The wild cemetery was filled with scattered rocks, and the night wind brought with it the sound of ghosts and wolves howling.

It felt as if they had returned to the days of camping in the wilderness, surrounded by the smell of cold iron and animal dung, with scarce resources and leaky tents.

This tent was much more exquisite, but no one dared to close their eyes in the middle of the night.

The two of them remained silent for a while, with Sheng Lingyuan waiting for Xuan Ji to speak.

However, the usually talkative Xuan Ji remained silent, assuming a posture of kneeling and receiving orders.

This was not the posture of the Sword Spirit, as the Sword Spirit never showed deference or disrespect. This was the posture of a close attendant, years after his sword body had been broken.

Sheng Lingyuan knew that Xuan Ji was waiting for him to make the first move.

If judged by human standards, they were like childhood friends who had been separated for half a lifetime.

They parted ways as teenagers and unexpectedly reunited in a different world, with the weight of their country's history between them.

Relationships can seem strong as iron, but they can break with a single blow. If left to rust for too long, it becomes difficult to mend them.

Sheng Lingyuan didn't know how long the Sword Spirit had been hovering around him, but he must have witnessed his delusions from his earlier years and the brutal reality of the last twenty years.

Plus, Sheng Lingyuan had once told him that there was no need to dwell on the past in the Illusion Realm. Now that the initial shock had worn off, Little Ji didn't know how to interact with him.

So... how should he respond?

Sitting inside the tent, Sheng Lingyuan watched as the snow fell softly through the thin fabric.

He didn't need to think too hard to know that the four basic emotions - joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness - should naturally lead to sadness when taken to the extreme.

The most common reaction would be to cry and reminisce about the past, holding hands and looking into each other's tearful eyes - he was an expert at this, having done it many times before.

But it was all just a show, as he couldn't cry when he was truly moved.

He had been like this since he was young, and even Little Ji knew it.

He didn't need to treat Xuan Ji like a precious treasure that he had lost and regained.

He was no longer a child who needed to be coddled.

Sheng Lingyuan understood that the more cautious he was, the more he would add to the distance between them.

He should let his emotions run wild without any reservations, and confront that person directly. He should ask why they kneeled, why they showed such deference like someone seeking a favor, and why they insisted on maintaining the boundaries of a ruler and his subject.

Even if they exchanged harsh words and hurt each other deeply, just like they did three thousand years ago, it was the only way to break through the barriers of time and retrieve the lost memories of the past.

Sheng Lingyuan opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, he clenched his fists tightly and forced himself to swallow his words.

He couldn't do it.

Sheng Lingyuan chuckled self-deprecatingly and closed his eyes quietly, as if an old monk entering into meditation.

Xuan Ji knelt inside the tent, waiting for the verdict, not knowing what he was expecting.

He waited for what seemed like a lifetime before he heard the calm and peaceful voice say: "There is no longer a ruler in the world, so follow the customs of the land and do not bother with the past formalities."

Xuan Ji's chest turned cold, realizing that Sheng Lingyuan's "no need for formalities" set the tone for their relationship - that of a ruler and his subject.

Outdated formalities were unnecessary, but they were still a ruler and his subject.

Sheng Lingyuan skillfully changed the subject, "Besides, when you were young, we were always wild and unruly together. Why did we grow up and become estranged? Is it my fault... that I didn't protect you back then?"

Xuan Ji instinctively replied, "No..."

A sigh lighter than falling snow came from beside him. "Don't break my heart, Little Ji."

Xuan Ji finally understood what it meant to have one sentence twist your heart into a knot.

His emotions were in turmoil, and he couldn't speak for a moment.

As if on cue, Sheng Lingyuan remained silent, giving him the time he needed to calm down.

It wasn't until Xuan Ji had weathered the storm of emotions that he continued, struggling to speak, "It seems that Wei Yun has been keeping many things from me. How long were you by my side?"

"I was there...until the New Year's Eve of the Qi Dynasty's sixth year."

Sheng Lingyuan's eyes twitched slightly.

That was the day when the Chiyuan Vermilion Bird's Bone seal was completed.

As expected there was a hidden reason for him becoming the 'Fire-keeper.'

"Did you meet Dan Li in private?"

Xuan Ji's complicated past was a tangled mess of emotions and experiences. He thought he wouldn't know where to begin, but Sheng Lingyuan's questions guided him through it all.

Before he knew it, he had explained everything from beginning to end. As he spoke, his heart sank deeper and deeper.

Talking to someone you haven't seen in a long time can be awkward, but with Sheng Lingyuan, it was effortless.

Their communication was efficient and comfortable, almost as if he had a plan for the conversation. It was clear that he was skilled at guiding the discussion.

Sheng Lingyuan's attitude was anything but cold. He spoke in the ancient language, reminiscing without hesitation. Each sigh and pause left Xuan Ji feeling lost and bewildered for a long time.

As they finished sharing their stories in the quiet, cold night, Xuan Ji realized that the intense emotions weighing on his heart had dissipated without him even noticing.

He regained his composure and realized that Sheng Lingyuan was a master of conversation, controlling the rhythm of their breathing and heartbeats with each deliberate pause.

Every pause was calculated and deliberate.

Suddenly, Xuan Ji's hand trembled with a burst of anger.

He felt like a fool who had become too invested in a play, only to realize that the audience was still holding their popcorn and movie reviews.

It was embarrassing, too embarrassing for words.

He cleared his throat and forced his tone to be even: "Your Majesty's heart and the blood of the Vermilion Bird are also in me, and they are... intact. The Vermilion Bird blood that has nurtured your body and soul for these years, I don't know why you returned to the mortal world without taking it back directly. If... if it's possible..."

"If you take back your heart, can you have a little humanity?"

Sheng Lingyuan thought that the human heart and the blood of the Vermilion Bird were not like water that could be mixed together just by throwing them on him.

Those were things he had personally abandoned, and he himself had a sense of rejection towards them.

His heavenly demon body was even happier not to have them, but he understood the unfinished words of Xuan Ji.

Tapping his knee with his fingers, Sheng Lingyuan sighed inwardly: Little Ji has grown up to be shrewd and sensitive, not as carefree as he was in his youth. His push just now was quite forceful.

He wanted to keep a safe distance from Xuan Ji, so as not to hurt his feelings.

So he changed the subject and said, "After the death of the Prince Ning, I adopted and raised his son with the witch as my own, and made him the crown prince."

Xuan Ji mechanically replied, "I know. I have met him. During the 36 years of Emperor Wen's reign, he worked hard and did a good job. By the 18th year of Emperor Wen's reign, when I left Chiyuan, there was already the beginning of a peaceful era..."

Sheng Lingyuan interrupted him, "The crown prince's nickname is Tong'er."

Xuan Ji was shocked.

"You are someone I watched grow up, but I never had the chance to see you in person. I've imagined countless times what you would look like as an adult, and I wanted the Crown Prince to be like you." Sheng Lingyuan spoke in a low, almost weak voice. "I was always alone as a child, and the only one I could talk to was you... I treated you like a brother."

Before Xuan Ji could even taste the flavor, he was blocked by this word, 'brother'.

Xuan Ji: "..."

"Although they say that the human heart is fickle, for us..." Sheng Lingyuan chuckled. "No matter how I am with others, my feelings for you have not had the chance to change."

He used the phrase "haven't had the chance" perfectly, implying that emotions have an expiration date. As a demon, he may seem cold and heartless, but due to the objective reality - that you died early - we were lucky that our brotherly bond didn't have the chance to spoil.

The words were straightforward and sincere, with a hint of cruel honesty that left Xuan Ji at a loss for words.

"Don't be afraid of me, Xuan Ji. I won't harm you," Sheng Lingyuan said softly. "Although I didn't choose to come back, I'm happy to be able to see my loved ones again."

His words were genuine, and Xuan Ji could even hear a smile in his tone.

Sheng Lingyuan pushed him away without mercy, but caught him just in time to prevent him from falling.

He left Xuan Ji at a distance, but not too far, and even gave him a piece of candy to calm him down.

In short, he might be the "little happiness" of a heartless and anti-social person in the mortal world.

A bucket of ice water extinguished the heat in Xuan Ji's chest, leaving him too weak to feel sad. The suffocating embarrassment he had just experienced slid down his throat, almost causing him to hiccup.

At that moment, a rustling sound passed by from not far away.

It was light and breathless, and he knew it was Zhi Chun's Heart-Piercing Grass doll.

Soon after, heavy and hurried footsteps followed, and the person seemed to have an injured leg, limping as they walked.

It was Yan Qiushan.

Although Xuan Ji was in a state of confusion and turmoil, his sense of public duty had not yet gone into shock.

After a moment of hesitation, he turned on the lighting device inside the tent - to let the person outside know that someone was awake, in case they accidentally overheard something they shouldn't have.

However, his good intentions were in vain, as the two former field elites seemed to be out of their minds and didn't pay any attention.

"I didn't want to run," came Zhi Chun's voice, muffled by the wind and snow. "What's the point of running? It just tires you out. I was getting restless in the tent and wanted to take a walk."

Zhi Chun wasn't burdened by a tired body, so he wasn't afraid of the wind and snow or losing sleep and hair.

He had spent half the night in Zhang Zhao's tent, unable to sleep.

The young man snored loudly as soon as he lay down, like a high-powered motorcycle. Zhi Chun was already feeling anxious, and the sound of the snoring almost drove him crazy.

When the wind and snow subsided a bit, he decided to take a walk.

Little did she know that Yan Qiushan next door had either not slept all night or was easily awakened by any noise. As soon as Zhi Chun left the tent, Yan Qiushan followed closely behind.

When Zhi Chun looked at his pale and thin face, he suddenly felt incredibly sad.

Yan Qiushan was the type to hide away when injured.

Whenever guests came over, he would clean the house thoroughly and never let outsiders see his vulnerable side.

When had he ever been in such a sorry state?

Ignoring Zhi Chun and not meeting the gaze of Heart-Piercing Grass doll, Yan Qiushan blocked the wind with his hand and lit a cigarette.

He had a blank expression on his face, like an unmoving guard, with the only duty of keeping the "prisoner" secure.

The cigarette butt flickered in the wind and snow, while the Heart-Piercing Grass doll and the haggard man stood silently about ten meters away.

However... Zhi Chun's true form was right beside Yan Qiushan.

The misty Yan Qiushan squinted his eyes as a snowflake smashed against his brow bone, scattering hexagonal snowflakes onto his eyelashes.

Zhi Chun noticed the scars and calluses on his cigarette-holding hand, and a dangerous scar circling his neck. He was so thin that his features were unrecognizable.

He silently embraced him, a hug that only he knew about.

Yan Qiushan was unaware, staring aimlessly into the distance.

In a blink of an eye, the cigarette ash and snowflakes on his eyelashes intertwined and rolled down, passing through Zhi Chun's body without a sound.

Zhi Chun held him close and closed his eyes, allowing the doll to speak calmly, "I actually wanted to talk to you when I went back, but since neither of us can sleep, we can talk now. Our contract, strictly speaking, was on my sword. Since the sword is broken, the contract is naturally dissolved. I am prepared to go back to the bureau to receive punishment for the losses I caused...the poisoning and the Yin Sacrifice incident. I am willing to sell myself to the bureau for as long as they want. This has nothing to do with you."

Yan Qiushan took a drag of his cigarette and held it in for a while, waiting for him to continue.

Zhi Chun then said, "Let's forget about everything else between us."

Yan Qiushan exhaled a cloud of smoke and water vapor, reverting back to his old style of "speaking plainly to people and speaking ghostly to ghosts" that he had learned in three years.

He still couldn't come up with a single fart.

He said, "Okay, it's settled."

Zhi Chun's eyes turned red and he greedily buried his face in his neck.

The little doll on the ground lifted its calm face and said, "It's too cold outside, and your health isn't good. You should go back and rest. You've suffered a lot for me these past three years. If you need anything in the future, I..."

"It's my duty, and the bureau will give me the compensation I deserve. You don't need to make it up to me," Yan Qiushan interrupted him sternly. "Just give me one thing."

"...What is it?"

"The fragments you took from the 60th floor underground, all of them." Yan Qiushan put out his cigarette, crushed it into the snow, and passed his hand through Zhi Chun's transparent body to reach the little grass doll. "The sword is mine, and the fragments are also mine. Give them back to me, and we'll be even."

Zhi Chun: "Why do you want it? Refining tools is already considered an evil art, and it has been lost for thousands of years. The conditions for re-forging are simply impossible..."

Zhi Chun choked for a moment before softening his tone.

"Old Yan, can't we talk this out? Let's reason together. No matter what method you use, the Heavenly rules cannot be bypassed. To reshape the blade, you must sacrifice a living person with the bloodline of the Mountain people. Do you want me to carry the burden of a life for the rest of my life?"

Inside the tent, Xuan Ji's hand paused as he suddenly remembered the sword furnace he and Wei Yun had looked at each other years ago.

Zhi Chun let out a sigh and said, "You are a human, but I...I am just a sword. A sword is a weapon...and weapons are not auspicious. We have been entangled for so many years, with more bad than good, and more pain than happiness...I...I shouldn't have started this with you in the first place..."

Sheng Lingyuan gently lifted his eyes.

But Yan Qiushan was suddenly angered by these words, and a bloody color appeared on his pale face.

He interrupted Zhi Chun again, insisting, "Give me back my sword."

"Old Yan, listen to me..."

"I'll find it myself if you don't return it. After all, I have this," Yan Qiushan said coldly, pressing the remaining piece of metal against his chest.

"I am a metal user, even if you smash the fragments, I can pick them up piece by piece. Even if you melt the blade to make steel, I can still dig out my own blade. If I can't find it in ten years, I'll search for ten more. If I can't find it in twenty years, I'll search for twenty more. If I can't find it in a hundred years, I'll die on the way."

Zhi Chun couldn't take it anymore. "Yan Qiushan!"

Having a tough guy as a teammate was admirable and reliable, but if they had a stubborn attitude, they would definitely disown their own family.

Zhi Chun had only one person who could make his blood pressure rise.

He uttered, "You...you...you!", repeatedly, without being able to say a single word to scold him. He thought about saying something like, "Are you trying to kill me?" but then remembered that he wasn't really alive to begin with, so dying a little more wouldn't make much of a difference.

As for using the body of the doll as a threat, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

He felt like he was already guilty of something, and using the doll's body to atone for his sins was the only way to make things right.

In his mind, the doll had become public property.

Zhi Chun was backed into a corner, and the doll was shaking with anger. Its wooden joints creaked as it met the icy gaze of Yan Qiushan, and it fell silent.

The expression on the little doll's face was so lifelike that it pricked Yan Qiushan's eyes.

He turned his face to leave, but just as he turned around, he heard a trembling voice that was filled with longing, "Old Yan... Did I make you suffer? Is that why you want revenge on me?"

Yan Qiushan was shaken and froze with one foot in the air.

"You win... Can we just call it a win for you? I... I really hurt... All the pain I caused you, just give it back to me," Zhi Chun murmured. "I shouldn't have come to the mortal world in the first place, I shouldn't have bothered you..."

Yan Qiushan turned around and strode towards him, picking up the little doll from the snow.

His tall and straight shoulders were like a collapsing mountain, and there were moist traces in the corners of his eyes.

"Shut up!"

Perhaps it was the snow that left those traces.

Enter my lovesick gate, and know my lovesick pain.

If I had known it would entangle my heart like this, I would never have met you in the first place.

Xuan Ji sighed.

The couple had walked far away, and the night patrol was starting to feel tired. The snow had stopped and the clouds had cleared, leaving only the North Star to keep watch in the lonely sky.

Suddenly, Xuan Ji couldn't hold back any longer and said, "Your Majesty, there was something I never got to say when we parted ways all those years ago. Would you like to hear it now?"

But Sheng Lingyuan remained silent, as if he had already fallen asleep.

"Lingyuan, I..." Xuan Ji trailed off, remembering the unfinished words he had left behind when the Heavenly Demon Sword was shattered by King Wei Yu.

It had been three thousand years, and he still hadn't found the chance to finish what he wanted to say.

"I've lived my whole life carefree," Xuan Ji said, not expecting a response and not caring.

The mole at the corner of his eye lifted, and the emblem on his forehead turned red like a curse.

"I can't think of a better life than this, Your Majesty," he muttered, as though to himself.

Sheng Lingyuan trembled, feeling as though his body, honed by lava, was becoming thin and brittle, able to be crushed by a feather.

In that moment, he realized how fortunate he was to have no heart.

Xuan Ji waited for what felt like a lifetime, until he heard a faint "thank you" from the person beside him.

They fell silent, calmly and leisurely, finally bringing a satisfying conclusion to their relationship that had ended abruptly years ago.

"So that's how it is," Sheng Lingyuan thought in the tardy dawn.

"Teacher, neither of us won." He and Dan Li were once inseparable, but later they fought for many years, neither dying nor giving up. Even after three thousand years, they still had an unspoken understanding.

Xuan Ji explained the entire story, and the emperor immediately understood everything.

On the day he jumped into Chiyuan to commit suicide, by a stroke of luck, the "bones," "blood," "sword body," and "life sacrifice" were all gathered in Chiyuan, satisfying the conditions for reshaping the Heavenly Demon Sword.

This made it possible for Xuan Ji to reshape the sword body.

But what had always puzzled Sheng Lingyuan was how Xuan Ji got mixed up with the Chiyuan formation.

According to reason, the body of a sword spirit is made of metal. "Bones" and "blood" are just ceremonial items that are useless after being sacrificed to the sword furnace. After the sword is forged, they are supposed to be left behind.

However, the Vermilion Bird bone in the Chiyuan Formation was actually refined into a part of Xuan Ji, giving him the power to restrain evil demons with the Vermilion Bird's flames.

At the same time, it also tied his life and death to the Chiyuan Formation.

This obviously has nothing to do with the process of refining the sword body. The problem can only be attributed to the mysterious incantation of Dan Li.

Sure enough, Dan Li never intended to harm the sword spirit.

In fact, when Sheng Lingyuan was forced to abdicate and his sword was broken, he never expected that Dan Li would be willing to attack the Heavenly Demon Sword.

After all, Dan Li is the statue of the Vermilion Bird, and Little Ji is the last Vermilion Bird spirit. The two have always been called master and disciple. Sheng Lingyuan can actually feel that Dan Li is more biased towards the Sword Spirit than himself.

If Dan Li had known the secret of the Heavenly Demon Sword Spirit earlier, why did he first plan to destroy the Demon Sword and then stop Wei Yun from confessing the truth?

Was it because Wei Yun was afraid that he would die and the successor of the human race would not tolerate the Mountain people?

Dan Li definitely didn't have this concern - he was probably only afraid that this demon would not die thoroughly enough.

Furthermore, the Nirvana technique was also left by Dan Li.

Xuan Ji is a bit superficial in learning things and only cares about practicality without asking for the source. Therefore, he still doesn't know that the "Nirvana technique" is not a small trick that anyone can learn, like the Heart-Piercing Grass Puppet curse.

It is a secret of the Vermilion Bird clan that is not passed down to outsiders. The Nirvana Stone that was refined is known as the "object of life and death" in ancient books.

According to the heavenly rules, it is at least on the same level as refining tools. This is also the reason why the Nirvana Stones refined by Xuan Ji are so fragile - he himself was "born with life", but his body is still a weapon spirit.

In theory, he does not have the qualifications to perform this level of technique, so anything he does is bound to be inferior.

Xuan Ji may be sloppy, but Dan Li is not unaware of the level of the Nirvana technique.

If Dan Li weren't simply saying nonsense words and leaving behind the Nirvana technique just to take care of the Fire-keeper and consume the Vermillion Bird Bone, it would only be possible that even Dan Li did not expect that after finally smashing the Heavenly Demon Sword and releasing Xuan Ji from the sword, by some twist of fate, he actually turned back into a sword spirit.

According to Dan Li's original plan, Xuan Ji, as the last Vermilion Bird spirit, was likely the key to the Vermilion Bird clan's revival.

When the Vermilion Bird clan was wiped out, there was only one 'heavenly spirit' egg left, which could not be hatched by external forces.

So Dan Li had to use a roundabout method to "demote" the spirit - using the heavenly demon sacrifice to give the spirit life and intelligence, and then smashing the sword body when the spirit grew up, designing him to replace the Vermilion Bird bone formation's eye and becoming the "Fire-keeper."

In this way, although Xuan Ji was not a complete Vermilion Bird, he became the actual guardian of the Chiyuan and had the rights and responsibilities of the Vermilion Bird.

Legend has it that the Vermilion Bird was born from the depths of the Chiyuan, and that they shared the same origin. However, later generations elevated the status of the divine Vermilion Bird too high, which was deemed disrespectful, so the secret was no longer passed down.

Dan Li had revealed all these secrets to Xuan Ji.

Xuan Ji thought he was protecting his own heart, but in reality, Dan Li used him to protect the last remaining bloodline of the Vermilion Bird in the world.

When Xuan Ji, this "half-dead Chiyuan," finally returns to the true Chiyuan, it will be complete. At that time, the "divine blood," "demonic source," and the "Vermilion Bird soul" will be complete, just like the beginning of chaos - Chiyuan will give birth to a new Fire-keeper.

By then, a Nirvana Stone will wash away Xuan Ji's past and present, and he will only remember his name. The Vermilion Bird clan will be reborn from the ashes.

The imperial teacher... truly has an unbeatable strategy.

Sheng Lingyuan sighed and suddenly remembered the half-finished game of chess he played with Dan Li when he left Dongchuan many years ago.

He was young and naive back then, and he couldn't concentrate on the game as Dan Li talked about the coronation ceremony of the emperor. His back was tense, and his waist hurt.

Dan Li noticed his discomfort and asked him, "What's wrong?"

Before he even finished, Sheng Lingyuan finally relaxed and whispered, "Finally left... What did the teacher say?"

Dan Li poured him a cup of water and asked, "Your Highness, what's bothering you?"

"It's nothing," Sheng Lingyuan first lowered his head, then awkwardly took a sip of water under the gaze of Dan Li who knew everything, "It's little Ji...Tong, he can move freely now, no longer needing to borrow my eyes...cough, maybe it's too fresh, he keeps staring at me, and I'm not used to it."

Dan Li gently asked, "Just not used to it?"

Sheng Lingyuan didn't say anything. The Sword Spirit blocked his thoughts, he didn't know what Tong was thinking, he could only feel the other's constant gaze, making him uneasy.

At this moment, the Sword Spirit finally managed to escape Dan Li's chatter and Sheng Lingyuan felt it float out the window. The sky was high and the scenery was clear in the warm early autumn, the clear view entered Sheng Lingyuan's heart through the Sword Spirit's eyes, causing him to lose focus.

Dan Li sighed at him, "Your Highness, Tong is a Sword Spirit, you know."

Sheng Lingyuan snapped out of his thoughts and realized that he had been smiling. He quickly composed himself and was about to say something when a gust of wind blew in through the window.

The Sword Spirit, who had gone out to play, was puzzled as to why Sheng Lingyuan had blocked his hearing and peeked back in through the window.

Sheng Lingyuan tensed up again, but this time he deliberately avoided looking at the window and furrowed his brow as if pondering something important.

It wasn't until Little Ji called out to him from the window that he seemed to notice the Sword Spirit again.

He affected a nonchalant tone and asked, "What's wrong?"

Little Ji was displeased and said, "What did you do to cut off your hearing just now? Did you badmouth me to the old man?"

Sheng Lingyuan raised an eyebrow as if nothing had happened and replied, "Didn't you run away because you found us annoying? I didn't want to disturb you, so I blocked my hearing. Who has time to talk about you all the time? You're just being unreasonable."

The Sword Spirit said, "I want to listen too!"

"Suit yourself, if you want to listen, come in and listen, but don't interrupt or cause trouble."

With that, Sheng Lingyuan seemed to no longer pay attention to the Sword Spirit, and turned his full attention to discussing "serious matters" with Dan Li.

Dan Li didn't reveal anything and cooperated in steering the conversation away.

The two of them talked at length, occasionally interspersed with obscure wit.

Before long, the Sword Spirit was so bored that he was on the verge of falling asleep, with his ears and head hurting.

Dan Li noticed that Sheng Lingyuan had stopped mid-sentence and was staring blankly at his empty teacup, knowing that the Sword Spirit had left again. He didn't urge him to stay, just sat quietly playing chess.

After a while, Sheng Lingyuan spoke disjointedly, "Teacher, sometimes on sunny days, I have a ridiculous fantasy, hoping that it could be like this forever, without wind or rain, and without the four seasons."

"Having been trapped in the world for a long time and rarely encountering joy, it's not a bad thing to indulge occasionally," said Dan Li as he lightly tapped the chess piece against the wooden board. "But if because of this, you're not prepared for the cold in autumn or the heat in spring, then you'll become a laughingstock."

Sheng Lingyuan, who was still a young man, was not convinced and argued, "But if you cultivate your body and mind, you can withstand any weather. Then, wouldn't you be able to ignore the wind and rain and treat all seasons equally?"

Dan Li made his move and then folded his hands into his sleeves, sitting upright under his strange mask like a god who was neither sad nor happy.

"Your Highness," he said calmly, "for the weak and vulnerable who are wandering and homeless, a few storms can be fatal. As for the masters, even though they are impervious to the elements, they still have to avoid the dangers of strong winds and lightning. Everyone has their own difficulties and obstacles that they cannot overcome. The only constant is impermanence."

Sheng Lingyuan remained silent for a while, his expression slightly dimming.

After a moment, he gathered the courage to ask, "Teacher, there are many legends in Dongchuan about unwavering love. Do you believe in them?"

"Anything that can be passed down to future generations must have a basis in reality and be somewhat believable," Dan Li replied.

"But Your Highness, the lifespan of a witch person is no more than a hundred years, a mere moment in the grand scheme of things. Is it not laughable for them to compare their own life and death to that of insects? When witch people say 'unwavering love,' it is because their death is near. But what if they could live forever? What if they could live as long as the Chiyuan? Could their love still be unwavering until the end of time?"

At that time, Sheng Lingyuan was too young to understand the meaning behind the man's words. He had no idea that his lifespan exceeded a hundred years. All he could grasp was the implication that the Sword Spirit may only obtain a body after a thousand years, and that their paths were destined to be different.

This realization left him feeling disheartened, causing him to forcefully suppress his feelings for the young man. With a hint of defiance, he retorted, "That may not be the case. After all, neither my teacher nor I have lived that long."

Dan Li was taken aback by Sheng Lingyuan's response, but then he seemed to chuckle. "You're right," he said, grabbing a handful of chess pieces and tossing them into the basket. "Your mind is elsewhere, Your Highness. Let's call it a draw for this game. How about we make a bet?"

Sheng Lingyuan was caught off guard. "I was just making small talk. Why is my teacher taking this seriously?"

Dan Li waved his hand to interrupt him, "I often tell His Highness that no one can have a perfect plan, whether it's a straightforward strategy or a cunning one. Because the world is unpredictable, we are all foolish mortals, blinded by the mundane world and limited in our knowledge. How can we dare to make judgments on right and wrong?

"What we consider as a standard today may become a laughing stock in three to five decades or even centuries, unworthy of even the lowest of peasants. Therefore, we must always leave room for uncertainty and let fate decide the outcome. If we believe in the impermanence of things and yet remain convinced that our beliefs are infallible, aren't we contradicting ourselves?"

Sixteen-year-old Sheng Lingyuan was completely confused by the lofty and groundless talk of his elder, whom he trusted enough to confide in about his teenage troubles.

Little did he know that this elder was like a wooden old monk, wearing a mask of "I've lived long enough", who first made some obscure mockery and then recited scriptures to him in a confusing manner.

Facing Dan Li, Sheng Lingyuan felt a strong aversion to learning.

Young people are often consumed by their own thoughts,     believing that any confusion they experience is due to others not understanding them.

Sheng Lingyuan felt full of himself at the time, seeking out Dan Li, a well-known eccentric, to discuss love and romance.

It wasn't until many years later that he realized the true meaning behind Dan Li's words on that calm autumn afternoon, when they played a game of chess. The game remained unfinished and unplayed until now.

Dan Li never made clear what they were betting on.

Later, Sheng Lingyuan became confident in his abilities and even won half a game against his teacher.

Looking back now, he realizes how foolish he was to think he could conquer the world. From the moment he was born, he had been walking on the path that Dan Li had designed for him.

Every struggle and resistance was expected, even his very soul was meticulously crafted by that mastermind. It was no wonder that with such ordinary aptitude, he could never master the mysterious puppetry techniques that Dan Li possessed.

Unfortunately, even heavenly demons have their limitations.

No one could have predicted that Sheng Lingyuan would jump into the Chiyuan with all the remaining scraps of the Heavenly Demon Sword.

He had cut open his own heart and abandoned his bloodline, severing all emotional ties. It was only natural that he should have forgotten about his youthful infatuation.

Even if he wanted to keep a memento, it would usually be a small piece of scrap metal worn as a pendant. But the Heavenly Demon Sword was no ordinary sword.

Its hilt and scabbard alone weighed eighty-one catties, who could bear to carry such a heavy burden of useless metal on their person for years on end?

Sheng Lingyuan had actually forgotten what he was thinking at the time. Maybe it was because he felt empty and uncomfortable after digging out his heart, and needed something heavy to weigh him down. Or maybe it was because he had nothing else in the world except for this scrap of iron.

In any case, he couldn't bear to throw away this piece of iron slag, and had been wrapping the broken pieces of the iron sword with his power and hiding them in his heart.

With this unexpected detail, Chiyuan didn't have time to revive the divine bird, and Xuan Ji returned to the sword first. Dan Li's efforts were in vain, resulting in the current chaotic situation.

After reviewing the situation, Sheng Lingyuan couldn't help but laugh and cry.

He was even a little grateful to the mastermind behind the scenes - if it weren't for them, he wouldn't have had the chance to come out and set things right.

"Alright," thought the emperor, feeling brigher and more clear-headed than ever before. "I will accompany you on this journey and see you off. From now on, the world is vast and you can go far and wide. It's also a fulfillment of my long-cherished wish, as if I am blessed by the heavens."