Severing ties with family to marry the young marshal, his whole family chases me to the crematorium.

"Master Mu, your heart is completely twisted. They are all your daughters, why are you going to such lengths? I'll make the decision: Mu Huihui will marry into this family. If Mu Qingya doesn't want to marry, then she doesn't have to. Don't force her."

"Alright! That's settled then. How dare you question my words? I have important guests to attend to, so I won't waste any more time with you."

With a stern face and a firm tone, Lu Linxi spoke to Master Mu, then turned to look at Si Jingnian with a fawning expression.

"General, please! You haven't been to Lingzhou before, have you? Let me show you around. You'd better give me a chance to treat you well."

Si Jingnian's questioning gaze fell on Shen Qingyao, his demeanor clearly that of a henpecked husband. Shen Qingyao couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly.

"Okay!"

Shen Qingyao didn't care. Since she didn't have time to catch the train today anyway, she might as well stay at Lu Linxi's house for the night.

"Please, please..."

Lu Linxi's face was practically splitting with laughter. Every time his gaze fell on Shen Qingyao, he would quickly and guiltily look away, afraid that Si Jingnian would kick him again.

"General, this...is this your wife? You and the General are truly a perfect match, a match made in heaven!"

Si Jingnian was pleased, and a smile finally appeared on his face.

But Lu Linxi couldn't laugh anymore. When Si Jingnian admitted it, his smile almost froze on his face.

Lu Linxi: I always feel like I'm experiencing the pain of heartbreak.

Master Mu watched as Lu Linxi led Shen Qingyao and her entourage away, his face filled with anxiety and frustration.

……

Shen Qingyao and Si Jingnian followed Lu Linxi to the Lu residence, and Lu Linxi kept talking the whole way.

"General, this snack is a specialty of our Lingzhou. Please take some back with you."

"And this is the most iconic handcrafted art piece in Lingzhou. You can also take some back with you."

"And another thing, this is the most famous delicacy in Lingzhou. You must try it."

"..."

Si Jingnian kept a cold face the whole time, showing no intention of paying any attention to him.

But Lu Linxi seemed oblivious to Si Jingnian's impatience, and kept chattering on and on.

Along the way, not only was Si Jingnian extremely annoyed, but even Shen Qingyao wanted to find a rag to gag him.

Upon entering the Lu residence, Shen Qingyao was nearly stunned. Compared to the Lu residence, the young marshal's mansion of Si Jingnian was simply not in the same league.

Si Jingnian's young marshal's mansion was low-key and unassuming, while the Lu family's mansion seemed to want to weld the word "rich" onto its gate.

Shen Qingyao couldn't help but twitch her lips; the Lu family really seemed like nouveau riche.

"How about it, General? Isn't my Lu residence beautiful? Let me tell you, I put in a lot of effort to decorate it so artistically and beautifully."

Even the usually composed Si Jingnian couldn't help but chuckle. He was afraid his words might be too harsh, so he simply smiled and let it go.

But Shen Qingyao simply couldn't hold it in; it was too painful for her to keep quiet.

"Young Marshal Lu, didn't you... have someone professional take a look?"

Shen Qingyao glanced at the gilded lion in the center of the courtyard, which glittered in the sunlight and almost blinded people.

"Yes, I have seen it. To be honest, the professionalism in Lingzhou is really terrible. The courtyards they designed are so ugly, they can't even match half of my aesthetic sense."

Lu Linxi's tone was worried, and his face was full of anger and disappointment.

Shen Qingyao strongly suspected that Lu Linxi himself couldn't appreciate what true beauty was, but he just didn't say it out loud.

When Shen Qingyao and Si Jingnian arrived at the Lu residence, everyone in the Lu family came out to greet them.

When they learned that Si Jingnian was Lu Linxi's boss and that she was Si Jingnian's wife, their enthusiasm was so overwhelming that Shen Qingyao couldn't handle it.

"Mrs. Si, please try this pastry."

"Mrs. Si, have some tea."

"Mrs. Si, would you like to play mahjong?"

"Mrs. Si,..."

Shen Qingyao suddenly regretted coming to the Lu family; it was driving her crazy.

As dusk fell, Shen Qingyao and Si Jingnian were arranged to share a room by the Lu family.

Looking at the only bed and blanket, Shen Qingyao felt both helpless and embarrassed.

Although she and Si Jingnian lived in the same courtyard when they were at the Si family home, they had never slept in the same bed.

Seeing Shen Qingyao's embarrassed expression, Si Jingnian's ears also turned bright red.

"Let's get this straight, no crossing the line!"

Before going to bed, Shen Qingyao placed two cups in the middle as a boundary.

In the middle of the night, Shen Qingyao suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze filled with coldness and murderous intent.

Si Jingnian also woke up at this time, and the soreness in his arm made him groan.

Shen Qingyao was brought back to her senses by the sound. Only then did she realize that she was clinging to Si Jingnian like an octopus, holding him tightly.

Realizing her loss of composure, Shen Qingyao hurriedly released Si Jingnian, her delicate face flushed red as if it were about to bleed.

Si Jingnian looked at Shen Qingyao with a hint of teasing, his face barely suppressing a smile, his eyes full of tenderness.

"Shen Qingyao, what kind of ambition do you have?"

Shen Qingyao cursed herself in a low voice. At this moment, she wished she could dig a hole and bury herself in it.

"Ayao, why did you suddenly wake up?"

Si Jingnian suppressed his laughter and composed himself. He had seen Shen Qingyao's sharp eyes and serious expression just now.

Upon hearing Si Jingnian's words, Shen Qingyao finally remembered the strangeness she had just noticed.

"There's something in the Lu residence."

Shen Qingyao got up from the bed with a serious expression and looked around warily.

"Put your coat on, don't catch a cold."

Si Jingnian very considerately draped a coat over Shen Qingyao, his expression also very serious.

"Would you like to go out and take a look?"

Shen Qingyao shook her head. She had only noticed something unusual, and there was no need for her to get involved.

But if she goes out to investigate and actually finds something, then she'll have to take care of it.

Their sect's rule is that when encountering supernatural events, one must never stand idly by and ignore them.

Moreover, they also accumulate merit by handling these matters, and the most important thing for those who cultivate the Tao is to accumulate merit.

"Go to sleep!"

However, Shen Qingyao was almost completely unable to sleep in the latter half of the night. She tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.

Si Jingnian lay stiffly on the bed, not daring to move at all; his entire body was almost completely rigid.

From childhood to adulthood, Shen Qingyao was the girl he was closest to, besides his mother.

Now they were even sleeping in the same bed, and Si Jingnian felt like his whole face was burning up.

He himself couldn't quite explain how he felt about Shen Qingyao.

He was very grateful to her for saving his life, valued her skills, and admired her character.

He felt very distressed and heartbroken when Shen Qingyao was injured, wishing he could take her pain away from her.

Is this love? He didn't know, but he knew that he was very angry and disliked the way Lu Linxi looked at Shen Qingyao today.

However, he and Shen Qingyao were more like friends, and they never had any contact or behavior that crossed the line.

"Ah Yao, can't you sleep?"