Bai Suzhen, I really need to punish you properly.

Upon hearing this, Mingzhu was startled.

Her inner core had always been gentle and pure, but ever since that perilous heavenly tribulation, it has been surrounded by a different kind of fiery aura, and its power is far greater than before.

I originally thought it was due to a heavenly tribulation, but now I realize it really is the inner core of the Fire Spirit Pearl.

A wave of guilt washed over her, and she asked in a trembling voice, "Did I really kill him?"

"He died," Wang Xuan said bluntly, pausing briefly before adding, "but he was saved again."

"Really?"

Mingzhu gripped Wang Xuan's arm tightly, her eyes regaining hope, like a drowning person desperately clinging to the only piece of driftwood.

Wang Xuan nodded gently and smiled slightly: "I never lie."

Mingzhu asked urgently, "Can you help me find him?"

"You want to return the inner core to him?"

Mingzhu nodded repeatedly without the slightest hesitation.

"Your current cultivation level depends entirely on this inner core. If you return it to him, you will lose all your cultivation and turn back into an ordinary clam. Are you willing to give it up?"

Mingzhu's eyes were firm, and her tone was calm: "I'm willing to part with it! This originally belonged to the Fire Spirit Orb. I accidentally swallowed it, so it should be returned to its rightful owner."

"It will take at least one or two years, and at most three to five years, for him to be born. Just be patient and wait a little longer," Wang Xuan reassured him.

"This is a tribulation for him. A tribulation is both a hardship and an opportunity. This inner core is nourished by your thousand years of cultivation. When he reclaims it in the future, his cultivation will only reach a higher level."

Mingzhu already believed it completely, but she still couldn't help but whisper a second confirmation: "Really?"

"I've said it before, I never lie."

Her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, gradually settled down. Mingzhu let out a long sigh of relief and looked at Wang Xuan with gratitude: "Thank you so much for your guidance, sir. If it weren't for you, I would have made a terrible mistake and ruined my life. I really don't know how to repay you."

Thinking back on her past thoughts, she felt a wave of fear.

How absurd it would be if I repaid the wrong debt of gratitude or married the wrong person.

Fortunately, I haven't gone astray yet, and I still have a chance to start over.

Seeing this, Wang Xuan jokingly said, "No, you're willing to repay others with your body, but when it comes to me, you don't know how to repay them? Am I not handsome enough?"

"No, I..." Mingzhu's cheeks flushed slightly, and she stammered, "You don't want these pearls... and you said..."

Xiaoqing, who had been lamenting the clam spirit's experience, glared angrily at Wang Xuan: "Just you wait! I'll definitely tell my sister everything."

Wang Xuan said to Xiao Qing in an annoyed tone, "Can't you tell I was joking?"

He turned to Mingzhu and suggested, "How about this: you stay with me and protect me until the Fire Spirit Orb appears. But don't worry, I won't ask you to help often. You can leave when there's news of the Fire Spirit Orb. What do you say?"

Before Mingzhu could answer, Xiaoqing shouted, "No! I disagree!"

Wang Xuan said impatiently, "What do you have to disagree with? I'm so badly injured, what's wrong with letting her protect me for a while?"

Mingzhu then solemnly replied, "I do!"

Wang Xuan nodded slightly and instructed, "Rest tonight. We'll set off early tomorrow morning. Pack any personal belongings you have with you as soon as possible."

Mingzhu nodded repeatedly.

Wang Xuan then asked Mingzhu curiously, "Why does the water in this lake taste somewhat sweet?"

Mingzhu looked shy and replied softly, "I often bathe and live in this lake. Perhaps the lake water has absorbed my spiritual energy and fragrance."

"oh."

Wang Xuan responded casually. At first, he really thought it was because Xiao Qing's foot bath water smelled so good.

It turned out to be Mingzhu's bathwater.

You can't drink the water from the roadside!

Mingzhu asked innocently, "Shall I take some with me?"

"No need, I'll just have a couple more sips before I leave."

Mingzhu then asked, "Sir, I still don't know your name?"

"My name is Wang Xuan, and her name is Xiao Qing." After introducing the two, Wang Xuan smiled and said, "Don't call me 'sir,' it's too formal. Just call me 'young master.'"

Upon hearing this, Mingzhu nodded gently and said softly, "Young master, I'll go back and pack my things first, and come again tomorrow morning."

After saying that, she got up and slowly returned to the lake.

After this conversation, Wang Xuan discovered that Mingzhu's personality was not as aloof as she had initially appeared.

She's just not very good at talking to people.

Use this aloofness as a form of camouflage.

On the contrary, she is simple and straightforward, with a clear and honest mind.

Since I have already broken up her marriage with Zhang Tianyuan, I might as well make up for the missing bond myself.

……

"Don't call me 'sir,' it's too formal. Just call me 'young master,'" Xiaoqing mimicked Wang Xuan's previous tone, then pouted and said, "Are you two that close?"

"Practice makes perfect, and you'll get used to it, won't you?" Wang Xuan said matter-of-factly. "Besides, with your sister not around, how can you manage without some strong protection?"

Xiaoqing rolled her eyes dramatically: "Isn't protecting you enough? Are you going to attack the Heavenly Court?"

Wang Xuan leaned closer, his gaze falling on her lips so close to his own, and deliberately threatened, "If you keep being sarcastic, I'll breathe yang energy into your mouth."

Xiaoqing gave a soft snort, then couldn't help but ask, "Was what you just said true or false?"

"She believed it, why don't you?"

"But I've never heard you say you could tell fortunes before?"

Wang Xuan smiled smugly: "This is a passive skill of mine, triggered randomly."

"Then why didn't you foresee what happened to your sister?"

Wang Xuan casually made up a story: "What kind of relationship do you and your sister have? It's a bond that even the Bodhisattva would approve of. Our relationship is so close, of course it's impossible to calculate."

"That's more like it." Xiaoqing nodded in satisfaction, then asked, "How's your injury?"

"That's fine then." Wang Xuan waved his hand, pretending to be unharmed, but in fact he really was unharmed. He urged, "You should quickly meditate to recover your spiritual energy. We still have to travel tomorrow."

the next day.

As dawn broke, the pearl appeared early in the morning.

"Young master."

Wang Xuan looked up.

Even under the moonlight last night, it wasn't very clear.

Only now did I realize that Mingzhu truly lived up to her reputation as a thousand-year-old white clam spirit; her skin was translucent and delicate as snow.

It feels like the kind of mark that would stay red for a long time even with a light tap.

The three of them rode the wind together and sped off towards Qiantang.

When we arrived at the Qiantang Dragon King Temple, it was already night.

The three concealed themselves and silently entered the courtyard.

Inside the room, Rouge was sitting alone, resting her chin on her hand, lost in thought and feeling utterly bored.

Hearing the knocking, she immediately went to open the door. Upon seeing Wang Xuan, her eyes lit up instantly, and she threw herself into his arms, softly calling out, "Husband, you're back!"

Wang Xuan gently patted her back and said softly, "Rouge, let me introduce you. This is Mingzhu."

The two women exchanged a slight smile and greeted each other.

"Let's go home first."

The four of them returned to the county government office together.

Upon returning, Wang Xuan first sent someone to prepare a clean and elegant side room for Mingzhu, and then took Yanzhi back to the main room.

This is the advantage of first come, first served.

Whenever Wang Xuan had any involvement with other women, Xiao Qing would stand up for her sister, but when it came to Yan Zhi, she didn't stop her at all.