What kind of Supreme God was Li Ye? Few in the Nine Heavens dared to get close to him. First, because he was too unpredictable and his cultivation was profound, making it easy for him to harm others. Another important reason was—

This man’s thoughts were too deep. When dealing with him, one never knew when they might be entrapped.

Xin Wu had never spoken particularly warmly to her, but the one time he encountered her near the Li Clan’s Immortal Gate, he spoke to her quite seriously: “Don’t get involved with Li Ye.”

At that time, Long Xu was just passing by and thought he was being jealous, secretly rejoicing for a while. Who would have thought that she would later discover that anyone in the Nine Heavens who had conflicts with or harbored ill intentions toward that person would soon disappear without a trace, not even a wisp of their soul remaining.

Presumably, even Xin Wu was somewhat wary of him, so Long Xu always maintained an inexplicable fear of Li Ye.

Until she saw him holding Er’er.

Er’er, this young girl, didn’t seem foolish. She had a certain cleverness about her, but for some unknown reason, she insisted on entangling herself with Li Ye. Long Xu wanted to advise her, but when she spoke, the little girl before her still looked bewildered and asked: “Sell me where?”

Hesitating to speak further, Long Xu sighed.

Er’er tilted her head and observed her: “You seem troubled.”

…

…

Responding with a vague sound, Long Xu stopped mentioning Li Ye and only asked: “Where else do you want to look?”

Looking back, Er’er pointed to a small pavilion ahead by the mountains and waters: “Over there.”

As she spoke, she couldn’t help glancing at Long Xu again: “Are you planning to stay here, or wait a while and leave with me?”

Without thinking, Long Xu said: “If I can leave, of course I would go with you.”

Er’er had guessed her answer, but hadn’t expected it to be so resolute. She was somewhat surprised: “But Zhong Su seems quite fond of you.”

Rolling her eyes, Long Xu tossed her long hair and snorted: “Where did you get that idea from?”

“Just earlier, he was watching you without turning his head,” Er’er gestured. “He’s the crown prince of the netherworld after all, yet he stared at you like a stone.”

“And that’s what you call fondness?” Long Xu scoffed. “Affection displayed for others to see is the cheapest kind.”

Er’er was startled, blinking in confusion.

Long Xu rested her elbow on Er’er’s shoulder and sighed: “A sheltered young girl like you still has much to learn. Men, these creatures, are mostly deceitful. Especially people like Zhong Su—his kindness to me isn’t about wanting me, but about maintaining his good reputation.”

What use was reputation? Er’er was even more confused. She opened her mouth to argue but was silenced by Long Xu’s fingers on her lips.

“Why the rush? Sister hasn’t finished speaking.” She gave Er’er a sidelong glance, her purple pupils gleaming with light.

“For men, reputation is extremely important. They’re willing to spend vast amounts of silver and time to portray themselves as passionate admirers because being praised and admired is in their nature.”

When she first arrived in the netherworld, Zhong Su had made a grand gesture of rescuing her, then went to great lengths to build palaces, and even spoke of proposing to her. In others’ eyes, Zhong Su was already a deeply affectionate prince of the netherworld.

However, when they sat together in private, they could hardly exchange more than five sentences.

In other words, only in public would Zhong Su show his flamboyant affection for her.

Long Xu might have longed to be cherished, but such false affection meant nothing to her. She would rather continue being banished to the mortal realm.

“Remember this: sweet words are not devotion, nor is buying happiness with gold and silver.”

Her head was patted, and the words sounded earnest. Er’er felt a certain intimacy and instinctively asked: “What about consummation?”

“…”

As if her acupoints had been sealed, Long Xu immediately froze in place, slowly turning her head to look at Er’er in disbelief.

“…No, I mean hypothetically,” Er’er hurriedly waved her hands, saying guiltily, “I have a friend who… is in such a situation.”

Her expression slightly improved. Long Xu asked, “Does your friend have an official status?”

“Status?” Er’er tilted her head.

“Immortals in the Nine Heavens, if they engage in such activities, usually seek a formal status,” Long Xu explained. “They call it immortal companionship. Immortal companions share the same breath and branch, able to save each other from calamity. If your friend truly consummated with someone, tell her to seek formal status. It’s not complicated—just visit the Old Man Under the Moon’s Island.”

So that’s how it is. Er’er felt even more guilty. How could she dare ask the boss for formal status? She had already been presumptuous enough; she couldn’t be so insatiable.

“If there’s no formal status,” Long Xu continued, “then tell your friend to stay far away from that person. The further, the better.”

“Why?”

“If they’re not truly sincere, heartbreak is inevitable sooner or later.”

After a moment of silence, Er’er’s gaze wavered.

What Long Xu described was the normal situation. Her situation with the boss probably didn’t apply. Besides, she wasn’t seeking his sincere feelings.

Right?

Her heart inexplicably sank. Er’er stared at a spot in the pavilion and suddenly exclaimed, quickly going over to pick something up.

“Found it!” she happily wiped the Hundred Paintings Bottle and held it up for Long Xu to see.

Long Xu yawned, rubbing her slightly cold arms, and suddenly asked: “What’s your friend’s name?”

Momentarily choked, Er’er vaguely replied: “You wouldn’t know her even if I told you.”

Long Xu didn’t press further, only sighing again.

Her sigh was long, tinged with hoarseness, like sand in the mortal realm blown by the wind ten thousand times, making one’s heart ache to hear it.

That evening, when Er’er returned to the Western Palace and sat beside Li Ye, that sound still echoed in her ears.

So when Li Ye turned to look at her three times, she didn’t notice.

Li Ye became displeased, his index finger tapping on the table: “What’s troubling you?”

Er’er came back to her senses, looked at him blankly for a moment, then leaned in to examine his eyes closely.

Clean and clear, without a trace of black energy.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she smiled: “I’m thinking about how to snatch someone from Zhong Su.”

“Long Xu?” Li Ye was unconcerned. “Since when have you become so close to her?”

“We’re not particularly close, but she’s a good person and has helped me before,” Er’er blinked. “Besides, her heart belongs to someone else. Forcing her to stay here would do no good.”

Someone else? Li Ye scoffed: “Xin Wu? She’d be better off staying here.”

“Why?” Er’er propped herself up and leaned closer to him. “Are there rules about fidelity in the Nine Heavens, too?”

“No, but she and Xin Wu aren’t suitable for each other, neither in status nor temperament.”

Xin Wu was half-demon, half-immortal, and his conduct was inherently problematic. When Long Xu fell from the Nine Heavens, he never went to her rescue, so there could never be any other possibility.

Li Ye spoke from his knowledge of Xin Wu, but Er’er heard it differently.

She knew that status in the Nine Heavens was strict, but she hadn’t expected it to be this severe. Long Xu was the princess of the Western Sea, and if even she wasn’t worthy of Xin Wu, then Er’er, a minor immortal, would count for even less in his eyes.