With three supreme masters, they were invincible upon descending the mountain.

At 11 p.m., the lights in the Ji family's living room were still on.

The sound of a key turning filled the air, and the door opened.

Ji Zheng and the other two dragged their weary bodies in, their faces showing undisguised exhaustion.

Ji Mingyue and Li Yuxiu, in particular, had dark circles under their eyes and unsteady steps, clearly showing signs of prolonged and intense stress.

But as soon as they entered, all three of them froze.

On the dining table were four dishes and a soup.

Braised pork ribs, steamed sea bass, garlic broccoli, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and a steaming pot of chicken soup.

Full color and flavor.

The kitchen door opened, and Ye Yaocheng came out wearing an apron and holding a dishcloth. He smiled when he saw the three of them.

"You're back just in time. I was just wondering if I made it too early. It seems you timed it perfectly."

He took off his apron and hung it up, then called out, "Hurry up and wash your hands, let's eat."

Seeing this scene, Li Yuxiu's eyes lit up, and the weariness in her heart was instantly dispelled by the warmth.

Where can you find a son-in-law like this? He can make money, fight, take care of his family, and cook!

She became more and more satisfied with it.

Ji Zheng, standing nearby, curled his lip and muttered under his breath, "All he does is fawn over people, he's never around all day, who knows what he's up to outside..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Yuxiu gave him a look.

Ji Zhenghu shuddered, immediately shut his mouth, and obediently went to wash his hands.

The family sat down to eat, and the atmosphere became somewhat silent.

Ji Mingyue kept her head down, eating her food in small bites, without saying a word.

She put down her chopsticks after eating less than half a bowl, saying, "I'm full."

After saying that, he got up and went upstairs.

His back was thin and frail, revealing an indescribable weariness.

Ye Yaocheng watched her retreating figure, his eyes flickered, but he didn't say anything and continued eating.

After taking a couple of bites, he looked at Li Yuxiu and asked, "Mom, what exactly happened at the construction site?"

Li Yuxiu sighed and put down her chopsticks: "Sigh... don't mention it."

"I don't know what's going on, but there keep being earthquakes at the construction site these past few days."

"And it's not a real earthquake, it's just that the ground shakes and cracks open, with more and more cracks getting deeper and deeper."

She rubbed her temples, her face full of worry: "Most of the workers have run away in fear. They all say this place is unclean and eerie."

"If this continues, the project will have to be stopped, and it's hard to say whether the cooperation with the Wang family can continue."

Ye Yaocheng understood that if this project failed, Ji Mingyue's position as president would be in jeopardy.

Ji Yun's family will definitely take this opportunity to cause trouble.

Ye Yaocheng frowned: "Do you have any photos or videos? Let me see."

Li Yuxiu took out her phone and pulled up the video she had taken during the day.

Ye Yaocheng took the picture; the construction site was a scene of devastation.

The ground cracked open, some wide enough to fit a fist, others so deep you couldn't see the bottom.

The cracks are haphazard, but a certain pattern can be vaguely discerned.

It doesn't resemble human-caused damage, nor does it resemble a typical geological disaster.

It's more like... something that's been buried underground for too long and is now trying to break free.

Ye Yaocheng's eyes narrowed.

A secret realm?

He remembered Lin Qingxue's words.

"A living secret realm, with something locked inside."

Could there be some hidden secret beneath this piece of land in the west of the city?

After finishing dinner and cleaning up, it was almost midnight.

Ye Yaocheng went upstairs to his room. The light was still on, but Ji Mingyue was not there.

The sound of rushing water came from the bathroom.

Ye Yaocheng didn't think much of it. He walked to the window, looked at the night outside, and continued to think about the construction site.

A few minutes later, the bathroom door opened, and hot air rushed out.

Ji Mingyue came out wrapped in a bath towel.

Her hair was wet and draped over her shoulders, water droplets dripping from the ends, sliding down her collarbone, and disappearing deep into the towel.

The bath towel wasn't wrapped tightly around her, revealing a large expanse of snow-white skin. Under the light, with the steam rising from the water, she looked like a jade sculpture just pulled from the water, breathtakingly beautiful.

Ye Yaocheng's breath hitched, and the restlessness within him was instantly ignited.

He quickly looked away, took a deep breath, and forced himself to suppress it.

But my eyes still kept glancing in that direction uncontrollably.

Since they're a legally married couple, it's not unreasonable to take a few more glances, right?

Ji Mingyue noticed his gaze, but only frowned slightly. She picked up a towel to dry her hair, her movements natural, as if she had long been used to it.

Just then, she suddenly spoke, her voice calm: "You don't need to worry about the construction site."

"There's no need to tell your parents much; they can't help, they'll just worry helplessly."

Ye Yaocheng turned to look at her: "Do you know what happened?"

Ji Mingyue paused for a moment while drying her hair, neither admitting nor denying it.

She walked to the dressing table and sat down, combing her long hair in front of the mirror: "Something underground is about to come out, and it can't be suppressed anymore, it's that simple."

After saying that, she fell silent.

Ye Yaocheng didn't ask any more questions.

He knew that Ji Mingyue had a secret.

Besides that "system," her knowledge far surpasses that of ordinary people. Everyone has their own secrets, and if they don't want to talk about them, there's no need to ask.

He believed that sooner or later, she would tell him on her own initiative.

……

When Ye Yaocheng came out after taking a shower, Ji Mingyue was already lying down, her back to him, breathing evenly, as if she were asleep.

He skillfully made his bed on the floor, lay down, and turned off the light.

Neither of them spoke in the darkness, but the atmosphere was not awkward.

There was a strange tacit understanding between them.

Ye Yaocheng closed his eyes and didn't say anything. His relationship with Ji Mingyue had improved considerably, so there was no need to do anything excessive, as that would only backfire.

He was confident that he would win this woman over sooner or later.

Early the next morning.

When Ye Yaocheng returned from his training and entered the living room, he saw Ji Zheng eating breakfast with an excited expression.

"Great news! Fantastic news!" Ji Zheng exclaimed excitedly, "The construction site is saved!"

Li Yuxiu poked her head out from the kitchen: "What's gotten into you again?"

"I'm not crazy!" Ji Zheng chuckled. "I've invited a master, a true expert!"

"They came all the way from out of town just to help us solve our construction site problems!"

Li Yuxiu rolled her eyes and said irritably, "Master? Another one of those charlatans who swindles money, right?"

"You don't understand!" Ji Zheng retorted, "This master has an excellent reputation; countless people would kill to have him!"

"They came all the way to Linjiang because they saw my sincerity. I really need to thank them for that!"

Li Yuxiu was too lazy to argue with him, so she shook her head and continued frying eggs.

Ji Mingyue sat at the dining table, quietly drinking her porridge. When she heard the word "master," she frowned slightly but did not speak.

After breakfast, at Ye Yaocheng's insistence, the family still took him to the construction site.

The scene was even more shocking than the video showed; the ground looked as if it had been plowed by the claws of a giant beast, with crisscrossing cracks that seemed to have no bottom.

Several excavators lay toppled beside the crack, looking as tiny as toys.

The construction site was deserted.

The only sound it makes is a strange "whooshing" noise when the wind blows through the crack.

It sounded like a wail.

Ye Yaocheng stood by a crack and looked down.

It was pitch black; you couldn't see anything.

But you can feel something moving and struggling underneath.

"A living secret realm?" he murmured to himself.

If that's the case, then the changes in this land are probably just the beginning.

"Master, this way please!"

Just then, Ji Zheng's enthusiastic voice came from afar.

Ye Yaocheng turned his head and saw Ji Zheng leading a monk, walking towards them.

The monk was about fifty years old, wearing a faded coarse cloth robe, with a kind face, peaceful eyes, and a faint smile on his lips.

At first glance, he does indeed look like a highly accomplished monk.

As he walked, he listened to Ji Zheng's animated description of the construction site.

He nodded frequently, his expression serious.

But as they walked, the monk suddenly looked up and stared straight at Ye Yaocheng.

Ye Yaocheng was also looking at him.

Their eyes met, and time seemed to stand still for a second.

Their eyes met in mid-air.

There was no spark, but there was an invisible probing.

A faint golden light flashed in the monk's eyes.

Ye Yaocheng raised his eyebrows slightly, and his internal energy circulated automatically, forming a very thin barrier on his body surface.

The golden light touched the barrier and vanished silently.

A flicker of surprise crossed the monk's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

He looked away and continued listening to Ji Zheng speak.

Ye Yaocheng's lips curled up slightly.

Mental strength?

interesting.

This monk is no ordinary person.

……

The monk walked around the construction site.

Sometimes he would squat down and touch the cracks, sometimes he would look up at the sky, muttering to himself.

Finally, he walked to the center of the open space, took out a stack of yellow paper talismans from his pocket, and flicked his finger.

The talisman spontaneously combusted without fire!

Wisps of smoke rose and lingered in the air, forming a strange pattern.

The monk closed his eyes, clasped his hands together, and chanted obscure and difficult-to-understand mantras.

The voice wasn't loud, but it had a peculiar rhythm that made people drowsy.

A few minutes later, he opened his eyes and let out a long sigh of relief.

"Amitabha." He turned to Ji Zheng and his wife and said, "Esteemed benefactors, this place is filled with malevolent energy, and there are evil spirits causing trouble underground."

"This humble monk has already performed a ritual to suppress it, but the evil aura cannot be eliminated in a day. We need to wait a month for this place to return to peace."

"During this period, do not disturb the earth or approach the site."

Ji Zheng nodded repeatedly, his face full of conviction: "Master is right, we will certainly do as you say!"

He even imitated the monks, putting his hands together in prayer and bowing.

The movements were clumsy and awkward, causing the monk's lips to twitch slightly.

Li Yuxiu was skeptical, but didn't say anything.

Only Ye Yaocheng stood at a distance, quietly watching this scene, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

Suppression? Evil spirits? One month?

He glanced at the bottomless cracks in the ground, then at the dignified-looking monk.

He sneered inwardly.

The secret realm will open within a month, and it won't last long. This guy is clearly just fooling around.