Another week of slow, painstaking recovery passed within the secluded walls of Blackwood Manor. Lan Yue had graduated from conquering the hallway to being able to navigate the entire ground floor on her own, though her movements were still careful, her celestial grace marred by a frustrating mortal weakness. Her strength was returning, but the process was agonizingly slow. She found herself pacing the grand library, the beautiful, silent rooms of the manor beginning to feel less like a sanctuary and more like a very luxurious cage.
Xue Lian, watching her from a doorway, saw the restless energy, the familiar look of a predator confined. "You look like a caged celestial tiger," she observed, a playful smile on her lips. "I think it's time for another field trip. Healer Lin says some fresh air and a change of pace would do you good."
Lan Yue stopped pacing and turned, her expression wary. "And where did you have in mind?"
"A short, very slow, walk around Silverwood City," Xue Lian announced. "It's a quiet, civilized place. Known for its artisans and tranquil atmosphere. No street brawls or Void creatures, I promise."
Lan Yue's pride bristled at the implication of her weakness. "I am not an invalid to be paraded around for the amusement of mortals," she said stiffly.
"Of course not," Xue Lian said, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she held up a simple, elegant walking cane made of polished blackwood. "You are a mysterious, reclusive noblewoman, recovering from a terrible wasting sickness, being doted on by your loving, long suffering wife. It's a very tragic and romantic story. They'll love it. Now, put on your cloak. We're going."
The city of Silverwood was as peaceful as Xue Lian had promised. Nestled in a high mountain valley, its streets were clean, its buildings elegant, and the air was crisp and cool. Mortals and cultivators alike moved with a relaxed, unhurried pace. For their "date," as Xue Lian had cheekily called it, they were in their mortal disguises, two elegant noblewomen out for a stroll. The most crucial part of the disguise was the simple fact that Lan Yue was leaning gently, but quite necessarily, on Xue Lian's arm for support.
The public display of interdependence was a new and strangely intimate experience. Lan Yue, who was used to moving with the speed of thought, found the slow, deliberate pace of a mortal walk to be a unique form of torture.
"Enjoying the scenery?" Xue Lian murmured, her voice laced with amusement. "At this speed, you can count every individual cobblestone, if you wish."
*If I had my full strength, I would be on that mountain peak and back by the time we reached the end of this street,* Lan Yue sent through their bond, her thought a spike of pure frustration.
Xue Lian gently patted the hand resting on her arm. *Yes, dear, I know. But the mortals find such displays rather alarming. Do try to enjoy the stroll. Look, a pottery shop.*
They stepped into a small, quiet shop filled with exquisite, hand painted ceramics. The elderly shopkeeper, a kindly woman with smile lines crinkling around her eyes, beamed at them.
"What a lovely couple," she said warmly, her gaze falling on the way Xue Lian was supporting Lan Yue. "It is so wonderful to see you taking such good care of your wife. Love is the best medicine, I always say."
The casual, incorrect assumption sent a jolt of shared, flustered shock through them both. Lan Yue, for the first time in a decade, felt a hot blush creep up her neck. Xue Lian recovered instantly, her lips curving into a regal, charming smile. "You are too kind," she said smoothly. "She is very precious to me."
They left the shop a few minutes later, the owners of a new, ridiculously expensive vase, both trying very hard to pretend that the innocent comment hadn't sent their hearts into a frantic, synchronized rhythm.
Their walk eventually led them to a tranquil park in the city center, where a small, crystal clear lake reflected the blue sky. They sat on a quiet bench, watching mortal children feed the fat, shimmering fish. The peaceful, domestic scene was so far removed from the worlds of war and intrigue they inhabited that it felt like a dream.
"One day," Xue Lian said, her voice soft as she looked out over the water, "I will have gardens like this at the Silent Palace. With real, mortal flowers and a lake that reflects a real sky."
"Xue Hua would like that," Lan Yue replied, the mention of their daughter a natural, easy thing between them now.
The peace was gently interrupted as a city guard passed by, tacking a new notice onto a public board. Lan Yue's sharp eyes caught the details. It was a wanted poster. The sketch was crude, but the description was clear: a four armed demon, the leader of the rogue sect from Luyan, now a notorious fugitive. A small, chilling reminder of the world waiting for them outside their sanctuary.
Xue Lian saw her gaze and her expression grew somber. "A snake is still a snake, even after you've cut off its head," she murmured, referring to Elder Feng's conspiracy.
They returned to Blackwood Manor as evening began to fall, the shadows lengthening around them. Lan Yue was tired, but it was a good, healing kind of tired, the ache in her muscles a sign of recovery, not injury.
As Xue Lian helped her with her cloak in the entryway of the manor, the teasing glint returned to her eyes. "See? That wasn't so terrible, was it? You didn't fall on your face once. I'm very proud."
Lan Yue, feeling a warmth that had nothing to do with her recovering cultivation, allowed herself a rare, genuine smile. "It was… pleasant," she admitted. Then, a teasing light sparked in her own eyes. "But you are still an infuriating nurse."
"I live to serve, my dear Saint," Xue Lian replied with a dramatic, flourishing bow.
The laughter they shared in that moment was soft, easy, and real. It was another small, vital step in their slow burn back to each other, a quiet promise of a future built not on grand gambits, but on the simple, shared joy of a walk in the sun.