Xie Zhuo didn’t answer my question. It seemed that our earlier conversation had already exhausted his last bit of strength.

In the moonlight filtering into the cave, I saw the outline of his profile as he tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and leaned against the stone wall, silent and still.

He seemed certain that I couldn’t break through the barrier…

I refused to give up. I kept my hand against the barrier, trying to find a weakness in its structure.

Suddenly, a burst of chaotic sounds came from the yin-yang fish pendant that now had ears attached. I listened carefully. Soon after, Xiaxia’s deliberately hushed voice transmitted into my mind!

“Am I there? Have I arrived? Can I still be saved?”

“Xiaxia!?” I called out in delighted surprise, then quickly lowered my voice, glancing at Xie Zhuo inside the cave.

He remained in the same lifeless position as before, showing no reaction, perhaps confident in Lao Qin’s barrier.

I crouched by the barrier at the cave entrance, wanting to first check on Xiaxia’s situation, but before I could ask, she let out a long breath on the other end: “Thank heavens… I finally got in touch with you. Why haven’t you sent any news these past days? I thought you’d been taken to 500 years in the future and slaughtered…”

“He doesn’t have that ability. I was just caught off guard and disarmed. How are things on your end? What about Xie Xuanqing?”

Xiaxia seemed to touch her earpiece again, and this time, images were transmitted into my mind. Through Xiaxia’s eyes, I could see the ice cave barrier in front of her, which she had darkened.

It was somewhat amusing—in the same timeline, different versions of myself were in similar predicaments—

Both of us crouching at the edge of a cave barrier, secretly communicating with each other… and inside each cave lay the same man…

Xiaxia turned her head to look at Xie Xuanqing on her side.

Xie Xuanqing’s posture was virtually identical to Xie Zhuo’s on my side.

“He’s passed out,” Xiaxia said. “Don’t worry, I’ve confirmed that he can’t hear me talking when he’s unconscious… He must be seriously injured.” As she spoke, her gaze never left Xie Xuanqing: “Let me tell you, things were quite dangerous when I couldn’t contact you.”

“How so?” I asked nervously. “Did Xie Xuanqing wake up? Did he mistake you for an intruder?”

“He did wake up. He had already awakened before I arrived.”

“What!? Then he…”

“After his severe injury, the first person he saw wasn’t me at all—it was that female fox demon! He believes that the fox demon saved him! Your Xie Zhuo’s scheme worked!”

With each sentence Xiaxia spoke, my anxiety increased, until her final words made my heart leap into my throat, choking my breath.

I thought to myself: It’s over…

Xie Zhuo succeeded, I’m finished. Xie Xuanqing’s first sight was the fox demon, the person he cares about has changed, Xiaxia won’t get blood to drink, the blood oath can’t be established…

“But!” Xiaxia suddenly changed course.

I drew in a sharp breath.

“He doesn’t seem to be very resistant to me…”

“Huh?” This surprised me. “What do you mean, he’s not very resistant to you?”

Doesn’t Xie Xuanqing care about that female fox demon?

“Well, on the second day after we lost contact, Xie Xuanqing woke up. When he saw me, he was indeed wary. I didn’t know how to explain myself, so I could only tell him that I came to save him. Then he said the one who saved him earlier wasn’t me, but a fox demon.”

Indeed, the person he cares about has changed.

“Then what?” I asked anxiously. “Is he very concerned about that female fox demon?”

“Not really.”

Not really? Why not?

According to the usual pattern, Xie Xuanqing, severely wounded and rescued by someone, would surely make that person his salvation and light. Why didn’t that happen?

Could it be that my fated connection with Xie Xuanqing didn’t begin with that eternal first glance?

“He just briefly asked where the fox demon was and who I was. I couldn’t tell the truth, so I made up a story on the spot. I said the fox demon had tried to harm him while he was unconscious, but I happened to come by and drove her away. Then I set up the barrier outside the ice cave to protect both of us.”

I frowned as I listened. “That’s a risky explanation. How did he react?”

“He didn’t react much, but he remained wary of me. It wasn’t until I used my soul power to treat the wound on his waist that his attitude softened a bit.”

“You just went ahead and treated his wound?” I asked. “He allowed it?”

“He couldn’t move anyway.”

That’s true…

“I genuinely healed some of his injuries, and then he asked me why I saved him.”

In my memory, Xie Xuanqing had asked me this question too. However, the scene in my memory differed from what Xiaxia experienced.

I had only seen Xie Xuanqing wake up after he’d been unconscious for half a month. At that time, although he had only seen me once in the bamboo forest, from my perspective, I had been caring for him for many days and had become familiar with him.

So when Xie Xuanqing asked me why I saved him, I answered confidently:

“Would you rather I leave you to freeze to death in the snow?” But at the same time, I gave him a very convincing reason: “You saved me in the snow bamboo forest before, so by not reporting you, I’m repaying that debt. I’ll take care of you until you recover, then you should quietly leave Kunlun. I won’t tell anyone.”

He saved me, I repaid him—logical and reasonable.

But now, this Xie Xuanqing never saved Xiaxia, and the first person he saw upon regaining consciousness wasn’t even her.

“What did you tell him?” I asked cautiously.

“I made up another reason. I said I thought he was handsome, I desired him, and couldn’t bear to see him harmed by the fox demon.”

“Uh…” After a brief silence, I felt a headache coming on.

Although… back then… when I saved Xie Xuanqing… I couldn’t say I didn’t feel… but at least I was a proper person…

“What else could I say?” Xiaxia argued. “What other convincing reason could there be? And don’t stay silent—I know you well enough. I’m certain you had similar thoughts when you saved him back then.”

I sighed, admitting it.

After all, Xie Zhuo… is quite desirable.

Being able to endure him for 500 years, I’ve truly done my utmost.

Getting back to the topic, I continued asking her: “Did he believe you when you said that?”

“Whether he believed me or not, I don’t know, but he was stunned for quite a while and didn’t speak. He probably believed me. Besides… isn’t my task to establish a marriage bond with him? What better beginning could there be for forming such a bond?”

That’s… true…

“Since that day, he would be conscious for a while each day, then fall back into unconsciousness—the kind where you can’t wake him no matter what. When he’s awake, I talk with him, and I’ve discovered…”

Xiaxia’s gaze seemed to stick to Xie Xuanqing, “He’s quite nice.”

Hearing this, I immediately fell silent, pressing my lips together without a word.

In my mind, Xiaxia’s gaze swept over Xie Xuanqing’s face, then carefully examined his wounds.

“He seems a bit gentle… Last night, while he was unconscious, I noticed his breathing became rapid and his wounds appeared to have reopened. I used my soul power to treat his wounds again, and he happened to wake up. When he saw me healing him, he stopped me. He had already noticed that I was using my heart-vein blood power on the barrier. He told me not to exhaust myself.”

I remained silent as I watched the scene through Xiaxia’s eyes and listened to her words.

“Have you noticed… up close, his eyes are like those of a small animal, so clear.”

“And despite such severe injuries, he has never once cried out in pain. He seems accustomed to it. What has he experienced in the past? Do you know?”

“Also, I remember seeing many wounds left by evil spirits on his body 500 years in the future, but you have no idea if he’s been fighting alone, with solitary courage in places unknown to others…”

“Xiaxia,” I interrupted her, “have you fallen for Xie Xuanqing?”

“Huh?” She seemed startled. “Me? In just these few days? How could that be possible!”

I didn’t respond…

She quickly added, “I’m just playing along, that’s all.” Seeming to realize she had spoken too hastily, she paused.

This time, her gaze finally moved away from Xie Xuanqing. She looked to the side, her eyes slightly downcast. “I know the ending. I won’t repeat the same mistakes.”

“You…” I thought for a moment, then said, “Just focus on completing your task. Don’t worry about me. I’m looking for a way to leave this place. Contact me if anything happens.”

“Alright…”

Xiaxia agreed, and then the connection through the yin-yang fish ended.

I looked at my wrist.

The red string that had been tied there for 500 years was now broken.

I know the ending—Xiaxia will inevitably repeat the same mistakes.

Falling for Xie Xuanqing, for me, was unavoidable.

But it doesn’t matter. I can bear loving him, and I can bear not loving him. I’m not like Xie Zhuo, who can only see beauty but not brokenness.

I stood up, preparing to continue studying the barrier before me.

Just then, a streak of black mist, like a ribbon, flashed past outside the barrier.

This time, I truly saw the trace of black mist, and my brows furrowed slightly. I knew what it was—the aura of evil spirits.

Evil spirit aura within the Kunlun barrier!?

Had some terrible evil spirit entered Kunlun? Where were the Kunlun immortals? Why was there no reaction?

As I stood there shocked, suddenly, with a “boom,” a pale hand brushed past my ear and slammed against the transparent barrier behind me.

I turned around in astonishment.

Xie Zhuo stood before me, breathing heavily. His head was lowered, his hair concealing his face. I couldn’t see his expression, but I could see the black mist emerging from the wounds on his body.

The evil spirit aura… was raging within him.

Was it related to the mist outside?

“Xie Zhuo,” I called his name, trying to keep my voice as coldly calm as possible. “You’ve carried these wounds for three to four hundred years. Don’t tell me you’ll be controlled by this evil spirit aura today.”

I was too close to him. I could feel his heavy breathing and heard the grinding of his teeth after I finished speaking. The hand he had pressed against the barrier near my ear clenched into a tight fist.

“Stay away from me,” he said.

These words sounded strange to me.

In the past, when he was around, he always said: “Stand behind me,” “I’ll stay with you,” “Don’t leave my side.”

This was the first time he had made such a request.

Perhaps in the past, when he should have asked this of me, he had already distanced himself from me.

Now, 500 years in the past, many of my questions about his tendency to disappear were finally answered.

I tried to calmly move away from Xie Zhuo. Having served in the Kunlun Guard for hundreds of years, I knew that someone possessed by an evil spirit aura was most vulnerable to emotional fluctuations. The calmer I remained, the better it would be for him to control himself.

Just as I was about to move away from Xie Zhuo’s oppressive presence, with a “slap,” his other hand also pressed against the barrier beside me.

In front of the transparent barrier, his two hands trapped me, restricting my movement.

“Xie Zhuo,” I said, “let me go.”

These words made him slightly raise his head.

Seeing his eyes, despite being mentally prepared, I couldn’t help but lean back a little.

A pair of completely black eyes—the sign of being controlled by evil spirits.

Ordinary people at this stage would be completely dominated by the evil spirit, beyond salvation. According to Kunlun rules, encountering such a controlled person meant killing without mercy.

My hand clenched into a fist at my side.

One of Xie Zhuo’s hands slowly moved toward my neck.

I felt my throat go dry and couldn’t help but swallow.

The moonlight from outside passed through the transparent barrier, casting our shadows together on the cave floor. Standing together, we looked like a single person.

In that brief moment, countless thoughts flashed through my mind. Had Xie Zhuo truly been completely controlled by the evil spirit? Was he beyond saving? Should I kill him?

Should I… kill him?

His hand, wrapped in black mist, pressed against my neck. I didn’t evade. In this moment, when he could easily crush my neck, I offered no resistance. I simply tilted my head back, silently watching him.

I watched the black mist swirling around his body and his completely black eyes, seemingly devoid of humanity.

But his hand didn’t crush my neck. Those dangerous fingertips gently passed through my hair and pressed against the back of my neck. He pulled me forward.

Amid the spreading evil spirit aura and murderous intent.

He pulled me into his embrace.

His embrace was cold, but his heartbeat was so clear.

When studying at Kunlun, the master taught us that whether immortal or demon, once controlled by an evil spirit aura, a person would lose themselves and act only according to their most primal desires.

Since the day of our separation, Xie Zhuo had repeatedly said he wanted to kill me…

Yet tonight, he embraced me.

In our 500 years of marriage, embraces between us could be counted on one hand.

“Stay away from me,” I heard him say beside my ear. “Don’t come near me.”

I wasn’t sure if he was telling me or himself.

His other hand encircled my waist, pressing my body against his.

Cold yet burning hot.

I closed my eyes and did nothing.