Let me explain, it's not what you think.

However, there was an unexpected one: Yu Ning.

She has reached the point of conception.

His cultivation level reached the Nascent Soul stage.

The reason she couldn't break through was because of inner demons. Now that life is stable and she stays by Lu Chen's side, her inner demons have gradually dissipated, and she has naturally completed her breakthrough.

The same applies to Jiang Huaiyu and Zhuang Jingbai.

Although they failed to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, their cultivation levels still increased to varying degrees.

After making sure the three women were satisfied and fell asleep, Lu Chen finally left his room.

However, he heard a flurry of ringing bells.

Those are the bells on Ziyao's feet.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Chen chased after him.

Then he found her in the corridors of the Amethyst Palace.

She sat alone on the veranda, barefoot, dangling gently in the air. The golden bells on her ankles jingled softly in the night breeze, and the moonlight shone on her long purple hair, making it look as if it were plated with silver.

At this moment, however, her mature and pretty face was flushed, making her extremely cute.

"Yaoyao, thank you so much for your help these past few days." Lu Chen sat down next to her.

Zi Yao shook her head.

"Actually, they all progress very quickly and understand things very easily. I am not as tired as my husband thinks."

"That's good."

Zi Yao did not respond.

She gently rested her head on Lu Chen's shoulder, her movements so light that it seemed as if she was afraid of upsetting him.

Lu Chen didn't dodge. He raised his arm and put it around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him.

Zi Yao's body stiffened for a moment, then slowly relaxed, clinging to him and refusing to get up.

"Before, I thought my only path was cultivation. Cultivate, break through, cultivate again, break through again. Until I die."

She paused.

"Things are different now."

Lu Chen didn't ask what was different.

He simply put his arm around her shoulder and looked at the boundless land under the moonlight.

Zi Yao closed her eyes, and her breathing gradually became even and long.

Her fingers hooked around the hem of his clothes, gripping it tightly, as if afraid he would disappear while she was asleep.

Lu Chen lowered his head to look at her face, reached out and gently brushed away the stray hairs that had been blown by the wind from her forehead, and then kissed her.

Zi Yao's eyelashes trembled, but she didn't wake up.

The next morning, Ziyao sat in front of her dressing table, holding amethyst comb in her hand, and stared blankly at the mirror for a long time.

I slept so soundly last night that I didn't even know when Lu Chen left.

But she looked down at her clothes.

Everything was neat and tidy, every button was fastened in its place, and there wasn't even an extra fold in the hem of the skirt.

She bit her lip.

She doesn't understand.

She had already hinted so obviously last night, but Lu Chen still didn't notice. After bringing her back, he left!

Is this something a human being would do? Huh?

Or is it that she's not pretty enough, not alluring enough?

She left the room feeling dejected, only to bump into Jiang Huaiyu.

"Sister? You seem to be in a bad mood. Did Lu Chen upset you?"

"No, no, it's not my husband!"

"Sister, why is your face so red? Are you feeling unwell?"

"no."

Zi Yao turned her face away, but her ears turned even redder.

Jiang Huaiyu stared at her for a few moments, and a meaningful smile slowly curved the corners of his mouth.

She didn't press further, poured herself a cup of tea, and sat quietly to the side, waiting for her to speak.

Sure enough, after a short while, Zi Yao's voice rang out, as soft as a mosquito's hum:

"Sister Jiang..."

"Um?"

Zi Yao looked down at her fingers. Her hands, which had never trembled in three hundred years of fighting, were now trembling slightly.

"Last night... I leaned on my husband's shoulder, he held me, and I fell asleep."

Jiang Huaiyu held her teacup, patiently waiting for the next part to follow.

"Then... he carried me back to my room... and left!"

Zi Yao's voice carried a hint of grievance.

Jiang Huaiyu blinked.

"Gone?"

"I'm gone."

Zi Yao repeated herself, then looked up to meet Jiang Huaiyu's gaze, her purple eyes filled with confusion and grievance.

"He just left! I hinted so obviously, and he didn't even notice!"

The teacup in Jiang Huaiyu's hand froze in mid-air.

Looking at Ziyao's flushed face, a complex emotion suddenly welled up in her heart.

She never expected that a powerful cultivator in the Integration Stage would be troubled by such a problem!

Didn't she know that Lu Chen was just like that?

If you don't take the initiative, he will never take the initiative. Why bother talking to him so much!

After all, Yu Ning was taught by her behind the scenes. She remembered how she used Lu Chen's secret to force him to submit, those absurd nights, and Lu Chen's helpless expression despite his gritted teeth.

She wanted to laugh.

Why is Sister Ziyao so stupid, so... honest?

"Sister, you are the mother of his child. You've been with him for so long, haven't you..." Jiang Huaiyu carefully chose her words.

"...Didn't you take it any further?"

Zi Yao's face turned even redder, so red it looked like it was about to bleed.

She shook her head, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible: "No. He never touches me first. At most... he'll hug me."

Jiang Huaiyu opened her mouth, but for a moment she didn't know what to say.

She now has some doubts about how Zi Yao managed to cultivate to the Integration Stage!

She put down her teacup, took a deep breath, and leaned close to Ziyao's ear to tell her everything that had happened to Yu Ning.

Zi Yao's eyes widened, her confusion turning to shock, and then to disbelief.

"She...she really did that?"

"Really." Jiang Huaiyu nodded.

"Lu Chen is a gentleman. If you don't pressure him, he can treat you with respect for the rest of his life."

Zi Yao fell silent.

She looked down at her hands resting on her knees. Her hands were fair and slender, with light purple nail polish on them, and they were very well maintained.

She stared at those hands for a long time, her lips moved, and she repeated the word "I" several times before finally daring to utter it softly.

"I...I dare not."

Jiang Huaiyu was taken aback.

Zi Yao raised her head, her purple eyes glistening with a thin layer of moisture.

"I am the pride of the Lion Clan, and for hundreds of years I have been the one to call the shots. It has always been others who fear me, never me who fears others. But..."

"But in front of him, I am nothing. I'm afraid he'll be unhappy, afraid he'll frown, afraid he'll find me annoying. I can only lean on his shoulder when he's not looking, how could I dare..."

She didn't continue, burying her face in her hands, her ears burning red.

Looking at her like this, Jiang Huaiyu suddenly felt a pang of sadness.

The Lion Clan's outrageous rules have actually driven Sister Ziyao to this point! No, she has to do something for her!

"Sister, don't worry. I'll help you."

Zi Yao raised her head, her eyes and the tip of her nose were red.

"How can I help?"

Jiang Huaiyu's lips curved into a meaningful smile.

"Just wait and see."