Five years old? Xuan Yi’s eyes widened in shock. He had descended to the mortal realm four months ago and had only grown to five years old… he was growing so slowly!

She lowered her head to carefully examine the child who was so frightened he kept shrinking back into the corner. He wore a tender pink little robe with a whole string of jade ornaments and golden locks hanging around his neck. His hair was tied in a child’s topknot, his face round and plump, his eyes bright and limpid—he looked like a little girl. So this was what Fucang looked like as a child.

Xuan Yi bent down, unable to resist reaching out to poke his round, plump face. Who knew this child would shrink back forcefully, the look of terror on his face growing even heavier, his skin turning pale with fright.

The patrol spirit officials really couldn’t bear to watch any longer. “Princess, please don’t casually reveal your divine form before mortals, especially when Lord Fucang is still so young.”

She was taken aback. “I haven’t revealed my divine form, have I?”

The spirit officials didn’t believe her at all and merely said, “The mortal realm is very chaotic right now. If the Princess has no business here, please return. Don’t linger too long.”

Xuan Yi was too lazy to keep chattering with them. “I’ve come to resolve the karmic tie. You all step back.”

She reached out to grab him, but little Fucang’s movements were quite agile. He rolled from one end of the bed to the other, clutching the quilt and just hiding. Xuan Yi’s frustration grew as she tried to catch him. What was he hiding from anyway? Could these mortal eyes actually see a true deity? Impatiently, she released her divine power in a surge and manifested her divine form before him. “It’s me! Come here quickly!”

He hid his entire body behind the quilt, only timidly revealing a pair of bright, innocent eyes.

Their eyes met. Xuan Yi felt as if something fluffy was blocking her throat, and the clamorous wind sounds in her ears gradually diminished—once again, she was being gazed at by these innocent eyes.

She grabbed the quilt he was clutching tightly and, ignoring his violent resistance, pulled this tiny body before her.

“Since the Princess cannot give Lord Fucang anything, why not help him resolve this karmic entanglement? It would also prevent the Zhuyin Clan and the Huaxu Clan from becoming completely estranged. For the Princess, it would also be a good deed.”

Qi Nan’s words from before her departure floated into her ears.

Yes, she could give him nothing, yet she coveted his companionship. This was the sin she had created. Qi Nan was right—she truly was extremely lonely. She simply didn’t want to admit this fact, because then nothing could hurt her.

Why did he have to like her? What was good about her? Even she herself couldn’t say what was good about her. So many divine beings disliked her, yet he alone had to like her, which is why he ended up so heartbroken.

Wouldn’t it have been better if he had just continued to dislike her? As opponents, as adversaries, as enemies—that way they could have stayed together for a very, very long time.

But those very, very long times would never come to be.

Come then. She would take back her own overwhelming loneliness and sever this karmic tie.

Xuan Yi opened her arms and embraced the ceaselessly struggling little Fucang. Learning from Shao Yi’s example back then, she raised her hand and patted his little head twice, then spoke with utmost seriousness: “…I’m sorry.”

There was no response.

She continued, “I’m sorry.”

Still no response. She frowned and looked down. This child showed no luminous point emerging from between his brows, nor did he reveal any expression of relief. Instead, his face was wrinkled up, full of fear and panic. Then his eyes filled with tears and he burst into loud wails.

…What kind of reaction was this? Was she really that frightening?

Little Fucang’s crying alarmed the palace maids outside, who hurried in and picked him up from the bed, gently soothing him. “Did the Seventh Prince have a nightmare? Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. We’re all here.”

He cried heart-wrenchingly, his little hands pointing wildly—sometimes at Xuan Yi by the bedside, sometimes toward the patrol spirit officials by the window, mumbling, “Shadows… ghosts! There are ghosts!”

These words not only made the palace maids turn pale, even the patrol spirit officials were utterly astonished. One of them murmured, “I was wondering why Lord Fucang kept poking his head out to look into the courtyard, always meeting our eyes. So he really can see us!”

The palace maids finally managed to quiet the young prince down. Two other maids went out to bring hot water for him to wash his hands and face. As they walked, they whispered, “The Seventh Prince keeps talking about shadows and ghosts all day long. Could he have developed yin-yang eyes? It sounds quite frightening. Are there ghosts in our palace?”

There were no ghosts, only a group of worried celestial deities.

Seeing the sky brighten completely, the Seventh Prince changed clothes and ate his meal, then was taken to the study to practice writing characters and reading. The patrol spirit officials stood guard outside the hall, exchanging glances with one another. The chief spirit official frowned. “Perhaps it’s because he’s so young. I’ve heard that some mortal children have pure eyes and can see gods and spirits that ordinary people cannot. Judging from Lord Fucang’s words, it seems he sees us all as shadows, which makes it even more likely. From today onward, everyone must guard from concealment and not appear before him casually. As for the Princess… uh…”

He didn’t know what to do about this Princess of the Zhuyin Clan either. She had indeed come for legitimate business and had Qing Di’s letter. Besides, they had no authority over the Zhuyin Clan anyway.

The chief spirit official coughed dryly and spoke carefully, “Princess, Lord Fucang is only five years old right now. Mortal children are different from divine beings—they have no memory and no understanding. This matter of resolving karmic ties probably cannot be done at present…”

As he spoke, he glanced at her, only to discover that this Princess seemed not to have listened at all. She was leaning against the window frame, her eyes quietly fixed on the Seventh Prince who was holding a brush and practicing writing.

Probably because there was a “ghost” staring at him from outside the window, the Seventh Prince’s eyes were red, his mouth pouted, looking as if he was about to cry again at any moment.

So ugly, always crying—what a coward.

Xuan Yi smiled faintly and gently blew a breath of air into the study. The icy wind fluttered the practice sheets with a rustling sound and also tousled the Seventh Prince’s soft hair. He was so frightened he kept shrinking back, bravely holding back so he wouldn’t cry out loud.

“Princess…” The chief spirit official was helpless against her overly mischievous behavior.

Time passed quickly in the mortal realm. In a flash, the Seventh Prince’s character practice and reading time was over. He timidly got into the palanquin to return to his bedchamber. Xuan Yi couldn’t help but follow, trailing far behind. She watched as his little head cautiously poked out from the palanquin again and again. Each time he caught sight of her, his face would turn pale and he would shrink back inside. After repeating this several times, he finally didn’t dare peek out anymore.

By the time they reached the bedchamber, he timidly got out of the carriage. Looking back and seeing she was still there, he was so frightened he threw himself into his wet nurse’s arms, sobbing softly.

Xuan Yi slowly floated before him, crouched down and tilted her head to study him. They truly were identical—he just cried too much.

Seeing how terribly frightened he was, she rose and floated into the bedchamber, raising her eyes to look around. When she saw several half-worn cushions on the floor and a pear wood table piled with miscellaneous items beside them, the wind sounds that had been howling faintly in her ears suddenly stopped.

The furnishings were identical too. It was him—this crybaby little ghost really was him.

Xuan Yi walked over and bent down to sit on a cushion.

Complete silence. Finally, she could no longer hear those wind sounds.

She slowly lay down and used her hand to grasp a string of jade beads from the pear wood table, slowly rubbing them between her fingertips. Both she and her unruly loneliness had quieted down—a quietness she hadn’t experienced in a long time.

The patrol spirit officials quietly entered to check on the situation, only to discover that this Princess of the Zhuyin Clan had actually fallen asleep on the cushion. She slept so deeply that neither the palace maids’ footsteps as they hurried back and forth nor their chatter could wake her. Even when the Seventh Prince entered the bedchamber and burst into loud wails at the sight of the dark shadow lying on the floor, he couldn’t wake her either.

When Xuan Yi awoke, she came face to face with the Seventh Prince’s bright black eyes as he leaned in close to secretly peek at her. She suddenly flipped over and sat up, frightening him so badly he crawled and rolled onto the bed crying and shouting, burrowing into the quilt and refusing to come out no matter what.

She couldn’t help but laugh with a soft “tch,” drawling lazily, “Coward.”

Refreshed and clearheaded—she hadn’t slept so sweetly in a very long time. Yawning, Xuan Yi floated out through the moon-shaped window while taking out Qing Di’s letter to reread it word by word. Sure enough, he had instructed her to come resolve Fucang’s karmic ties after fourteen months, not now. She had descended to the mortal realm rashly without reading clearly.

She turned to leave, but the chief spirit official hiding in the shadows hurriedly called out to her, “Since the Princess came to resolve the karmic tie, why not stay? When Lord Fucang grows up and gains understanding, naturally there will be a suitable opportunity to sever the former connection.”

Xuan Yi pondered for a moment, but then shook her head. “I’m going back.”

Since it was a karmic entanglement, the faster and more decisively it was severed, the better. The next time she came would be to cut this karmic tie and return his clarity of mind.

She wouldn’t stay, nor would she seek anyone to stay for. She was ruthless toward all things in this world—now it was time for her to be ruthless toward herself.