The people of the Witch Clan were open-minded and unrestrained. 

The young and ignorant Sword Spirit stared at the two people in the cave without any sense of taboo, exclaiming in amazement in Sheng Lingyuan's sea of consciousness, "Oh my, they're kissing in broad daylight, how shameless!" 

Sheng Lingyuan: "..." 

The original form of the Sword Spirit was a demon, and the lifespan of demons was extremely long. Therefore, their growth period was also very long, and their mental development was very slow, always remaining childish. 

At that time, the world was difficult, and if you were from a poor family, you could already support yourself at the age of thirteen or fourteen. 

Even the mischievous bear child king of the Witch Clan, Aluojin, had begun to develop his own ambitions and aspirations. 

In terms of age, the Sword Spirit should be similar to Aluojin, but he was still an ignorant little rascal. 

Sheng Lingyuan could only scold with a red face, "Stop it, close your eyes, don't look!" 

The Sword Spirit stood his ground and said, "If you don't close your eyes, how can I 'not look'?" 

Sheng Lingyuan was mentally exhausted - it was said that the Sword Spirit, being a product of artificial cultivation, usually had gloomy personalities. Even if they weren't gloomy, they were usually quiet and reserved. 

Sheng Lingyuan didn't know if he had committed some sin in his past life to end up with such a companion. The young man of fifteen or sixteen years old knew what he should and shouldn't understand, and he understood it all. 

If Sheng Lingyuan had just accidentally stumbled upon them, he wouldn't have made a fuss and would have quietly left. But the problem was that he had coughed loudly earlier to show that he was "above board". 

His hearing was excellent, so he shouldn't have missed the fact that there was someone in the cave. It was all because of that annoying Sword Spirit who wouldn't stop talking. 

Sheng Lingyuan lowered his head, concealing his embarrassment, and calmly greeted the two people inside the mountain cave with a slight bow. 

"I apologize for disturbing you. I seem to have forgotten something." 

Without looking up, he felt as if his feet were on fire and he couldn't stand still for a moment. He turned around and walked away.

"Your Highness!" The people inside the cave chased after him. "Wait, Crown Prince!"

Sheng Lingyuan was slightly taken aback and only then did he realize that the two people in the cave were not a man and a woman, but two young members of the witch clan. 

However, he didn't want to make a big deal out of it and appear rude, so he immediately concealed his surprise and deliberately lowered his gaze, pretending to be nonchalant. He smiled and asked, "Is there anything else you need to tell me?"

One of the young witches caught up to him, fidgeting and stuttering, "Your Highness, we...we...about today, could you please..." 

"That's natural, I won't be too talkative," Sheng Lingyuan immediately replied. 

Then he felt like he answered too quickly, which seemed suspicious. So he composed himself, and with a nonchalant air, he adjusted his clothes and smiled, "In the Peach Blossom Spring, love affairs with peach blossoms are elegant and romantic. Just now, it was my error for entering, there's no need to spread rumors everywhere."

No matter how inexperienced or uncertain he felt inside, Sheng Lingyuan always had a way with words.

After his eloquent speech, Sheng Lingyuan bowed to the two young witches and gracefully...escaped.

With a face as if he was enjoying the spring breeze, he scolded his sword spirit in his mind.

The sword spirit was a rascal, and he casually ignored Sheng Lingyuan's scolding. 

When the little prince finished venting, he eagerly asked, "Lingyuan, Lingyuan, isn't it said that only women can give birth to children?" 

Sheng Lingyuan was not in a good mood and said, "You really are knowledgeable, even knowing this." 

But the Sword Spirit didn't realize he was being mocked and asked, "Yeah, if they can't have children, why bother doing it?" 

Sheng Lingyuan was speechless. 

The Sword Spirit had a wild idea, "Maybe their witch clan has some strange spell that can turn men into women when they eat it? Have you read about it in those leaf books?" 

Sheng Lingyuan said, "...Shut up, can't you let me live two more years?" 

The mouth of the heavenly demon sword spirit couldn't be shut. He was naturally lively like an energetic little wild dog, but unfortunately, in this vast world, there was no place for him to frolic. 

Fortunately, he had been imprisoned in the sword before he was born, so he didn't know what freedom was and had nothing to get used to. His excess energy had nowhere to go, so it was all directed towards Sheng Lingyuan. 

"So, does this count as them being married?" 

"No, right? They haven't gone through the three letters and six gifts." 

"Hey, Lingyuan, why do you keep saying 'can't tell anyone' one moment and then talking about some 'romantic affair' the next? I'm confused. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?" 

Sheng Lingyuan was getting agitated by the constant questioning, but luckily he had a trick up his sleeve when dealing with the Sword Spirit. He pulled out a book with the smallest font and stared intently at the convoluted words of the witch language. 

After enduring for half an incense stick's worth of time, his mind finally quieted down. The Sword Spirit could only rely on his eyes, but this unskilled little thing had a bad habit. As long as there were no pictures in the book, he could stare at the words for a while and he would fall asleep like he had been drugged. 

The carefree Sword Spirit floated in the young prince's sea of consciousness, sleeping until nightfall when all was quiet. 

This troublemaker woke up. He found himself in complete darkness and knew that Lingyuan had closed his eyes to rest. 

The Sword Spirit felt Lingyuan's gentle and steady breathing, so he idly perked up his ears to listen to the whispers of the wind and the rustling of the grass and trees in the Dongchuan forest. 

It was a time of hazy spring, where the scent of flowers, the chirping of birds, the swimming of fish, and the crawling of animals all seemed to be whispering sweet nothings, everywhere was a secret rendezvous. Suddenly, the Sword Spirit became bored, not because he was slow to develop or ignorant, but because he couldn't help it. 

Since his birth, he had been a small consciousness hidden on the back of Sheng Lingyuan. When Lingyuan didn't pay attention to him, he felt as if he didn't exist. 

How can someone who has never seen themselves in a mirror understand the many "pleasures" of the world? 

It's impossible. 

Late at night, tossing and turning, the sword spirit can only rely on fantasies of picking a few ripe pears from a tree tomorrow to pass the time, but it only makes him crave them more. 

In the quiet of Lingyuan's mind, occasional dreams flash by, mostly about books that are difficult for the witch race to understand. 

Sometimes, he unconsciously recites newly learned words in his dreams - this is Lingyuan's habit for many years, clearing his mind before bed, focusing only on recalling what he learned today or some unresolved issues. 

This way, when he falls asleep, his fragmented dreams are filled with these academic problems. 

It helps deepen his memory and organize his thoughts, and most importantly... he won't dream of escape and killing anymore. The dream was filled with dull and peaceful poetry and books. Even though it couldn't educate the ignorant sword spirit, at least it was enough to lull him to sleep and not scare him.

Bored, the sword spirit lay in the sea of consciousness, watching the pages of witchcraft text flash by. 

Soon, he became sleepy again and muttered, "You still haven't told me whether those two people we met during the day were good or bad."

Sheng Lingyuan was still asleep, but his words caused a ripple in the sea of consciousness. The dizzying witchcraft text suddenly disappeared, and the dream turned into the scene they saw in the cold pool during the day.

The demon sword spirit became alert, "Yes, it was just the two of them!"

In the dream, the mist from the cold pool slowly rose. The sword spirit followed the mist and walked forward, wanting to take a closer look, but the scene in Lingyuan's dream was blurry. 

The Sword Spirit asked, "Can two men get married? Is it a common practice for all or just for the witch tribe?" 

Sheng Lingyuan was asleep and couldn't answer. However, at this moment, his dreamy and chaotic scenes had a strange and gentle feeling of illusion. 

The Sword Spirit didn't expect him to respond and pondered the words "get married" like talking about distant legends such as "heaven and earth" and "the ultimate creator." These were two words he roughly understood but had no connection to. 

However, when he thought of Sheng Lingyuan's marriage, the Sword Spirit felt inexplicably uncomfortable. Sheng Lingyuan was going to get married. The great saint of the witch clan joked during a chat that His Highness would probably have to get married and have a successor when he went on a conquest. 

The meaning of "marrying an empress" is to take a stranger as a wife, and from then on, they are a family. But he, relying on Lingyuan's eyes, ears, nose, and tongue, could only see a strange woman and listen to their conversations, like an extra object left behind. 

The Sword Spirit shuddered, his "world" was about to leave him, abandoning him in this cold and pitch-black place. This thought ignited like a wildfire and couldn't be extinguished. 

The mentally challenged Sword Spirit was already tormented by possessiveness and sadness. 

"If humans could do this too, would you still have to marry a woman?" 

The Sword Spirit blurted out, "Can you not find someone else and only have me from now on, okay?" 

His words seemed to have triggered some reaction in Sheng Lingyuan's dream, and the surroundings became even more hazy. The cold pool seemed to have turned into a hot spring, with mist filling the air. 

Sword Spirit's vision was completely obscured by the white mist - although Sheng Lingyuan was not fully conscious, he instinctively prevented him from seeing clearly.

The mist was damp and indescribably subtle, and an unusual sensation passed through the young man's body, like an itch that was also tingly. 

Sword Spirit felt Sheng Lingyuan's breathing become shallow and rapid, and the man seemed to be uncomfortable, curling up his body. 

When he came to his senses, he asked in confusion, "Lingyuan, what's wrong with you?" 

The mist in the dream grew thicker, and there seemed to be a figure inside. The Sword Spirit hesitated for a moment before wandering towards the figure. For some reason, his heart was beating faster and he had a sense of knowing something. 

He was afraid to see the person in the mist, yet couldn't resist the urge to take a closer look.

In the mist, there was the silhouette of a young man with long, disheveled hair, covered in water vapor. 

It was Lingyuan - usually, when people dream, they don't see their own image. But since they were connected spiritually since childhood, their consciousness could influence each other to some extent. In the Sword Spirit's eyes, the image of himself in Lingyuan's dream was the same as the appearance of the young man he had seen in the mirror or on the surface of the water. 

In this dream, Sheng Lingyuan was different from his usual self. He was bare-chested, with a rare flush on his face, making his features extremely vivid. 

He didn't look like himself at all. He carefully held someone from the water and pressed them against the cold stone wall beside the pool.

The figure was shrouded in white mist, and the sword spirit could only vaguely make out a human shape, but not the face. Although the sword spirit didn't understand what was happening, he felt an unnamed anger rising in his heart. 

He wanted to rush forward, but the mist in the dream spun around and pushed him out. It was the first time he had been rejected in Lingyuan's spiritual world.

The sword spirit was furious and shouted, "Lingyuan!"

His voice echoed in the dream, and somehow even produced an echo, "Lingyuan..." 

In an instant, a violent tremor spread from Sheng Lingyuan's side, flowing through his entire body like stepping on the tail of a thunderous monster. The Sword Spirit couldn't help but hum, even his soul felt numb.

In just a moment, the dream suddenly dissipated, and Sheng Lingyuan woke up, his vision flipping as he sat up abruptly.

Before the Sword Spirit could react, Sheng Lingyuan suddenly closed off all his senses, and the Heavenly Demon Sword Spirit was inexplicably locked up in the "little black room."

This was the first time in his life - as Sheng Lingyuan grew older and his control over his mind grew stronger, he gradually became able to easily shut out some of the Sword Spirit's thoughts, that is, ignore him. And when his body was injured or on the battlefield, Sheng Lingyuan would also sever his sense of pain, smell, and taste to avoid harming the Sword Spirit. 

But his eyes and ears were always open, and the Sword Spirit foolishly thought he would never close them off. Little did he know that he just hadn't done that yet! 

Unable to see or hear anything, trapped in complete darkness, the Sword Spirit went crazy, screaming and thrashing around in Sheng Lingyuan's sea of consciousness. 

Luckily, Sheng Lingyuan didn't keep him trapped for too long. 

In less than the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, the Sword Spirit was able to regain his senses. 

As soon as he made contact with the outside world, he shuddered in shock - Sheng Lingyuan must have some kind of problem, as he had taken a cold bath in the middle of the night without even bothering to heat up the water, using icy well water instead! 

It was probably so cold that Sheng Lingyuan's heart was pounding so fast it felt like it was about to explode, causing him chest pain. 

The Sword Spirit thought to himself, "Good! Freeze to death, you bastard! You should have turned off your sense of touch!" 

The Sword Spirit was completely confused and angry. He couldn't understand why taking a bath was such a taboo, especially since they had bathed together before. 

He was also upset about not getting to eat the pear he had been craving, being locked up in the dark room for no reason, and the blurry figure in his dreams. 

All of these frustrations added up and caused the Sword Spirit to throw a tantrum, breaking his record for ignoring people.

Sheng Lingyuan had no choice but to mix a spoonful of pear blossom honey into his food for half a month, making himself almost sick of it. 

The witch clan leader even thought he was sick and became very worried.

By the way, at that time... the Sword Spirit was just as bold with the future emperor as he was with everyone else. He would curse and argue with him, throwing tantrums whenever he pleased, even more spoiled than Aluojin. 

Must have been very annoying, right? 

That's why he was eventually discarded, even more thoroughly than the Witch Clan.

No, that's not right... When the Witch Clan was exterminated, Lingyuan was truly heartbroken. After all, Aluojin and the tribe were living, breathing people he had spent time with day and night.

What was he to Lingyuan?

What did he mean to Sheng Lingyuan?

After that, Sheng Lingyuan didn't consult him and grew up on his own. Before, when Sheng Lingyuan closed his mind, it was either because something was happening outside and he needed to focus, or because he was arguing with his sword spirit and feeling upset. 

But suddenly, there were more and more blank spaces in Lingyuan's sea of consciousness. Sometimes, even when he was just sitting quietly, he would be shut out. 

The Sword Spirit intentionally ignored him. At first, he was not proficient in closing his mind, but after doing it many times, his consciousness was honed. 

It was like a childish revenge, but Sheng Lingyuan didn't care. The two of them spent their youth together without suspicion or estrangement, but gradually faded apart.

However, not long after, they left Dongchuan. To prevent chaos, Dan Li suggested that the young man who had grown up should succeed to the throne. 

Under the crown forged by iron and blood, the young man's feelings that were as thin as cicada wings disappeared in the blink of an eye.

The annoying spring breeze never entered Sheng Lingyuan's dreams again. 

Who was the person in his dreams? 

Who was he thinking of when he was lost under the big pear tree in Dongchuan? 

Could it be a brilliant young girl or a young boy? 

These secretly troubling questions had plagued the Sword Spirit for many years, but he never found the answer. 

In the end, Dongchuan was gone, and so was the pear tree. 

The petty anger and jealousy that arose from it were not worth mentioning and gradually lost in the tumultuous waves.

When Xuan Ji woke up in the special ward of the Yuyang sub-bureau, his body was unscathed, but his heart was pierced by a thousand arrows. 

The pain was so unbearable that he wanted to abandon his flesh and drift away unconsciously.

He remembered the long period of silent darkness, where his obscure feelings were suppressed tightly, unnoticed even by the discerning emperor. 

Xuan Ji always felt that his unpredictable temperament might be due to his non-human nature. He was always fickle and lacked persistence, sometimes even out of sync with the mundane world. 

It turned out that he wasn't always like this. 

It was just that the warmth inside him had dried up a long time ago. 

The person who caused this was heartless and had forgotten about him, leaving him to be covered in dust and unknown. 

To him, he was...just a sword.