A master of both medicine and martial arts, he recruits a beautiful CEO to cultivate immortality tog

He picked up the black ring and twirled it between his fingers.

The dark purple aura within the ring glowed slightly, as if in response to him.

"The wedding is in three days," he said. "Within three days, I need to find out what's on the third basement level. Also, we must find the box that Xia Chen saw."

"The box has already been taken away," Xia He said.

"Even if it's taken, there will still be traces," Ye Heng said. "The array base at the bottom of the river is still there, and the sealing array on the box is still there. As long as we find the array base, we can deduce the whereabouts of the box."

He looked at the gray wolf.

"Can you transfer people from the Spirit Group?"

"Yes," Canglang said. "Bailu has already set off from Xiangnan and will arrive tomorrow. She brought a formation team with her to specifically investigate the old anchor points."

"Okay." Ye Heng nodded. "After Bai Lu arrives, have her go straight to the hotel. I need to familiarize myself with the three underground floors before the wedding."

"clear."

After the meeting ended, Ye Heng remained alone in the conference room.

He stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the traffic below.

The morning rush hour in Nanjing hadn't ended yet; cars streamed along like a slowly flowing river. Some were rushing to work, some were taking their children to school, and some were buying pancakes by the roadside. Everyone was going about their lives, unaware that three days later, a fissure might appear beneath the city's surface.

Ye Heng reached into his pocket and touched the blood-stained sword tassel.

Ling Hanyue's blood had dried and was hard as a rock, like a small stone.

He remembered what she had said.

"Your father signed the document back then to save your mother."

He suddenly felt as if he had been pushed around the whole time. From descending the mountain to the Su family, to the Ling Group, to Kunlun Ruins, to Northern Yan, every step had been paved for him. He thought he was making choices, but in reality, he was just going around in circles drawn by others.

"Ye Heng".

Su Yingxue's voice came from behind.

He turned around.

Su Yingxue stood at the door, holding a white medicine bottle in her hand.

"Take your medicine," she said. "Your meridians can't be delayed any longer."

Ye Heng took the medicine bottle and glanced at the label.

When did you buy it?

"Last night," Su Yingxue said, "I had the family doctor bring it while you were asleep."

Ye Heng poured the medicine into his palm and swallowed it.

The medicine was very bitter, so bitter that he frowned.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." Su Yingxue walked to his side and looked out the window with him. "On the wedding day, I'll stand next to you."

"I know."

"What I mean is, I won't just stand next to you." Su Yingxue turned to look at him. "If those things underground really come out, I can fight them."

Ye Heng looked at her.

"When did you...?"

"Last night," Su Yingxue said, "while you were asleep, I tried it out. The Frosty Crystal Body is more powerful than you imagined."

Ye Heng was silent for two seconds, then suddenly smiled.

"What are you laughing at?"

"It's nothing," he said. "It's just that I feel like I don't have to carry this alone anymore."

Su Yingxue looked at him, her gaze softening slightly.

"You haven't had to carry this alone for a long time," she said. "You just haven't realized it yet."

Three days before the wedding, Su Yingxue called Ye Heng to the backyard of the villa.

The backyard, which used to be a lawn, has now been cleared out. Eight array plates are placed around the clearing, connected by a light blue membrane with fine frost floating on it.

Su Yingxue stood in the center of the open space, wearing a white training uniform, her hair tied in a high ponytail, with no weapon in her hand, only a pair of thin leather gloves.

"Get in there," she said.

Ye Heng glanced at the light membrane: "Are you sure?"

"Sure."

"My meridians haven't healed yet."

"I know." Su Yingxue looked at him, "That's why I won't hit you; you just need to dodge."

Ye Heng smiled and stepped into the formation.

As soon as he went in, he felt a chill on the soles of his feet.

His internal energy circulation suddenly slowed down, as if someone had poured ice water into his meridians.

"The 'Quiet Domain' of the Frosty Crystal Body," Su Yingxue said, "freezes spiritual energy within a ten-meter radius. Those with lower cultivation levels than you can't even muster their true energy."

"And what about you?"

"I'm fine." Su Yingxue raised her hand. "I'm the core of the formation."

As soon as she finished speaking, a layer of ice suddenly formed under Ye Heng's feet.

The ice climbed up his shoes at an astonishing speed. Ye Heng dodged to the side, the ice grazing his trouser leg and leaving a white frost trail on the ground.

"Not bad," he said.

"It's not over yet."

Su Yingxue clasped her hands together, and the temperature within the formation plummeted. Ye Heng's breath condensed into white mist in front of her, and the Heavenly Mark Blade trembled in its sheath, as if awakened by the cold.

He drew his knife.

The star-like patterns on the blade lit up, but were dimmer than usual, as if viewed through frosted glass.

"The Tranquil Domain can suppress the Heavenly Mark Blade?" He was a little surprised.

"I can't suppress it," Su Yingxue said. "I can only slow it down. Your sword intent is too strong; I can't freeze it, but I can freeze the spiritual energy around you. Every time you make a strike, you have to expend 30% more effort."

"Thirty percent," Ye Heng said, weighing the amount in his hand. "That's quite a lot."

"So, don't fight head-on," Su Yingxue said. "Use skill."

As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly moved.

Ye Heng had always known Su Yingxue was intelligent, but he hadn't realized she could act so quickly. Her movements weren't like a cultivator's; they were more like a dancer's. Her steps were light, her turns steady, and every step landed precisely on the nodes of the array plate. The ice spread across the ground with her movements, layer upon layer, like living vines.

Ye Heng was forced to retreat three steps.

Every time he tried to retaliate, the ice beneath his feet would crack first, causing him to lose his balance. Su Yingxue avoided direct confrontation, instead using the ice and cold air to gradually compress the space around him.

"Are you fighting or dancing?" he couldn't help but ask.

"As long as we win, that's enough," Su Yingxue said.

She suddenly accelerated, gliding across the ice, her right hand pointing like a sword, aiming straight for his chest.

Ye Heng parried with his sword.

The blade clashed with her fingertips without a metallic sound, only a muffled thud. A thin layer of ice had formed on Su Yingxue's fingers, as hard as iron. Ye Heng was jolted back half a step, his hand tingling.

"Doesn't your hand hurt?" he asked.

"It hurts." Su Yingxue withdrew her hand and shook it. "But it's better than being driven to death by you."

Ye Heng laughed out loud.

He suddenly realized that it had been a long time since he had fought so easily. There was no life or death, no scheming, no one trying to kill anyone. Just the two of them standing in the courtyard, one freezing, the other hiding, like when they were kids practicing martial arts with their master on Kunlun Mountain.

"Again," Su Yingxue said.

"Again?"

"You're not serious yet."

Ye Heng looked at her.

Sweat beaded on Su Yingxue's forehead, and her breathing was heavier than before, but her eyes shone brightly. He recognized that light. He remembered it from when she made a final decision on a project during a meeting at the Su Corporation—that same light in her eyes.

"Okay," he said, "then I'll do it for real."

He stopped joking, took a deep step, and channeled the power of Yin into the blade.