63: Sword lotus nurtured gently, its icy heart beginning to melt.

Inside the Thatched Cottage, the tribulation had just settled.

The gentle fire licked at the air, dispelling the last trace of chill. Xi Youqin slowly awoke from her dream of the Chaos Sword Lotus Fetus, her long eyelashes trembling as she slowly opened her eyes. Those once lively and stubborn almond eyes now resembled glazed glass washed by morning dew, clear with a hint of awakening confusion and... an unusual docility.

Memories flooded back: the despair of the Soul-devouring curse, the excruciating pain of the Origin reshaping... all as clear as yesterday. But at this moment, the anticipated fear and resentment did not surge. Deep within her Dantian, the cyan-golden Sword Lotus mark gently pulsed with her breathing, each throb spreading a warm, moist current that smoothed over her limbs and bones, bringing an unprecedented sense of stability and peace. It was as if a wandering boat had finally found its harbor, and the Chaos Qi belonging to Jiang Linfeng, contained within that warm current, not only didn't make her resist but instead made her instinctively feel close and dependent.

She tried to move her fingers, but her body was soft and weak, unable to muster any strength. It wasn't restraint, but a kind of languor after being completely relaxed and gently enveloped. She didn't even want to move; she just wanted to immerse herself in this reassuring warmth originating from her Dantian. She slightly tilted her head, her gaze following that figure.

Jiang Linfeng was not looking down at her from a high position; instead, he sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion beside her, one hand gently resting on her flat lower abdomen, over her Dantian. His palm was warm and steady, and a pure, vast, yet exceptionally gentle Chaos Life Origin continuously poured into the Sword Lotus mark, like spring rain nourishing a budding sprout. His expression was focused and peaceful, devoid of all coldness and sharpness, his profile appearing exceptionally gentle in the glow of the furnace fire.

Xi Youqin's heart felt as if it had been lightly brushed by a feather. She looked at his focused profile, feeling the warmth and power emanating from her lower abdomen, a mixture of unspeakable bitterness and warmth surging in her heart. Her eyes felt slightly hot, but it was no longer tears of humiliation, but a touch of being cherished and cared for. She softly sniffed, her voice soft with just-woken drowsiness and a hint of imperceptible dependence: "...Master?"

This call came naturally, without any hesitation. As if this title had been brewing in her heart countless times.

Jiang Linfeng heard the sound, his gaze shifting from her Dantian to her face. His eyes were still deep, but no longer cold; instead, they were like a still, deep pool, gentle and all-encompassing. "Awake?" His voice was low and pleasant, like jade gently tapping, "How do you feel? The Sword Lotus has just formed; you need to nurture it calmly, don't be impatient."

His concern was like a warm current, instantly melting away the last trace of unease in Xi Youqin's heart. She nodded gently, her small face slightly flushed, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz: "Mm... warm... very comfortable... Thank you, Master..." The Sword Lotus mark seemed to sense her emotions, pulsing joyfully, conveying a clearer sense of dependence and satisfaction.

[Ding! Xi Youqin (Bed-warming Maidservant)'s submission degree +50%! Chaos Sword Lotus Fetus compatibility +20%!]

[Hint: Chaos Sword Lotus Fetus (embryonic form) has entered a stable nurturing period, Sword Heart growth speed increased by 300%!]

The System's prompts echoed in Jiang Linfeng's mind, and a gentle, almost imperceptible curve lifted at the corner of his lips. He withdrew his hand from her lower abdomen, gently tucking away the strands of hair that had fallen on her cheek: "No need to thank me. Since my mark has been branded, you are my sword, and also my person. Protecting you and helping you grow is only right."

His words were calm yet carried an undeniable sense of belonging. Xi Youqin listened, and far from resisting, she felt incredibly at ease. Like a cat being stroked, she obediently lay on the meditation cushion, feeling the Sword Lotus belonging to him quietly growing within her, absorbing his power, her heart utterly peaceful.

"Jiang Lang..."

Just then, Luo Yan came over from the corner, holding Jiang Xingyu. Her complexion had recovered its rosiness, and the look in her eyes as she gazed at Jiang Linfeng was complex and hard to describe; there was lingering fear, confusion, but more than that, a sense of tranquility after being comforted. The uncontrolled burst of profound ice just now was like a nightmare, and recalling it still made her heart tremble. She looked at Xi Youqin's docile and dependent posture, and at Jiang Linfeng's gentle comforting actions, and the sharp doubt that had arisen in her heart due to the "Slave Mark" was unknowingly smoothed away by the harmonious scene before her.

She walked to Jiang Linfeng's side, and instead of questioning, she gently handed him Jiang Xingyu, who was sleeping soundly in her arms: "Star Universe seemed a bit startled just now, but he's calm now."

Jiang Linfeng naturally took his son. The little fellow snuggled in his arms, smacked his lips, and slept even more soundly. Jiang Linfeng lowered his head, looking at his son's pure sleeping face, his eyes so tender they could drip water. He looked up at Luo Yan, his gaze frank and gentle: "Just now, your emotions were agitated, activating the power deep within your Bloodline. It's fine, I'm here."

He didn't explain the details of the mark, but this phrase, "I'm here," was more powerful than any explanation. Luo Yan looked at his eyes, steady as a mountain and inclusive as the sea, at her son safe in his arms, and then at the docile Xi Youqin beside them, and the last trace of unease in her heart vanished. She gently leaned against Jiang Linfeng, resting her head on his solid shoulder, and whispered: "Mm... with you here, it's good."

Inside the Thatched Cottage, the furnace fire crackled, and the atmosphere was warm and peaceful. Jiang Linfeng held his son, Luo Yan leaned by his side, and Xi Youqin quietly lay on the meditation cushion, feeling the pulse of the Sword Lotus within her. Between the three, a strange, harmonious, and stable triangular relationship formed, all centered around Jiang Linfeng, exuding silent dependence and obedience.

Xi Youqin secretly raised her eyes, looking at Jiang Linfeng's gentle profile as he gazed at the infant in his arms, and at Luo Yan's serene face beside his broad shoulder. The subtle emotions that had arisen from her status as a "latercomer" gradually gave way to a sense of belonging, a feeling of "belonging to the same person." She even felt that just quietly watching them, feeling the warm mark of his in her Dantian, was a kind of... happiness?

[Ding! Luo Yan (Main Wife)'s state of mind is stable, sense of belonging +30%! Family harmony improved!]

[Hint: Host's 'Gentle Control' aura effect is significant, female lead group's obedience has comprehensively increased!]

In the endless Void Realm, deep within the Ice Soul Divine Palace's profound ice blood prison.

"Aargh—!!"

A distorted, agonizing shriek exploded in the silent blood prison!

Ning Yudie, like a pile of mud with all her bones removed, collapsed on the shattered profound ice, her entire body twitching violently. The black blood she had just spat out had not yet congealed, and the new, deeply scorched crack on her brow, visible to the bone, crawled grotesquely across her pale face like an ugly centipede. The terrifying backlash suffered by her Devil Soul Origin was like billions of red-hot steel needles frantically churning in the deepest part of her Soul!

But what made her even more distraught than this backlash was the persistent image in the depths of her consciousness!

The last scene remaining in the profound ice mirror—that vile maid Xi Youqin docilely lying on the meditation cushion, the faintly visible cyan-golden Sword Lotus mark on her lower Dantian, and her moist, hazy, dependent gaze towards Jiang Linfeng! And that vile Luo Yan, shamelessly leaning against that Devil Head's shoulder!

"No—!!" Ning Yudie let out a beastly roar, her nails digging deep into the hard profound ice, leaving streaks of blood. "Why... why can they... can they be... be treated like that by him..."

That Sword Lotus mark! That docile gaze! That leaning posture! Every image was like a poisoned dagger, savagely stabbing into her twisted Devil Heart! An unprecedented, poisonous fire called jealousy burned wildly, almost completely incinerating her remaining sanity!

She hated! Hated Xi Youqin's submission! Hated Luo Yan's possession! And even more hated... hated the man who gave them all this!

However, deep within this towering hatred and jealousy, a faint yearning, one she herself had not even noticed, quietly sprouted like a young shoot beneath a poisonous vine... If that mark were branded on herself... If that gentle gaze were directed at her... If she, too, could be possessed by him in such a domineering yet gentle way, like them... "Ugh!" The moment this thought arose, the excruciating pain of her Devil Soul tearing suddenly intensified! It was as if her defiled devilish thought had desecrated some sacred existence, drawing an even crueler punishment!

"Jiang... Lin... Feng..." Ning Yudie curled up, gasping for breath, each word squeezed through her clenched teeth, carrying bone-deep venom and... a trace of extreme pain-twisted longing that she herself refused to admit, "You... wait... This Palace... will definitely make you... pay the price... will definitely... replace them..."

Her voice grew softer and softer, eventually drowned out by painful moans. In the profound ice blood prison, only her broken gasps and the silent wails of her Devil Soul being repeatedly torn remained. Yet, the cyan-golden Sword Lotus phantom, like a nightmare, was deeply branded in the depths of her chaotic consciousness, refusing to fade.