Fairy, please have some self-respect. I am not the reincarnation of your deceased husband.

When Chen Lianshu opened her eyes again, it was already broad daylight outside the window.

Sunlight streamed into the hall, shining on his face and making him squint slightly.

But this time, there was no one in front of him.

"...?"

He subconsciously turned his head to look at the pillow.

Empty.

Only a few faint wisps of lotus fragrance lingered in the air.

My master has long since passed away.

As her consciousness gradually cleared, Chen Lianshu slowly sat up.

"Um?"

But when his peripheral vision swept over the headboard, he was slightly startled.

The incense in the censer was still burning quietly.

It was obvious that Pei Wanyun had added enough last night to keep it burning until now.

What caught his attention, however, was the cursed bell placed beside the incense burner.

The wisps of smoke were being slowly drawn into the broken bell, almost without any being missed.

Chen Lianshu picked up the bell out of curiosity.

The basic system information remains unchanged.

The moment you touch it, it begins to glow.

The bell, which had been absorbing the mist, now erected a faint protective shield around him, perfectly blocking the mist from the calming incense.

Moreover, he could clearly sense that the bell was absorbing not only mist, but also... spiritual energy?

"Absorbing spiritual energy?"

"Could it be repairing itself?"

"Can…"

Chen Lianshu paused in his speech.

However, if it could be repaired proactively, that senior brother would definitely not sell it.

It's clear that this change was caused by some condition being triggered.

"Meow~"

Suddenly a soft cry came from the soft cushion in the corner of the room.

Looking in the direction of the sound, they saw that Xiao Xueyan had woken up at some point.

Seeing that Chen Lianshu had also woken up, it went from squatting on the cushion to the bedside in an instant and lightly jumped onto the bed.

After getting into bed, the little guy stared straight at him without looking away or flinching.

There was even a hint of... schadenfreude in his eyes?

Sure enough, the little guy couldn't help but laugh out loud after a short while.

The laughter was directed at the farce the other person had experienced that morning.

"...What are you laughing at, you little brat?"

Chen Lianshu didn't seem to care.

He wouldn't be so petty as to argue with a spirit beast.

Xiao Xueyan naturally wouldn't answer.

Even if it answered, it knew the person in front of it wouldn't understand.

It just tilted its head, circled around the bed a couple of times, and found a comfortable spot to curl up.

And the location of the nest was exactly where its owner, Pei Wanyun, had lain last night.

Perhaps it felt at ease because of the other person's scent on it?

Or is there some other reason?

But his posture clearly indicated that he regarded that place as his own territory, and even seemed to be planning to stay in that side hall for a long time.

"..."

Chen Lianshu stared at it speechlessly.

But then, as if remembering something, he handed the Calamity Bell to the little fellow and asked gently:

"This thing is absorbing spiritual energy. Did you make it?"

Xueyan licked its paws and then nodded.

It appears nonchalant on the surface, but secretly longs for praise.

"..."

But we waited for a long time.

But it still didn't hear the other person praise it, and the little guy gave a dissatisfied snort.

It then stretched out its paw and touched the bell again.

It's unclear what happened, but the bell suddenly trembled slightly and emitted an even stronger glow.

"?!"

To Chen Lianshu's bewilderment and shock, the system page information changed—

【The Bell of Calamity】

[Affection Level: MAX (Deeply in Love)]

[Grade: Damaged (Under Repair...)]

【introduce】

The item is in extremely poor condition and is being slowly repaired.

[Currently possesses the effects of blocking evil spirits, demonic energy, and corpse energy, as well as calming the mind.]

"They've actually started repairing it?"

Chen Lianshu looked at the broken bell in her hand in surprise, then glanced at Xiao Xueyan, who was proudly licking her paws and waiting for praise.

And under the little guy's expectant gaze, he slowly spoke:

"How about... you touch it a couple more times?"

"?"

Suddenly, Xiao Xueyan stood frozen in place, even stopping her licking of her paws, as if she had been petrified.

Seeing this, Chen Lianshu stopped teasing it.

I gently patted its head and thanked it.

"Okay, I'm not teasing you anymore."

"Thanks, little one."

"Well done."

I glanced at the time.

Although it was late, Chen Lianshu still decided to go find Mu Qianxue.

I need to go out for a bit.

Chen Lianshu looked down at it:

"Are you staying here, or coming with me to the back mountain?"

Without hesitation, Little Snow Flame jumped into his arms, its tail wagging gently, seemingly enjoying being with him.

Seeing the little guy's response, Chen Lianshu picked it up, got up, changed his clothes, and headed to the back of Jade Spirit Peak.

……

Deep within the bamboo forest on the back mountain, in a quiet little courtyard.

As Chen Lianshu stepped into the courtyard with Xiao Xueyan in her arms, she saw the figure in pure white already in the courtyard, practicing swordsmanship with a spirit sword in hand.

Clearly, Mu Qianxue had been waiting for a long time.

"?"

Upon seeing her husband arrive, she was overjoyed, but her expression remained impassive, her demeanor still aloof. She simply responded with a faint "Yes."

"You're here?"

"Yes, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, Senior Sister."

Chen Lianshu nodded slightly, then put Xiao Xueyan down from his arms.

As soon as the little thing landed, it cautiously took two steps back, keeping a safe distance from the cold-faced senior sister.

The lessons of yesterday are still fresh in its mind; how could it possibly forget them?

However, Mu Qianxue merely glanced at it indifferently, not taking it seriously.

After withdrawing her gaze, she looked back at her junior brother:

"Have you rested enough?"

Although the question was asked casually, there was a clear concern in the cool tone.

"Hmm, much better."

Chen Lianshu did not immediately point out the unusual situation she had detected yesterday.

After all, some groundwork needs to be laid for this kind of issue.

At least... not now.

"Thank you for your concern, senior sister."

Seeing that her husband was indeed in good spirits, Mu Qianxue secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He then sheathed his sword, turned around, and went back inside.

"Then come with me."

Chen Lianshu didn't say much and followed her into the house and into the bedroom.

"sit."

Mu Qianxue remained expressionless and gestured for him to sit down.

But Chen Lianshu stood there, somewhat embarrassed.

Since the bamboo chair by the window was nowhere to be found, he was at a loss when the other person gestured for him to sit down.

"Um?"

Seeing her husband's embarrassed expression, Mu Qianxue timely showed a puzzled look:

"What's wrong?"

"What are you still standing there for?"

She naturally understood why the other person was embarrassed.

This was exactly what she was thinking.

Although she herself had gestured for her husband to sit in the bamboo chair yesterday, the two of them were still quite far apart.

Even though we're in the same dormitory, it's still quite difficult to get closer to each other.

So she moved the chair that was in the way.

In this way, the husband can only sit on the bed, and the distance between the two will naturally be shortened.

"Senior sister, what about the bamboo chair by the window?"

"It's broken, I've sent it in for repair."

Mu Qianxue lied without batting an eye.

"..."

Chen Lianshu was not very convinced.

After all, the chair was perfectly fine yesterday, without any problems, so how could it suddenly break?

But he didn't say much.

At this moment, both of them harbored their own ulterior motives.

"Where should I sit?"

"On the bed."

"On the bed...?"

For some reason, the mention of "bedroom" reminded Chen Lianshu of the embarrassing scene from last night.

"It's alright, please sit down."

After saying that, Mu Qianxue turned around to prepare tea:

"I'll go prepare some calming herbal tea."

Helpless, Chen Lianshu had no choice but to sit down on the bed with the gauze curtains.

After Mu Qianxue brewed the spiritual tea, she also sat down on the bed.

"?"

Immediately, she sensed a very distinct aura that was completely out of place with the surrounding atmosphere.

It was different from the cool fragrance on her own body, and also different from the clean scent on her husband.

Although the fragrance was very faint, it was quite noticeable inside the room.

It was the fragrance of lotus, a fragrance unique to Master.

"Junior brother..."

A clear, cold voice called out beside me.

Upon hearing this, Chen Lianshu, who was about to pour herself some tea, subconsciously turned around to look.

Instead, she was met with Mu Qianxue's scrutinizing gaze, her eyes filled with deep suspicion—

"Why do you possess such a strong aura of your master?"