It Turns Out The Master's Wife Is Actually Me [GL] - Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Cheng Fu was momentarily stunned by Yan Li’s words, her mind reeling.

Master entered the realm specifically for me?

She couldn’t quite parse the sensation blooming in her chest, feeling only a numbing shiver dance across her skin. Her voice trembled slightly, a tempest raging beneath her skin even as she maintained a facade of calm. Is Master worried about me?

The moment the words left her lips, Yan Li’s pupils flickered. A rare, strange emotion rippled across her cold, fair features, transforming her usual icy demeanor into something entirely different.

An inexplicable atmosphere filled the modest guest room. Outside the window, the morning light filtered in, creating a hazy, soft warmth. Cheng Fu’s heart blazed, hammering against her ribs so hard her ears flushed a deep crimson.

She couldn’t stop her thoughts from wandering. She knew this was a celestial being, someone beyond desecration, yet she felt a desperate urge to gather that flame into her arms to let her own shadow stain the frost-covered eyes of this immortal.

Delusion.

Her soft yet frosty delusion looked up at that moment and gave an almost imperceptible nod.

Cheng Fu took a sharp, deep breath, averted her eyes, and regained her composure. She raised her brows with a casual, brilliant smile, looking as bright and radiant as ever. Thank you for your concern. Your disciple is doing well. This testing realm isn’t a life-threatening trial; please do not worry, Master.

She was perfectly proper, her expression set in a polite mold the very image of a grateful young disciple earnestly acknowledging a mentor’s grace.

Yan Li gave her a long, deep look but said nothing more.

By evening, Cheng Fu lit the lamps in the room. Watching her Master’s flickering shadow on the bed, her mind wandered for a split second. She closed her eyes, steadied her breath, and cast aside all stray thoughts. Master, she said, strictly professional, “may your disciple meditate beside you?

A voice like clinking frost answered calmly, Naturally.

The night passed in peace.

As the first light of dawn touched the girl’s long, curled lashes, Cheng Fu’s eyelids twitched, and she snapped her eyes open. She was highly sensitive to her surroundings; the slightest shift in light or sound registered in her heart. It was the source of her high talent the sharp intuition required of a cultivator was always a precious thing.

Yan Li was no longer in the room.

The bedding on the bed had been neatly folded. Cheng Fu remembered that while she was practicing sword forms in her mind last night, the wind from her fingers had ruffled the covers into a messy, wrinkled heap. She had worried Master would be displeased, but instead of showing disdain, her Master had personally tidied the bed for her.

A wave of warmth rose in her heart, only to be cut short by a sharp tap-tap-tap at the door.

Cheng Fu threw on her robe and opened the dark, solid wood door. Chen Qianru’s gentle face appeared through the crack. She pressed a clean, square slip of paper into Cheng Fu’s hand. This is the ‘sincerity’ that man mentioned yesterday. He hopes you’ll consider the Zhiwang further; he’ll do everything in his power to help you.

Cheng Fu gave a dry laugh.

This man in short clothes was truly a professional swindler. She thought waking up at this hour was diligent enough, but the man had already commissioned her teammate to follow up on business.

Shameful. This swindler made her feel quite ashamed as a backdoor student of Zhiwang.

And so, the ashamed disciple followed Chen Qianru downstairs.

The inn lobby was sparsely populated, but the man in short clothes was sitting at the most prominent large table in the center, facing the stairs and waiting eagerly for Cheng Fu. Upon seeing her, he hurried to greet her, words pouring out: Ah, guest! I’ve been waiting for you. Well? When shall we set off for Zhiwang?

Cheng Fu sat down gracefully. You speak as if my passing the exam is a certainty. If I can pass, I’ll naturally go. Why the rush?

The man narrowed his eyes with a hint of arrogance. The item in your hand is the proof that I can guarantee your entry. Just come with me. It’s just Zhiwang; could a young master like you really be denied entry?

Cheng Fu looked down at her hand, puzzled. Chen Qianru had handed it to her earlier, and she had just gripped it mindlessly while coming downstairs. Now, looking down, she saw that same portrait of the woman with snow-white hair and black eyes.

Cheng Fu pursed her lips in silence, helplessly tossing the thing into her Immortal Bag. Would Sword Sovereign Yan truly allow a student like me into Zhiwang?

As she spoke, the air blurred, and a chill like ice and snow brushed past her face. Cheng Fu widened her eyes to see Yan Li’s illusory figure appear behind the man.

Unaware, the man curled his lip and began to brag. Who is Sword Sovereign Yan to me? Back in the day, we were life-and-death companions. If it weren’t for me, she would have perished during her Foundation Establishment stage. Where would the ‘Sword Sovereign Wurong’ be today?

Cheng Fu listened, stunned, her eyes fixed on the actual Sword Sovereign Wurong standing behind him with a calm expression.

I’m not bragging. Though Yan Li looks cold-hearted, she has a very warm heart for old friends. One word from me, and she’ll let you into the academy for sure!

Behind him, Yan Li’s eyes darkened, and the corners of her lips seemed to twitch upward slightly at the man’s nonsense. As the swindler finished his boast, the slandered Sword Sovereign Wurong actually gave a rare nod, looking almost as if she were in agreement.

Cheng Fu had felt awkward, but seeing her Master’s relaxed and even amused state, she couldn’t help but let her own eyes curve.

The man, thinking his speech had worked, added fuel to the fire. Young Master, are you really not considering it? This job is thankless; you might be my last client.

Suddenly, a bright white silver ingot flashed on the rough black wood table with a crisp thwack. Cheng Fu’s eyes were indifferent, but her words were bold: Ten taels. Can you do it?

The man’s mouth hung open, his eyes glazed. He wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth. I can! I definitely can! You’re generous, Young Master, truly generous!

After settling the bill for the Pingan Inn, Xin the Servant once again took the reins with resignation. However, this time, the two carriages held not only the five members of the Qian-1 Team but also one rat-faced swindler. Since he was the Consultant Master, he couldn’t sit on the roof like Gu Da; he had to be treated as an honored guest.

Thus, the thin man squeezed into Cheng Fu’s already small carriage, occupying her original seat. Cheng Fu sat contentedly in the corner, chatting with the Master sporadically.

“Master,” Cheng Fu asked, what is the story between you and Sword Sovereign Yan? You knew each other young how is it she holds a high position now while you wander the streets?”

The swindler sighed dramatically, his face full of woe. Fate is a fickle thing, truly a fickle urgh!

As it turned out, fate was indeed fickle.

The man never expected that while he was sitting comfortably in the carriage bragging about the Sword Sovereign, he would be flicked unconscious by the Sword Sovereign herself.

Yan Li’s expression was as calm as ever, showing no gravity. She lazily grabbed the man’s collar and tossed him into a corner like a bundle of rags, then signaled to the spacious seat with a tilt of her head. Xiao Fu, sit.

Cheng Fu, now somewhat accustomed to her Master’s sudden appearances, obediently sat in the center. The carriage swayed as it moved. Suddenly.

The wind turned sharp.

The sound of sharp blades piercing the air reached Cheng Fu’s ears. Without turning her head, she reached out and accurately pinched a long, sharp silver needle between her fingers. The needle was incredibly thin thin enough to silently pierce through the two-finger-thick wooden carriage wall.

Though her cultivation was only at the early stage of Golden Core, her five senses were extremely sharp. The crisp sound of hooves hitting the ground continued; Xin Yunze kept driving without looking back, appearing as if nothing were wrong.

Cheng Fu looked down at the silver needle gleaming with a cold light and glanced at the wood behind her. It looked unharmed; had she not infused her eyes with spiritual power, she wouldn’t have noticed the tiny, wormhole-sized puncture.

Yan Li said nothing, appearing as if she truly were just there by chance to see Cheng Fu.

Cheng Fu tucked the needle into her Immortal Bag, suddenly realizing that her carriage was followed by another. The Qian-1 Team was split between two linked carriages. Besides Xin Yunze driving, Cheng Fu was in the first, Chen Qianru and Liao Zilu in the second, and Gu Da was on the roof of the second keeping watch.

A chill ran down Cheng Fu’s spine, a tingling sensation crawling up the back of her neck. She slowly looked up, meeting her Master’s gaze. Seeing Cheng Fu look at her, Yan Li slightly averted her eyes.

Cheng Fu’s face flushed as she followed her Master’s gaze toward a spot in the carriage. The man who had been curled in the corner had vanished.

Xin Yunze, stop the horses!

Cheng Fu was quick, grabbing his sleeve and yanking the reins hard. The reddish-brown horses let out a neigh, their galloping hooves stumbling as they were forced to a halt. The carriage wheels screeched against the ground, and the massive weight of the vehicle lurched backward violently.

The front carriage flipped, crushing the larger section behind it. The entire long vehicle overturned with a thunderous crash.

As the carriage fell, several figures flew out, but there were only five. The swindler who had claimed he would lead Cheng Fu into Zhiwang was now standing leisurely on a distant mound of earth. The mound was the highest point on the flat ground, making his every move clear and prominent.

His shifty, greedy eyes were now sharp and bright. There wasn’t a trace of the stupid swindler left. He grinned triumphantly. Disciple of the Sword Sovereign that name card of hers is truly useful.

His mockery was blatant; he was clearly delighted with his own performance, enjoying the thrill of the wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Cheng Fu’s expression sharpened. He called her Disciple of the Sword Sovereign.

He wasn’t an inner-demon character. He was a real person.

The man bowed with a ridiculous flourish, his small eyes crinkling into slits. Let me introduce myself. I am the Captain of the Tian-5 Team, Jiang Menglong.

Cheng Fu suddenly laughed, her eyes curving with genuine, heartfelt joy. Ah, the Tian-5 Team? Congratulations, Captain Jiang.

In the ruins of the collapsed carriage, an illusory shadow flickered.