A few more days of quiet recuperation saw Lan Yue's strength return in small but significant increments. The wobbling uncertainty in her legs had been replaced by a steadier, more confident stride, and she now only used the blackwood cane for longer walks. Her restlessness, however, had grown in direct proportion to her healing.
Xue Lian noticed it one morning as she watched Lan Yue pace the manor's grand terrace like a caged snow leopard. She lowered the mortal farming almanac she had been studying and an idea, both practical and mischievous, took root.
"I'm bored of this quiet country life and you're bored of being indoors," Xue Lian announced, closing the book with a decisive snap. "Furthermore, the Luminous Dynasty's livestock program is woefully lacking in diversity. Our six horned cattle are excellent for cheese and milk, but variety, as the mortals say, is the spice of life."
Lan Yue paused her pacing, raising a skeptical eyebrow. "And what do you propose we do about that?"
"Today's errand," Xue Lian declared, a gleam in her eye, "is a diplomatic mission to the Silverwood agricultural market. Our objective: the procurement of new biological assets."
A dry, amused smile touched Lan Yue's lips. "Procure new assets? Lian, are you planning to steal a chicken?"
"Steal?" Xue Lian feigned a look of deep offense. "Certainly not. I am going to legally and fairly purchase a chicken. Several, in fact. And perhaps a pig. And a goose for the palace pond. It's not theft, my dear Yue, it's a strategic economic investment in our dynasty's agricultural biodiversity."
The agricultural market was a world away from the refined artisan shops of Silverwood's city center. It was a chaotic, vibrant assault of sound and smell the crowing of roosters, the bleating of goats, the earthy scent of hay and livestock.
Xue Lian, the Empress who commanded legions of demonic warriors, now stood before a wooden crate filled with clucking chickens, her expression one of deep, strategic contemplation.
"Observe their flock dynamics, Yue," she murmured, pointing with a connoisseur's authority. "This one," she indicated a particularly scrawny chicken, "shows initiative. It pecks with purpose. But that one in the corner seems to have low morale. Unsuitable."
Lan Yue, who had spent her youth in a spartan sect where practical knowledge was valued, had to suppress a laugh. "Lian," she said, her voice laced with amusement, "you are supposed to look for bright eyes and smooth feathers, not their tactical discipline in close quarters combat."
Xue Lian looked from the chicken to Lan Yue, momentarily flustered. "And when, precisely, did you become an expert in avian husbandry?"
"I read," Lan Yue replied, her expression perfectly deadpan. "Unlike certain empresses who seem to only read war reports and forbidden histories."
Their mission continued, with Lan Yue providing surprisingly practical advice and Xue Lian making her selections with the gravity of an emperor choosing a new general. The true challenge arose when Xue Lian decided to purchase a large, prize winning sow. The farmer was ecstatic to sell, but the pig had other ideas. It planted its feet and refused to budge.
Xue Lian, ever the ruler, attempted to reason with it. "You have been acquired by a higher authority," she informed the pig with regal dignity. "You will now proceed in an orderly fashion to the designated transport vehicle."
The pig simply grunted and began to root in the dirt.
As Xue Lian was about to resort to a more forceful, and likely very undignified, argument, Lan Yue sighed. She stepped forward and rested a hand gently on the pig's broad back. A tiny, almost imperceptible pulse of her calming, celestial energy flowed from her palm. The pig's tense posture immediately relaxed. It looked up at her, blinked its small eyes, and then let out a soft, happy oink before trotting obediently after them.
*Show off,* Xue Lian sent through their Soul Bond, her thought a mix of admiration and annoyance.
*Just applying a different kind of 'persuasion',* Lan Yue sent back, her own thought laced with a smug satisfaction that made Xue Lian want to both kiss her and trip her.
As they moved through the market, arranging for their new "assets" to be delivered, the mood shifted. They passed rows of animals kept in poor conditions chickens crammed into tiny, filthy cages, mournful looking cows tethered with painfully short ropes. Xue Lian's playful demeanor vanished, her face darkening with a genuine, cold disapproval. She, the supposed "Demon Empress," found this casual, inefficient cruelty to be deeply distasteful.
Lan Yue saw the look on her face and her heart warmed. She moved closer, her arm brushing against Xue Lian's. "You're right to be angry," she said softly. "The animals are treated far better in your dynasty than they are here in the mortal world. Your six horned cattle are practically pampered royalty compared to this."
It was a simple observation, but a profound admission. It was the Saint of the righteous path, acknowledging the superior morality and compassion of the "demonic" realm in a tangible, undeniable way.
They walked back to the manor as the sun began to set, the chaotic sounds of the market fading behind them. Their errand had been a success.
"So," Lan Yue asked, a teasing glint in her eyes, "did you enjoy your 'strategic economic investment in agricultural biodiversity'?"
Xue Lian looked at her, at the woman who was slowly, surely, coming back to life beside her, and a genuine, happy smile lit up her face. "Immensely," she replied. "And I discovered my companion is a secret pig whisperer. A truly invaluable skill for any royal court."
Their shared laughter was a soft, easy sound in the quiet of the evening, another stone laid on the foundation of a love that was, against all odds, being patiently and joyfully rebuilt.