One should not meet someone too amazing when young.

The discussion with Cao Ying was actually quite quick.

The framework for cooperation between the Burning Flame Valley and Shen Wen had long been established; the details were for the subordinates to handle. The two of them were merely symbolically confirming a few key points.

Once business was concluded, the atmosphere turned a bit subtle.

Tang Huo'er picked up her teacup and took a sip to mask her feelings.

Her gaze swept over the women in the hall once more. Finally, she couldn't suppress the long-held confusion and a hint of defiance in her heart.

She set down the teacup and looked at the composed, smiling Cao Ying in the main seat. Her voice was as steady as possible, yet it still carried a touch of straightforward sharp edge.

"Sister Cao Ying, I... have a question. It might be a bit forward."

She paused, her green eyes looking directly at Cao Ying. "With your beauty, family background, and talent, you are all favored daughters of heaven. Why... why are you all willing to..."

She didn't finish the sentence, but everyone present understood her meaning.

Why were they all willing to share a husband?

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell silent for a moment.

Xiao Yi Xian raised her eyes, looking warmly at Tang Huo'er, then at Cao Ying.

She smiled slightly without saying a word and lowered her head to continue reading her book, as if she didn't find the question worth being surprised about.

Cai Lin leaned against a soft cushion, her purple eyes sweeping indifferently over Tang Huo'er.

That look was calm and rippleless, as if saying, "Is this even worth asking?"

She then turned her gaze out the window, one hand gently stroking her lower abdomen.

Dan Chen blinked and looked at Tang Huo'er curiously, seemingly not understanding why she would ask this.

The smile on Cao Ying's face remained unchanged.

She elegantly picked up the teacup in front of her and gently blew on the non-existent floating leaves on the water's surface.

Then she raised her eyes to meet Tang Huo'er's probing and even somewhat questioning gaze. Her red lips parted slightly, and her voice was soft but carried a discerning certainty.

"Miss Tang, do you think... after you have seen my husband, could your eyes or your heart ever hold another man?"

Tang Huo'er was stunned.

Cao Ying set down the teacup, her tone peaceful, as if stating a simple fact: "When one is young, it's best not to meet someone too stunning.

Otherwise, it will be hard to settle for anything else for the rest of your life."

Her gaze slowly swept over Xiao Yi Xian and Cai Lin.

Finally returning to Tang Huo'er's face, her smile deepened slightly.

With a hint of pride and a touch of understanding: "In terms of appearance and bearing, status and strength, talent and future prospects—look at his peers.

Even looking back a hundred years, have you ever seen or heard of anyone who can compare to my husband, Shen Wen?"

Tang Huo'er fell silent. She opened her mouth but found herself speechless.

What Cao Ying said wasn't just the bias of 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder.'

Shen Wen's excellence was objective, so dazzling that it couldn't be ignored.

A twenty-year-old Grade 8 Alchemist who suppressed his peers in the Pill Tower, with unfathomable combat power and a future that was simply limitless.

Such a man... "Doesn't Miss Tang know this herself?"

Cao Ying smiled slightly, her tone still gentle, but it accurately pierced the emotion in Tang Huo'er's heart that she was unwilling to face.

"If not for this, why would you, Miss Tang, have made a special trip to my residence today under the pretext of discussing business?"

Tang Huo'er's cheeks instantly turned red, feeling a sense of guilt and panic from being completely seen through.

She indeed... wasn't just here for business.

Seeing Tang Huo'er's flustered appearance, Cao Ying also sighed inwardly, her silver teeth biting slightly.

Her husband really had quite the knack for attracting bees and butterflies. He hadn't been out for long, yet he had already attracted such a straightforward and high-background spicy peach blossom.

However, she was, after all, the primary wife who managed the inner courtyard and coordinated various relationships, possessing a clever mind.

The Burning Flame Valley was an important ally, and the relationship needed to be maintained; she couldn't speak too harshly or completely push the person away or offend them.

As for whether Miss Tang could eventually figure it out or get past the hurdle in her own heart, that wasn't something she could force.

Just let nature take its course.

A flawless, gentle smile blossomed on Cao Ying's face again, and she considerately changed the subject: "Miss Tang has just arrived in Holy Pill City and surely isn't familiar with many places yet.

Aside from business, if there's anything you need help with or any place you'd like to visit, feel free to come to me or the people in the residence."

Tang Huo'er recovered from her embarrassment, looking at Cao Ying's generous, decent, and grudge-free smile.

Thinking about how the women around Shen Wen seemed to get along quite harmoniously, the resistance in her heart born from pride...

Seemed to loosen slightly, but what followed was deeper confusion and struggle.

She nodded haphazardly, exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then stood up to take her leave, almost fleeing the Shen Residence in a panic.

Walking on the bustling streets of Holy Pill City, Cao Ying's words echoed repeatedly in Tang Huo'er's mind.

"Could your heart ever hold another man?"

"Don't meet someone too stunning..."

She looked up at the Pill Tower's spire that pierced the clouds and gently bit her lower lip... As Tang Huo'er's figure disappeared outside the residence gates, the other women giggled.

Xiao Yi Xian gently closed the scroll in her hand, raised her eyes to look at the normal-looking Cao Ying in the main seat, and said softly: "It seems we're likely to have another sister soon."

Her tone held no jealousy, but rather a bit of a bystander's amusement and a hint of sentiment.

After all, she had experienced a similar situation herself.

Hearing this, Cao Ying shook her head, took a sip of tea, and then said slowly: "It's still a long way off."

"This Miss Tang has a fiery personality and pride hidden in her bones. Making her accept 'sharing a husband' won't be an easy hurdle for her to overcome. Pointing out her feelings today..."

"...was just to let her figure it out for herself first. As for the final choice, it's up to her, not us."

"Besides, even if she figures it out, she still has to wait in line, doesn't she? Sister Dan Chen, Sister Qing Lin, Zi Yan..."

Dan Chen

Cao Ying met Cai Lin's knowing gaze and didn't hide it, smiling radiantly. That smile carried the cunning and thoughtfulness of the mistress of the house: "Sister Qing Lin is thin-skinned and has a soft personality; she's even more shy than Sister Dan Chen. Usually in the residence, when everyone is together, she's always quiet and keeps her thoughts deep. This trip to the Northwest, though not a long journey, is just the two of them, her and our husband. It's a good opportunity for her to slowly open her heart. Some words and some people are easier to get close to when alone."

She didn't speak too bluntly, but everyone present was smart and immediately understood her intention.

Cao Ying was quietly creating an opportunity for Qing Lin.

As Xiao Yi Xian listened, she couldn't help but recall the scene when she was alone with Shen Wen on the flying boat... Those heart-pounding memories of intimacy and absurdity rushed to her mind, causing a blush to instantly fly across her fair cheeks, and she hurriedly lowered her head.

Pretending to flip through the pages of the book in her hand, the tips of her ears quietly turned red.

Cao Ying looked at Xiao Yi Xian and spoke of serious business: "By the way, sister, the item you asked me to look out for has some news."

Hearing this, Xiao Yi Xian immediately snapped out of her shyness and looked up at Cao Ying, her eyes brightening slightly.

"Rank 7 Sky Poison Scorpion-Dragon Beast." Cao Ying nodded with certainty. "Our people have found traces of the Sky Poison Scorpion-Dragon Beast in the Fallen God Stream.

We've locked onto the approximate area. Once the intelligence is more precise, I'll have Xiong Tao take some people there and make sure to capture it for you."

"Thank you, Sister!"

A genuine smile and gratitude rippled in Xiao Yi Xian's eyes.

With this Sky Poison Scorpion-Dragon Beast, her cultivation could take another big step forward.

Now that she had studied the materials on the Calamity Poison Body from the Ice River Valley herself, she understood the Poison Pill Method. She could upgrade the poison pill that Shen Wen had previously helped her construct on her own.

This would allow her to contain the poison power of a Dou Zun while also continuing to increase the speed at which she absorbed poisonous substances.

"We're family, no need for such formalities."

Cao Ying waved her hand, her tone matter-of-fact.

Managing the inner courtyard and coordinating resources, one of her important responsibilities was to provide as much assistance as possible for the sisters' cultivation.