I'll make you the furnace and the cauldron, so you can refine Yin and Yang and prove the Great

Ye Feiyan stood outside the cave for a long time. After dusk completely set in, the spirit wood forest on the platform was stained into a blurry silhouette by the dark red sky. Occasionally, a few leaves were blown down by the demonic wind, swirling and landing at the edge of the barrier's light membrane, only to be silently bounced away by an invisible force.

Her figure appeared like a dark red flame before the silvery-white light membrane, flickering on and off, yet refusing to dissipate.

"Little brother, it's okay if you don't say anything." Her voice was even softer than before, with just the right amount of gentleness, as if she were coaxing a frightened little animal. "I'll wait here. I'll come every day until I come back, just to keep you company and talk to you."

There was no response from inside the cave.

Li Hanshan sat by the stone platform, unaffected by anything.

Ye Feiyan stood there for a while longer before finally turning and leaving. Her dark red figure gradually disappeared into the twilight, quickly swallowed up by the outline of the Spirit Wood Forest.

That night, as expected, Li Hanshan dreamed of Luo Li again. These days, he and Luo Li see each other almost every day. Luo Li's cultivation has progressed extremely rapidly; decades ago, she had just broken through to the Void Refinement stage, but now she's almost at the late Void Refinement stage.

Even so, it would be extremely difficult for her to achieve Dao Integration within a hundred years, but now that she has the Flowing Light Array, it might actually be possible.

"Girl, do you ever get bored?"

"Of course, sir."

Although Li Hanshan felt that Luo Li was not someone who would get bored easily, he did not dwell on the issue. Instead, he stayed with Luo Li, spending year after year in their dreams.

His consciousness was constantly rising.

The next morning, Ye Feiyan came again.

This time, she changed into a light red long dress with delicate gold patterns embroidered on the hem. It was softer and more gentle than the dark red dress she wore yesterday, as if she had chosen it specifically to show that she was "harmless".

She stood outside the cave, not trying to forcefully break the barrier like she had yesterday. She simply stood quietly on the edge of the stone platform, facing the entrance of the cave, her voice even softer than yesterday.

"Little brother, the weather is nice today. My cave has a great location; you can see the morning mist over the entire valley. Are you bored inside all by yourself?"

Li Hanshan did not respond. He sat by the stone platform and repeatedly deduced the compatibility changes of one of the substitute medicinal ingredients in the incomplete formula of the Fusion Elixir in his mind, and then recorded the results on the jade slip.

On the third day, Ye Feiyan brought a basket of spiritual fruits. She placed the basket on the stone steps at the entrance of the cave, took two steps back, and said in a voice as sweet as honey warmed by the sun, "These are spiritual fruits that I grew myself, called Rouge Fruits. I don't think I have any in my cave, but you can try them. If you like them, I'll bring you some every day."

The fruit basket sat on the stone steps all day. Li Hanshan neither retrieved it nor opened the door. When Ye Feiyan came to collect the basket at dusk, not a single fruit was missing. She looked down at the undamaged fruit, tilted her head slightly, and the sweet smile on her face didn't fade; instead, it deepened.

"It's alright, I'll bring it again tomorrow." She picked up the fruit basket and turned to leave.

On the fourth day, she changed into a moon-white long dress. The dress was more simple and elegant than any of her previous clothes, making her look clean and pure, like a lotus flower struggling to maintain its pure white color amidst the dark demonic energy.

She stood on the stone platform outside the cave, without a fruit basket or anything else. She simply stood there quietly, her hands folded in front of her, her gaze fixed on the silvery-white membrane at the entrance of the cave.

"Little brother, I thought about it after I got back, and I think you probably really don't want to talk to me." Her voice carried just the right amount of disappointment, with a slight upward swell at the end, like a plucked string that lingers for a long time. "But I don't blame you. I know what my sister is capable of. Her magic mark is extremely powerful. People who have it on them don't even dare to have their own thoughts. I understand why you don't dare to respond."

She paused, took half a step forward, and lowered her voice even further: "But little brother, your sister really isn't right for you. She's too cold; she only cares about herself and never truly cares about anyone. If you're with her, you'll always just be her slave. Your sister is different; your sister knows how to care for people."

"Your younger sister promises you that as long as you come out, she will definitely help you remove the enslavement mark that your older sister has placed on you and set you free."

Li Hanshan had to admit that Ye Feiyan's move was indeed brilliant. If he were truly a demon slave controlled by Yin Yue with a demonic seal, a helpless outer disciple forcibly abducted into the Heavenly Demon Sect, he might actually be tempted by these words.

After all, in that situation, a beautiful, gentle-voiced, and high-ranking female cultivator would come to his door every day, showering him with concern and saying things like "I will take care of you," and most importantly, she even promised to remove his slave seal. Anyone would be swayed. Unfortunately, she had no idea about his actual situation.

He wasn't a true demon slave. The demonic seal within him was planted by Yin Yue willingly, and the method to remove it lay within the silver jade slip in his storage ring. His cultivation level wasn't the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm as she had assumed, but rather the peak of the Nascent Soul realm. The quality of his pure Yang primordial spirit was comparable to the late stage of the Void Refinement realm, and his divine soul sword could be launched from his sea of ​​consciousness at any time, slicing any attempt to forcibly invade it to shreds.

More importantly, he didn't need her to "rescue" him at all.

Seeing that there was still no response from inside the cave, Ye Feiyan was not discouraged. She stood on the stone platform for a while, then squatted down and placed a small, dark red jade tablet on the stone steps. The tablet was engraved with the character "Ye" and had very faint spiritual energy patterns flowing around its edges.

"This is my sister's token. If you ever have a change of heart and want to get some fresh air, you can take it with you to find her. The Heavenly Demon Sect may be large, but no one will stop someone who possesses the Ye family's token."

She stood up, brushed off non-existent dust from her skirt, and turned to leave. Her dark red figure walked further and further into the twilight, eventually disappearing into the depths of the Spiritwood Forest.

The fifth day, the sixth day, the seventh day. Ye Feiyan came almost every day.

Her clothes were different every day; sometimes they were plain white, sometimes gentle light purple, and sometimes bright pale yellow. Her tone of voice also changed every day; sometimes it was as gentle as if she were coaxing a wounded child, sometimes as light as if she were chatting with an old friend, and sometimes it carried a sense of grievance that naturally came out after being turned away.

But she never tried to forcefully break the seal again. She simply stood quietly on the stone platform outside the cave and said things that she thought a genius demon slave who was "imprisoned" would want to hear.

"Little brother, do you know, I've been stuck at the mid-stage of the Void Refinement realm for a long time, unable to find a suitable cultivation partner. Those Void Refinement cultivators from the Demonic Sect are either too old, too stupid, or full of scheming. A genius like you is the first I've ever met."

"My sister never tells anyone her true thoughts. She's been lurking in the Immortal Alliance for so many years; her heart has long since turned cold. If you follow her, she'll only drain your talent and then discard you. My sister is different; she'll cherish you."

"Young man, you could have a better future at the Joyful Union Sect, so why did you come here with me to be a demon slave? If you're willing, I can send you back to the Joyful Union Sect after I remove your demonic seal. You'll still be a core disciple of the Joyful Union Sect, and no one will question your past visits to the Heavenly Demon Sect."

Li Hanshan listened to those words with a calm and composed heart.

He didn't know why Ye Feiyan was so persistent. A demon slave who could be chosen by Yin Yue and brought back to the Heavenly Demon Sect must possess extraordinary value. Perhaps she thought he had some secret that Yin Yue hadn't told others, or perhaps she simply wanted to snatch this "new toy" from Yin Yue. In any case, her purpose was not to "rescue" him.

On the evening of the tenth day, after Ye Feiyan left, Li Hanshan stood up in the stone chamber and stretched his shoulders and neck, which were slightly stiff from sitting for so long. He walked to the inner side of the cave entrance and sensed the outside world for a moment through the silver-white barrier. The spirit wood forest surrounding the platform stood quietly in the twilight, and occasionally a few patrol lights swept across the distant valley, but no extraneous aura lingered nearby.

He withdrew his divine sense, turned around, and walked back to the stone platform to sit down again. Xiao An's voice came from the depths of his consciousness, carrying a hint of suppressed curiosity: "Senior, will she come again tomorrow?"

"Yes." Li Hanshan closed his eyes and circulated his pure Yang energy through his meridians for a full cycle. "But no matter how many days she comes, it's useless."