I raised stunning young ladies, but they all wanted to possess me.

Gu Yan followed behind her around the ancient tree. Under the tree was a stone platform with a dark red lacquered wooden box on it.

The box was opened, and several items were neatly arranged inside.

An extremely fine calligraphy brush, a box of pale gold powder, and a small bronze mirror.

"This is a secret technique used by the Chiyomiya family to change their appearance."

"It's not a disguise technique, it's a disguise at the spiritual level."

"The effect should last for about a month."

"Mr. Gu's face is too famous. His appearance has been repeatedly published by media around the world."

"If the people from the Great Xia region recognize me, they might raze this place to the ground."

Gu Yan sat down on the stone platform.

Yuzuru picked up the brush, dipped it in the pale gold powder, and then bent down.

She cradled his chin with her fingers and gently pressed the tip of her pen against his brow.

The brushstrokes are very light, as if depicting a cherry blossom petal that has fallen on the water and could be blown away at any moment.

She was so close to him that he could smell the very faint scent of cypress in her hair.

The fragrance intensified as she reinforced the seal with her sweat, mingling with her unique, crisp scent, smelling like a clear morning after a snowfall in the depths of winter.

Her breath gently brushed against his cheek, warm and lingering.

"alright."

She put the brush back in the box and picked up the bronze mirror, handing it to him.

"have a look."

Gu Yan took the bronze mirror.

The face in the mirror still had his outline, but his eyebrows had become thicker, the corners of his eyes had been slightly flattened, and his jawline was more defined than before.

He's still good-looking, but no longer the sickly beauty that makes him instantly recognizable; instead, he has a more rugged and understated handsomeness.

Just as he was about to put down the bronze mirror, he discovered that something had appeared on the back of his hand at some point.

He turned his hand over, palm facing the bronze mirror.

There was nothing on the back of my hand.

But when he turned his head to the side in the same position, he caught a very subtle pattern on the edge of the bronze mirror out of the corner of his eye.

The outline of a cherry blossom, pale gold and translucent, was imprinted on the side of his neck.

It's hidden on a small patch of skin that can't be covered by a collar, and it only becomes visible when it's exposed to light at a specific angle.

"What is that?"

"A mark."

Yuzuru closed the box, his movements still calm and unhurried.

"Anchor point for illusory spiritual power."

"It's the only way to maintain the disguise for a week."

She placed the box back on the stone platform and turned to look at Gu Yan.

A rare, soft light flashed in those deep brown eyes.

From this moment on, wherever he goes, he will carry her mark.

After a brief exchange, Gu Yan was assigned to a room.

Evening came quickly.

The night is already deep.

The chirping of insects outside the window gradually subsided, and moonlight filtered through the paper door, casting faint silver-white checkered shadows on the wooden floor.

Gu Yan lay on the neatly made bedding, the pillow smelling faintly of cypress, exactly the same as the scent of the spiritual spring that day.

He tossed and turned in the darkness, unable to fall asleep.

So much had happened during the day: the battlefield scenes on TV, the names on the leaderboards, the words Yuzuru spoke to him in the secret realm, and those two kisses—all of it played over and over in his mind.

There was also the light from the luminous pearl falling on her back when she took off her kimono by the spirit spring pool, her trembling fingertips as she knelt on the chair and cupped his face, and the arc of sweat trickling down her pale neck as she reinforced the seal.

The more he thought about it, the clearer his mind became, to the point that he could count the direction of every single grain of wood on the ceiling.

Just then, extremely light footsteps came from outside the door.

It was the sound of bare feet stepping on the wooden floor, the steps small and light, as if afraid of waking someone.

The footsteps stopped at his door.

Then came three very faint knocks on the door, the knuckles tapping on the wooden frame, as light as a cherry blossom petal falling on the water.

Mr. Gu.

"are u there?"

It was Chiyomiya Hanyu's voice, clear and pleasant, like a string of wind chimes tinkling in the middle of the night.

"I have a bit of a headache, and I wanted you to take a look."

Gu Yan froze for a moment under the covers.

He looked at the ceiling, then at the paper door by the entrance.

A slender, long shadow was cast on the paper door, with long, jet-black hair cascading over her shoulders, her head slightly bowed, as if waiting for his response.

He hesitated for a few more seconds, then finally lifted the covers, sat up, walked to the door, and opened the paper door.

Yuzuru stood outside the door.

Moonlight streamed in through the carved wooden window at the end of the corridor, falling upon her.

She was dressed very lightly.

A very thin, plain white nightgown, with two extremely thin shoulder straps hanging on her snow-white shoulders, and a large expanse of fair skin below her collarbone gleaming softly in the moonlight.

The skirt was very short, only reaching mid-thigh, leaving her two long, fair legs exposed to the night wind without any cover.

Her hair wasn't tied up; it was loose over her shoulders, the ends slightly curled, and still damp from her shower.

The fragrance of cypress wood wafted from her, exactly the same as the scent on Gu Yan's pillow, but even more vibrant, mixed with the extremely faint, refreshing aroma emanating from her body heat.

She stood barefoot at the door, not carrying the pheasant knife, but holding a small lacquered wooden tray with two steaming cups of tea on it.

"I apologize for disturbing you so late at night."

She bowed slightly, her tone still exuding that composed elegance.

"The side effects of the spiritual energy rampage have been cured, but I still get headaches occasionally."

"Reinforcing the seal during the day was quite taxing, and I was in so much pain that I couldn't sleep."

"So I would like to ask Mr. Gu to take a look at it for me."

Gu Yan's gaze swept over the two extremely thin shoulder straps and then quickly moved away.

He stepped aside to make room for the doorway.

"Please come in and sit down; it's chilly by the door."

Yuzuru nodded, walked barefoot into the room, and sat down next to the bedding that had been laid out.

She remained in a standard sitting posture, with her back straight, her hands folded on her knees, and the hem of her nightgown spread out on the wooden floor.

Gu Yan sat down next to her, reached out her hand, and gently placed her palm on her back.

Through the thin silk, he pressed his hand on the area between her shoulder blades on her back.

It's the same spot in the spiritual spring as it was during the day.

Her skin temperature was slightly higher than during the day, and it was unclear whether it was due to a low-grade fever caused by a headache or something else.

He closed his eyes, and a seven-colored light silently shone deep within his pupils. Gentle spiritual energy surged from his palms and penetrated deep into her meridians.

That power was like the finest spring rain, gradually smoothing out the chaotic fluctuations of spiritual energy.

A moment later, he withdrew his hand. She had stopped trembling, and her breathing had become steady and long.

"Does it still hurt a lot?"

"Much better."

She looked up at him, her deep brown eyes appearing exceptionally profound in the moonlight.

She tilted her head, and a few strands of her long, jet-black hair slipped from her shoulder and landed on the back of Gu Yan's hand.