Yan Chaosheng’s behavior made the other sand people even more “afraid.” However, they didn’t understand what true “friendship” was. Once they forgot their fear of the sapphire’s demise, they were again drawn to Liu Shuang by the Hui Ling power she emanated.

She was in the small stream where she usually bathed.

There were no stones in the stream, replaced instead by gemstones that sparkled brilliantly in the sunlight.

The sand people had thought the little immortal had met with misfortune, but when they approached, they saw that fearsome great demon sitting nearby, guarding her. He sat with his back to the stream, his expression somber, not looking at the half-naked girl in the water.

The sand people came hand in hand, but he coldly smiled, magically pulling several toward him and crushing them all: “I’ll say it one last time. Get lost.”

Gemstones were scattered beneath his feet. He wasn’t joking—he would destroy all the sand people! This time, the other sand people no longer dared to provoke him, scattering in all directions. Even the vessels containing spirit dew were dropped in fright.

Yan Chaosheng looked at the spilled drop of spirit dew with ice-cold eyes, saying nothing.

The sun blazed overhead, and behind him came the rushing sound of water. He never turned to look at her.

Liu Shuang, unable to see, didn’t know that the pile of whimpering sand people begging for her hugs had turned to scattered sand.

She finished washing and climbed ashore, stumbling.

The sand people who had once eagerly surrounded her were now completely negligent, not immediately coming to support her. She tilted her head slightly. After waiting a while, that person grabbed her and dragged her toward her cottage.

His movements were not gentle, revealing a demonic roughness. Unable to sense this, she could only follow him, appearing extremely docile.

Yan Chaosheng looked back at her. His unstable demonic form amplified all negative emotions, and Liu Shuang’s heartless words from that day seemed to still echo in his ears.

His heart felt stifled again, not understanding why he still wanted to be near her.

She had said it plainly—she wanted to stay away from him.

Back in the cottage, she was more at ease. Having lived at Yao Mountain for so many days, with the white shark-skin gauze covering her eyes, she had gradually become familiar with the furnishings.

She sat on the couch, looked up at “him,” and reminded: “Little sand person, it’s time to eat.”

Yan Chaosheng didn’t move, coldly staring at her.

The spirit dew she was supposed to consume had been spilled earlier, though she was completely unaware. The girl before him was now as fragile as a mortal, like a lamb utterly unable to sense danger. Those sealed memories clamored for him to act.

A pure Hui Ling Heart, within easy reach. Now that he stayed with her, he shouldn’t have any other thoughts—he should only care about this.

Yan Chaosheng raised his hand, gathering a ball of dark golden light.

The sand people lined up to complain to Zhan Xue Ying that the great demon was killing them. Zhan Xue Ying sat with his legs crossed, contemplative: “Could he have discovered it?”

He grabbed a ruby sand person, spread his five fingers, and extracted a white feathery piece from its head—Hui Ling power. Then he tossed it aside. The little sand person scratched its head. They were all rather foolish, not knowing they were being used as tools to extract Hui Ling’s power from Liu Shuang. They didn’t understand what Zhan Xue Ying had done and continued to squeal and complain.

“Alright, alright, I know.”

After collecting the Hui Ling power from them, Zhan Xue Ying stroked his chin and couldn’t help but smile, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes: “Interesting.”

Yan Chaosheng appeared to be threatening Liu Shuang, but in reality, he was stopping Zhan Xue Ying.

The Hui Ling power was equivalent to Chi Shui Liu Shuang’s lifeline. During this time, taking advantage of her inability to see, Zhan Xue Ying had placed restrictions on the sand people who spent day and night with her, making them steal Hui Ling’s power.

Zhan Xue Ying wouldn’t have done this in the past. Although he was neither entirely good nor evil, he had never mistreated his patients.

It was for this reason that Ji Shao You trusted him completely. Despite Zhan Xue Ying’s eccentric temperament, he had always been conscientious and responsible toward each patient.

But what did it matter? Zhan Xue Ying thought: They come and go, but the only one trapped in this lifeless realm forever was himself. He expended spiritual power and treasures to save them, and when they recovered, they hurriedly left, finding it troublesome to even say a few more words to him.

Thousands of years of solitude and loneliness were enough to turn a gentleman into a despicable prisoner. One day, Zhan Xue Ying thought that he would either escape from here or live more fully. He began making strange demands and no longer treated everyone who came seeking medical help.

Once, he even proposed that someone stay with him for a year.

She agreed and stayed for the entire year, long enough for him to feel joy, believing he could keep her—finally, someone willing to accompany him in this place without living beings. But after the last day of that year passed, he never saw her again.

Zhan Xue Ying sat desolately in the cottage where she had lived for a day, attempting countless times to break out through Yao Mountain’s entrance.

Each time he was thrown back, he coughed up blood. After a long while, he returned to the cottage.

For the first time, he deeply understood that to leave this place, unless the ancient oath made by his ancestors was broken: “Until the spiritual veins merge, Yao Mountain shall not break; descendants shall never leave, waiting for His Highness’s return to revive the Xiang You royal clan.”

Zhan Xue Ying no longer remembered how many years he had waited. Several times, he thought that living like this was meaningless, like a dog guarding this place. Death would be welcome, but injuries sustained in Yao Mountain always healed, and dying in Yao Mountain always resulted in revival.

How ironic—the only way to die was to have someone bear him an heir, passing the mission to another child. Only then could he die at Demon Mountain. That was what Zhan Xue Ying’s father had done.

Zhan Xue Ying didn’t want to do this.

Perhaps it was for that tiny sliver of hope, or perhaps for that spirited immortal girl who had stayed with him for a year, who would accompany him planting trees, who would forcibly push his head against her bosom, deliberately teasing him until he blushed.

Too much time had passed. He no longer remembered her name and was forgetting her appearance.

It didn’t matter; it was all in the past. Zhan Xue Ying mockingly curved his lips.

He wanted to leave this place, even if the moment he stepped out, he would immediately die. He didn’t want to be like in his youth, waiting daily with a broken heart, like a hungry dog in a cage, hoping every passerby would become his master.

For this, what was wrong with becoming despicable?

The prince couldn’t be soft-hearted; he must extract that Hui Ling Heart! Too many clansmen had sacrificed for his arrival, paving the way with their bones, drawing with their blood.

Zhan Xue Ying waved his hand, intending to see what was happening in Liu Shuang’s cottage, but surprisingly, his vision was blocked by a barrier.

Zhan Xue Ying laughed angrily. Fine, very well.

Zhan Xue Ying had never seen anyone more obsessive and foolish than himself. What good would it do for the prince to be kind to her? Would she know? Wouldn’t she still never like him, eventually marrying Ji Shao You?

Fine, fine, fine. It had been ten thousand years since he’d seen such a farce. The deeper he sank, the more interesting it would be to see how this ended!

The little sand people peered anxiously through the window, tilting their heads to look inside, but they couldn’t see anything. Oh no, what was the great demon doing? Was he going to kill the little immortal?

The little immortal was so nice and carried such a sweet fragrance. The great demon was too cruel!

As Yan Chaosheng thought about the extermination order issued by the immortal realm against demons, he tried to ignore his inner feelings, treating her only as the “Hui Ling Heart.”

But in his hand was a crystal bowl containing spirit fruit he had picked the night before. The spirit fruit was sweet, countless times more delicious than spirit dew, although Liu Shuang couldn’t taste the difference.

He sat beside her and said coldly, “Open your mouth.”

Unable to hear, she tilted her head in confusion. Yan Chaosheng didn’t waste words; he pressed the spoon against her lips. She hesitated for a moment, then opened her mouth. He fed her spoonful by spoonful, his expression not like he was feeding her spirit fruit but poison.

He wasn’t particularly skilled at taking care of others, and he fed her too quickly. Before she could swallow, another spoonful was already at her lips. The little immortal endured repeatedly, finally biting the spoon in frustration and mumbling: “Could you wait until I finish before feeding me the next spoonful?”

He withdrew his hand, watching her cheeks bulge slightly as she chewed.

After a while, with no new movement from him, Liu Shuang thought that today’s little sand person seemed especially stupid. She sighed inwardly, gripped his wrist, and shook it slightly, indicating that he could continue now.

Yan Chaosheng coldly thrust the bowl into her hands.

He found it somewhat ironic. Was Ji Shao You really this foolish, leaving her with Zhan Xue Ying? If they wanted to die, he wouldn’t mind doing it himself, sending them on their way.

Was this the person she had chosen herself? Even her life hung by a thread.

He shouldn’t have interfered in her affairs again. That scene beneath Weak Water, where she would rather die than let him save her, breaking free from his embrace, seemed to stamp a humiliating brand on his soul.

Now, only by treating her as the “Hui Ling Heart,” without any other distractions, could his heart be somewhat peaceful, interacting with her without pain.

He opened his palm to reveal the Hui Ling power he had retrieved after crushing those sand people. Not being the master of Yao Mountain, he could only use this simple and brutal method. Yan Chaosheng gripped these white feathery pieces, pinched her face to make her “look” at him, and returned the Hui Ling power through her forehead.

The girl’s cheeks were soft. Having lost her five senses, she didn’t know that his icy fingers were distorting her face.

After returning the Hui Ling power, he lowered his gaze to look at her, closed his eyes briefly, feeling somewhat powerless inside.

She held the bowl in confusion, not understanding what had happened.

Today’s little sand person wasn’t just a bit stupid but also seemed to have quite a temper. Having lost her five senses, even if an arm were cut off, she wouldn’t feel the pain. She was inwardly uncertain, only feeling her palm being struck, vaguely guessing that the bowl for spirit dew had been thrust into her hands.

Then he guided her to find the spoon: “Eat by yourself.”

He restrained himself, unwilling to do more for her, as these acts would only be self-humiliating. He didn’t want the wounds that had been healing with such effort to be torn open again at the sight of Liu Shuang.

Unable to hear, Liu Shuang didn’t get angry. Without the sense of touch, everything was troublesome. He guided her hand to the spoon, and after considerable effort, she managed to bring it to her lips, eating quietly.

She didn’t actually appear pitiful, but with her eyes covered, looking delicately pretty, she appeared different to him. Yan Chaosheng watched coldly, not offering to help.

Half a bowl of spirit fruit took her an hour to eat, though the little immortal herself was quite patient.

Not knowing the bowl was empty, she continued until it was snatched away. She curved her eyes in surprise: “You didn’t leave?” Or had they come back?

She thought Zhan Xue Ying had called them away on some matter.

Although this one wasn’t very responsible today, she still tilted her head and asked: “Do you want today’s thank-you gift?”

Yan Chaosheng knew what “thank-you gift” she meant. Yesterday, he had stood outside the door, watching a clumsy sand person nuzzle into her arms as she lowered her eyes, smiling and gently kissing it.

The sapphire had been ecstatic, spinning in circles on the spot.

After a long silence, he clenched and unclenched his fist, sitting stiffly without moving. She touched his arm, and he didn’t know what he was longing for in that moment, feeling a brief daze.

A gentle kiss fell on his cheek.

He trembled violently, coming to his senses, and quickly tried to avoid the kiss, but it was too late. It had already fallen, like a brand burning into his heart, tearing apart his facade. Guilt and self-loathing, like twining vines, firmly locked his heart in circles, almost suffocating him. What was he doing?

Yan Chaosheng abruptly stood up and walked toward the door.

Outside, Zhan Xue Ying watched him with a smile: “Your Highness, are you still enjoying yourself?”

Yan Chaosheng looked at him coldly: “Zhan Xue Ying, I should be asking you that. When did I order you to tamper with the Hui Ling Heart? Without refinement, the Hui Ling Heart is useless.”

Zhan Xue Ying hadn’t expected Yan Chaosheng to refer to Liu Shuang as the “Hui Ling Heart.” He said, “Your Highness, she’s waiting for Ji Shao You to return.”

Yan Chaosheng’s fingers tightened, almost drawing blood, as he walked past Zhan Xue Ying: “I know. You don’t need to remind me.”