"Let's go. Time to head home."
Yu Changmian referred to that small mountain cave as "home." Yan Xiao'er wanted to laugh, but the humor died in her throat; to her, even that tiny patch of space was a luxury she dared not hope for.
The blue mist was no longer as thick as it had been when they first entered the cave. Following the guidance of the flickering green lines, Yan Xiao'er walked with a sense of ease.
Without paying attention, she lost her footing and bumped into Yu Changmian.
"You could have warned me before stopping," Yan Xiao'er muttered.
To her surprise, Yu Changmian’s hand moved with practiced familiarity to wrap firmly around her waist.
"Hey! You!"
"Don't want to go up? Shall I leave you here to play with the spirits instead?"
"No, no! Going up—going up is definitely better."
As her feet left the ground, Yan Xiao'er knew her overthinking had struck again, and she instinctively squeezed her eyes shut.
Strange. They hadn’t used any ropes to climb down when they arrived. What was this whistling wind rushing past her ears?
Yan Xiao'er cracked her eyes open. In the darkness, two massive, colorful glowing wings were attached to Yu Changmian’s back, propelling them upward.
"You—you’re actually a..."
Yan Xiao'er immediately felt something was off. The Yu Family was a branch of the Lingshi Clan, protected by four-legged divine beasts. Yu Changqing had once shown her his—a white leopard. She had even reached out to pat its head, though the beast had tried to bite her.
Her recent interaction with Ling'er had made her feel the unified soul between spirit and master. Did the white leopard’s behavior represent its master’s true intentions?
"Ying-ying-ying."
It was the sound Ling'er made.
"With those tiny wings of yours, it’s a miracle you can even carry your master without dropping her to her death. You’ve got a lot to learn."
"Ying-ying-ying."
Yan Xiao'er felt a subtle strength supporting her feet; Ling'er was trying to imitate the larger wings. But even though it was much larger than a common bee, it was still insignificant in the animal kingdom, let alone the realm of spirit beasts.
Yan Xiao'er, who had grown up thinking she was an ordinary person, now possessed a Guardian Spirit. Could she truly be a descendant of the Wulian Clan?
If that clan had been wiped out a century ago, how had the bloodline reached her generation? If she were the last one left in the world, then according to the time limit mentioned by that man in the prison, she would die if she didn't commit murder within the month.
At the bottom of this Tianjian Abyss, was she expected to kill Yu Changmian?
Perhaps there was a reason fate had arranged it this way. It might even be for the best if this cursed bloodline ended with her. Who would want to be inexplicably despised by the world, only to be forced to commit pointless slaughter?
Lost in thought, she realized Yu Changmian had already carried her back to the top of the cave.
He gripped her chin, forcing her to look into his deep, piercing eyes.
"If you're hiding something, you’d best speak now."
Yan Xiao'er hurriedly avoided his gaze.
"Flying too fast. I’m dizzy."
She wasn't good at lying, so she gave him the most honest feedback she could.
Yu Changmian let out a scoff—it was unclear if he was mocking her or simply didn't believe her. He released his grip, turned, and walked toward the mountain crevice.
Outside, the sky hadn't yet begun to pale. The stream seemed to have stopped flowing, yet the width of its expansion remained unchanged.
Yu Changmian walked toward the upper reaches of the stream, where a circular stone platform stood. He placed his cloth bag upon it, sat down cross-legged, and began to chant in a low voice.
Leaning against the entrance of the rock wall, Yan Xiao'er felt her eyelids growing heavy. She was exhausted.
In a hazy, dreamlike state, she felt Yu Changmian approach. He stood impossibly close, his presence pressing against her as he whispered into her ear.
"What are you hiding from me? Tell me!"
"I want revenge! I want to kill!"
"Tell me. As long as you have something of equal value to trade, I will kill for you."
"Even if it’s your brother?"
"So what? I know you, I don't know him."
Yan Xiao'er smiled with relief, then suddenly felt a jolt of terror. *No, that’s not right.*
"No, you don't know me. The person you know is someone else."
"My face... this is Empress Cheng's face."
"The person you wanted to kiss just now wasn't me. It was your enemy!"
Yan Xiao'er clawed at her own face, indifferent to the blood and torn flesh. She only wanted to rip it off and reshape it. She had to become herself again; at the very least, before she died, she had to return to her own likeness.
"Disperse!"
The hands she had been flailing wildly in the air were firmly gripped. She woke with a start.
"What a nuisance. There was actually a remnant of an Inner Demon Soul. If I didn't cleanse that properly, I'd be doing a disservice to my reputation."
Yu Changmian released her hands and pointed a finger into the air. A Golden Light Talisman struck something invisible with a sharp hiss and a flash, before dissipating into nothingness.
"Where did that little Guardian Spirit go? Stop sleeping." There was a hint of anger in Yu Changmian's tone.
"Biyu, go teach it a lesson. Its master has a unique constitution; in this Tianjian Abyss, she can't afford to be careless at night."
"Ying-ying-ying."
Ling'er appeared, yawning.
Yan Xiao'er heard Yu Changmian call for "Biyu," but the spirit did not fully materialize. Instead, a cluster of green glowing light flickered, manifesting a pair of hands.
The hands squeezed Ling'er's wings, patted its head, and then waved in the air with a gesture of helplessness.
"It says: Your Guardian Spirit was born too early; the time hasn't come. Its intelligence is quite poor, and training it will take a lot of time."
"Ying-ying-ying."
Ling'er stomped its feet in indignation.
Yu Changmian’s expression turned serious. "Guardian Spirits must be trained. Otherwise, they act only on instinct and might do more harm than good when a crisis arises."
"Biyu, starting today, you are to supervise it every night. Teach it the basics first."
The pair of hands instantly transformed into a long whip, raised high, though it did not strike.
"Ying-ying-ying."
"Fine, do as you please. Just don't make me have to start the refining process all over again."
Embarrassed that her nightmare had burdened Yu Changmian, Yan Xiao'er tentatively followed him and asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"
Yu Changmian sat back down before the platform.
"The spirit is unreliable, and the master isn't much better. If it weren't for the fact that you’re a decent soul-lure..."
"Don't stand so close. The spirits inside are restless."
Yan Xiao'er dared not move.
"Where did they come from? These spirits? They didn't seem to have any intention of attacking me just now."
"Did you see the Tombstone Array at the entrance of the Tianjian Abyss?"
"Yes."
"I don't know how you broke through the royal prohibitions to get in, but if you are a subject of the Li Kingdom, you should have heard the stories. The generals of the Li Kingdom whose bodies remained after the Great War three hundred years ago were all given mountain burials. This place is where their bones were laid to rest."
"Their battle spirits never cease, their obsession remains. If they cannot be liberated, they will suffer for eternity. My master had me come here to practice. The day those hundred thousand wild spirits are extinguished is the day I shall leave this place."
Yu Changmian spoke on and on, contrary to his usual reticent self. Yan Xiao'er felt a chill run through her entire body.
Something was deeply, profoundly wrong.
Yu Changmian didn't even know she was the Emperor's "death substitute." He actually believed his time at the bottom of the Tianjian Abyss was a form of spiritual cultivation.
Come to think of it, he also didn't know he had an identical twin brother.
Yan Xiao'er didn't know where to begin asking, but the resolute tone in Yu Changmian's voice made it impossible for her to confront him with the jarring, contradictory facts.