song said sarcastically.

"Okay, I get it," I sighed.

"I could go myself, but doing that would show weakness. Because I am the leader of this organization. If I had to beg for some Body Tempering Cultivator… No offense to your fiancée, but she is no one important in the general gist of things. The leader personally going to ask permission would send the wrong message, making us look weak," Song Song explained.

I nodded, understanding where she was coming from. This was xianxia politics, and Song Song had to save face. It was silly from my point of view, but it was what it was. She had explained her reasons clearly, and I would not refute her.

"I will do it," I nodded.

Song Song smiled, adding, "You being the one who sends the letter will make it seem more genuine, as her fiancée."

"Well, I better get this over with fast. See you later," I told Song Song, using my Earth Grade movement technique. In an instant, I was atop a tree outside the mansion grounds.

After pulling every route nearby to the forefront of my mind, I ran through the forest. No greenery even touched my clothes, as I had long since grown used to moving in these kinds of terrains.

However, I had to slow down when my vision began blurring at the corners of my eyes.

Finally, I reached one of the main roads and saw some disciples walking about. Among them was an Inner Sect Elder.

He didn't look that old. He was seemingly middle-aged, with a thick head of black hair and a dark mustache.

The Inner Elder glanced my way before I landed in front of him. He didn't seem cautious or on guard, which meant he had sensed that I was just a Qi Gathering Cultivator.

I clasped my palm and fist together as a sign of respect. "Honorable Elder, I have come to ask for some directions."

Before I could complete my request, the Inner Elder finally got a good look at my face and his eyes widened. His mask of nonchalance shattered like glass. He hurriedly looked around, worried, with a paranoid look in his eyes.

The Inner Elder stopped looking around after not sensing anything and bowed his head. "What can I do for Lady Song?"

"Can you tell me where the Azure Frost Sect is staying?" I asked, not bothering to correct his misconception.

"It is a palace just north of here," he pointed in the direction. Still, he continued, "I have always respected Lady Song and never went against her."

Okay, why was he telling that to me? It wasn't like Song Song was around. Though we spent most of our time within each other's vicinity, it didn't mean we were always together.

"Thank you for the information," I said, shooting like a bullet toward the north.

Whether that Inner Elder would discover whether Song Song was with me or not wasn't worth the risk of sticking around.

Who knew his reaction if he found out Song Song was not close? Cultivators and their pride were like cats and their naps… I couldn't think of a good analogy for how that worked.

A couple of dozen minutes later, I reached a large clearing. The trees were no longer green; the leaves had a pinkish hue, and the trunks were light red. It was a strangely beautiful sight. I never thought there was a view like this in the Blazing Sun Sect.

But what caught my attention was the building in the distance. It was an ice-blue wall surrounding a dull gray palace. Stones next to the wall looked like pearly white dinosaur eggs.

It was a bizarre place in the middle of the greenery.