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The youth in purple’s gaze grew heavy. He hadn’t expected that she would risk her life to search for Blood Third Seven, all for the sake of a mortal.

The youth in black had kept his eyes closed throughout, only feeling a warm sensation in the palm of his hand as the wound quickly healed.

He wanted to open his eyes, to see what precious thing she was using to heal him. But he didn’t dare to open them, because she had said, without her permission, he could not open his eyes on his own.

"It’s done!" Lan Xi sighed in relief only after seeing that his wound had completely healed.

She feared that if she collapsed, it would delay the healing of his wounds. So even with her last breath, she insisted on finishing what she started.

Having said this, Lan Xi turned to look back at the youth in purple who was on his last breath, and said to the youth in black, "Ah Qing, he came here to play with me and encountered some bad people. He is the son of the Heavenly Emperor. Please save his life as well!"

Her gaze fell on the youth in purple, sharp and full of warning.

The youth in purple bit his lip, struggling internally.

Afterwards, he watched helplessly as the young girl spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and fainted to the ground, unable to do anything.

He also hated himself for not being strong enough, even though he had promised to accompany and protect her.

But in the end, she was the one who was most hurt, even losing her Primordial Spirit Blood.

Eventually, he too passed out.

Atop Taibai Hall, Immortal Taibai was terrified at this moment, as the two little ancestors were brought back by a mortal.

One’s breath was weak, and they were covered in blood.

The other had flesh torn from their leg, the white bones starkly visible, and wounds all over the body where flesh had been ripped away, even their soul having been bitten several times.

Immortal Taibai did not have time to question the youth in black, and quickly called for the Medicine King to diagnose and treat the two young ancestors. At the same time, he sent people to the Goddess Palace and Nine Heavens to report, calling for the elders of the two young ones to come.

Medicine King was nervously treating Lan Xi and the youth in purple in the room.

Outside the door, Immortal Taibai thundered with rage, directly throwing the youth in black out, who crashed into a nearby stone pillar, "Shaoqing, aren’t you Lan Xi’s attendant? Where did they go, and why are they so gravely injured? And what were you doing?"

The youth in black picked himself up from the ground, knelt down, and remained silent with his head lowered.

At that moment, his heart was filled with worry and regret, more than anything else.

He should not have let her go out alone, to face danger by herself.

Each time he thought of her covered in blood, he couldn’t help the urge to die for her.

But what use were these words now?

He only wished for her to awaken soon, to call out to him again, "Ah Qing!"

Immortal Taibai was extremely anxious, glaring at the youth in black, and coldly scolded, "Kneel there, if she does not wake up, you may as well not live either."

The Goddess and Heavenly Emperor rushed over together. Upon seeing both of their precious children severely injured, everyone’s gaze fell on the unharmed youth in black.

"Speak, where did they go?" The Heavenly Emperor ordered the youth in black to be detained.

The Goddess also glared at him with a stern expression, "Shaoqing, you were left behind to look after Lan Xi. How did you take care of her? She granted you immortality, gave you life, is this how you repay her?"

The youth in black bit his lip, clenched his fists, and said not a word.

The Heavenly Emperor commanded someone to bring an ox tendon whip and said furiously, "You won’t speak, will you? Then I will whip you until you beg for mercy."

Immortal artifacts should not be used against humans.

Furthermore, he shared a life bond with Lan Xi. If he died, it would only add to her suffering.

Being struck with an ox tendon whip was extremely painful, but it would not be fatal. With his current physical strength, even if his skin were ripped and flesh torn, he would not die.

...

Half a month passed.

The youth knelt motionless at the palace gate every day, not speaking, not eating.

Every day he endured four hours of whipping, and his smooth, jade-like skin was always left bloody and mutilated. After a night’s time, the wounds would heal, and the next day, the punishment would resume.

They wouldn’t let him die, but they tortured him as if they wished him dead.

No matter who spoke to him, he remained silent.

Until the morning of the sixteenth day.

In the room, the girl lying on the sickbed slowly opened her eyes, and the youth kneeling on the ground stood up in a flash. His legs shook from having knelt too long.

Yet with the fastest speed he could muster, he stumbled into the room and grabbed the girl’s hand, "Lan Xi!"

He called her name, his voice for the first time as gentle as the spring breeze in March.

A radiant smile appeared on his lips.

He waited for her to call him, "Ah Qing!"

——

But he waited a long time, and still he did not hear the girl’s voice.

Instead, the girl opened her watery, wide eyes and curiously sized him up, "Do I know you?"

The youth in black was shocked. He stared at the girl in front of him with wide eyes.

To be more precise, a little girl.

Lan Xi had become smaller, reverted to how she looked when they first met—tiny face, tiny nose, tiny fingers.

His mind buzzed on the spot, not understanding what was going on.

What exactly happened, why had she become smaller?

Why didn’t she even recognize him?

Lan Xi looked at the youth, and seeing his dejected face, she crawled out of the blanket, climbed onto his lap, and asked with a smile, "What’s your name? You’re quite handsome. Why don’t you join me and accompany me in practicing techniques?"

Such familiar words, it felt like he had heard them a thousand, ten thousand times before.

His cold, aloof eyes showed a trace of solemnity, and he nodded, "My name is Ah Qing! From now on, I will accompany Lan Xi and take care of you. I will never let you get hurt again."

"Oh, yay!" Lan Xi clapped her tiny hands and threw herself into the boy’s embrace, "Then, Ah Qing, will you take me out to play? I want to pick peaches."

"Sure!" The boy hugged the girl, ready to leave.

They encountered the Goddess and the Heavenly Emperor, who had come upon hearing the news.

Seeing the boy in black holding Lan Xi, the Goddess’s face darkened, "Shaoqing, you were told to kneel. Who allowed you to get up? Put Lan Xi down immediately."

The boy stood there stunned, holding Lan Xi tightly in his arms and not letting go.

Seeing he was not moving, the Goddess stepped forward, snatched Lan Xi away directly. "You are dismissed. Shaoqing, you have failed in your duty this time and nearly caused a disaster. Go to Master Taibai and accept your punishment."

Lan Xi watched the boy in black walk away silently. Before he left, he turned towards her and bent his lips up in a warm smile.

Although she didn’t know what had happened, she liked the boy in front of her.

...

Lan Xi had become smaller, her millennia of Cultivation mostly lost, leaving her with less than two thousand years of Cultivation.

Consequently, part of her memory was also gone.

And the drop of Primordial Spirit Blood she had lost inside her body was only known to Lan Yan.

After Lan Yan’s repeated admonitions and warnings to Lan Xi not to lose any more Primordial Spirit Blood, and having Master Taibai strictly discipline her, Lan Yan left with peace of mind.

Soon after, she sent Palace Maid Zi Yun from the Goddess Palace to take care of Lan Xi.

Meanwhile, Crown Prince Ya, who had been seriously injured,

Though he had suffered severe injuries, they were only flesh wounds. After a year of recuperation, along with the effects of the Immortal Pill, he had fully recovered.

Regarding where they had been,

He kept silent now that he saw Lan Xi was unharmed.

Because he remembered clearly the warning look in Lan Xi’s eyes.

Shaoqing also didn’t say much.

Lan Xi had memory loss.

Everyone tacitly avoided mentioning the trip to the Demon Realm.

Seeing that he couldn’t get any answers, the Heavenly Emperor let it be.

To foster the relationship between the two children, he decided to take a risk and allows Crown Prince Ya to also cultivate at Taibai Hall.

Although Crown Prince Ya was also under Taibai’s tutelage, the Heavenly Emperor hired another teacher for him.

Immortal Taibai’s only disciples were Mi Xi and Lan Xi.

Soon, life returned to normal.

Lan Xi was as mischievous as she was when she was younger. Under the care of Zi Yun and Mi Xi, she progressed in her training just as quickly as before.

It’s just that she was too playful.

And because the boy in purple liked joining her in her playful antics, it didn’t take long for everyone to know that Taibai Hall had two little ancestors.

"Mi Xi! Shall we go down the mountain to play this afternoon?" Lan Xi put away her longsword, grabbed Mi Xi’s sleeve, and hung on the arm of the boy in white like a little bouncy ball.

The boy in white was helpless against her, his anger not translating to words, "Junior Sister, you should call me Senior Brother. Also, Master said we can’t go down the mountain without his permission."

Lan Xi swung on his arm like a swing, "No, I want to go down the mountain. I want to gather herbs to feed the Chaotic Beast. I want it to grow quickly and become my mount."

Mi Xi was exasperated, fearing she might cause trouble if she went down.

Last time, she ran out, came back severely injured, and reverted to such a state without learning her lesson.

"You can’t go down the mountain. Otherwise, I’ll tell Master!" Mi Xi said firmly, pulling down the little bouncy ball hanging from his sleeve.

Lan Xi turned away, huffing, and disappeared. The next moment, she appeared in the room of the boy in purple.

The boy in purple was focused on practicing his techniques. All of a sudden, he felt Lan Xi’s presence and quickly opened his eyes, smiling, "Lan Xi, are you looking for me?"