When the clamor of slaughter outside the cave finally died down, leaving only the mournful rustling of wind through the treetops, Zhou Kai forced himself to stand.

He looked down at the gruesome wound on his left chest.

“Good thing my foundation is solid… or maybe I’m just thick-skinned,” Zhou Kai grimaced. He mobilized his meager spiritual power, barely suppressing the bleeding, before starting his ‘makeup routine.’

First, he tore his already tattered robes into utter rags, rolling in the dirt to smear them with grime. Then, with a ruthless grit of his teeth, he used his fingers to tear at the scabs forming around the wound’s edges, forcing fresh, bright red blood to ooze out again.

He needed to look disheveled, filthy, and pathetic—like a man who had crawled out of a pile of corpses by sheer dumb luck.

“Acting requires a full set,” he muttered, checking his blurry reflection in a muddy puddle. He nodded with satisfaction. “With this look, even the Academy would hand me an Oscar.”

Hunched over, one hand clutching his chest as if holding his heart in place, he staggered unsteadily toward the Chen family estate.

The eastern sky was beginning to gray; dawn was tearing through the night.

The patrolling guards on the outskirts of the Chen estate jumped when they saw a blood-soaked, zombie-like figure stumbling toward them from the mist.

“Who goes there?!”

“Wait… is that Guest Elder Zhou?”

When they recognized him, their shock doubled.

Zhou Kai acted as if he couldn’t hear them, moving solely on ‘willpower,’ dragging his feet toward his remote courtyard.

He didn’t stop for anyone. He staggered all the way to his gate and pushed it open.

Thud!

The moment he stepped across the threshold, Zhou Kai’s legs ‘gave out.’ He collapsed forward, face-planting into the dirt with practiced precision.

“Husband!”

A heart-wrenching cry rang out.

Chen Ziyi had been in the yard, tidying up strips of dried spirit beast meat. Hearing the noise, she turned just in time to see Zhou Kai, bathed in blood, crash to the ground.

Her face went sheet white. The basket of meat fell from her hands, scattering everywhere.

She practically threw herself at him. Ignoring the filth and gore, she pulled his upper body into her embrace, her voice trembling violently. “Husband! What happened? Who did this to you?!”

Hot tears streamed down her cheeks, dripping onto Zhou Kai’s pale, acting-enhanced face.

Her gaze fell upon the hideous wound on his left chest. It was deep enough to expose the white of his ribs, the flesh curled outward, with faint traces of sharp, metallic Sword Qi still dissipating from it.

Her heart felt like it was being squeezed by an iron hand. The wound was terrifyingly close to his heart.

“It’s… nothing…” Zhou Kai struggled to crack his eyes open, forcing a smile that looked uglier than weeping. “I won’t die yet…”

He coughed weakly, then whispered, “When I came in… I noticed fewer cultivators on patrol. Where is everyone?”

Chen Ziyi wept as she helped him up, half-carrying him into the house. “Young Master Xingze… and the Sixth Elder took nearly half the family’s cultivators and guards away yesterday afternoon. They said they were going to the Desolate Herb Garden to seize an opportunity…”

So that was it!

Zhou Kai’s mind raced. Chen Xingze had taken the manpower away. No wonder there was no response from the Chen family despite the massive commotion he and Shen Hanyi had caused yesterday.

Once inside, Chen Ziyi laid him on the bed and frantically tried to dress the wound, her soft hands shaking.

Zhou Kai suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.

His hand was cold, clammy with blood loss, yet his grip was undeniably firm.

“Ziyi…” Zhou Kai’s breath was shallow, but his eyes burned with an unusual intensity. “My ten-year spiritual contract with the Chen family… it is about to expire.”

Chen Ziyi’s body trembled. She stopped moving.

“When I signed that contract, the agreement was clear. If I could break through to the mid-stage of Qi Condensation within ten years, I could repay the resources they provided and redeem my freedom,” Zhou Kai said, his voice laced with bitterness and self-mockery. “If not… I have to sign a Death Contract. I would become breeding stock, expanding the Chen lineage for generations, a slave in all but name.”

A Death Contract.

It meant losing one’s self completely. Life, death, honor, and disgrace would no longer be in his hands. He would be a tool until he died.

“Ziyi,” Zhou Kai said, his gaze softening, probing her soul. “If I can regain my freedom… if I leave the Chen family to become a Loose Cultivator, drifting with the wind, with no guarantee of safety or tomorrow… would you be willing to follow me?”

His eyes were complex—filled with feigned anxiety, but deep down, a cold calculation watched her reaction.

Without a hesitation—not even for a heartbeat—Chen Ziyi grabbed his hand and pressed it to her cheek. Her eyes were firm, blazing with loyalty.

“Husband! Wherever you go—whether to a paradise or a pit of fire—I vow to follow you unto death!”

She came from a distant, impoverished branch of the Chen family. Her status was low, her life previously meaningless. If she hadn’t been assigned as a Concubine to Zhou Kai, her fate would have been wretched.

She had no loyalty to the Chen clan.

Zhou Kai—this man who, despite his low cultivation, had treated her with kindness and given her a home—was her entire world. He was her sky.

“I don’t care about the Chen family! I only care about you!” She sobbed, burying her face in his neck, her tears wetting his collar. “If you leave, I will wander the ends of the earth with you! If you stay… I will stay and suffer with you!”

Something gently stirred within Zhou Kai’s chest.

Even a heart made of stone and street-smarts would crack slightly at this. His initial motive had been to test her utility, to see if she was worth keeping or discarding.

But Chen Ziyi’s feelings were raw, untainted, and heavy.

“The System’s Affection rating really doesn’t lie,” he thought.

[Ding! Chen Ziyi Affection +2] [Target: Chen Ziyi (Mortal)] [Current Affection: 92 (Unwavering Love)]

The System prompt chimed in his mind. An almost imperceptible curve lifted the corner of Zhou Kai’s mouth, quickly masked by a convulsion of pain.

“Good… good.”

He reached up and gently patted the back of her hand, soothing her. The atmosphere in the room grew heavy with emotion, the bond between them thickening into something tangible.

But the moment was shattered before it could deepen.

Thump, thump, thump.

Hurried yet steady footsteps echoed from outside the courtyard walls, abrupt and rude.

“Is Guest Elder Zhou present?”

Chen Ziyi’s expression changed instantly. She wiped her tears, standing up to shield the bed, her body trembling but resolute.

Two middle-aged men dressed in the robes of Chen Family Deacons strode into the room without waiting for an invitation. Their eyes swept the interior judgmentally before settling on the bloodied figure half-reclining on the bed.

“Guest Elder Zhou must have been frightened.”

One of the Deacons spoke with a feigned smile that didn’t reach his eyes. It was the smile of a bureaucrat dealing with a nuisance. ” The Patriarch and the Fifth Elder heard you returned after being attacked. They are ‘deeply concerned.’ They have ordered us to escort you immediately to the Council Hall to provide a detailed account.”

Zhou Kai’s heart tightened. Here it comes.

Chen Ziyi stepped forward, blocking their view. “My lords, my husband is severely injured. He can barely move! Please, report to the Patriarch and ask if this can wait until he recovers slightly…”

“How dare you!” the other Deacon barked, his pressure flaring. “When the Patriarch summons, how dare a mere Concubine interfere? Step aside! Guest Elder Zhou, if you please!”

“Ziyi, do not be rude,” Zhou Kai wheezed, struggling to sit up.

His heart was cold, his mind sharpening like a blade. He knew this interrogation would determine whether he lived or died today.

Supported by a weeping Chen Ziyi, the journey to the Council Hall felt exceptionally long. Every step left a bloody footprint.

Inside the grand hall, the atmosphere was stifling.

Seated high above was the Patriarch, Chen Rulong, looking calm and composed. Below him sat the Fifth Elder, Chen Heming, a man known for his sharp eyes and suspicious nature.

“Guest Elder Zhou, please sit,” Chen Rulong said, pointing to a wooden chair in the center of the floor, like a witness stand.

Zhou Kai expressed his thanks and, supported by Ziyi, trembled as he sat down. His breathing was ragged, as if he might expire at any second.

Chen Heming stood up immediately. “This old man knows a little about medicine. Allow me to examine the injury.”

He didn’t wait for permission. He walked over, extending two thin, bony fingers. The tips glowed with a wisp of spiritual light as he probed directly into Zhou Kai’s open wound.

“Mmph!”

A groan of genuine agony escaped Zhou Kai’s clenched teeth. His body shook violently. The Elder wasn’t being gentle; he was digging around to check the nature of the energy residue.

“Elder!” Chen Ziyi exclaimed, her eyes red.

Chen Heming ignored her completely. His spiritual light flickered deep within the torn flesh.

“Fifth Elder, how is it?” Chen Rulong asked from the throne.

Chen Heming withdrew his bloody fingers, his expression grave. “The injury is extremely severe. It went deep enough to graze the internal organs and barely missed the heart meridian. Moreover…”

He paused, glancing at Zhou Kai with a flicker of surprise.

“Within the wound, there remains a strand of extremely pure, domineering Sword Qi. It is exceptionally sharp, continuously destroying his vitality. If not for Guest Elder Zhou’s… surprisingly solid foundation, and the fact that the attacker seemingly spared him a final killing blow by a hair’s breadth, he would be dead already.”

Zhou Kai mentally let out a breath. Passed the first check.

“Guest Elder Zhou,” Chen Rulong said, his gaze piercing like a torch. “What exactly happened? Fellow Daoists Chen Ping and Chen An accompanied you. Where are they?”

Zhou Kai took a ragged breath and began his performance.

His voice was intermittent, filled with weakness and lingering terror as he vividly described how he had “loyally devoted himself” and “fearlessly risked life and limb” to track Shen Hanyi.

“We… we unfortunately encountered that baleful star,” Zhou Kai rasped. “That Shen Hanyi… cough cough… she is truly worthy of being the Lone Goose Palace’s prodigy! Her sword skills are divine! Her strength far exceeds the rumors!”

He looked up, eyes wide with feigned trauma. “Fellow Daoists Chen Ping and Chen An joined forces to besiege her, but… they were no match! She was like a female Asura!”

He exaggerated Shen Hanyi’s strength severalfold, portraying her as a slaughter deity descended to earth.

“Fellow Daoist Chen Ping was instantly beheaded! Chen An… he tried to run, but…” Zhou Kai shuddered. “I only survived because I played dead in a ditch after taking this strike!”