The sight of Liu Mingfei was enough to halt Liu Shiye's breath for a heartbeat. She was every bit the woman he remembered—tall, poised, and unmistakably familiar, though she had changed in subtle ways since the last time their paths had crossed. Her eyes, sharp as ever, studied him with a cool detachment, her hands folded neatly before her.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The silence between them was thick, laden with the weight of a thousand unsaid things. The last time they had spoken was when Liu Shiye
Now, their meeting was inevitable, but neither of them had expected the other to be here, so soon.
"You've returned," Liu Shiye said quietly, breaking the silence at last. His voice was neither welcoming nor cold, but merely an acknowledgment of her presence.
Liu Mingfei's lips curled into the faintest of smiles, but it didn't reach her eyes. "It seems so." Her gaze flicked over him with the precision of a surgeon, noting the fatigue in his posture, the deep concentration that had clung to him before the interruption. "You've been busy."
"Yes," Liu Shiye replied, stepping aside to allow her to enter. "I was occupied with more personal matters. Training. The usual."
She stepped into the house, her movements graceful but calculated, as if every step was taken with purpose. It didn't take long for her to settle into the space, her eyes moving toward the scrolls on the table, the books neatly stacked by his side, the remnants of his medicinal practices scattered across the floor.
There was a long pause before she spoke again, her voice level but carrying an unmistakable authority. "I came to discuss boundaries."
Liu Shiye raised an eyebrow. "Boundaries?"
"Yes." She paused, collecting her words carefully. "I don't want to overstep, but I need to set some expectations. I will be staying here for the time being. In your house. Under your protection." She glanced at him with an almost unreadable expression. "For three moons, at least. After that, we can see if it suits us both."
He met her gaze with quiet intensity. "And I trust you understand the conditions under which we are to live?"
Her lips pressed together in a slight frown. "Of course. I stay away from Liu Feng. You keep to your training and your business." She hesitated before continuing. "But I am your responsibility. You will ensure my safety, and I will not be interfered with."
Liu Shiye regarded her silently for a moment, considering her words. He had known she would be difficult—this was not the first time their wills had clashed. Yet, there was an undeniable thread of understanding between them, a shared recognition of the stakes at play.
"I have no interest in controlling you, Mingfei," he said at last, his voice low and even. "But I do expect you to abide by the conditions. Stay in the house. Stay with me. For three moons. Let us live the future in the present, and decide if this arrangement is one you truly desire."
Her eyes flashed for a brief moment—something like surprise, perhaps even respect—but it was gone just as quickly. "Three moons, then," she agreed, her voice tight with the force of an unspoken truce. "But remember, Shiye, this is no charity. I will not be an ornament in your house."
A quiet, almost imperceptible smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "I never expected you to be," he replied.
The words, unspoken but understood, hung in the air between them. Boundaries had been set. The game of power had begun again.
"Four days," Liu Mingfei said, her voice calm but firm, eyes unwavering as she met his. "I'll be back in four days, and our marriage trial will begin."
Liu Shiye inclined his head slightly, letting the words sink in. There was no warmth in her tone, yet the absolute certainty she carried was a challenge he could not ignore. Four days. Enough time to prepare, enough time to shape the future according to his own design.
He watched her leave and chuckled to himself.
Closing the door, he looked around and said, "You want to commit suicide and call me a bad protector. We'll see who wins this game."
By the second day after her departure, the house stirred with a quieter, more deliberate kind of activity. Near midday, two figures arrived through the side gate: a maid and a groundskeeper sent by Xue Ruo. Between them they carried several tightly bound chests, their iron clasps sealed with the mark of the Ji Court.
Liu Shiye had expected a modest sum at best—perhaps enough silver to purchase a few jars of grain and begin experimenting with fermentation. When the first chest was opened in his study, however, the soft gleam of gold and the dense luster of silver ingots filled the room.
For a moment, he simply stared.
Even before weighing them, he could tell the sum was enormous. Far beyond what he had imagined she might entrust to him.
He picked up one of the silver ingots, testing its weight in his palm.
"This…" he murmured quietly. "This is far more than I anticipated."
The two attendants immediately bowed.
"My lord," the maid said respectfully, "allow us to introduce ourselves properly."
She kept her posture straight but her gaze lowered.
"My name is Lanmei. Lady Xue has sent me to oversee household matters and assist in the management of supplies."
The man beside her bowed again, his shoulders broad but his posture disciplined.
"I am Qiao Ren," he said. "I will serve as groundskeeper and assist wherever labor or protection is required."
Lanmei finished, "From this day forward, we serve under your command."
Qiao Ren added firmly, "Our loyalty is yours, Master Liu."
Liu Shiye studied them carefully before placing the ingot back onto the table.
"Tell me something," he said calmly. "Did Lady Xue truly intend to send this much?"
Lanmei lifted her head slightly.
"Yes, Master Liu."
She gestured toward the chests.
"Before departing, Lady Xue instructed us clearly. She holds you in very high regard and believes your plans for the wine trade are not small ambitions but the foundation of a great enterprise."
Liu Shiye's gaze shifted to the remaining unopened chests.
Lanmei continued.
"She said that if the business is to take root properly, it must not struggle for breath in its early days. This wealth is meant to ensure the complete formation of the wine enterprise—land, equipment, storage, workers, and trade routes."
Qiao Ren nodded.
"Lady Xue said hesitation would only slow a capable man."
For a moment the study fell quiet.
Yet as Liu Shiye closed the first chest and turned back toward them, he noticed something subtle.
Qiao Ren's expression was composed—but there was a faint tension in his shoulders, as though he were holding back something unsaid.
Liu Shiye's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You have something more to say," he said.
Qiao Ren stiffened.
Lanmei glanced sideways at him, surprised.
"My lord…" Qiao Ren began, then hesitated.
Liu Shiye leaned back slightly.
"If Lady Xue sent you with another message," he said calmly, "then speak it plainly."
Qiao Ren lowered his head.
"Yes… Master Liu."
His voice grew more careful.
"Before Lady Xue departed, she also spoke of… your weakness."
Lanmei blinked, clearly hearing this for the first time.
But Liu Shiye did not react with anger. Instead, his expression sharpened with curiosity.
"My weakness?" he repeated.
Qiao Ren nodded slowly.
"Lady Xue said that your greatest limitation is time."
He continued carefully.
"She said that while your mind is sharp and your plans ambitious… your cultivation foundation remains shallow."
Liu Shiye's fingers tapped lightly against the table.
"Go on."
Qiao Ren bowed again.
"She tasked me with assisting you in strengthening your body before the wine enterprise is fully established."
Liu Shiye's brows drew together.
"In what way?"
Qiao Ren finally spoke the words plainly.
"Lady Xue wishes for you to reach the Third Body Phase — Return to the Fetal State before the wine business is properly established."
Liu Shiye's eyes narrowed.
"And after that?"
Qiao Ren hesitated again.
Then he said quietly,
"And she hopes that before the business truly flourishes… you will form the Body Diagram, entering the Sixth Body Phase."
Silence fell heavily across the study.
Liu Shiye blinked once.
Then he began counting quietly under his breath.
"First Body Phase… Foundation of Flesh."
"Second… Tempering Muscle."
His gaze lowered.
He was still in the Second Body Phase.
"Third… Return to the Fetal State."
"Fourth… Blood Refinement."
"Fifth… Meridian Tempering."
"Sixth… Body Diagram."
His fingers slowly stopped tapping. Six phases. She expected him to leap four entire stages. For a long moment he said nothing. Of to the side, Lanmei looked stunned.
Even Qiao Ren seemed tense, clearly expecting anger or refusal. But Liu Shiye simply exhaled softly. Then he gave a faint, amused smile.
"She truly does think highly of me." Liu Shiye closed the chest and rested both hands on the table, "To build a business while leaping four cultivation phases…"
Liu Shiye shook his head slightly. "Lady Xue asks for quite a miracle."
Qiao Ren bowed deeply.
"My lord… I was told that if you refused, I was not to insist." He said.
Liu Shiye looked at him for a long moment. Then he shock his head, "I will not refuse."
Both attendants looked surprised.
Liu Shiye's eyes drifted briefly toward the chests of gold and silver.
"She has entrusted me with a fortune," he said calmly.
His gaze sharpened again.
"And if she believes I can climb that far…"
A quiet determination settled into his voice.
"Then I would be a fool not to try."
He looked directly at Qiao Ren.
"So tell me," Liu Shiye said.
"If you were sent to help me reach the Third Body Phase…" A faint smile appeared. "Please assist."
By the fourth day, Liu Mingfei returned, accompanied by her personal belongings, her many servants, and a sense of guarded formality. She was prepared for a household that would have been her dominion—but Liu Shiye had already shaped the rules.
"Your army of servants… they can't stay," Liu Shiye said plainly, meeting her gaze across the path between the front door and the gate. "They belong to your father, not to this household. If you wish to stay here, they cannot interfere with the way we live."
Her eyes flickered with surprise, then amusement. "And what way is that?"
He stepped forward, voice low but deliberate, echoing the authority he wielded over both household and future. "Our way. The way a man and a woman live under the same roof. The household is mine to manage, and you are here as my partner in every sense. That includes meals, baths, plans, and yes… even the bed."
She stiffened slightly, the corner of her mouth twitching. "Baths…Even the bed?"
"Yes," he said, calm and unyielding. "No point otherwise. A marriage trial is a trial in truth, not in pretense. If you fear Liu Feng discovering anything, then dismiss the servants and allow us to live in peace. Or," his voice sharpened slightly, a razor-edge of challenge beneath the calm tone, "we dissolve this arrangement for infidelity, and your father can compensate me for the inconvenience."
The threat was veiled but unmistakable. Liu Mingfei's two closest attendants exchanged glances, and she pressed her lips together, weighing the practicality of compliance versus pride. Finally, she inclined her head, a decision made. "Very well," she said softly. "The others may go."
Within hours, the majority of her entourage departed, the heavy rustle of silk and the clinking of coins fading down the path as she waved them off with an imperious hand. Only two remained—the ones she trusted most—and they were paired with Liu Shiye's two attendants gifted by Xue Ruo. A perfect balance, four familiar eyes to observe and serve, yet no army to disrupt their domestic order.