Chapter 2

The very next moment, I was smiling through my tears.

I took off my own bracelet. It matched Yun Heng’s; he’d made the pair himself and secretly hidden a tracking talisman inside mine.

There was also the jade pendant he insisted I wear against my skin. He’d said it was a family heirloom. I knew he’d tucked a voice talisman into it.

He was convinced that everyone who came near me had designs on me. He monitored my every move so obsessively that I barely had any freedom.

I’d indulged him because he loved me and he was my husband. I’d wanted to do everything I could to make him feel safe.

Well, now he could go bother someone else.

I was free.

No more being made to practice dual cultivation every day. No more struggling to absorb all that excess power. No more dealing with a paranoid man terrified of losing me.

Even the air tasted sweeter.

Still, Yun Heng did have his merits. My cultivation had improved enormously since we’d started practicing together.

Next time, though, I’d look for someone a little less powerful.

A disciple from Lingyun Peak, perhaps. They were all so gentle and proper.

Someone who would respect me, love me, and, most importantly, trust me.

Someone who wouldn’t keep me under surveillance.