.........

.........

Yin Tingxue sat outside the door for an unknown amount of time. When Min Ming woke up, she was already there.

She had dozed off briefly, then woke up midway, feeling inexplicably restless. She tossed and turned under the covers for quite a while, but her heart remained uneasy.

When she got up, the bright moon was still shining high. In the small courtyard, her shadow alone cast against the walls, Yin Tingxue inhaled and exhaled, trying to breathe out her unease. But it stuck, weighing heavily on her heart.

When Chen Yi held her in his arms, he often leaned against her shoulder, which was why she preferred sleeping alone. Yet, last night, she wasn't used to not having his presence.

Yin Tingxue didn't sit on the doorstep the whole time. A few times, she returned to the bedroom, attempting to fall asleep, but still couldn't. Helpless, she lit a small lamp and decided to read a book.

Inside the pages were his notes.

Chen Yi also read books. He'd gone through many of the random books he had bought for Yin Tingxue, leaving behind notes in the margins, line by line. Suddenly, Yin Tingxue saw a sentence.

[She read this page out loud to me once. At the time, I didn't understand, but now, recalling it, the lingering sentiment is endless.]

Yin Tingxue ran her fingers over this line of writing, tracing it repeatedly. Her shoulders rose and fell as she let out a soft breath.

Her fingertips lingered over that small space.

That single line of writing felt like it was more than just words.

It signified, perhaps, a change she had brought about in him.

Every time she thought about this, an indescribable feeling would flow through her heart.

She took out that small box and gently opened it, revealing the paper flower inside.

The flower wasn't large, only the size of her palm. Under the oil lamp's faint glow, its silhouette blurred softly. She thought back to their dating days—to what had been the happiest day of her relationship with Chen Yi.

Because after that day, Chen Yi had completely softened. He even promised her he would apologize.

Yin Tingxue had been waiting for that day ever since.

Knowing his nature, who could say when that day would ever come?

"Should I… bring it up with him?"

Yin Tingxue murmured softly to herself.

With his personality—yielding to softness but not coercion—directly demanding it would undoubtedly backfire. Not only would he tease her relentlessly, but he might even take back his words. That's why she never made direct demands.

After pondering for a while, Yin Tingxue came up with an idea.

She pulled out a piece of rice paper and began folding it.

Chen Yi had folded her a paper flower, so she thought she'd fold something for him in return.

It's just that she wasn't as skillful; the only thing she could fold was a paper boat.

Before folding the paper, she took up her brush, ground some ink, and wrote a short sentence on the paper.

Just five words.

Would he be happy when he accidentally unfolded it?

Thinking about it, Yin Tingxue's lips unconsciously curled into a smile.

He would, right?

It was a sentence he'd long wanted to see...

After folding the paper boat, Yin Tingxue placed it into the drawer, planning to give it to him when he returned or during the Lantern Festival.

In the quiet of the night, under a dim candle, the girl's thoughts drifted with anticipation. Unintentionally, her gaze fell on the sandalwood box in the drawer.

He had bought a new hairpin recently.

The beautiful look on Yin Tingxue's face faded a little. That hairpin wasn't for her but for Sister Weiying.

Despite Chen Yi never openly expressing his feelings for Yin Weiying, the little fox knew he actually liked Sister Weiying quite a lot.

At that moment, Yin Tingxue let out a breath, picked up the small paper boat, and shut the drawer with a snap, deciding not to look at it anymore.

Back to the present—

Yin Tingxue thought back to the events of the previous night and remained seated on the doorstep, shrinking slightly under Zhou Yitang's gaze.

"…You miss him, don't you?"

Zhou Yitang's voice was calm and devoid of emotion.

Yin Tingxue hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded softly.

One could see the one-armed woman's eyes narrow slightly, a glimmer flickering under her lashes, though her thoughts remained inscrutable.

Worried Zhou Yitang might overthink things and grow jealous in the end, Yin Tingxue explained quietly:

"I feel like he went somewhere very far away—so far that it's hard to reach."

What started as a well-intentioned explanation unintentionally struck a nerve. Zhou Yitang's gaze turned sharp.

The Yin Tingxue of today was no longer the same as before; she had already reached Foundation Establishment and mastered the Heavenly Ear Technique.

Yin Tingxue observed the one-armed woman's expression and heard her ask earnestly, "Did you hear something?"

"…I think I heard… the wind. It's as if he's been drawn somewhere…" Yin Tingxue recalled carefully, describing the situation softly.

Zhou Yitang's face suddenly changed. She pinched her fingers and performed a quick calculation, her eyes turning icy before she said decisively:

"Come with me. We'll find him."

Yin Tingxue was stunned for a moment but quickly nodded. She said she needed to pack a few things first.

Before leaving, she brought both the paper boat and the box with the hairpin.

"I wonder what he's doing… How is he right now?"

Yin Tingxue thought worriedly.

.........…

.........…

Walking along the main road outside Donghua Gate, Chen Yi surveyed his surroundings. Having lived nearby, he was familiar with the area.

But every face he passed was a stranger to him.

Yin Weiying once mentioned that to craft an identical paper person, one needed matching birth dates and times. This meant that it was highly unlikely for anyone he knew to have a paper double here.

Since birth dates and times were often kept secret to avoid malicious curses or rituals, such information wasn't even recorded in the clan registry.

In this Secret Realm, with Lin Wanxiao accompanying him, navigating the path to the royal palace was effortless.

Lin Wanxiao escorted Chen Yi to the palace's inner court. Seeing him about to enter with the nun, she hesitated to part ways.

She said, "You've defied Her Highness's orders this time. When you see her, you should explain yourself clearly."

Chen Yi silently thought to himself, how could there possibly be a paper double of the Empress Dowager here? Before coming to the capital, the Empress Dowager had always resided in Luoyong City; if there truly were a paper double, the An family's main branch wouldn't have suffered the tragic massacre of an eradicated clan.

Of course, Lin Wanxiao, having consumed the Forget Worry Wine, had been brainwashed in this Secret Realm and didn't know any better.

"I'll be cautious," he replied briefly, preparing to leave.

Lin Wanxiao stopped him again: "Wait."

Chen Yi halted, watching Lin Wanxiao take two steps forward. Her jade-like fingers gripped his belt, tugging it to tighten his clothing. It seemed to be her first time doing this, and when she accidentally touched his skin beneath the fabric, her face remained calm, but her earlobes reddened slightly.

Chen Yi's gaze dropped slightly. This was also the first time someone had tied his belt for him.

Afterward, Lin Wanxiao patted the belt and said softly, "My mother used to do this for my father. When I mentioned it to Xiuhe, she insisted I do the same for you. She's so foolish, isn't she?"

"Foolish indeed…" Chen Yi muttered. There was no telling whom he was referring to.

After a moment, he sighed, forcing a faint smile. "Alright now, hurry back with Xiuhe. Even with my Sword Intent protecting you, be careful on your way… Stay safe at home and wait for me."

Lin Wanxiao murmured an "okay" and turned to leave, glancing back two or three times. Chen Yi responded each time with a gentle smile.

Only when her figure completely disappeared from sight did he let out a sigh.

"'Stay safe at home and wait for me'… You truly are sweethearts," came Dong Guifei's faint voice.

Learning Chen Yi didn't possess the antidote and had refused the solution of physical detoxification, Dong Guifei's tone now carried an undertone of ambiguous sarcasm.

With a life-bound paper double sharing the burden, enduring the effects of the Jade Spring Ointment was feasible, though at a cost—some meridians would inevitably suffer damage.

Still, when it came to physical detoxification, Dong Guifei found herself caught between Buddhist Law and her own desires.

Strictly speaking, as a Buddhist Sect adherent, such actions were forbidden…

However, if it were under compulsion, perhaps it wouldn't violate the precepts, would it?

After all, as a Korean woman living under another's roof, she had little control over her own fate—let alone the fact that he was her consort…

Chen Yi cast her a glance.

Dong Guifei raised a single hand in a Zen palm salute, smiling as she said:

"Namo Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva… You and she seem so affectionate. I wonder what your sweetheart would think if she saw all this."

Chen Yi replied plainly, "At home, I've always been the one in charge."

This was no lie. Aside from Zhou Yitang, his teacher, Chen Yi had never backed down to anyone.

The little fox was easy to tease, the Great Yin dared not speak much, and Min Ming now worked as a maid. As long as Zhou Yitang remained unaware, there was no issue at all.

As the saying goes, to catch a thief, you need the stolen goods. To catch adultery, you need both parties in the act… And everyone knew exactly who had the power to catch whom.

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