167: Chapter 167 The Ten-Year Agreement

"This is the spot."

Chen Zilong surveyed the surroundings; it was secluded enough.

He walked behind the remains of a rockery, crouched down, and pressed his palm against the cold, damp ground.

No spiritual power fluctuations; he relied purely on physical strength and precise perception of the earth and stone structure.

He applied slight pressure with his five fingers, and the hard ground was "squeezed" open like tofu, silently creating a slanted tunnel just large enough for one person.

He slipped inside and swept his hand back; the soil and gravel around the entrance automatically closed, returning to their original state, leaving only a minute trace that couldn't be found without looking closely.

Inside the tunnel, a faint light flickered at Chen Zilong's fingertip, fueled by a sliver of meager magical power.

He continued digging downward and deeper, carving out a simple stone chamber about ten feet square and over a person's height.

He then took out several moonstones from his storage ring and embedded them in the walls, their soft light illuminating the surroundings.

Finally, he set up several of the simplest concealment and soundproofing Restrictions.

Although the effect was better than nothing with his current magical power, it was still better than nothing.

After finishing all this, he sat cross-legged and exhaled a long breath of turbid qi.

Was ten years about to begin in this sunless place?

He gave a self-deprecating laugh.

Compared to that shattered dream at Tushan, and the pain of a torn primordial spirit, what did this matter?

He carefully took out a stone the size of a baby's fist from the depths of his ring—crystal clear, with a dense mist swirling inside—a Top-Grade Spirit Stone!

Even at his peak, this was a rare cultivation resource, and it was perfectly suited for repairing his primordial spirit now.

Holding the spirit stone in his palm, Chen Zilong began to circulate the most basic Spirit Nourishing Chapter from the Nine Heavens Thunder Control True Canon.

Strands of extremely pure spiritual energy were drawn out, slowly but steadily seeping into his parched and cracked Sea of Consciousness, nourishing his dim and damaged primordial spirit.

The process was agonizingly slow, like using the finest embroidery needle to stitch together shattered glaze bit by bit.

The pain was subtle and persistent, but he had long grown accustomed to it.

From that day on, Chen Zilong's life became a simple routine between two points.

By day, he was the Eldest Miss Zhou's personal Guard Chen Zilong, reticent and dutiful.

When he needed to make an appearance, he would.

Most of the time, he stayed in his wing room to "cultivate."

In reality, the one staying inside was mostly a "paper figurine."

Turning Paper into a Person—this was a Taoist minor divine ability that wasn't too profound but was very practical.

With his current cultivation, the paper figurine he created only had the form; its movements were stiff, its spiritual power fluctuations were weak, and while it could fool mortals or low-level cultivators, an expert could see through it at a glance.

Fortunately, what Zhou Xiao arranged for him were nothing more than trivial tasks like following her out or guarding the courtyard, which the paper figurine could barely manage.

Occasionally, when he needed to speak or handle slightly more complex situations, Chen Zilong's true body would temporarily emerge from the underground cave dwelling.

Zhou Xiao never seemed to suspect anything.

Or rather, she was so preoccupied with her own worries that she had no time to look into a Guard's daily routine.

She became even more silent than before, often standing alone by the window of her embroidery building in a daze, her brow locked in an unbreakable sorrow.

Chen Zilong watched from the sidelines.

Inside the Zhou Family, things were likely not as calm as they appeared on the surface.

The health of the family head, Zhou Yi, was clearly failing; that floating aura of decline was growing heavier.

Occasional snippets of conversation among the servants also carried the scent of a gathering storm.

But for now, none of this had anything to do with him.

His entire focus was on the slow and steady repair of his primordial spirit.

The spiritual energy of the Top-Grade Spirit Stone was refined bit by bit, and the cracks in his Sea of Consciousness were mending little by little.

Time passed quietly between the silent cave dwelling and the paper figurine substitute that occasionally went out.

Unknowingly, the parasol tree outside the window turned green then yellow, and yellow then green; ten cycles had passed.

Inside the cave dwelling, Chen Zilong slowly opened his eyes.

A sharp light flashed in his eyes before returning to a deep calm.

He opened his palm; the Top-Grade Spirit Stone had long since turned to powder, rustling down through his fingers.

"Nascent Soul Middle Stage..."

He felt the spiritual power surging like a river within him, and the small golden figure (Nascent Soul) sitting cross-legged in his Sea of Consciousness, which had solidified significantly, and he let out a long sigh of relief.

Ten years of hard work, day and night without pause, had finally repaired about seventy to eighty percent of his primordial spirit, and his cultivation had recovered to the Nascent Soul Realm Middle Stage.

He was only one step away from his peak at the Nascent Soul Early Stage.

At his current pace, he could fully recover with at most one more year of secluded cultivation.

Ten years was a long time for a mortal, enough to change many things.

For the former Nascent Soul Cultivator Chen Zilong, however, it was just a fleeting moment, a necessary price to pay on the road to healing.

During these ten years, he had hardly left this simple cave dwelling he had carved out; the tasks Zhou Xiao assigned were all handled by the paper figurine clone.

Fortunately, they were all mundane matters, and nothing had gone wrong.

Counting the days, only a little over a month remained of the ten-year Guard term they had originally agreed upon.

Chen Zilong stood up and stretched his somewhat stiff limbs.

Having been in seclusion for so long, it was time to go out for some fresh air.

He waved his hand to remove the Restriction at the cave entrance and, just as he had entered ten years ago, noiselessly merged through the ground, smoothed over the traces, and then returned to his wing room like a ghost.

Just as he pushed open the door, he froze for a moment.

Zhou Xiao was actually standing in his room.

Her back was to the door as she stood by the window, looking at the bare parasol tree in the courtyard outside.

Hearing the door open, her shoulders moved slightly, but she didn't turn around immediately.

"Eldest Miss." Chen Zilong clasped his hands and bowed, his voice steady and calm, just as he had done countless times over the past ten years.

Only then did Zhou Xiao slowly turn around.

With just one look, Chen Zilong's heart skipped a beat.

Zhou Xiao was still the same Zhou Xiao, with her goose-yellow dress and cold temperament.

But her eyes were bloodshot!

It wasn't the kind of redness from staying up late, but clearly from a major crying session; her eyelids were somewhat swollen, and traces of moisture still lingered in her eyes.

There was no expression on her face; she was even colder than usual.

But those bloodshot eyes betrayed all the emotions she was trying so hard to hide.

There was anger, grievance, despair, and a deep sense of helplessness.

After ten years together, even if he had mostly faced her with a paper figurine, Chen Zilong had gained a basic understanding of this Eldest Miss of the Zhou Family.

She was proud and strong-willed, with a streak of stubbornness in her bones.

Even when her father was seriously ill and the family was rife with undercurrents, she had always struggled to hold things together; when had he ever seen her like this?

Zhou Xiao nodded, acknowledging his greeting.

She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something.

But in the end, she only gave Chen Zilong a deep look.

That look was extremely complex, containing inquiry, hesitation, and a faint trace of reliance that she might not even have noticed herself.

But more than anything, it was a desperate gamble before a final resolution.

"Guard Chen,"

she began, her voice somewhat raspy yet exceptionally clear, "the ten-year term is almost up."

"Yes, there is a little over a month left," Chen Zilong replied, the sense of unease in his heart growing stronger.

"You..."

Zhou Xiao paused, seemingly weighing her words...

"..."