C3 Sixth Heaven

Upon returning home, Wu Duan forcefully set his teacup on the table and demanded, "Xiao Cui, bring the tea!"

Xiao Cui, the maid, approached with trepidation and poured tea into Wu Duan's cup.

Wu Duan took a large swig of the tea and immediately spat it out, startling Xiao Cui so much that she stumbled backward.

"What is this? Get me a better tea!"

"Master, this has always been our tea of choice. It's a fine tea..."

"If we don't have better tea, then go out and buy some! Is the Wu family too poor to afford decent tea leaves?"

"What are you standing around for? Go, now!"

Wu Duan's outburst left Xiao Cui at a loss for what to do.

Just then, Madam Wu, alerted by the noise, hurried into the room.

"Madam, the Master suddenly demands fine tea, and he's sent me to purchase some, but I don't know which tea leaves to buy..." Xiao Cui's face was streaked with tears of innocence as she spoke.

Madam Wu gestured for Xiao Cui to leave and, taking a handkerchief from her bosom, wiped the water stains from the table before sitting beside Wu Duan.

Seeing his wife, Wu Duan's anger subsided, and he felt somewhat embarrassed.

"Madam, I..."

"How long have we been married?"

"Shanbao is ten this year. He was born three years after we married, so that means we've been married for twelve years." Wu Duan calculated on his fingers. "Is that correct? Why do you ask?"

"Yes, twelve years. My husband has always been the epitome of grace and never once lost his temper with me..."

"I..."

"Today, you've been uncharacteristically upset. Surely, you've suffered some great injustice. Could you share with me what's troubling you? As the saying goes, spouses should stand by each other through thick and thin, supporting and comforting one another..."

"Ah!" Wu Duan sighed deeply. "The fault is mine..."

Wu Duan recounted the entire ordeal of taking Wu Shanbao to the Misty Clear Monastery to seek apprenticeship under a master. He concluded with a heavy sigh, "I could never have imagined the Taoist community to be so corrupt. I've dedicated myself to the Tao, yet I can't compare to the insatiable greed of Ma Pinghai! If only I were at the Spirit Refining Stage, I would teach Shanbao myself."

After listening to Wu Duan's grievances, Mrs. Wu grasped the crux of the issue. Her husband was distressed over Wu Shanbao's situation.

"To think someone at the mere Spirit Refining Stage could be so arrogant and ignorant!" Mrs. Wu's uncharacteristic concern took Wu Duan by surprise.

"Dear, let me handle this worry alone! It's my fault, all my fault, for making you so upset," Wu Duan said, reproaching himself. "It's just talk. You needn't trouble yourself with this; I'll take care of Shanbao's apprenticeship."

"What do you plan to do?"

"If it comes down to it, I'll just take some money and pay another visit with Shanbao."

"You mean to say you still want Shanbao to apprentice under him?"

"Do you have a better solution, my dear?" Wu Duan realized what his wife was implying. Could Shanbao truly learn anything of value from Ma Pinghai? Yet, of all the Taoist temples nearby, only the Misty Clear Monastery had any real strength; the others weren't even worth mentioning.

"Had it not been for the fact that you spend your days cultivating virtue and performing good deeds, I would have ended Ma Pinghai's life tonight!" Mrs. Wu's delicate features twisted with barely contained fury.

"My dear, you mustn't do such a thing! It's against the Taoist precepts!" Wu Duan quickly closed his eyes, silently invoking the divine as a sign of repentance.

"Hehe, don't fret, my husband. I was merely speaking out of frustration," Mrs. Wu said with a laugh, seeing her husband's devout reaction.

"You're laughing!"

"Am I?"

"Yes, you are! It's the first time I've seen you laugh in years! And you look so beautiful when you do," Wu Duan said, still captivated by his wife's smile.

"Oh no, what have I done?" Mrs. Wu suddenly became anxious, rising to pace the floor restlessly.

"Madam! What's the matter with you? What's over?" Wu Duan noticed his wife's expression had abruptly changed, and, not knowing the cause, he became bewildered.

Madam Wu paid no attention to Wu Duan, preoccupied with her anxious thoughts and pacing the floor. Eventually, as though she had reached a monumental decision, she turned to Wu Duan and inquired, "Husband, do you understand why I never laugh in Shanbao's presence?"

Wu Duan shook his head, "I always assumed it was because I wasn't good enough..."

"You've been impeccable, Husband! The fault lies with me," Madam Wu confessed at last, "I am not from Level One Heaven!"

"Ah?" Wu Duan was astounded. Regaining his composure, he ventured, "Then, are you from Level Two Heaven?"

Madam Wu shook her head.

"Level Three Heaven, perhaps?"

Again, Madam Wu shook her head.

Wu Duan dared not guess further; to him, Level Two and Level Three Heaven were the ultimate realms, and Level Three Heaven was an existence beyond his wildest dreams.

Seeing the bewilderment in Wu Duan's eyes, Madam Wu revealed, "I come from Level Six Heaven!"

"Ah? Level Six, Level Six Heaven?" Wu Duan counted on his fingers in disbelief.

Level Six Heaven was the realm of the gods! His wife was actually a deity!

"Madam, surely you're not serious?"

"I truly hail from Level Six Heaven. Moreover, I belong to the great Zhang Family there!"

"What?"

"I took a treasure from my family—the Breeze Fan—and fled Level Six Heaven."

"The Breeze Fan is a treasure? Why did you take it?"

"It originally belonged to a friend, but my family acquired it by any means necessary, even going so far as to kill my friend. Overwhelmed by hatred, I stole the fan and fled to Level One Heaven, hoping to unravel its secrets and return to Level Six Heaven, but..."

"It's no wonder I was awestruck when I first met you; you're not from Level One Heaven. All these years, you've been fixated on that fan... Sigh, your friend was a man, wasn't he?" Wu Duan seemed to have pieced together the truth.

"Yes! I..."

Madam Wu was about to explain when Wu Duan cut her off. "So, the story about Wang Yue being pregnant is also a lie, isn't it?"

Madam Wu was frozen in place, at a loss for words, and could only nod in response.

"Is this how you plan to stand by me, to share our lives and support each other?" Wu Duan's voice was filled with heart-wrenching anguish.

"My husband, please let me explain!"

"What's left to explain!"

"I was wrong! I never should have married you, but that's not what's most important right now!"

"Not important! Then tell me, what is more important than the bond we've shared over these years?"

"My husband, initially, I was only using you, but as time passed, I genuinely grew to care for you! This must be what people mean when they say love grows over time! To have a husband like you, what more could I ask for? But right now, the most crucial thing is that we're running out of time!"

"What do you mean?"

"When I left the Sixth Heaven, I vowed not to smile at anyone who wasn't involved with me, which is how I've managed to evade my family's search until now."

"Didn't you smile at Shanbao? Oh, I see! He's involved with you, but I'm the one who's not!" Wu Duan had regained his composure. The shock had drained him of the energy to be angry. "Go on!"

"If I had truly smiled earlier, the spell I used to bind myself would have vanished, and my family would quickly track us down."

"And how does that concern me?"

"Even though we don't share a true marital bond, we are married in name, and they will certainly not spare either you or Shanbao."

"Right! Why did it take you three years with Shanbao? No, more than three years?"

"Because one day in the Sixth Heaven equals three years in the Third Heaven, and one day in the Third Heaven is like three years in the First Heaven."

"Now I understand!" All of Wu Duan's confusion was cleared up, yet he found himself at a loss for words.

They lapsed into silence. After a while, Wu Duan finally spoke up, "How long before they get here?"

"With their capabilities, they'll likely arrive here in Level One Heaven within two days."

"Then you need to escape, quickly!"

"It's no use!" Madam Wu shook her head. "Years ago, I expended two levels of my cultivation to conceal my tracks and essence. My current strength pales in comparison to what it once was, and besides..."

"Besides, Level One Heaven seems like a tiny place to you, with no chance of escape, right?"

"Exactly! That's why you're the one who must go now! All I ask is that you ensure Shanbao's safety... please, I'm begging you!" With those words, Madam Wu fell to her knees.