She had no martial arts skills at all, yet she exuded an enchanting charm—her delicate and determined gaze made Qiu Fuchun unable to refuse her no matter what.

  "What are you up to again?" Qiu Fuchun frowned, his tone a mix of helplessness and a hint of imperceptible fluster. The soft touch of her skin still lingered on his fingertips.

  "Don’t say it like that—it’s embarrassing!" The lady glared at him playfully, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks, but her voice was urgent. "Hold my waist, quick! It’ll be too late soon!"

  "Too late for what? What on earth are you trying to do?" Qiu Fuchun grumbled nonstop, but his body was honest. He slowly reached out, following her instructions, and steadily held her waist, helping her maintain the handstand position. His touch was gentle, afraid of hurting her.

  Little did he know, this seemingly weird posture was a necessary move taught in the secret women’s boudoir books—the books said that one must cherish every "seed" and every chance to plant them, only then could they smoothly continue the family line.

  "What are you doing? This is so embarrassing!"

  Qiu Fuchun’s face was directly facing her skirt, and the faint fragrance of her body lingered in his nose. He blushed furiously, his ears burning, and wished he could crawl into a hole in the ground. His hands froze awkwardly on her waist, not daring to move an inch.

  But the lady didn’t care at all, instead saying confidently: "Continuing the family line is the most important thing! What’s there to be embarrassed about?"

  The two maintained this awkward yet ambiguous posture—quarter of an hour, then another quarter of an hour. The cave was quiet, with only the sound of their soft breathing.

  Just before the third quarter of an hour ended, Qiu Fuchun simply threw caution to the wind, letting go of all his shyness and worries. He made a sudden comeback, and soon the cave was filled with lingering gasps—a passionate double round of pleasure.

  Oh well, carpe diem. Since it was already like this, why not enjoy the moment to the fullest? Qiu Fuchun thought to himself, completely sinking into this tenderness.

  So, while Han Jiuqiu was drowsily sobering up beside the all-you-can-eat feast at the lady’s mansion, still figuring out how to deliver the letter and negotiate the ransom—

  Qiu Fuchun in the cave on the other side was snuggled in the lady’s arms, slowly sobering up. His cheeks still had a faint blush, and he exuded a lazy aura after their intimacy.

  He stared at the various stalactites on the cave ceiling, his mind a mess, filled with confusion and hesitation: What do I do? What will I do in the future?

  At this moment, two clear choices lay before him.

  First, after getting the generous ransom, take his share and return to the Northern Dynasty to become a wealthy man, living a stable life. If he still wanted to practice martial arts, he could start over—after all, he was still young and had plenty of time. But when he thought about the years of hard training he’d put in, the countless hardships he’d endured just to barely touch the threshold of the mystical path, giving it all up now felt like a needle piercing his heart, impossible to bear.

  Second, simply take the opportunity to stay in the Southern Dynasty, join the lady’s family, and live a life of luxury and comfort in this land of wealth and tenderness. Of course, he could also continue practicing martial arts, not giving up his years of hard work, and even have a beautiful companion by his side—what more could he ask for?

  Qiu Fuchun gradually regained his senses, calming down to think carefully. Without a doubt, the second choice was better. He wouldn’t have to give up his martial arts practice, he’d have a gentle beauty by his side, and he’d have endless wealth and glory—it was the best of both worlds.

  And what the lady said next made him completely firm in his decision to choose the second path, with no more hesitation.

  "Besides, I can bear children." The lady’s fingertips gently brushed his eyebrows and eyes, her gaze so soft it could melt water. She smiled and said, "According to our Southern Dynasty customs, the first child is left for my father to continue the family line and pass on the He family’s legacy. When the second child is born, we can go back to the Northern Dynasty together to see your hometown. The inheritance of my He family’s Songyu True Hall is also a great gift—it can help you with your cultivation, isn’t it?"

  "That way, when you practice, I’ll practice with you. We’ll support each other, benefit together, and ascend to immortality hand in hand—isn’t that killing multiple birds with one stone?"

  "Moreover, this story can be written into our family tree, becoming a legend passed down from generation to generation."

  Qiu Fuchun’s heart warmed. He immediately sat up, bowed solemnly to the lady, his tone firm and filled with joy: "Yes! That’s settled! My wife, please accept my bow!"

  "Husband, no need for such formalities." The lady quickly helped him up, her eyes crinkling with a smile, gentle and warm. "You and I will walk hand in hand, marry, and spend our lives together—isn’t that romantic?"

  At this moment, Miss He had removed her heavy makeup, her face plain yet beautiful. Her eyebrows and eyes were less willful and more gentle. Especially when she looked at Qiu Fuchun, her eyes were full of affection and longing, making him even more eager for their future life. Even in the heat of the moment, the calm in He Xian’er’s eyes never faded—she planned their future clearly and logically.

  "That said, the ransom must be split between you two." He Xian’er’s fingertips gently twirled Qiu Fuchun’s hair, her eyes crinkling with a smile, her voice soft yet firm. "But we don’t have to split it equally. Give Han Jiuqiu a sum of money for his hard work, let him take it and leave. The other part will be your private money—you can use it wisely, and I won’t interfere at all. What do you think?"

  "Once we get the ransom, we’ll first make sure your brother leaves safely, then we’ll go home hand in hand. When father sees that I’ve found a good husband and can bring back the inheritance of the Songyu True Hall, he’ll be so happy his eyebrows will stand up!"

  As she spoke, she suddenly remembered something, tilted her head to look at him, her eyes filled with curiosity and tenderness: "By the way, husband, can you tell me your name? If you’re not ready, you can tell me on our wedding day—it’s fine."

  "Qiu Fuchun." Qiu Fuchun looked into her gentle eyes, saying his name solemnly, with no hesitation or concealment.

  "Your humble husband, Qiu Fuchun; your humble wife, He Xian’er." He Xian’er replied softly, her voice full of shyness and determination. The words "humble husband" and "humble wife" completely confirmed their relationship.

  Once their relationship changed, their stance also completely shifted.

  Now that Qiu Fuchun was the prospective son-in-law of the He family and He Xian’er’s husband, how could he split the ransom with the cunning, scheming Han Jiuqiu? What’s more, Han Jiuqiu was already deep in thought—if he got the full ransom, who knew what trouble he might cause?

  Fortunately, when the two of them kidnapped her earlier, they hadn’t signed any written agreement at all—otherwise, according to the Southern Dynasty’s rule of "valuing trust and keeping promises, a promise is worth a thousand gold," Han Jiuqiu would have gotten away with half the ransom today, and they would have had to watch helplessly.

  So, this newly established couple huddled together, whispering and discussing for a long time. They thought through every detail, from the distribution of the ransom to Han Jiuqiu’s arrangement. It wasn’t until the afternoon that they finally made a plan: give Han Jiuqiu a sum of money for his hard work, let him take a letter home to the Northern Dynasty, set a return date for Qiu Fuchun’s family, and tell them that he would live a stable life in the Southern Dynasty from now on and not return—giving his family a proper explanation.

  With everything settled and no more worries, the newlyweds hugged each other again, rolling into a passionate embrace. After a round of tender intimacy, they fell into a deep, exhausted sleep.

  When they woke up again, the sky outside the cave was already dusk. The afterglow of the setting sun streamed through the cracks in the cave, casting dappled light and shadow—gentle and peaceful.