Chapter 140: Deep Devotion

Ye Yinchen followed closely behind, chiding with a mix of frustration and exasperation, "Son, can't you show a little backbone? If you've been so attached to her all this time, why didn't you act sooner? You should have just snatched her away!"

Glancing at his mother, who had transformed into a lioness protecting her cub, Ye Wu asked calmly, "Do you think brute force works on a woman like Auntie?" His mother was silenced by the question. He added softly, "Besides, my wings are not yet fully fledged, and I do not wish to drag her into my affairs."

With a sigh, Ye Yinchen said no more.

Ye Wu also fell silent. This was the first time Auntie had ever lain so quietly in his arms, and he cherished the moment. Instead of taking her to the Yu family’s encampment, he headed in the opposite direction.

Soon, they reached a small valley more than ten miles away. At the entrance stood a late-ripening orange tree, heavy with fruit, where a flock of grey pigeons rested. As the group passed, the pigeons fluttered their wings, taking flight and then settling down again.

The Thousand Poison Palace disciples following Ye Wu took items from their storage pouches and skillfully set up a tent adorned with tassels in a flat area of the valley, complete with tables, chairs, and a bed inside.

After placing Yu Youwei on the bed, Ye Wu sat by the table, his gaze lingering on her.

Her double buns had been replaced by the elaborate coiled hairstyle of a married woman. The whimsical girl of years past was now a wife. He had once believed he had enough time to wait for her to grow up—to wait until the day he had fully seized control of that cold, gloomy palace, so he could bring her home.

She grew day by day, yet he found that mastering the Thousand Poison Palace was far more difficult than he had imagined. Still, he remained ambitious, believing he could achieve his goals before she truly came of age.

But plans could never keep pace with change. He was still far from his target, and she was already married. Fortunately, she had married that fool Ning Four, rather than Ning Three; otherwise, he wouldn't even have the hope of winning her back.

"Auntie, just wait. I will be able to take you home soon," Ye Wu whispered, his voice as gentle as the evening breeze.

As the night deepened, the wind picked up, howling past the tent and mingling with the sound of the river lapping against the shore. Yu Youwei jolted awake, her beautiful, hazy eyes looking blankly at the person by the table.

"Auntie, you're awake!" Ye Wu exclaimed in delight.

Only when the voice reached her ears did Yu Youwei realize it was Ye Wu. She blinked and asked sharply, "You must be disappointed that you didn't manage to kill me, right?"

"Unjust! I couldn't bear to lay a hand on you." He walked to the bedside, bent down, and asked tenderly, "Auntie, how are you feeling? Would you like something to eat?"

The tenderness, like water, washed over Yu Youwei, leaving her feeling helpless and unable to pull away. She squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment and deliberately made things difficult: "Dragon liver and phoenix marrow—can you get those for me?"

Assuming she was in poor spirits due to the pain, Ye Wu dared not say much. He had someone bring in a bowl of medicinal porridge and said, "Please make do with this. It’s medicinal porridge my mother brewed herself."

Tears welled up in the corners of Yu Youwei's eyes. She sniffled and said softly, "Set it down; I'll eat it myself in a moment." But in the end, she could not resist Ye Wu, and she let him feed her more than half the bowl.

The ceiling of the tent was studded with luminous pearls that glowed like stars, casting a soft halo of light. In this light, Ye Wu’s face possessed a lethal charm, intoxicating like aged wine.

Struggling to swallow the porridge, Yu Youwei tried her best to maintain a look of indifference, fearing that this sharp-eyed and perceptive man might discover her budding feelings.

After finishing the porridge, Ye Wu naturally wiped the residue from the corner of her mouth with his thumb and said softly, "Mother said you must not let your arm wound touch water for a month, or you might get an infection and leave a scar."

Yu Youwei bit her lip and glared at him, though in reality, she was merely hiding her agitation. Just now, as his thumb brushed her lip, it felt as though an electric current had passed through her, causing her body to tremble involuntarily.

In her previous life, she had been a woman of unbridled passion with countless lovers. Compared to Ye Wu, those world-renowned, romantic scholars were like common stones beside a pearl; they paled in comparison. Moreover, she had originally snatched Ye Wu from a brothel; surely, a man who spent his life among flowers and willows must be skilled. Was his touch just now a deliberate provocation?

"Auntie, are you still angry?" Ye Wu asked with a dry laugh.

"Hmph!" Yu Youwei shot him a look, then turned her head away in silence.

"Then sleep. I'll keep watch outside." Feeling guilty, Ye Wu fled the scene.

A small white bear crawled out from under the bed, scrambled up, and burrowed into the soft, fragrant quilts. It yawned and said, "That fellow who is even more annoying than the Ning family fool has finally left. Grandpa Bear can finally get a good night's sleep."

Yu Youwei chuckled and asked quietly, "Is he really more annoying than the Ning family fool?" There was no reply; the little white bear likely deemed such a foolish question unworthy of an answer. She didn't expect one anyway, merely comparing Ning Mofei and Ye Wu in her heart. In her drowsy state, she drifted off to sleep, unaware that Ye Wu sat outside the tent until dawn.

Ye Yinchen had also been awake all night, worrying about her infatuated son. She pondered whether she should simply poison the Ning family fool so her sworn sister could regain her freedom and fulfill her son's wish.

At daybreak, Yu Youwei woke up, accidentally bumped her injured arm, and let out a sharp cry of pain. Ye Wu rushed in from outside the tent at the sound. Seeing her features contorted in agony, he bellowed at the top of his lungs, "Mother, come quickly and see if Auntie's wound has worsened!"

"Don't make such a fuss, I just bumped it by accident," Yu Youwei said hurriedly.

Ye Yinchen chimed in from outside the tent, "That 'little accident' nearly scared the life out of my son." As she entered and saw Yu Youwei blushing and her son looking thoroughly abashed, she swallowed the rest of her words. After checking the wound and applying fresh medicine and bandages, she asked, "Youwei, how did you end up in this state?"

"I was lured into that thicket by a creature from the Demon Realm." Seeing the confusion on the faces of her sworn sister and her son, who apparently did not know what a Demon Realm creature was, Yu Youwei gave a rough explanation and asked if Ye Wu had sent anyone to search the thicket.

Ye Wu nodded. "The corpse in that thicket couldn't be burned by fire or cut by blades; it’s an excellent material for a corpse puppet. Auntie, I’ll take it back, have the old masters in the palace refine it into a poison corpse puppet, and send it to you."

"I don't want such a disgusting thing." The thought of carrying a corpse around sent a chill down Yu Youwei’s spine. No matter how powerful the puppet might be, she wanted no part of it.

"Very well, then it's my gain," Ye Wu laughed.

Yu Youwei said with some concern, "That corpse is very strange. If you take it, be extremely careful."

A glint of light flashed in Ye Wu’s eyes, and he beamed. "Is Auntie worried about me?"

"Yes, I'm worried that when your mother grows old, there will be no one to..." She caught herself just before saying the taboo word, and with an apologetic look at her silent sworn sister, she said, "Sister, I didn't mean to curse you."