Zhong Qin, sitting nearby, couldn’t help herself and let out a delicate laugh, so hard that the golden hairpin on her head trembled.

When Er’er heard her voice, her hand stiffened slightly before rising from Li Ye’s embrace and moving back to the bed beside him. Li Ye’s fingertips twitched, as if wanting to keep her close, but her movement was too decisive. In an instant, she had rolled away. His fingers froze in midair before he reluctantly withdrew them, slightly annoyed.

His embrace was now empty and light, with the wind rushing in, chilling him to the bone.

Er’er sat upright on the bed, reaching up to smooth her slightly disheveled hair bun, then asked softly, “Is it over?”

Li Ye kept his face stern, his lips pressed tightly: “Yes.”

Is Zhen Huan Gong still alive?

Er’er wanted to ask this question, but, glancing at his expression from the corner of her eye, she didn’t dare voice it.

Li Ye laughed, but his eyes were ice-cold: “Worried about him?”

“Not really.” Pulling the blanket tighter around herself, Er’er sniffled, her nose slightly red. “I’m concerned you might have trouble later.”

…

…

His heart softened. Li Ye gave a muffled grunt and stubbornly turned his head away: “No need for your concern.”

“…Indeed.” Shrugging awkwardly, Er’er wrapped the bedding around herself and said nothing more.

A suffocating silence filled the air.

Fingers curling, Li Ye felt somewhat irritated. What he wanted to say wasn’t this, but in the current situation, how could he lower his head? It was his fault for speaking hastily. He should have just let her previous comment pass. Why did he have to rebuke her?

The little thing was already seriously injured, and her complexion didn’t look good. He hadn’t even given her many drops of blood yet, and if they continued like this, who knew how much pain she would be in.

After hesitating for a long while, Li Ye cleared his throat, about to speak, when she broke the silence first.

“If there’s nothing else here, could I return to Taihe Immortal Sect for a while?” Her eyes blinked as she asked softly.

Li Ye was confused: “What for?”

That was her immortal sect; couldn’t she return without needing a reason? She didn’t know how Taihe Xianshi’s injuries were, and she hadn’t seen her senior brothers and sisters for a long time…

Most importantly, she was homesick.

Her throat tightened and her eyes grew warm. Er’er didn’t dare look up, only burying her face in the blanket under the pretense of yawning, saying in a muffled voice: “I miss the soup my senior sister makes.”

What kind of reason was this? With major events unfolding, she was still thinking about a bowl of soup?

Li Ye opened his mouth, ready to refuse.

Beside them, Zhong Qin, who had been watching and couldn’t bear it anymore, clicked her tongue and waved her hand, casting a barrier that enclosed herself and Li Ye.

“Would the Supreme God like to make another bet with this servant?” she asked, both amused and exasperated. “Let’s bet that if you refuse her request outright and tell her she’s being thoughtless, will she think you’re prioritizing important matters, or will she simply turn and leave?”

“…”

With the previous lesson in mind, Li Ye narrowed his eyes and finally looked at her seriously: “Do you have a better suggestion?”

“Certainly.” Zhong Qin smiled, glancing at the wound on her shoulder. “If you relieve this servant of this physical pain, I’ll tell you why she wants to return to her immortal sect.”

Greedy.

Li Ye disliked being coerced, but he truly couldn’t understand what the little one was thinking. After pondering for a moment, he raised his hand and brushed it over Zhong Qin’s shoulder.

The pain immediately disappeared. Zhong Qin instantly felt relieved, rubbing her shoulder and saying coquettishly: “If this servant were with her beloved and wanted to go home, it would surely be because she felt wronged. If he forbids it, I would resent him for being cold and heartless, showing me no favor. But if he permits it, I would also blame him for being indifferent, not wishing to be with me.”

Li Ye: “…”

Are all women’s thoughts this complicated?

Whether he agreed or refused, neither was the right answer. So what should he do?

“Supreme God, don’t worry.” Zhong Qin smiled lightly. “You have shown this servant kindness, so I shall point out a clear path for you.”

With wariness in his eyes, Li Ye silently watched her.

…

The room seemed to have grown much quieter, as if there was no one around her. Li Ye hadn’t responded to her words for quite some time.

Er’er secretly wiped away her tears and carefully raised her head to look.

A purple light fell before her, and Li Ye and Zhong Qin reappeared in front of her.

Oh, they had set up a barrier, keeping her outside.

Pouting, Er’er buried her head back in the blanket.

Sure, she wasn’t as beautiful as Zhong Qin, nor did she have her alluring figure, but there was no need to be so guarded against her. She was so well-behaved, not jealous or envious, not making a big fuss or crying loudly. Even in the mortal world’s harem, she would have been considered the most obedient young lady.

Her chest ached a little. Er’er curled up her legs, huddling like a small ball, silently repeating to herself: I’m not angry, I’m not upset, I’m not sad.

After chanting for a while, hey, it worked.

“Do you want to return to Taihe Immortal Sect?” Li Ye asked her.

Pretending as if nothing had happened, Er’er responded lightly: “Yes.”

“Fine,” Li Ye said. “In three days, I’ll take you there.”

Her nose stung, and Er’er replied in a muffled voice: “You don’t need to take me, I can go by myself.”

“Wait three days.”

“…Oh.”

Tears welled up in her eyes again. Er’er bit her lip, head lowered, struggling to swallow twice.

If she had to wait three days, then she would wait.

“Then this servant will go check on how Father King is doing,” Zhong Qin’s voice came from beside them, light and gentle.

Li Ye gave a sound of acknowledgment. She bowed, lifted her skirt, and left.

Her footsteps were light, showing no sign of injury.

Er’er listened, her thoughts shifting, and raised her head to look at Li Ye.

He sat down beside her, appearing calm and indifferent.

Eyes narrowing, Er’er moved swiftly, slapping his shoulder.

Unsurprisingly, Li Ye let out a muffled groan, frowning as he covered his shoulder: “What are you doing?”

Laughing angrily, Er’er shook her head.

She could never achieve the composure and calmness of her mother. A little cat’s claws would always scratch, and with one scratch, she knew he had healed Zhong Qin’s wound.

The Star-Shifting technique—all the pain was now on him.

Zhong Qin was wrong. It wasn’t that he was insensitive or didn’t know how to cherish a beautiful woman; he simply hadn’t had the chance before.

But how severe was that wound? How much must he care for her to bear the pain himself just to ease her discomfort?

Tears finally flowed uncontrollably, and Er’er turned her head away, determined to ignore him.

Li Ye frowned, however, and pulled her into his arms, blanket and all, saying irritably: “Why are you crying?”

“I’m not crying!” she shouted fiercely.

Her shout carried the tone of tears, making him both angry and frustrated: “You call this not crying?”

“Mind your own business!” She kicked him through the blanket, choking with sobs. “I won’t wait for three days. I want to go back now!”

The person in his arms struggled continuously. Li Ye barely managed to hold her still and said in a deep voice: “It will take me at least three days to settle things here.”

“I already said I don’t need you to take me.” Er’er cried loudly. “As useless as I am, I still have half of your cultivation. I can go anywhere in heaven or on earth. You just stay with your Zhong Qin and clean up well. I want to go home—”

Before she could finish the last word, the person holding her suddenly lowered his head, giving her no chance to escape as he sealed her lips with his own.