Everyone said that merfolk tears were the most priceless things in the world, but Yinli felt that even his countless tears couldn’t compare to the preciousness of a single tear from Princess Lizhu.

He opened his mouth but unfortunately couldn’t speak.

The witch of the Serpent Witch Clan had said, “You can never speak in front of Princess Lizhu, lest you reveal heavenly secrets.”

Princess Lizhu looked at him: “So you’re mute.”

She pulled his sleeve and sat down with him in the corner, talking about many things. She spoke of the mountain winds of Linshi Kingdom, the hunters’ mellow wine, the horses galloping through forests in spring, and the horn bow that could shoot down eagles.

He cast a small spell so others couldn’t see them here, enjoying heaven’s first generous gift. Finally, Princess Lizhu sighed and said, “I don’t like it here. I want to go home.”

In that instant, Yinli was inexplicably seized by an impulse to blurt out that if she wished, he could find every possible way to fulfill her desire.

But Princess Lizhu quickly stood up. She smiled: “Forget it, I’m just dreaming. I should go back.”

Her hand left Yinli’s sleeve, and a strong reluctance surged in Yinli’s heart. He took out that blue conch shell and placed it in Princess Lizhu’s palm.

“This is a conch shell? The color is really beautiful,” she praised, then looked at the little guard: “Thank you.”

Yinli’s ears turned slightly red.

That was the happiest night Yinli had ever spent in his life.

However, after that night, Princess Lizhu seemed to have forgotten him. Sometimes when passing by him in the outer halls, her gaze didn’t linger for even a moment. Yinli felt somewhat disappointed, but the witch had once said, “she won’t fall in love with you, and she won’t remember you.” Perhaps being able to steal a moment of intimacy was already heaven, being generous to him.

The little merfolk thought, Forget it. He had originally come following Princess Lizhu. If she didn’t remember him, he could stay in this royal palace, guarding the princess for a lifetime.

That’s what he thought, but even this humble wish wasn’t realized.

Emperor Shengning of Li’er Kingdom was sickly. To extend his lifespan, he used young women with pure yin bodies as sacrifices for refinement, practicing the Secret Art of Extending Yang to achieve immortality. He accidentally learned of this conspiracy. That gentle-faced emperor discussed grand plans with his trusted confidant, his tone carrying a vicious cruelty others couldn’t glimpse: “Princess Lizhu is of royal blood with dragon qi. When she becomes the final sacrifice for refinement on the fifteenth of next month, the secret art will be perfected. I will achieve longevity, with a limitless lifespan.”

Yinli suddenly understood.

The Serpent Witch had said Princess Lizhu was someone who would die. He hadn’t understood before, but now everything became clear. Emperor Shengning of Li’er Kingdom traveling thousands of miles to seek marriage with the princess of Linshi Kingdom wasn’t some heaven-sent good match, but had sinister intentions.

The merfolk felt overwhelming anger. He wanted to make this conspiracy public, but he couldn’t speak. He wanted to take Princess Lizhu away, but Yinli, having lost his demon core, couldn’t even defeat the guards in the royal palace despite retaining some simple magic.

He anxiously wanted to find Yinying for help, but Yinying hadn’t appeared since getting angry with him. With no other choice, he could only use illusions in the palace, creating “haunting” disturbances, hoping to make Emperor Shengning think those wrongfully dead young women had returned for revenge, making him fearful and restrained. But seeing this, Emperor Shengning offered a large reward and invited a Taoist priest back.

The Taoist priest had some real ability, pasting demon-expelling talismans throughout the palace. As soon as he approached, those talismans would burn his skin. The Serpent Witch’s warning echoed in Yinli’s heart: “The demon bones in your body remain. If you encounter cultivators, they will still see through your true form at a glance. If you meet cultivators, you must stay far away.”

Yinli wanted to stay away, but he couldn’t abandon Princess Lizhu. As the day of refinement sacrifice drew closer, one day, the Taoist priest set up a demon-exterminating formation in the palace.

The demon-exterminating formation – not just true demon races, but anyone who had even a trace of demon qi, even half-demons, would have their souls scattered and never enter reincarnation once they fell into this formation.

If he wanted to save Princess Lizhu, he could only force his way into the royal palace. Once he fell into this formation, he would be doomed forever.

Humans and demons follow different paths. Love between them violates heavenly law. Forcibly defying heaven to change fate never ends well. When he first heard these words, he still didn’t understand their deep meaning. He was still a naive little merfolk then, hadn’t experienced the evil of human hearts and cruelty of fate, didn’t know what he was taking on, joyfully thinking the price he paid was enough to bring him happiness. But now, he understood everything one by one.

The West Sea was vast. Merfolk had watched sunsets and sunrises, bright moons and stars here for a hundred years. He had never thought of leaving this place. But just from that awkward encounter with her on the cargo ship, he felt that bright red color was the most unforgettable scenery. Wanting to see this scenery daily, he was willing to swim from the sea to land for her.

So what was a demon-exterminating formation?

He had originally come to repay a debt of gratitude.

This timid, cry-loving, most fragile youth among the merfolk clan bravely broke into the demon-exterminating formation that terrified all demon races for the sake of his benefactor. The formation’s light was like hundreds of sharp blades, instantly piercing through his body. In severe pain, his demon bones were burned, the agony making him roll on the ground, revealing his true form.

From human legs, he changed back to his silver-white fish tail. But this fish tail was already bloodied from the demon-exterminating formation and the talismans outside the palace.

He had originally been the most beautiful merfolk in the West Sea. His tail was graceful and agile, silver-white scales like fine gems. He had always treasured this tail, always surfacing carefully on moonlit nights to bask and care for it. But now, this tail was covered in wounds, no longer having its past graceful appearance.

Guards nearby shouted, raising swords to stab at him. The Taoist priest stood coldly to the side, beginning to chant incantations. His entire body felt like it was being torn apart, his soul about to be shredded.

But why was the path to Princess Lizhu’s bedchamber so long?

Yinli knew he could no longer escape the demon-exterminating formation, but perhaps he could kill Emperor Shengning. As long as Emperor Shengning lived, the Li’er Kingdom royal family would have no meaning in continuing the Secret Art of Extending Yang.

That’s what he thought, then he heard the attendants’ shouts and saw Princess Lizhu running from the bedchamber.

She looked at everything before her in amazement, and light suddenly appeared in Yinli’s eyes. She had appeared! Perhaps this was heaven’s mercy toward him. Emperor Shengning told Princess Lizhu not to come close. Yinli felt his consciousness gradually scattering.

He knew there was no time left. He was about to die, destroyed in this demon-exterminating formation, every trace of his soul crushed.

But at least, she could still live.

He used his last bit of strength to explode the demon bones in his body, circulating maximum demon power. Silver scales crawled over his face. He knew his appearance at this moment was very fierce. He was very sad that such a terrifying side would be seen by Princess Lizhu, but…

But there was no other choice.

Sharp claws pierced through Emperor Shengning’s chest. Strange – such a cold-blooded, terrifying person, yet the blood flowing out was also warm. The panicked screams and noise of surrounding guards seemed to gradually move away from him. The little merfolk wanted to look at their benefactor one last time. He turned his head with difficulty…

A silver arrow struck the merfolk’s fish tail, nailing him firmly to the heart of the demon-exterminating formation.

She was just as when they first met, holding bow and arrows, passionate and bright as fire. Yet the arrow shot at him had no hesitation, and the gaze looking at him was filled with bone-deep coldness.

Yinli felt somewhat wronged in his heart. He had come to repay a debt of gratitude.

But Princess Lizhu didn’t even know his name.

His soul scattered to the winds.

Later…

Much later, Emperor Shengning died. Princess Lizhu, being pregnant, was well cared for by the royal family. She gave birth to a little prince, who was also the future ruler. No more young women were harmed in Li’er Kingdom. To commemorate the old ruler who sacrificed himself heroically fighting the demon shark, people built a merit monument in the imperial tomb and forged a golden statue of “Hero Slaying Shark” on the West Sea coast. Children passing by would spit at the ugly merfolk statue.

As for the demon shark…

The demon shark’s soul had been crushed by the demon-exterminating formation. The Taoist priest refined his remaining corpse into oil and poured it into the eternal lamps in the imperial tomb’s underground palace, illuminating the emperor’s quiet tomb night after night, never extinguishing for ten thousand years.

This was the end of the story.

In the corridor, there were only human footsteps, with silence all around.

Zanxing’s eyes felt somewhat swollen.

She looked at the torches burning on the stone walls of this corridor, their flames motionless, bright and warm.

Yinli’s footsteps stopped. He said: “The exit is ahead, Miss Yang. Please go out.”

“What about you?” Zanxing turned back to look at him.

“I’m just a trace of primordial spirit,” the youth smiled bitterly. “The witch of the Serpent Witch Clan gave me a Spirit-Locking Crystal back then, so when the demon-exterminating formation crushed my soul, the Spirit-Locking Crystal preserved a trace of my primordial spirit, hidden in the tomb. But outside is the human world. Once I go out, I’ll immediately disappear into smoke.”

“But if you stay here, you’ll eventually dissipate anyway,” Zanxing said.

Yinli was stunned and didn’t speak. He had died forty years ago. Even though the Spirit-Locking Crystal could preserve a trace of his primordial spirit, the demon-exterminating formation was irreversible. This primordial spirit would eventually dissipate between heaven and earth – this was the destined ending. He didn’t want to stay here. This place was gloomy and damp, unbearable day after day. He longed to leave, even if he could only gain a moment of freedom.

“Miss Yang, I can’t get out.” Yinli shook his head: “There’s a talisman formation ahead. I can’t pass through that door.”

Zanxing thought for a moment: “I once read in my sect’s library that primordial spirits cannot pass through talisman formations, but if you attach to my body…”

“No!” Yinli was startled: “That would damage your cultivation. Even though it’s a primordial spirit, I am still a demon, and you are human. If I attach to you, it would devastate your body and cause your cultivation to regress.”

Zanxing’s gaze fell on the youth before her. This was the first time she’d seen someone so foolish. Even though he was harmed by humans, killed, and suffered various injustices after death, he bore no resentment toward the human race.

“Don’t you want to see Princess Lizhu again?” Zanxing asked: “I’m afraid she probably knows the truth from back then by now. At least let her remember you, at least let her know your name.”

“But…”

“And your twin brother. I don’t think those cultivators outside can subdue him. Even if you don’t care about Li’er Kingdom’s people, aren’t you afraid Yinying will kill Princess Lizhu too?”

Hearing this, Yinli’s expression wavered somewhat.

Zanxing smiled: “Since the witch of the Serpent Witch Clan could know past and future, perhaps she foresaw that you and I would have this meeting, which is why she gave you the Spirit-Locking Crystal years ago to preserve a trace of your primordial spirit, leading to our encounter here. Why would you reject this opportunity?”

The corridor was quiet for a moment.

After a while, Yinli looked at Zanxing and asked somewhat puzzled: “Miss Yang, why are you helping me like this?”

“I’m not helping you,” Zanxing sighed, “I just feel that if I don’t do this, I’ll regret it in the future.”

She looked at Yinli: “You’ll regret it too.”