Many children, many blessings: Stealing the offspring of powerful figures to cultivate immortality.

Gu Qinghan, holding Jiang Yining's wrist, stepped across the threshold of the side courtyard. The moonlight cast long shadows of the two figures, which overlapped on the bluestone slab.

Without saying a word, he pressed her down onto the low stool under the eaves, then knelt down on one knee, took her right hand, and turned it over to lay it open on his lap.

The Buddhist aura swirling within the wisp of purple-gold light at his fingertips was particularly jarring under the moonlight, almost fading away, but to him it was no different than being burned in his eyes.

"Gu Qinghan, you're pulling me too hard."

He didn't let go. Pure Yang True Essence seeped out from his palm, pushing it inch by inch along her finger bones towards her fingertips, as if wiping away dust that didn't belong to a piece of porcelain. The layer of Buddhist energy was crushed by the True Essence, and fine gold dust fluttered down from between her fingers.

Jiang Yining looked down at his movements, then raised her other hand and poked his forehead.

"Look carefully, that is the life I saved for Fan Chenxin after his Buddha bone was broken into three pieces. If I hadn't saved him, he would have been ruined. If he had been ruined, who would have performed the Five Treasures Baptism?"

"I know."

Gu Qinghan's voice was muffled in his throat as he pressed his fingertips against the knuckle of her ring finger, where the lingering Buddhist aura was strongest.

He knew that every word she said was true.

Yet the seven old cracks deep within the sword's heart still faintly emitted a stinging pain, as if something had taken root inside and been watered by someone else's aura.

"I know you still have that look on your face." Jiang Yining tilted her head and looked at him.

"He took three strokes of the rod for Wu Bao, shattering his Buddha relics. If I don't help him, who will perform the baptism for Wu Bao tomorrow?"

Gu Qinghan's fingers paused in her palm for a moment. The layer of Buddhist energy had been cleansed away, and her fair fingertips regained their own purplish-gold glow.

But he didn't let go.

He gathered her five fingers into his palm, looked up at her, and his frosty eyes shone excessively in the darkness.

"Ning'er, the way he's looking at you is strange."

"so what?"

"So you shouldn't let him touch you."

Jiang Yining didn't pull away, but looked down at him, her purple-gold eyes reflecting the moonlight, revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Gu Qinghan, I have a question for you."

"you say."

"Is Wu Bao's life more important, or your jealousy?"

Gu Qinghan's Adam's apple bobbed, and the grip on her hand loosened slightly before tightening again.

"The lives of the Five Treasures are of utmost importance."

"Then stop messing around with me."

She pulled her hand out of his palm and patted his shoulder like she was soothing a large, ruffled dog.

Gu Qinghan did not get up, but remained kneeling in front of her, his gaze falling on the sword-shaped mark he had left on the side of her neck, the red mark gleaming darkly in the moonlight.

"The causal burns in your meridians haven't fully healed yet; let me stabilize them again."

Jiang Yining tilted her head, exposing the side of her neck, one of the few times she showed him such indulgence.

Gu Qinghan's fingertips touched the edge of the sword mark, and pure Yang true essence seeped into her skin, traveling along her meridians to repair the new wounds caused by the incense's karma during the day.

In the brief pause between his actions, he traced an extremely faint line next to the sword mark with his fingertip, as fine as a spider's thread, so subtle that it was completely invisible to the naked eye and blended into the skin.

Jiang Yining sensed the extra flow of true energy and glanced at him.

"What are you doing now?"

"An amulet, invisible, unseen by anyone." He lowered his eyes, his eyelashes casting a shadow on his cheekbone, his voice low. "If you tell me to keep it, I'll keep an invisible layer."

This was his concession, but it was also his bottom line.

Jiang Yining didn't say anything more, letting him finish casting the last wisp of true energy. Her shoulders and neck felt slightly sore for a moment, but then returned to normal.

Gu Qinghan stopped and stood up, his slender figure resembling a long sword half-drawn from its sheath under the moonlight.

Suddenly, a noisy sound of footsteps rang out outside the courtyard, accompanied by the crisp clinking of the abacus beads of Sibao and Feng Liuyun's overly pleasant voice.

"Boss Jiang, how much did your stall make today? Tell me so I can be happy too."

"Uncle Feng hauled six cartloads of goods today. Based on the hourly wage for manual labor, I will pay you three hundred star stones as a reward for your hard work. That's all."

Feng Liuyun walked into the side courtyard with a down-to-earth air about him. His brocade robe was covered in dust, his peach blossom eyes were smiling, and he was carrying a sesame seed cake wrapped in oil paper. He looked exactly like a young nobleman who had just finished shopping at the market.

Sibao followed behind him, carrying a thick account book in his arms, constantly using an abacus as he walked.

"Mother, the revenue of Bitter Sea Town today is 4.8 million mid-grade star stones. The president of Qianbao Chamber of Commerce personally delivered 1 million as an apology, plus the deeds to three street-front shops."

Si Bao handed the account book to Jiang Yining, his eyes flashing with the pale golden light unique to the Heavenly Mystery Dao Body.

"However, there is one thing."

"explain."

"The dark gold aura has reappeared, this time in the backyard of the incense shop. It has happened three times in a row, with the time intervals getting shorter and shorter."

Jiang Yining took the ledger, flipped through two pages, and her eyebrows twitched.

At this moment, Feng Liuyun finally noticed the aloof and cold figure standing beside Jiang Yining, and his peach blossom eyes narrowed.

"Hey, Tower Master Gu's been climbing over the wall quite often tonight."

As he spoke, he took two steps closer, his nose twitched slightly, and suddenly his expression changed.

"Sister Ningning, why do you have both sword intent and Buddhist light on you? What's that smell?"

He produced a jade-green bell from his palm, with the Nirvana True Fire dancing within its clasp, and eagerly offered it to Jiang Yining.

"This is a newly crafted Soul-Protecting Bell, specially designed to counteract the lingering poison of the Divine Realm. I'll give it to Wu Bao to wear for fun."

His fingertips almost touched Jiang Yining's sleeve.

Zheng.

A pure white sword light sliced ​​in from the side, precisely deflecting Feng Liuyun's hand three feet away.

Gu Qinghan's broken sword stood between the two, his frosty eyes reflecting Feng Liuyun's face, his lips barely moving.

"retreat."

Feng Liuyun shook his fingers, which had gone numb from being flicked, his smile widening rather than diminishing, his peach blossom eyes filled with the light of watching a spectacle.

"Is Master Gu treating Sister Ning like his personal property? I can't even give her a bell?"

"Your hands are not worthy to touch her."

"Well, your sword is quite worthy of touching my hand."

The two auras collided above the side courtyard, the Pure Yang Sword Intent and the Nirvana Fire Qi intertwined, causing the leaves of the Bodhi tree to fall down in a rustling sound.

That's enough.

Jiang Yining stood up, took the emerald bell from Feng Liuyun's hand, and pressed down on the back of Gu Qinghan's sword with her other hand.

Her voice wasn't loud, but the pressure of a semi-saint spread silently, making it difficult for both of them to move an inch.

"Feng Liuyun, take Sibao and continue to keep an eye on that dark gold aura at the incense shop. Give me a complete map of their movements and personnel relationships within three days."

"Gu Qinghan, go back to your quiet room and cultivate your sword heart to heal your injuries. There is a tough battle to fight in three days. In your current state of disarray, you are not fit to be on the front lines."

"No one is allowed to interfere with the baptism of the Five Treasures, do you understand?"

Feng Liuyun shrugged, stuffed the sesame seed cake into his mouth, mumbled a reply, patted Sibao's head, and turned to walk out of the courtyard.

Gu Qinghan didn't move, his frosty eyes staring at her for a long time.

Jiang Yining raised her hand and flicked his forehead.

"Listen to me, I'll make you do the work in three days."

Gu Qinghan finally sheathed his sword, took a step back, and glanced at the sword mark on her neck that was hidden by her collar before turning around, climbing over the courtyard wall, and disappearing into the night.

The side courtyard quieted down, and Wu Bao turned over, mumbled something, and fell asleep again.

Si Bao didn't leave. He stood under the eaves, holding the abacus to his chest, the pale golden light of his Heavenly Eye swirling around in his pupils.

"Mother, there's one more thing."

"Um?"

As Sibao closed the ledger, his Heavenly Eye suddenly brightened, and the gold at the bottom of his pupils deepened abruptly as if stimulated by something.

"The divine aura in the backyard of the incense shop, I traced back to its source, and it didn't come from outside."

Jiang Yining's fingertip stopped on the bell, and her purple-gold eyes turned to him.

Si Bao's voice was soft, yet it was more profound than any of his previous words.

"It points to the Merit Pool of the Great Thunder Temple."