Xuan Yi leisurely played with her own sleeve: “Of course I like you. Aren’t I also thinking about helping you resolve the grudge between you and my brother?”

Shao Yi pulled her into a small pavilion halfway up the mountain and sat beside her, sighing: “When talking with you, I really have to maintain eighty percent of my focus. If I’m not careful, I’ll fall into your traps. With your legs not working properly, what coursework are you doing now? There’s half a year anyway. Why not wait until your injury heals before doing it?”

Xuan Yi began picking at the closed-eye dragon embroidery on her own cuff: “My family’s divine official said my injury will take thirty years to heal.”

Shao Yi took out an orange from his sleeve and slowly peeled it, saying: “In my view, in another month it will probably be completely healed.”

Xuan Yi’s fingers paused for an instant, then continued slowly picking at the embroidery, saying in a low voice: “Why do you say that?”

He seemed to have mentioned her injury more than once, always using a tone of complete understanding. How very strange.

Shao Yi made an “mm” sound, tearing off the white membranes from the orange flesh and tossing a piece into his mouth. He was so soured that his brow furrowed: “Come here, pull me hard.”

Xuan Yi’s hand rested on his shoulder: “I’m really going to pull?”

Without waiting for his answer, she pushed hard, but he didn’t move an inch. He only laughed at her with a chuckle: “Cunning little thing, laying traps for me again.”

He suddenly grabbed her wrist and gently pulled. Xuan Yi involuntarily stood up as he hooked an arm around her waist, encircling her before him.

“See, because you’ve become lighter, I no longer need to fear crushing my dear phoenix.”

He tilted his head and looked up at her, smiling purely and kindly.

Xuan Yi didn’t struggle. She stared at the fire-red jewel on his forehead for a while. The luster of this jewel had become much more vivid than before, increasingly setting off his jade-like face and deeply dark features.

She touched it with her fingertip. Shao Yi’s arm tightened around her somewhat: “It’s fine that you’re always being handsy with Junior Brother Fucang, but now you’re being handsy with me too.”

Xuan Yi struggled slightly: “You’re pinching me so it hurts.”

Shao Yi narrowed his eyes: “This hurts? There’s more that hurts even worse.”

Xuan Yi sighed: “Senior Brother Shao Yi, everything else is fine, but this habit of keeping me in suspense is something I deeply detest.”

Shao Yi laughed lowly. Just as he was about to speak, he saw the Ninth Princess and Fucang walking down the steps side by side. The Ninth Princess’s face was still flushed pink as she timidly came closer to bow: “Celestial Deity Shao Yi, I’m accompanying Celestial Deity Fucang on a tour of this Qingqiu. I’m afraid I must neglect you.”

Shao Yi said gently: “This is nothing. Little Nine, just go. No need to be concerned about me.”

Xuan Yi craned her neck to look at Fucang, but he didn’t look at her. With his back turned, his figure maintained its usual uprightness, yet inexplicably gave off a sense of bleakness. She stared at him and the Ninth Princess as they walked down the long mountain path steps until she could no longer see them.

Her chin was pinched. That hand half-forcibly pulled her head back. Shao Yi’s bright black eyes rolled across her face: “Little loach, why aren’t you smiling anymore?”

Xuan Yi pushed his hand away, her brow slightly furrowed: “Must Senior Brother Shao Yi manage whether I smile or not?”

He released her with a smile, tossing all the remaining orange pieces into his mouth. His face wrinkled from the sourness, yet he said: “This little loach ruined my plans today. I need to think of a way to punish you.”

Xuan Yi covered her mouth with her sleeve, looking pitiful: “Does Senior Brother Shao Yi have the heart to?”

He stood up and dusted off his hands. Tilting his head in thought for a moment, he nodded: “Very much so. Little loach has always wanted to know what the grudge between me and Xiaolong Jun is. I’ll kindly tell you now—our grudge is all because of you.”

He turned and walked away. The next moment, his sleeve was grabbed by her.

“Explain more clearly.” Xuan Yi stared at him.

Shao Yi smiled as he lightly pinched her face: “If I explained clearly, what kind of punishment would that be? Go ask Xiaolong Jun yourself. If he won’t tell you, that’s not my concern.”

He continued walking forward. Xuan Yi pulled his sleeve and followed step by step. He reminded her quite seriously: “Slowly, slowly. Be careful not to fall. Be careful lest Junior Brother Fucang see you.”

Xuan Yi pouted: “You really won’t tell me?”

Shao Yi was very earnest and serious: “Even if you brought the ten most beautiful goddesses in the world to my bed, I still wouldn’t tell.”

She neatly and decisively released her hand. Shao Yi asked in return: “What, not asking anymore?”

Xuan Yi said flatly: “Since I can’t get an answer, why should I waste my energy?”

Shao Yi laughed eerily: “That’s good. Little loach, some things don’t need so many questions. This life is mine. Remember to keep it safe for me. Don’t get injured again.”

Xuan Yi was genuinely startled. However, when she focused her eyes to look again, he was already no longer before her. She remained in place for a long time, carefully pondering his words, only feeling puzzled and confused.

More and more celestial deities came and went from Qingqiu. Old guests left, and an endless stream of new guests arrived. Xuan Yi ran several circuits up and down the mountain but never found any trace of Shao Yi. Thinking that the Ninth Princess’s tail fur was hopeless, he had decided not to stay and left straightforwardly.

Carrying a belly full of questions, she returned to the pavilion at the mountain top. There, before the enormous stone tablet carried by the Bi Xi, stood the white-robed celestial deity she hadn’t seen for a long time, alone with his hands clasped behind his back, quietly looking up at the inscription.

Xuan Yi became happy again, pouncing over with a smile and hugging his arm in one motion, speaking sweetly and softly: “Senior Brother Fucang, did you get the fox tail fur?”

Fucang slowly but firmly extracted his arm from her embrace. Without turning back, with a turn of his wrist, three snow-white long fox tail hairs appeared in his palm.

Xuan Yi picked up these three tail hairs. Like Feilian Shenjun’s hair, they danced in the windless air, flexible and slender. She breathed a sigh of relief. This time the coursework was completely finished.

Putting the three tail hairs into her breast, she grabbed Fucang’s sleeve again and asked: “How did you get them? What did you two talk about?”

Fucang finally looked down at her. The sharp coldness in his gaze had already disappeared, leaving only a deep, profound darkness.

“Want to know?” His voice was bland and slow.

Actually, she didn’t particularly want to know. It was just a casual question. Xuan Yi craned her neck to look at the lustrous white flickering characters on the stone tablet, absentmindedly: “Yes, tell me.”

Her shoulders were suddenly grabbed. An irresistible great force pulled her entire body up. Her back slammed hard against the stone tablet, the pain making stars flash before her eyes. However, what hurt even more were her shoulders—the bones were almost being crushed.

Xuan Yi instinctively kicked her feet wildly. The divine power within her body shook accordingly. Dense Zhuyin white snow slowly drifted down from the void. Her knees were then heavily struck. Her wildly kicking legs went soft as she fell sitting onto the Bi Xi’s back. Immediately after, a hand clutched her throat, trapping her.

She gasped for breath in pain. Focusing her eyes carefully, through the rustling snowflakes, Fucang’s icy face showed no expression. One hand pinched her throat while the other was buried in her shoulder, causing her extreme pain. He bent down close, his tone sinister: “I’m asking you, what do you take me for?”

Xuan Yi panted for a while. Her gaze suddenly turned fierce: “Let me go!”

She kicked him countless times with force. His hand slowly tightened. She gradually had some difficulty breathing, but far from admitting defeat, she kicked him even harder. His white clothes were completely soiled by her footprints.

The hand suffocating her suddenly loosened again, sliding down to grip the other shoulder. His fingers almost hooked into her bones, causing her to cry out loudly in pain.

Fucang said grimly: “Is this how the Zhuyin Clan tramples and toys with others? Look carefully. I’m not Xiaolong Jun, nor am I Qi Nan, and even less am I Shao Yi. Don’t pour your emptiness onto me.”