That day in the secret realm, after spending a long time entangled with Xu Ruanyao, I ended up carrying some of her scent on me. It lingered for several days without fading, which was why Chu Qingyi, with her keen sense of smell, noticed it and confronted me that day.
"Well, I stumbled upon an ancient book with methods for making incense. I had some free time, so I followed the steps and made a few bottles. Surprisingly, the results were quite good. But the ingredients are too expensive—the pocket money my father gives me is barely enough for my daily expenses, let alone supporting my interest in incense-making. So, I probably won't be dabbling in it anymore." At this point, Xu Ruanyao sighed deeply, her expression full of regret.
"I never expected someone as clumsy as you to know how to make incense?" Li Ye glanced at her teasingly, a playful smirk on his face.
"Who's clumsy? I don't know who keeps begging me to hunt demonic beasts with him every time," Xu Ruanyao retorted, rolling her eyes. Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, she quickly added, "Why are you suddenly asking about incense? Oh... I get it. Fairy Qingyi must have smelled another woman's scent on you and argued with you, right? So, did you have to kneel on the washboard when you got home?"
"Enough of that. Why are you, at such a young age, always meddling in adult affairs? You'd be better off using that time to improve your skills. Otherwise, someone might stay stuck at the Innate Qi Refining Realm forever..." Li Ye teased.
"You're the only one who thinks I'm young. I'll be nineteen after the New Year. Girls from ordinary families are already discussing marriage by then. If Sister Qingyi doesn't mind, I'm old enough to marry you!" Xu Ruanyao hated it when people mocked her for her age. In her frustration, the words she had kept hidden in her heart spilled out without a second thought.
"What did you just say?" Li Ye abruptly halted his steps, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"I said, I want to marry..." Thinking he hadn't heard her clearly, Xu Ruanyao repeated her words loudly. But when she saw the serious look on Li Ye's face, she quickly swallowed the rest of her sentence.
"Oh, come on, it was just a joke! Why take it so seriously? Besides, even if you wanted to marry me, I might not agree!" Xu Ruanyao hurriedly changed the subject, laughing it off.
Though she quickly explained it away as a joke, Li Ye still caught a fleeting glimpse of expectation in her eyes.
It would be a lie to say he wasn't moved. The moment she proposed marrying him, just as she had hoped, Li Ye felt the same impulse.
But he couldn't do it.
Although polygamy was common in the Mysterious Mechanism Continent—some empresses even kept countless male consorts in their harems after ascending the throne, and marriage was quite free between men and women—Li Ye, as a married man, bore the responsibility of his family. He couldn't hurt two pure and radiant women like flower buds at the same time.
"You think too highly of yourself. With your tomboyish personality, even if Qingyi didn't mind, I would. By then, even if you wanted to marry me, I wouldn't take you!" Li Ye turned her words back on her, countering her playfully.
"You! How dare you mock me, you big oaf!" Xu Ruanyao's face flushed red with anger, and she stomped her delicate foot fiercely.
"I can't wait to see the day you end up unmarried, hahaha!" Li Ye tossed out the remark before swiftly darting away like oil slicking off the bottom of a pan.
Stand rooted to the spot in a fluster of anger, Xu Ruanyao shouted at his retreating back, "Because of what you just said, if I end up unmarried, I'm blaming you! When that time comes, I'll camp out at your place and never leave!"
...
The two of them, laughing and teasing each other, followed the path to the deliberation hall of the Punishment Division. Before they even stepped inside, they could hear a heated argument brewing.
"This sudden surge in the number of demon beasts is something that hasn't happened in decades. There must be some unknown force manipulating things behind the scenes."
"What force could possibly be controlling them? It's just a bunch of wild animals running amok from their dens and causing trouble."
"I think Brother Zhuo makes a valid point. Although the demon beasts outside the city have low intelligence, their coordinated movements suggest there might indeed be some mysterious force pulling the strings."
"I disagree. Even if someone were controlling them, who in this world could possibly command demon beasts?"
"Enough arguing! This isn't the time for debate. The urgent matter at hand is how to deal with the demon beasts outside the city and ensure the safety of the people."
Xu Zhengfeng's firm and resonant voice cut through the clamor of the arguing Shadow Blades, his words hitting the nail on the head and pinpointing the crux of the issue.
Seeing this, Li Ye and Xu Ruanyao, who had been waiting outside the hall, quickly slipped in through a side door and found seats in a corner, sitting quietly.
"The demon beasts within the city are more intelligent and better at hiding, making them somewhat harder to deal with compared to the lower-level ones outside. I, Ruan Ruan, Shadow Blade Li Ye, and Xu Ruanyao will take responsibility for the beasts in the city. The rest of you, whose spiritual power is weaker, will head outside the city and eliminate the demon beasts as quickly as possible."
The meeting concluded with Xu Zhengfeng's orders. Some of the Shadow Blades who had wanted to say more had no choice but to let it go and follow the others out of the hall.
"How could the Division Head and his wife bear to let a delicate girl like you risk her life like this? If I ever have a daughter in the future, I'd cherish her and protect her with all my heart," Li Ye muttered under his breath to Xu Ruanyao beside him, glancing at the retreating figures of Xu Zhengfeng and Ruan Ruan.
"Hey, my skills are more than enough to handle demon beasts! Besides, I have you with me. They already know we're working together, so they don't worry about my safety at all," Xu Ruanyao replied playfully, blinking her eyes before linking her arm with Li Ye's.
The faint, sweet scent of the girl drifted into Li Ye's nostrils, and the warm, soft sensation of her arm against his, coupled with the occasional brush of her chest against his arm as they walked, sent his heart racing and his mind into a whirl. He couldn't help but recall that day when their nearly naked bodies had pressed tightly together, their hearts beating so fiercely and closer than ever before.
He looked down at Xu Ruanyao, who stood almost twenty centimeters shorter than him, and without even realizing it, his eyes brimmed with deep affection.
The two of them went together to receive their assignment, memorizing the details of the case—the locations where incidents had occurred, the types of demon beasts to capture, and other relevant information. Without a moment's delay, they set off for the areas in the city where the demon beasts had been sighted.
Every mission to capture demon beasts took several days, and this one was no exception. By the time the two returned to the division, covered in dust and exhaustion, five days had already passed.
This demon beast was quite intelligent, no less so than the Devouring Essence Beast from before. Though it was an animal-type demon beast, its strength was at the Earth Tier, low rank, equivalent to a cultivator at the Yin-Yang Convergence stage. Although Li Ye was capable of fighting above his level—holding his own against a cultivator at the early Yin-Yang Convergence stage with his late Three Flowers Gather at the Summit cultivation—his opponent was a cunning demon beast. Not only was its physical strength formidable, but its intelligence was also extraordinary. After several rounds of combat, Li Ye's spiritual energy began to deplete, and he was clearly at a disadvantage.
Seeing that a head-on confrontation was no longer effective, Xu Ruan Yao, who had been hiding in the distance waiting for an opportunity, took out a pre-prepared pouch of medicinal powder and tossed it toward Li Ye.
If not for Li Ye's desire to gain combat experience and improve his strength through every encounter with a demon beast, Xu Ruan Yao would have used her specially concocted powder from the start. After all, it was a treasure she had painstakingly developed, effective at suppressing most demon beasts and capable of catching the enemy off guard in battle.
However, without Li Ye engaging the demon beast head-on and drawing its attention, such an intelligent creature would never have foolishly stood still, waiting to be subdued.
As soon as the powder was released, the previously arrogant demon beast lost all its ferocity, shrinking timidly to the side and allowing a rain of attacks to fall upon it.
Seizing the opportunity, Li Ye quickly summoned a Spirit-Binding Net and successfully captured the beast.
The air was thick with the unique scent emanating from the demon beast, mixed with a faint trace of blood, making both Li Ye and Xu Ruan Yao feel nauseated. After a quick cleanup, they hurriedly left the area.
As they departed, Li Ye failed to notice that Xu Ruan Yao, who was following behind him, had turned pale, her steps unsteady and weak.
Upon returning to the bureau, she exchanged a hurried greeting with Li Ye before retreating to her room, though her complexion appeared noticeably frail.
Li Ye, however, didn't think much of it, assuming she was simply exhausted from their recent travels. After offering a few words of concern, he headed alone to the detention area for demon beasts, handed over the captured creature to the responsible personnel, and then returned to his small room.
With the busy schedule at the Judicature Bureau, Li Ye had no time to return home and had settled into a long-vacant small room within the bureau. He built a simple wooden bed himself and purchased bedding, a washbasin, and other daily necessities. Though the accommodations were humble, it was at least a place to call his own while away from home.
Utterly exhausted, Li Ye lay down fully clothed and was quickly overtaken by deep sleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.
It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky the next day that glaring golden rays streamed through the window, jolting Li Ye awake. He instinctively raised an arm to shield his eyes from the light.
Struggling against his drowsiness, Li Ye dragged his weary body out of bed, washed up briefly, and set out to attend to his duties.
Having left late, he found the Judicature Bureau nearly empty—the other Shadow Blades had already gone out to hunt demon beasts. Only a few elderly women were slowly sweeping the grounds, stirring up clouds of dust with their brooms.
Li Ye quickened his pace, rushing to the archives to file the report on the previous day's demon beast. After waiting for some time, no new assignments were issued, suggesting that the city was peaceful today, with no demon beasts causing trouble.
Though he considered taking advantage of the free time to return home, Li Ye thought it over for a moment and ultimately decided against it.
Every cultivator in the Penal Department was bustling about, and even the cleaning lady remained dutifully at her post without complaint. How could he have the nerve to sneak back home?
After some deliberation, Li Ye decided to delve into the archives to study materials on demonic beasts while waiting for new assignments to be issued.
By the time he pushed the door open again, dusk was approaching.
Gurgle, gurgle...
His stomach protested indignantly. Li Ye patted his long-empty belly and immediately resolved to drag Xu Ruanyao out for a lavish feast.
Action speaks louder than intention. Seizing the moment when no one was around, Li Ye channeled his spiritual energy and hurriedly made his way to the Penal Department's rear courtyard—the residence of Xu Zhengfeng and his family. Outsiders were typically forbidden here, but Li Ye was the only one bold enough to stride in unannounced.
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