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

Meeting those eyes, endless despair surged into my mind.

Yin Huaixi sneered.

Now that things have come to this, she's not afraid of angering Sang Che anymore. Anyway... he's already been arrested, and no matter how much she tries to appease him, it won't dispel his resentment.

It's better to vent this anger first!

"Your Holiness."

"You're best at raising these animals, but do you know that an untamed dog can bite when it goes berserk?"

Her wrists were almost bleeding from being strangled, and stray hairs at her temples covered Yin Huaixi's pale profile as her thumb slowly stroked her chin.

Even if you can't see it...

Sang Che could also imagine Yin Huaixi's pain and screams.

Strangely, she felt a sense of pleasure rising within her.

"So what if it is?"

"I have so many pets, and some of them are wild and unruly, and don't like to be disciplined."

He leaned forward, pressing his body completely against Yin Huaixi's thin frame.

The pain of being pressed against the wooden door left Yin Huaixi with nowhere to escape, and now she could only stare at Sang Che with her eyes wide open.

Sang Che's red lips almost covered Yin Huaixi's earlobe, and he exhaled a hot, humid breath, causing Yin Huaixi's fingers to grip the edge of the wooden door.

Humiliation reached its peak.

"If you lock them up for a few days, they will become as obedient as good children after I train them."

"Huaixi, you'll do this too."

The venomous insects and wild beasts that Sang Che could not tame were all exceptional, local tyrants who dominated their respective areas.

Even when faced with the descendants of Chi You, these beings, who were almost imbued with sentience, refused to bow their heads.

Being bitten was nothing unusual for Sang Che.

If someone is prone to biting, then remove their sharpest teeth.

If it's prone to vomiting poison, then squeeze out all the venom.

Within a few days.

My spirit and energy have been worn away.

Then it became as obedient as something else.

Yin Huaixi closed her eyes…

She thought about how in the original story, Sang Che would pin her to the ground and do all sorts of unspeakable things to her.

She opened her mouth and bit down hard on Sang Che's thumb.

The salty, rusty taste lingered on his lips and teeth, and a streak of crimson blood slid down Sang Che's knuckles.

Yin Huaixi put in a tremendous amount of effort.

She would rather Sang Che lock her in a dark, sunless, enclosed space than be imprisoned in... a bed.

They knew nothing of the sun and moon, nor of what heaven and earth were.

My knuckles hurt.

Sang Che frowned slightly, then relaxed her expression again; she had no intention of pulling it out at all.

Instead, he pushed his thumb forward.

"Bite it."

"Huaixi... bite as much as you want before I put the chain on you."

Her sickly demeanor made it difficult for Yin Huaixi to pinpoint exactly how Sang Che's mad aura had been diminished...

Or was it the illness that tormented her to this incomprehensible state?

"Sang Che..."

"Take your hand out..."

"Do you know... what you're doing... is despicable..."

Slurring her words, Sang Che increased the pressure, and blood stained her thumb.

A strange fragrance gradually replaced the salty, fishy smell of blood.

Like flowing nectar.

It seeped into Yin Huaixi's internal organs.

Sang Che: "Is this your true thought?"

"Huaixi...you've been lying to me all along. Was all that...concern just an act?"

To be interrogated like this.

Yin Huaixi stopped herself from speaking.

Whether it was the strange fragrance that had bewitched her or the fact that she hadn't been fully "acting" during their time together, it's hard to say.

Yin Huaixi remained silent.

Sang Che felt a chill in her heart; she seemed to be stung by Yin Huaixi's evasive actions.

He let go.

At that moment, a blood-red insect seemed to sense something and obediently landed on Sang Che's fingertip, folding its wings.

Its whiskers swayed slightly.

Gently licking its master's blood.

"Go."

Upon receiving its master's command, the little red insect did not hesitate at all, flapping its wings and flying towards Yin Huaixi's location, landing on Yin Huaixi's neck.

Before Yin Huaixi could react, the little red worm took a bite!

A sudden wave of tingling and numbness swept through her body. Yin Huaixi gasped for breath as the dimness before her eyes was gradually replaced by complete darkness.

Her fingers, which had been gripping the crack in the door, became weak and limp, and fell down.

Her body brushed against the wooden door, and Yin Huaixi fell to the cold ground.

Outside the inn, only the cold wind was howling. Sang Che raised his bitten, blood-soaked thumb and placed it to his lips.

Take it in one gulp.

Her heart ached heavily, and she stood there for a long time before finally squatting down.

He wrapped his arms around the unconscious Yin Huaixi and held her close, pressing his cheek against Yin Huaixi's cold cheek.

She murmured softly, "Huaixi, we are destined to be together, so why... do you always run away from me?"

"The High Priest's prophecies never fail. What's wrong with having him by my side?"

...

Endless darkness enveloped Yin Huaixi.

When I opened my eyes again, the ground around me wasn't the wet, damp place I had imagined, with snakes, insects, and rodents crawling around.

Her fingertips hooked onto the soft bedsheet, and Yin Huaixi, panting heavily, sat up in disbelief.

She was lying on a bed!

The thought of reaching out to investigate was stopped in an instant.

What if there's something unclean on this bed? If she reaches out, she'll get bitten!

Her movements slowed down as Yin Huaixi explored little by little, her fingers touching nothing but endless softness.

He mustered his courage and was about to get up.

A crisp clanging of chains echoed from the foot of the bed.

The feeling of tightness around the ankle...

Yin Huaixi instantly realized something. She quickly reached her fingers towards her ankle, and felt the warm metal against her fingertips. She laughed in exasperation.

Sang Che really is...

Lifting her foot, Yin Huaixi intended to test how long the chain was, only to find that it didn't securely bind her to the bed.

It can still move.

She didn't know what kind of insect bit her yesterday, but Yin Huaixi's neck was still burning with pain, and there were faint signs of ulceration.

However… Sang Che must have applied medicine to her, otherwise she might have turned into a pool of blood long ago.

With difficulty, she propped herself up and stepped barefoot onto the ground. Yin Huaixi could hear the sound of flowing water beside her.

The Miao people live in stilted houses, which are built along the banks of streams and rivers. The sound of the water... it seems she has returned to Fengming Mountain.

With her mind a jumbled mess, Yin Huaixi tried to sort out her thoughts.

She remained in the darkness for an unknown amount of time when she heard heavy, thumping footsteps outside the door.

It seemed that a group of people were walking towards her.

Yin Huaixi took a deep breath.

She wanted to know if the group of people who came were there to torture her, or if Sang Che had come to plant a "love potion" in her!

A clear, unified Miao language voice rang out from outside the door, followed by Sang Che's muffled voice.

Yin Huaixi rarely heard Sang Che speak Miao language in front of her, so hearing it now was quite interesting.

As she was deep in thought.

The wooden door was pushed open from the outside.

The familiar sound of silver bells struck Yin Huaixi's chest. She looked up and saw a ray of light evenly falling on Sang Che's indigo dress. The small red snake was still coiled on her wrist.

He slowly walked towards her.

"Sang Che..."

Yin Huaixi subconsciously opened her lips and called out Sang Che's name, her throat feeling dry and hoarse.

"So this is my name?"

"Why don't you call me Ah Che like you used to?"

"Yin Huaixi...you've changed so quickly."

Her fingertips landed on the ends of her braided, dark hair, where silver butterflies seemed ready to flutter about.

Sang Che approached her and smiled at her.

"It doesn't matter, you're mine anyway."

"No matter how hard we try to escape, we can't escape Phoenix Cry Mountain."