Qing Zhiyan held Shen Yu's hand, leading him toward her little shelter. It was just a small wooden hut with no real value, so nobody cared about it.

Then again, it was in the Empress Faction's area, so she was pretty safe here.

As they entered the hut, Qing Zhiyan went to sit on the bed and gestured for her master to sit beside her.

She was going to tell him about the plushie and the hut when she remembered why she contacted him in the first place.

"Master, the Prime Minister's son is actually the Skinwalker. He had been behaving rather weirdly recently, so I brought the tracker to him and checked him."

[She is right. I just checked it, though things are a bit complicated. Nothing to worry about though, so you can check up on him later.]

Shen Yu heaved a sigh of relief and went to sit beside his wife, saying,

"Things are under control, so you can relax and tell me about this place. It's so cozy and wonderful. I swear I could fall asleep the moment I touch the bed."

Qing Zhiyan sheepishly smiled and said,

"This was my shelter when things got too out of control and I didn't want to burden Mom. Sometimes those visions were so bad... I used to just end up screaming like some crazed lunatic."

Before she could continue, she found herself in a warm embrace, giving her mind and heart a relaxing feeling.

"It's fine, Master. I'm already over it, but I do come here often because I love this place. It supported me in my worst times. And this plushie... it's from my old maid, who used to look after me."

Shen Yu continued to rub her back while listening to her tale. No matter how many times he heard about her life, it always amazed him how she had managed to keep herself sane till now.

This was also the reason he knew that his wives were very powerful mentally—but also fragile at times. Their pasts had left deep scars on their powerful souls that would always try to hurt them.

But with his presence—and also their family—they were slowly healing those scars, and he supported them in that. He wanted to remove those scars at once, but they had rejected his help, saying that they needed to overcome it by themselves.

So, he could only provide them his silent support and also his warmth, which seemed to work wonders for them. The prime example was right in his arms.

Even though Qing Zhiyan was talking about her past that had haunted her always, she was smiling while inhaling his scent. He could also sense her serene mood, which made his lips curl up too.

After a while, she asked,

"Master, what about the Skinwalker? What are you going to do with it?"

Shen Yu thought for a bit and answered,

"It's complicated to answer, really, considering its situation. But most likely, its case ends here. I will deal with the Skinwalker once and for all."

She looked up at him, her eyes shining with a calculating glint.

"What if we harass the Major Sects using the Skinwalker?"

Shen Yu raised an eyebrow and said,

"Elaborate."

She backed away, sitting properly, and then said,

"What I mean is, we can use the name of the Skinwalker for our advantage. You can just copy its power and attack the Major Sects' minor branches and stations. It's just harassment to annoy them, but it will also put fear in them."

She grinned and added,

"After all, the Skinwalker can even control Tier 5 Spiritual Creatures, and this creature has joined our ranks. We can also plan our location and trails so that it looks like another Major Sect is purposely trying to frame all Major Sects to get away with their actions."

She suddenly thought of something and said,

"Or we can shift the blame to my father by exposing his secret of keeping many dead bodies of Spiritual Creatures. Wait! That's actually a good idea. We can mix both ideas, actually..."

Shen Yu just watched her rambling on and on as she made some plans and then discarded them, only to bring them back when she found something better to mix with them.

After some time, she pumped her fist and said,

"Alright! I've got the plan, Master."

Shen Yu chuckled.

"You've been planning something like this for a while, right? So, why don't you take the lead and I'll provide support? I need to take care of something else too."

Qing Zhiyan's eyes brightened hearing that, as she bobbed her head up and down.

"Thanks, Master. I'll make sure I make the best use of our plan."

He smiled at her and stretched out his hand. He was holding a dark amulet, giving off an eerie aura.

"This has the characteristics of the Skinwalker, and you can use it however you wish. Also, you are connected to Nancy too, so just ask her if you have any problems—like needing to teleport and all."

He stroked her smooth purple hair and said gently,

"And be careful. I'll be keeping an eye on your performance, so good luck."

Qing Zhiyan was pumped up hearing him as she stood up and almost stormed out of the hut, but she stopped when she saw that Shen Yu was still sitting there.

"Go on! You have more important matters to deal with..."

Shen Yu gestured for her to move with his hands.

"I will do my best, Master."

With that, she left her little shelter and directly went toward her mother's room. She knew she was there since the Emperor had given her some work after she refused to join hands with him.

Qing Zhiyan had thought of accepting that offer, as that would allow them to be close to the Emperor and know what he planned—but she didn't implement it.

They already had the best support they could ask for, so there was no need to make useless compromises that would only hurt them.

Especially Li Xiaojing.

It was already a miracle she had endured that man for so many years, and now that she had found a perfect partner for herself, there was no way she would even go close to him.

Qing Zhiyan sighed and entered the room, shouting,

"Mom, I need your help. We are advancing with our plans."