A ripple.
Soft at first… then sharp enough to silence the entire floor.
Lantern flames bent inward. Perfume thinned from the air. Even the drunken laughter in the back rooms stuttered into nothing.
The room deepened — not colder, but as though everything had sunk beneath the surface of a still, bottomless lake.
Water gathered from the air, weaving itself into a luminous curtain.
It parted.
Luo Xianling stepped through.
Untouched. Serene. Divine.
Her gaze swept the room once before settling on me. Then, briefly, on Lingxue — her lips forming a small, unreadable smile.
Her attention returned to me, softening in a way that made the wine turn bitter on my tongue.
"Shen," she said as she approached our table, "you left abruptly."
"I was waiting for Lingxue," I replied. "She'll be coming with me when we go to your family home."
Xianling's eyes flicked toward Lingxue again, looking her up and down with calm, ancient familiarity.
"Yes… I remember you," she said. "You were at Shen's wedding with Xiao Yunfei, weren't you? A pretty little thing. Your clan is of the Ice Phoenix lineage — royalty in your empire, if I recall correctly."
Lingxue bowed her head respectfully.
"Yes, Ancestor of the Luo family. It's an honour to finally speak with you."
Luo Xianling nodded once, gracefully, then sat beside me as though she'd always belonged there.
Lingxue took the seat opposite us, a servant immediately stepping forward to pour her a cup of wine.
A soft ripple of energy moved through the room.
Madam Yuelin appeared first — calm, composed, elegant.Nagini followed in her human form, long, dark, black-green hair shifting like a shadow behind her, eyes sharp and unreadable.
And behind them came:
Luo Yeling, the eldest daughter.Luo Zhenhai, the youngest son.
Lingxue's gaze snapped instantly to Nagini.
The tension was subtle but unmistakable — Lingxue remembering the moment Nagini nearly killed her after mistaking her for my woman, and Nagini remembering the contract she had once accepted on Lingxue's head.
Nagini simply walked past her with effortless, icy indifference, as though the entire incident had been nothing more than a trivial distraction.
Madam Yuelin stepped closer to Lingxue with a gentle, knowing smile.
"It's good to see you again, Lingxue. How are you?"
Lingxue sat a little straighter, her tone polite but still carrying her frosty, royal edge.
"I'm fine. Thank you."
Luo Xianling looked at her children, her voice quiet but absolute.
"Sit."
They obeyed immediately, taking their seats without a word.
I glanced at the two children she'd brought with her — whatever her reasons were for involving them.
They met my gaze for only a moment.
Just a brief, instinctive look.
Then, just as quickly, they looked away.
I turned my eyes elsewhere as well, expression unreadable, as I always did.
Luo Xianling spoke first.
"Madam Yuelin will be coming with us as well. She needs a break from her work at the Blooming Blooms Brothel, so I've invited her back to our Luo clan's family home."
I followed her gaze.
Madam Yuelin smiled over the rim of her teacup — the same tea she always seemed to favour, drinking it with a calm, unhurried grace. She looked at me, her smile deepening ever so slightly.
I met her eyes for a moment, then looked away.
A space crack tore open beside us.
A man stepped out — someone I didn't recognise at first glance, though the resemblance was there. He had the same cold exterior as Luo Xianling, the same emotionless composure. His aura confirmed the rest:
He was in the Divine Realm as well.
One of her husbands.
He stopped beside her and spoke in a flat, respectful tone.
"Wife, everything is prepared. We can leave whenever you wish."
His eyes passed over me briefly, then shifted away without comment.
Luo Xianling turned back to me.
"My two children will be in your care from now on," she said, as if assigning servants. "Can you handle that?"
I looked at her.
Then at the children beside her.
An interesting choice — considering I had nearly killed them earlier.Still, I didn't refuse. I thought about it for a moment, weighing nothing in particular.
Her children stared at me stiffly, clearly unhappy with the arrangement. Understandable, really. I was the one who killed their two fathers.
Probably for the best that she hadn't asked me to watch over her other children as well.
My thoughts drifted elsewhere — to Xu Yunfei.Would she be alright while I was gone?I didn't know how long I'd be away.
Then my mind slipped to Mìngjiè Xiānlù, alone within the Blackdragon Stronghold — that private domain inside me that belonged solely to me. I wondered how she was faring, and from there… my thoughts drifted to everyone else connected to me.
Before leaving, I sent a transmission to Yunfei.
"I'll be away for a while," I told her.
Her reply came instantly, warm and soft.
"Come back soon, husband… or I'll come looking for you myself. I love you, Shen."
"Thank you, Yunfei. I love you as well. I promise."
As the final word left me, the space crack widened, rippling open like a curtain of distorted reality.
We stepped through.
And in the blink of an eye, we were standing before the Luo Clan's domain — vast, ancient, and filled with countless estates, interconnected much like the Xu holdings.
I lifted my gaze.
A massive, elegant plaque hung above the grand city gates, carved with flowing, water-like strokes of divine script.
Liúshuǐ Shénchéng.Flowing Water Divine City.
As we walked through Liúshuǐ Shénchéng, the people of the Luo Clan — and outsiders passing through — turned their heads immediately.
Whispers spread like ripples across still water.
Most of them stared at me and Lingxue, clearly unable to recognise either of us.
Gossip flared at once.
"Who's that plain-looking man?" someone muttered. "Is he another new husband of the Luo Clan's Ancestor?"
"What about that woman? Who is she?"
A second voice scoffed."That's Lingxue of the Ice Phoenix Clan. She's royalty — a princess of her clan's ruling line within the empire."
"How do you even know that?" another demanded.
"I make it a point to keep up with what goes on in Mìngjiè Xiānlù," the man replied smugly.
Their attention shifted back to me.
"But that plain-looking man… I've never seen him before. Give me a moment—"
A heartbeat later came the sharp intake of breath.
"No… it can't be. That's him. Shen Wuyin — from the Blackdragon Sect!"
Voices burst to life immediately.
"The number one disciple?""The one who barely has to move to defeat anyone who challenges him?""I heard he just married Xu Yunfei of the Xu Clan not long ago!""So now he's here… does that mean he's marrying the Luo Clan's Ancestor too?"
Some stared at me with open envy.Others with quiet pity.
"Lucky bloke…" someone muttered.Another snorted under their breath.
"Lucky? Then you've clearly never met the Ancestor."
Their gazes lingered on me — curious, cautious, and faintly unsettled — as we continued deeper into the city
But before the crowd had the chance to whisper any further, the air shifted.
Those who had spoken ill of the Ancestor — even lightly — didn't even have time to draw breath.
One man's head snapped sideways, cleanly severed, before his body hit the ground.Another collapsed silently, a neat hole through his chest.Not a scream rose from the onlookers; no one even flinched.
They were used to this.
The Ancestor of the Luo Clan was not someone whose name one spoke carelessly.
And then, with a flick of her fingers, Luo Xinaling ended the life of the gossiping man who prided himself on "knowing everything."He never even realised she had moved.
Her husband, standing only a few steps away, killed another with equal efficiency — a sword slash so swift the blade never appeared to leave its sheath.
The murmuring crowd fell instantly quiet.Heads lowered.Footsteps quickened.
No one dared look directly at Luo Xinaling again.
uo Xinaling glanced back at me as we walked, her expression unreadable.
"I do hope you enjoy your stay here, Shen Wuyin," she said softly, though the coldness beneath her voice was unmistakable. "After all, you'll need to grow accustomed to how things are done here… considering you'll be my new husband."
We stepped into the main hall.
A vast throne room opened before us, its air heavy with silence and authority. Luo Clan members filled the chamber, seated in perfect order, their gazes snapping towards me and Lingxue the moment we entered.
Luo Xinaling ascended the steps and sat upon her throne with effortless command.
Madam Yuelin moved with calm elegance, settling into a seat reserved specifically for her. She poured herself another cup of tea — the same blend she seemed endlessly fond of — steam curling delicately around her face.
Without lifting her eyes, she murmured,
"Someone, escort Princess Lingxue to her seat. Give her the proper welcome due to a princess of her Ice Phoenix Clan."
Servants rushed to obey.
I did not sit.
I remained standing, tall and still, meeting Luo Xinaling's gaze without the slightest waver.
Her lips curved faintly.
"Everyone," she declared, her voice ringing through the hall, "this is Shen Wuyin — my new husband."
A ripple of shock and disbelief swept through the hall. Backs straightened. Heads bowed low. Not a single person dared to speak.
"Show him the respect he deserves," she continued. "After all… he is one of my new favourites."
Her eyes stayed locked onto mine — sharp, assessing, faintly amused.
And she smiled.