Chapter 284 – The Weaponsmithing Contest, Masters Showing Their Flair - Part 3
Li Yuan still couldn’t read the true situation on the front line—only that it was seesawing—and at last he made up his mind.
Training for his son turned brutal.
That same day he accepted the two beast taming secret art manuals personally delivered by the Jing Patriarch, and was on his way to the Vine Pavilion when a familiar yet foreign face appeared outside his door.
Black robes, graceful and mysterious, a pale‑pink blossom sewn at the collar. She had a petite frame and bright eyes, yet those eyes no longer cowered. They blazed with a queen’s ferocity, as though she looked down from a throne.
She was the same height as before, yet somehow always seemed to be staring down at him—an aura even more commanding than the Yin Consort’s nobility.
“Shuixiang, you’ve returned,” Li Yuan said, but asked nothing more. Jing Shuixiang belonged to the Holy Tree Temple; she would never leave with him.
“Husband.” She softened her voice, imitating the tone she once used. “I’m sorry for vanishing so long... Some things happened.” She paused. “I’ve broken through to fifth rank.”
Li Yuan glanced at the numbers hovering beside her—1,260~1,350—well above the previous 950~1,000.
Cui Wuji himself hovered around 1,480~3,010; for a fresh breakthrough, her spread was impressive. The low ceiling, he guessed, came from lacking a personal spirit artifact.
When Li Yuan stayed silent, Jing Shuixiang stepped closer. “You haven’t taken care of yourself while I was gone. So much hair’s turned white,” she said, the way a ruler might show concern for a favored subject.
“What happened?” Li Yuan asked deliberately.
Jing Shuixiang slipped her arm through Li Yuan’s and quietly recounted everything that had happened.