Just as Xie Shuci was struggling with his inner conflict, the woman swayed and slowly walked to the table.

As they drew closer, the woman's delicate, fair skin, like egg white, seemed flawless. Her autumn eyes swept over the group with a casual glance, and her lips parted slightly: "May I ask what brings you all here?"

Xie Shuci snapped out of her daze. She had to admit that the fairy sister was indeed very ethereal, and possessed a dignified air. Upon seeing her, Xie Shuci involuntarily sat up straight and smiled, saying, "Sister, you are so beautiful, just as beautiful as Sister Ye and Little Fairy Orchid!"

His words were straightforward, but his eyes were clear and pure, not frivolous at all, but rather full of sincerity.

Luo Xianlan lowered her head shyly, "Brother Xiao Ci, don't talk nonsense."

The woman's eyes curved slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips. She walked behind Luo Xianlan, gently lifting a strand of her long hair with her delicate hand. "You flatter me, sir."

"By the way, I heard that Sister Ye was the previous courtesan queen. Why did she join the Hehuan Sect?" Xie Shuci asked curiously.

Luo Xianyu lowered her eyes slightly. "Perhaps she's tired of the bustling beauty of Tianzhu City and wants to go outside for a look."

Luo Xianlan explained, "Brother Xiaoci, you don't know this, but a courtesan like me cannot leave Tianzhu City even for a moment."

"Oh." Xie Shuci nodded knowingly. "Someone as dashing and spirited as Sister Ye would definitely not be confined to one place."

"Oh, right, sister, my name is Xie Shuci, and this is my younger brother Xie An. He is the king."

"Aww!"

Luo Xianyu of the Great Dynasty stuck out her tongue and barked eagerly.

Xie An kept his lips pressed together and lowered his head, seemingly unconcerned.

Luo Xianyu nodded slightly, her gaze lingering on Xie An for a moment before shifting away. She then turned to Xie Shuci and said, "Young Master Xie, do you have the token given to you by Changxuan? May I borrow it to take a look?"

“Sure.” Xie Shuci took the token out of his pocket and handed it to Luo Xianyu.

Luo Xianyu took the token, looked at the mottled colors on it, and a gentle smile appeared on her face. As if she had been thinking of her, she stroked the surface of the token and sighed, "It is indeed Changxuan's thing. I haven't seen her for many years. How is she now?"

"Yes! Sister Ye is now an elder of the Hehuan Sect."

"Could you tell me how you met her?" Luo Xianyu sat down at the table, her beautiful eyes fixed on Xie Shuci. Perhaps because Ye Changxuan was mentioned, she seemed much gentler.

"Okay! Let me have a drink of water first. A lot has happened since I met Sister Ye. I'll tell you everything."

Although Xie Shuci found that meeting Luo Xianyu hadn't changed his mind, he was still happy to talk to the beautiful woman and make friends.

Xie An lowered his eyes and sat down beside him. Perhaps hearing Xie Shuci's enthusiastic tone, he pressed down on his lips, and his hand that was stroking the king's hair stopped, hovering lightly over the king's neck.

The king keenly sensed his displeasure and wisely lay motionless on his lap, fearing that a fire at the city gate would affect innocent bystanders.

"Aww!"

The king originally intended to keep its eyes closed and mind at ease, because it not only couldn't beat this human, but it also wouldn't let itself be fierce to him. Who knew that the human would suddenly pinch its belly, and the king let out a howl.

Xie An said, "It's hungry."

The King: "..."

"Hungry?" Xie Shuci's attention was immediately diverted, and he took the king out of his arms. "You just ate something a quarter of an hour ago, are you hungry again?"

The king blinked innocently, looked at Xie Shuci, then at Xie An, and exclaimed, "Huh?"

The baby doesn't know either; maybe the baby is hungry.

Xie An said, "It's a wolf, and it eats more than an ordinary dog."

The King: "Awooo!"

Pah! Now you know the baby's a wolf?!

Xie Shuci thought about it and realized it made sense. The Great King was not only a wolf, but also a wolf demon, so his appetite must be quite large. So he asked, "Is there anything to eat here?"

Before Luo Xianyu and the other person could answer, Xie An said, "I saw a butcher shop on the way here."

Upon hearing this, Xie Shuci looked at Xie An in surprise, and the other two also turned their attention to him.

Xie An's eyes were lifeless, making it easy to see that he was blind.

Xie Shuci raised an eyebrow, “...Look?”

Xie An was taken aback, then said without changing his expression, "Smell."

Xie Shuci: "..."

He glanced at Xie An suspiciously, sensing that the latter was acting a bit strangely.

Xie An remained calm and composed, letting him watch.

After a while, Xie Shuci still couldn't figure out what was going on, so he turned around and shook the king, asking, "Want to eat meat?"

"Huh?"

The king glanced at Xie An. "Baby, can you say you don't want to?"

Xie An pressed down the corners of his lips.

"Ouch."

I understand, baby can't.

"Aww!" The king nodded. The human next to you said he wanted some meat.

Perhaps seeing the king's intelligence, Luo Xianyu asked, "May I touch it?"

"Oh? Sure," Xie Shuci nodded. "You can touch its neck; it likes that."

Luo Xianyu nodded, then gently placed her hand on the king's neck. The beautiful woman exuded a refreshing fragrance, and her movements were gentle. The king rubbed against her a few times in enjoyment.

"It's a Crimson Snow Wolf, which I found in the Dragon Fang Secret Realm. It's very obedient, but a bit talkative, and it loves to hug and cuddle with people."

As the king nuzzled against her, it suddenly noticed that the human next to Diedie's face was growing increasingly grim, and her lips were tightening more and more. Its neck stiffened instantly, and it instinctively sensed danger. It quickly tugged at Diedie's sleeve, trying to get away from this fragrant and beautiful woman.

"Awooo! Awooo!"

Hurry and take the baby with you!

Seeing this, Luo Xianyu calmly withdrew her hand. "It must be hungry. Let's take it to get something to eat... cough!"

Before she could finish speaking, Luo Xianyu frowned, looking somewhat pained. She covered her lips with a handkerchief and coughed heavily a few times.

"Sister!" Luo Xianlan quickly poured her a glass of water, helped her catch her breath, and frowned, her voice filled with concern, "Sister, you've been coughing for over half a month, why isn't it getting better?"

Xie Shuci was startled and looked up, suddenly noticing that the white handkerchief Luo Xianyu was holding to her lips was soaked in blood.

He was startled, "You..."

"I'm fine," Luo Xianyu interrupted him before he could speak.

She took a breath, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, and then looked intently at Xie Shuci, repeating, "Young Master Xie, I'm fine."

Xie Shuci frowned slightly, but did not continue speaking.

Luo Xianlan, however, was oblivious to the blood on her handkerchief. "Sister, is your handkerchief wet?"

Luo Xianyu calmly folded the blood-stained handkerchief, held it in her palm, coughed violently, and said lightly with a blush on her cheeks, "I'll throw it away in a bit."

"Sister, have you seen a doctor? Why have you been coughing for so long?" Luo Xianlan's face still showed worry.

Luo Xianyu nodded: "It's just a common cold, a few doses of medicine will do the trick."

"elder sister……"

"Xianlan, look at what color clothes your sister is wearing today?"

Before Xiao Xianlan could finish speaking, Luo Xianyu interrupted her.

The blush faded from her face, and her complexion became somewhat pale. However, Luo Xianlan couldn't even distinguish the most vibrant red, so how could she see the subtle changes in her complexion?

"Take a look quickly," Luo Xianyu urged, pulling her hand.

Luo Xianlan glanced at her helplessly. She couldn't possibly discern the truth; she was just guessing randomly.

"Vermilion?"

Luo Xianyu shook her head. "Purple."

She picked up a piece of the sleeve, took Xiaoxianlan's hand, and gently placed it on the edge of the sleeve. "Purple is the color of the iris, and also the last color of the rainbow. It looks calm, dignified, and dignified. Purple aura comes from the east, and it also represents auspiciousness and nobility."

“Purple…” Xiao Xianlan murmured in confusion, stroking her sleeve.

"Hmm." Luo Xianyu nodded, then looked at Xie Shuci and the other person. When she met Xie Shuci's complicated gaze, she lowered her eyes and pursed her lips, saying, "Xianlan, since you two are Changxuan's friends, you should take them around the city for the next two days. Don't neglect them."

Xiao Xianlan nodded. "Xianlan understands."

"Please, everyone."

Xie Shuci, the other two, and the dog left the room.

Along the way, Xie Shuci kept his head down, deep in thought, while Xie An carried the King on his left. Xiao Xianlan looked at the irises blooming on the vines with a bewildered expression.

Purple, the iris, the last color of the rainbow—what does it really look like?

She really wanted to know.

She wanted to know what color clothes her sister wore every day, what color the flowers in front of her were, and even more so, the color of the sky and the colors of everything in the world.

Xie Shuci looked down at Xiao Xianlan beside him, who was in a daze, and his gaze gradually became complicated.

Coughing up blood may not be a serious illness, but coughing continuously for half a month, and keeping it a secret from Xiaoxianlan, is probably a serious illness.

But she clearly didn't want Xiao Xianlan to worry, so Xie Shuci didn't dare to say anything more.

He just felt helpless. If one day something happened to Luo Xianyu, and Xiao Xianlan only then found out that her sister was coughing up blood every time, and she was watching it with her own eyes but knew nothing about it, how sad she would be then.

No, he had to find an opportunity to ask Luo Xianyu if she was sick.

"What are you thinking about?"

Xie Shuci rarely remains silent; he usually only stops talking when he is in a bad mood.

Seeing Xiao Xianlan eating meat with the king, Xie Shuci couldn't help but sigh, "Just now, Luo Xianyu coughed up blood and her complexion was not good. She may be sick."

Xie An pursed his lips, his tone subtly deepening, "Are you worried about her?"

Xie Shuci didn't notice Xie An's harsh tone; his mind was still filled with the image of Luo Xianyu's handkerchief stained with blood.

"And I feel it's not a minor illness."

"Her life or death is none of your business," Xie An said coldly.

Hearing his words, Xie Shuci was stunned.

In fact, he took Chu Guiyi's words to heart.

He knew that Chu Guiyi would not lie to him, nor would he bother to lie to him. Even he himself could occasionally sense something was off about Xie An; it was a sense of distance.

Xie An would sometimes seem like a completely different person, making it hard for Xie Shuci to tell which side was the real him. But deep down, Xie Shuci always subconsciously suppressed those strange thoughts.

For example, why did the little blind man suddenly disappear and reappear several times in the tomb? And after obtaining the Qiankun Mirror, there were sudden footsteps in the passage. Xie Shuci later recalled that at that time, he vaguely heard the sound of bells. Although he was not sure if he was hallucinating, upon careful consideration, Xie An's behavior was different from his usual behavior in front of Xie Shuci.

However, Xie Shuci couldn't be sure whether this inexplicable sense of distance was his own illusion or a real phenomenon. His mind had been in turmoil lately, and he'd felt himself going crazy more than once, so he dared not draw any conclusions easily.

Xie Shuci lowered his head in silence, but he didn't like the atmosphere of having nothing to say to the little blind man. He had been tormented all night. After seeing Luo Xianyu, he found that his mentality had not changed at all. He even thought about giving up and letting things be. He could think about it, but he would never take any action.

Xie Shuci lowered his head, kicked Xie An's white boots sullenly, and muttered, "Well, I just like to meddle in other people's business."

Xie Shuci tugged at his sleeve, "Look, if something happens to her in the future, how sad will Xiao Xianlan be?"

He was downcast and looked melancholy.

Xie An pursed his lips, wanting to say something, but hesitated.

"Moreover, if she were to die young, it would be a loss for the whole world."

Xie An: "..."

"Didn't you always want to see her? Now that you've seen her, how do you feel?" Xie An asked.

"Beautiful, and truly deserving of its name, but it doesn't seem that unapproachable. It's quite similar to the Little Fairy Orchid."

Xie An raised his long eyelashes slightly and asked, "Don't you like it?" The word "like" made Xie Shuci's ears burn slightly. He hurriedly shook his head, trying to shake the word away from him. "I don't like it! Not at all! A real man is never bound by love! I think you're right, 'It's foolish to be troubled by love.' I've decided to make it my motto. I will seal my heart and lock away love, dedicating my life to the people!"

After listening to his string of words, Xie An frowned slightly, as if he wanted to say something more, but Xie Shuci didn't give him a chance to speak. He darted to Xiao Xianlan's side and watched the dog eat meat with her.

Xie An stood behind the two men, looking thoughtful.

Xie Shuci and Xiao Xianlan had a great time playing together all day, and gradually forgot about their troubles.

In the evening, after parting ways with Xiao Xianlan, Xie Shuci and the others returned to the inn.

As Xie An reached the door, he stopped as if to say something. Xie Shuci waved to him, "Get some rest. You've made plans to go out with Xiao Xianlan tomorrow."

After saying that, he carried the king back to his room, humming an unknown tune.

Xie An looked at the tightly closed door and listened to the dog's cheerful barking, and gritted his teeth inwardly.

Perhaps realizing that even seeing the most beautiful woman in the world couldn't correct his increasingly skewed thinking, Xie Shuci felt much more relaxed than he had been these past few days after deciding to give up. As long as he didn't take any action and kept a little distance, even just thinking about it in his mind sometimes wouldn't be illegal, and no one else would know.

So what's there to worry about!

So Xie Shuci held the king and slept soundly.

The next morning, the king, who was jumping around on the bed, woke Xie Shuci.

Before Xie Shuci even opened his eyes, he pushed the king aside with his hand.

"Awooo!" The king lay down by the bed and wagged his tail.

Xie Shuci stretched and mumbled, "You bastard, you were moving around a lot last night."

"Huh?"

You're talking nonsense.

Xie Shuci patted it, rubbed his eyes and sat up, glancing out the window at the same time; it was already broad daylight.

He muttered to himself, "Why is the little blind man getting up so late today?"

Xie An usually wakes up earlier than him, so he must have been tired from walking around all day yesterday.

Xie Shuci didn't think too much about it. After having the waiter bring hot water to wash up, he felt refreshed and carried the king out of the room, then knocked on Xie An's door.

"Little blind boy, are you awake?"

"Aww!"

After a long silence, Xie Shuci frowned, knocked twice more, and called out, "Xie An, are you awake? I'm coming in."

Xie Shuci pressed his ear against the door, but there was no sound from inside. Strange, could it be that Xie An hadn't woken up yet? That shouldn't be the case.

"Am I coming in?" Xie Shuci called out again, but there was still no response.

Xie Shuci frowned, pushed open the door, and poked his head in. "Xie An?"

The room was empty, with the bedding neatly folded on the tatami mat, showing no signs of having been lived in.

Xie Shuci walked into the room with a puzzled look, lifted the quilt and put his hand inside. The bed was cold, and no one had ever slept there.

"Aow!" the king suddenly cried out.

Xie Shuci put the dog down and patted its head. "Do you remember Brother Xie An's scent? Take me to him."

The city of Tianzhu was mostly inhabited by ordinary people, so Xie Shuci wasn't worried that anything might happen to him.

"Aww!"

The king wagged his tail, turned, and ran towards the door.

Xie Shuci quickly closed the door and followed.

As I descended from the attic, the sound of a zither filled the central hall. Two women were playing the erhu on the stage, while seven or eight spectators sat below.

The king led Xie Shuci into the central hall in a flash. Xie Shuci looked around but did not see Xie An.

The king huffed and puffed as he ran forward, then suddenly leaped behind the stage curtain.

"Your Majesty!" Xie Shuci called out softly, but his voice was drowned out by the sound of the erhu. The little creature was full of energy and wouldn't listen to him at all. Xie Shuci had no choice but to gently lift a corner of the curtain and peek inside. Behind the curtain was a room filled with various musical instruments and paintings. Two illuminating spirit orbs were placed on a wooden shelf, behind which was a screen painted with landscape paintings. It seemed that someone was talking behind the screen.

"Your Majesty?" Xie Shuci called out in a low voice. He tiptoed inside, afraid of being discovered and arrested as a thief.

"Your Majesty?"

"Awooo!" The king responded from behind the screen, and Xie Shuci also heard the voices of others at the same time.

"Is it your pet?"

A woman's sweet voice rang out.

A moment later, Xie An's indifferent voice came through: "You could say that."

Xie Shuci paused in his steps.

"Awooo!" The king cried out twice at the screen, urging Xie Shuci to hurry up.

Xie Shuci had no choice but to go around behind the screen. He saw Xie An sitting upright to one side, bending down to lift the king into his arms. Opposite him sat a woman in green, who was painting with a paintbrush.

Upon seeing Xie Shuci, the woman was taken aback. "And who are you, young master?"

"Ah," Xie Shuci scratched the back of his head, pointed at Xie An and the King, and said, "I am his brother. I didn't see him when I got up, so I came to look for him."

The woman nodded slightly after hearing this, put down her paintbrush, and bowed to Xie Shuci, saying, "This humble woman is Minghuan."

Xie An did not react much when Xie Shuci appeared.

Xie Shuci glanced at the woman's drawing on the paper. He could vaguely make out the likeness of Xie An. He chuckled dryly and asked, "What are you all doing here...?"

Minghuan explained, "It's like this. I returned to the inn at the end of the Yin hour and saw Young Master Xie sitting alone in the lobby. On a whim, I asked him to come with me to paint behind the curtain."

"The hour of Yin?" Xie Shuci looked at Xie An in surprise. "Why are you in the lobby all alone so late at night?"

Xie An lowered his eyes and said calmly, "I'm not sleepy."

“Not sleepy…” Xie Shuci was taken aback. He looked at Xie An’s calm face, with a faint blue tinge in his eyes. Xie An was now just a mortal, and he might not be able to withstand a sleepless night.

Before Xie Shuci could speak again, Xie An said, "It's getting late. Didn't you make plans to go out and have fun? I heard that Luo Xianyu will be with you today, so I won't go."

Xie Shuci frowned. "Then go back to your room and get some rest. Why didn't you come to me if you couldn't sleep? What were you doing down here all alone?"

Xie An said, "I don't want to disturb you. I will go back to my room to rest after you finish painting."

Hearing his words, Xie Shuci's heart sank inexplicably, and he asked, "Did you sleep the night before last?"

Xie An pursed his lips and did not respond.

Seeing this, Xie Shuci felt a pang of pain in his heart. Damn it! This idiot, has he not slept for two days?

he……

"you……"

"It's getting late, aren't you leaving?"

Xie An seemed unwilling to continue the previous topic and interrupted him directly.

Upon hearing that they were going out to play, the king tumbled off Xie An's lap and happily bounced around Xie Shuci's feet.

Xie Shuci couldn't bear to leave him alone in the inn, so she hesitated and said, "How about I sleep with you for a while?"

Xie An chuckled in surprise and said, "Do you take me for a child? No need. I'll go back to my room after you finish painting. You can go out and play. Don't break our promise. It shouldn't make much difference whether I'm there or not."

Xie Shuci looked at him suspiciously, unsure whether he was telling the truth or lying. The little blind man seemed perfectly normal, but for some reason, Xie Shuci felt that something was off.

Xie An let him look at him and said to Minghuan, "Miss, please continue."

Xie Shuci stared at him for a few moments, and his expression seemed no different from usual.

"Is there anything you like? I can bring it back for you while I'm at it?"

Upon hearing this, Xie An paused for a moment, slowly lowered his long eyelashes, and finally smiled helplessly: "No."

After saying that, perhaps sensing Xie Shuci's hesitation, Xie An smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'm not a child. Go ahead, don't keep them waiting."

"Awooo!"

The king grabbed Xie Shuci's clothes by the corner of his mouth and dragged him out with all his might.

"Awooooo!"

Never mind him, he'll be fine! Let's go play!

Minghuan also said, "The painting will be finished soon, young master, you don't need to worry."

"Is that so?" Xie Shuci stared blankly at Xie An, whose attention was completely elsewhere. He sat quietly with his eyes lowered, seemingly lost in thought.

Xie Shuci couldn't explain his feelings. In a daze, he was carried away from the room by the king, with Xie An and the woman talking behind him.

Xie Shuci felt very confused, as if a heavy stone was pressing on his heart.

This caused him to feel anything but cheerful despite seeing a clear blue sky.

During the time Xie An had known her, when Xie An was still unable to speak, she was his only connection to the world. Only she could talk to him. Even after Xie An was able to speak, he rarely spoke in front of outsiders, and never spoke to anyone other than Xie Shuci.

But now that he has made new friends, it seems he doesn't need Xie Shuci as much anymore.

Although Xie Shuci didn't want to admit it, he did feel defeated.

But besides the setback, there seemed to be something else very subtle mixed in, something Xie Shuci was unwilling to think about deeply. He felt that being vague was just right, and he couldn't think about it too clearly.

With no dangerous humans around, the king could finally let loose, happily hopping and bobbing its head, its little tail wagging back and forth. When it encountered passersby who wanted to pet it, it would even stick close to them.

Xie Shuci followed behind it listlessly. The king would occasionally turn around to see if Xie Shuci was keeping up, then turn back and tug at his clothes, pulling him forward.

"Your Majesty, do you think it's a bad idea for us to leave him alone?"

Xie Shuci recalled Xie An's appearance just now, and felt a vague unease in his heart.

"Huh?"

The king's big eyes were filled with great confusion.

It's his own fault for not coming; it has nothing to do with us, okay?

Xie Shuci frowned, feeling uneasy.

Little blind man... are you angry?