CHAPTER 377: REVISED: CHAPTER 304 ALSO ACTING AS A GIRLFRIEND (ADDED DOUBLE UPDATE)_2

She was not Yin Tingxue, nor did she know what words would please him, so among a thousand scattered thoughts, she could only answer softly:

"Mm... husband."

She had said before that she would call him husband in private.

Chen Yi gently stroked her slender waist, basking in her rare act of intimacy.

The legitimate eldest daughter of the Prince Mansion, which once harbored enmity against him, had secretly become his concubine in his own household—and, moreover, his cultivation furnace. He tried to push the thought aside, but when it returned, he could not help but reflect on how tangled his relationship with Yin Weiyin had become.

Chen Yi smiled and let out a faint sigh.

As for the Prince Mansion that had once wished to kill him, Chen Yi had little intention of reconciliation. However, considering Yin Weiyin’s connection, maintaining a hands-off, non-interference stance wasn’t entirely out of the question.

"It’s getting late. Take a bath and then rest."

After holding Yin Weiyin for a while longer, Chen Yi gently released her and spoke.

The little fox saw this and finally breathed a sigh of relief. Having spent so much time with Chen Yi, she understood more clearly that her husband rarely compromised easily. But Sister Weiyang was the type who was both unwilling to yield and prone to overreach—a combination that often ended tragically for her.

Yet, the little fox couldn’t bear seeing Yin Weiyin in such a sorry state. She could hear Yin Weiyin’s regrets and knew her cousin wished she could return to the past. Back then, Yin Weiyin wouldn’t have opposed him; in fact, she might even have willingly embraced him as a Dao companion. But things could never go back. Regret was meaningless—Yin Weiyin could only adapt to Chen Yi, to their current relationship.

Yin Tingxue had once resisted yielding, stubborn in her own small way. But what did it bring her in the end? Nothing, except humiliation and suffering. Only by accommodating Chen Yi’s wishes could life become even slightly bearable. After all, she was not Master Zhou; she had no means to confront Chen Yi head-on.

Time flowed onward.

After all three of them had bathed, the night had grown impossibly dark. The original candles had burned down completely, leaving the bedroom lit by a single oil lamp that could easily be extinguished.

As they prepared to climb into bed, Yin Tingxue spoke with Chen Yi about their arrangements.

To call it a discussion was perhaps generous; it was more so another one of the little fox’s subtle, persuasive attempts to please him. She whispered thoughtful words in his favor before suggesting that she sleep on the outer edge, Chen Yi in the center, and Yin Weiyin in between them.

Chen Yi agreed.

After extinguishing the oil lamp, Chen Yi lay down on the innermost side. Since he had begun sharing a room with Yin Tingxue, it had been a long time since he’d slept so far inside.

In front of him was Yin Weiyin. Unable to have Little Yin in one arm and Great Yin in the other, Chen Yi felt somewhat uneasy.

On the bed, Yin Weiyin hesitated for a long while before finally speaking:

"Will you... be going to the poetry gathering?"

Chen Yi replied casually:

"I could go, or I could not. Either way, the words I’ve said remain unchanged."

"Oh, oh..."

Yin Weiyin echoed twice, her lips closing tightly afterward. She wanted to say more to ease their relationship, but in the end, she found herself at a loss for words.

She had thought of saying, "Everything from the past is behind us now," but she couldn’t. Only Chen Yi could say those words.

At this moment, Chen Yi glanced at her. She shrank back instinctively, diverting her gaze guiltily.

As ever, the naïve Yin Weiyin failed to understand that, even if Chen Yi genuinely spoke such words, she would still be plagued by restlessness, ultimately seeking to overstep her bounds again.

From the outermost side, Yin Tingxue witnessed the silence between the two and hesitated before speaking:

"I quite want to go to the poetry gathering."

"You write poetry?"

In truth, Chen Yi knew she did, but he asked out of habit.

Yin Tingxue nodded slightly and replied:

"I dabble in poetry, calligraphy, and painting, but I’m not particularly skilled."

Saying this, she glanced at Yin Weiyin.

The female crown caught on and spoke softly:

"I can write as well, but mostly green words and religious verses—to be offered to the heavens. And you... husband?"

Yin Weiyin failed to realize that Chen Yi had no understanding of the poetic balance between tones and meters. Her question unwittingly exposed his shortcomings.

Chen Yi didn’t mind, responding:

"Poetry, calligraphy, painting—none of them are my expertise."

Continuing along the thread of conversation, Yin Weiyin suddenly found herself silent again. To be truthful, the two of them were worlds apart—not only in Yin Weiyin’s pursuit of immortality versus Chen Yi’s focus on the secular but also in their current discussion of poetry. They were, quite simply, incompatible in every conceivable interest or passion.

Their only shared connection, perhaps, lay in their physical bodies.

"If we were to attend the poetry gathering, I would likely just stand aside and watch. As for Yin Tingxue, I worry that she might be recognized. Thus, whether we attend or not, I lean more toward not going."

Chen Yi paused briefly before adding:

"But there’s no point discussing this now; it’s still far off. Let’s change the topic."

Yin Tingxue thought for a moment, seeking common ground among the three of them.

The matters of the bed were certainly not appropriate to discuss, so she turned the conversation to Foundation Establishment.

"It took me a little over half a month to reach Foundation Establishment through cultivation. Isn’t that a bit too fast?"

Upon hearing this, Yin Weiyin’s autumn-water-like eyes dimmed. She replied somberly:

"Cultivation—the speed matters neither here nor there. I spent a full year to reach Foundation Establishment, slower than you, yes. But as long as one attains immortality, it’s all the same. Yet... I won’t be seeking immortality anymore..."

The last words she said without lifting her gaze,

proving they were not carefully chosen.

Seeing her demeanor, Chen Yi wrapped his fingers around her slender waist and said:

"Not seeking immortality is fine. Just settle down to be my concubine, bear one or two children, and live out your life pampered with luxury. It wouldn’t be so bad."

Though his tone was soft, Yin Weiyin felt a lump in her throat as if choking. She crossed her hands and curled them toward her chest.

Yet she said nothing, perhaps silently acquiescing.