Chapter 262 – A Year Later, The Fourth Wife, Something Amiss, Commanding the Eternal Demon Bloom - Part 1

Time slipped by, and half a year soon passed.

In the blink of an eye, deep winter arrived.

It was as though Li Yuan had severed all contact with the outside world. He remained behind the third gate of the Holy Tree Temple, quietly practicing his taming skill. To allow him total focus on this training, the temple postponed nearly all requests for him to forge spirit artifacts. Only the truly urgent tasks—ones that could not be deferred—were assigned to him.

He complied fully with the Holy Tree Temple’s arrangements, even accepting the bride they selected from the Jing Clan. The higher-ups took note of this acquiescence, growing increasingly pleased with him. In turn, he finally received the Holy Tree Temple’s full support and the precious resources that he could never have obtained on his own.

Before secluding himself behind the third gate, Li Yuan had already contacted Yan Yu, Xue Ning, and Tang Nian, letting them know he might be out of reach for a while—so there was no need to worry about him in the short term.

Truthfully, if he ever decided to leave, he could walk away with little effort. His son was Gu Xuejian’s cherished disciple; his wife was from the Cui Clan. Neither would come to harm.

He remained only because he wanted to gather as much strength and information as possible before withdrawing to Cloudpeak Province. There was no better place for that than right where he was. Besides, he also wanted to ensure his family’s safe exit when the time came.

Snow fell across the land. Likely due to the influence of the meat field sapping up the surrounding heat, the snow behind the third gate felt especially bone-chillingly cold. Even eighth or seventh rank martial artists would shiver if they tried walking barefoot on the snow.

Outside of the temple, in the greater Silkfloss Province, warfare raged ceaselessly, yet here in what felt like the eye of the storm, an uncanny peace prevailed.

Inside this pocket of tranquility, a delicate and fearful-looking woman carefully helped Li Yuan straighten his clothes. Once she finished, she knelt before him, offering a tray holding nothing but a cup of tea for his morning rinse.

“Please wash up, my husband,” she said, her voice so humble it was practically dust.

Li Yuan glanced at the woman the Jing Clan had arranged for him—Jing Shuixiang. The Jing Clan had been clever about it, first letting her teach him insect-taming so they could spend time together.

Only after they’d grown accustomed to one another did she shed her thick, leather uniform—the standard garb for insect wardens—and reveal her lovely face and figure.

The Jing Clan’s intentions were obvious. The Holy Tree Temple wanted to bind him more tightly to their cause, and rather than resist, he had simply gone along with their plan to marry and consummate the union.

Yet Jing Shuixiang’s deference bordered on extreme. Even in bed, she focused solely on pleasing him, disregarding her own needs entirely.

Sometimes Li Yuan felt as though she was willing to sacrifice everything for his sake. If he so much as frowned, she would immediately kneel and beg forgiveness, listing all the ways she thought she had erred and pledging to do better.

Li Yuan never paid much attention to these supposed mistakes; in truth, he felt there was nothing for her to correct. He tried more than once to stop her from being so self-effacing, but she would only promise to change and then tremble as she continued trying to please him.

Concerned she might be under threat from the Jing Clan, Li Yuan quietly asked her about it one night. Jing Shuixiang denied it vehemently, insisting she truly loved him, claiming she had begged the clan head to arrange the marriage, and saying that his kindness meant she would die happy if it ever came to that.

That memory flashed in Li Yuan’s mind now, as the steam drifting off the tea pulled him back to reality.

With a sigh, he picked up the cup, rinsed his mouth, and spat out the water, then placed the cup back on the tray.

He knew if he told her outright to stop behaving this way, she would only prostrate herself in fear and beg forgiveness all over again. Even if he tried to force her to change, she would still cower on the ground, trembling, unsure of what else to do.

So Li Yuan simply decided to go along with her. He even brought this up with the head of the Jing Clan.

In the end, Jing Banfeng only said that Jing Shuixiang was a bit of an oddball. She was utterly devoted to anyone she liked, but would treat anyone she didn’t like as if they didn’t exist.

That same personality made her fiercely loyal to her husband, and marrying her off in this way demonstrated the Jing Clan’s stance. As for why she was like that, Jing Banfeng claimed he had no idea.

Li Yuan saw no point in pressing further. Instead, he stepped alone into the snow, took out a flute, and began to play.

For a sixth rank martial artist, mastering an instrument was no real challenge, and certainly not for someone of Li Yuan’s caliber.

He closed his eyes and let the music flow. The gentle notes of his flute drifted through the strange flora growing in the Holy Tree Temple’s core, softening the searing, near-maddening aura of the meat fields with a touch of calm.

Standing there in his white robes, he lost himself in the melody, while from a patch of snowy, eight-petaled fairywood, a swirl of crimson insect-mist rose into the air. It formed into a giant red python that slithered through the wind and snow, spiraling around him in a graceful dance.

A surge of indescribable wonder filled Li Yuan’s heart. He had fully mastered Wood Demon Subjugation. Though it didn’t expand the number of sixth rank demonic beasts he could control, it granted him a powerful advantage—a natural affinity for plant-type demonic beasts and, after maxing it out, insect-type demonic beasts as well.

The music continued to waft on the air while clouds of red insect mist danced around him. The lone figure in white, flute pressed to his lips, stood out starkly against the snowy backdrop, creating a scene that struck anyone watching with awe.

When the piece ended, he heard clapping behind him.

Jing Baikou, the Jing Clan’s patriarch, approached with a smile. “You truly are extraordinary, Master Li. An ordinary insect warden could never risk playing music near these red insects, lest they devour him in an instant. But you have them well under control.”

Li Yuan nodded. “I’ve only managed to learn a branch of sixth rank beast taming. It’s nothing much.”

He knew the real reason was his newfound insect affinity. Other insect wardens had to rely on thick leather suits to mask their presence and ward off the red insects’ attacks.

Jing Baikou asked, “Is there any way to tame them further? For example, to stop them from turning on their handlers, or from attacking ordinary people?”

Li Yuan thought it over, then shook his head. Having studied the art of insect command, he understood why the Holy Tree Temple never sent these insect wardens to the front lines. The problem lay not in the insect wardens but in the insects themselves.

These red insects were extremely sensitive to Yin energy. If they detected it, they would swarm uncontrollably, desperate to feed. Li Yuan had escaped their attack previously only because his Yang energy greatly exceeded his Yin energy. But that didn’t mean they couldn’t be tempted by regular human blood and flesh; some of them would occasionally stray and consume unsuspecting people.

That was why the insect wardens didn’t bring the insects beyond the Holy Tree Temple’s borders. Another reason was the presence of ghost domains in the wild. Upon sensing one, the insects would charge in like moths to a flame, perishing en masse. These were ingrained traits, and though Li Yuan could command them, he couldn’t simply wipe out their instincts.

They chatted a bit longer before Jing Baikou asked, “How about trying your hand at controlling the eternal demon bloom next?”

Li Yuan gave it some thought and said, “I can try right now.”

Before long, he found himself heading toward the heart of the Jing Clan’s territory once again.

The blood-red flower lay flattened beneath a crystal casing, looking almost like a preserved specimen. Yet the vivid color of its petals made clear it was still very much alive.

Standing beside it, Jing Baikou seemed especially concerned about the eternal demon bloom—an asset of considerable strategic value. Watching Li Yuan study the flower in silence, Jing Baikou started to say something several times but held his tongue. Only after Li Yuan had observed the eternal demon bloom for a good hour did Jing Baikou finally slip away.

In Li Yuan’s eyes, the eternal demon bloom read 340~380, with a combat power of 460~500 at peak condition—barely reaching sixth rank. Even if it were fully restored, it wouldn’t match Yan Mu’s power. But its true strength couldn’t be summed up by mere numbers. After all, it possessed the abilities of unlimited propagation and rapid reproduction.

Li Yuan began attempting to establish a spiritual link. One stick of incense passed...then another...then two hours, and then four.

Gradually, he sensed a faint connection forming, but he was surprised to discover that taking control of this eternal demon bloom required two separate links.

In other words, it demanded two of the

slots

he had for commanding sixth rank demonic beasts.

He already had one free slot, and he could free up another if he ended his soul connection with one of the ebony kinghounds he was currently bonded to.

Since he owned two ebony kinghounds—one had gone off with Sheng'er, and one he had brought behind the Holy Tree Temple’s third gate—arranging that was simple enough.

Officially, he claimed he had sold the ebony kinghound with Sheng'er because he couldn’t handle so many. If anyone went looking, they’d find a legitimate record of that sale.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Two days later.

Li Yuan dissolved his bond with the sixth rank ebony kinghound he kept within the Holy Tree Temple’s third gate. Then he returned to the eternal demon bloom, taking a bottle of fasting pills from his pocket, swallowing one before resuming his round-the-clock efforts to tame it.

Nowadays, the Holy Tree Temple supplied him generously with any pills he needed—fasting pills or rejuvenation pills; whatever he asked for, they provided.

Even so, taming the eternal demon bloom proved neither simple nor safe. The more Li Yuan delved into it, the more it became clear this demon bloom was anything but ordinary. It occupied two sixth rank slots, but that was an oversimplification.

Imagine each slot as a single room, big enough to hold one demonic beast. Even after housing an ebony kinghound, there was space left over in the

room

. But the eternal demon bloom needed two whole rooms, filling both top to bottom.

Establishing a spiritual connection with it was not only tricky but also dangerous.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Half a month later.

Li Yuan had still not succeeded. Deciding to give himself a break, he prepared to step outside and unwind for a couple of days. He reached for the cloak hanging on the wooden rack, fastened it around his shoulders, and pulled its ties snug around his collar. Then he stepped out into the wind and snow.

To his surprise, someone was waiting for him.

Jing Shuixiang stood there, small and delicate, her cheeks pale from the cold, looking more than a little like Yan Yu on a frigid day. The difference was that Yan Yu, despite her petite build, possessed a bold, commanding spirit.

In fact, Li Yuan believed he used to see Yan Yu as an older sister because she was three years older than him. But over time, he came to realize it was less about age and more about the way she carried herself. He never worried about Yan Yu’s resolve.

Jing Shuixiang, on the other hand, seemed to shrink into herself, fearful and uncertain.

“Welcome back,” she said, smiling in an attempt to please. Her shoulders were slightly hunched.

Li Yuan sighed, not wanting to waste words. He pulled off his cloak and wrapped it around her. Without waiting for any protest, he scooped her up, arms snug around her, and strode forward through the swirling snow.

“H-Husband, please put me down...

“I’m sorry... I’ve put on weight lately. Am I too heavy for you?

“I promise I’ll eat less from now on. Please don’t be upset with me.

“I’m so sorry... I didn’t put on any makeup today, so I must look dreadful. Please forgive me... I’m really sorry... sob...”

Jing Shuixiang’s eyes reddened. She apologized again and again, glancing up at Li Yuan as though desperate to avoid disappointing him.

Li Yuan said, “Next time, stay indoors, eat well, and get plenty of rest. Otherwise, it really

will

be your fault. Now be quiet and get some sleep. It’s too cold out here, you’ll freeze.”

That night, he spent the night with Jing Shuixiang.

The following evening, he was with Cui Huayin. She made no mention of Jing Shuixiang—after all, a marriage alliance was just that. If this were the imperial court, they might have to battle for power and influence. But with Li Yuan, what was there to fight over? Love?

Cui Huayin also said nothing about her own cultivation. She merely commented, “Yao Jue is close to breaking through to sixth rank. But don’t worry. Even if we succeed in reaching fifth rank, I’ll still be your wife, and Yao Jue will still be your maid.”

Clearly, both women belonging to Li Yuan and benefiting from his cooperation had received plentiful resources that caused their cultivation to soar.

Yet from Cui Huayin’s perspective, however gifted Li Yuan might be, he was still a wandering martial artist. He was more or less fated to stop at sixth rank. She spoke in such a way to put him at ease. She was clever enough to repay kindness with kindness.

Shortly thereafter, Li Yuan returned to the depths of the Jing Clan estate to continue taming the eternal demon bloom.