Alert! The Dragon Lord has emerged from seclusion!

"The final item in the auction is a previously unseen 'Warring States Period Yin-Yang Jade Pendant,' which is said to have the effect of harmonizing Yin and Yang. Be careful, the Zhao family may already be on alert."

Lin Chen replied, "Understood. The Qin family needs reinforcements, and the Netherworld Sect might target Qin Yurou again."

Su Qingxue: "Eight guards have been dispatched in a special vehicle and will arrive tomorrow morning. They are carrying specially made weapons and protective equipment."

"You must be careful. The Ice Heart Pendant can protect you for five days, but time is running out."

Lin Chen stared at the last sentence, his finger lingering on the screen for a moment before replying, "Don't worry, I'll be back before the deadline."

He put down his phone, walked to the window, and looked at the small building where Qin Yurou lived.

In the darkness of night, the small building was still shrouded in a chill, but it was much weaker than before.

Seven days... He must clear the Yin energy from Qin Yurou's body within seven days and figure out what "Seven Yin Convergence" really means.

Are the women on the other five marriage certificates also facing the same danger?

Lin Chen gripped the Ice Heart Pendant tightly in his hand, feeling the cool aura emanating from it, his gaze gradually hardening.

He had to protect these women with the Nine Yin Body, no matter what.

It wasn't just to neutralize their Nine Yang Burning Heaven Body, but also because—they were all living, breathing people and shouldn't become victims on the path of evil cultivation in the Netherworld Sect.

The night breeze blew through the attic, carrying the coolness of early autumn.

Lin Chen opened the second marriage certificate and looked at the name and portrait on it by the moonlight:

Qin Yurou, born on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Gengchen year, at the hour of Hai (9-11 PM).

……

the next day.

As the first rays of morning light shone into the small building, Qin Yurou woke up to a long-lost feeling of "warmth".

It wasn't the temperature from the outside, but a warmth that emanated from within the body, from the very marrow of every limb and bone, a warmth that made one want to sigh.

She slowly opened her eyes, her vision clearing from blurry to sharp.

The first thing that catches the eye is the familiar ceiling fixture on the bed, and... a strange man sitting on a rosewood chair by the bed, closing his eyes to meditate.

Qin Yurou carefully examined the man.

He had a clear and bright face, and even when he was resting, his back was as straight as a pine tree.

His face was a slightly unnatural pale, but his breathing was long and steady.

Most remarkably, Qin Yurou could vaguely sense that the terrifying chill that had plagued her for half a year and nearly frozen her to death was being subtly drawn and soothed by some invisible and intangible aura emanating from this man.

"You're awake."

Lin Chen did not open his eyes, but he seemed to sense everything, and his voice was calm.

Qin Yurou was slightly startled. She tried to sit up, but found that her body was still weak and her arms were limp.

"Don't rush." ​​Lin Chen opened his eyes, his gaze clear and bright. "You've been unconscious for too long, and your meridians are only just beginning to open. You need time to adjust."

He got up, poured a cup of ginseng tea that had been kept warm with a warm jade pendant, and handed it to her.

His movements were natural, without excessive formalities.

The moment their fingertips touched, Qin Yurou trembled again.

It wasn't the coldness, but the warmth emanating from the other person's fingertips that contrasted sharply with the lingering chill within her body, yet strangely, it didn't feel repulsive.

"Thank you," she whispered, holding the warm teacup in both hands, absorbing its tangible warmth. "You are...?"

"Lin Chen".

"I've been entrusted by your grandfather to treat your illness."

Lin Chen said succinctly, "There is a cold and evil energy lingering in your body. I have temporarily suppressed it, but you need to receive acupuncture for seven consecutive days to stabilize it."

"A cold, evil aura?" Qin Yurou caught the word, her delicate brows furrowing. "Isn't this just a common cold ailment?"

"No." Lin Chen looked at her and decided to reveal part of the truth:

"Someone deliberately planted 'yin energy' in you, combined with your innate 'cold yin' constitution, with the intention of draining your essence."

"Did you come into contact with a batch of Warring States period bamboo slips that needed restoration about six months ago?"

Qin Yurou's pupils contracted slightly as memories surged.

Those two months were spent buried in the restoration room, surrounded by the unique, aged smell of the bamboo slips, and the inexplicably chilling touch of certain fragments...

"It was the batch sent by the Zhao family..." Her voice was slightly hoarse. "During the restoration, some bamboo slips were particularly cold and damp. I thought it was due to moisture from the tomb..."

"That's where the problem lies." Lin Chen nodded. "The Zhao family is colluding with an evil organization called the Netherworld Sect. Their targets are very likely women like you with special cold and yin constitutions."

"Us?" Qin Yurou keenly grasped this word.

Lin Chen hesitated for a moment, then took out the marriage certificate that belonged to her from his bosom, unfolded it, and handed it over.

Qin Yurou's gaze fell on the yellowed pages, where she saw her name, birth date and time, and that familiar portrait. She was stunned.

The small print next to it, "Tianxuan Star Position, Cold Yin Body," shocked her deeply.

"This is……"

"A marriage contract is also proof of your constitution," Lin Chen said frankly. "There are seven women who have made marriage contracts with me, all of whom possess the Nine Yin Physique."

"You are the second one, Tianxuan Hanyin."

"The first one is Su Qingxue from the Su family. She has the Xuan Yin Physique and is now the head of the Su family."

The amount of information was too much for Qin Yurou to process all at once.

A marriage contract? Seven women? The Nine Yin Body?

She had met Su Qingxue before; the aloof and stunning Su family elder sister was actually her "sister"?

"This is absurd..."

She instinctively wanted to deny it, but the warm current within her that resonated subtly with the other person, and the details on the marriage certificate that perfectly matched her own, made it impossible for her to completely disbelieve.

"You can take your time to consider the marriage. The most urgent thing is to get treatment and save your life."

Lin Chen withdrew the marriage certificate, his tone serious, "The Netherworld Sect will not let this go."

"I have learned that they will be seizing an item that may be related to the 'Seven Yin Convergence' plan at an auction in Jiangcheng in three days—the Warring States Yin-Yang Jade Pendant."

"I have to go; it concerns the safety of all seven of you."

"You're going to the auction? The Zhao family is there too, it's too dangerous!" Qin Yurou blurted out, only realizing the concern in her tone after she finished speaking.

"I'll go even if it's dangerous." Lin Chen's eyes were sharp. "Passive defense will never solve the problem. Besides," he touched the Ice Heart Pendant in his arms, "my time is running out."

Just then, Qin Huaigu's light footsteps and voice came from outside the door, as if he was instructing his servants to prepare something.

Lin Chen gestured to Qin Yurou to "stay calm" and got up to open the door.

Qin Huaigu, carrying a bowl of freshly cooked medicinal porridge, saw Lin Chen open the door and then glanced at his granddaughter, who was already sitting up in bed and looked noticeably better. He immediately beamed with joy: "Mr. Lin! Yu Rou, she..."

"Miss Qin has just woken up and needs to rest and eat a light diet," Lin Chen said, stepping aside to let her in.

"Elder Qin, the guards sent by the Su family should be arriving soon. Please make arrangements to strengthen the security of the small building and the inner courtyard."