[As night fellâ¦]
[The Bai family estate was brightly lit; the marriage of the family headâs sister was a top priority.]
[Everyone was bustling with activity.]
[In her bridal chamber, Bai Miao Leng had finished dressing and adorning herself.]
[She looked at her reflection in the mirror, a satisfied smile playing on her lips.]
[A flash of light appearedâ¦]
[And Bai Yubenâs figure materialized behind her.]
[âMaster, are you truly going to marry that man?â]
[Bai Miao Leng didnât turn around, continuing to admire herself in the mirror.]
[âWhy not?â]
[Bai Yuben raised his head slightly, feeling a moment of disorientation.]
[Sixty years ago, when he first met Ye Yu, Bai Miao Leng had been there as well.]
[Strictly speakingâ¦]
[If not for Bai Miao Lengâs commandâ¦]
[Bai Yuben would have waited until Jiao Mandao killed Ye Yu before intervening.]
[All the talk of âcatching him off guardâ and âLucky Charmâ were just excuses.]
[Even the later invitation for Ye Yu to join the Bai familyâ¦]
[Had been at Bai Miao Lengâs behest.]
[Bai Yuben had pondered all of this endlessly.]
[He simply couldnât understand why Bai Miao Leng was so invested in Ye Yu.]
[He was even more perplexed by her sudden decision to marry him.]
[Just that morning, Bai Yuben had known nothing.]
[The supposed marriage alliance with another family had completely blindsided him.]
[Thinking back on itâ¦]
[It was likely a story his master had concocted.]
[âBut, Master, is this truly appropriate given your identity?â]
[After a momentâs hesitation, Bai Yuben asked in a low voice, âMay I ask why?â]
[Bai Miao Lengâs hand stilled as she combed her hair.]
[In the next instantâ¦]
[A dark, eerie energy shot through Bai Yubenâs body.]
[He spat a mouthful of blood on the spot, collapsing to the ground in agony.]
[Bai Miao Lengâs tone was cold as she said, âWho are you to question me? Remember, youâre nothing more than a dog I keep.â]
[âAnd a dog doesnât ask why. Understand?â]
[Bai Yuben struggled to his feet, nodding repeatedly.]
[Bai Miao Leng suddenly smiled.]
[âCheer up. Donât look so morose. By your mortal customs, today is my wedding day, after all.â]
[âAs my brother, you must be happy for me.â]
[Bai Yuben wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and forced a smile.]
[Half an hour laterâ¦]
[The wedding ceremony officially began.]
[In the presence of the entire Bai family, Ye Yu and Bai Miao Leng completed the marriage ceremony.]
[Afterward, they were escorted to the bridal chamber.]
[Ye Yu lifted Bai Miao Lengâs veil, finding her even more stunning.]
[He couldnât help but marvel inwardly at how smoothly this dream was going.]
[There hadnât been any real setbacksâ¦]
[Which left Ye Yu feeling a bit unaccustomed to it.]
[But none of that mattered.]
[Because he had far more important things to do!]
[That nightâ¦]
[The battle was intense.]
[By the age of 85, Ye Yu had yet to break through to the mid-stage of the Tribulation Crossing realm, but he was on the verge. He believed it wouldnât be long.]
[In recent yearsâ¦]
[Ye Yu and Bai Miao Leng had been inseparable, their love flourishing.]
[Life was, in a word, delightful.]
[The only minor disappointment was that the Bai family no longer had any new forbidden techniques for Ye Yu to study.]
[Despite having acquired over twenty forbidden techniquesâ¦]
[As they say, âyou can never have too many skills.â]
[The stronger the backlash, the better.]
[After all, the Heavenly Realm was an incredibly dangerous place.]
[Ye Yu didnât want to âlog outâ in a hurry, like last time.]
[This time, he wanted to spend centuries there, if possible.]
[So, Ye Yu asked Bai Miao Leng if the Bai family truly had no more forbidden techniques.]
[She shook her head.]
[With blunt honesty, she explained that forbidden techniques were exceedingly rare, most lost to the river of time.]
[To have found over twenty was already extraordinary.]
[But, if her husband wished to continue searching, there was still a way.]
[Ye Yu urged Bai Miao Leng to tell him.]
[But she only smiled mysteriously.]
[âMeet me at the Soul-Locking River at midnight, and Iâll tell you then.â]
[Ye Yu couldnât help but chuckle at this.]
[Theyâd been Dao companions for three years nowâwas there really anything that couldnât be discussed openly?]
[Why meet by the river in the middle of the night?]
[âWife, you sure have a sense of romance!â]
[The Soul-Locking River was less than a hundred miles from the Bai family estate.]
[A secluded and quiet place, perfect for a rendezvous.]
[That evening, Ye Yu arrived as promised.]
[He found Bai Miao Leng already waiting by the river.]
[The moonlight gently draped over her, as if cloaking her in a silvery veil.]
[There was a soft, ethereal quality about her.]
[Ye Yu sat beside her, chuckling softly, âWife, you look beautiful tonight.â]
[Bai Miao Leng raised her hand, setting up several layers of barriers.]
[Then she asked, with utmost seriousness, âHusband, have you ever thought about the future of the Bai family?â]
[Um, wasnât this a bit too serious for tonight?]
[Werenât they supposed to be discussing forbidden techniques?]
[Why the sudden talk about the future?]
[Still, since Bai Miao Leng wanted to askâ¦]
[Ye Yu wouldnât brush her off.]
[He responded that the Bai familyâs current situation was already excellent.]
[They dominated the surrounding territories for miles.]
[Their fame was well-established!]
[Eternal prosperity was within reach.]
[Bai Miao Leng leaned her head on Ye Yuâs shoulder.]
[In a gentle voice, she said, âHusband, dominating a single region is too small. What if we conquered the entire Northern Mang continent?â]
[âImagine gathering all the forbidden techniques in existence for you to studyâhow about that?â]
[Ye Yu glanced at Bai Miao Leng. Yes, this was indeed his wife from this dreamâ¦]
[But why did it feel more like something Huangfu Baizhi would say?]@@novelbin@@
[Ye Yu forced a smile. âThe world is vast, with countless powerful cultivators. Conquering all of Northern Mang would be incredibly difficult.â]
[This response didnât sit well with Bai Miao Leng.]
[She placed one hand on Ye Yuâs chest.]
[In a soft voice, she said, âHusband, I donât find it difficult at all.â]
[âBesides, my true desire isnât just for this continent. I want the entire human realm.â]
[âWill you help me?â]
[Ye Yu frowned slightly.]
[Why did Bai Miao Lengâs words seem increasingly off?]
[Most cultivators pursued the Dao, seeking ascension to the Heavenly Realm as their lifelong goal.]
[True cultivators paid no attention to worldly matters, focusing solely on achieving ascension.]
[But Bai Miao Leng was different.]
[Despite being a Spirit Art cultivatorânot particularly high in rankâshe should still be pursuing the Dao.]
[Yet, she spoke of conquering the world.]
[This was certainly an unusual aspiration.]
[Conquering the entire human realm? Not even late-stage Ascension Realm cultivators could accomplish that.]