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

Time flies, and the days pass in the blink of an eye.

Now, Chen Lianshu has long since adapted to life in the inner sect.

Not only did they get used to their residence on Jade Spirit Peak, but they even regarded it as their true home.

Inside Yunxin Palace—

Upon receiving his master's summons, Chen Lianshu dared not delay and rushed to the bedchamber immediately.

But as soon as he stepped into the hall, he was slightly taken aback.

"Um?"

The hall was empty; there was no sign of Master Pei Wanyun.

Only a small snow flame nestled on the soft cushion, lying there lazily.

Looking around, there was still not a single person in sight.

Chen Lianshu walked slowly to the bedroom door and gently knocked:

"Master, your disciple Chen Lianshu has come as summoned."

"..."

For a long time, there was silence inside the door, and no response was given.

Clearly, Pei Wanyun was not in the palace.

"Xueyan, where did Master go?"

Then, Chen Lianshu looked at Xiao Xueyan, who was stretching and slightly arching her body in the corner.

The little guy shook his head and pointed his paw toward the door.

The meaning couldn't be clearer.

It didn't know either, only that its owner had gone out.

"All right…"

Chen Lianshu did not leave, but waited quietly in the hall.

He subconsciously glanced around; the hall was somewhat messy, with several objects placed haphazardly.

It was clear that Master left in a great hurry.

As a disciple, it is my duty to help my master tidy up a bit.

So Chen Lianshu started tidying it up.

But at the same time, they are very measured.

He didn't touch the piles of sect documents; he simply put the scattered ink and brushes back in their place, straightened the crooked chairs and stools, and neatly stacked the books on his desk.

In a short while, the hall became much cleaner.

"Meow."

While he was tidying up, Xiao Xueyan somehow rubbed against his feet, her little paws gently hooking his trouser leg.

"?"

Chen Lianshu looked down.

The little guy raised his paw and pointed in the direction of Pei Wanyun's bedroom.

The implication was quite clear: they wanted him to go in.

"..."

However, Chen Lianshu seemed not to have seen anything and decisively turned back to continue tidying up the items at hand.

This little guy can be quite stubborn at times; he's already learned that lesson the hard way.

Moreover, entering Master's bedroom without permission is far too presumptuous.

What should I do if my master blames me?

But Xiao Xueyan seemed unusually persistent today.

Seeing that he remained unmoved, the little guy grabbed his clothes and pulled them out, just like when they first met.

However, Chen Lianshu was no longer buying into that.

Now the two are quite familiar with each other.

These days, this little thing almost never spends the night in Yunxin Palace anymore.

Instead, his side hall became its den.

Thus, no matter how much Xueyan pleaded and tugged at him, Chen Lianshu ignored her completely.

"..."

Seeing that she couldn't persuade her, Xiao Xueyan surprisingly didn't continue to pester her and instead ran into her bedroom.

Then, the sound of a box corner scraping against the floor came from the dormitory.

"?"

Chen Lianshu couldn't help but look up.

Unfortunately, the door gap was too narrow, and nothing could be seen clearly.

About half a cup of tea's time had passed.

Little Snow Flame struggled to move out of the bedroom, carrying a wooden box bigger than its body on its head.

Although Chen Lianshu didn't understand why, she didn't go forward and just continued tidying up on her own.

He had to stop what he was doing until the little guy pushed the box to his feet.

"You want me to open it?"

Judging from the way Xiao Xueyan waved its claws, he roughly guessed what the other party meant.

The little guy nodded in agreement.

Chen Lianshu's gaze immediately fell on the wooden box.

The box has an antique feel and a faint scent of sandalwood.

He was genuinely curious about what was inside, but ultimately suppressed the thought.

This was something pushed out of Master's bedroom; what if there's something inside that he shouldn't see...?

To open it rashly would be a great disrespect.

But Xiao Xueyan didn't care about any of that.

Seeing that he was unwilling to do it, it simply opened the lid of the box itself.

The moment the lid was opened, a box full of paper rolls came into view.

The little guy seemed to have anticipated that he wouldn't open the reel on his own.

It picked up a scroll, placed it on the ground, and slowly unfurled the scroll with its paws.

"Is this me?"

The scroll depicts a portrait of a handsome young man.

The ink had long since dried, clearly indicating that it was an older work.

Since it's something from Yunxin Palace's bedroom, it must have been painted by Master Pei Wanyun.

Now that things had come to this, Chen Lianshu stopped pretending and reached out to pick it up and examine it closely.

But then, with a "snap," it went off.

A furry paw pressed down on the scroll.

Xiao Xueyan raised her head, turned her face away arrogantly, and looked like she wouldn't let anyone touch her unless she was flattered.

That look clearly said: Didn't you say you didn't care?

"It was my fault."

Chen Lianshu readily complied, gently rubbing its head and scratching its chin.

Then he took out a packet of dried silver fish from his storage space and handed it to it.

The little guy then let out a soft hum, picked up the fish fillet, walked to the side, and began to eat it with relish.

"..."

Only then was Chen Lianshu able to pick up the scroll and examine it closely.

The person in the painting is exactly the same as him.

Then he took out the next volume.

The ink stains were noticeably fresher, and it was still his appearance, only he had changed his clothes and posture.

And so, one volume after another was produced.

It's clear that the paintings in the box are arranged chronologically from top to bottom.

The further up you go, the earlier the work was created; the further down you go, the more recent the work was.

I've read most of it, and only the bottom few volumes remain to be read.

Chen Lianshu casually picked up one of the scrolls.

"Um?"

He noticed something was amiss when the scroll was only one-fifth unfolded.

In this volume, he is no longer the only figure depicted in the painting.

Judging from the lotus hairpin she was wearing…

It was actually Master?

"Master?"

This instantly piqued his curiosity.

I was just thinking of finishing this scroll and then stopping, but now I can't wait to continue unfolding the scroll.

As the screen expanded to about a third of its length, the two figures were finally revealed—

With a creak.

The doors of Yunxin Palace opened.

"?!"

"?"

The person who arrived was Pei Wanyun.

The moment their eyes met, she happened to see the scroll that her disciple was unfolding in his hands.

"!"

Suddenly, a sense of foreboding surged into my heart.

Especially when he glimpsed that most of the scrolls in the wooden box had already been turned over, with only the bottom few scrolls remaining untouched, he became extremely nervous.

She subconsciously glanced at Xiao Xueyan, who was happily eating beside her.

It's obvious without even thinking that this little thing instigated it.

This wasn't the first time it had done something like this.

However, since they had never succeeded before, and since they were all under her nose, she didn't interfere.

After all, this little guy was doing it for her own good, wanting to help her break through that barrier.

But this time is different…

The rolls at the very bottom of that box must never be seen by anyone.

Especially if her husband sees it.

She forcibly suppressed the turmoil in her heart and spoke calmly:

"Disciple, what are you doing...?"

Now, Pei Wanyun only hopes that her husband hasn't seen those things yet—

Those "intimate" paintings she created when no one was around...