Without another word, Yu Nianzhen and Jiang Yue entered the ancient palace.
Although Hongzhu was also in the palace, they rarely saw her because she preferred to stay in her room, taking care of Li Futianâs coffin.
"Azhen, do you think..." Jiang Yue started and then stretched out his right little finger to gesture what he meant.
"Maybe." Yu Nianzhen said and sighed.
It was normal for a contracted pet to stick to its master. However, Hongzhuâs feelings were a little more than that.
Yu Nianzhen couldnât be sure about their relationship but he felt a little sad for them.
When he thought that he could also be separated from Jiang Yue, he couldnât help but feel a little desperate.
"Donât think about it." Jiang Yue suddenly said.
However, he held Yu Nianzhenâs hand tightly which showed that he was also thinking about it.
"XiaoYue, I will never leave you alone." Yu Nianzhen promised.
He knew he shouldnât make such a promise since he wasnât powerful enough to control his fate.
However, he couldnât help but do it because he didnât want Jiang Yue to be sad.
In the end, all he needed to do was work hard. The harder he worked, the easier it would be to keep his promise.
"I also promise." Jiang Yue said and pulled Yu Nianzhen for a kiss.
Soon after, the two forgot about the formation bone and directly went to bed.
When they came to, many hours had passed but it wasnât a loss.
Compared to before, their mood was better and their hearts were calmer.
They no longer felt like they were standing at the edge of disaster but they recognised the possibility of tragedy.
"I want to refine the bone now." Jiang Yue said.
"Mmm." Yu Nianzhen agreed and handed him a robe to cover himself.
While Jiang Yue was dressing, Yu Nianzhen also dressed.
When they were both ready, they went to the training area in their room and sat cross-legged.
"I will stay here to protect you." Yu Nianzhen said.
Although the ancient palace was safe, Yu Nianzhen didnât want to take any chances.
After all, many inheritances had protective measures.
If Jiang Yue was suddenly attacked by the formation bone, Yu Nianzhen wanted to be there to protect him.
"Good." Jiang Yue said and smiled at his husband.
He then leaned over and kissed him lightly before his face turned solemn.
After taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and the formation bone appeared in his hand.
Jiang Yue injected his divine sense into the bone and a stone forest appeared in his vision.
He saw thousands of stone monuments but all their surfaces were blurred and he couldnât see anything.
However, this was expected.
Without delay, he used the bone to slice his palm and allowed the blood to drip onto the bone.
In the blink of an eye, the bone turned into a stream of red light and rushed into his body from between his eyes.
This process was so fast that Yu Nianzhen barely had time to catch it.
However, he didnât interrupt.
Although he was worried, this was Jiang Yueâs chance and he had no right to interfere.
In this way, Yu Nianzhen guarded outside while Jiang Yue entered the formation bone using his divine sense.
This time, Jiang Yueâs vision of the formation world was much clearer.
Unfortunately, only the first stone monument was legible while the rest remained blurry.
"Basic qi gathering array." Jiang Yue read the words at the top of the stone monument.
Below the title was a formation map and Jiang Yue was immediately attracted.
He began to study the map but the more he studied, the stranger he felt. This was because the formation map couldnât be called basic.
âIs there such a big difference between ancient formation maps and the current maps?â He wondered.
Based on current standards, the basic qi gathering array would be classified as a level two formation.
When he considered that, Jiang Yue couldnât help feeling a little deflated.
He was so proud of being a level three formation master but he suddenly realised that his mastery wasnât so great.
His knowledge was superficial and his foundation was very lacking.
âSince I have received the inheritance, I will make the best of it.â He vowed and ejected his divine sense from the formation world.
"How are you?" Yu Nianzhen asked as soon as Jiang Yue opened his eyes.
"I am fine but..." Jiang Yue didnât finish but sighed instead.
"Whatâs wrong?"
"From the information I received when I refined the bone, there are more than ten thousand level one formation maps in the inheritance."
"If I want to learn level two formations, I must first comprehend five thousand level one formations."
"How many have you comprehended so far?"
When he heard the question, Jiang Yue blushed and didnât say anything.
He knew Yu Nianzhen wouldnât look down on him but it was a little embarrassing to admit that he had yet to comprehend a single formation.
"Take your time. I believe in you." Yu Nianzhen said and rubbed Jiang Yueâs hair.
"We donât have time." Jiang Yue grumbled and suddenly had the urge to cry.
He didnât want to work hard in the next year.
All he wanted was to sit around with Yu Nianzhen and talk about love.
However, life kept getting in the way.
When he thought that they would spend one hundred years in the Nine Treasures secret realm, Jiang Yue didnât dare to ignore the formationsâ inheritance.
He felt that learning one more formation would give them a better chance of surviving.
Towards that end, he couldnât justify not learning.
"Azhen..." Jiang Yue started and didnât know how to continue.
"The time is short but we can make the best of it." Yu Nianzhen said and hugged Jiang Yue.
He was also regretful and wished there was a way to multiply the time they spent together.
However, everything in the world had a price and the price of strength was less time lazing around with his husband.
At this time, Yu Nianzhen could only keep reminding himself that their future life was worth the current sacrifice.
"XiaoYue, do you want to have a date?"
"Date?"
"Mmmm. I will cook and we will spend a few days together." Yu Nianzhen said and Jiang Yue understood.
For the next few days, they would focus all their energy on being together.
However, after the few days, they would focus on training without allowing any distractions.
"I understand." Jiang Yue said and smiled.
The smile was a little sad but also full of understanding.
"Is there anything you want to eat?"
"Letâs go shopping." Jiang Yue suggested and Yu Nianzhen didnât refuse.
Without a momentâs delay, they disguised themselves, exited the ancient palace, and left the cave.
Like before, they walked around Ice Palace city but they were not looking for treasures this time around.
Neither Jiang Yue nor Yu Nianzhen searched for treasure but they made sure to buy all the interesting things they found along the way.
Some of those things were ingredients, others were clothing, but most were little keepsakes.
After shopping, they returned to the ancient palace and Yu Nianzhen made good on his promise.
He prepared all the ingredients they bought and made a lot of delicious food for Jiang Yue.
"Itâs a loss for you to be a swordsman." Jiang Yue lamented as he munched on vegetables.
"If you became a spiritual chef and opened a restaurant, you would never lack guests." He continued to flatter.
"Are you sure you would like that?" Yu Nianzhen asked with a sly smile on his lips.
At first, Jiang Yue didnât understand the question and when he did, he immediately shook his head.
Yu Nianzhen was a good cook but Jiang Yue was possessive.
He didnât want his husband to cook for other people so he immediately reversed his earlier comment.
"After thinking about it, you are better off as a swordsman." He said and Yu Nianzhen chuckled in good humour.
For the next few days, Yu Nianzhen and Jiang Yue didnât leave the ancient palace.
They spent all their time together.
When they were not eating or drinking, they were making love or talking about everything under the sky.
On the last day of their short holiday, the two were drinking wine while watching the setting sun.
The reddish sun was incredibly beautiful and the two couldnât help but sign in nostalgia.
"Azhen, I have been thinking."
"Thinking about what?"
"Our family background in this world is very similar to our previous life. Our names, the names of our family members, and the relationships are all similar."
"Mmmm." Yu Nianzhen agreed and a feeling of dread sprouted in his heart.
He could guess what Jiang Yue wanted to talk about because he had also noticed the problem.
However, he had no answer because he also didnât understand.
"What about Jiang Xing? I donât have her in my memory but I always feel that she should exist."