Chapter 61: Ripping Out Half Her Heart So He Can See

The incense burner was finished.

It was carved from sandalwood, with a layer of copper and tin inside. Upon closer inspection, the burner resembled a lotus flower, its leaves delicate, its buds opening and closing, almost as if it were alive.

Yan Dan touched it tenderly, unable to resist asking, "Are you really going to give it to me?"

Ying Yuan raised his hand and gently touched her forehead, smiling slightly. "What, you're disgusted?" Seeing him make a move to take it back, Yan Dan quickly reached out and grabbed it. "Ah, even if you don't want to give it to me now, I'll make you spit it out..." She saw Ying Yuan reach out, deliberately not avoiding him, and his fingers touched the back of her hand.

He immediately withdrew his hand, remaining silent.

It was just a moment of warmth, then it disappeared, as if nothing had happened.

Yan Dan thought for a moment. "I can't accept something for nothing. What do you want? As long as it's not too difficult, I can find it for you."

"What do I want?" Ying Yuan chuckled softly. "I'm not like you, always liking this and that, so fickle." He couldn't help but raise his hand and gently pat her head, surprised. "Hmm, you've grown a little taller recently."

Yan Dan was furious. Although she knew Ying Yuan's words were not malicious, they still sounded incredibly sarcastic. She was quite satisfied with her human form, except for the occasional grudge about not being tall enough. "Even if your immortal rank is high, you can't pet me like a kitten or puppy."

Ying Yuan still smiled. "Hmm... it's just right to touch like this."

Yan Dan paused, pouting slightly. "Then if you don't tell me what you want, I'll choose it for you. If you want something else later, you won't have the chance."

She knew she couldn't give much, but there was one thing she was sure he would like.

Even though Ying Yuan had never said it, she knew he didn't actually want to spend his whole life in darkness.

She'd consulted several ancient texts—the Lotus Heart of their Four-Leaf Lotus Clan could cure all ailments, including his eyes. All she needed was half of her heart.

She'd exchange half a heart for a sandalwood incense burner—that would be fine too.

Seeing her silence, Ying Yuan was slightly puzzled. "If I have to choose," he said, "then you'll spend more time with me. Even after you ascend to immortality and are no longer at the End of the Earth, remember to come and talk to me occasionally. That would be enough." His fingers brushed across the sandalwood incense burner, where the exquisite lotus flowers and leaves swayed gently, blooming and fading with lifelike detail.

Yan Dan watched the lotus flowers bloom and fade, and slowly nodded. It didn't matter that he couldn't see. Sometimes a promise was just a word, something to keep in one's heart.

Ying Yuan found Yan Dan very strange these past few days, often disappearing without a trace, and when asked, she was unusually hesitant and evasive. He hadn't asked who Yan Dan's master was, but it must be a highly cultivated immortal lord—otherwise, he wouldn't have sent her to the End of the Earth. He vaguely remembered that the edge of the earth had always been sparsely populated, and no immortal lords or fairies had ever managed the books there. It had all been the responsibility of Emperor Zixu.

After the war between immortals and demons, Emperor Zixu hadn't returned, and his position had remained vacant.

Yan Dan probably wouldn't stay with him for much longer.

That chaotic battle between the Heavenly Court and the evil gods had completely severed his past and present. He now merely held the nominal title of Emperor Jiuchen. Even adding "Eastern Pole" before his title to show respect was meaningless.

He reached for the bedside and had just lain down when he heard two knocks on the door. The person outside didn't wait for his reply before pushing the door open and asking in a low voice, "Are you asleep?"

It was indeed Yan Dan. Of course—who else could be here besides her?

Ying Yuan propped himself up on one side and smiled. "Even if I was asleep, you woke me up." He heard Yan Dan tiptoe to the bedside. Since losing his sight, his hearing and sense of touch had become unusually acute. He could even smell a faint fragrance on her that was different from usual.

"Well, I have some questions for you. If you want to answer, just tell me. If you're tired, just go back to sleep."

What was she doing? Ying Yuan frowned slightly, but still lay down beside her. "What do you want to ask?"

"I've read many books, but none of them mention blood eagles. If blood eagles are so powerful, how did you finally deal with them?"

"When our battle with the evil god first started, they were indeed winning. Blood eagles are formed from the blood of the evil god, not from spiritual energy. If you hide between the stone walls, they'll just run into them." Ying Yuan thought for a moment, then suddenly laughed self-deprecatingly. "If we'd discovered it earlier, it wouldn't have come to this..."

"Are there any other strange things in the Demon Realm?"

"Hmm, strange... human-faced badgers, I suppose. They have human faces. You definitely wouldn't like to see them."

"If your eyes could be restored, what would you want to do?"

Ying Yuan assumed she was joking and laughed in response. "I wouldn't even dare to think about such a thing. Why don't you help me think of something?"

Yan Dan had been lying by the bedside, talking to him about trivial things. Later, she couldn't remember what she was saying and slowly lost consciousness.

As he drifted off to sleep, he suddenly saw a flash of white light before his eyes, and then everything returned to darkness.

Silence reigned.

Yan Dan gently closed the door and stepped out of the Diya Palace. She saw her senior brother, Tan Zhuo, standing outside, his face taut, frowning and silent. Yan Dan touched her cheek, wondering if she looked deathly pale. She whispered, "Senior brother, why don't you come in?"

Tan Zhuo grunted. "I can't go in here." He paused, then added, "Yan Dan, do you know that stealing immortal herbs is a grave crime against the Heavenly Laws, punishable by execution on the Heavenly Execution Platform?"

Yan Dan knew, of course, but how could she possibly have the strength to use immortal magic after having half her heart ripped out, let alone move? Senior brother Tan Zhuo was guarding the immortal herbs on Tianchi Mountain, and she'd secretly plucked one. She knew he must be furious.

She could only smile apologetically at him. She was in excruciating pain and could only force herself to stay awake. She could barely hear what he was saying, only unconsciously watching his lips move. She didn't even know where she was going. It was as if she'd gone to a completely unfamiliar place.

She instinctively disliked that place.

"This is the Heavenly Punishment Platform..."

"I won't tell Master about this. You'd better be careful from now on."

"I'll lock you up there now. I won't let you down for three days."

"It's better to face down, at least... you won't see the heavenly lightning..."

Yan Dan obediently did as she was told. She sensed her senior brother was leaving and reached out to grab him, but grasped only empty air. Tan Zhuo stopped and asked in a deep voice, "Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

Yan Dan thought for a moment. "Senior brother, tell Zhixi to take Emperor Yingyuan back. He's almost fully recovered now." She wasn't sure if her half-heart would be of any use. If he didn't recover, she couldn't go back, so she asked Zhixi to take care of him.

Tan Zhuo looked at her for a while, seemingly surprised that she could still be concerned about other things. After a long while, he sighed. "Alright, I'll go talk to Zhixi. I heard from others that the first two days of the Heavenly Punishment are the hardest. Take care of yourself too."

Yan Dan nodded. She'd known all along that her senior brother was a good person, reliable and steady. Anything entrusted to him would be handled properly. It was strange why her master didn't like him much.

She quietly waited for the three days to pass. If she dared to steal the immortal herb, she'd expected to be discovered and then sent to the Heavenly Punishment Platform. Since she was capable of doing it, it would be too irresponsible to say she couldn't accept the consequences.

Suddenly, a muffled thunderclap exploded in her ears. She only heard the bells on the iron chains binding her body rattling. Her back went numb for a while, and slowly a burning, dull pain spread. This pain seemed no less than the pain of having half her heart ripped out.

Yan Dan curled her fingers, gripping the rough surface of the Heavenly Execution Platform tightly. Before her eyes, she seemed to see the man sitting at the table, slowly and meticulously carving an incense burner, the image so clear she could even discern the faint smile on his lips.

She saw it all clearly. From beginning to end, she was perfectly lucid.

---

Ying Yuan slowly opened his eyes.

He knew perfectly well this was futile, yet he did it every day.

But today seemed different. The light that first entered his eyes stung him, causing him to close them tightly before slowly opening them again. Before him were pale blue bed curtains adorned with delicate tassels. Though he'd touched them many times, he'd never imagined he would see them so clearly again.

"Your Majesty..." Lu Jing stepped forward and bowed. "Your Majesty, are you alright?"

Ying Yuan sat up and looked up. He saw the Lantern and Book Fairies standing behind Lu Jing. He gave a perfunctory nod. "I'm fine. Lu Jing, is your injury healed?" He didn't know who he was looking for. He felt the person he most wanted to see wasn't here.

Lu Jing bowed again. "Reporting to Your Majesty, I've fully recovered."

Ying Yuan looked past Lu Jing's shoulder and met the gaze of Fairy Zhi Xi. He pondered for a moment. "How did you all come to the End of the World?"

"It was Zhi Xi who took the initiative to bring everyone here. If Your Majesty wants to blame anyone, blame Zhi Xi alone." She lowered her head slightly, her beautiful neck graceful, her face lovely, inspiring a sense of goodwill.

Ying Yuan suddenly remembered that Linghua Yuanjun had said that if his eyes were to be restored, Fairy Zhi Xi would have to gouge out her heart. Now that he could see, wasn't that...?

Ying Yuan closed his eyes, feeling a pang of sorrow.

How could he occupy something that didn't belong to him?

"Since Your Majesty has healed, why not return to Yanxu Palace as soon as possible? There are still many things left undone in the mortal realm," Lu Jing said softly.

Ying Yuan hummed in agreement, and as he turned around, he saw the sandalwood incense burner he'd carved himself on the windowsill, still emitting wisps of smoke. The faint smoke was quickly blown away by the wind.