In early summer, Zhan Xinjia and Xiao Shen, who had asked for leave, returned to Linshui Village.

Although Linshui Village is quite far from the capital, one still needs to go back to offer incense to one's parents for such an important marriage.

Upon her return to the village, Zhan Xinjia was greeted with a grand feast that lasted for several days. Her seemingly bottomless appetite successfully caused a subtle shift in the way the village women looked at her…

"Oh my good child!! He can eat eight bowls in one meal! My goodness, it's so delightful to watch!"

"That's right, she's not picky about food at all. She eats all the food in her bowl obediently. It's so satisfying to watch her eat. I wish my child could eat like that."

"He should eat more. Look how thin he is, like a piece of paper. He'll suffer a lot if he has children in the future."

Upon hearing this, Zhan Xinjia paused in his shoveling of rice, then looked up blankly.

Her mind went blank for a moment. She was about to organize her thoughts and explain something when Master Shen, who was drinking tea after the meal, interrupted the gossiping women in a gentle voice.

The young man, holding a teacup, was refined and gentle, still retaining the smiling demeanor of a scholar.

"We don't plan to have children."

This was something Shen Suqing had decided on long ago.

Anyway, Ah Zhi doesn't really like children, and his parents-in-law said they didn't care. So even if there was only a one in ten thousand chance of danger, he wouldn't let her do it.

For Shen Suqing, Azhi was his life, and he would never allow her to be hurt or put in any danger.

Besides, having one child like Azhi is enough for me. As for carrying on the family line or continuing the ancestral worship, so be it if it ends. What's so important about such ethereal things as my beloved who is alive in this world?

For this reason, Shen Suqing had actually taken a male contraceptive medicine in secret long ago.

Even if people gossip in the future, he can openly admit that he has a hidden illness that prevents him from having children, which is why he is a burden to Azhi.

At that time, all the gossip will be directed at him.

Hearing Shen Suqing's serious words, the villagers were stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter again. The atmosphere was not at all stagnant or awkward; on the contrary, it was even more lively than before, with laughter constantly erupting.

"Oh my, Er Gou really dotes on his wife."

"That's true. As long as the couple is happy, what does it matter whether they have children or not?"

"I've watched Shen Ergou grow up since he was a child!"

...

So the two of them were then forced to eat at feasts by the enthusiastic villagers for another four or five days. Even Zhan Xinjia, a glutton, was stuffed. On the sixth day, she finally escaped the terrifying Linshui Village with Lord Shen.

When the two of them arrived, the village's biosphere was devastated; everything that flew in the sky, ran on the ground, and swam in the river suffered a terrible fate.

If we don't run now, all the pigs in the village will be slaughtered!

After clearing the weeds and offering incense at their parents' graves, the two of them should theoretically return to the capital immediately. However, since they had come out for a while and were just idling around anyway, they might as well visit the Sanqing Temple.

The Taoist temple was simple and quiet, just as Shen Suqing remembered. The old abbot who had taken him in and cared for him was still alive, and his fellow disciples were still living a carefree life, living a secluded life away from the world.

The kind old Taoist priest with a goatee smiled and patted Zhan Xinjia's head, saying "good" several times.

"Since you're here, why don't you stay in the backyard for a while? There's no rush to leave. It just so happens that Lei Zu's birthday is coming up soon, and the temple will hold a celebration ceremony. Su Qing can stay and help out."

Thus, Zhan Xinjia had the good fortune to meet the twenty-three-year-old Taoist Master Shen.

The young man changed back into his dark blue, wide-sleeved Taoist robe. On weekdays, he would join his fellow disciples in morning and evening prayers, chanting scriptures, meditating in stillness, and receiving worshippers in the temple.

Although he became increasingly busy and had less time to spend with her, Zhan Xinjia found these days not boring.

Being able to quietly stay by his side gave her a sense of simple, warm happiness, and carefree joy.

"Attain utmost emptiness, hold fast to stillness, and all things arise together; I observe their return..."

On a leisurely afternoon, the faint sound of Master Shen reciting the Tao Te Ching could be heard from inside the Sanqing Hall, which was extremely hypnotic.

The clear, deep sound, like that of an ancient zither, dispelled some of the summer heat.

So sleepy…

Zhan Xinjia lazily leaned against a low peach tree branch in the inner courtyard of the temple, dozing off. The breeze that brushed her cheeks was cool, and her loose black hair cascaded down under the tree, while her skirt swayed in the wind like lush green branches.

Leisurely and at ease.

Fragments of golden light shone through the gaps in the leaves, dappling her eyelids. Lulled by the sounds of scriptures and cicadas, she closed her eyes.

I don't know how long I slept.

In a daze, a cool hand touched her cheek.

Zhan Xinjia opened her eyes groggily, her eyes still misty with sleepiness. She yawned and saw that Master Shen had silently appeared in front of her, looking down at her expressionlessly with his brows slightly furrowed, as if he were deep in thought.

He was already slender and tall, with a back as straight as bamboo. Wearing this solemn Taoist robe, he appeared even more aloof, like a white crane in a cold pool, exuding a sacred and ascetic feeling that could only be admired from afar and not touched.

The gaze directed at her was like a clear spring, calm and silent, yet it carried an indescribable chilling eeriness.

Does Master Shen seem angry?

But she didn't cause any trouble today. Zhan Xinjia was stunned for a while, rubbed her eyes in confusion, and called out to him softly.

"...Young Master Shen?"

"Are you sleepy? It's too bright in the sunlight here. Let's go back to our room."

His voice was very cold, and there was no discernible emotion in it.

Zhan Xinjia, who was always carefree, didn't mind. He leaned his head against the peach tree trunk and lazily yawned again.

She was about to say that she wasn't sleepy anymore when, in the next moment, the young man had already gently lifted her down from the low branch of the peach tree, his arms firmly supporting her knees.

He kept his eyes straight ahead, his face expressionless, and calmly carried her straight towards the inner courtyard of the back mountain.

Zhan Xinjia was startled awake and nervously looked around. Like a thief, he covered his face with his hands and buried his head in his clothes, which were stained with the sandalwood scent of the palace.

"Put me down! I can walk by myself. Oh, why are you so sticky? It would be bad if someone saw us..."

Shen Suqing glanced down at her from his high position, ignoring her completely. His gloomy face conveyed the chilling feeling of an impending storm.

Fortunately, Sanqing Temple is located on a mountaintop, so it is quiet and secluded, and there are usually not many worshippers. At this time of midday in the height of summer, the other Taoist priests have also gone to cool off and relax. Otherwise, Zhan Xinjia would have been too ashamed to show his face.

When she returned to her room, she thought that the young Taoist priest would leave after carrying her back, but things started to take a strange turn...

A large swath of warm yellow sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating the room brightly, with a golden, shimmering light floating in the air.

She bit her crimson lower lip, her eyes misty and brimming with tears, sobbing uncontrollably. Her flushed face was covered in cool, clear tears, which pitifully slid down her cheeks and neck into her open collar, soaking a large area.

"Can you please go away... Nobody does this every day..."

Even the voices of accusation and denunciation were tinged with sobs, almost entirely breathy and weak, lacking any deterrent power.

The serious-looking Taoist priest, Xiao Shen, calmly raised his head from under his skirt.

It was still that handsome face, with a faint chill between his brows, and a confused, hazy look in his eyes, revealing an unpredictable malice.

His black hair was completely disheveled, his head was slightly tilted back, his Adam's apple bobbed, his long eyelashes were lazily lowered, his phoenix eyes were half closed, his posture was elegant and noble, and his slender white fingers slowly wiped away the water droplets on his face, and then slowly and deliberately licked them clean one by one.

From Zhan Xinjia's perspective, his slightly narrowed phoenix eyes were long and narrow, and the dark waves surging in his slightly moist eyes were unfathomable.

Nevertheless, he remained impeccably dressed, his tightly pulled-back collar perfectly in place, exuding a solemn and dignified air.

"I just heard from Brother Lin that while I was away interpreting fortune sticks for worshippers this morning, a young man who came to the temple to offer incense struck up a conversation with my husband. I wonder what they talked about? Could I listen in?"

Zhan Xinjia's heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly explained, "But I already told you I have a husband!"

"oh?"

He still didn't seem satisfied with this answer.

Or perhaps he doesn't know what would satisfy him, so he continues to act as he pleases.

The sunlight clinging to the window frame gradually sank in the west, then tinged with an extremely vibrant crimson glow, as dusk approached.

Zhan Xinjia was in a daze, a few broken and incoherent syllables escaping from her throat. Her unfocused pupils stared blankly at the sliver of sunset light on the window, but even this slight distraction was not allowed.

The fingers gripping her wrist tightened inch by inch, and someone lowered their head to bite her neck angrily, forcing her to be serious.

As the sky gradually darkened and a few scattered stars began to appear, she, recovering from the terrifying wave of disorientation, broke down and helplessly begged for mercy again, her voice trembling and hoarse.

"Master Shen, Master Shen... I was wrong, I'll never talk to anyone again, please forgive me... Please, no, I'm really going to die..."

The young man responded with a muffled laugh, his voice low and rising at the end, deliberately lowered and close to her ear, sending a tingling sensation from her tailbone down to her lower back.

He slowly propped himself up, tilted his head, and leisurely twirled a strand of her sweaty black hair around his fingertips.

His thin lips curled into a smile, utterly wicked.

"What should we do? It seems like our Ah Zhi is going to die."

Upon hearing his gloomy tone, Zhan Xinjia trembled with fear. Ignoring everything else, her survival instinct compelled her to hastily pick up the clothes beside her. Shaking, she mustered her remaining strength and staggered out, inching her way with her knees as she tried to escape.

The young man's eyes darkened, and he grabbed her tightly, adopting the demeanor of a strict teacher and sternly reprimanding her.

"Wasn't the lesson learned from trying to escape last time enough? If you had just learned your lesson, you wouldn't have caused your husband so much trouble!"

Zhan Xinjia trembled, stammered a few times, and didn't dare to say a word.

After a moment, he slowly released his hand from her waist, and she continued to move away subtly.

At least every time she barely managed to crawl a few steps out, he would grab her waist and forcibly pull her back. This happened several times, making it seem as if he was indulging in a perverse sense of humor, deliberately teasing and bullying her.

Zhan Xinjia was so weak that she couldn't even breathe properly; she just kept crying, but she had already cried all her tears out by the end of the afternoon.

"You can't do this... You can't do this... Yesterday it was the same, the day before yesterday it was the same, the day before that it was the same, you can find a new reason every day... I, I don't want to be with you anymore."

The little girl was extremely upset.

Clearly, this remark touched a nerve with Master Shen.

"If you won't be friends with me, then who does Azhi want to be friends with?"

He held her firmly in his arms, lifting her chin with his knuckles and forcing her to look up at him.

His low, sinister tone was laced with gritted teeth, and his once clear, cold eyes were now filled with a mixture of confusion and emotion, a suppressed, obsessive anger, like a deep, unfathomable abyss.

"Hmm? Why are you not saying anything? If you can't give a clear answer, you can forget about leaving today."

Zhan Xinjia was speechless for a moment, and nestled in his arms, feeling wronged.

She couldn't understand why the usually easy-to-please Taoist priest Shen would become so stubborn at times like this. In order not to be played with by him, she could only obediently submit to him, her soft cheeks, covered in sweat and still wet with pitiful tears, rubbing against his broad shoulder in a pleading manner.

"I only want to be with you... I don't want anyone else, and there's no one else. Waaah, you can't just imagine someone else being jealous every time, can you?"

In fact, this is what Shen Suqing does most often.

Even after marrying Azhi, he would still be tormented by anxiety, and would still feel inferior, sensitive, and insecure. Perhaps these long-standing emotional problems could not be cured in a short time, but at least she was by his side.

His heart softened, and Shen Suqing bent down to kiss her eyebrows and eyes, tenderly licking away the tears on her face.

"Say some nice things, and I'll let you off the hook."

Upon hearing this, Zhan Xinjia felt as if she had been granted a pardon. Overjoyed, she immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and sweetly cuddled, calling him "husband" repeatedly. She stopped dodging and struggling, obediently letting him do as he pleased.

Little did he know that this submissive and adorable demeanor only fueled a deeper malice in the otherwise serious Taoist priest, Xiao Shen.

Looking at the bright moon hanging high outside the window, Zhan Xinjia's mind was a mess, wondering why this person kept talking and coaxing her.

But at least the goal of eliminating the perpetrators has been achieved.

It was another leisurely afternoon, with the cicadas chirping noisily. My gossipy fellow apprentices gathered around, laughing and winking.

"Hehe, Suqing, huh? I haven't seen your wife these past few days."

The young man turned another page of the "Qingjing Jing" (Classic of Purity and Tranquility), smiled faintly, his face serene and refined, as proper as could be.

"She has always been afraid of the heat, so she probably found a cool place to rest and take a nap. I apologize to all of you fellow disciples for making this a laughing matter."

After a few jokes, everyone dispersed. After finishing his evening lessons, Shen Suqing returned to the backyard and opened the door. The weak and powerless little girl was still drowsy and asleep in his outer robe. When she saw him come in, she was startled awake and rubbed her eyes in a daze. Her eyelashes trembled with grievance, and she was about to start crying again.

He lovingly wiped away her trembling tears with his fingers, and gently and meticulously kissed her cheeks again and again.

Shen Suqing gently coaxed her.

"Sweetie, let your husband feed you first."

After dinner, she naturally had to continue disciplining the child to prevent her from chatting and laughing with some young man during the day when he was not paying attention to her. Now, she only needed to stay in her room and catch up on sleep during the day and wait for him to come back in the evening, so as not to drive him crazy with jealousy and anxiety.

He thought he really liked these kinds of days.