In a quiet and secluded room of a mortal inn, two gorgeous women confronted one another as a heavy silence hung over them. One wore an exquisite green dress while a mask hid her visage. On her lap was a sword as white and pure as the everlasting frost of the highest peaks.

Her counterpart was a woman of great elegance and refined manners, and her gaze was astute and profound. She wore a long, pale blue dress that hugged the curves of her body. Her auburn hair was coiffed backwards, revealing her bright green eyes, and held in place by a single golden ornate hairpin. A single strand of hair fell over the golden glasses resting on her slender nose.

Both women relished the tension in the air as they observed each other, while another individual felt suffocated by the atmosphere. A man in a pristine white robe was on all fours, his forehead deeply connected with the ground. It had been more than an hour since he had assumed this position, yet he had been denied relief. Fortunately, he was a cultivator; otherwise, he might have collapsed from the strain.

"Your husband is a difficult man to get a hold of," Lian Huiling said, slightly lamenting the effort she had to put in to find this inn.

Over two days have passed since Hou Ping's departure and the mess he left behind. Since then, she has done everything in her power to minimize the ramifications of this bloodbath. She had managed to contain the news, preventing it from spreading to the general populace. Yet, something of this magnitude couldn't be hidden from her clan.

With haste, she had reported this incident to her father in great detail. Even then, many tried to make her admit responsibility for this fiasco. Fortunately, her father saw things differently. Now wasn't the time to push blame onto others. Minimizing the damages was paramount.

On her father's orders, the whole clan was mobilized to seek Hou Ping's whereabouts, yet nothing had turned up yet. It was as if he had disappeared into thin air. This didn't surprise Lian Huiling; while Hou Ping was just a rogue cultivator, he was no fool. In fact, most rogue cultivators were quite shrewd.

They had no choice but to be, as they had no backing to fall back on. Any slight mistake in who they associated with or those they crossed could lead to their immediate demise. All their lives, they were walking on broken glass, hoping to not get cut, and if they did, they hoped to not bleed out or let the wound fester. It was easier to amputate the limb to thwart the infection at its source.

Even among rogue cultivators, Hou Ping was exceptional. At least, Lian Huiling thought so. Otherwise, she wouldn't have involved herself in his life. Once, she had hoped he could have risen through the ranks and shown his worth to the clan, thus earning their approval. She had hoped he would have done this for her, as she believed they were in love. Unfortunately, he chose the easy way, the path of power.

Lian Huiling hated him for choosing this path, yet also hated herself for being worth less than power in his heart. She believed they shared something, but it was only her own delusions. Still, she was a strong woman and refused to fall apart merely because of a man's foolishness. Besides, she had work to do, and many people relied on her.

“Indeed,” Yun Jingfei replied calmly, meeting her gaze. “He can be quite elusive.”

Qin Yun had merely just left the inn once Lian Huiling arrived. They had missed each other by the narrowest of margins. As usual, Qin Yun strolled the street, wasting his time away in the morning, before coming back to spend time with his wife.

Yun Jingfei was more than happy with this arrangement, as she used that time to practice her swordplay in peace. Somehow, she felt uncomfortable doing so when Qin Yun was present, as he had a habit of watching her. While she didn't feel repulsed by his gaze, as she would be if any other man were to do so, she felt slightly embarrassed by her inadequacies.

Despite all the efforts she had put into this unorthodox cultivation, she was still stuck at the initial threshold of the Sword of Softness, unable to reach further. Qin Yun had to remind her that, while she held a sword, what she truly cultivated was the mind. She could only break down the barriers stifling her growth through the right mindset.

As he had explained, her recent excursion into despair had left scars on her mind, traumas she needed to resolve to move forward. Only through a clear mind and single-mindedness could she achieve greatness. It wasn't to say she needed to discard her emotions but to learn to accept them. Yet, acceptance was something she struggled with.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

It wasn't in her nature, as she much preferred to rely on rationality and logic. She had used the same preset to accept Qin Yun’s offer. While her heart still rejected him as her husband, her mind accepted it through a ham-fisted rationale. It was this duality that hampered her progress. Only by resolving this issue could she go further on the path.

Unfortunately, there was no miracle solution. Only time could tell if her heart could accept it all. Besides, Yun Jingfei had only just begun listening to her heart. Most of the time, her mind was the one in charge of her actions. It had served her well up to this point, yet now it was time for change.

Somehow, both women had chosen to ignore the reason for Lian Huiling's visit, even though Yun Jingfei was aware of why. Just the sight of the man grovelling before her made Lian Huiling's intentions clear. However, Yun Jingfei felt no inclination to accept her sentiment. If apologies could so readily be accepted, what would be the point of seeking compensation?

However, Yun Jingfei wasn't petty enough to ask someone with no hand in this mess to pay the price. This grovelling was enough penance for this man, although she wouldn't tell them. The Ma Clan, on the other hand, was another story. Still, she wouldn't be the one to make that decision. This was Qin Yun's mess, and he should be the one to deal with this.

"Didn't Qin Yun tell you of our relationship?" Lian Huiling asked in a slightly playful tone. She intentionally made her question ambiguous, hoping to find a weakness in her opponent's frosty armour. Unfortunately, Yun Jingfei wasn't your average woman.

"No, he probably felt you weren't important enough to be mentioned," Yun Jingfei said. Her words were as sharp as a blade, intended to cut as deeply as possible. She knew that woman's intentions and took no pleasure playing these games. "Besides, do you think he is the type of man to share his thoughts?"

Lian Huiling admitted that she had a point. In all the years she had known Qin Yun, he had never mentioned his objective. All she knew was what he deemed necessary to tell her, nothing more. It seemed the same applied to this wife of his.

"Don't you feel conflicted about being kept in the dark?" she asked.

Yun Jingfei frowned slightly, not knowing why this woman would mention these irrelevant things.

“Do you fancy yourself a marriage counsellor?” Yun Jingfei replied, slightly exasperated by this woman wasting her time; time she could have put to better use cultivating. “Our relationship has nothing to do with you.”

Lian Huiling couldn't help but shake her head. Usually, she wouldn't have bothered, but now, the recent event involving her lover brought some unresolved issues to her mind. Understandably, after being betrayed so cruelly, she had difficulty maintaining the same objective attitude once men were involved. She knew her aversion was irrational, yet her heart wouldn't listen. It was still too soon to grow past it. The wound was still raw and bleeding.

Unfortunately, Yun Jingfei was unaware of all this, and her reaction was as expected. She had no intentions of entertaining this woman any longer than necessary.

Feeling the tension between the two, Lian Ling began to sweat slightly. He could feel the oppressiveness spreading in the room slowly seep into his mind. He felt ill at ease and wished to run away as fast as he could. While he knew the fierceness of his sister, he hadn't expected to meet another woman fiercer than her.

“My apologies," Lian Huiling replied calmly, ignoring her last comment. She was merely trying to probe the depths of this woman to get an edge in the upcoming negotiations. "Is that jealousy, I sense? I promise you that Qin Yun and I's relationship has always been solely business-related."

Yun Jingfei only scoffed at this blatant provocation.

“Why should I care how many women he slept with before we were married? Am I so petty in your eyes? Jealousy is the furthest thing from my mind.”

Although misleading, her statement was true. Jealousy could only exist if emotions were involved. Besides, that man was hers to do as she pleased once they were betrothed. Even more so now that they were married. If he expected her to be loyal to him, then she would hold him to the same standard.

If he were to ever break his vows... well, she had many methods at her disposal. This wasn’t about jealousy, but about commitment. They made a promise to each other on their wedding night, and she would keep it whatever came their way.

“I didn't expect you to hold such faith in him," Lian Huiling said with slight sorrow in her emerald eyes. She couldn't help but recall her own faith that had been shattered.

Yun Jingfei, on the other hand, couldn’t help but roll her eyes. She never had any faith in him, only expectations. If he were to ever disappoint her, she would remind him of the price he would have to pay.

Although she thought of all this, Yun Jingfei was still quite content with this marriage. Qin Yun had given her much, and she had done the same for him. Giving him her body hadn't been easy, yet she felt it had been worth it. As for how others would see this transaction, she couldn't care less. How much weight should she give to their opinions when all it ever involved was her own life?

She felt it was worth it, and that was all that mattered. As for feelings, they could be slowly cultivated later on. In fact, she felt she could fall in love with this man, although she didn’t know how long it would take.

Lian Ling couldn't bear this oppressive feeling anymore and only raised his head slightly, only to have it slam back down, feeling his sister's heel pressing on his head. She didn't even deign to address him and only stared at Yun Jingfei.

Despite the slight hostility between them, Lian Huiling appreciated this woman greatly. If anything, she felt they could be good friends. She liked the flames burning in the depths of her eyes and the strength of her heart. Even if she were to lose her man, she wouldn't be the type to crumble and die with him. However, Lian Huiling failed to see that all of it was due only to Qin Yun. Without him, Yun Jingfei wouldn't be nearly as indomitable.

While Lian Ling lamented being stuck between the two of them. The door to the room slowly opened, revealing a man standing on the other side. As expected, it was Qin Yun returning from his stroll. As soon as he entered, his altered features reverted back to his usual. Unexpectedly, one of Qin Yun's eyebrows rose slightly as he saw the two women calmly waiting for him.

“Am I interrupting something?” Qin Yun asked somewhat awkwardly, noticing the man on the floor with a foot on his head. “Anyone wants to fill me in?”