The Cheating Husband, the Incompetent Wife

“You mean to say that hundreds of you went to pick the leaves, and all of them, including the main branch’s Nascent Soul cultivators, are dead, while you, a mere Core Formation brat, managed to come back alive?”

In the dim, oppressive council hall.

The branch elder sat in his chair, his face dark and brooding, his cold gaze fixed on the bedraggled Ye Shu.

“Yes… yes, Elder.”

Ye Shu kept his head lowered, his expression full of fear, his body trembling uncontrollably, as if he still hadn’t recovered from that terrifying ordeal.

“...”

The elder tapped his fingers lightly, staring at him for a long while before speaking in a deep voice, “Tell me, what exactly happened?”

“Elder, we were…”

Ye Shu bowed his head, stammering as he began, and recounted everything he had seen and heard, down to the last detail—the Little Fairy Doctor’s poison fog, those eerie paper marionettes, the ambush on Herbsage, Mo Wuyan’s poisoning and death. He recited it all exactly as he had orchestrated the tale, without missing a single word.

After all, there was nothing to hide about the Little Fairy Doctor’s methods.

Even if he hadn’t spoken.

Mo Yu, with his system, would have figured it out eventually. So, coming clean now could also dispel these people’s suspicions of him. “At that moment, I used my wits and hid beneath Herbsage’s corpse, surviving only by the residual medicinal essence. When I woke up again, everyone was already dead.”

He finished speaking and said no more.

His body kept trembling, just like someone who had narrowly escaped death, still shaken by fear.

The elder stared at him for a long time before slowly saying, “Since you’re back, that’s good. Head home and get some proper rest for a few days to settle your nerves. Don’t take on any more missions for now.”

“Yes!”

Ye Shu, feeling relieved, clasped his hands and withdrew from the hall.

Once his figure disappeared into the chamber, the elder gently tapped the armrest and summoned two shadow guards.

“Go scout the valley and report back.”

“Keep an eye on this Mo Shisan lately. I sense something odd about him.”

“Also, have we found the killer responsible for the deaths in the clan?”

“No.”

Both shadow guards shook their heads simultaneously. “The killer’s methods were extremely covert. No traces were left behind.”

“Vanished into thin air?”

The elder frowned deeply. “Who would dare cause trouble in our Mo family?”

“You may go now.”

“Yes!”

The two shadow guards responded and vanished silently into the shadows.

Meanwhile, Ye Shu had already returned to his residence. Before he could push open the door, a small figure rushed into his arms.

“You’re back, Father!”

Jiang Mingyue hugged his leg, tilting her head up, her eyes sparkling, “Father’s back at last! Mingyue missed you so much!!!”

Ye Shu paused for a moment, then scooped her up.

“How did you know I was back?”

“Mingyue heard Father’s footsteps from very, very far away! Isn’t that impressive?” Jiang Mingyue placed her hands on her hips, puffing out her chest with pride.

“Our Mingyue is truly amazing!”

Ye Shu laughed heartily and planted a kiss on her rosy cheek, making the little girl giggle happily.

“Father, you smell so good.”

Jiang Mingyue suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and sniffed at his collar like a little puppy, a glint of coldness flashing through her eyes. But the gleam disappeared as quickly as it had come, as though it had never existed.

“It’s the scent of leaves! Father went to play in the forest!”

“Heh, Father wasn’t just playing around.”

Ye Shu pinched her cheek with a chuckle, “Father almost didn’t get to see Mingyue again.”

“Ah? Did Father face danger?”

Jiang Mingyue immediately dropped her smile, her little face filling with worry, her small hands gripping his collar tightly.

“Is Father hurt? Let Mingyue see!”

She then started trying to pull at his clothes to check, acting like a miniature adult.

Scared, Ye Shu quickly grabbed her small hands and laughed, “No, no, Father is fine. He just got a fright, that’s all.”

Jiang Mingyue finally relaxed, mumbling softly,

“Father mustn’t go out anymore, or Mingyue will worry…”

“All right, all right, Father will stay home with Mingyue.”

Chatting happily, the father and daughter walked into the courtyard, where they found Jiang Xin lying on a chair, basking in the sun.

Maybe it was Ye Shu’s imagination, but he noticed something different about Jiang Xin’s aura. It seemed more… dense and profound.

“You’re back?”

Jiang Xin, lounging in the chair, lifted her eyelids and lazily sat up straight.

Hmph!

While that bastard was away from the village, she had been diligently cultivating!

Now, she was already one foot over the threshold of the Nascent Soul realm.

If she had a bit more time, returning to her peak strength was just around the corner, and then she could exact her revenge, making that scoundrel taste what it was like to be someone’s laundry maid and cook every day!

For now, she’d just bear it and make concessions!

Jiang Xin secretly congratulated herself, but on the surface, she kept a smiling face. She glided gracefully to Ye Shu’s side, like a dutiful wife, and gently helped him take off his coat.

“You’ve been gone so long; you must be exhausted.”

“I’ll take care of washing the clothes. You go to your room and rest for a while. I’ll be making dinner later.”

Her voice was tender, like a spring stream.

This sudden warmth caught Ye Shu off guard. He quickly shrugged off his outer robe and retreated into the house with Jiang Mingyue.

After the two had disappeared inside, Jiang Xin took the clothes to the backyard to fetch water for washing. Her gaze suddenly fell on a single strand of dark hair caught on the collar, swaying in the breeze.

“What’s this…?”

She picked up the hair and paused mid-step.

This couldn’t be her hair, nor Jiang Mingyue’s, which meant… it belonged to some other woman.

She snatched the clothes and brought them close to her nose, taking a deep breath.

Sure enough, besides the smell of fallen leaves, there was a faint herbal scent, mixed with a trace of fragrance.

This scent, Jiang Xin knew well, because she had been curious back when she was alone in her palace and once smelled it out of interest.

It was exactly the same.

“Ha!”

Jiang Xin’s expression soured instantly. She tore the garment in her hands, gritting her teeth, “Fine, you heartless bastard! You have me, the Nine Nether Empress, babysitting at home while you go out chasing women, do you? Hah! Wonderful, just wonderful!”

The grand Nine Nether Empress, forced into marriage, threatened with poison, and now on top of all that, being cuckolded!

Even a clay figurine has its limits of anger!

“Scoundrel! You’ve gone too far!” Jiang Xin’s eyes blazed with fury. She spun around and stormed toward the house.

Ye Shu was sitting by the table, playing with Jiang Mingyue, when he heard the footsteps and looked up to find Jiang Xin stomping in, her face clouded with rage, clutching the torn garment in her hand.

“What are you doing?”

Before he could finish, Jiang Xin slammed the torn clothes “slap!” onto the table.

“Explain this?”

“Explain what?”

Ye Shu blinked, utterly bewildered.

"Explain this. Why does it smell like another woman?" Jiang Xin clutched the tattered garment, barely containing her rage, each word spoken through gritted teeth.

"Smell like another woman?"

Ye Shu paused for a moment, then realized that the woman before him was jealous—or rather, she had come to catch him in the act. Yet, instead of showing any panic, he found her amusing.

"Miss Jiang, have you forgotten something?"

"We’re not really husband and wife. This whole thing is just a facade. Even if I do have other women, that’s my business, and none of yours."

"Or... could it be that you actually want to be my wife?"

At these words, Jiang Xin’s expression froze. She blinked, standing there in a daze, and it took a long moment for her to come to her senses.

"R-right... that's true."

But what was this all about?

Why did she have to fulfill a wife’s duties—washing his clothes, cooking for him, warming his bed, and even taking care of a child—while this bastard could go out and indulge in pleasure elsewhere?

Did that make sense?

There was no fairness in this!

"Then you’re saying I can go out and spend the night with some other man, and it’s none of your business?" Jiang Xin suddenly lifted her head, looking at him as if she was throwing a tantrum.

"Of course not."

Ye Shu shook his head, his tone turning icy in a flash.

"If you go out and find some other man, I would have no hesitation in killing him... and you."