"The person helped and left without asking for anything in return. I feel rather indebted."
"They refused money, so they must have come for you. That makes me even more worried. People who want money are easier to deal with; those who don't are the hardest to resolve."
Hou Mingzhu's words were all truths, making Ye Tiancheng admire her. He wondered what experiences this woman had endured to become so astute.
"Alright, she didn't mean anything by it. Don't overthink it."
Ye Tiancheng knew in his heart that his words would be useless. Hou Mingzhu was a suspicious person; she would investigate everyone. He estimated that Lin Xue would suffer because of him.
"Whatever you say. As long as you're at ease, I don't really care about other women."
Ye Tiancheng's casual remark hit the mark with Hou Mingzhu. Hearing this, she felt much better. As long as Ye Tiancheng showed no interest in other women, that was exactly what Hou Mingzhu wanted to see.
Hou Mingzhu was temporarily appeased. About two days later, Lin Xue suddenly appeared at the company. Upon arrival, she was immediately turned away by the receptionist.
Previously, it might have been the receptionist's own judgment. But after Hou Mingzhu's visit, she had reiterated that no women were allowed in, especially that beautiful woman from last time.
Therefore, to protect her job, the receptionist had to play it safe and prevent Lin Xue from entering the company.
Lin Xue waited downstairs until noon, finally catching Ye Tiancheng and Xiao Pang as they were leaving for lunch. She then intercepted them at the company entrance.
"Master, no, Brother Ye, I've brought you the姻缘镜子 (Yinyuan Mirror) you mentioned last time."
Lin Xue's sudden appearance was quite unexpected. Ye Tiancheng had actually forgotten about the 姻缘镜子 (Yinyuan Mirror), so he was a bit surprised by her appearance.
Xiao Pang patted Ye Tiancheng's shoulder. "Brother Ye, I'll keep watch. You go ahead."
Ye Tiancheng dared to proceed. He didn't want to draw attention, as this was downstairs and there were likely many of Hou Mingzhu's informants. Ye Tiancheng pulled Lin Xue into a corner for concealment.
After settling her in a relatively safe spot, Ye Tiancheng said anxiously, "Lin Xue, why did you come to the company? You don't know my wife, that tigress. If she knew I was secretly meeting other women, she'd beat me to death with a single blow. So, we need to be careful from now on. Try not to come to the company."
"But I don't know where else to find you. I'm sorry, Brother Ye. I'll be more careful in the future."
Hearing Lin Xue's words, Ye Tiancheng realized he had lost his freedom. Lin Xue had nowhere to find him. If she came to the villa, it would be even more dangerous.
"Lin Xue, it's not your fault. It's all my fault for being a son-in-law. There are so many things I need to be mindful of now."
Lin Xue understood Ye Tiancheng's words and quickly took out the 姻缘镜子 (Yinyuan Mirror) from her embrace, then instructed Ye Tiancheng.
"Brother Ye, this 姻缘镜子 (Yinyuan Mirror) can only be used once. After use, it will disappear on its own. Remember, you can only see your destined marriage in the mirror at midnight."
"Alright, I know. Thank you."
Since Lin Xue had gone to such lengths to deliver the treasure, Ye Tiancheng couldn't be completely ungracious. A thank you was in order.
Li Xue managed a pale smile. "Brother Ye, you don't need to thank me. It's what I should do. If you need anything, just ask me."
After speaking, Lin Xue turned to leave, but Ye Tiancheng felt something was amiss.
Before Lin Xue had taken a few steps, she suddenly fainted. Ye Tiancheng had to carry her out. Bringing a woman back to the company would attract too much attention.
After a moment's thought, Ye Tiancheng decided to take her to a small hotel next to the company.
The main issue was that Ye Tiancheng, who used to be very capable, could quickly determine Lin Xue's injuries. But now, he couldn't.
Ye Tiancheng only saw numerous wounds all over Lin Xue's body. He didn't know the extent of her injuries and couldn't use his inner energy to heal her.
Xiao Pang had accompanied Ye Tiancheng. Together, they settled the unconscious Lin Xue into a private room at the small hotel. "Brother Ye, why don't we take Miss Lin to the hospital? Look at all the injuries on her. I'm afraid the two of us can't handle this."
"It's no use. To heal, it requires inner energy. The hospital won't help Lin Xue, and it might cause panic."
Cultivators were always like this. If they sustained superficial wounds, they could go to the hospital. But if they were injured by inner energy, they couldn't. Going to the hospital would expose all cultivators' secrets and make them public enemies.
This was a strict rule that every cultivator adhered to, never daring to break it.
Xiao Pang didn't understand these things Ye Tiancheng spoke of, only grasping bits and pieces, finding it all quite mystical.
"Brother Ye, are we just going to watch Miss Lin remain unconscious like this? I'm worried about her health. She's so thin, she looks malnourished already."
Ye Tiancheng was also anxious. "I'm out of ideas. What should we do now?"
At this critical moment, he thought of his two good companions. Ye Tiancheng called out to Nuwa Stone and the Great Green Snake in his spiritual consciousness space for a long time, but there was no response. It seemed these two had gone into hiding on their own and wouldn't help Ye Tiancheng anymore.
Ye Tiancheng felt a wave of despair. "Oh, what should we do?"
"Brother Ye, since Miss Lin is unconscious, perhaps I should call a doctor to take a look. No matter what, a doctor's assessment is needed."
As Ye Tiancheng pondered Xiao Pang's suggestion and whether to call a doctor, feeling anxious without anyone to help, the sound of footsteps, specifically high heels, echoed from outside the door. Ye Tiancheng recognized the sound and his heart sank. This was it. Hou Mingzhu must have come to catch him in the act.
Someone must have seen them downstairs at the company and reported it to Hou Mingzhu. He had been too careless.
A few seconds later, Hou Mingzhu pushed the door open, her face filled with rage.
"Good. So it's true. You're really involved with another woman."
Hou Mingzhu had rushed in so quickly that she bumped Xiao Pang, who was standing by the door, into the back of it. So, all she saw were Ye Tiancheng and Lin Xue in the room, with no one else.
When she heard the report, Hou Mingzhu had initially been skeptical, thinking that Ye Tiancheng, having just become Hou family's son-in-law, wouldn't dare to challenge the Hou family's authority.
But now, seeing the scene before her, no matter how much Hou Mingzhu tried to comfort herself, it was useless. The evidence was conclusive, the truth was right before her eyes. Anything Hou Mingzhu said would be self-deception.
At this point, she could only accept her fate. "Ye Tiancheng, if you don't like me, you can just say so. I don't have to keep you by my side. You're having an affair with another woman behind my back. You're not human."
Seeing Ye Tiancheng frozen and speechless, Hou Mingzhu, with her quick tongue, began to interrogate him again.
However, just as she finished speaking, the male Xiao Pang emerged from behind the door, clutching his forehead.
"Sister-in-law, how can you be so strong? You've given me a concussion."
It turned out there was a third person in the room. If this were a real affair, Ye Tiancheng, even with his close bond with Xiao Pang, wouldn't bring him along. This wasn't about being a third wheel; it was about being insane.
At this moment, Hou Mingzhu realized she had overthought things. "Xiao Pang, what's going on? Why is Brother Ye here alone with a woman in a hotel, and why are you with them?"
"Sister-in-law, you must be mistaken. Brother Ye is deeply devoted to you; how could he betray you? This Miss Lin seems to have suffered heatstroke and fainted. Brother Ye and I took the liberty of finding a place for her to rest. Perhaps she didn't sleep well and will be fine after a nap."
Hou Mingzhu, half-believing, walked over to Lin Xue and saw the numerous wounds on her body. Her eyes widened in shock, and she stumbled back several steps.
"Did you two do this to this girl? Are you two not right in the head?"
"Of course, we didn't do it... This is... a form of human art. All the wounds you see are painted. Xiao Pang, take your sister-in-law away first. I'll handle this."
Hou Mingzhu's face had turned pale with fright. Seeing a woman covered in wounds, she imagined many possibilities, the most plausible being that Ye Tiancheng and Xiao Pang were engaged in some unspeakable act.
As long as she could get away, she didn't want to end up lying there, wounded and silent, like the woman before her.
"Okay, Xiao Pang, I'm fine now. Hurry and take sister-in-law away."
This scare was effective. Hou Mingzhu stopped pestering and eagerly let Xiao Pang escort her away.
Now, Ye Tiancheng and Lin Xue were alone in the hotel room. However, Ye Tiancheng still hadn't found a way to save Lin Xue.
Ye Tiancheng couldn't rely on anyone else; he had to rely on himself. His inner energy had almost completely dissipated, with only a small wisp gathered in his dantian, serving to preserve his life.
If Ye Tiancheng lost the last of his inner energy, he would be like an ordinary person when attacked, suffering severe damage, possibly even death.
This small amount of inner energy gathered in his dantian was extremely precious, as it ensured Ye Tiancheng's safety.
However, when Ye Tiancheng realized that Lin Xue's injuries were likely sustained while obtaining the 姻缘镜子 (Yinyuan Mirror) for him, a wave of guilt washed over him.
He regretted telling her about it. Since he no longer intended to see who would be sacrificed for the 姻缘镜子 (Yinyuan Mirror), why trouble Lin Xue to go and snatch it?
As a divine artifact, the 姻缘镜子 (Yinyuan Mirror) must have been guarded by many spirit beasts. Lin Xue's cultivation wasn't very high, so she must have suffered greatly to obtain this treasure for him.
The more Ye Tiancheng thought about it, the more he felt remorseful. Perhaps due to the shock, he managed to gather some inner energy through sheer willpower and attempted to transfer it to Lin Xue.
What was once a simple task had now become as difficult as climbing to heaven. The process was extremely long and painful for Ye Tiancheng, but he had to persevere.
He couldn't just accept favors without offering anything in return. Perhaps if he continued to persist, everything would change.