Chapter 227: CH. 227 | Live as Mortal Life

"Because of your condition, and I’m worried something might happen to you, what if we took a break from the cultivation world for a year?"

"W-What do you mean, my husband?"

"I want to take good care of you, just the two of us, living simply in a village," Lin Tian answered.

"But what about the sect? What about the Technique and Weapon Hall?"

Lin Tian reached out and gently held An Yue’s cheek. Their eyes met, and a clear smile formed on both their faces.

"Elder Wu is organizing a tournament to choose a deputy hall master. Not just for the Technique and Weapon Hall, but for the other halls too," Lin Tian answered.

The man stood up and walked past An Yue, gazing at the pond near the sect’s main building. The pond was so calm and peaceful, with a small pavilion above it, perfect for relaxing.

"The condition of the Qin Kingdom is much better than before. Nothing serious is going to happen, and besides, a year is a short time for them," Lin Tian said.

"I won’t be able to have precious time with you if I’m still tied up with sect matters," Lin Tian murmured.

He turned around and looked at An Yue. The woman was already sitting on the cultivation altar, her eyes still fixed on Lin Tian.

What Lin Tian said was true. If she got pregnant, there was a chance her hall duties would be disrupted. And if the sect’s affairs got disrupted, she worried her pregnancy would be too.

The choice Lin Tian offered was ideal, and it had to be done. Only by separating themselves from sect and hall matters could they focus on An Yue’s pregnancy.

An Yue stood up on her own. The man stepped closer and tried to help her, guiding her toward the side door of the main building to look at the fish pond together.

The woman smiled, then rested her head against Lin Tian’s arm while her hand gripped her husband’s hand. Lin Tian felt happy and at peace, his gaze returning forward.

"If you don’t want to, it’s okay. I can understand."

"I haven’t said anything yet, my husband," An Yue murmured, turning to meet Lin Tian’s eyes, "You’re my husband now. You’re my leader and my role model. I’ll follow whatever decision you make."

Lin Tian froze hearing those words. He glanced sideways and saw An Yue’s face so close, her scent clear and unmistakable, drawing him in.

"Thank you, my wife," Lin Tian answered, leaning in and gently kissing his wife’s lips. An Yue kissed him back softly, not caring if anyone might be watching them.

To her, her world now was Lin Tian. Wherever Lin Tian went, she would follow. Whatever Lin Tian decided, she would respect. Whatever Lin Tian forbade... she would obey.

Because living together with Lin Tian forever was her dream, and that dream had come true. Now, she and Lin Tian just had to go through it together, get past whatever lay ahead of them, and reach the highest point in their lives.

They stopped kissing and looked deeply into each other’s eyes. "I’ll talk to Wu Yue. She’s definitely going to be shocked by my decision."

An Yue nodded in agreement. "I hope she won’t feel burdened by it."

***

The next day.

Lin Tian and An Yue left at night, leaving the Lingxian Sect after telling Wu Yue about their plans. Even so, An Yue still didn’t know where they were headed.

"Where are we going to live, my husband?" An Yue asked.

"There’s a small town near the ruins of Gui City. It’s close to the Lingxian Sect. I think it could be a good place for us," Lin Tian answered.

An Yue nodded. She didn’t know the latest information about the state of the Qin Kingdom. Still, she was sure that whatever Lin Tian said was true.

They flew through the night sky, cutting through the clouds. In the midst of the quiet, they saw a bright glimmer of light in the distance. An Yue asked about the place, and Lin Tian told her the light was coming from a new town.

The two of them picked up speed, cutting through the clouds and crossing the sky. The closer they got, the nearer they came to the new town’s location.

They could see mortal activity going on smoothly there, undisturbed by anything. The economy was running, trade was starting up, and residents were beginning to arrive.

Lin Tian and An Yue arrived at a forest near the town, then significantly changed their appearance while hiding their cultivation aura.

Now they looked just like ordinary mortals, undetectable by anyone except a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Still, looking at the state of the modest town, Lin Tian would bet that no cultivator at the Nascent Soul level would bother coming here.

"You ready?" Lin Tian asked. An Yue nodded in agreement.

The two of them walked out of the forest and arrived at the town gate. He looked ahead carefully, clearly watching the townspeople inside.

Lin Tian entered wearing a simple dark green robe, while An Yue wore a soft pink robe.

Several townspeople greeted them warmly, especially when Lin Tian came to their stalls to shop. Lin Tian arrived at one shop that sold household items.

"Excuse me."

An old man came over with a cane, smiling and greeting them warmly, "Would you like to buy my clay wares?"

"That’s right," Lin Tian answered.

He bought a pitcher with tael coins. The old man accepted it and seemed very grateful. An Yue stepped forward, smiling as she spoke to him.

"My husband and I are new to this town. We’re from Gui City and we’re looking for a house," An Yue said.

"You’re new residents? It’s so nice to see you. Welcome to Yanzhe City."

"Thank you, Grandfather," An Yue answered.

The old man stepped forward and pointed to a grand house in the center of town. He explained that the house belonged to the town’s ruler.

He explained that to get a house in the town, they’d need to buy it from the town ruler. That way, they could officially become residents of the town.

Lin Tian and An Yue looked at each other, then nodded in understanding. The two of them clasped their hands together and bowed their heads, taking their leave from the old man.

The two of them walked through the middle of town, watching the bustle of the other townspeople. Some of them sold food and household goods; rarely did anyone sell cultivation supplies.

Lin Tian noticed this. The invasion by the Yuanmo Sect had led to a lot of cultivation supplies being looted, shop owners killed, towns destroyed.

To get cultivation supplies again, merchants would at least need to work with a sect that was still standing.

But that wasn’t easy. With the unstable condition of the Qin Kingdom, the sects that remained mostly chose to hold onto their techniques and weapons rather than sell them.

That was the reason why there weren’t many cultivation supply shops still around.

Their steps came to a stop once they arrived in front of the town ruler’s house. An Yue was a bit surprised to see that the house guards were disciples of the Lingxian Sect, judging by the robes they wore.

"Wait!"

"What do you want?" they asked.

"I—"

Lin Tian cut off An Yue and spoke to them, "We’re new residents from the south. We’re planning to settle permanently in the town."

"Do you have money?" they asked. Lin Tian nodded.

The gate to the house opened, and one of the gate guards stepped inside the grand house to escort Lin Tian and An Yue to meet the town ruler.

The gate guard clasped his hands together, bowing his head in respect, "Greetings, Town Ruler."

"What is it?"

"There are new people who want to live in the town."

"Let them in," the man said.

The gate guard opened the door and let An Yue and Lin Tian inside. They arrived at the hall of the house, simple but spacious enough.

At the far end of the room, they saw a man sitting in a chair, wearing the blue clothing characteristic of the Yunlan Sect.

"You two want to live in my town?" the man asked.

Lin Tian clasped his hands together and nodded in agreement, "That’s right, Town Ruler."

"The total comes to 2,500 tael for a house on the outskirts, and a house on the main road costs 5,000 tael."

"Town and water tax comes to 500 tael."

The man actually had more money than that. He glanced sideways at An Yue, and the woman looked firm, as if she agreed with whatever Lin Tian decided.

"In that case, we’ll take the house on the outskirts," Lin Tian answered.

"The total comes to 3,000 tael."

He handed over a money pouch and let the town ruler count it. The amount was exact, and Lin Tian immediately received a paper resembling a land deed for his house.

"It’s located to the north. There are plenty of residents there too. You won’t feel lonely," the man said.

Lin Tian nodded, said their goodbyes, and left together with An Yue. Once they had walked some distance away, An Yue leaned in and whispered quietly to Lin Tian.

The woman found it strange that the ruler of Yanzhe City was a Yunlan Sect cultivator, while his guards were Lingxian Sect cultivators.

The man glanced over briefly and smiled, "Since you went into closed-door cultivation, a lot of things have happened."

"But you don’t need to worry, I’ll explain everything."

"Besides, we have plenty of time together now," Lin Tian murmured.

"Of course, my husband," An Yue answered.

They walked along the dirt road toward the village north of Yanzhe City. From a distance, the village came into view for Lin Tian.

Right there was where he and An Yue would begin their new life as husband and wife, just like a mortal life. It might be boring, but it was something exciting to them, precisely because it was new.