Coming to her senses, a worried Su Liyan hurriedly said,
"I'll stay with you, Brother. I'm not going out alone."
Seeing his wife looking so anxious, Lu Yuan couldn't help but grin and say,
"Are you worried your big bro might be in danger?"
Su Liyan nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice.
"Yes, Brother, let's stick together. I learned a little something from my mother, so I can still be of some help."
But Lu Yuan waved his hand dismissively.
"No can do. That Xingzi is powerful. Knowing just 'a little something' is definitely not enough."
At this, Su Liyan grew even more anxious and said quickly,
"But that means you'll be in danger too, Brother.
If that's the case, then you should come stay somewhere else with me.
Don't stay here overnight."
Su Liyan was terrified that her husband would send her away while he stayed behind.
Her worst fears were being realized.
'If this really happens, I don't think I'll survive the night.'
'The anxiety will kill me.'
Lu Yuan, however, put on a smug expression and said,
"Ahem.
Now you're not seeing things clearly!
Your big bro isn't the same man he was half a month ago!"
Su Liyan looked at him, completely bewildered.
"What... what do you mean...?"
Lu Yuan raised his eyebrows, looking proud.
"As they say, the past is the past, and now is now. If you're bad at something, you just have to practice.
Now, after studying *Celestial Master*, and with our family's two great heirlooms...
Your big bro is pretty damn amazing!"
Su Liyan blinked.
'Well...'
'Those two heirlooms are indeed powerful.'
'The faint aura they give off is quite intimidating.'
As a Celestial Master, Su Liyan could naturally sense it.
'However, those heirlooms require specific Mantras and Magic Skills to unleash their true power.'
'But my husband... how would he know any of that?'
'In his hands, these two powerful heirlooms are probably like intricately carved carrying poles—all for show and no go.'
'As for that *Celestial Master* book he mentioned...'
'Let's not even go there...'
Just then, Lu Yuan began to show off his *Celestial Master* skills.
Looking at his stunningly beautiful wife, Lu Yuan said mysteriously,
"Your big bro has gotten really good at this Magic Skill now!"
'Huh?'
Su Liyan tilted her head slightly, her face a mask of confusion.
'How has he gotten "really good"?'
'I've barely left his side these past few days.'
'There shouldn't have been any changes, right?'
The next second, Lu Yuan held out his right hand, grunted, and a dazzling golden light shone forth.
Su Liyan blinked.
'This...'
'My husband already showed this to me.'
'He showed it to me right after he first managed to do it.'
Su Liyan would never discourage her husband. Back then, she had put on a worshipful expression and said, "Brother, you're so amazing, you're so cool~"
But in reality, Su Liyan knew the truth.
'This thing...'
'...is completely useless...'
'It can't channel even a shred of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power. All it does is glow...'
'It might be a little useful as a nightlight for a trip to the latrine...'
'But other than that... it's genuinely, truly useless.'
'Could it be? Has he actually made some progress in the last few days?'
As Su Liyan watched with a glimmer of anticipation, the golden light in Lu Yuan's hand flashed brightly.
Then, Lu Yuan looked excitedly at his gorgeous wife and said,
"See that? Did you see that?!
It can flash now~~"
Su Liyan: "..."
"..."
'That's useless too!!!'
'It's exactly the same as before!!'
'It just flashes now!!'
'Brother!!'
'You're impossible!'
'Stop messing around!!'
Lu Yuan, oblivious to the fact that his wife had already seen through everything, continued smugly,
"What does this prove?!
It proves your big bro's control over this Magic Skill has reached a whole new level!
Don't worry, I'm super strong now!
You don't have to worry about me. Tonight, you go to an inn and get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow, we'll go to your family's place for the feast!"
If Lu Yuan had tried to fool her with anything else, Su Liyan might have actually believed him.
After all, whenever she was with her husband, her mind tended to go blank, and she'd believe whatever he said.
But this...
'He really can't fool me with this...'
This was something Su Liyan truly understood, and not just on a superficial level.
Just as Su Liyan was about to say something more,
a voice familiar to Lu Yuan came from outside the door.
Zhao Qiao'Er had returned, with a large group of people behind her.
It was the old Steward and the others.
Zhao Qiao'Er already knew Lu Yuan was here; the Nursing Home's Steward must have told her at the entrance.
The moment Zhao Qiao'Er saw Lu Yuan, a gentle smile appeared on her face, and she walked briskly toward him.
She was about to say something, but Lu Yuan spoke first.
"Aunt, I know everything. Were you alright last night?"
It was a pointless question. If she wasn't alright, how could she be standing here?
Still, it was a question that had to be asked.
Zhao Qiao'Er, however, reached out with a look of pure affection and gently pinched Lu Yuan's cheek.
"I'm fine~
I've invited Daoist Longchuan this time. It's just a shame you came at such an inconvenient time, sweetheart.
Your aunt can't go wandering about today, or else I would have taken you on a proper tour of Taiping City."
Hearing Zhao Qiao'Er's words, Lu Yuan couldn't help but purse his lips.
"What's there to tour? You're in trouble here, Aunt. How could I be in the mood for that?"
Lu Yuan said this with such a serious expression.
For Zhao Qiao'Er, who already cherished Lu Yuan more than anything, how could she not be moved?
For a moment, Zhao Qiao'Er wanted to pull Lu Yuan into her arms and dote on him properly.
Of course, Zhao Qiao'Er also saw Su Liyan standing beside him.
'It wouldn't be right to do that in front of his wife.'
So, Zhao Qiao'Er suppressed the urge in her heart and said with a beaming smile,
"Oh, don't you worry about it. Your aunt is fine, it's no big deal.
Tomorrow, I'll take you and Liyan out for a proper tour!"
With that, Zhao Qiao'Er turned to Su Liyan with a warm smile.
"Ah~ This must be our niece-in-law. Come, let your aunt have a look at you~"
Su Liyan shyly stepped next to her husband and said obediently,
"Aunt Zhao~"
Gazing at the stunning Su Liyan, Zhao Qiao'Er couldn't help but exclaim in admiration,
"My, you're so radiant and beautiful."
"Quickly, let's go inside and talk."
With that, Zhao Qiao'Er took each of them by the hand and led them into the main hall.
The old Steward and his group were tactful enough not to follow the family, instead remaining in the courtyard to check on the placement of the Yellow Talismans.
...
「Night fell.」
「Changliu Village.」
It was a very poor village. The only brick-and-tile building in the entire place was the ancestral hall in the center.
All the other houses were made of adobe, and some even had thatched roofs.
Normally, the village would fall deathly silent at night, without even the bark of a dog to be heard.
There was no helping it; even raising a dog required food.
But today, the village was unusually lively.
Oxcarts and horse-drawn carriages entered the village in a long line.
The carts were laden with pork, mutton, and jars of fine wine.
An old man, holding a tobacco pipe, stood in his yard watching the assistants and Shopkeepers before him.
They bustled back and forth, carrying all sorts of dazzling goods into his small, modest courtyard. His face was a picture of astonishment as he muttered,
"Our daughter... she didn't marry His Majesty the Emperor and become an imperial consort, did she???"