Her pupils were bright and shiny, blinking under the lingering sunset, making her exceptionally beautiful.

Su Bei turned around and silently embraced her.

Her head rested tightly against his chest. Feeling this long-missed tenderness, she whispered softly, "Don't let me lose you again..."

His hair was still as pale as withered grass, rough to the touch... She couldn't help but wonder what kind of pressure he had been shouldering all alone.

Ji Nanjue lifted her head, and extending a finger, she lightly brushed away a few stray, unkempt whiskers on his chin. "Your vital energy is still so weak; what really is the state of your body? I see that just by using a single sword strike, you've already become this feeble."

She continued, "What is the actual situation now? Can't you make a move, or is it that you can't?"

Su Bei didn't directly answer her question but instead lightly said something unrelated, "If it really comes to the point where I must act, even if it means damaging my cultivation, or even severing the path to eternal life... I can still make a move when necessary..."

Dan Wulan, who was watching the scene with an air of discontent, frowned and walked up to Su Bei. Looking at him displeased, she said, "Then you mean you can't make a move! But knowing your character, Husband, when the situation is beyond control, you would still risk your life to force an action..."

Su Bei smiled, obviously having considered this very likely possibility, and replied softly, "Heaven and earth are vast, but life is the most precious."

He continued, "If it comes to that moment when my death can solve all the problems, then I am not unwilling to die. But I fear that dying might be in vain. It is better to preserve a useful life for other plans..."

Before he could finish, a finger gently pressed against his lips.

Ji Nanjue's phoenix eyes arched slightly, and she spoke with discontent, "Don't talk like that... Nothing about dying."

Dan Wuque, who had been enjoying the scene from the side, also joined in. He walked beside Su Bei, blinked, and then spoke with a rare seriousness, "Brother, don't forget, if you die, there truly will be no one left to revive the Sword Sect. Do you really expect us, the women and children, to arm-wrestle with the South Emperor?"

Su Bei shook his head and slowly stood up. Squinting his eyes as he gazed at the increasingly splendid sunset, he said softly, "How could that be..."

The evening breeze brushed gently against his cheeks as he patted the dust off his clothes. "My involvement has probably already set the stage for chaos in the days to come. Whether the Eastern Country can be revived is now a matter of fate."

He added, "As the saying goes, 'Do your best and leave the rest to fate.' We can only wait for opportunities..."

Ji Nanjue's lips curled into a smile. Facing the setting sun, she stretched languidly and slowly stood up. The graceful figure hidden beneath her long skirt was fully revealed, and then she said with a touch of laziness, "You've undergone Tribulation Crossing, and I have as well... Perhaps the South Emperor cannot withstand us, but surely we can handle the internal strife of the Eastern Country?"

She encouraged, "Have some confidence."

Just then, Dan Wuque suddenly remembered something. He slapped his forehead, then rummaged through his robes, pulled out a letter, and handed it to Su Bei with a bit of embarrassment. "Oh right, Brother, the Saintess asked me to pass a letter to you. I was so nervous... I forgot."

He explained, "It's from Key Smoke in the Sacred Land; she specially instructed me to deliver it to you personally."

"Here you go—"

Su Bei was stunned. A letter from Key Smoke to himself?

He took the envelope Dan Wuque passed him. On its cover, the character "Key" was inscribed using Spiritual Energy in ancient seal script.

With his fingernail, he rubbed off the line of Spiritual Energy and murmured with emotion, "In these days of my absence, her days must have been tough, having to not only guard against the South Emperor to maintain the superficial calm of the Twenty-One Provinces but also to be ever wary of the Western Wasteland's covetous gaze directed eastward."

Su Bei opened the envelope and took out three sheets of paper filled with dense, fine script. At first glance, the beginning read "To Su Beitong," which made him smile knowingly.

It seemed she hadn't completely cut off worldly attachments after all; she still remembered the memories shared between them.

The three women gathered around, looking at the special address Key Smoke used for Su Bei. Although they were somewhat puzzled and didn't fully grasp its meaning, they didn't say much.

Su Bei continued to read:

"Hearing of your awakening, I am greatly delighted."

"Are you well? I heard you were unwell; your body should not be overexerted."

"My longing for you cannot be fully expressed in mere words. The purpose of this letter is to caution you: be mindful not to expose yourself..."

As Su Bei read this part, a hint of embarrassment appeared on his cheeks, and he involuntarily looked up to see the reactions of the women beside him.

Ji Nanjue's expression was very calm; only her long eyelashes trembled lightly as if she wanted to say something, but with others around, she did not speak.

Dan Wulan, however, snorted coldly and shot Su Bei a fierce glare. "So the relationship between my husband and the Saintess is this intimate... 'My longing for you cannot be fully expressed in mere words'—is this paper not big enough to contain all she wants to say? What else does she want to express?"

Su Bei gave a wry smile, not knowing how to explain.

Ji Nanjue hesitated for a moment, bit her thin lip, and said softly, "Husband, it's quite normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines. With your status, having a few women means little. But there's one thing... Master... her status is, after all, extraordinary."

She paused, then, as if a thought struck her, she seemed relieved. "Had I not died once before, perhaps I would have been quite vexed by your relationship with Master... There are many men in the world, but only a few are outstanding, and naturally, they will attract many women. Even Master is not a true saint."

She concluded, "Now, just being by your side is enough for me..."

Having died once, she had come to see some things more clearly.

Dan Wulan blinked her snow-white eyelashes, staring at Ji Nanjue in shock. It was hard to believe those words had come from her.

If even Ji Nanjue didn't mind, would making a fuss now only prove her own narrow-mindedness? Yet, a thread of resentment lingered in her heart. When had it become her place to make excuses for him finding other women, instead prompting her to reflect on her own issues?

"Hmph—" she scoffed. "Out of sight, out of mind."

With that, she turned her back. Yet, her perked-up ears betrayed her true inner thoughts.

Bathed in the glow of the setting sun, Su Bei meticulously read the fine script on the letter. Each character, penned by its author with extreme care and elegance, was arranged in neat, clear, and heartfelt lines.

It mentioned no affairs of state, only a multitude of trivialities, even some household gossip—mundane matters penned in an elegant script. At first, it seemed a bit chatty, then intriguing, and ultimately, full of warmth.

A wry smile touched Su Bei's lips as he murmured softly, "The grace of a beauty is the hardest to refuse."

He added, "Key Smoke told me not to show my face in public, but what a pity I read this letter too late... The fact that I've awakened must have now spread throughout the world."

This letter had indeed arrived somewhat late.

Looking further down, Ji Nanjue's eyes brightened as Su Bei read on:

"Regarding your illness, I have consulted many texts and discovered a cure in a unique volume from the Sword Sect within the Sacred Land."

"The essence of this sickness is thus: your blood and energy are depleted. If you can break through before your lifespan dissipates, all troubles will be resolved."

"However, those at the Tribulation-Crossing Stage, who absorb nature's Spiritual Energy to advance their cultivation, require a very long time—at least several hundred years, or even a thousand."

Indeed, when cultivation reaches the Tribulation-Crossing Stage, even advancing a minor realm requires centuries of arduous practice; twenty years is far from enough.

The letter continued, "Yet, I found this in the Sword Sect's records: During the Cataclysm of Ten Thousand Clans, several swords of the Sword Sect were thrust into the Twenty-One Provinces—one in the Northern Sea, one in the Western Wasteland, one among the Southern Barbarians, and one in the Inverted Heaven."

"If we use the Sword Sect's accumulated Sword Qi from tens of thousands of years, it could allow you to achieve an immensely terrifying advancement."

In the letter, Key Smoke made it clear that ordinary methods, despite various approaches, could only keep Su Bei clinging to life.

But there was another way, one somewhat defiant of convention: using the Sword Sect's foundation of ten thousand years as a base and drawing from its accumulated Sword Qi over tens of thousands of years, Su Bei could reach a higher realm in the shortest possible time.

Su Bei had no time to progress slowly; he needed to use the swords of the Sword Sect to rebuild his foundation and attain the aptitude of an Invincible Sword Immortal.

As Su Bei read this part of the letter, Dan Wulan had already turned back, her pupils shining with the same bright light.

"Is there a cure for my husband's ailment!?" she exclaimed. "Can it be completely cured just by drawing all the essence, energy, and spirit from the Sword Sect's swords and reforging his Sword Bone?"

She then asked, "But how is this to be done?"

The three women all leaned in closer, their rich fragrances encircling Su Bei.

Key Smoke's letter was like timely rain, nourishing land that had been parched for so long.

Su Bei continued reading from the letter:

"However, drawing the will from the swords is extremely dangerous. At least two Great Vehicle Practitioners must guard you and inscribe a sword array within your body before you can begin to absorb it."

"Though this part is not difficult, it is why I urged you not to show yourself. Once you read this letter and are in a safe place, I will inform Shangguan Wendao. We two will guard you as you forge this supreme Sword Body."

"And you must also retrieve the remaining three swords."

"Then, with three Great Vehicle Practitioners stationed in the Twenty-One Provinces, any danger to the provinces will be resolved."

The letter ended there, followed by Key Smoke's signature. The four of them looked at one another, pondering their next moves.

Su Bei shook his head. Inside his body...