Chapter 13 Like a Dream, Like a Bubble

In the blink of an eye, several months passed...

Zhao Yuehua had gone out for a while and brought back the tung heartwood core that she had entrusted someone to refine.

At this moment, in the quiet room.

A puppet of the Yin technique that was customized according to Zhao Yuehua's body proportions stood in front of the altar, while the original owner Zhao Yuehua wore a Yin technique mask and held a talisman pen to draw Yin technique symbols on it.

Li Xuanji watched quietly in the corner. Under the candlelight, his face was dim and bright, as if he had something on his mind...

Zhao Yuehua glanced at him and urged him with a bit of helplessness and coquetry: "Husband, don't just watch, come and help."

"Alright~"

Li Xuanji responded and came back to his senses. He leaned forward and wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her hand that held the pen, helping her to ease the pressure.

The cost of trial and error for refining the 'Mirror Flower' puppet was high, but the auxiliary materials were sufficient, and now it was in the final stage.

Although it was refined by two people, the strokes were steady and the drawing of the Yin technique symbols and the infusion of mana were done in one go, and they cooperated very well.

As the last stroke fell, the drawn Yin technique symbols also disappeared, and the 'Mirror Flower' puppet, which should have been a dead thing, seemed to be infused with vitality, emitting a faint glow...

"Done!!"

Zhao Yuehua put down the talisman pen, took off the mask, and searched for clothes from her storage bag, putting them in front of the 'Mirror Flower' puppet to see if they fit.

"How does this look?"

"Is this one too thin?"

"What about this one?"

She had finally refined the hope of survival after two years, and her voice was slightly trembling, and her charming cheeks were also hard to hide the joy.

"Beautiful, they are all beautiful."

Li Xuanji just smiled and then said mysteriously: "But I have a more beautiful one, although it is not a magic robe, but I think it should suit it."

As he said, he took out a white and blue dotted skirt from his storage bag and handed it over.

"Hmm?"

Zhao Yuehua looked at him in surprise, took the skirt and put it in front of the 'Mirror Flower' puppet to see.

She found that the skirt was slightly shorter than the ordinary skirt, even exposing some of the ankles, but it did not have a bit of frivolity, but rather added a bit of indescribable purity. Even with her picky eyes, she felt a bright light in front of her, and she couldn't find any flaws.

"It really suits it~"

She was overjoyed and checked it again, then seemed to think of something, and muttered gloomily: "How come I don't know that my husband has such a skill?"

"There are many things you don't know."

"Hmph..."

"Hahaha..."

Li Xuanji saw that she seemed a little angry, and laughed, then bit her lips and said: "It's body shape and appearance are designed by me, so I naturally know what clothes it looks good in."

As he said, he seemed to think of something, and whispered in her ear with a smile: "Even the socks you wear every day are made by me."

"You..."

Zhao Yuehua remembered his strange hobbies and tricks at some times, and immediately blushed and glared at him, and complained: "It's broad daylight, don't talk nonsense."

"Hahaha~"

Li Xuanji saw her shy look and laughed, but did not stop, but leaned closer to her.

"Mmm..."

Zhao Yuehua struggled for a while but couldn't escape his mouth, but her eyes were blurred, and she slowly responded.

After a long time, their lips parted...

Li Xuanji saw that the beauty in his arms had moved, and knew that the time was ripe, so he guided her to lean on the altar.

"Baby, be good..."

"Husband..."

Zhao Yuehua said with a trembling voice: "It's daytime, and this is the altar, can we change the place?"

"What's wrong with the altar?"

Li Xuanji didn't stop and continued to guide her, and after pecking a few times on her neck, he softly comforted: "The altar was left by my mother, and if she knew that we became a couple, she would be happy even in the spirit of heaven."

Zhao Yuehua bit her lower lip, and then seemed to think of something, touched his cheek, and whispered with tenderness: "Then...don't do it again..."

Li Xuanji was stunned, as if he felt something, nodded and smiled: "Okay, don't do it again..."

...

The next morning.

Li Xuanji woke up in a daze and turned over, wanting to hug his wife next to him, but he reached out and hugged nothing...

He then opened his eyes abruptly, and when he saw that there was no one next to him, he lost his sleepiness.

He was stunned for a while, and then came to his senses, got up and put on his clothes and got out of bed.

Standing in front of the door of the quiet room...

He still had a glimmer of hope in his heart.

When he opened the door, he found that the quiet room was cleaned up, and there was no 'Mirror Flower' puppet, and his breath was stagnant, and the last bit of hope in his heart was also shattered...

He stood blankly at the door of the quiet room, his expression a bit dazed, as if he didn't have the courage to step into the room.

Because he knew that Zhao Yuehua had left.

The bubble that he had maintained for half a year had also broken...

Zhao Yuehua had gone out for a while and brought back the tung heartwood core that she had entrusted someone to refine. When she came back, she not only called him husband, but also agreed to everything, gentle and virtuous, as if it was not real...

He had a hunch then that his wife had something to hide from him, and it was very likely that it was something he couldn't interfere with...

Then he tried to test her again and again, until yesterday she didn't refuse him in front of the altar.

Li Xuanji was more convinced of his guess - she might be leaving!

But he didn't expect...

That she would leave so cleanly, so quickly.

He sat down on the threshold with a lonely expression, and under the sunlight, the shadow curled up like a wounded beast licking its wounds...

"I knew she had something to hide from me, why didn't I ask?"

"I knew she was leaving, why didn't I try to keep her?"

"She called me husband yesterday, and left me today, how could she be so cruel?"

Li Xuanji muttered in a daze, and then seemed to think of something, and suddenly got up from the threshold.

Zhao Yuehua was not a heartless person!

Even if she left, she would leave a letter!

He looked at the arrangement of the quiet room, his eyes fell on the altar, and when he saw that there was a piece of paper under the Yin technique mask, his heart moved and he quickly pulled it out.

"Husband, I hope this letter finds you well..."

"When you see this letter, I have already left, please forgive me for leaving without saying goodbye..."

"Actually, I lied to you..."

"I'm not your mother's friend, I don't even know your mother, I just came to you to try my luck because I only found one Yin technique master in the area of the mountain gate."

"Also, when you were designing the draft for the 'Mirror Flower' puppet in the quiet room, I was watching you outside the door, watching you hurt yourself, but I didn't stop you..."

"Am I very selfish?"

"Will you blame me?"

"It's useless to blame me, I actually saw through your ulterior motives, you subtly wanted to influence me, to get closer to me, but I didn't refuse either."

"I didn't tell you much about my past, because the cultivation world is very cruel, I lived with a 'mask' for decades and barely adapted, so I didn't want to affect you more."

"These two years with you, I tried to live without a 'mask', and I felt very relaxed, unprecedentedly relaxed."

"The cultivation world is not as good as you think, if possible, I would rather stay in the Lonely City, and I hope you do too..."

"The probability of the soul transfer technique to integrate me and the 'Mirror Flower' puppet into one is only 30%, so you don't have to look for me, and by the way, help me set up a tomb with clothes and crown, and write on it: The Tomb of the Deceased Wife Zhao Yuehua, and then find two more wives and concubines and live well."

"Husband, my heart is very messy, I don't even know what I'm writing, and what I should write..."

"By the way, husband, I still owe you a favor, and I don't seem to be able to pay it back, but we are dao companions, you shouldn't blame me, right?"

"Husband, I still have a lot to say to you..."

"But I'm afraid you'll wake up and look for me, and catch me red-handed, so, let's just leave it at that..."

"Wife, Zhao Yuehua left a letter."

...

Li Xuanji held the letter in his hand, staggered out of the door of the quiet room.

When he found the recliner that had accompanied him for more than ten years, he collapsed on it like an old man with a disability, or like a boneless creature. In his mind, he could only see Zhao Yuehua's various expressions of joy, anger, sorrow, and resentment... 

She was a Foundation Establishment disciple of the Green Wave Pool... 

She sold everything to gather enough materials to refine the 'Mirror Flower' puppet, and said she still owed someone a favor... 

And the core made of tung heartwood was obviously from someone else's hand, so the favor she owed was most likely related to this... 

She said that the success rate of the soul transfer technique was less than 30%, and there was no need to look for her, and even advised me to stay in the Lonely City, and by the way, help her set up a tomb with clothes and crown... 

And she left without saying goodbye, and revealed her helplessness between the lines... 'Then can I conclude that you didn't want me to get involved in danger, and you had to leave for some reason?'

 Li Xuanji quietly looked at the words on the letter, such as 'don't look for me, live well', and the dried tears on it. He didn't know what he thought of, and suddenly laughed out loud...

 "Heh, I'll go anyway..."