Elsewhere, in the moonlit courtyard of Griffin Manor;
Vanessa walked swiftly under the soft glow of the lanterns in absolute silence. She spotted Kaelen standing near the ancient plum tree with his hands behind his back while gazing at the night sky.
She approached and bowed deeply. "Master."
Kaelen turned to her, his expression calm but his eyes sharp. "Did you confirm?" he asked quietly.
Vanessa nodded. "Yes. I believe the seal was broken after consummation, but Master Icarus seemed unharmed." She paused, "The Lady must have suppressed it by her sheer will. Master Icarus might have also played a role, but I didn't dare to disturb their night."
Kaelen's lips twitched into a faint, knowing smile. "Then it's fine."
He waved his hand, dismissing her silently. Vanessa bowed once more and disappeared into the shadows.
As the silence of the courtyard settled once more, Kaelen turned to the plum tree and placed a palm against its bark.
His eyes darkened slightly. "For a moment… when I sensed her seal cracking, I thought the worst had happened."
He exhaled slowly, as if releasing a weight from his chest. "Whatever the case, I must reinforce the seal. I'll need to speak with Tower Master Ra."
His gaze drifted up to the moon as if another worry crept to his mind, "Born to the bloodline of House Phoenix and House Griffin, Thea's child would have enough strength to convert Zhinu into his power. Until then, we need to make sure the seal stays intact. if the seal breaks and her alternate self awakens completely… we might not be able to control what comes next."
Meanwhile, back in the room...
Qin Wei rolled from side to side on the floor, not intending to sleep on the same bed as his wife, who had almost killed him earlier.
The earlier feelings he had toward her, the hope that he could have a peaceful marriage with this beauty, everything went down to drain by the assassination attempt, forcing him to sleep on the floor instead.
With only a thin blanket beneath him, it offered no real comfort. The dull ache in his limbs and the emotional weight of the whole day only made things worse.
Finally, with a frustrated sigh, he sat up and ran a hand through his hair. "If only I had been a little bit faster… I could have had the wood element, but there's no use thinking about the things that were out of my control," he muttered under his breath.
Shaking his head, he then navigated over to the Skill section and tapped on the newly unlocked ability:
[Celestial Sword of Destiny]
A window popped up with glowing gold text:
Skill: Celestial Sword of Destiny
Description: Conjure celestial swords formed of divine energy to entrap and paralyze targets within a 10-meter radius for five seconds. This skill cannot cause physical harm. Effect 1: Temporarily suppresses the target's soul below the Grandmaster stage. Cooldown: 20 seconds.
Note: Current rank allows conjuring only one sword. Higher stages unlock multiple simultaneous swords and a wider range.
Qin Wei skimmed the description and nodded slowly.
"Suppressive skill with only 20 seconds of cooldown, huh. This is good, actually. I can say I benefited from misfortune. The most important thing is that it can suppress even a rank-9 warrior or a tier-9 mage, too. I can suppress Agnes with this… However, it was slightly different from when Uncle used this sword to trap me; it acted more like a prison then. Hmm… I guess I can find more when I become stronger… Anyway..."
He closed the window and scrolled up to the Talent Tree.
[Combat Techniques]
He selected Combat techniques, and the tree expanded.
The first orb at the root of the tree was already glowing bright:
[Orb 1: Swift Step: Movement speed increased by 100%.]
He tapped on it briefly and smiled faintly.
That was the ability that had let him cover nearly 250 kilometers in five hours earlier that day using Ripple Drift. Even though it had failed to save him in the end, it was still impressive.
His gaze moved to the next orb, which was still dim.
He selected it and invested his 3 available talent points.
With a pulse of light, the orb lit up.
[Orb 2: Iron Veins: Incoming damage reduced by 30%.]
Qin Wei let out a breath, feeling a faint warmth spread through his limbs. His body felt slightly sturdier already, like a layer of invisible armor had formed underneath his skin.
"At least something went right today…"
He closed the interface and leaned back against the wall, his arms behind his head.
Outside, the night was silent. On the bed, Thea was sleeping peacefully. Icarus couldn't help but wake every few minutes to check on her. Slowly, as he saw that Zhinu didn't come out again, he eventually slipped into a dream.
The Next Morning…
A soft beam of sunlight filtered through the silk curtains, warming the room with a golden glow.
Qin Wei stirred awake, blinking slowly as he adjusted to the light.
The moment his senses returned, he sat up with a start, only to realize he was no longer lying on the cold, hard floor. It was comfortable below.
"The bed…?" He glanced around.
Thea was gone.
Instead, standing by the window, holding a neatly folded robe, was Vanessa, whose expression was as calm and composed as ever.
"Good morning, Master Icarus," she said with a bow. "Please wash up quickly. You will need to serve tea shortly."
Qin Wei blinked, momentarily confused.
"Serve tea?" he echoed, pointing at himself. "Did you say I have to serve tea?"
Vanessa nodded, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Of course. It's a tradition that a matrilocal son-in-law must serve tea to the Lord of the House Griffin and two elders every day in the morning. And if the Lord isn't present, you shall sit and have tea with the Young Lord."
Qin Wei opened his mouth, then closed it again. A muscle in his cheek twitched.
"Matrilocal husband… right…"
Before he could voice further protest, Vanessa continued in her smooth, professional tone, "But you don't have to stress out. It's only for 3 days. After that, both you and Lady Thea will visit the ancestral temple for worship. Then you'll relocate to your new residence, gifted by the Lord."
That made Qin Wei pause.
"New residence?" he repeated, frowning slightly. "Is that really necessary?" The events of the night are still fresh in his mind.
Vanessa raised an eyebrow. "Why? Is it a problem?"
After a pause, she gave a soft chuckle and said, "It's actually part of Lady Thea's dowry. She insisted on it herself, so that you wouldn't feel too much like a 'matrilocal husband.' She even requested that the Patriarch increase your monthly allowance. You'll now receive two hundred gold coins, more than double your previous allotted stipend."
Qin Wei sat in silence, processing her words. Outwardly, he gave a faint nod of gratitude. "Generous? Yeah… very generous."
But deep inside, his heart was churning. "Live alone with her? In a new house? That's basically a death sentence!"
He remembered the possessed version of Thea from last night, pitch-black eyes, bloodlust, floating in the air like a vengeful goddess. His throat unconsciously throbbed where she had gripped him. It shivered him to the soul.
"And what if that Zhinu returns? What if it's not just once? No one's going to believe me. Everyone's on her side. The House Griffin, the maids, even Vanessa…"
He shuddered at the scene, remembering that the system said that it was the first assassination attempt.
That means Zhinu will return and try to assassinate him again. Who will save him then?
He certainly didn't want to put everything in one basket, putting his hopes on the celestial sword of destiny skill.
And House Griffin guards are certainly not trustworthy. Atleast, in here, his father-in-law would be there to protect him.
"Master Icarus?" Vanessa's voice brought him out of his swirling thoughts.
He blinked, realizing he'd been silent too long. "Right… I understand," he said finally, in a bit of stiff voice.
He stood up, taking the robe she offered. As he moved toward the washbasin, he muttered under his breath, "First tea service… then a death house with a possessed bride. Wonderful. Just wonderful…"
After a while;
Inside the Old Lord's chamber…
A soft creak echoed through the wooden door as Qin Wei stepped into the hall, accompanied by Vanessa, who carried a silver tray with a teapot and a single delicate porcelain cup resting atop a matching saucer.
At the far end of the room, sitting on a broad cedar chair, was Vesyrn Griffin, the former lord of Ashenford, Thea's grandfather.
Qin Wei stepped forward and gave the customary bow, "Icarus greets Grandfather-in-law."
Vesyrn said nothing. His gaze bore into Qin Wei's form like a sculptor evaluating flawed stone. He didn't return the greeting, nor did his expression soften in the slightest.
"Hmm..."