Chapter 291. The Centuries of Unspoken Sacrifice

Linyue stiffened. Her expression didn’t move a single muscle. She didn’t say anything. She just turned her head forward and stared at the road like it was the most fascinating dirt she had ever seen. Her mouth twitched, fighting between scolding him and simply surrendering to his shamelessness.

Shu Mingye noticed right away, of course. His eyes lit up, and he grinned. Then, because he had no self-control, he leaned in and kissed the tip of her ear.

Linyue snapped her head around with a glare. Her cheeks heated, her eyes widened, and her entire face screamed flustered, scandalized, but mostly flustered. She raised both hands and clamped them protectively over her ears like she was under spiritual attack. Which, in a way, she was.

Shu Mingye laughed, utterly delighted. “Too late, Pie. I’ve already sealed it with a kiss.” His voice dropped again, just to make it worse. “Our next date will be on the bed.”

Linyue muttered something under her breath. It could have been a curse. It could have been a threat. It definitely sounded like it involved fire and possibly the destruction of his favorite pillow. Yet she didn’t move away. Her back stayed against him. His arm stayed around her.

The horse carried them forward at an even pace, hooves striking the stone road in a steady rhythm. The outer wall loomed in the distance, lantern light flickering across the gates. It should have felt peaceful, but Linyue’s thoughts were not. She was trying not to think about her husband’s shameless words. She didn’t hear that sentence. She didn’t replay it in her mind. She definitely wasn’t imagining what kind of date required a bed or even anticipating it. No, absolutely not. Focus. She needed to focus. Her purpose, her goal, her reason for leaving the palace.

Her master. Qi Heng. Even now, the memory of Yun Qi’s last message clung to her like fog, "Tell him I love him… and I’m sorry."

Linyue didn’t know where her master was. No one ever really did. He came and went like a ghost. Quiet, unreadable, always hiding behind that mask. But lately, there had been no new attacks from the tainted outside the wall. That could only mean one thing. He was out there. Somewhere beyond the wall. Keeping watch. Protecting the wall. The thought made her heart twist. Maybe… maybe that was the reason he had stayed outside all this time. Maybe he didn’t want anyone to see what had become of him. Maybe the mask wasn’t only to hide his face, but also to hide the truth. Her fingers tightened slightly over Shu Mingye’s arm.

She had a bad feeling. A very bad one. And she hoped desperately that she was wrong.

They reached the outer wall shortly. The guards standing by the gate saw them and immediately bowed. Shu Mingye didn’t even glance at them. He slid off the horse, turned smoothly, and reached up for Linyue.

She jumped into his arms without hesitation. He caught her easily, then laced their fingers together. Still holding hands, they started walking toward the gates ahead. But before they got there, Linyue suddenly stopped. Her grip on his hand tightened. She looked up at him with that calm face of hers, the one that usually meant trouble. “I want to try to see what that array is.”

He didn’t need to ask which one. The shimmering, colorful array that wrapped around the inner wall like a shimmering veil. It pulsed gently, as if breathing. The same one that had to be fed spiritual energy regularly to keep it running. His brows pulled together. “I thought we came here so you could find Qi Heng.”

Linyue gave him a small smile. “That too. But since we’re already here… maybe we can poke this array first.”

She hadn’t even finished her sentence before he cut in with, “I’ll do it.”

She blinked at him, then spoke in a coaxing tone. “I’ll be fine. I think the one who made this array was Master. So it will be alright. It won’t hurt me.”

Shu Mingye’s frown deepened. “Let’s do it together.”

Linyue tilted her head. “Then who will look after me? What if someone kidnaps me while I’m poking and meditating?”

He stared at her, his heart pounding in his chest. This woman, his wife, was going to be the death of him. "Pie, do you enjoy keeping me emotionally unstable, or is that just a bonus?" His voice was rough with worry, but beneath it, there was something softer, something helplessly fond. "You're going to give me a heart attack from love or panic. Well, from panic and worry in this case."

Linyue only grinned, mischief dancing in her eyes. "Well, you married me. You had it coming. Let’s say it’s a bonus. It came in the package.”

He exhaled slowly, torn between laughter and frustration. She was impossible. "That’s why you should know how foolish I am… and how deeply I’m in love with you that I’d rather live in constant anxiety every day than ever leave your side."

Linyue’s smile softened into something tender, warm, and quiet. She didn’t say anything in return. Instead, she stepped forward, tiptoed, and kissed him on the cheek.

"Then stay beside me," she whispered against his skin. "Make sure no one can take your wife away."

His fingers tightened around hers, possessive and desperate all at once. "Can you promise me… really promise me, that if you sense something is wrong or weird or anything, you’ll stop poking right away?" His voice dropped lower. "If you break your promise again this time, I swear you’ll spend the rest of your life chained to the bed."

Linyue should have been afraid of that threat. But instead, she smiled. Bright, unrepentant, knowing. "I know. I’ll let you chain me." Then she glanced around. The guards had all wisely fixed their eyes on the ground. Seizing the moment, she leaned in and brushed her lips against his in a quick, teasing kiss.

He froze. Shu Mingye—Demon King of Shulin, known for his terrifying glares and ruthless strategies—was stunned into absolute, motionless silence. All because of one soft kiss. His brain completely stopped working for exactly three seconds. Then he blinked slowly and narrowed his eyes.

“Pie…” His voice was low, dangerously soft. “That was a trap.”

Linyue blinked innocently. “Hmm?”

“You kissed me in front of my guards.”

She glanced around again. Indeed, all the guards were staring respectfully at the ground, standing straight and trying very hard to pretend they were blind and deaf. Linyue smiled sweetly, “They didn’t see.”

“They heard.”

“They’ll live.”

Shu Mingye stared at her, clearly torn between kissing her senseless or dragging her back to their chamber for dramatic consequences. “You’re not scared of me at all, are you?” he muttered.

Linyue tilted her head. “You’re not scary. You’re my husband.”

He groaned softly. “Pie, you’re really going to be the death of me.”

“But a very romantic death,” she said innocently.

He gave up. Absolutely gave up. His shoulders dropped as he pulled her close again, their fingers still locked. “Romantic death it is, then. Just don’t forget, I’m dragging you with me.”

Linyue smiled, quietly content. “Then we’ll die together. Probably in matching robes.”

“…And with a thousand-year love story carved into our shared tombstone.”

“Sounds nice,” she agreed, leaning her head on his shoulder as they finally stepped forward toward the array, the wall, and whatever mysteries still waited beyond.

Linyue stood by the inner wall, the night air cool against her skin. Shu Mingye was beside her, his presence steady but heavy with unspoken fear. She glanced at him, her resolve hardening.

"I’ll do it now," she said.

Shu Mingye hesitated, then gave a slow, reluctant nod. "Remember what you promised," he murmured, his voice rough with worry.

Linyue smiled, soft but firm. "I know."

He leaned in, pressing his lips to hers. When he pulled back, his dark eyes searched hers. "Don’t get hurt."

She nodded. Then she closed her eyes. She felt his arms wrap around her from behind.

Linyue didn’t want to waste more time. She took a quiet breath, focused her energy, and pushed her spiritual sense into the array in front of her. The moment she touched it, colors burst into her awareness. Fire. Wind. Earth. Water. Lightning. All braided together in a shimmering veil. But that wasn’t what she was looking for. That was just the top layer. What she sought lay deeper. Her spiritual sense pierced downward, following the pulse of energy to its source. There, buried beneath the inner wall, she found it.

Beneath the wall was something massive. A vast, shimmering lattice stretched before her, an intricate web of interlocking chains forged from silver-blue light. They crisscrossed like the threads of a spider’s trap, binding something unseen. And between them, the air rippled with movement. In the gaps between the lines, something moved.

Faces. Dozens of them, flickering in and out of existence. Some were serene, eyes closed as if in meditation. Others twisted in silent agony, mouths open in soundless screams.