Lin Fan turned around with a serious expression, speaking solemnly,
"Mm. I hope you'll be strict with me. If I fail to meet your standards, your punishment can be to ban me from your bed."
"Get lost!" Upon hearing the last shameless line, Tang Yuehua rolled her eyes flirtatiously and scolded him playfully with a laugh.
She ignored him after that and started eating her dinner.
After their earlier "exercise" and waking up from exhaustion, her stomach had been rumbling with hunger.
Lin Fan sat down across from her, watching her eat.
"Is it getting cold?" Lin Fan asked.
"It's fine," Tang Yuehua replied with a soft smile.
"Eat up. I brought a gift for you before coming here. I'll give it to you after you finish eating," Lin Fan said with a grin.
"Really?" Tang Yuehua's eyes lit up with delight. She had been eating slowly and gracefully like a proper lady, but upon hearing that, she grew eager and quickly picked up her pace.
Not long after, she finished her meal and stretched out her hand toward Lin Fan expectantly,
"Where's my gift?"
"You'll get it," Lin Fan chuckled helplessly at her childlike excitement.
Then, he retrieved a rare herb from his storage device—a white, crystalline root with a vibrant purple mushroom growing from it.
This was the Nine-Petal Purple Zhi, which Lin Fan had prepared especially for Tang Yuehua.
Though it wasn't strictly an "immortal herb," for Tang Yuehua, its effects far exceeded any other immortal plant.
After all, the value of such herbs depended on who used them.
As for Yu Xiaogang? Whether or not he could fix his mutated martial soul wasn't Lin Fan's concern.
"What is this? It's even prettier than the spirit mushrooms I've seen before," Tang Yuehua said curiously, holding the snowy white root. A cool sensation seeped from it into her hand.
"This is the Nine-Petal Purple Zhi, from that miraculous encounter I mentioned before," Lin Fan explained.
"Its medicinal power can correct the flaws caused by martial soul mutations."
Though it had fixed Yu Xiaogang's martial soul defects, Lin Fan wasn't entirely certain whether Tang Yuehua's martial soul was truly a "failed mutation." After all, despite having only rank 9 innate soul power, she had been born with an innate domain ability.
A domain—something even top-tier martial souls might never gain. Lin Fan himself only acquired his domain, Azure Sword Domain, after evolving his martial soul to top-tier quality using the Black Jade Divine Bamboo.
However, Lin Fan's Azure Sword Domain had a downside—it required activating his martial soul avatar to use.
Still, even if the Nine-Petal Purple Zhi didn't bring any dramatic change, Lin Fan had plenty of other immortal herbs. He was confident he could eventually resolve Tang Yuehua's inability to cultivate.
"What did you say?! Can this fix my martial soul mutation?" Tang Yuehua gasped in shock, her pupils contracting.
"I won't claim absolute certainty, but I'm eighty percent confident," Lin Fan replied calmly, not making guarantees.
"Eighty percent is good enough!" Tang Yuehua exclaimed in excitement, then quickly composed herself.
"So… did you come to see me because you found this rare treasure?"
Her heart swelled with warmth, not because of the Nine-Petal Purple Zhi itself, but because Lin Fan still held her in his heart after all these years.
That was why she had been unable to restrain herself emotionally when she first saw him, even setting aside her dignity to express her feelings.
"That's part of the reason, yes. Now, hurry up and take it. I'll guide you through it," Lin Fan said with a smile.
"Okay," Tang Yuehua nodded obediently.
Back in her bedroom, Lin Fan carefully guided Tang Yuehua as she consumed the Nine-Petal Purple Zhi.
She quickly entered a deep meditative state to absorb the herb's medicinal power, while Lin Fan kept watch by her side throughout the night.
Because Tang Yuehua had very little soul power to begin with, her absorption process was slow—it took over seven hours, all the way past 4 a.m., before the process finally completed.
A soft pulse of soul power radiated from her body as she slowly opened her beautiful eyes and, seeing Lin Fan still guarding her, she leaned over and planted a kiss on his cheek.
"Brother Fan, I successfully absorbed it!" Tang Yuehua's eyes curved like crescent moons as she smiled in delight.
"How do you feel? Judging by your soul power aura, it worked, right?" Lin Fan asked, eager for her response.
"Mm! I finally reached rank 10 soul power. Does this mean I can now hunt a soul beast and absorb a soul ring?" Tang Yuehua nodded happily.
"Good! I was worried it might not work and you'd be disappointed," Lin Fan sighed in relief.
"Oh, I've long accepted my fate," Tang Yuehua replied calmly, smiling softly.
"Even if I can now cultivate, I can't exactly start learning combat like a soul master at my age."
After all, she wasn't some naïve young girl anymore—she had lived through plenty over the years.
"It's fine. I'll teach you cultivation, and you'll teach me etiquette. Isn't that fair?" Lin Fan chuckled.
"Tomorrow morning, I'll take you to Sunset Forest to get your first soul ring."
"Okay," Tang Yuehua agreed sweetly, then leaned against him and whispered,
"Brother Fan… thank you. Thank you for fulfilling my lifelong wish."
Lin Fan smiled, gently wrapping his arm around her.
"Yuehua, you've already given yourself to me. If I don't treat you well, who else would I treat well?"
"You stayed up all night for me. Rest now," Tang Yuehua said tenderly.
"Mm."
The two drifted off to sleep in each other's embrace.
Now that Tang Yuehua had truly given herself to him, Lin Fan couldn't possibly remain indifferent.
Besides, as the old saying goes, a married daughter is like spilled water. Douluo Continent was still a very traditional place.
In the future, if Lin Fan ever found himself at odds with the Clear Sky Clan, Tang Yuehua would surely stand by him—after all, she was now his woman.
…
The next day, under the surprised gazes of the Moon Pavilion's guards and maids, Tang Yuehua led Lin Fan down to the first-floor hall.
She announced to everyone present,
"This is my beloved, Lin Fan, whose title is 'Sword Shadow.' From now on, you will all address him as 'Your Excellency.'"
Everyone was stunned, but the steward, Ode, quickly led them all in responding,
"Yes, Madam."
"Greetings, Sword Shadow Excellency!" the crowd chorused, bowing toward Lin Fan.
Lin Fan nodded with a slight smile.
"No need for formalities."
Ode couldn't help but break into a wry smile—he had personally experienced Lin Fan's terrifying strength yesterday, feeling like an ant facing an immovable mountain.
Tang Yuehua then ordered,
"Oh, I'll be going out today. Post a notice at the door—Moon Pavilion will be closed for three days. Instruct the students to diligently practice at home during this time. I'll conduct surprise inspections after I return."
Ode promptly asked,
"Madam, would you like us to accompany you?"
"No need. With him by my side, nothing will happen to me," Tang Yuehua said with a glance at Lin Fan.
"That's true." Ode nodded, saying no more.
With that, Tang Yuehua left Moon Pavilion alongside Lin Fan.
Naturally, she wasn't wearing her usual palace attire for this outing. Instead, she donned a light purple, modest dress.
As they walked down the bustling streets, her arm looped around Lin Fan's, she sighed,
"Ever since I came to Heaven Dou City, I've rarely gone out. Aside from occasional visits to the royal palace, I spend most of my time at Moon Pavilion."
Lin Fan chuckled,
"You've always been someone who values peace. If it weren't for your passion for music, you probably wouldn't have even founded Moon Pavilion."
"So, are we heading straight to Sunset Forest now?" she asked.
"Yes. We'll head there first. After all, finding the right soul ring isn't easy."