Chapter 36: 200 Year Old Merman

"Jiang Rong?"

Hua Xiangwan spoke the name with deliberate weight.

Jiang Rong stood at the formation's center, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. "Such rich spiritual energy. A half-step Nascent Soul cultivator—her cultivation is indeed fragrant."

"You took Wen Shaoqing's cultivation?"

Hua Xiangwan understood her current state immediately. Jiang Rong opened her eyes, her gaze carrying a hint of allure. "Of course. After I digest him, it will be your turn, and Ming Huo's."

Hua Xiangwan chuckled, lowering her gaze to the ground. "Do you think I'll wait for you?"

"That depends on whether you can avoid it."

The moment she finished speaking, Hua Xiangwan twirled the paper umbrella in her hand and flew rapidly toward Jiang Rong within the formation.

Jiang Rong raised her hand and flicked it. A beam of magical light struck the umbrella. In that instant, a long sword pierced through from behind it, aiming straight for the entrance.

Jiang Rong leaped forward, her fingernails instantly growing into sharp claws as she lunged at Hua Xiangwan. Hua Xiangwan blocked with the flat of her sword, then kicked toward Jiang Rong's head. Jiang Rong's other hand was forced to grab her foot, exposing her dantian. Hua Xiangwan crushed a spirit energy bead in her palm—it exploded—then struck straight at Jiang Rong's core!

A piercing merman's scream rang out. Jiang Rong hurled Hua Xiangwan away. She landed lightly as a snowflake, turning to see the woman in the formation—sharp fangs and claws bared, watching her coldly.

This was the merman's battle form after transformation. Merfolk were gentle by nature, indistinguishable from ordinary people except for their fish tails. But in combat, their claws, fangs, and the deadly poison they contained were their unique weapons.

"I quite like you." She raised her hand, licking the back of it. "It's a pity you came to Goddess Mountain."

As she finished speaking, a blue magic circle lit up beneath her feet. All the spiritual energy rapidly gathered toward it, and dense blue magical light rained down on Hua Xiangwan!

Hua Xiangwan stood motionless, vaguely sensing some force drawing spiritual energy from her body. Unfortunately, she wasn't using spirit energy—her reserves were completely depleted, so there was nothing to draw away.

She watched the magical light silently, not even raising a hand, appearing remarkably relaxed.

A familiar aura approached from behind. The instant the magical light reached her, sword intent crashed down, shattering it completely.

Hua Xiangwan watched Xie Changji brush past her, traversing the fragments of blue light and rushing forward. She looked ahead calmly. "Live."

Hearing Hua Xiangwan's command, Jiang Rong's eyes widened. She screamed, "You won't get away with it!"

Xie Changji unleashed his full spiritual power. Ice and snow swept toward Jiang Rong alongside his sword.

The surrounding earth shook violently—Goddess Mountain simply couldn't support Xie Changji's full-power state. Jiang Rong frantically absorbed all the spiritual power within the formation. Even Xie Changji's spiritual power entered her body, manifesting as magical arrays that bombarded him.

This was essentially using Xie Changji's own spiritual power against his sword intent. For a moment, the two sides were locked in stalemate. Xie Changji couldn't advance an inch, but Jiang Rong gained no advantage either.

The frantic absorption of a Tribulation Transcending cultivator's spiritual power pushed her meridians to their limit. Her skin began to bleed.

But she gritted her teeth and refused to yield an inch.

Hua Xiangwan stood aside, observing Jiang Rong carefully.

As spiritual energy entered her body, her stomach seemed to swell slightly.

What was she doing?

Why was the Demon Lord's Blood Token given to her? Why was a mermaid living in these snowy mountains in human form? What was wrong with her stomach? Was she really Jiang Rong?

Questions surfaced one after another. Hua Xiangwan glanced at Xie Changji, still unable to advance, and after consideration, finally spoke. "Jiang Rong, stop."

"Die! You all die!"

Jiang Rong teetered on the edge of berserk rage, with no room for rational thought.

Xie Changji's dense barrage of sword strikes from all directions pushed her toward collapse. If she made even a moment's mistake, she would die instantly under his blade. She fought back desperately, but under such overwhelming pressure, the white-robed youth before her maintained a terrifyingly calm demeanor.

This made her acutely aware of the vast disparity between them. Fear of death surfaced. Thinking of her stomach, she couldn't help becoming agitated. "Die!"

In that instant, surrounding vegetation withered. All power surged toward her.

Hua Xiangwan sighed, then conjured a green bead, infusing it with spiritual energy. "Jiang Rong, stop."

Her voice echoed from the bead. Jiang Rong froze, as if invisible force controlled her. In that precise instant, Xie Changji's longsword shattered her barrier. Sword intent struck her violently, sending her flying. She crashed to the ground, vomiting blood.

Far from the magic array, she was no match for Xie Changji.

Lying on the ground, panting softly, Hua Xiangwan approached, holding the green bead.

Jiang Rong looked up, staring at the pearl in Hua Xiangwan's hand with shock and suspicion. She gritted her teeth. "Why do you have the Azure Sea Pearl?"

Hua Xiangwan smiled. "If I didn't have backing, do you think a cripple like me with a half-shattered Golden Core would dare fight you? I guessed early on you were a merman. The Azure Sea Pearl has bloodline suppression over merfolk. Even if you're not completely controlled, you'll still be affected. However, an ordinary merman should be immobilized by now, yet you can still resist." Hua Xiangwan leaned closer, observing her. "Among merfolk, your bloodline is considered noble?"

Jiang Rong glared fiercely at Hua Xiangwan.

Without further words, Hua Xiangwan examined her face, scrutinizing it for a long time. Just as she was about to reach out and touch it, Xie Changji pulled her back. "It's real."

Xie Changji confirmed it was a genuine face. Hua Xiangwan didn't doubt him. She nodded, straightened up, and spoke steadily. "You are a merman, so the story you told initially was false. There was no such thing as merfolk chasing the Lin family, therefore no merfolk chasing Jiang Rong. So the murder case of the Lin family back then—" Hua Xiangwan pondered. "Was it your doing?"

Jiang Rong didn't speak, her eyes lowered, as if resigned to fate.

Seeing this, Hua Xiangwan raised her hand. Two beams of light pierced through Jiang Rong's collarbone without hesitation. Jiang Rong cried out in pain and collapsed. "What are you doing?!"

"Be good, so you don't suffer."

Hua Xiangwan reminded her, slowly analyzing. "Back then, you killed the entire Lin family, then came to Goddess Mountain and became the goddess here. Twenty years later, you obtained the Demon Lord's Blood Token. What did you want then? So you set up a great formation. Merfolk are skilled at manipulating hearts with song. When everyone entered the mountain, you stirred the desires in everyone's hearts, amplifying them without trace, causing everyone to kill each other."

She continued, "The first to enter was Wen Shaoqing, who brought Wu Li from the Witchcraft Sect and Ming Huo from the Yin-Yang Sect. They encountered you in the cave. You deliberately let Wen Shaoqing notice this ancient formation that could absorb others' cultivation, igniting the greed in his heart. He originally came to help Qin Yunyi obtain the Demon Lord's Blood Token, but changed his mind—decided to use the ancient formation to absorb others' cultivation to become stronger while keeping the Blood Token for himself."

"At that time, Wu Li also had greed awakened. He was originally the Demon Lord's heir, so he wanted to take the opportunity to kill Wen Shaoqing, obtain the Blood Token, and attacked him."

"Wen Shaoqing turned the tables, escaped the cave, planning to shake off Ming Huo and Wu Li. That's when he encountered Xie Changji and me. He wanted to use me to obtain Xie Changji's cultivation, but feared I didn't love him enough, so he tested me along the way. Hence the scene on the snowy mountain where both fell simultaneously."

Hua Xiangwan turned to Jiang Rong. "The suddenly appearing eagle and avalanche were your doing, weren't they?"

Jiang Rong didn't speak—tacit admission. Hua Xiangwan nodded, continuing her deduction. "I passed Wen Shaoqing's test. He decided to have me help him harm Xie Changji. For this, he sweet-talked me. I, in turn, used his words to let Ming Huo overhear, sowing discord between them. Ming Huo has admired Qin Yunyi since childhood—Qin Yunyi once saved him, becoming an untouchable deity in his heart. That Wen Shaoqing would conspire with me to harm him—Ming Huo couldn't tolerate it. Under your influence on his mind, he ultimately decided to personally kill Wen Shaoqing."

"But I'm puzzled." Hua Xiangwan turned to Jiang Rong. "My cultivation is lacking, not worth worrying about. Wen Shaoqing was killed by Ming Huo—they'd mutually destroy each other. But what about Xie Changji? He's Tribulation Transcending stage. He's still perfectly fine here. How dare you come here to activate the formation and absorb everyone's cultivation?"

"I saw you drug him. He also drank the wine you gave him."

Jiang Rong explained. Hua Xiangwan nodded, understanding.

At this point, she couldn't help turning to Xie Changji. "Then why are you here?"

Xie Changji lowered his eyes. "I didn't drink."

Hua Xiangwan froze, only now remembering that when drinking earlier, he'd used his sleeve to conceal the cup.

If it were anyone else, she'd naturally be wary. But she hadn't expected Xie Changji would deceive her too.

She choked for a moment, wanting to say something, but felt now wasn't appropriate. She turned back to Jiang Rong. "We both guessed wrong. So now, let's talk—what do you really want to do with this formation? And where is the Demon Lord's Blood Token?"

Jiang Rong knelt on the ground, head lowered, saying nothing. Hua Xiangwan laughed softly. She walked forward, pressing her hand against Jiang Rong's swollen stomach. "If you won't say, then I'll cut it open and look."

"You dare?!"

Jiang Rong's head snapped up, eyes full of threat.

Hua Xiangwan's expression didn't change. She smiled, watching the woman before her.

They remained at an impasse for a long time. Finally, Jiang Rong trembled and lowered her head. "I... give me one night. I'll give you the Demon Lord's Blood Token."

"For what?"

"I..." Jiang Rong's face was deathly pale. She spoke with difficulty. "I want to give birth to this child."

"Child?"

Hua Xiangwan frowned. Jiang Rong seemed to have abandoned all caution. She looked up at Hua Xiangwan excitedly. "Young Master Hua, the power I've absorbed has already nurtured this child. It can be born tonight. Let me give birth to it. The Blood Token just needs one more night, one night..."

"This isn't a living being."

Hearing "nurtured," Hua Xiangwan cut in decisively. She looked down at the swollen stomach coldly. "What exactly is it?"

"It's..." Jiang Rong's voice trembled. "It's my child with Jiang Rong."

Hua Xiangwan calmly raised her head. "Jiang Rong" at this moment seemed resigned to fate, staring blankly at the ground. "I'm not Jiang Rong."

"I know."

Hua Xiangwan nodded. "Goddess Mountain's goddesses are passed down through single lineage, with extraordinary bloodlines. They couldn't possibly be just a merman."

"My name is Yu Sheng. I was originally from the Dingli Sea, nobility among the merfolk."

The woman before them spoke in a low voice, recounting the past. "When she was young, she once visited Dingli Sea. I met her there and became friends. Later, for my sake, she diverted water from Dingli Sea to Goddess Mountain. I could visit her at the mountain daily. Merfolk come of age at five hundred years—I was only three hundred then, understanding nothing. I only knew that seeing her each day made me happy. I gathered many sea flowers from the ocean floor and brought them to her every day. She often sat by the water's edge, weaving flower crowns for me, telling me that one day she would become Goddess Mountain's goddess, protecting the people below. Letting the people live well was her life's greatest responsibility."

Yu Sheng spoke with a faint smile. "Before coming of age, merfolk have no facial features and no gender. Upon adulthood, we can transform into any appearance and gender we desire. Looking at her countless times, I thought—when I come of age, I'll become the most handsome man in this world. Perhaps then she'll fall in love with me, and we can always be together. But two hundred years ago, she suddenly told me she'd met someone."

"Lin Luo?"

Hua Xiangwan guessed. Yu Sheng lowered her eyes, her voice cooling. "Yes. He was being hunted, fled to Goddess Mountain. Jiang Rong saved him. His enemies were powerful. Jiang Rong didn't dare reveal her identity, fearing it would bring disaster to the mountain, so she concealed her face and cared for him continuously. She hid her identity, looked after him for years, forged a new identity for him, helped him establish himself in Yun Sheng Town, rebuild his family business. This Lin Luo—during the chase, his Golden Core was destroyed, making him mortal. With nothing to rely on, he could only depend on Jiang Rong. So he sweet-talked her, continuously deceiving her. Jiang Rong believed he loved her and gave him everything. To stay with him, she rarely returned to Goddess Mountain. I waited for her in that pool every day, bringing one sea flower each time. I waited and waited, for so many years..."

Yu Sheng spoke, unable to help laughing. "Actually, I never thought I had to be with her. I just wanted her to be happy. If she could be with someone she loved, have a complete family, be happy—I could wait here forever. But later... one day, I suddenly smelled her scent in the water. It was the smell of her blood."

Yu Sheng seemed to recall that scene, trembling uncontrollably, gripping the snow particles on the ground tightly. "I rushed over. I found her. She'd aged... her hair had turned white, her body covered in blood, her stomach cut open... her Golden Core—" Yu Sheng trembled. "Someone had carved it out while she was alive."

"Lin Luo didn't love her." Yu Sheng looked at Hua Xiangwan, seeming utterly unable to comprehend. "She was such a good person—how could Lin Luo not love her!"

"He only wanted to use her. He used her to gain a new identity, used her to establish himself in Yun Sheng Town. Then he fell in love with another woman. He resented her—resented her strength, resented that she'd seen him at his lowest. He'd tolerated her for so long, couldn't bear it anymore. So he gave her a cup of poisoned wine, then carved out her Golden Core while she lived."

"He thought she was dead and threw her in the water. But she still had a breath left. I saved her, brought her back to Goddess Mountain. But she was poisoned and had no Golden Core. I brought countless spiritual medicines from the sea, yet couldn't save her. Day after day, I watched her life slip away bit by bit. I tried so hard, but I couldn't hold on."

Yu Sheng spoke dazedly. "On her last night, she suddenly seemed better. She walked to the pool's edge, sat there like before, looking down at me in the water. By then she was already an old woman, but I just felt she was so beautiful. I couldn't look away for even a moment."

"We talked about so much. She asked me to come up, leaned against my shoulder. Near the end, she asked me—Yu Sheng, have you ever seen a human heart?"

"She said she desperately wanted to see Lin Luo's heart. She couldn't understand how a human heart could be so ugly."

"I wanted to too..." Yu Sheng laughed. "I wanted to see what human hearts really are."

"So," Hua Xiangwan understood, "you ripped out the Lin family's hearts."

"Yes." Yu Sheng's voice was weary. "That night, she seemed to say something, but I couldn't hear. I sat by the pool, and she leaned against me. I felt her getting colder and colder. I sat for days before finally understanding she would never speak again."

"She didn't live to see me come of age, never saw what I looked like. In her heart, I couldn't even distinguish between male and female."

"And then?"

Hua Xiangwan listened with lowered eyes, involuntarily looking at the Azure Pearl in her hand.

Yu Sheng lowered his head, emotions waning as he recounted what followed. "Later, I took her back to the sea and buried her among the sea flowers. Then I cultivated diligently. On the day I came of age, I transformed into her likeness. I heard that two hundred years ago, a merman cleaved his tail, walked ashore, became human. So I followed his example, cleaving my tail and walking ashore. But the difference was—" Mockery flickered in Yu Sheng's eyes. "That merman did it for love. I did it for hate."

"I used Jiang Rong's appearance to approach Lin Luo and seduced him." Yu Sheng glanced at Hua Xiangwan. "He was initially shocked, but after confirming Jiang Rong was dead, and given our vastly different temperaments, he quickly accepted me."

"No one understands men better than men themselves. Jiang Rong didn't understand—men are just like that. I played hard to get, and he quickly fell in love with me. He abandoned his wife and children for me, squandered his entire fortune. It became the talk of Yun Sheng Town. His reputation was ruined, but he still insisted on marrying me. On our wedding day, he swore to me he'd be devoted, give me his whole heart. Since he said that, naturally I had to bring his heart back and show Rongrong."

"His heart is so dirty." Yu Sheng laughed. "The hearts of the Lin family are all so dirty."

"And then you became her."

Xie Changji affirmed.

Yu Sheng looked bewildered. "After revenge, I didn't know where to go. Since I'd become her, I should be her. She was the goddess of Goddess Mountain. Her dream was protecting the people below, so I became her. I've been her for twenty years, but I'm lost. I don't know why I'm alive, why I persist. I dream of her every day. Every night I sit by the pool, feeling her lean on my shoulder, talking to me. I know you don't understand this pain."

Yu Sheng turned to Xie Changji and Hua Xiangwan. "But it's like being slowly sliced to death. Day after day, not knowing when it will end. Until recently, an eagle brought me the Demon Lord's Blood Token. It told me the token has immense power and can grant one wish."

"What did you wish for?"

Hua Xiangwan asked curiously.

Yu Sheng chuckled. "I wished for her to come back to life."

"But people are dead." Hua Xiangwan lowered her eyes. "Ordinary methods cannot bring them back to life."

"The eagle said the same thing. But it told me the dead cannot return to life, yet I can achieve rebirth."

Yu Sheng looked at her stomach, tenderness in her eyes. "I can have Rongrong's child. I've preserved her body intact. I've taken her heart and placed it inside me. As long as I have enough power..."

Yu Sheng looked up, eyes full of fervor. "It will become a child—Rongrong's child. I can give birth to him, raise him. That is the meaning of my life, that is Rongrong's and my rebirth! Young Master Hua—" Yu Sheng grabbed Hua Xiangwan. "One night, give me one night, and I can give birth to him. I beg you—" her eyes filled with tears—"please let me give birth to him, okay?"

Hua Xiangwan didn't speak, silently looking at the woman before her, sudden pity crossing her face.

Seeing them at an impasse, Xie Changji spoke slowly after a long while. "It's lying to you."

Yu Sheng turned her head blankly. Xie Changji spoke calmly. "Even if it's a living being conceived from her heart, a child born through such evil magic is destined to be evil. It's not human and can't possibly be your and Jiang Rong's child."

"Even if it's evil, it's still my and her child!" Yu Sheng exclaimed excitedly. "You just don't want me to give birth to it, you just..."

"Did Jiang Rong want this?"

Hua Xiangwan suddenly spoke. Yu Sheng was stunned. She turned around blankly, looking at Hua Xiangwan, whose eyes were clear. "If her wish back then was to become the guardian of Goddess Mountain and protect the people of this region, would she be willing to use the lives of Yun Sheng Town's people to create an evil being?"

Yu Sheng was speechless.

Hua Xiangwan continued. "You're taking advantage of her death. If she were alive, she wouldn't allow you to do this."

"But she's already dead."

Tears fell from Yu Sheng's eyes. "What can I do?"

Hua Xiangwan lowered her eyes, thought for a moment, and handed the Azure Sea Pearl to Yu Sheng.

"The heart of the Merfolk royal family was willingly revealed to become the Azure Sea Pearl." Hua Xiangwan explained. "It not only commands the Merfolk race but also allows us to explore past and future lives of souls. Try dripping Jiang Rong's blood onto it."

"She's not a Merfolk."

Yu Sheng spoke blankly. Hua Xiangwan laughed. "She wasn't in her past life, but she might be in this one."

This gave Yu Sheng pause.

Hua Xiangwan held out the Azure Sea Pearl. "Try it."

Yu Sheng lowered his eyes. After a long while, he took out a piece of amber from his neck. Inside was a drop of blood. He crushed the amber. The blood fell onto the Azure Sea Pearl.

The pearl didn't budge. Yu Sheng's eyes dimmed. He chuckled. "I knew it..."

Before he could finish, light rose from the Azure Sea Pearl, revealing a scene of the two of them sitting by the pool on the night Jiang Rong died.

Jiang Rong leaned against him, wearily asking, "Yu Sheng, have you ever seen a human heart?"

"I long to see Lin Luo's heart. How can a human heart be so ugly?"

The boy wearing a mask dared not answer. His fishtail dipped in water, tears streaming down his face behind the mask.

Jiang Rong slowly closed her eyes. "Yu Sheng, if there is an afterlife, I want to meet you in the sea."

"That way, I won't have to think about how we, as different species, are separated, our love unfulfilled."

Her voice was low.

"Yu Sheng, I love you."

Hearing this, Yu Sheng's eyes widened.

On the screen, Jiang Rong's soul left her body yet remained floating around him. She watched him for as long as he sat in the pool. Then he took her to the depths of the azure sea, and she followed. Unbeknownst to him, she silently took his hand.

She watched her body sink into the sea flowers, their stamens gently engulfing her. She watched silently for a long time, then turned and swam into the sea.

Not long after, the scene changed to a newborn baby surrounded by many merfolk.

"What's his name?"

Someone spoke up. Yu Sheng swam past. Someone called out, "Yu Sheng, you have a new companion. Why don't you name it?"

Yu Sheng glanced indifferently at the newborn mermaid. Although it didn't have features yet, he felt strange familiarity.

He looked at it quietly for a moment, then softly said, "Nian Rong."

The scene abruptly ended. Hua Xiangwan looked up at him.

Yu Sheng was stunned. Hua Xiangwan laughed. "Not bad—you really were reincarnated as a mermaid, and you even named it. This mermaid isn't an adult yet, is it? You're female now. What if it grows up and falls in love with some male mermaid and becomes female..."

Before she could finish, Yu Sheng instantly stood, turned, and left.

Hua Xiangwan hurriedly grabbed her. "Wait! I've helped you so much—give me the Demon Lord's Blood Token before you leave! Anyway, you're not going to breed evil creatures anymore."

"Here."

Yu Sheng threw down a piece of iron like scrap. Hua Xiangwan quickly caught it, watching Yu Sheng rush back. She stood. "Hey! Answer one more question."

Yu Sheng turned around.

Hua Xiangwan smiled, but her eyes were cold. "Tell me—what's the name of the man Jiang Rong liked?"

Yu Sheng paused, then lowered her voice, speaking truthfully. "Yang Suo."

"But you call him Lin Luo?"

"That's the name Rongrong changed for him after he came to Yun Sheng Town. Rongrong also forged identity documents for him to live there."

"Then who were his enemies, and what did they do?"

Hua Xiangwan seemed to know more, smiling.

"Speaking of which—" Yu Sheng hesitated slightly. "This matter is also related to you."

"Oh?"

"The people who chased him came from all sorts of sects and factions. I heard from Rongrong that his family had been stationed at Qinghe Pass for generations. Qinghe Pass is located on the western border, originally under Hehuan Palace's jurisdiction. Outside Qinghe Pass were mindless demonic beasts with only martial prowess."

"That's right." Hua Xiangwan nodded. "And then?"

"I heard Qinghe Pass had actually detected the demonic beasts' unusual activity quite early. This person was responsible for relaying the message, but instead of sending it to Hehuan Palace in time, he sent it to Mingluan Palace. Afterwards, Mingluan Palace ordered him to open the border defense array."

Hearing this, Hua Xiangwan's smile remained unchanged.

The border defense array opened wide. One hundred thousand demonic beasts advanced unimpeded, straight to Hehuan Palace.

All frontline cultivators perished. Hehuan Palace didn't even have time to receive news before directly engaging in battle.

At that time, her mother was undergoing tribulation, and the three elders were invited by the Demon Lord to participate in the Enlightenment Conference. Only the younger generation remained in Hehuan Palace, fighting desperately.

"And then?"

"After he finished this, he took a large number of magic treasures and spirit stones from Qingle Palace and fled with his whole family in the chaos. However, Mingluan Palace relentlessly pursued him. He thought he'd be safe once he reached Qingle Palace's territory, but unexpectedly, Qingle Palace also wanted to kill him. In the end, he fled to Goddess Mountain, intending to cross the mountain to Dingli Sea, then cross the sea to Yunlai. It was there he met Rongrong."

"Besides that, is there anything else related to me?"

Hua Xiangwan's smile remained on her face, as if asking about something unrelated to herself.

Yu Sheng thought for a moment. "Before you entered the mountain, I heard Wu Li and Wen Shaoqing arguing. He said he would tell you the truth of what happened back then. It seems Wen Shaoqing received Hehuan Palace's plea for help from the beginning, but..."

He didn't come.

Without Yu Sheng needing to finish, everyone present knew the result.

Hua Xiangwan nodded and pointed to Yu Sheng's stomach. "Do you need my help with this?"

"No need. Go back to where you came from."

With that, Yu Sheng turned to look around.

She closed her eyes. Spiritual energy dissipated from her body, spreading outward.

Withered grass and trees grew back. People still kowtowing at the mountain's foot slowly returned to their original age. Simultaneously, Yu Sheng's stomach flattened.

Hua Xiangwan watched her finish. When all spiritual energy dissipated, Yu Sheng turned around, seemingly tired.

"Now, may I leave?"

"All karma is severed." Hua Xiangwan raised her hand. "Please."

Yu Sheng nodded, unable to resist glancing again at the Azure Sea Pearl in Hua Xiangwan's hand. After hesitating, she finally spoke. "Um... if I may ask another question."

"Hmm?"

"The Azure Sea Pearl cannot recognize a master unless willingly given." Yu Sheng frowned. "I wonder which member of my clan's royal family was willing to cut out their heart to make the Azure Sea Pearl and present it to Young Master Hua?"

Hua Xiangwan remained silent, her smile finally fading slightly.

Wind and snow swept by. Hua Xiangwan smiled. "In the past few hundred years, who else from the Merfolk clan has ever come to this world?"

Yu Sheng was taken aback. After a moment, she pursed her lips, placed her hands on her forehead, performed a unique Merfolk bow to Hua Xiangwan, then rose and left.

Watching Yu Sheng turn and depart, Hua Xiangwan looked down at the Blood Token before turning back.

Then she saw the young man standing silently beside her, sword in hand.

Only then did she realize how heavy the snowstorm around them was. She hadn't noticed because he'd been standing behind her the whole time, shielding her.

She chuckled softly. "Xie Changji, you..."

She trailed off, unsure what to say next, then waved her hand and stepped forward. "Never mind, let's go."

Lost in thought, she clutched the Azure Sea Pearl and trudged through the snow.

Xie Changji turned to look at her, then suddenly called out, "Hua Xiangwan."

Hua Xiangwan turned. She saw Xie Changji holding the Heart-Questioning Sword, speaking earnestly. "I'm not an outsider."

Hua Xiangwan looked at him quietly while Xie Changji's gaze fell on the Azure Sea Pearl in her hand.

"I couldn't accompany you through the past two hundred years, but I have a long time."

For the next thousand years, ten thousand years, I can accompany you.

Hua Xiangwan smiled but didn't speak. After a long while, she shook her head. "Xie Changji, many moments in a person's life are meaningless."

If the most crucial moment is missed, then there's no need to appear again.