Lin Yan's Nascent Soul flew to Zi Che Shao Hao's front. Zi Che Shao Hao did not stop its arrival at all.
Then Lin Yan's Nascent Soul moved close to Zi Che Shao Hao's face. Zi Che Shao Hao felt as if a petal had landed on his cheek.
Zi Che Shao Hao's pupils widened abruptly. This, this was...
He immediately looked at Lin Yan's Nascent Soul, wanting to confirm if the sensation he just felt was real. At the same time, he summoned his own Nascent Soul.
However, before his Nascent Soul could get close, Lin Yan's Nascent Soul was recalled by her.
Zi Che Shao Hao looked with some disappointment at the spot where Lin Yan's Nascent Soul had disappeared. He should have reacted faster.
But this was likely Lin Yan's first time experiencing Nascent Soul out-of-body. For her first out-of-body experience, her Nascent Soul was so close to him. Zi Che Shao Hao understood Lin Yan's feelings for him.
He felt he could now consider the Oath Ceremony. Then, what should he do now? Prepare betrothal gifts, or refine a dwelling and prepare a new home?
No, he should inform his parents and let them prepare. In this life, he was certainly determined to have only her.
After Lin Yan's cultivation stabilized, they continued to Spring City. His guards had already gone ahead to Spring City to prepare everything for him.
Before they even approached Spring City, Lin Yan saw the ten-thousand-year-old Xiao Yun Flower from the window. The towering flower tree was so tall it almost touched the sky.
The tree was full of pink and white flowers, truly like rosy clouds.
"How beautiful!" Lin Yan praised.
"There are many more beautiful sights on this continent, and I will accompany you to see them all," Zi Che Shao Hao said more boldly, his hand resting on Lin Yan's waist. From behind, he almost completely embraced Lin Yan.
They settled down in Spring City. Zi Che Shao Hao bought many pills, not only for Lin Yan but also for his mother.
However, they didn't expect to see the male protagonist and his companions again within a few days of their arrival.
Zi Che Shao Hao had been very happy that the unspoken understanding between him and Lin Yan had been broken. The moment he saw Wan Si Rui, his brows furrowed.
Hadn't he instructed people to stop him? Why did he still see him in Spring City?
Upon seeing Wan Si Rui, Lin Yan did not do anything else. Instead, she took out her Breath Concealing Jade Pendant, hid her cultivation, and then changed her appearance.
Zi Che Shao Hao felt uncomfortable. Why should Lin Yan compromise herself for such a person?
Lin Yan knew that Zi Che Shao Hao was feeling uneasy. She took his hand and led him to participate in the celebration.
Zi Che Shao Hao also hid his cultivation, and they disguised their cultivation as the Golden Core stage, attending the celebration hand in hand.
Zi Che Shao Hao, whose face was usually expressionless, now showed more emotion. His gaze towards Lin Yan also held more tenderness.
"Shao Hao sent back a message. This is quite unusual," the patriarch of the Zi Che family said, finding the jade slip sent back by Zi Che Shao Hao very peculiar.
His son, apart from his ten-year inspections, had always been immersed in cultivation. Even when he went out for inspections, he never sent back messages.
To think that this time he went out and actually sent a message back. With this thought, he didn't check the message immediately. Instead, he decided to take it to read with his wife.
"A'Yin, our son sent back a message," he walked into the main courtyard excitedly.
The mistress of the courtyard, seeing him approach like this, had her attendants withdraw.
"Our son? You mean Shao Hao sent back a message?" Madam Zi Che also found it hard to believe.
"A'Yin doesn't believe it either, which is why I brought the message back for us to read together." He quickly took out the jade slip used for sending messages.
The couple looked at the contents of the jade slip together and then froze.
"Shao Hao is saying he found himself a Dao companion?" Zi Che patriarch spoke with great difficulty, seemingly unable to believe what he was seeing.
"It seems so," Madam Zi Che also found it somewhat difficult to accept.
It wasn't that she couldn't accept the female cultivator who would become her son's Dao companion. What she couldn't accept was that her cold-hearted son would actually develop feelings for someone else.
"Regardless, this is a good thing." She had thought she wouldn't live to see her son marry and have children, as her son had never had any worldly desires since he was young.
Yet now, her son, at just over a hundred years old, had directly found himself a Dao companion.
"It is a good thing. It's just that his message doesn't mention the identity of this female cultivator at all, only that he's getting married." Zi Che patriarch was also happy to see it happen.
He wasn't worried about Zi Che Shao Hao being deceived, but rather that his son might neglect his Dao companion, making her feel undervalued.
"They will return eventually. Didn't the message say he would bring that female cultivator back after some time? I need to see what betrothal gifts should be prepared. I have no experience. I'll ask my mother when I return to the sect."
Madam Zi Che began to consider what could be included in the betrothal gifts from their private coffers.
Zi Che Shao Hao was unaware of the busyness of the Zi Che patriarch and his wife. After sending the message back, he didn't think about it anymore.
In his heart, his matters with Lin Yan were their own business. He had already informed his parents in advance, which was enough.
The celebration in Spring City had not yet ended when Lin Yan and the others prepared to leave. During this time, Lin Yan had been taking pills from Spring City, and with so many flowers in Spring City, her robes were imbued with their fragrance.
After leaving, Zi Che Shao Hao chose the next destination. With Zi Che Shao Hao accompanying her, Lin Yan received the highest level of treatment in all aspects. Wan Si Rui and his group were simply unable to interact with them. Therefore, during their time in Spring City, they only saw each other from afar.
Besides her daily sword practice, Lin Yan's time was almost entirely occupied by Zi Che Shao Hao. He had prepared many things for her, filling her from head to toe, inside and out, with his preparations, with the exception of her life-bound flying sword.
Lin Yan did not mind this and accompanied him on his travels across the Central Continent. In her leisure time, they discussed cultivation, and she even sparred a few moves with Zi Che Shao Hao to test her understanding.
Time passed slowly as they traveled, and they grew closer to the Zi Che family's sphere of influence.
As they approached the Zi Che family's territory, Lin Yan and the others encountered more members of the Zi Che family, though these were all from collateral branches.
Their surprised expressions upon seeing her traveling with Zi Che Shao Hao made Lin Yan curious about how Zi Che Shao Hao was perceived in their eyes. It was as if she had somehow brought him down from a pedestal.
"I have already told my parents about your existence. After meeting my parents, I will return with you to meet your master," Zi Che Shao Hao explained.
Originally, he didn't want Lin Yan to interact with these people before meeting his parents. It was likely that news had leaked from his parents' side.