After provoking the holy maiden of Miao territory, she was infected with a love curse.

This time, Yin Huaixi deliberately didn't return on time; she lit a candle.

A bright candle was lit, illuminating the dim room.

Immediately, Yin Huaixi picked up the white jade teapot on the table and poured herself a cup of tea.

The black pill inside the bamboo tube had already been poured out and placed on the table.

A faint, delicate fragrance lingered in Yin Huaixi's nostrils. She lowered her eyes; she had to give this medicine a try.

She was truly fed up with living a life of timidity and fear.

Picking up the black pill with her fingertips, Yin Huaixi put it in her mouth without any hesitation, chewed it a couple of times, and swallowed the extremely bitter pill with her tea.

She watched helplessly as the candle dripped wax, burning down to half its original size.

If this pill is real, it would be perfect for solving her immediate problem.

If it's fake.

If her life were truly in danger, Sang Che would not stand idly by. Even if Hua He wanted to deceive her, she wouldn't fake it at this stage.

Wouldn't that be like trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead?

Why lift a rock only to drop it on your own foot?

The prescription that was half-written yesterday was put out again. The brush was licked with ink, and Yin Huaixi pretended to be sleepy and lay down on the table, pretending to doze off.

The warehouse was quiet, occasionally punctuated by creaking sounds—the sounds of medicinal herbs drying out and cracking from being stored for too long.

While propping up the half-open window with a bamboo pole, a blue butterfly stopped abruptly. Its antennae trembled, but it did not fly into the warehouse.

The butterfly lingered for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before a gentle breeze came, its wings fluttered slightly, and it drifted away.

Yin Huaixi slept face down, her lower back aching slightly, but she endured it and remained silent.

As she expected, not long after the blue butterfly flew away, the familiar sound of silver bells drifted into her ears again.

Sang Che's fingertips landed on the wooden door, and with a slight push, a gap appeared in the door.

Yin Huaixi did not lock the door.

Was this left for her?

A hint of joy welled up in his heart, and Sang Che smiled slightly as he walked in.

"Huaixi...Huaixi?"

Squat down.

Sang Che stared at Yin Huaixi's face. She glanced at the candle, which was almost completely burned out, indicating that its owner had been slumped over the table for quite some time.

I called out twice, but there was no response.

Sang Che chuckled softly.

He couldn't help but reach out and touch the soft flesh of Yin Huaixi's cheek.

Sang Che didn't care what Hua He and Yin Huaixi said. In fact, he didn't need to think too much to guess what Hua He would mention to Yin Huaixi.

As long as Huaixi is still willing to stay by her side, Sang Che doesn't care about the many things Yin Huaixi does. She can turn a blind eye and pretend she didn't see them.

Abandoned again...

Sang Che never wanted to experience being submerged in a cold water prison, enveloped in darkness, and with no one to respond.

...

When he was initially offered as a sacrifice to the court as a hostage, Sang Che was still able to suppress his illness and handle the situation with ease.

She was young and proud.

Even in the imperial palace of the Han Chinese dynasty, the arrogance of the descendants of Chiyou still lingered.

However, this was only the beginning of a nightmare. Countless tortures and repeated wrist-cutting and bloodletting left Sang Che in a state of being neither human nor ghost.

She clearly possessed the medical skills to save a pair of eyes, yet she could only watch helplessly as she lost her sight.

Sang Che had only experienced this kind of despair once, but it lingered like a dark cloud, accompanying her every day and night thereafter.

Her dignity, her pride in witchcraft and sorcery, all meant nothing at this moment.

But those people insisted on keeping her alive, using the ginseng they offered as tribute to keep her alive, drawing and draining her blood, determined to discover the secret of Chi You's blood that prolongs life.

Sang Che was on his deathbed when he left the Han Chinese court.

In her despair, she considered ending it all, but the bloodline of Chi You made it impossible for her to die.

With her eyes covered by a white veil, Sang Che leaned silently against the carriage. At that time, the high priest told her that there was another way... to save her eyes.

However, this method is dangerous.

Once a proud daughter of heaven, Sang Che couldn't tolerate the slightest mistake, but she shook her head and chuckled.

She knew that broken jade was no different from stubborn stone.

...

No matter how much she moved her fingertips, Yin Huaixi remained fast asleep.

Her eyelashes didn't even flutter; she ignored Sang Che's actions.

This couldn't go on, so Sang Che reached out and put his arm around Yin Huaixi's arm, intending to help her up and hold her in his arms.

"If you're sleepy, go back to the couch and sleep. Aren't you tired lying here, Huaixi?"

During this period, Yin Huaixi suffered a series of frights and lost weight.

No matter how good the food Sang Che provided for her, it didn't really help her recover.

With his body feeling light and airy, Sang Che pulled Yin Huaixi up with almost no effort. Yin Huaixi swayed and wobbled, and Sang Che reached out to hold her.

But then she heard Yin Huaixi whisper the word "sister" in her ear.

These two words were very intimate. Yin Huaixi had never called Sang Che that before, which made Sang Che's heart skip a beat and a strange feeling of bitterness welled up in his heart.

The movement of grabbing Yin Huaixi's wrist gradually slowed down, but the next moment, Yin Huaixi took the initiative to move forward, and her hands automatically wrapped around Sang Che's waist. She rubbed her cheek against Sang Che's soft chest and called out "Sister" again.

What followed was a long, rambling conversation about everyday life.

Sang Che didn't dare to make a move, and just listened quietly, feeling a mix of emotions.

She was chosen by the gods as the holy maiden of Miao territory from birth, and lived in a secluded corner.

Both parents were descendants of Chi You and were highly respected elders in the clan.

During major sacrificial ceremonies, Sang Che could catch a glimpse of his parents from afar, but he could no longer recall their faces.

She never experienced the family happiness that people talk about, and she couldn't understand Yin Huaixi's longing for her loved ones.

But when she saw a tear on Yin Huaixi's eyelashes, her heart ached inexplicably.

Sang Che couldn't tell if it was the Gu worms causing the trouble, or if she was truly starting to feel sorry for Yin Huaixi...

Even though he was in the secluded Fengming Mountain, Sang Che was fully aware of what had happened to the Yin family.

The reason she didn't tell Yin Huaixi was simple: Sang Che hadn't yet found out the origins of the group of black-clad guards standing in front of the Yin residence.

The other side was clearly well-prepared; each of the black-clad guards wore a sachet with warding off evil spirits, made with extremely expensive materials, including herbs from all over the country.

This is not something that can be achieved by those who are rich or noble.

This person probably wields real power.

The distance was too great, and since manipulating the Gu worms was already exhausting for Sang Che, her Gu worms couldn't get close to her. Sang Che had no choice but to put it aside for the time being and send people outside the Yin residence to monitor whether the group of black-clad guards were sent by the emperor.

Sang Che is also making preparations. If the emperor really sends someone to wipe out the Yin family, she plans to have her men hide Yin Huaixi's blood weapon.

Anyway, she and the emperor had been at odds for a long time, so it wouldn't hurt to provoke him again.

Yin Huaixi is her person, and she wants to save her.

She wants to save the people Yin Huaixi wants to save as well.

She would not suffer the same torment she endured in the Han Chinese court.

A trembling hand gradually touched the back of Yin Huaixi's head, soft strands of hair weaving between Sang Che's fingers. Sang Che stared blankly at Yin Huaixi.

She would not let Huaixi experience what the court had done to her.

That was too painful, too bitter.