The commotion outside the cottage alarmed everyone. Shao You pushed open the door and discovered only a few crushed sand people outside, with red gemstones scattered pitifully on the ground, with no trace of any living presence.
Shao You frowned.
Immortals, demons, and mortals all had their distinct auras, yet the visitor who had interrupted their conversation left not the slightest trace.
Zhan Xue Ying wasn’t concerned: “As you know, all kinds of people come to me seeking treatment. Yao Mountain forbids killing, so you can rest assured about this immortal’s safety.”
He wasn’t deceiving Shao You. Yao Mountain was a strange place that produced gemstones but no living creatures. Any wounds inflicted within its boundaries would heal automatically, and no one could commit evil acts there. This was why Shao You felt comfortable leaving Liu Shuang there.
Zhan Xue Ying needed to trade for celestial treasures and wouldn’t easily ruin his reputation.
Shao You took one last look at Liu Shuang before departing.
Zhan Xue Ying’s gaze swept over the scattered sand outside that had been trampled by someone, hiding the contemplation in his eyes as he smiled at Liu Shuang: “Come with me.”
He led Liu Shuang to a cave entrance: “Inside is the Xuanhuang Pool, which can dispel all cold energy. The temperature is quite high. From now on, you should enter the Zi Hour (11 PM-1 AM) each day, meditate there, and circulate your spiritual power. You can only come out at the Wu Hour (11 AM-1 PM) the next day.”
After some thought, Zhan Xue Ying added, “To ease your suffering, I will use acupuncture to close off your five senses. Otherwise, staying in the Xuanhuang Pool for long periods would be unbearable. When Ji Shao You returns, I’ll fire up my furnace to refine pills for you.”
Liu Shuang had no objections: “Thank you, Sir.”
Zhan Xue Ying waved his hand: “Don’t thank me yet. What I mean by closing off your five senses differs from what you understand as voluntarily closing them. You may have heard that in ancient times, when the demigod Ming Ye was rescued from Weak Water, he became like a mortal, needing to eat and sleep. You will enter a similar state, unable to perceive the world through your divine consciousness or use immortal techniques. Being unable to see or hear will naturally cause much inconvenience. Only when Ji Shao You obtains the dragon blood can I restore your five senses.”
Every immortal was born with the ability to use divine consciousness to perceive all things. Just as when Shao You carried her on his back, without turning around, he could generally know what she was doing.
Without divine consciousness, even dressing and eating would require fumbling.
Having jumped into Weak Water, Liu Shuang naturally wouldn’t be daunted by these small difficulties.
Zhan Xue Ying continued: “The only thing in Yao Mountain that can satisfy hunger is the spirit dew from the back mountain. You’ll have to make do with that. I’ll assign sand people to take care of you.”
“I understand, Sir.”
Zhan Xue Ying glanced at her, seeing her trust in him, and found it somewhat amusing. She was indeed a young girl, completely unaware of his wicked nature. And she was the first to respectfully address him as “Sir.”
Thinking of the drop of blood he had taken, Zhan Xue Ying felt quite excited. When he was happy, he tended to be more generous. He took out a white shark-skin gauze and gave it to Liu Shuang: “This will protect your eyes in the Xuanhuang Pool, preventing tears. Choose whichever sand person you like, and go to the pool tonight.”
Liu Shuang accepted it with a nod.
When moonlight hung in the sky, Zhan Xue Ying excitedly walked to the back mountain.
At the back mountain, there was only a clear, transparent stream. Under the craggy gemstone rocks, a man in dark blue clothes sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, meditating.
Beneath him, a soil formation with the five elements in operation gave off an eerie black-gold glow in the moonlight.
Zhan Xue Ying waited idly, playing with that drop of blood between his fingertips.
Finally, the formation completed one cycle, the light dimmed, and the man within the formation opened his eyes.
Their gazes met, and Yan Chaosheng’s eyes were very cold: “What is it?”
With anyone else, Zhan Xue Ying would have long since driven such a grumpy monster out of Yao Mountain. But his clan, passed down through single descendants for generations, had waited here for over ten thousand years just for this person. Zhan Xue Ying could completely forgive all his bad temper.
“Do you know what this is?” Zhan Xue Ying’s eyes were bright as he showed it to him. “Your Highness, when the Xiang You clan perished in battle, their souls scattered and couldn’t enter the cycle of reincarnation. They ultimately chose to attach themselves to spiritual veins, providing spiritual power. The spiritual veins were divided into five parts, with the four great immortal clans each receiving one. From then on, the Feng clan, Ji clan, Chi Shui clan, and Ji Mo clan became the masters of the Eight Wildernesses. The Xiang You royal clan appeared to be extinct, but the King willingly sacrificed himself in exchange for two hopes. First, you were nurtured for ten thousand years before being born from the womb of Meng Ji, who was originally a human princess. Second…”
Zhan Xue Ying dragged out his words, hoping to see interest on the face of this cold-blooded prince, but he was disappointed. Yan Chaosheng’s expression remained very calm as he continued: “Second, to merge the fragmented spiritual veins into one, and sacrifice the Hui Ling Heart to resurrect the Xiang You clan.”
“You… how did you know…” Zhan Xue Ying stammered.
Yan Chaosheng replied: “What my father sealed within me wasn’t just ten thousand years of magical power, but also the images and memories of when our clansmen perished.”
Zhan Xue Ying had initially envied him for inheriting the ancient magical power of ten thousand years, but hearing this, he suddenly felt sorry for him.
A clan perishing in battle brought endless sorrow and pain. All the suffering emotions of everyone were carried on his shoulders.
No wonder, though his body was still young and his true form not yet fully developed, he never smiled.
Perhaps when Yan Chaosheng closed his eyes, his mind was filled with the blood of his clansmen. That he could appear so calm was already remarkable.
Zhan Xue Ying stopped being mysterious: “I thought the Hui Ling Heart, believed to exist only in ancient times, would be difficult to find. But guess what? Ji Shao You brought a little immortal to Yao Mountain. The aura around her attracted the sand people. These little things, lifeless objects without souls, were unusually drawn to her. I tried taking a drop of her blood.”
Yan Chaosheng’s gaze fell on his hand.
Zhan Xue Ying beckoned: “You, come here.”
The sapphire sand person obediently approached, followed by a string of other sand people, full of envy.
Zhan Xue Ying integrated that drop of blood into the sapphire’s forehead. With a “poof,” it transformed into an adorable, tender sprout, swaying vigorously in the night breeze.
“This is the Hui Ling power. With a stronger spiritual supply, it could develop its form, no different from a real living being, and could even cultivate the immortal path or the demonic path. Unfortunately, one drop of blood is far from enough.” Zhan Xue Ying spoke excitedly, then, with a grasp of his fingers, retrieved the drop of blood from the little sprout back into his palm.
The sapphire transformed back into a sand person and ran to join the others.
“Are you saying the Hui Ling Heart is inside her?” After a long silence, Yan Chaosheng finally spoke.
Zhan Xue Ying exclaimed excitedly: “That’s right! With this heart, you can restore the Xiang You royal clan, and I can complete my mission and leave this wretched place.”
“What happens if the heart is taken?”
“She will die, of course.” Other immortals might survive without a heart, but Liu Shuang sustained the Hui Ling Heart with her soul—she was the physical manifestation of the Hui Ling Heart and would turn to dust.
“I understand,” said Yan Chaosheng.
Zhan Xue Ying finally realized something was amiss. This exciting news had initially filled him with suppressed joy. As a descendant of the Xiang You royal clan, whose people had died tragically, Yan Chaosheng was born with a mission and should naturally be more eager to find the Hui Ling Heart.
Something that existed only in legends, possibly taking thousands or tens of thousands of years to find, was now before them. Yet he showed no excitement, only a deathlike silence.
Now that Yan Chaosheng’s demonic nature had awakened, this should have been his most warlike and ruthless moment. Even killing millions shouldn’t make him bat an eye—instead, it should bring him trembling pleasure. How could such a person ask what would happen to the little immortal if her heart were taken?
Zhan Xue Ying asked: “I suddenly remembered, when you came out today, you scattered several sand people. You don’t happen to know them, do you?”
Yan Chaosheng’s thin lips moved slightly, uttering a few words: “I don’t know them.”
“Don’t know them?”
Yan Chaosheng stopped speaking.
Zhan Xue Ying looked at him as if he’d seen a ghost: “You couldn’t be…”
When Yan Chaosheng came out, it was just when those two immortals were being intimate. All these years trapped in Yao Mountain, the thing Zhan Xue Ying had done most was eagerly read novels.
Yan Chaosheng said, “If there’s nothing else, you can get lost.”
Zhan Xue Ying revealed an intrigued, mischievous smile. Look what he had discovered—the typically cold Xiang You royal clan member harbored affection for a little immortal. The key was that she didn’t seem to care for him.
He also seemed to harbor a cold resentment.
From love comes worry, from love comes fear.
When the little immortal took Ji Shao You’s hand, the prince sat here alone repairing his true form, feeling quite bitter.
“I’m leaving, but the Kun Lun spiritual veins are withering. It seems the little immortal intends to merge spiritual veins to save Kun Lun,” Zhan Xue Ying said in a gossipy tone. “Alas, I wonder what situation would build trust between the two clans, allowing the spiritual veins to merge. Could it be marriage?”
Yan Chaosheng lowered his gaze, not even bothering to look at him.
With this reaction, Zhan Xue Ying couldn’t quite gauge what Yan Chaosheng was thinking. Nevertheless, even if he had some feelings, the little immortal in his eyes now could only be a Hui Ling Heart possessing supreme power.
Zhan Xue Ying suddenly found it boring and stood up to leave.
After Zhan Xue Ying’s acupuncture, Liu Shuang entered the Xuanhuang Pool.
She covered herself with the shark-skin gauze, initially very uncomfortable, but without any pain. For the first time, she experienced what it was like to be an unaware mortal.
No whistling wind in her ears, no colors visible to her eyes.
On the first day, she fell several times. The little sand people surrounded her, exclaiming in alarm, all reaching out to help her stand.
Now she had become familiar with the path from the Xuanhuang Pool to her cottage and rarely fell.
The little sand people all liked her very much, competing to take care of her. Every day at dawn, they would go to the back mountain to collect the freshest spirit dew. When she emerged from the Xuanhuang Pool at noon, they would lead her to the back mountain to bathe—
There was no choice; without spiritual power, she couldn’t use cleansing techniques.
They formed a human tower, one in front and one behind, stacked high, surrounding her from all directions to prevent her from going the wrong way.
Once, when Liu Shuang went in the wrong direction, they became very anxious: “Oh no, that’s wrong! Over here, over here! There’s a big monster there, very scary!”
Liu Shuang couldn’t hear them, but they crowded around, bringing her back.
After bathing came the sand people’s favorite part—feeding her spirit dew. They fought over who would feed her, because after caring for the little immortal, her lips, as beautiful as fresh flowers, would gently touch their cheeks.
She was very adorable and gentle, not troublesome to care for at all, unlike the master of Yao Mountain, who ordered them around imperiously and, after shattering their bodies, required a hundred years to form a new one.
That new one wouldn’t be them anymore.
Occasionally, they would jump into her arms to be pampered, and she wouldn’t drive them away, hugging each one in turn.
The little sand people entered their happiest days.
Until today, when this happiness came to an end.
After collecting spirit dew, they went together to the Xuanhuang Pool to meet her, and from a distance, they saw a dark blue figure.
He was tall, with a thick aura of murderous intent.
Simply standing outside the Xuanhuang Pool, none of them dared approach.
The sapphire sand person anxiously paced in circles, and all the sand people became like ants on a hot pan—it was noon, time for them to form a human tower and lead her to bathe.
With the god of death standing there, none dared approach. No one wanted to wait a hundred years to reform a body that wouldn’t even be their current self.
At a quarter past noon, in the sapphire’s “eyes” was reflected the image of the little immortal fumbling her way out.
She stumbled along, feeling the rocks.
“Little sand people?”
Finally reaching the man, all the sand people stopped and circled, staring with their “gemstone eyes.”
“Don’t tease me, I can’t see.”
That person wasn’t them, so naturally wouldn’t reach out to take her hand. Her hand touched his chest, and she sighed with relief, smiling: “Let’s go.”
The sand people collectively gasped.
They “saw” the cold, cruel, great demon in dark blue clothes standing motionless, looking down at her.
Liu Shuang found it very strange. Previously, though the sand people were sometimes mischievous, it was usually because they were competing for her to hug them. But today, they had missed the time to meet her. She had struggled to find them, and now they remained motionless.
Did they want her to hug them?
She opened her arms and gently embraced him. Unable to sense temperature, she only felt that today the “person” they had formed was exceptionally tall, much taller than her.
The shark-skin gauze covering her eyes made her face appear more delicate and exquisite.
Yan Chaosheng coldly looked on as she seemed especially small in his arms. As his true form stabilized, he had grown considerably taller, with a more intense aura of gloom and killing intent.
Since their parting at Weak Water, this was the first time he had seen her.
Behind them, the sand people squealed and cried. Under their sorrowful and terrified gazes, he grabbed her hand.
Coldly, he said: “Let’s go.”
Unable to see, she could only obediently follow him, completely unaware of the danger.
The sapphire sand person tried to follow, but he crushed it mercilessly underfoot, saying coldly: “Get lost. Try to follow and see what happens?”