Su Kang smiled warmly at her earnestness but gently shook his head.
"Xi'er," he began, his voice soft, "the seal engraving is tied to one's lineage. You don't have a direct connection to any totem beast, so you can't bear such a seal on your body."
His eyes met hers, soft yet unwavering. "You're my wife. You don't need a mark to prove that."
"It's not about proving anything," she murmured, her voice low but firm, a stubborn light entering her gaze.
"I just want a mark that matches yours. Something that reflects our connection. When your family sees it, they'll know I belong with my husband. Can't I have one too?"
Her eyes shimmered with a quiet plea, and Su Kang's resolve faltered under her persistent stare.
"Well… alright," he relented with a soft sigh.
"Since you can't have a beast totem like mine, how about a phoenix mark? It would symbolize grace and rebirth—very fitting for your journey."
Bai Yunxi contemplated his suggestion for a moment, her head tilted thoughtfully. "A phoenix… I think something like that is too grand, and not quite suitable for me. I would prefer something simpler, more personal."
Her eyes then lit with an idea. "Could I have a lotus mark?" she asked, a hopeful lilt in her voice. She remembered the lotus hairpin her mother-in-law had given her.
A lotus remains unstained in the mud, rising pure just as she had to rise from her tragic past. It was also a perfect symbol of how their love had bloomed despite past hardships.
"A lotus mark," Su Kang mused, then nodded, an indulgent smile spreading across his face. "As you wish, Xi'er. But it would be a simple mark, alright?"
She nodded eagerly, a radiant smile gracing her lips. "Yes, I'm perfectly fine with a small one. But," she added, a touch of firmness in her voice, "it must be a pink lotus mark."
The thought of a stark black ink mark on her fair skin was still unappealing.
A mischievous glint sparked in Su Kang's eyes. He let out a dramatic sigh, feigning disappointment.
"I didn't think my wife would still be demanding marks on her body, especially when I used to give her so many… marks. It seems I have been a negligent husband."
"You—!" Bai Yunxi's cheeks flushed a becoming crimson, her gentle demeanor vanishing in a flash of indignation. "Shameless! I don't want to talk to you anymore!"
Su Kang chuckled, thoroughly amused by her flustered reaction, which only seemed to stoke her indignation further. She pouted, then straightened her back and crossed her arms with a mock seriousness.
"That's it. You are forbidden from visiting my courtyard at night for one week. I will punish you," she declared, trying to sound stern.
"These kinds of jokes should be reserved for the bedroom. If I don't discipline you now, you'll just grow even more shameless."
Finding her display of authority utterly endearing, Su Kang immediately softened his tone.
"Xi'er, there's no one else here. No one heard. Can't you forgive me this once? You were so insistent on getting a mark that I couldn't help but tease you. I promise, I won't make such jokes outside our bedroom again. My big wife, forgive your little husband?"
"Hmph. I will not forgive you this time," she insisted, turning her head away with a stubborn flick of her hair, though the corner of her lip twitched with a suppressed smile.
Su Kang raised his hands in surrender, still grinning. "Alright, alright. I will accept my wife's punishment."
She maintained her stern facade throughout their meal. After their breakfast concluded, Su Kang was playfully shown the way out of the courtyard by her.
He returned to his own courtyard with a self-deprecating smile on his face. Bai Yunxi, for her part, went into her cultivation chamber, a quiet sense of satisfaction settling over her.
…
Su Ting had, until recently, made a habit of having breakfast with Yue Mei. But since the banquet, he'd started visiting her courtyard less frequently.
He didn't want his overly inquisitive cousins prying into Yue Mei's affairs if they heard about her presence. Besides, he was now busy defending his long-held position as "Favorite Uncle" in Su Meying's heart.
With Su Kang suddenly pampering her with daily sweets, Su Ting felt his title was under serious threat and had resorted to taking the children on shopping trips outside the manor.
Inside one of the more lavish courtyards, Su Meying, dressed in pristine white, sat amidst a small circle of other clan children. She was showing off new toys and clothes.
Her cheeks, already naturally puffy, seemed to have grown even rounder from the recent influx of sweets.
Watching from a window, a beautiful woman in a teal-green robe, her long black hair braided neatly down her back, knit her brows in quiet concern as she observed her daughter.
She turned to her husband, who was engrossed in a stack of documents. "Husband, don't you think Su Meying is being badly influenced, living like this?" she asked, her voice laced with maternal concern.
"Yin'er, she is just six years old. Let her enjoy her childhood. It won't harm her in the long run," Su Liang replied, his voice flat and distracted, his eyes not leaving the papers.
Lin Shuyin sighed softly and walked over to sit beside him. After a moment of hesitation, she spoke again, more seriously this time.
"Su Ting is already eighteen. At his age, other members of the family—be it Su Jiao, Su Lang, or Su Cheng—had all started to take on some responsibilities, even before they reached eighteen.
Yet Su Ting receives favorable treatment, even from Father-in-law, despite doing little more than frequenting taverns and visiting some realms for adventures."
She glanced at Su Liang's expression, trying to gauge his mood. When she saw no sign of irritation, she pressed on.
"I don't mean to sow discord," she said slowly, "but I can't help but wonder. Is it because Su Ting's father and brother are both Core Formation cultivators that he's allowed more leniency than others?"
Her words struck Su Liang like a thunderclap. He stopped reading, his gaze turning colder as he looked at her directly.
Lin Shuyin felt a knot of fear tighten in her stomach, her hands clenching within her sleeves. She had wanted to ask this question for a long time but had always been afraid of offending her husband.
Seeing Su Ting's carefree lifestyle seemingly influencing her own children had finally pushed her to voice her concerns.
"Shuyin, do you understand what you are saying?" Su Liang asked, his use of her full name a clear sign of his displeasure.
"Husband, I have no ill intentions," she said quickly, shaking her head. "I know how the Su clan operates, and I would never seek to suppress anyone."
She met his hardened gaze, her own voice sincere. "I am just genuinely curious about this. It is the only conclusion I could reach."
Su Liang's expression softened as he looked at her earnest, worried face. He sighed. "Yin'er, I am their father too. Su Ren has started asking more questions about cultivation, and he is planning to use the pills Su Kang gave him.
He may not be working as hard as I'd like, but it's an improvement." He then gestured towards the garden. "And look—Meying is sharing her toys with the other children. She is not being badly influenced."
Lin Shuyin followed his gaze. Her daughter was handing sweets and a toy rabbit to another girl about her age. Despite her lingering worries, a maternal smile tugged at her lips.
"As for Su Ting's privileges…" Su Liang leaned back, his tone shifting, a shadow of memory passing over his features.
"Well, you're not wrong. He is the most pampered and unrestricted member of the clan. But it has nothing to do with Uncle Chen or Su Kang's cultivation." He paused, his eyes distant, as if recalling something long buried.
"There's another reason entirely."
Lin Shuyin frowned, her brows knitting tighter. She genuinely couldn't think of any reason other than familial favoritism.
"Then what is the reason behind it?" she asked, her voice quiet but firm, a mixture of confusion and curiosity in her gaze.
Su Liang let out a heavy sigh, closing his eyes for a long moment as if weighing his words. He looked troubled.
"Yin'er, it's an old matter." He shook his head slowly. "Before I say anything, I need your promise that you will keep this a secret. It's not a secret that endangers the clan, but it is one that others could use to harm Su Ting."
The shift in his tone instantly wiped the curiosity from her face, replacing it with a quiet seriousness.
She understood immediately that this was not a simple matter of favoritism. "Husband, I promise I will not speak of this to anyone," she affirmed, her voice low and steady.
"But if you feel it's a secret too dangerous to share, then please, do not feel obligated. I will be fine, and I will not bring this up again."
He shook his head, appreciating her discretion. "It's not that dangerous. Just… something that could affect his reputation if the wrong people twisted it."
He took a steadying breath, his gaze meeting hers. "And since you are part of the family… you should know a little bit of it as well."