Yan Chenghuan's eyes were red-rimmed, and the red at the corners of her eyes looked dangerous yet alluring against the backdrop of Yi Li's colors.

Even so, his expression remained clear, and he looked at her with amusement, saying, "What, are you scared? Haven't you always wanted to uncover my secrets?"

Zhang Xu roughly understood why his strength had improved so rapidly; perhaps it was due to this. But if things continued like this, what would become of Yan Chenghuan in the end? Would he become like the one described in the original work, devoid of his mind, reduced to a killing machine, a demon that plunged the world into chaos?

"Are you alright?" Zhang Xu asked with some concern.

He expected to receive either fear or disgust, but Zhang Xu's response was pure concern, without a trace of other emotion.

From the moment he became sensible, he understood that his birth was not something he had been looking forward to. His parents' indifference, the world-weariness of those around him, and the wariness of the cultivation world all filled him with disgust for this world. He originally intended to end his life in a daze, but unexpectedly, when he was sent to the Chen Kingdom as a hostage, he met Rong Yue, who seemed kind.

It seemed that this was the light destined for him, but an accident made him realize that even Rong Yue's appearance was arranged.

It seemed that everything around him was fake.

But now, someone is asking him with concern: Are you alright?

Yan Chenghuan suddenly burst into laughter, tears streaming down his face.

"Yan Chenghuan, are you alright?" Seeing him laughing maniacally, Zhang Xu was momentarily frightened. After hesitating for a moment, she reached out and touched his forehead. Finding nothing wrong, she said somewhat dejectedly, "I'm fine! Then why is it abnormal!"

Yan Chenghuan grabbed the hand that was trying to pull back. His eyes were red, and his deep pupils seemed to be like a thousand-year-old cold pool, dangerous yet alluring.

"Zhang Xu, I don't care where you came from or what you want to do. Now that you're here, don't lie to me. If I find out you're lying to me too, you'll never leave."

Zhang Xu stared at his red, tear-filled eyes, speechless for a moment.

Seeing that she didn't make a sound, Yan Chenghuan tightened his grip on her wrist.

Feeling the pain in her wrist, Zhang Xu frowned and said, "You pinched me too hard."

Yan Chenghuan showed no intention of letting go, his expression gradually turning ferocious: "Answer me!"

Realizing that Yan Chenghuan's condition was a bit off, Zhang Xu gripped her wrist and said as if coaxing a child, "Okay, okay, I understand."

As if a switch had been flipped, the expression on Yan Chenghuan's face vanished instantly, she rolled her eyes, and her body went limp as she collapsed.

The moment he fell, the box containing the black feather suddenly closed, the aura that filled the room disappeared, and everything returned to nature.

The night was still, and Zhang Xu looked at Yan Chenghuan lying on the bed but couldn't fall asleep.

Asleep, Yan Chenghuan looked incredibly docile, with fair skin, a straight nose, and long eyelashes—as beautiful as a figure from a painting. At this moment, he seemed like the most real person she knew. Having known him for so long, she felt she had never seen him truly himself; normally, no matter what, he always seemed to be wearing a mask.

"He has something bad here," Xiao Mumu jumped out and pointed at Yan Chenghuan's head.

Since its last major injury, Little Mumu had mostly been asleep, but this time it jumped out, and it was clear that it was in much better spirits. At this moment, Little Mumu shook the leaves on its head, and its lush green face showed a rare serious expression.

Zhang Xu knew, of course, that Yan Chenghuan had a demonic seed within him, but she didn't know its current state.