Don’t do this, or else that cup of fragrant poisoned wine condensed from wicked thoughts would come out again. It had once torn her heart and liver to pieces, but it was still filled with fatal temptation.

Whether he had let go after severing his karmic ties or couldn’t forget—the youth she loved already lay in that snow-drifting grave. Let everything quietly pass.

Don’t let her willfulness raise its head. Don’t come near her again. She had only with great difficulty reconciled with loneliness.

The wooden sword was thrown for the third time. This time it finally grazed the edge of the osmanthus tree, scraping down several leaves. Xuan Yi let out an “ah” and clapped her hands laughing: “Finally hit the tree! Success!”

Having said this, she turned to go back inside the hall. The wooden sword that had just flown out instantly blocked her path. Fucang’s voice sounded from behind: “Not finished practicing yet.”

Xuan Yi looked at him with tears glistening in her eyes: “But my feet hurt.”

Fucang looked at the delicate wooden-soled shoes on her feet: “Your feet hurt because the shoes are wrong. Take them off and it will be fine.”

Take off her shoes? Before she could react, she felt him press on her shoulder. She involuntarily sat down, landing on a chair that had appeared at some unknown time. Without giving her a say, he removed her shoes and held them in his hand. Then he pulled her up again. The chair went “poof” and disappeared, transforming into a wooden sword that fell into her hand.

Xuan Yi was simply stunned by this series of actions. Fucang held her two shoes, looked down at them, then looked up at her, asking seriously: “Does it still hurt? If not, continue.”

She felt her hand reaching for that cup of poisoned wine again. Just as her fingertips were about to touch it, she hurriedly drew back.

Xuan Yi gritted her teeth and continued without a word. Barefoot on the soft grass, she assumed the most standard and beautiful attacking stance. She threw out one sword strike, landing right on the stole, making it tremble but not fall down.

She had treated this stole quite well ordinarily—why did it have to oppose her like this?

“Continue.” Fucang was like a lingering ghost.

Continue. She continued. Continue again. Gritting her teeth and enduring, silently continuing.

That cup of fragrant and alluring poisoned wine was right at hand. She so wanted to take it. Was he doing this on purpose? Couldn’t he just let her be quietly?

Finally knocking that fox fur stole down from the osmanthus tree, the sky had nearly darkened. Xuan Yi was so exhausted her whole body went soft. She stepped back two paces, her legs bumping into a chair that had suddenly appeared, and she sat down hard.

She was exhausted. She never wanted to see this stole again. She would throw it away later.

The white-robed divine lord gently crouched before her, his right hand reaching toward her bare foot beneath her skirt hem. Xuan Yi suddenly remembered the pear tree in the lower realm that never bloomed, that small and dim silver moon, that frail mortal youth.

She drew her foot back: “I’ll do it myself.”

She took the shoes from his hand and slowly put them on. Then, exhausted, she stretched with a lazy yawn, pressing down the yawn with her sleeve, and limped back into the hall: “Thank you for your efforts, Lord Shenjun Fucang.”

Footsteps sounded behind her. She was lifted by the waist. The world spun, and her body gently landed on a wooden chair inside the hall.

Fucang looked down at her for a moment, then said in a low voice: “I will come again. Rest early, Dragon Princess.”

…He called her Dragon Princess.

Xuan Yi looked away and smiled slightly. He didn’t say anything more and left cleanly and decisively. She sat quietly in the chair for a long time, so long that the female attendant came to light the lamps and carefully asked what she wanted to eat.

She wanted to eat the poisoned wine at hand, but she wouldn’t let herself eat it again, and wouldn’t indulge that willfulness anymore either.

Xuan Yi stood up and limped into the bedchamber, saying flatly: “I don’t want to eat anything. No need to prepare.”

Although she really wanted to return to Zhongshan immediately, she truly had no energy left to move. Making her this exhausted—he probably did it on purpose too. How did this fellow become so wicked now? What happened to that brute who would resort to violence at the drop of a hat? What happened to that frail and innocent mortal?

Xuan Yi threw herself headlong onto the bed. She no longer found the bedding unpleasant and fell asleep almost instantly.

*

Since becoming a warrior, this was Zhi Xi’s first time seeing what the current Sea of Parting Regret looked like. Last time when she descended to the lower realm with Shao Yi to secretly observe from afar, that enormous surging black fog had made her heart race with terror. But the Sea of Parting Regret at this moment was abnormally calm, shrunk by who knows how many millions of times. The black fog had also transformed into something like viscous ink, quietly coiled in the depths of the Extreme Northern Abyss.

Although she knew that no matter what kind of great formation or technique to suppress demonic and evil energy would have absolutely no effect on the Sea of Parting Regret, what needed to be set up still had to be set up to prevent those ambitious ancient demon clan great lords from suddenly barging in.

Zhi Xi barely steadied her mind, deliberately riding her xiezhi around the formation’s clear light in a wide circle. The warriors of the Wuchen Division were arranged in an orderly fashion, positioned at all the critical points of the formation, but after looking for a long time, she couldn’t see where Shao Yi was.

Perhaps she had circled too many times and finally attracted the warriors’ attention. One warrior called out loudly: “What are you looking for? If you’re not a warrior coming to take up a post in the Wuchen Division, leave quickly.”

Zhi Xi hastily took out her appointment letter: “I am warrior Zhi Xi transferred from the Xinyou Division. May I ask where Great Emperor Gouchen is now?”

That warrior pointed toward the warrior palace temporarily constructed in the lower realm in the distance: “His Majesty is dining. Go there yourself.”

She had originally wanted to ask where Shao Yi was, but she really felt too embarrassed to ask. She changed direction and sped toward the palace. Great Emperor Gouchen commanded the Wuchen Division. She had heard this Great Emperor’s temper wasn’t very good, so Zhi Xi inevitably felt a bit apprehensive. Who knew that when she met the deity himself, he was unexpectedly amiable, stamping her appointment letter and smiling as he said: “Goddess Zhi Xi was already diligent and conscientious in the Xinyou Division with outstanding battle achievements. I hope she can be equally outstanding in the Wuchen Division.”

Zhi Xi exchanged some polite words, lowered her head to take her leave, and for a moment couldn’t help looking around at this temporarily constructed warrior palace.

No matter how terrible the situation in the lower realm was, the various gods who had long been accustomed to pleasure still wouldn’t give up opportunities for all kinds of enjoyment. A warrior palace was built almost as large as Mingxing Hall, even with a garden. Wrapped in pure energy, the flowers and plants of the mortal realm were all nurtured into something extraordinary.

Zhi Xi had just walked halfway along the vine-covered corridor when she suddenly heard waves of low laughter coming from beneath the vine shadows ahead. This laughter was so sweet and alluring, like a bowl of sweet and warm fermented rice balls in late winter. She felt her heart instantly leap to her throat. She couldn’t help but quicken her pace forward and immediately saw an azure-green long robe’s hem spread on the ground.

Jet-black long hair meandered down his back. He suddenly half-turned his head. The fiery red jewel on his forehead swayed gently. His features were handsome and intense, like beautiful wine burning the throat.

Shao Yi.

Zhi Xi almost wanted to call out to him.

Beneath the vine shadows, he was murmuring intimately with a goddess beside him. Not knowing what amusing thing was said, he laughed softly again. Then he suddenly lifted her chin and lowered his head to kiss her lips. A frivolous kiss full of lustful meaning—it was hardly a kiss but rather licking, kissing all the way from her chin down to her neck, undoing her collar and going even lower.

The heart Zhi Xi had just lifted up heavily crashed to the ground.

She had fantasized countless times about the scene of their reunion—perhaps he would be surprised, delighted, helpless, or even treat her with indifference. But she had never imagined it would be like this. Romantic affairs—she finally knew how restrained he had been at Mingxing Hall versus how dissolute he was elsewhere.

Who was it that said they would guard the Sea of Parting Regret in the future and restore it to its original state? She had thought… thought he should be seriously and earnestly fulfilling his duties. Who knew he…

She suddenly stepped back, wanting to leave quietly. Shao Yi suddenly looked up, seeming to have discovered her. He narrowed his eyes and looked for a while, his face revealing a somewhat strange smile. He hugged that goddess tightly, resting his chin on her shoulder, and across the withered yellow dense vines, called to her with a smile: “Senior Sister, what are you doing here?”