Chapter 6: The Yandere Shadow
Living with a yandere stalker was exhausting.
Yue Mei followed Li Wei everywhere.
To the guild. To missions. To the marketplace. Even to the bathroom—though she at least waited outside for that.
"This is not normal!" Li Wei hissed on day three of their "partnership."
Yue Mei smiled from where she sat perched on a tree branch above him. He was supposed to be gathering Moonlit Mushrooms. She was supposed to be... not here.
"I'm protecting you, husband~"
"From what?!"
"From running away!" she said cheerfully.
Li Wei groaned and went back to harvesting mushrooms.
Three days. Three guild missions. And Yue Mei hadn't left his side once.
The only good news: his affection meter with her kept slowly climbing.
║ AFFECTION PROGRESS:
║ Yue Mei: 68 → 73
║ She's genuinely enjoying spending
║ time with you. Stockholm syndrome?
║ Or actual bonding? Hard to say!
"Hey," Yue Mei called down. "Want to know a secret?"
Li Wei looked up warily. "...Okay?"
"I was supposed to kill you."
His blood froze. "What?"
She swung down from the branch, landing gracefully. "The Shadow Veil Guild. They gave me a contract months ago. 'Kill Zhao Tian.' Payment: 50,000 spirit stones."
Li Wei's hands clenched. "And?"
"I said no!" Yue Mei grinned. "Told them I was married to you, so it'd be a conflict of interest. They were SO mad. Threatened to kick me out."
"Did they?"
"Nope! I'm their best assassin. They can't afford to lose me." She leaned closer. "But there are others. Six guild members still hunting you. Just so you know."
Li Wei's stomach dropped. "Six assassins?"
"Yup! Professional killers. Way better at tracking than normal bounty hunters." Yue Mei patted his shoulder. "Don't worry! I'll protect you!"
"You just told me I have six people trying to kill me and you want me NOT to worry?!"
"They won't find you as long as I'm here!" She said it like it was obvious. "I know all their techniques. I can sense them coming."
Li Wei took a deep breath. Counted to ten. Did not scream.
"Yue Mei," he said carefully. "Why are you helping me?"
Her smile faded slightly. Something genuine flickered in her eyes.
"Because the old you never NEEDED help," she said quietly. "You were always strong. Always in control. Always... distant."
She sat on a fallen log, kicking her legs idly.
"When I married you, I thought it'd be exciting. A powerful cultivator, feared across the continent. I thought we'd fight side by side. Have adventures."
Her voice turned bitter.
"Instead, you stuck me in a villa and forgot I existed. Only called when you needed someone poisoned. Treated me like a tool."
Li Wei felt a pang of guilt—even though it wasn't really HIS guilt. Zhao Tian had been an idiot.
"I'm sorry," he said.
Yue Mei's head snapped up. "What?"
"For treating you like that. You deserved better."
She stared at him, eyes wide.
║ CRITICAL HIT!
║ Affection: 73 → 78
║ First time she's heard an apology
║ from "husband." Emotional damage
║ sustained (the good kind).
Yue Mei looked away quickly. "You're weird now. The old you would never apologize."
"The old me was an idiot."
She laughed—a genuine, surprised sound. "Yeah. He really was."
They sat in silence for a moment.
Then Yue Mei jumped to her feet. "Okay! Enough feelings! Let's finish this quest and get food. I'm starving!"
Li Wei smiled despite himself. Maybe having her around wasn't so bad.
Terrifying? Yes.
Life-threatening? Probably.
But also... kind of nice?
***
They returned to the guild with a full basket of mushrooms.
Sister Hong counted them and handed over eight silver taels.
"You're getting faster," she noted. "Keep this up and you might actually pay off your debt."
Li Wei's current balance: fourteen silver taels (after three days of quests). Debt: ten silvers plus two weeks of interest = eleven silvers.
He was almost breaking even.
"Hey, Li Wei!"
He turned to see Yue Mei at the tavern entrance, waving.
"Come have a drink with me!"
Sister Hong raised an eyebrow. "Your... friend?"
"It's complicated," Li Wei muttered.
He joined Yue Mei at a corner table. She'd ordered two cups of wine.
Li Wei eyed them suspiciously. "Poisoned?"
"Only a little!" She laughed at his expression. "I'm JOKING. Try to relax."
He took a cautious sip. Normal wine. Maybe a bit cheap, but not poisoned.
"So," Yue Mei said, leaning forward. "What's your plan? You can't gather herbs forever."
"I'm saving up money to—" Li Wei paused. What WAS his plan?
Survive. Get stronger. Eventually find his sealed cultivation.
But long-term?
"I heard about an academy," he said slowly. "Frozen Moon Villa Academy. They protect students from external threats."
Yue Mei's eyes lit up. "Oh! You want to hide there!"
"More like... gain strength there. And yes, hide."
"Smart!" She tapped the table thoughtfully. "Entrance exam is in two weeks. You'll need Mortal Realm Stage 5 minimum to pass."
Li Wei grimaced. "I'm Stage 3."
"Then you better start cultivating seriously." Yue Mei pulled out a small jade slip from her pouch. "Here. Shadow Step technique. My specialty. I'll teach you."
Li Wei took the slip, surprised. "You're... helping me?"
"Of course! You're my husband. And if you get stronger, you'll be more fun to fight!" She grinned. "Win-win!"
║ SKILL UNLOCKED!
║ Shadow Step (Basic)
║ Effect: Short-range teleport
║ (3-5 meters)
║ Cost: Medium qi consumption
║ Yue Mei will train you personally!
══════════════════════╝
"Thank you," Li Wei said sincerely.
Yue Mei's cheeks flushed slightly. "It's nothing. Just... don't run away while I'm teaching you, okay?"
"I won't."
She smiled.
For a moment, Li Wei forgot she was a dangerous assassin who'd poisoned him three days ago.
For a moment, she was just... a person. Lonely. Misunderstood. Trying to connect.
Maybe this could work.
Maybe he really could win over his wives.
One at a time.
Starting with the yandere assassin drinking wine across from him.
Author's Note
Thanks for reading Chapter 6!
I wanted to quickly ask for your feedback: How is the pacing feeling to you guys?
Is the relationship development with Yue Mei moving too fast or too slow?
Also, let me know if there is anything specific you want to see more of (like more system notifications, more cultivation training, or more fluff/comedy).
Let me know in the comments!