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Qin Yuan escorted Ye Ruxue to their shared dormitory room, held her in his arms, and said a few tender words before going to the study next to the dormitory to handle some political affairs.

After seeing Qin Yuan enter the study next door, Ye Ruxue dismissed the maids in the bedroom, leaving them to stand outside the door. She herself casually picked up a book and began to read it in front of the carved window that had been opened.

Lin Shi floated lightly to her seat on the back of the stool opposite Ye Ruxue. Her figure and aura were concealed from ordinary mortals, only revealing them to Ye Ruxue.

Of course, what Lin Shi didn't know was that Qin Yuan in the study next door paused as soon as Lin Shi appeared before Ye Ruxue, staring at the scroll in front of him. His gaze instantly turned serious, yet he still tried to remain relaxed in his posture and aura. Behind him stood several guards, but they stood expressionless, completely unaware of anything amiss.

"Ye Ruxue, it's been ten years! I never imagined you'd become the wife of the city lord of a major city in the mortal world." Lin Shi said casually and naturally as soon as she sat down opposite Ye Ruxue. She placed a protective barrier around them to block their voices from escaping, but didn't bother with telepathy.

“Danmeng, it has indeed been a long time since we last met. Are you here to keep our ten-year promise?” Upon hearing this, Ye Ruxue put down the book in her hand. She carefully examined Lin Shi’s face and found that the woman opposite her was still as beautiful as ever, but Lin Shi’s abundant energy clearly indicated that her cultivation had returned to the perfect Golden Core stage.

Lin Shi looked at Ye Ruxue, her expression unreadable. She quickly replied, "Yes."

Ye Ruxue then asked, "Your cultivation has recovered to the peak of the Golden Core stage, and you will ascend again within one or two years, is that right?"

Lin Shi stared intently at Ye Ruxue's expression. She replied casually, "Yes. But it seems your cultivation hasn't been repaired much; you're still at the early Golden Core stage. Are you perhaps going to give up your ascension to the Upper Realm for a man in the mortal world?" Her tone at the end carried a hint of probing and disappointment.

Ye Ruxue avoided Lin Shi's sharp gaze, lowered her head, and remained silent. After a while, she looked up again, met Lin Shi's eyes, and cautiously replied, "No, not at all. I just haven't decided yet."

Lin Shi's face began to show a hint of disappointment and anger. She couldn't help but press her questioningly, "Do you really like Qin Yuan, the city lord of Qinglong City, that much? Do you like him so much that you've given up your childhood dream of pursuing immortality?"

Ye Ruxue frowned. She said hesitantly, "I really like Qin Yuan, but I'm not sure if I'll truly give up my pursuit of immortality because of him. Danmeng, I'm confused. I really can't let him go, but staying in the Blessed Heaven Small World until my lifespan runs out isn't the life I want."

Lin Shi stared at Ye Ruxue's face for a long time, then pondered for a while before regaining her composure and asking curiously, "How did you two meet?"

Ye Ruxue couldn't help but recall the past. A sweet smile appeared on her face, but when she met Lin Shi's calm and understanding gaze, she suppressed her true emotions. She said as calmly as possible, "Ten years ago, when I was preparing to find a place to retreat and heal my injuries, I accidentally saved his life. Since then, I have been with him and we have even become husband and wife."

Lin Shi's expression was indifferent. She said, "Oh, I see. So, in these past ten years, you basically haven't had time for secluded cultivation to recover your cultivation level, right?"

Ye Ruxue felt a little uncomfortable, but still answered honestly, "Yes."

Lin Shi looked intently into Ye Ruxue's eyes and slowly said, "When I entered Qinglong City today, I heard the people discussing it animatedly. Besides praising Qin Yuan's achievements and discussing his less-than-ideal childhood, they lamented that you, the city lord's wife, haven't yet borne him any children, causing some smaller cities to stir and plot to usurp the throne. For most men in the mortal world, marriage is about procreation and procreation. Offspring are of paramount importance to them. In the cultivation world, a couple with even one child is considered fortunate; they don't necessarily insist on a son. But..." In the mortal world, regardless of wealth, at least ninety-nine out of a hundred men require a son, and often more than one son as heir. Of the five major cities in the Blessed Heaven Small World, only Qin Yuan, the city lord of Azure Dragon City, currently has no children and only one wife. The other four city lords, the male lords, have several wives and concubines, and the female city lords have husbands and several male concubines. If you and Qin Yuan have no children in this lifetime, what will you do? Do you believe that even if you never have children, he will remain devoted to you, loving you until old age, and will not take any other women into his household to continue the family line?”

Ye Ruxue frowned, her voice slightly downcast. She said, "I'm not that confident."

Lin Shi quickly and sharply replied, "But you still fantasize that he will love you until you grow old together, and you are considering giving up ascending to the upper realm for him and no longer pursuing the dream of immortality."

Ye Ruxue frowned, looked at Lin Shi, and couldn't help but argue, "I really haven't thought it through yet."

Lin Shi: "How long do you plan to consider this? For ordinary mortals, a lifespan of eighty to one hundred years is considered very long. In the Blessed Heaven Small World, many mortals die in their thirties or fifties. Qin Yuan is already twenty-nine years old this year. Assuming he can live to his eightieth birthday, he only has fifty-one years left. Are you planning to accompany him until he dies of old age, and then continue your cultivation to ascend to the Upper Realm?"

Ye Ruxue: "This is not a bad choice. If I ascend to the upper realm with you in the next year or two, I will definitely not be able to overcome the inner demons caused by the tribulation of love. But staying in the Blessed Heaven Small World forever is not what I want either."

Lin Shi: "Can't we let him cultivate together, and then ascend to the Upper Realm together when he reaches the Nascent Soul stage? You definitely can't take him with you now. Even if you could take him to the Upper Realm, he doesn't have much cultivation. Once he ascends to the Upper Realm, he will immediately fall to the lowest level, which is far from his current status as the lord of a city. He will definitely resent you in the future."

Ye Ruxue: "We need to discuss that with him, and see how much effort he puts into cultivation. If he can ascend to the upper realm with us, that would be the best outcome."

Lin Shi: "Then why don't you just test his cultivation talent?"

Ye Ruxue: "I've already tested him. He does have good talent for cultivation, but he doesn't really believe in cultivation. After all, the Blessed Heaven Small World has been around for at least two thousand years, and no cultivator has ascended to immortality. Whether it's Qin Yuan or the city lords of other cities, they all treat cultivation techniques as martial arts secrets, but they've only reached the Foundation Establishment stage. Golden Core stage cultivators are almost nowhere to be seen. In the past few years, Qin Yuan has been fighting in the north and south, and he's been away all day. I haven't had a suitable opportunity to talk to him about cultivation, let alone persuade him to cultivate immortality."

Lin Shi's tone softened considerably: "Then why don't you use the Mirror of the Mind to see his hidden secrets and understand his true thoughts?"

Ye Ruxue frowned again: "My aptitude for array crafting isn't very good, and I can't craft a Heart Mirror on my own yet. Do you have a Heart Mirror?"

Lin Shi raised an eyebrow and immediately said, "Yes, I can give you one." She then took out a miniature mirror from her storage ring and handed it to Ye Ruxue.

Ye Ruxue immediately took the Heart Mirror and concealed it within her storage ring. She continued, "Alright, I'll let him see his true thoughts another day. Also, could you help me set up an illusion array?"

Lin Shi: "What illusion array?"

Ye Ruxue: "Qin Yuan always felt that we met too late, and that if we had known each other since childhood and grown up together, we could have stayed together for a longer time. I wanted to help him fulfill this dream. After this idea was fulfilled, I also gave birth to a pair of twins in my womb, and after they turned one year old, I could continue to work hard to cultivate and ascend to the upper realm as soon as possible."

Lin Shi stared in surprise, her eyes wide: "You're pregnant now? You were originally a high-level cultivator, and you're much older than Qin Yuan. Logically speaking, you shouldn't be able to have children with him. How can you still be pregnant? Unless you destroyed your golden core, causing your cultivation to drop to the Foundation Establishment stage, and used your own merits to exchange for the opportunity to have children."

Ye Ruxue quickly explained, "I didn't destroy my golden core, but the Dream Heaven Small World has a secret technique that can split the golden core into at least nine parts, allowing me to disguise myself as a low-level cultivator and then exchange merit for offspring. You should know about this secret technique, right?"

Lin Shi calmed down a bit. She said calmly, "I did know, but I didn't expect you to go to this extent. Your older sister has a good talent for cultivation, but she is preoccupied with love and her cultivation progress is slow. However, her husband and Daoist partner is her senior brother whom she grew up with. The two are deeply in love and have never given up on ascending to the upper realm. I originally thought that you were like me, disapproving of female cultivators who were preoccupied with love and wasted their cultivation talent, but I didn't expect that we are not on the same path, while you and your older sister are truly on the same path."

Upon hearing this, Ye Ruxue immediately and sincerely said, "I'm sorry!"

Lin Shi stared into Ye Ruxue's eyes, her expression revealing a deep-seated sorrow and a sense of disappointment. She said, "Alas, seeing you sitting in the open carriage today, with the City Lord of Qinglong City beside you, made me feel uneasy. When I heard you hesitate, unsure whether to continue your ascension to the Upper Realm, I felt my heart break. Your consideration of choosing a mortal man and giving up the path of cultivation to pursue immortality makes me feel like I've permanently lost a family member or lover. This feeling is like being powerless to help you, causing you to be turned into a puppet by evil cultivators—it's extremely painful!"

Lin Shi's sorrow, like a colorless and odorless cloud, instantly enveloped the entire City Lord's Mansion in Qinglong City. The guards and maids within the mansion inexplicably sensed the intense sadness, then felt a cool sensation on their eyes and cheeks. They wiped their faces, finding them covered in tears. They were immediately alarmed, hastily and secretly wiping away their tears. Afterward, they looked around furtively, worried that others would notice their distress.

Seeing this, Ye Ruxue couldn't help but remind him, "Lin Shi, the guards and maids in the manor can't resist your emotional influence."

Lin Shi replied, "I know." As soon as she finished speaking, she immediately suppressed all her emotions, no longer letting them affect others. She regained her calm demeanor and looked at Ye Ruxue.

Ye Ruxue looked a little flustered. She cautiously said to Lin Shi, "Lin Shi, you and I are partners who have signed a soul contract. Although there are some male cultivators who become Daoist partners and some female cultivators who become Daoist partners in the cultivation world, I may not be able to accept your feelings."

Lin Shi couldn't help but feel speechless. She said somewhat angrily, "You've got it wrong. I don't have any romantic feelings for you. I'm just saddened and upset about losing such an excellent female cultivator companion. Apart from my fellow disciples, it's hard for me to find other like-minded and compatible cultivator companions. It's just a pity."

Ye Ruxue: "...Danmeng, we can still continue to cooperate. After I ascend to the upper realm again, it will be a few decades at most, and then we can continue to cooperate. If you ascend again and encounter cultivators from the Lower Realm Cultivator Hunting Alliance, you can return to the Futian Small World through the ascension passage and drag the cultivators from the Lower Realm Cultivator Hunting Alliance to the Futian Small World to fight back. At that time, I will do my best to help you."

Lin Shi was silent for a moment before replying, "Alright then. When do you need the illusion array you mentioned?"

Seeing that Lin Shi had changed the subject, Ye Ruxue breathed a sigh of relief. She immediately said, "Hurry up. Don't leave yet. I'll have Qin Yuan look in the Mirror of the Heart to see his true thoughts. After you've read through his innermost thoughts, please create an illusion array for him according to his inner desires to fulfill his obsession."

Lin Shi nodded: "Okay."

After the two finished speaking, Ye Ruxue went into the inner room.

Lin Shi followed her naturally into her inner bedroom. Besides the canopy bed in the center, the daybed in the corner, and the chaise lounge, Lin Shi saw countless jewelry boxes neatly arranged on rosewood shelves in Ye Ruxue's spacious bedroom. Her dressing table was also casually adorned with gold hairpins, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and other jewelry. Several sandalwood wardrobes were filled with neatly arranged, luxurious women's clothing. A bright red women's outer robe was currently displayed on a lacquered clothes rack with cloud and thunder patterns.

Lin Shi watched as Ye Ruxue changed out of her black and gold outer robe, wearing only a pure white inner garment, and then put on a bright red outer robe. Afterward, she changed her hairstyle from the Nine-Ring Immortal Bun to a more ordinary Flying Heaven Bun, and replaced her ordinary phoenix hairpins, gold hairpins, gold hair ornaments, and other gold jewelry with ordinary silver hairpins disguised as magical artifacts, paired with an extremely delicate silver semi-circular lotus crown. Only after she finished changing her attire did Lin Shi feel that Ye Ruxue finally possessed the ethereal, otherworldly beauty she once knew.