Sang Dai asked, “Are you planning to sleep here tonight?”
Without opening his eyes, Su Xuan replied, “This is this sovereign’s main hall. Why wouldn’t this sovereign sleep here?”
Since Sang Dai’s meridians had been reconstructed, she had been able to sleep peacefully at night. Su Xuan had fully devoted himself to handling matters of the royal family and no longer shared a room with her at night.
Sang Dai opened her mouth to say something, but the words were swallowed back.
There was no need. Su Xuan wouldn’t do anything to her. While he cared deeply for her, he only allowed himself to indulge secretly in his thoughts, always treating her with respect and propriety.
Sang Dai silently lay down on the bed.
The hall was filled with a calming incense to aid sleep. She had no guard against Su Xuan. Without spiritual energy, her body was no different from that of a mortal, often fatigued and in need of rest.
As her thoughts settled, her breathing soon became steady.
The figure lying on the soft couch stirred slightly, opened his eyes, and glanced toward her.
He got up, walked over to her, lifted the bed curtain, and sat by her bedside, watching her.
Sang Dai was unable to sense his presence. In the past, if he so much as moved, Sang Dai would wake up instantly.
But now, without spiritual energy, she couldn’t detect the presence of a demon cultivator at the Grand Ascension stage.
Su Xuan lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on Sang Dai’s left wrist, where Changmang lay quietly coiled.
He pressed his lips together slightly, then spoke softly:
“Changmang, form a contract with her.”
Changmang: “?”
It hesitated. Changmang liked Sang Dai very much and wanted to recognize her as its master, to protect her, connect its thoughts with hers, and fight alongside her.
But Sang Dai hadn’t given her consent, and Su Xuan had never ordered it to recognize her as its master. Changmang couldn’t act on its own initiative.
Su Xuan urged again, “Recognize her as your master. Do it now.”
A faint trace of spiritual energy pricked Sang Dai’s fingertip, forcing out a tiny drop of blood.
Changmang liked Sang Dai so much, and with its other master insisting, it had no reason to refuse.
The light blue ribbon-like spirit absorbed the drop of blood, its entire form glowing faintly.
The light grew brighter and brighter until it coalesced into a round bead, which then disappeared into Sang Dai’s sea of consciousness.
Changmang, which had previously been slightly dim in color, suddenly turned a deep indigo.
It darted excitedly along Sang Dai’s wrist, its movements causing the sleeping swordswoman to frown slightly. Su Xuan immediately grabbed it by its vital spot, stopping its antics.
“Don’t disturb her sleep.”
Changmang nodded enthusiastically. Mm-hmm!
It obediently shrank down and coiled around its new master’s wrist, taking the form of a simple hand rope that resembled a fine piece of jewelry from afar.
Sang Dai continued to sleep peacefully.
Within her sea of consciousness, Changmang’s artifact spirit quietly concealed itself.
Su Xuan’s hand clenched slightly.
What would her reaction be when she woke up? Would she be angry that he had taken it upon himself to let Changmang form a contract with her?
Su Xuan lowered his long lashes, holding Sang Dai’s hand. The fingertip he had just nicked quietly healed itself.
It was only a minor wound, so small it was barely worth mentioning, and in the blink of an eye, it disappeared without a trace.
Yet Su Xuan did not let go of her hand. Instead, he held it tighter. His broad palm completely enveloped the swordswoman’s slender fingers.
He gazed at her serene brows and eyes, remaining silent for a long time.
He had stayed up all night, guarding her as she slept, fearing that the hard-won peace they had gained would be shattered.
When Sang Dai opened her eyes the next morning, she immediately sensed something unusual.
Her meridians felt warmer than before, and within her sea of consciousness, there was a presence—one she didn’t recognize.
It was…
An artifact.
She could sense the artifact spirit within her sea of consciousness.
Sang Dai sat up and looked down at the Changmang coiled around her wrist. It darted about excitedly, circling her arm.
There was another person in the room.
Su Xuan sat lazily on the soft couch, propping his chin with his hand as he watched her. It seemed as though he had been staring at her all night.
“You’re awake?”
Sang Dai’s black hair draped loosely over her shoulders, her just-woken face still carrying a trace of drowsiness. She glanced at him in a confused daze.
“Su Xuan, what happened to my meridians?”
Su Xuan found no trace of anger on her face.
She wasn’t angry—just bewildered.
The tension in his chest finally eased, and the hand clenched tightly beneath his wide sleeve gradually relaxed.
In a cool tone, Su Xuan said, “The Immortal Realm and Beast Realm will both send people to Bairen Alley. This time, the auction features Immortal Velvet Grass and a Heaven-Grade Spiritual Root. You know what that means.”
Sang Dai understood.
The last remaining Immortal Velvet Grass in existence had been in Ying Heng’s possession. Back then, when he defected and was hunted across the Four Realms, he ultimately perished in the Demon Realm. But who had killed him remained a mystery to this day.
Likewise, since the founding of the cultivation world, most Heaven-Grade Spiritual Root wielders had either ascended or died in battle. The only exception was Ying Heng, who had been besieged and killed.
For a spiritual root to remain active, it had to be forcibly extracted while the host was still alive. Once the host died, the root would invariably perish alongside its master.
The Immortal Velvet Grass and Heaven-Grade Spiritual Root were likely Ying Heng’s. Whoever had offered them up must have been the last person to see him.
A criminal hated by all Four Realms—was he truly dead? The Four Realms needed a definitive answer.
As for how many people coveted the Immortal Velvet Grass and Heaven-Grade Spiritual Root, Sang Dai didn’t even need to guess.
It was a Heaven-Grade Spiritual Root—everyone desired it.
“You’ve only reconstructed your meridians, but your Golden Core is still shattered. Losing your natal artifact was a severe blow to your mental state. Your resolve is unstable. Without the protection of a natal artifact, the vengeful spirits in Bairen Alley will easily seize your soul.”
Su Xuan’s words sounded very much like an explanation.
Sang Dai raised her eyes to look at him again, her expression calm and steady. Su Xuan felt as though she could see right through him.
He deliberately cooled his tone. “Don’t overestimate your importance. If a vengeful spirit seizes your body, this sovereign won’t save you.”
【Did that sound okay? Dai Dai shouldn’t be angry, right? So many people are heading to Bairen Alley this time—it’ll surely be dangerous. The royal family is eyeing Dai Dai too, and the Zhiyu Sword can no longer protect her. Her Golden Core is still shattered, and she can’t use her spiritual power. With Changmang bonded to her, at least it can fight alongside her… but Changmang is a weapon meant for a Beast Queen. Will she feel insulted?】
After bonding with Sang Dai, Changmang had become especially attached to her, curling around her and even nuzzling her cheek. It no longer feared Su Xuan and was completely focused on its new master.
Sang Dai patted Changmang, holding back a laugh as she asked Su Xuan, “But isn’t Changmang a Heaven-Grade artifact, one that only a Beast Queen can use?”
Su Xuan stiffened, already prepared with an excuse. “You remembered wrong. It’s nothing more than an ordinary binding ribbon.”
Changmang bristled indignantly, bobbing its head toward Su Xuan in a display of defiance, as though it wished it could speak to refute him.
Heaven-Grade artifacts in the Four Realms could be counted on one hand. Sang Dai’s Zhiyu Sword was also Heaven-Grade, revered as a treasure in the Sword Sect’s pavilion. Any other sect would treat Changmang as a sacred artifact.
Sang Dai couldn’t help but laugh.
Fine. She hadn’t expected Su Xuan to outright lie like this, especially when he had admitted the truth just yesterday.
Ignoring Changmang’s protests, Su Xuan noted Sang Dai’s lack of anger at his decision to have Changmang bond with her. The weight pressing on him all night finally lifted.
He quickly changed the subject. “Since you’re awake, get up. Pack your things—we leave for Bairen Alley in half an hour.”
Sang Dai glanced at Changmang coiled around her. It immediately understood, shrinking into the form of a bracelet on her wrist.
She slipped on her shoes, stood, and walked toward Su Xuan.
The height difference between them was significant. Sang Dai barely reached his shoulder and always had to tilt her head back to look at him.
“Su Xuan, you too,” she said.
Su Xuan blinked. “…What?”
Sang Dai replied, “Be careful.”
“I am the only disciple of Ying Heng Immortal Lord. Even though what happened back then wasn’t my fault, my master destroyed the Guixu Spirit Vein, cutting off the Four Realms’ spiritual lifelines. Over the years, there have been no shortage of people who want to kill me. Su Xuan, if they find out I’m still alive and recognize my identity, being with me will put you in great danger.”
Su Xuan didn’t respond.
Of course, he knew all of this.
Ying Heng’s destruction of the Guixu Spirit Vein had severed the Four Realms’ path to immortality. The collective fury of the realms needed an outlet. Even though Ying Heng was dead, many people had redirected their anger toward Sang Dai.
If not for her status as the eldest daughter of the Sword Sect, Su Xuan’s covert protection over the years, and her own abilities as a peak Nascent Soul cultivator, her identity as Ying Heng’s disciple would have been enough to get her killed countless times.
But during the recent skirmishes between the two realms, the Sword Sect had abandoned her. There were even whispers that they wanted to restore Shi Yao’s position in the sect. News had begun to spread that Sang Dai was not truly the eldest daughter of the Sword Sect.
Outwardly, Sang Dai now stood alone. She had no sect to protect her, no cultivation base to rely on, and only a Heaven-Grade spiritual root to her name.
An ordinary person is innocent, but treasuring jade invites trouble. Even without spiritual power, possessing a Heaven-Grade spiritual root was enough to make her a target, one who might die in some nameless corner.
The air around Su Xuan suddenly grew heavy. His eyes darkened, and his pupils faintly dilated—a clear sign of his anger. He looked at Sang Dai, emotions swirling complicatedly in his gaze.
After a long pause, he said in a deep voice, “This sovereign’s people—no one dares touch them.”
【If anyone dares to act, then I’ll kill them all.】
Even his inner voice carried a heavy tone, laden with endless killing intent.
Sang Dai’s lips parted, intending to soothe his emotions.
But before she could speak, she heard Su Xuan say,
“Sang Dai, you can trust me.”
He didn’t use his usual formal title, instead opting for the simple and intimate “I.”
Perhaps even he hadn’t noticed.
Standing before her, Su Xuan appeared different. In the past, the two of them had rarely spoken, their gazes toward each other always distant and detached.
But now, his eyes softened as he looked at her. The tear mole beneath his left eye was faint, his usual mask of indifference stripped away. In his eyes was a hint of hesitation, and his strikingly handsome features seemed far less intimidating than before.
Sang Dai swallowed the words she had intended to say and instead smiled gently. “Mm, I trust you.”
There was no need to make everything so explicit—because they were the people in this world who understood each other best.
Su Xuan’s ears turned slightly red. He turned around, brushing aside the beaded curtain as he walked out.
“This sovereign will wait for you outside. Cui Shao, help her pack her things.”
Once he reached the empty space outside, Su Xuan’s long fingers pressed against his black robe, and he could clearly hear the sound of his own heartbeat.
Loud and deafening.
“Really… how could she be so adorable?”
He wanted to kiss her.
—
TL: I think Su Xuan had thought about the word ‘kiss’ 20 times already since CH 1 😂