The Tribulations of Love (Part 2)
The sandalwood incense burner is finished.
It is carved from sandalwood and has a layer of copper and tin inside. Upon closer inspection, this agarwood incense burner resembles a lotus flower, with delicate lotus leaves and blooming buds, as if it were alive.
Yan Dan touched it tenderly, then couldn't help but ask, "Are you really going to give it to me?"
Ying Yuan raised his hand and gently touched his forehead, smiling slightly, "What, you're disgusted?" Seeing that he was about 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 and deliberately didn't avoid him, his fingers just touching the back of her hand.
The other person immediately withdrew their hand and remained silent.
It was just a moment of warmth, then it disappeared, as if nothing had ever happened.
Yan Dan thought for a moment and said, "I can't accept something for nothing. Whatever you want, as long as it's not too difficult, I can help you find it."
"What do you 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, have you grown a little taller recently?"
Yan Dan was furious. Although she knew Ying Yuan meant no harm, it still sounded incredibly sarcastic. She was quite satisfied with her human form, except for the occasional grudge about not being tall enough: "Even if you have a high immortal rank, you can't treat me like a kitten or puppy, petting me all you want."
Ying Yuan still smiled: "Hmm...it feels just right to touch like this."
Yan paused for a moment, then pouted slightly: "If you don't tell me what you want, I'll choose it for you. If you ask for 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 Yuanjun never said it, she knew that he didn't actually want to spend his whole life in darkness.
She had 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.
I'd gladly exchange half a heart for a sandalwood incense burner.
Seeing that she had fallen silent, Ying Yuan was slightly puzzled: "If I have to choose, then you should spend more time with me. Even if you ascend to immortality and are no longer at the ends of the earth, remember to come and talk to me from time to time. That would be fine." His fingers brushed over the incense burner, where the delicate lotus flowers and leaves swayed gently, blooming and falling, lifelike.
Yan Dan watched the lotus flowers bloom and fade, and slowly nodded. It didn't matter that he couldn't see her. Sometimes a promise was just a word, and keeping it in one's heart was just as good.
Ying Yuan found Yan Dan's behavior quite strange these past few days. She often disappeared 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 some high-ranking immortal lord, otherwise they wouldn't have sent her to the End of the Earth. He vaguely remembered that the End of the Earth was rarely visited, and there were no immortal lords or fairies managing the books there; it was all previously handled by the Purple Void Emperor.
After the war between immortals and demons, Emperor Zixu was unable to return, and his position remained vacant.
Yan Dan probably won't stay with him for much longer.
That chaotic battle between the Heavenly Court and the evil gods completely severed his past and present. He now merely holds the nominal title of Emperor Jiuchen, and even adding the words "Eastern Pole" before his title to show respect is meaningless.
He reached the bedside and had just lain down when he heard two knocks on the door. Without waiting for a response, the person outside pushed the door open and asked in a low voice, "Are you asleep?"
It really is Yan Dan. Of course, who else would 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 tiptoeing to the bedside. Since he lost his sight, his hearing and touch had become unusually sensitive. He could even smell a faint fragrance on her that was different from usual.
"I have some questions for you. If you want to answer them, just tell me. If you're tired, just go to sleep."
What are you 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 manage to take them down in the end?"
“When our battle with the evil god first began, they were indeed winning all the way. The blood eagles were formed from the blood of the evil god, not from spiritual energy. If we hid between the stone walls, they would just keep running into the outside.” Ying Yuan thought for a moment, then suddenly laughed self-deprecatingly, “If we had realized it sooner, things wouldn’t have come to this…”
"Are there any other strange things in the Demon Realm?"
"Hmm, strange... a badger with a human face, you definitely wouldn't like to see that."
"If your eyesight could get better, what would you want to do?"
Ying Yuan took it as a joke and replied with a smile, "I wouldn't even dare to think about something like that. Why don't you help me think of something?" Yan Dan stayed by the bedside, talking to him about trivial things. Later, she couldn't remember what she was saying and slowly lost consciousness.
He was fast asleep when he suddenly saw a flash of white light before his eyes, and then everything returned to darkness.
Silent as water.
Yan Dan gently closed the door and stepped out of the Diya Palace. She saw her senior brother, Tan Zhuo, standing outside, his face tense, frowning and silent. Yan Dan touched her cheek, wondering if she looked deathly pale, and whispered, "Senior brother, why don't you come in?"
Tan Zhuo grunted and said simply, "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 death on the Heavenly Execution Platform?"
Yan Dan naturally knew this, but how could she possibly have the strength to use immortal magic after having half her heart ripped out, let alone be able to walk? Senior Brother Tan Zhuo was guarding the immortal herbs on Tianchi Mountain, and she had secretly plucked one of them. It was no wonder he was 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; she was just unconsciously watching his lips move. She didn't even know where she was going; it was as if she had gone to a completely unfamiliar place.
She instinctively disliked that place.
"This is the Heavenly Execution Platform..."
"I won't tell my master about this. You should take care of yourself from now on."
"I'm locking you up here now, and I won't be able to take you down for three days."
"It's better to face down, at least... we won't see the lightning..."
Yan Dan obediently did as she was told. Sensing her senior brother was about to leave, she reached out to stop him, but grasped only empty air. Tan Zhuo stopped and asked in a deep voice, "Is there anything else you want to say to me?"
Yan Dan thought for a while: "Senior brother, you should tell Zhixi to take Emperor Yingyuan back. He's almost 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 would ask Zhixi to take care of him for her.
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 and said, "Alright, I'll go and talk to Zhixi. I heard from others that the first two days of Tianxing are the hardest. Take good care of yourself."
Yan Dan nodded. She had 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 that her master didn't like him very much.
She waited quietly for three days to pass. If she dared to steal the immortal herb, she had expected to be discovered and sent to the Heavenly Execution Platform. Since she was capable of it, saying she couldn't accept the consequences would be utterly irresponsible. Suddenly, a muffled thunderclap rang in her ears. She heard the bells on the iron chains binding her jingling. Her back went numb for a moment, then a slow, burning, dull pain spread, a pain that seemed no less intense than having half her heart ripped out.
Yan Dan curled her fingers and gripped the rough surface of the Heavenly Punishment Platform. Before her eyes, she seemed to see the scene of that person sitting at the table, slowly and carefully carving a sandalwood incense burner. She could even see the faint smile on his lips clearly.
She saw it all very clearly. From beginning to end, she remained perfectly lucid.
Ying Yuan slowly opened his eyes.
He knew perfectly well that it was all in vain, yet he did it every single day.
But today seemed a little 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. Although he had touched them many times, he had never imagined he would see them so clearly with his own eyes again.
"Your Majesty..." Lu Jing stepped forward and bowed respectfully, "Your Majesty, are you alright?"
Ying Yuan sat up and looked up. He saw the fairy holding the lamp and the fairy holding the book standing behind Lu Jing. She nodded slightly in a perfunctory manner: "It's alright, Lu Jing, your injury has healed, right?" He didn't know who he was looking for. He always felt that the person he wanted to see most was not here.
Lu Jing bowed again: "Your Majesty, I have fully recovered."
Ying Yuan stepped over Lu Jing's shoulder and met the gaze of Fairy Zhi Xi. After a moment of contemplation, he asked, "How did you get to Diya?"
"It was Zhixi who took the initiative to bring everyone here. If Your Majesty wants to blame anyone, blame Zhixi alone." She lowered her head slightly, her beautiful neck graceful and her face lovely, which inexplicably made people feel a lot of goodwill towards her.
Ying Yuan suddenly remembered that Linghua Yuanjun had once said that if his eyesight could be restored, the fairy would have to gouge out her heart. Now that he could see, wasn't that...?
Ying Yuan closed his eyes, feeling only a stinging pain in them.
How can he occupy something that doesn't belong to him?
"Now that the Emperor has recovered, 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. When he turned around, he saw the sandalwood incense burner that he had carved himself on the windowsill, still emitting wisps of smoke. The faint smoke was quickly blown away by the wind and disappeared without a trace.
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